3 Nights Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise Cruise

Lengthy review

We decided to do our first ever cruise as a way to celebrate our youngest daughter graduating from high school. She wanted to do one day at Disney World, so we chose a cruise leaving from Port Canaveral. We did a 4 night cruise on Utopia that went to Nassau and CocoCay. Since I had read that Nassau was the lesser popular of the two ports, I only booked a catamaran excursion (I think the name on the catamaran was Seahorse but not 100% sure). This excursion took us around part of the island where we saw points of interest and celebrity homes. The tour guide Chris was hilarious. On way back, he played fun music and everbody enjoyed the open bar and dancing along. It is quite a walk to the meeting place but this excursion was something all 4 of us enjoyed (our daughters are 19 & 23). The next day was in CocaCay. We did a Wave Runner excursion. This was fun to be out on the water driving 25-40 MPH on the Wave Runners following a guide (with another one in the back of the group). We did this at 8:30 in the morning... it lasted about 1.5 hours. We then headed to CocoBeach Club to use our day passes. We thoroughly enjoyed looking out and getting in the water. The beach was perfect , the water felt great, and we had a nice sunny day. The day pass included an awesome lunch as well. We had several yummy drinks and really just enjoyed unwinding this day. My only complaint is when the low tide set in, it change the landscape drastically. As for Utopia itself, we enjoyed all the shows offered but our favorites were the Ice Skating and adult comedy ones. We also went to Name that Tune and it was so fun and entertaining both because the singers and dancers from the All-In show were part of the entertainment on this game show. Our girls didn't do the pool or hot tubs because of how crowded they were. I'd rate the cruise a 10/10 for my husband and I and an 8/10 for our young adult daugthers. They aren't much into the party scene and had I been their age, this would have been something I did for sure! I was always willing to stay up much later than them on this cruise to enjoy the live music, etc. They still had a good time but said their favorite was CocoCay relaxing on the beach. The beds in our ocean view balcony were very comfortable and we loved the amount of storage, plus walking out on balcony early morning or at sunset was breathtaking. Our stateman was just super awesome and friendly. We tipped him well. He left cute animals made from towels each day. The service in everything we did was just awesome! We pre-paid gratuities but still decided to tip waitstaff, etc. The food was also fantastic! The Windjammer gets pretty crowded but it was bearable. We did the Main Dining Room for dinner 2 nights and did Mason Jar for one paid meal for dinner and food at both was great! We didn't fully understand until the end by the MDR noticed and maybe seemed disappointed we weren't at our 5:00 showing (we missed it the first night and went later) and had reservations at Mason Jar the secone night) and realized we would have had the same table and waitstaff and the waitstaff probably looks at this as an opportunity to possibly earn more tips by having the same family for multple meals, so we understand now. They were awesome! I've typed a novel, but we'd for sure do a Royal Carbbean cruise again and in fact planning to next. year.

1st time cruiser.

1st cruise absolutely wonderful can’t wait to go next year. Definitely going on a longer one. Would recommend shopping at the ports but not doing any excursions not worth the money or time. Do a little shopping at the port then back on the boat. Highly recommend trips with ur friends that are family and at least try the dining room once. State room middle of the ship with a window. While there were some kids that should have been better watched by parents still enjoyed the pool area. Who know maybe they come up with a couple of cruises in a year with no kids. Don’t get me wrong love kids but toddlers and young kids need to stick to their schedule they need naps. Also try the rides that are on the ship great fun even if ur grown kids think ur crazy for going again and again. Oh and the best we were on the boat first day immediately without any wait.

Excellent Cruise - A Few Notes

We did the three night cruise last week. Highlights: Went as a couple around 50 yrs old. No kids with us. My 7th RC cruise. Don’t miss the aqua show! Amazing. I was a bit disappointed in the production show, which is usually what I love most. However, the aqua show made up for it. Ice show was also just ok. We tried to get reservations for the aqua show well in advance, but it was sold out. Someone on here recommended going to one of the balconies (rock climbing, etc.) for a good view if you can’t get a seat, which was perfect!! Solarium for adult time and excellent lunch. Way better than the Solariums on the older ships. Izumi for sushi - best service we had in the specialty restaurants. Mason Jar for a drink. Pesky Parrot for great service and drinks. Central Park restaurant for dinner - duck was amazing. Chops for steaks and sides - apps were just ok - service was weird bec they stood over us when we paid our bill/gave a tip (we had the unlimited dining package and did tip). We were celebrating my 50th birthday, so we opted for the dining package. It was great, but honestly not sure if I’d do it again on a “regular” trip mostly bec you usually get to know some people in the main dining room. Playmakers actually had live hockey on, which was great. The British pub had a fantastic singer. Schooners bar was just ok (usually one of my favorites). Trivia was done in like 10 mins, which seemed very rushed. Did the Hideaway Beach (adult only) on the private island, which we felt was worth it. We stayed onboard for Nassau to check out more of the ship bec it was a short cruise and we had both been to Nassau before. Overall, a very impressive ship and excellent service all around. Honestly might prefer a smaller ship again next time to get to know some people. This was mostly larger groups. One complaint is that very few of the restaurants/bars actually have a view of the ocean — something I used to enjoy at the Schooner bar and other places on the ships. Seemed odd to us. The Vue, Mason Jar, and pool bars were the only ones we saw. Also, if you drive there, the parking garage has basically no signage, so try to remember where you parked (we even took a pic and were still lost lol). Excellent, quick onboarding and debarking experience. All in all, an excellent cruise.