We chose this particular cruise for several reasons. My grandmother had been on another Royal Caribbean cruise and had a fabulous time. We wanted a short trip, as it was my first trip away from my children. Since neither of us had ever seen Ensenada before, we thought this cruise was just what we were looking for.

We arrived at the ship at 11:00am October 3rd. Since the ship didn't depart for several more hours, we thought we'd spend the time getting acquainted with the ship, unpacking, and participating in whatever activities may be available. After locating our cabin, we attended our first buffet luncheon. The choices were many, but the foods were mediocre at best. We were still very excited just to be on board, however, so we still looked forward to the activities we'd soon enjoy.

We went back to our cabin, and after being on board for nearly three hours, there was still no sign of our luggage. A quick call to the customer service desk inquiring about our luggage yielded no results. I spoke to a young woman who sounded aloof and unconcerned about my concerns. Our luggage finally arrived minutes before dinner so that we could quickly change into our dining clothes. A couple we dined with wasn't so lucky; they didn't receive their luggage until midnight.

While we paid for and expected a three day cruise, what we really got was a two day cruise. The first day of the cruise was completely wasted time. None of the shops, casino, or other activities were available until well after we'd left port. The only open venues were the lounges. This made for an awful lot of drunken passengers by the time evening rolled around. At dinner, a woman seated next to us was slovenly drunk. After dinner, I witnessed two separate couples who were obviously intoxicated having screaming matches. Still later, we had to walk carefully through a hallway to avoid a large amount of vomit on the floor. In another hallway, we had to walk carefully yet again to avoid a young woman who couldn't seem to pick herself up from the floor.

When the venues of the ship finally opened the first night, we still found that there weren't any real activities going on. Just shopping, gambling, and listening to music in the lounges. We enjoyed ourselves in the casino, which was nice, although very clouded with cigarette smoke.

The dining choices on board are many; you can dine in one of two main dining rooms, choose specialty foods for a fee in 2 other restaurants, have a latte at Seattle's Best Coffee (fee), ice cream at Ben & Jerry's (fee), order room service, or go to the "Pizzeria". While our dinners in the dining room were well-presented and good, they lacked that 'special something' that we were looking for on a cruise. We were hoping for lobster; we were told they don't serve it anymore because it's too expensive. We had pre-ordered wine to accompany our dinner; it didn't arrive, so we had to reorder. When we went to the "Pizzeria" for a late-night snack, we were offered cold sandwiches. Pizza isn't served there anymore, as it "wasn't working out" we were told. Our dining room servers were attentive and friendly; although not as adept and sophisticated as they should be on a cruise ship. One midnight buffet was served on our cruise. Visually, it was the most beautiful spread of food I've ever seen. However, the quality and flavor of the food left much to be desired. The long line and poor quality made it a considerable waste of time. Breakfast and lunch buffets throughout the cruise were all good; but simply good, never superb.

The ship itself is beautiful; the main public area where all of the shops are located is fabulous. It's reminiscent of a grand shopping mall with a comfortable seating area to sip your coffee and chat or people-watch. The glass elevators and brass railed staircase are grand. Public areas, for the most part, are clean and comfortable. Decor is very elegant without being too flashy. Dining rooms are lovely and very elegant. The tables are set beautifully and perfectly.

Our cabin was an interior stateroom, about centered on the ship. It was clean and comfortable, no noise bothered us at night, and the only movement we felt was gentle and simply rocked us to sleep. The size of our cabin was standard as far as cabins go; not large by any means, but adequate. Our cabin steward was professional and good at his job; he was friendly and quick.

I don't recall what I was inquiring about at the purser's desk, but it was a fairly simple inquiry. (Did I mention that I've spent years working in the hotel industry?) There were three crew members standing behind that desk chatting, and when I'd been standing at the desk for quite some time, I finally got some attention. All three of them were finally ready to help me. The strange thing was that none of the three had any idea how to answer my question at all. None tried to find the answer. Basically, they just said, "We don't know, sorry." One even tried her hand at being humorous at my expense. She blatantly tried to poke fun at me. Customer service is seriously lacking on board this ship.

Cruising is generally a good value; you get lodging, meals, and entertainment for one price. However, this all-inclusive price is not cheap; cruise prices are comparative to world class resort vacation prices, not motel vacation prices. When I go on a cruise, I'm expecting to be pampered. I'm expecting to eat fabulous foods that I wouldn't eat on a daily basis. I'm expecting the staff to anticipate my needs and wants and do their best to fulfill them, with a smile. This expectation simply wasn't met on this cruise, and I'm disappointed. I'm not alone in my disappointment; many other passengers I spoke to were just as disillusioned as I. They'd all been on other cruises as well, and like me, won't take another cruise with Royal Caribbean.

Recommended:
No

Best Suited For: Couples