Our first cruise with Royal Caribbean exceeded every expectation and turned out to be one of the…read morebest vacations we've ever taken. From the incredible crew to the food, entertainment, and overall experience, we had an amazing time and are already looking forward to our next cruise. We took a 7-day cruise to Cabo, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta.
What made our first cruise truly incredible was the exceptional customer service from every crew member we encountered.
As soon as we boarded, we headed to Playmakers for a drink, and Caesar immediately set the tone for an amazing trip. As first-time cruisers, we appreciated him taking the time to explain the ship and share great recommendations.
Before arriving in Cabo, we ran into an issue securing an early tender because we had booked a third-party excursion. Florina was incredibly kind and determined to make sure we got there on time. Thanks to her, we made it!
Our favorite pool bar was the Solarium, and bartender Anthony was a big reason why. He memorized our drink orders, always had a smile on his face, and we loved talking with him about life working on a cruise ship.
In the Main Dining Room, our server Menard and assistant server Dewa were outstanding every evening. My boyfriend and I have both worked in fine dining for years, so we pay close attention to service. Their hospitality, timing, attention to detail, and recommendations were consistently excellent.
Our stateroom attendant, Shomari, was equally amazing. He helped track down our luggage before we even asked, checked in with us every day, greeted us by name whenever we saw him, and quickly helped when we had issues with neighboring guests. His kindness made us feel genuinely cared for throughout the cruise.
The food was another major highlight. We loved the Main Dining Room, Windjammer buffet, Café Promenade pizza, and the Mexican food by the pool. The rotating dinner menus kept things exciting, and everything we ordered was excellent.
We also spent plenty of time in the buffet and loved the variety, from American breakfast to Indian and Asian cuisine. Everything was consistently delicious. However, I don't think we'll ever get the "washy washy" song out of our heads!
Our balcony stateroom (1364 on Deck 10) was another highlight. The location was perfect--just one flight of stairs from the buffet and pool deck and a quick elevator ride to the dining room and entertainment. The balcony was worth every penny, with beautiful sunsets, endless ocean views, and even a lightning storm. The room felt surprisingly spacious for two people.
The only downside was the TV, which frequently lost signal because of satellite reception. I'd recommend purchasing Wi-Fi and bringing a laptop or tablet if you like watching shows during downtime. We bought Wi-Fi for two devices, but honestly one would have been enough since it's easy to switch devices.
We also debated buying the drink package before sailing. Since we don't drink much, knew we'd be in port for three days, and ended up getting seasick, skipping it was definitely the right choice. House drinks averaged about $9, daily specials were around $8.50, and specialty cocktails were about $14. Between the two of us, we spent around $400 on drinks during the entire cruise. The drink package would have cost us nearly $1,000, so we saved a lot of money. We also brought refillable water bottles and filled them at the buffet throughout the trip.
The pool areas were nice, but we consistently struggled to find space in the pools, hot tubs, and chairs around the main pool deck, even though the ship didn't seem full. We usually found chairs on the Sun Deck instead.
We also spent some time in the casino. We didn't have much luck, but it was still a fun experience gambling while out at sea.
There was never a shortage of entertainment. Between the live music, bars, shows, activities, and simply exploring the ship, we honestly could have stayed another week and still not experienced everything.
Our only significant negative experience involved the neighboring cabin. A group of unsupervised boys repeatedly knocked on our door, stole our door magnets, and prank-called our stateroom phone while leaving screaming, profanity-filled voicemails. The crew spoke with the family after we reported it, but we felt the situation could have been handled better. Thankfully, it was our only real issue during the trip.
Despite that isolated experience, we absolutely loved our cruise. The food was fantastic, the entertainment was endless, our room was wonderful, and the crew delivered some of the best hospitality we've ever experienced. Royal Caribbean has set the bar incredibly high, and we can't wait to cruise with them again.