chodnett

Hey all!
We are just back from our Spring Break Oasis of the Seas sailing, which sailed away on Easter Sunday. Below are my key takeaways from the cruise, and I'm open to any questions you may have.
Notes:
This was an Easter sailing, which sailed away on Easter Sunday. There were over 2,000 kids on this particular cruise. Our original itinerary included Labadee, but it got switched out with CocoCay, giving us back-to-back days at Perfect Day. We were in an Oceanview stateroom on the 3rd deck. Highlights
Aqua80 is just the best show at sea. I would sail Oasis just to watch this show. One of our Perfect Day stops was shared with Symphony of the Seas. I was worried about crowds, but the island handled it so well! This may have been one of the best bar staffs I've ever encountered. All of them were friendly, and the service was fast! There were several surprise and delights on this trip, including balloon animals every morning in the Windjammer. Low-lights
The Supercell Waterslide was broken the entire week. There were some unexpected signs of wear and tear across the ship. Hot tubs were in dire need of resurfacing, there was more rust than I'm used to seeing on Royal, and we noticed several dining chairs with rips and tears. Our stateroom attendant was unusually rude. On debarkation day at 7:45 am, he knocked on our door and told us to hurry up and check out because he was coming in at 8 am to start cleaning whether we left or not. Yikes. I'm still concerned about the quality of the free food around the ships. Since COVID, I've noticed a pattern of decreased food quality.

Hey all!
We are just back from our Spring Break Oasis of the Seas sailing, which sailed away on Easter Sunday. Below are my key takeaways from the cruise, and I'm open to any questions you may have.
Notes:
This was an Easter sailing, which sailed away on Easter Sunday. There were over 2,000 kids on this particular cruise. Our original itinerary included Labadee, but it got switched out with CocoCay, giving us back-to-back days at Perfect Day. We were in an Oceanview stateroom on the 3rd deck. Highlights
Aqua80 is just the best show at sea. I would sail Oasis just to watch this show. One of our Perfect Day stops was shared with Symphony of the Seas. I was worried about crowds, but the island handled it so well! This may have been one of the best bar staffs I've ever encountered. All of them were friendly, and the service was fast! There were several surprise and delights on this trip, including balloon animals every morning in the Windjammer. Low-lights
The Supercell Waterslide was broken the entire week. There were some unexpected signs of wear and tear across the ship. Hot tubs were in dire need of resurfacing, there was more rust than I'm used to seeing on Royal, and we noticed several dining chairs with rips and tears. Our stateroom attendant was unusually rude. On debarkation day at 7:45 am, he knocked on our door and told us to hurry up and check out because he was coming in at 8 am to start cleaning whether we left or not. Yikes. I'm still concerned about the quality of the free food around the ships. Since COVID, I've noticed a pattern of decreased food quality.

Hey all!
We are just back from our Spring Break Oasis of the Seas sailing, which sailed away on Easter Sunday. Below are my key takeaways from the cruise, and I'm open to any questions you may have.
Notes:
This was an Easter sailing, which sailed away on Easter Sunday. There were over 2,000 kids on this particular cruise. Our original itinerary included Labadee, but it got switched out with CocoCay, giving us back-to-back days at Perfect Day. We were in an Oceanview stateroom on the 3rd deck. Highlights
Aqua80 is just the best show at sea. I would sail Oasis just to watch this show. One of our Perfect Day stops was shared with Symphony of the Seas. I was worried about crowds, but the island handled it so well! This may have been one of the best bar staffs I've ever encountered. All of them were friendly, and the service was fast! There were several surprise and delights on this trip, including balloon animals every morning in the Windjammer. Low-lights
The Supercell Waterslide was broken the entire week. There were some unexpected signs of wear and tear across the ship. Hot tubs were in dire need of resurfacing, there was more rust than I'm used to seeing on Royal, and we noticed several dining chairs with rips and tears. Our stateroom attendant was unusually rude. On debarkation day at 7:45 am, he knocked on our door and told us to hurry up and check out because he was coming in at 8 am to start cleaning whether we left or not. Yikes. I'm still concerned about the quality of the free food around the ships. Since COVID, I've noticed a pattern of decreased food quality.

Thanks everyone for the responses. 
 
Here are the screenshots I’ve got. Mobile and Web.

Superbowl is day we get off (11th) and I am hoping to be watching the Cowboys win just before I board my plane back to the UK!! 😀 🏈 ⭐

It’s so the longest married couple can wake up from their nap and eat before going to the show

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey Cheryl!
There is no Broadway show on Wonder. Plenty of other great entertainment. The Aqua show, InTense, is second only to Aqua80s IMO.
As for your other question, I’m not sure if you really meant Thyme or Theme. There was no Thyme night. There was an 80s theme night!

I want to say it was the first sea day, which for us was Tuesday. It took place at 2 pm. 

No height requirements for Splashaway Bay slides only. This is back-to-back cruises (on different ships) for us where the lifeguards have told us that Royal made this change in February 2023, and the new restriction is “comfortability.” If the child is comfortable, they can slide.
This is not inclusive of Perfect Storm water slides.

The best thing in the WJ on Wonder is the kids desert section...they had chocolate covered chocolate chip cookies that were awesome. You either have to be limber to get down low or wait for a kid to help you.

Oh shoot. No - we'll be in late March for my kid's Spring Break.

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

That’s probably one of the most underrated aspects of Wonder, despite the 6800 people onboard, we never felt the crowd, outside of embarkation day.
We never had to wait for a table, elevator, or pool chair.
I also thought the entertainment and activity team did a great job of balancing the offerings throughout the ship to disperse the crowds.
One thing I noted - they were putting prime shows during peak pool times. Love & Marriage and Battle of the Sexes were both scheduled for 2 pm on Sea Days for this cruise.

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

That’s probably one of the most underrated aspects of Wonder, despite the 6800 people onboard, we never felt the crowd, outside of embarkation day.
We never had to wait for a table, elevator, or pool chair.
I also thought the entertainment and activity team did a great job of balancing the offerings throughout the ship to disperse the crowds.
One thing I noted - they were putting prime shows during peak pool times. Love & Marriage and Battle of the Sexes were both scheduled for 2 pm on Sea Days for this cruise.

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Hey all!
We just returned from a 7-night Eastern Caribbean + Perfect Day sailing on Wonder of the Seas.
This was Fall Break for our kiddos, and we sailed with extended family, too. For reference, we booked connecting interior staterooms to double our space.
Top 3
This ship is beautiful. Great flow. Clever pool deck with fun out-of-pocket bars. Everything just felt “right” about this ship’s design. Standing alone - this is the best Windjammer design in the fleet. We never had to wait for a table. Captain Trym & Cruise Director Ricky were both fantastic and enhanced the cruise experience. Bottom 3
We just couldn’t find the desire to book another cruise while on-board. The pricing is just in a tough spot, as Royal continues to climb out the pandemic, financially.  The Smoking area on pool deck is large and the smell travels into the Windjammer.  This is by far the worst mini-golf course of the fleet. It’s beautiful, but not functional. Some of the gimmicks were not working. Notes
Confirmed: No height requirements for Splashaway Bay. Potty trained and comfortability. First time I’ve seen the ability to view and purchase cruise photos in the app. This was the first cruise I’ve been on where the bars ran out of ingredients. We’ve always been overly encouraged to fill out the survey, but on this cruise, they started the pitch on night 2, and it only intensified with each passing day.  
Hit me with any questions!

Independence of the Seas - 4 Nights - Nassau, Perfect Day - 8/14/23-8/18/23
Hey all!
We’re just off our 4-night cruise on Independence of the Seas. Below are my Top 3 / Bottom 3, and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
 
Top 3
1) Chops Grille remains undefeated. It continues to be my favorite meal at sea.
2) Adventure Ocean is such a fantastic benefit. My kids proactively ask to go each night.
3) Really love the pool strategy on Indy. Great main pool area, plenty of hot tubs, and Splashaway Bay with a large kids pool is such a win.
Bottom 3
1) Surprisingly, I would rate this as the “least friendly” cruise I’ve been on. Most crew just seemed to be getting by. Our Stateroom attendant barely spoke to us all week, even when passing him and trying to speak to him in the hall.
2) I had inconsistent experience with Diamond Drinks on CocoCay. Each time, I would ask the bartender to use my Diamond drink. Twice, I was still charged. Both times (different bartenders), they said I could just use my remaining drinks back onboard. Pretty frustrating.
3) The food in the Windjammer on this sailing was subpar. We normally love WJ food, and will eat nearly every breakfast and lunch there. But we found ourselves going to Sorrentos or Fish & Ships just so we weren’t subjected to the disappointment.