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Background I don’t usually post reviews as time usually gets away from me. This time I have hours in Newark Airport, so... To give some context: I have over 100 cruise points, and my first cruise was in 1969 on the SS United States. Royal Caribbean wasn’t even my second, or third cruise line—unless you count Celebrity right after the acquisition. I’ve sailed every Radiance-class ship except one, and Jewel remains my favorite. I’ve also sailed most Voyager-class and almost as many Oasis-class ships. This was my first Quantum-class experience. Overall? A great cruise—but with some quirks. General Impressions There were 1,500 kids on board (Thanksgiving week!), and we had my second least-favorite cruise director. Steve is not bad—just very quick-speaking (and I’m originally from NYC) and not very visible. He says “I’ll see you around the ship,” but you rarely do. The ship itself feels different from other Royal classes. Not bad—just different. The layout isn’t as symmetrical, and it took some time to get oriented. Oasis-class felt intuitive right away. Quantum took some adjusting. 270 is a really fun venue—though I didn’t need an entire show telling me it cost $37 million. The Book felt like a venue searching for a show. On the other hand, the technology in the Royal Theater—lasers, drones—was phenomenal. Specific Areas North Star Great experience—but a one-and-done for me. I’d do the free port-day version, but I don’t need to do it again in the middle of the ocean. Royal Theater I actually liked not having a Broadway show here. I’ve seen most of them already when they tour my city. The technology made the shows worth seeing more than once. Main Dining Room Different feel, with the open view to Deck 5, but it didn’t change much operationally. Food was above average for Royal. Café Two70 Very much like Central Park Café. Great roast beef sandwich (and if you know, you know). Windjammer Lots of specialty coffee spots and a solid selection. Fresh, made-to-order Eggs Benedict next to the omelet bar was a nice surprise. Cabin Deck 10 interior under Adventure Ocean. A bit noisy when they were moving things around—definitely not ideal for light sleepers. Cabin was small but had great storage. Oddly, no end table. My brother’s balcony cabin didn’t have one either (except outside). The Good Tons of outlets—including one next to the bed and USBs at the desk and on phone. Never ran out of places to charge things. Most shows (except The Book) were excellent. A refreshed, different feel overall—nice change of pace. Just enough motion to know you're at sea, but not enough to bother anyone. Food venues opened early and the staff, overall, was great. Cococay was excellent if you like beach days. Crew seemed genuinely happy to have us there. Floating bar crowd-watching was gold. Bern and the activities staff were amazing. Music Hall was a fun, unique venue. The Not-So-Good Thanksgiving + cooler weather = PACKED ship. Trivia and lounges filled up early, often with families taking over the bars. 1,500 kids onboard—enough said. No proper promenade or wraparound outdoor deck except the running track on Deck 15. A lot of smokers in outdoor seating areas. Smelled pot several times around the ship and at shows. Reported it, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Drug dogs were checking bags in port, though. Nassau excursion was the worst I’ve ever had on any cruise line. Basically paid to be driven to places where they wanted us to spend money. Rum tour was nothing, chocolate stop felt annoyed we were there, and with 6 ships in port, everything was a zoo. Windjammer coffee service at table was hit or miss—but I just sat closer so it wasn’t a big deal. I am used to people constantly filling cups! I missed Central Park—a quiet outdoor space with good wind protection. Wrap-Up Overall: a great ship and a great crew. Capt Marek is great! I sailed specifically for this ship and would absolutely sail her again—but not on this itinerary, and probably never Nassau again. I’ve done the Greek Isles twice with other lines, so I’ll skip that for now until I knock out the rest of my bucket list. What’s still on my “need to do” list: Brilliance (to complete the Radiance class) South America Africa Asia Canada & New England St. Petersburg, whenever the world calms down Try an Icon-class ship once the prices become rational Upcoming bookings: Mariner (Going to try first 5 day cruise in a very long time, worried it will not be long enough!) Liberty (Fjords in July) Symphony (week before Thanksgiving) As for Thanksgiving cruises—only Radiance class from now on. I’ve done it, and the crowds are far more manageable.

Booked this cruise on the Voyager in August. What? Aruba from Galveston? What? Hellya!