Can not find a specific page for my boat so going to do review here. What: 7-night Alaskan cruise sailing round-trip on Anthem of the Seas from Seattle Sept 5 - sept 12, 2025 Who: We were a group of 5 ranging from ages 20-50. We definitely had a variety of interests between us. With myself probably being the most active out of the bunch. Itinerary: Our boat sailed from Seattle and had stops in Sitka, Skagway, Juneau and Victoria,BC. Was a little bummed it did not also stop in Ketchican, but I did know that when i booked the cruise. I had seen some other friends do cruises recently to alaska and their ships stopped there and it seemed like it was pretty beautiful. Activities: Loved the variety of activities! This is why I booked on Royal again. I had done a caribbean cruise on Royal a couple of years ago and loved the amount of things to do. From production shows to dance classes to dance parties or game shows, or trivia, bumper cars, roller skating, escape rooms, ifly. These were just a handful of the activities we enjoyed while on the boat. My husband and I were going pretty much non stop and staying up until the wee hours of the night because we didn't want to miss out on anything. Entertainment: The entertainment was amazing. We loved the 3 production shows "spectras cabaret", "the Gift" and "We will rock you". The talent was amazing as was the set. We didn't really understand the story line in the gift but none the less the acting and dancing was still fantastic and this ended up being my husbands favorite show. Cabins: We were on floor 8 on the rear of the ship in 2 rooms. The rooms were spacious. The bed was not the coziest and the pillows were a little big. Limited TV channels if that matters to you. We chose this room to minimize motion sickness. Food: We enjoyed the food. My husband really enjoyed the meals at the main dining. The rest of us had our dinners there and then had breakfast/lunch at the wind jammer. Found plenty of options to eat. I do wish they had the food items labeled as if they are gluten free, vegan, vegetarian. So we would not have to ask however......... That is really the only complaint. Eating at the main dining room however was easy after the first night. You will get the same waiters each night and if you have special dietary restrictions they will have you order for the next day the night before. It does simplify things. This ship also did have a smoothie and fresh juice bar. I did enjoy a couple of fresh vegetable juices and a smoothie while on board but this was of course at an extra cost. There is gluten free pizza available in the pizza bar you have to ask for it though. If you go away hungry on the cruise that would definitely be on you. Service: was excellent. They go above and beyond to try to assure your happiness. Fitness center : Dont buy a class pass! The fitness instructors for the paid classes are just not good. This is the 2nd cruise where I have just thought they fitness instructors were BAD. Honestly pretty archaic teaching and styles. Think 1950s style of teaching. I will never pay for another class pass as this time i tried it and just could not stomach trying to get through the poor classes again so only did classes first couple of days. read more

See all

Our first time in a new cruise line. We've been on many Carnival cruises and felt it was time to explore other lines. I wanted a destination that'd be new to us as well, to enhance the experience. Since we booked the Alaska 7 day via Costco travel- we got an on board credit added and a Costco shopping card that's be received 30 days from the return of our trip. I have a friend that has done some cruises on RC and she gave some tips. But, once I started looking on You Tube- I've received additional tips from frequent RC cruisers. Install the RC app and about 3-4 months til your sail date- plenty of shore excursions will have discounted rates (10-25% off) and specialty dining experiences as well. We purchased The Key- which You Tubers have mixed reviews on. Special perks for The Key: special lane to enter cruise terminal (earlier entrance- 9:45am). Key group is allowed first along w/ Pinnacle & Suites. Day 1 on ship- special lunch in main dining room & ordering from Chops (specialty restaurant) menu. If you have a carry on- another perk is that staff will deliver your carry on to your stateroom. Lunch is served for Key members at 11am. So, regardless of what time you enter your boarding time on the ship- take advantage of early on board perk. Rooms are available at 1:30pm. Day 1- many staff are like vultures trying to sell you specialty dining packages. We decided to bee line to Guest Services- then they pointed us to Bolero to have a North Star reservation revised. While on Deck 4 (Royal Esplanade) on Day 1- we even signed up for the week long Thermal Spa couple package $238. Which allows guests to utilize the thermal room, dry sauna, and steam room- along with the variety of cold showers/ cold mist/ tropical rain features. Reason I knocked a star down is, (comparing to Carnival 7 day cruises & larger ships)- there is no salt water pool in the general area of the Vitality Spa. Also- no Vitality Cafe is also n Anthem of the Seas. Such a bummer because it'd be refreshing to have a fresh squeezed juice after enjoying the thermal spa. In the ladies locker room- one toilet is provided. Yikes. If you get the thermal spa package- we made sure to snag some bath robes. The relaxation room, is spacious and provides citrus infused water. As with any cruise- monitor your bill daily because we were billed for services at the spa and some beverage charges at Windjammer that we didn't purchase. The ice cream machine isn't readily available on Anthem- like it is on the Lido deck on Carnival. The ice cream machine here gets locked up at 8pm. I didn't get a chance to enjoy one cone. Womp womp. The solarium (+18 up) pool area was great. We did this on the very first day after our Key lunch. Frustrating that the towel pick up is on one side of the solarium area. And there was no signage at the opposite side/ Solarium where to get them. I like to do some of the trivia activities. What's annoying is Schooner Bar has cramped seating and the trivia activities are back to back. Which makes it difficult for others to snag seats. But, the Desert Pear margarita is delicious! The North Star experience is definitely worth it. Since we didn't do a whale watching excursion- it was so cool to see orcas from our 300 feet vantage point! I loved how Windjammer staff was on point. I had some questions and so did some guests about ingredients in dishes. If the immediate staff manning that station didn't have an answer- they would politely excuse themselves from their station & ask another employee. Music Hall was my absolute favorite venue. Even if there was no show to catch at the moment. But, the upper level was so spacious and it was great to stretch your legs out. Dress Your Best has 2 nights on the ship. And we never rush ourselves to get dolled up on the first occasion (Day 2). We prefer mid cruise- Day 5, I believe. We snagged our photo oops before long lines start. Although we haven't been cruising (Carnival) since 2018- it's cool to see RC offer digital images to view versus printing out every image taken. And if you find an image(s) you wanna purchase- it gets sent to your phone/ device. No SD card! We did book Wonderland which was a great experience. We're sold on Royal Caribbean and look forward to our next sailing. read more

Royal Caribbean - Last perk of The Key! Farewell, Anthem! See ya soon! 6/27/25 - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This page links specifically to Explorer of the Seas, but I'll review here as I can't find a specific page for our ship. TLDR: An Alaskan cruise on Anthem of the Seas would be a great choice for groups of family/friends with diverse demographics and interests. It's not the best choice for Foodies or those who just want to relax. Many details below... What: 7-night Alaskan cruise sailing round-trip on Anthem of the Seas from Seattle June 27 - July 4. Who: We were a total of 10 friends and family with diverse interests sailing in 4 different cabins and spanning in age from 14 to 74. My husband and I are late 50's, fairly active, and the kids didn't belong to us. Itinerary: I sailed to Alaska 10 years ago on a Princess cruise ship leaving from Vancouver and ending in Anchorage where there was much more port time. This round trip cruise on Royal Caribbean stopped at Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria, CA, completely skipping Ketchikan which had been a favorite on my first Alaskan cruise. It also visited Dawes Glacier instead of Glacier Bay which was underwhelming in comparison, especially since the ginormous ship can't get very close to the glacier. I found the required stop at Victoria, CA ridiculous with only 4 hours in port from 5pm - 9pm, but apparently it's a legal requirement to stop at a foreign port. We had an excursion to Butchart Gardens booked here that I cancelled last minute for a 50% refund as it was the last night of the cruise and just made no sense to travel 40 minutes each way and spend minimal time at the gardens when we also needed to pack and prepare to leave the ship early the next morning. Activities: This is where the ship shines for a demographically diverse group like we had. There is literally something for everyone. Much the opposite -- if you have many diverse interests, it's hard to fit everything in. My husband I were declared the "party animals" of our group, haha, since we went to all the production shows and dance parties on board as well as closed out the Schooner piano bar every night. The dance parties were scheduled on the same nights as "Dress Your Best", so we had multiple outfit changes those days going from daywear to formal wear to dance party outfits. We definitely returned home feeling like we needed a vacation from our vacation, but had a total blast. On the other hand, we could have just spent all our time on a lounge chair in the adult-only Solarium if we wanted to. We loved that peaceful and child-free space, although it was often hard to nab the exact loungers we wanted with so many people on board. Speaking of children, the 14-year-old in our group literally lived on the FlowRider and in the skating rink. He was "famous" up on the sports deck where everyone knew him by name. I should probably mention that the Bumper cars featured on this ship were broken for the duration of the cruise. This didn't affect us at all, but was upsetting for some families. Entertainment: We were impressed by the actor talent and production quality in all 3 shows we saw, even if the storylines made little sense. We attended "The Gift", "Spectra's Cabaret", and a production of the old West End musical "We Will Rock You." We enjoyed them in that order -- the storyline of the latter was a bit too silly for us. Cabins: We had a balcony room mid-ship on Deck 7, carefully planned to minimize any potential motion sickness. The cabin was thoughtfully laid-out and had tons of storage for the two of us. The King bed was hard as a rock, but comfortable enough after we requested a mattress topper. Water pressure in the shower was wonderful. There were limited TV channels available, but we really were only in the room to sleep anyway. Food: This is the area where we were most disappointed. We planned several Specialty dining experiences but wanted equal time to assess the included food options on the ship, most of which were just not very good. Think Applebee's or Chile's at best in the main dining room. I couldn't handle the Windjammer buffet at all after 2 visits early in the cruise as it required dealing with the mad zoo of people on top of the food. Out of the specialty restaurants, I'd recommend Wonderland if you're a foodie, and maybe skip Jamie's Italian. Izumi Sushi and Chops Grille were fine but not memorable. Wine choices at every bar and restaurant were great. Service: Top notch -- every staff member went out of their way to deliver as much as they could. It drove me crazy that some entitled guests were rude and demanding anyway (sigh). Pricing: Royal Caribbean nickels and dimes everything. I saved over $1000 by constantly watching pricing and rebooking excursions, restaurants, and drink packages during the months leading up to the cruise. When all is said and done, all-inclusive cruising doesn't seem so expensive after all, and we'll likely be looking harder next time at lines that offer it for any future cruises. read more

Great service, mediocre food. Took "Anthem of the Seas" to Alaska enjoying that it offered something for everyone except foodies. Kids activities like flow-rider, iFly, discos, karaoke, quiz shows. Bars for adults, clubs, shows ample affordable drinks and excursions. The excursion trips could be better as they were short, crowded, and just ok. Round trip had limited glacier viewing and inadequate time to enjoy an activity to its fullest. We welcomed the time aboard as the excursions were hurried and required a lot of time staging for on/off boarding. Food got a 6/10 at best. The windjammer was mediocre quality, powdered eggs, limp bacon, hash brown pucks, clumpy overcooked pasta with overcooked seafood, thin tough steaks and uninspired sides. Onion soup and Caesar salads were poor at best. Clumpy rubber cheese mass, no onions to speak of and untoasted bread soggy mess. Salad was warm, wilted and no dressing flavor. Not a signature side in either case but featured daily on menus. Jaime O's, Chops grill, were a bit better but not great, think Applebee's or Olive Garden. Not inedible but just "meh". Never remarkable. Sorento's pizza was pretty much inedible school-lunch junk except for kids and drunk adults. Wonderland was the best flavor and most creative restaurant we had. 4/5 as it was interesting, inspired and flavorful. Not for those wanting buckets of standard faire but better for those seeking a culinary experience. LOVED Alan at the Schooner piano bar with fun song favorites. Main theater production shows were heavy production/lighting and thin on story or substance but included in the cruise. Would feel ripped off at $60 much less $150+ for a real city show. We saw all three shows we're glad we went but they were peculiar in all cases. Dance and choreography were excellent for all three. The highlight for us was the service. I'd hate to think my bashing review reflected on the hardworking friendly staff that never forgot your name once. They never left you wanting anything, ever. Super friendly, always fast, accommodating. 6/5 stars! Bar service was fantastic offering great hard, soft & N/A drinks & mocktails at good prices. We get good wine in California and we could always find very good wine at $14-16 so within the drink package at or with a $1-2 premium. Reviews here bash the service and we disagreed feeling it was the best feature. If you love fine dining, look elsewhere, ( we won't be back) but it was great overall for a mixed experience for our diverse group of 10 incl. kids. read more

Royal Caribbean feels like a poorly-run, dying-out country club. Patrons are snooty and rude. Most staff are resentful (probably due to a mixture of patrons being rude and pay by RC). Food was just okay. We paid for Jamie's Restaurant and that was the worst food. The free food was better than what we paid for. The final day when getting off the boat was ridiculously unorganized. I'm an introvert but when I say this place isn't even introvert friendly, it's not. If you want to have a happy time I would pick Virgin/Carnival. If you're looking to stay to yourself and your room the whole time except at ports and deal with subpar food, then RC is for you. I would not recommend at all. A waste of a cruise and it was my first one. read more

My very first cruise ever and I was lucky to book the The Presidents Cruise in Alaska and Canada. Each year one cruise is chosen to be The President's cruise. During this cruise, there's celebrations, block parties, and gifts with Presidents cruise emblazoned throughout. Of course, the Royal Carribean President is onboard and can be spotted walking around the ship. I'll break down my experience by category. FOOD - Windjammer free buffet was just okay. Alot of the food lacked flavor and were the same items throughout the trip. It gets a little tiring eating the same thing over and over. My Time Dining is also free, but you are able to reserve a dining time and be served. It definitely was a step up with lobster being served for free on one of the nights. I did enjoy the escargot, which was surprisingly good and the hubby loved the seabass with truffle sauce. For paid dining, we tried Wonderland, which was a fine dining restaurant dressed in a whimsical Alice in Wonderland theme, coupled with amazing food artistry and daring entrees. I loved this place! Easily one of my favorite dining experiences on the ship. CUSTOMER SERVICE - Amazing! From wait staff, housekeeping, bartenders, etc. Everyone was always happy and cheerful. ENTERTAINMENT - Some of the shows were Vegas worthy! The lighting, dancing, singing, acting and technology reminded me of watching shows on the strip. The performers are top notch. INTERNET - Overpriced for internet that barely worked. I would not recommend purchasing this. The best internet was when we were at a port city. PORT CITIES - We ported at Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria. The Alaskan cities were cute and rustic with alot of history and beautiful scenary. Victoria was bigger and was bustling with tourists. All cities were very welcoming of cruise ship tourism as many business owners have stated they had been struggling for the past two years to get back on their feet. The tender boats to go into Skagway from the cruise ship were super crowded and to get back on was a very long wait. I think they were manning 1-2 tender boats at a time. Very uncomfortable process due to the wait and blazing heat with no shade while waiting. CHECKOUT PROCESS ON LAST DAY - Absolutely horrible. We had an excursion in our port city and had to wait in a long line with one person manning the line - 2 or even three ppl would have been better. So many ppl were upset because it was so slow. Afterward, we had issues getting through security, my son's luggage was lost, and lines to exit were crazy long. We barely made our charter bus for our tour! I overheard some passengers complaining that the disembarkation day is always chaotic and unorganized, even before Covid. Therefore, my review for my experience was mixed. I definitely had some highlights and disappointments. I think this experience deserves a solid 3.5. I also did get sick as the cruise was ending :( read more

See all

We sailed aboard the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas and we had a phenomenal experience. The ship is beautiful, the waitstaff in the restaurant was attentive and remembered what we liked to drink and different things that made us unique from other guests. The Flow Rider and rock wall were both really cool. Good food selection as well. If you have kids and they like sports, I highly recommend the Sea Plex. They have pickup basketball, soccer, dodgeball, bumper cars, some Xbox's, cornhole, air hockey, an arcade, and foosball. read more

See all

First and foremost: Do yourself a favor and book a cruise on Royal Caribbean! If you ever wanted to be treated like you were the Queen of England, then book a cruise on Royal Caribbean. Wannabe Kings also welcomed. We just came back from back-to-back cruises to Alaska, with Card Players Cruises (yes, we played tournament poker every day and cash games all night long for TWO weeks!), on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas. Talk about luxury! Talk about service! The ship is massive -- pool halls, multiple bars, dance halls, musicians, Broadway style shows -- a week on the Quantum of the Seas is a vacation of a lifetime. Two weeks? Sublime! We think we'll go back next year -- when Card Players Cruises (www.cardplayerscruises.com) -- has another weeklong trip to Alaska. Be sure to visit "Creek Street" and watch the sea otters each the salmon; and take the excursion in Ketchikan to see the bears feasting on the thousands of salmon who took their last swim up a shallow creek. I thought I was on National Georgraphic! I must give a shout out to the tremendous staff on the Quantum of the Seas (because we bought the unlimited bar drinks, and felt we need to get our money's worth, most of the following are bartenders): Melissa (our room attendant), Yuki, Tracy, John, Kenneil at the Schooner Bar; Liu, Riska, Federico, Muamer and Xiaoxin at the Italian restaurant; Wu at the Izumi restaurant, Rajiv, Bob, at Chops restaurant; the service staff in the poker room: Jefferson, Ajay, Joey; Dadang and Zakhe in the Casino bar; Ali in the Liquor Store, Melvin at the Windhammer, Anna - store clerk from South Africa, and who did I miss? Oh! Thanks to Mickie and Loki on the bear country tour; and Johavanny (bar tender and waiter) and Jennifer (Waiter at Bing). Special shout out to Zelma. Everyone was special. Heather and I were the givers of $2.00 bills. read more

Royal Caribbean - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

I'm going to start this review with the bad. Their food has gone downhill. It is only edible, sometimes okay, sometimes not good at all. The plus, you have tons of options to find something you like. The service on royal is beyond compare! From the servers to the stateroom attendants, the service never fails to wow! Royal upcharges considerably for their excursions, but they also go above and beyond to vet the companies you tour with in order to ensure an incredible experience. In 2023, I sailed on Anthem to the Bahamas and Quantum to Alaska. I only wish their good quality matched the service and experience they provide. read more

See all

Their customer service is terrible! I found out I have major medical issues and need surgery, I cancelled my cruise 5 months ahead, and they kept my $500 deposit as a "penalty". They called it. Their cruises are ok, but they are arrogant and feel they can treat customers this way. I'll try another cruise line next time. read more

I will never travel with them again. We booked 4 rooms (2 balcony, 2inside) the rooms were supposed to be together and across from each other. We paid $2700 extra to choose our rooms. When we arrived the two inside rooms were on the opposite side of the ship. The two inside rooms were supposed to be adjoining as they were minors but the rooms were not connected. The Royal Caribbean agent asked if this was a special occasion and we said yes, birthdays, graduation, anniversary. None of the special occasions were acknowledged. One of the features of the ship was bumper cars. We were told the bumper cars had not worked in a month due to lack of batteries. When It was time to leave the ship each room had a different time including the room with the minor and their parents. Customer service response was since we booked over a year ago they could not verify anything. The company has poor record keeping and customer service follow-up. read more

If I could give no stars, I would. Our 4 year old daughter came out of their child care, Adventure Ocean, with scratches up and down her left arm. The staff gave absolutely no explanation and the management team said it must have been the carpet. They are nail marks, not from a carpet. They offered money off another cruise. Are they out of their minds?? No, I don't want money off another cruise with you. My daughter was hurt in your care and you can't explain what happened, and she is afraid to tell me what happened. Someone better call and resolve this with me soon. read more

Royal Caribbean - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Our first cruise in 19 years, Alaska on the Ovation. This ship is outstanding and HUGE. The management the workers the rooms the food the entertainment all top notch. I can't say enough about this cruise line. Everything they did was perfect. There is some negative but not enough to bring down my 5 star rating. Let's dig into it. Food was great. We did Our Dining Time, the Windjammer and off the boat. Love the Windjammer because they have all different kinds of food and it's different everyday. Of course some staples are the same like eggs and rice and such. If you drink a lot of soda the drink package is probably worth it but for us it was useless. I think that was about 200 bucks. We also paid for the internet package VOOM and that was absolutely the worst. Especially in our room. It was iffy and at over 200 bucks it should in 2023 work better. Even the VOOM guy working there made excuses for it. Drinks were 17 bucks. REALLY? LOL The one thing I don't like and it's probably the same on all ships is they nickel and dime you to death. Digital photos are 10 for $160.00 You are forced into Gratuity(tips) for your room and MY time dinner. The rooms are great. Clean well kept and with the deck we loved it. The bathroom is great. Not sure why some people complain about that. Yes it's not like at home but I am on a ship. They have a baggage service that takes your luggage and gets it on the flight you are on and it's there when you land at home. GREAT!!! Shuttle I think was about 35 bucks each to the airport. You can do an Uber for 50 bucks. Tour of the ship 200 bucks. The I fly we got for free one day. All in all this ship was fantastic!!! One morning you will wake up in Endicott Arm Fjord Oh My God! I think this is where God lives. This was worth the whole trip. read more

Royal Caribbean - Huge mega ship - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

Itinerary: 4-day Pacific Coastal, Seattle round-trip Ports of call: Nanaimo, BC & Victoria, BC My family enjoyed our four-day vacation but it passed by way too quick! We had a wonderful time on the Explorer of the Seas and would have loved a few more days on the ship. I could write pages about our trip, but will keep it as concise as possible, focusing on a few key areas. STATEROOM: My family of four was lucky enough to reserve two connecting inside-cabins, with two of us in each. Our rooms overlooked the Promenade housing a few shops, bar and the 24/7 Cafe. Despite all the action below, we were never disturbed by noise. At night, the Promenade's lights continue to glow, which I personally loved, but they can be easily blocked out by just pulling the curtains. The bathroom is pretty tight, especially the shower area, but that's expected with an inside-cabin on any cruise. For two people, the cabin was comfortable overall and felt more spacious thanks to the window. FOOD: We ate at the Sapphire dining room daily for breakfast and dinner. The dinner menu offered a wide variety of featured appetizers, entrees and desserts each day along with a few "classic" options to choose from. While I enjoyed each of the entrees I ordered, I considered the appetizers to be better executed overall in terms of flavor, with the most memorable being their chilled fruit soups, pan-seared scallops and escargot. For dinner, their duck breast and beef tenderloin were a couple highlights. Unfortunately, the entrees only included a small portion of veggies, so it was somewhat challenging to meet the suggested daily intake. Also, just a note that the full-service breakfast menu is the same everyday and it would have been nice if they offered a daily special. However, there's a buffet set up in the center of the dining room with a selection of hot and cold options if you're looking for more variety. We also dined a couple times at the Windjammer buffet for lunch. The selection is pretty wide and varies daily, so I'm sure everyone can find something to enjoy. They offered burgers, tacos, fish, a carving station, Indian and Asian cuisine just to name a few items, and seemed to have a featured theme each day. We personally preferred to dine at the Sapphire since we enjoyed the full service and gourmet menu, but the Windjammer is a good option for those who are looking for a quicker meal. With respect to desserts, sadly nothing wowed us. I appreciated how they weren't overly sweet, but many of them were very light. For example, while all was fine with the flavor of the "Chocolate Decadence" cake, it was not as indulgent as its name implies. SERVICE: Whenever I cruise, the level of service always exceeds my expectations, and the Explorer was no exception. Even after a long day, the hardworking crew always greeted us with smiles and made us feel so welcome. Whether it be the cabin stewards, waiters or staff we passed by in the halls... they all made our trip extra special. Our cabin steward always left our room spotless, ensured our amenities were fully stocked and left a cute towel animal each night. We also loved getting to know our waiters (set dining), who even remembered our names and dining preferences after just a couple dinners! ACTIVITIES: On any given day, there were many complimentary activities offered, however they became somewhat repetitive. For example, there were always trivia sessions, movie showings and open play time on the Sports Deck. We enjoyed challenging ourselves on the rock climbing wall and played a round of mini golf. Plus, the Activity Staff always ensured guests were enjoying themselves! Unfortunately over the course of four days, they only offered open ice skating for two hours which happened to conflict during our set dinner. We never found ourselves bored though... if not taking part in an activity, we enjoyed relaxing on the deck or grabbing another bite to eat! ENTERTAINMENT: They featured a headliner every night, which included a production show with ship's singers and dancers, a magician, comedian and a musical performance by a group of tenors. Additionally, we attended their ice skating show, which was extremely impressive! The performers are clearly professionals and they executed many fascinating stunts that I had never before seen in-person. During our Pacific Coastal adventure, I was happy to call this ship home as we escaped the real world for a few days of pampering. Happy cruising! read more

See all

We paid for an unobstructed view and this is what we received. Customer service said nothing could be done in terms of moving us to another cabin or giving us a discount or package upgrade for our trouble. I will never travel with them again. Do not trust what they tell you about whether or not the view is obstructed. read more

Royal Caribbean - Example of a Royal Caribbean "unobstructed" view. Buyer beware! - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Food was cold to warm and average at best, went to Sitka took four hours to get off and on boot only there six hours what's the point, booked a tour completely disorganized had one hour to see glacier it's and hour and half trail so this meant tour to a parking lot boo CR you have become low end business relying on your past good name shame on you! Only once will I see this glacier and you made sure to deprive us on our honeymoon this shame shame on you..... you want someone to constantly try to get another dollar out of you it used car salesman of Royal Caribbean coming boo shame on you read more

Just booked the Alaska cruise on Quantum of the Sea Aug 12-19th 2024 for me, my husband and our 2 children. Got an amazing price and booked immediately. I received my invoice and it said 2 passenger. No where did it show my kids' information which it asked me for upon booking. I called customer service and they were able to move us to a different room; apparently they were having some website issues because the room we were assigned was a 2 person occupancy. Thankfully, I had a screenshot of the summary showing 4 guests and the room # and price. The customer service guy was really nice, we got a room that accommodates 4 people but that site issue they were having still costed us another $1,300. I understand we still have to pay the taxes/fees for the kids, but I just feel like they could've done something else, maybe threw in some perks or ship credit or something. read more

Just got back from a 7 day Alaskan cruise! The staff treats you like royalty. The real hero's are the good service employees. They are cooking and serving with a smile all day long. Our room attendant was always around in the hall saying hello. He would do a morning cleaning then while we were out for dinner he would come back in to get our room ready for the night. The shore excursions were a lot of fun. One suggestion get the WiFi package for people in your room. We only got one but it was difficult to sign off and on as we needed internet. We had a rest time! read more

See all

I have no clue why these negative Nancy's need to leave a bad review. We just got off an Alaskan cruise (Sept 2-9) and had an amazing time. Waits are to be expected when you are on the Quantum Class ships. The crew could not of been nicer or more cheerful. I would highly recommend ovation of the seas to anyone that ask. Can't wait to do it again. read more

Will not be going on a Royal Caribbean cruise ever again. We traveled on Quantum of the Seas going to Alaska. The cruise was the last of the season and because of that the weather was terrible and we did not get to see much scenery. Also, they told us that we would not be seeing everything on the itinerary because one of the engines was not working. They should not have offered this tour so late in the season because it turned out to be a real disappointment. Excursions we had planned were canceled due to the weather. It is obvious that they don't care if you see Alaska--all they want is to make money. We did not have hot water for three days. When we notified them, they said that maybe we were using too much water--not so! The water was cold so it was in and out of the shower for us. Also we were promised a dinner at a specialty restaurant. What we got was dinner at the Solarium Mediterranean restaurant. It was terrible and when they asked us to talk to the manager, he did nothing to make it up to us. He only insinuated that we didn't know what Mediterranean food tastes like. The food at the main dining room was mediocre. This was not just our opinion. We met a lady who had been on four previous Royal Caribbean tours, and she said that this one was her worse. However, since she had cruised with them previously, they tried to make it up to her with dinner at a specialty restaurant, wine and chocolate covered strawberries. We, on the other hand, did not receive anything as it was our FIRST cruise with them. Because of their customer service, it will be our LAST. read more

We sailed from Seattle on the September 5th cruise to Alaska on the Ovation of the Seas. One of the newest of RCL's Quantum class ships, it carrie's over 4,000 passengers. The week long itinerary took us to Juneau, Skagway, the Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, and Victoria, British Columbia, with two full days at sea. This is a huge ship, and you will walk a lot, but consider it a workout for all the food you'll surely indulge in during the cruise. A balcony stateroom is a must so you can enjoy the beautiful views along the way, including the pods of whales that are frequently seen. We used "My Time" dining which allowed us to have dinner anytime during the dinner hours. Several evenings, we showed up without a reservation and were seated within minutes. Generally, the crew was was amiable and accommodating. The food ranged from mediocre to excellent, depending on selections. There are plenty of distractions to choose from on sea days and evenings. Embarkation was easy and quick as we checked-in online and printed our boarding passes and luggage tags online. Passengers are given individual boarding times which eliminated a crowded boarding process. Disembarking, too, was a breeze, and we were able to send our luggage directly to SeaTac. RCL handled flight check-in, boarding passes and luggage tags. Although there is a fee, we weren't charged. Fees are waived for certain airlines, miles status and military. This was extremely convenient for us as we had a late flight to San Francisco and were able to spend the day in Seattle. You are given a Sea Pass that utilizes biometrics for payment onboard and port visits. Research shore excursions in advance for the best deals. We thoroughly enjoyed the sailing. read more

See all

This was our first time traveling on Royal Caribbean and a special treat to be on the second largest cruise ship The ovation of the seas. Here are the pros cons; Pro: The ship is the newest of the Fleet. came on the scene in 2016. Everything is new and ornate with attention to detail. The show rooms and venues such as the 270 are club spectacular. The view from the windjammer marketplace was also a great venue to casually watch the whales/orca from the comfort of my breakfast table or lunch or dinner. The adult area only "the solarium" also special treat. We also tried Norstar, that was a different experience. plenty of stuff for kids to do and they have two pools one indoor and outdoor numerous hot tubs for people to use. Well staffed with life guards. They also had swim/lifejackets available for the smaller kids for use in the pool. Food was OK to marginally good, I have a special diet and they seem to have a hard time and accommodating that I'm "gluten free". So everyone else in the party had a great meal selection repeatedly. They kept everything very clean and they had people wondering the deck's taking drink orders. The ship offers a full-size Gym a huge running track rockclimbing wall / basketball courts, ping-pong tables arcade, bumper cars, flow rider and I-fly to name a few things off the top of my head. Cons; They encourage you to make reservations for everything online, but once aboard ship, it's still seem to be first come, first serve. We were a party of eight and almost every night they seem to have difficulty seating us together. They offered to seat us out with the larger tables with an silk at eight 8 PM dinner time we had told them originally we were trying for 5 o'clock and he said everybody else also. We also got the fast pass arm bands that will allow us to access the room and for the drink packages at bars without having your sea pass. Repeatedly the staff seemed confused by them, they asked for it to be removed continuously so they can take it to another location to scan. I just really didn't see the advantage of wearing it when repeatedly I was asked for my Sea pass. We also received only one towel animal in our room for the seven day trip. We also had to repeatedly ask her room attendant for fresh towels, For example? we left them on the floor as indicated in the room after an excursion we returned to our room, it was made up but the towels were still on the floor. I also witnessed a lead/captain of the windjammer Verbally berated an employee about his cleaning and how he equated his lack of cleaning to his dirty living conditions back home. Wow. There was also a lot of talk about employees and their contracts that were from Six to Seven months. Overall, we had a great time. The question is will we travel Royal Caribbean again? read more

Royal Caribbean - Boarding Ovation of the Sea - Travel Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

I am still waiting for a refund. RC turned us away at the dock because of a VISA problem. This after their representative reassured us by phone one month before the set sail date that our documents were just fine. Never mind the new wardrobe costs and the cost of flying to Seattle from South Carolina. All I ask is a refund of the ticket and they don't answer my calls or emails. We were abandoned at the dock with no assistance offered whatsoever. Fortunately the airlines changed our ticket at no extra cost. The taxi driver refused to accept a tip after he heard how Royal Carribean treated They have a nice boat but really all they want is your money. I am pleased that Royal Caribbean has finally contacted me (a month after we were denied boarding). Unfortunately they are still denying a refund. I have again stated my case arequested a reconsideration. read more

This was our second Alaska cruise. This time the food was really bad.  If you do not pay for specialty restaurants expect to eat shi(t)p. The food is generally cold. The lasagna was the worst. The quality of the food was very low. The menu changed only slightly. Of course the crew was great.  Ship time on shore was also shortened and we missed the glacier's stop.  RC had engine troubles for over a month. But bad food for 7 days equals a wasted vacation.  We did pay for one meal at Jamies Italian.  It was great.  It cost more than $100 for two people.  While walking on the top deck, I received a spray for the ship exhaust which ruined my white shirt.  The oil or whatever it is did not wash out. Little drops all on the front.  I thought it was rain at the time.  I'll throw it away or try bleaching it.  I had an inside cabin.  It was clean.  It felt smaller than the other inside cabins I've stayed in.  I bumped my head on the build above the bed. The cabin was poorly designed or furnished. The musician were great. A violinist from Ukraine was fantastic. A young pianist could make your eyes teary. However, Royal Caribbean went from Good to Bad.  Stay away from Royal Caribbean or eat shi(t)p food. read more

Welcome to Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas Alaska Edition. We did a 7day cruise to Alaska with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm Fjord, and Victoria, British Columbia. We were a family of 4 2 adults and 2 kids ages 11 and 6. Also along were 2 elderly inlaws with a handicap. We had a flight to Seattle first thing in the morning and Uber to the Terminal, This was a great price since shuttles were full and slower to get to the terminal. Cost was even cheaper to use the Uber than Shuttles. *Note on Uber is that at Seattle airport the smaller passenger cars are picked up in the parking lot level 3 and bigger Ubers are at the arrival entrances after baggage pickup. Try to get in early because the Cruise lines are horrific with check ins. Expect to wait over an hour at least. Luckly with a handicap we beat the lines and were shuffled to a easier check in site. Luggage drop off is as soon as you get out of the car and make sure to check and tag your luggage early. Also have your personal bag with you like cameras and electronics so they won't get banged around. Getting onto the ship was easy and everyone bee lines to the buffet. *Note was not that impressed with the first buffet as food was mediocre. Had a better sendoff buffet on Disney cruise with Rock crab claws and cooked to order steaks, also soft drinks were included. If you want soft drinks it's a $25 cup for the cruise , yikes We got under way and the cruise out of Seattle was gorgeous, lots of pics to be had. A few things to know about this Ship, while it is big it does NOT have a self service Laundry. All Laundry is a paid service and should be noted. When the weather get rough you are going to get wet, bring a dry bag and laundry pods to do laundry ever two day if you can to manage your clothing or else it gets to be a big choir. Bring a variety of clothing from shorts to rain gear to casual to formal. There are 2 formal nites to wear your duds and be sure to bring multiple shoes , crocs, dress, hiking/rainproof boots, tennis shoes. Bring a couple of strong Magnets and some 550 cord to hand clothes to dry both inside the room and out if you have a balcony. If you can bring a couple of hand held radios if you are with a big clan or multiple families that way you can communicate both on board and off the ship. Your phone will lose service and onboard wifi is $18 a day on one device so if you do bring a labtop. expect the wifi to be slow though because weather will affect speed of service. If you can purchase a multi USB wall changer, Popular brand is Anker (Anker PowerPort 6 60W Wall Charger, 6 USB Ports, High-Speed Charging with PowerIQ and VoltageBoost ) works great on changing the cell phones, GoPro cameras electronics like Ipads or tablets. This cruise was not so kid friendly, the reasons are that the outdoor pools are like tsunami waves when getting out to the ocean, the rocking is pretty strong and they close the small pools a lot for safety. the hot tubs are open but be prepared to be cooked in them as the temp is pretty hot. It's $25 a towel for the pool so don't lose your towels or you'll get charged. The outdoor movie screen is ridiculous as no one wants to be watching a movie in a storm or freezing outside in 40* or lower temps with 20+ mph winds. The rock climbing wall is the same feeling and the Flow rider will freeze you. Most of the other activities are geared towards adults like karaoke, gem and watch sales, movie and song trivia. The kid arcade is a pay per use only with each game being $1.50 each game. Yikes. The elevators are usually packed so be prepared to walk the stairs a lot. Rooms are decent and are the same size and comfort as Disney, Lets move on to food. The buffet (Windjammer) had a good variety of foods but was pretty packed for seating at times. Try to get there early if possible. The formal dining was great as you can order multiple items and have your meats done to your likeness. Hint escargot as starters, sure 3 orders, Prime rib for entrée sure 2 orders both rare and some fat and au jue pls. Desert sure 2 of this and 2 coffee. During the meals you can also have ice tea, or other complimentary drinks, others like expresso will be extra. No thanks. Towards the end of the trip the staff will be pushing heavily on the paid dinning areas like Japanese and the steak house even giving up to 40% off or more if your interested. If you like snakes for later just bring a dish or 2 back to the room. Room service is limited but free from 5am to 12 midnite only. There is a 24 hr café that has hot drinks like coffee, tea hot coco for free on the 5th deck. Views, are everywhere, there is a great view room on the 12th floor that looks out and has lots of chairs to lounge in. Balcony rooms are great for timelapse photos and watching the sun never sets till way late even 10:30 at night! Sunrise at 4:40 am. Weather changes every 15 min so be prepared. Lower deck 4 has great walk around the ship at wave level. read more

See all

I just completed a cruise out of Seattle to Alaska on Royal Caribbean, and I could not be more disappointed. During the course of this business transaction, I was forced to call the cruise line on the telephone 3 times. The last time I was told there would be an estimated 20 minute wait. An "agent" finally answered my call after 2 hours and 10 minutes. After a few minutes, realizing that I was probably not going to like the answer to my truly simple quest - "Where are the photos I paid for?" - the agent "accidentally" disconnected the call. This happened on another call as well. The cruise line also adds a mandatory gratuity of more than $16 per person per day. How can a mandatory charge be called a gratuity when it is just an incremental fare? Electronic communications - cell phone service - is held hostage on the ship, and if you pay the ransom, as my wife did for internet service, that service is poor, and unreliable. One more thing about the telephone interaction: while on hold you are repeatedly told that call volume is unusually high and that agents are helping other customers. You'll be told this every time. Royal Caribbean has no interest in customer satisfaction when they won't even staff their telephone lines. read more

I have a cruise scheduled for September, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic I have been trying to cancel it. However, I am being told by person after person at the RC call center that I am completely out of luck to get a refund on my deposit. My wife and I put down deposits that were "non-refundable" during a tiime that no one could have foreseen a world-wide pandemic. Over 3.3 million Americans had to register for unemployment last week, with at least that many expected this coming week. I truly hope none of these people had a cruise with RC. I am astounded by RC's lack of compassion for those that are in woRse financial shape than thEy were a month ago and will have too eat hundreds if not thousands of dollars simply because they could not predict a plague tHat may follow us into the Fall. This withholding of money is only adding to the stress already put on the country and its financially strained citizens. read more

I hate to say this was the worst cruise I have ever been on. Upon first arriving in our room we noticed it was not very clean and later found used dental floss hanging in the shower on the clothes line. The food was terrible and reminded me of 4th grade school lunch. We ended up paying extra to eat at the specialty restaurants just to get some decent food. We paid for a drink package but half way through the cruse the soda ran out with no apology and no pro-rated refund. Worst was we paid hundreds of dollars to get the internet package (to stay in contact with family). The internet package, VOOM is said to be "the fastest internet at sea". After paying for this and trying it out it barely worked and often did not work at all. The fastest speed I was able to get was 0.14 mbps. I tried to resolve the internet speed and they said "this was it" and refused to refund even half of my money. I will stick with Norwegian cruise lines. read more

See all

My family and I enjoyed our Alaska cruise on the Explorer of the Seas, Royal Caribbean. The ride was pretty smooth but it was cool and cloudy most of the trip, so bring some warm cloths. Plenty of good food and snacks in several locations on the boat. My biggest complaint is the boat had a constant vibration, especially laying in bed. Almost every second there was a shuddering vibration. It was quite annoying and hard to get to sleep. Seemed like it must be from the engine, but not really sure. The second most annoying thing was the phone and internet. Most of the time i could not even text people on the boat to meet up. Seems like you can't really charge people for something that barely works. And it was not cheap! Lastly, the recorded music in the public areas was too loud. I will bring earplugs next time. Also some people like to listen to their own music, which is difficult with the speakers blaring out songs (noise to some). The staff were super friendly and helpful and from countries around the world. Very interesting people. Nice views from the boat of shore and Glaciers. Go to Alaska before the Glaciers disappear!! read more

This cruise gets one star because the rooms were nice and most of the employees were helpful. The rest was a nightmare. First due to a Royal Caribean's website malfunction when we attempted to book excursions, $30,000 pending charges were put on my credit card. It took two weeks for them to come off and meanwhile I could not use my card and the recurring payment were denied. Next the excursion we wanted which caused the problem was not available at the time and I was advised that I would be notified once it was and guaranteed we would have priority in book. This never happened and when I tried booking it later, it was full. Had to make repeated calls to customer service to get us on it. Next we were never advised about all the covid testing required and that my son would need pre boarding and on board testing. Had we known, we would have rushed to get him vaccinated once he was eligible. And yes, I did ask. Once we boarded, we learned our rooms were mixed up. This mix up caused the excursions to be messed up with my elderly mother instead of I booked on a trip with my young children. It took 5 visits and staying in long lines at guest services to have this straightened out. In addition there was a lack of activities for kids and young adults. The activities they had either had long lines or filled up fast. Last, we were scheduled for an excursion upon finishing the cruise. We followed all the instructions about being at the meeting place at the right time and even checked in, but by the time we got through the customs line, the excursion left with out us. The whole process of getting off the boat was a mess and ko one cared to provide assistance. read more

Took RC Adventure of the Seas...AC not working properly, no slides for 3 1/2yr old, lots of video games under maintenance, 2 bottle of water even though the beverage package was bought, One towel person even though told it was what ever you needed, ventilation problem causing us to smell cigarettes outside Windjammer Restaurant, hot on most of the ship. Never again!! Save your money and book another cruise line!!! read more

Let's start off with crappy internet service they won't let you in put anything into the TV so the HDMI they've been disconnected. You cannot have water delivered to your room without paying a $8 room service fee I literally am going to steal a picture of water from the dining room to take back to my room the food though seems to be very good and the service seems to be good except for our state route server usually the buffet or some sort of food is being served throughout the day and evening this is restricted to certain times very disappointed but our room is spectacular read more

If I could give this company negative stars I would. I booked a cruise with this company and paid for the cancellation protection plan and all. The cruise was supposed to be a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise sat to sat a few days after u paid the trip off I get a email saying the trip changed and would be Sunday to Sunday ok fine no problem. Then 30 days frim check in I get an email saying the boat was not working correctly so they have to slow speed down and instead of the boat going to st. Thomas as stated we would be going to Puerto Rico instead but we will only be there for 6 hours due to time. I didn't pay to go to Puerto Rico so I cancelled my trip reason being I was supposed to meet friends and family in st. Thomas so I call to cancel the trip and still got ripped of for a grand even though I paid for cancellation protection. Never got a sorry for you inconvenience sir just a disgruntled operator that didn't give 2 rats butt. Never will I book with this company again. read more

Great cruise down to San Francisco with lots of fun on board, but I am writing to hopefully assist others in not being ripped off by Royal Caribbean. I purchased a refreshment package prior to the cruise and then upgraded to the ultimate package on the first day. Even though they said it would only be an upgrade charge, they charged me for the complete package and when confronted about it said that the refund would be on my credit card in the next few weeks. As you can probably tell they have failed to live up to their side of the bargain so now I am attempting to share with others so that they do not have the same type of experience. Keep all of your receipts and get their promises in writing before leaving the ship as you will not have much success with their customer service call center after your cruise is over. Unfortunately this has soured me to want to travel on Royal Caribbean as the other cruises that we had with them were a whole lot nicer than this last one. read more

We booked a cruise to the southern Caribbean. About a month and a half before the cruise set sail we found out we were pregnant. We went to the Dr and when asked if we were traveling within the pregnancy dates we explained we had a cruise booked to the southern Caribbean. The Dr told us no! Since that's the hot zone for the Zika virus. The dr wrote us a note and we submitted it for our refund. Mind you, we also purchased the travel insurance for this trip. We received a letter from the "insurance" company saying our claim was denied. I contacted them directly and they told me they understood why we cancelled our reservation but nothing can be done. I then called the website we booked the cruise. They told us the same thing. They contacted Royal Caribbean directly and Royal wouldn't even give them a contact email or phone number to contact about a possible credit or refund because according to the Royal Caribbean service rep "Zika was not an issue anymore." Regardless of what the Dr said... apparently customer service reps know more than doctors now. Needless to say, we got nothing back. I will probably never go on a cruise again due to this terrible experience. read more

This cruise was my first (and probably my only) cruise. I went with my mom and my 5 year old daughter. Besides the fact that cruises are extremely expensive, this cruise was a blast! Waterslides, everyday anytime burgers,hotdogs an ice cream to the shops casinos and restaraunts. The circus show was amazing. We watched finding dori under the moonlight. They had a club for kids to be dropped off with amazing projects and fun things for them to do so the adults could go play. A couple swimming pools and a deck out our room that we could watch the sunrise and set from. The bad parts it was hell trying to get an elevator, the employees in one of the nicer restaurants were very rude to us and it happened we chose that restaurant to celebrate my daughters 5th birthday, it was supposed to be special and it was disappointing and i was crushed, and everything was very expensive for being all inclusive. read more

Not Autism friendly. Not allergy food friendly. Please see my review on my facebook, Diana Blomster. It is public.

RC was our 3rd cruise line and after Disney and Norwegian. The room steward and dinner service were great. The food better and worse than the other cruise lines. There were lots to do for all ages. The excursion sold out fast so book early. Would take another cruise in this ship. read more