Big, bigger, biggest! Plunging into the 21st century, each ship in the current fleet carries more passengers than the entire Royal Caribbean fleet of the 1970s and has features -- such as new surfing pools -- that were unheard of in the past.
All Royal Caribbean ships are topped by the company's distinctive signature Viking Crown Lounge. These lofty perches allow passengers to contemplate the passing seascape by day and dance away the night in a heavenly space high above the water. Expansive multideck atriums and the generous use of brass and floor-to-ceiling glass windows give each vessel a sense of spaciousness and style.
A variety of lounges and high-energy stage shows draw passengers of all ages out to mingle and dance the night away. Production extravaganzas showcase singers and dancers in lavish costumes. Comedians, acrobats, magicians, jugglers, and solo entertainers fill show lounges on nights when the ships' companies aren't performing. Professional ice shows are a highlight of cruises on Voyager- and Ultra Voyager-class ships -- the only ships at sea with ice-skating rinks.
The action is nonstop in casinos and dance clubs after dark, while daytime hours are filled with poolside games and traditional cruise activities. Port talks tend to lean heavily on shopping recommendations and the sale of shore excursions.
Food
Dining is an international experience with nightly changing themes and cuisines from around the world. Passenger preference for casual attire and a resortlike atmosphere has prompted the cruise line to add laid-back alternatives to the formal dining rooms in the Windjammer Café and, on certain ships, the fun and retro Johnny Rockets Diner; Seaview Café evokes the ambience of an island beachside stand.
Room service is available 24 hours, but choices are limited. Only certain dishes that travel well can be ordered from the restaurant menu during dinner hours.
Royal Caribbean doesn't place emphasis on celebrity chefs or specialty alternative restaurants, although they have introduced a more upscale and intimate dinner experience in the form of Portofino, an Italian-specialty restaurant, and/or Chops Grille, a steak house, on Radiance- and Voyager-class ships, as well as
Enchantment of the Seas and
Empress of the Seas.
Fitness & Recreation
Royal Caribbean has pioneered such new and unheard of features as rock-climbing walls, ice-skating rinks, bungee trampolines, and even the first self-leveling pool tables on a cruise ship. Can a bowling alley be next?
Facilities vary by ship class, but all Royal Caribbean ships have state-of-the-art exercise equipment, jogging tracks, and rock-climbing walls; passengers can work out independently or in classes guaranteed to sweat off extra calories.
Most exercise classes are included in the fare, but there's a fee for specialized spinning, yoga, and Pilates classes, as well as the services of a personal trainer. Spas and salons are top-notch, with full menus of day spa - style treatments and services for pampering and relaxation for adults and teens.
Your Shipmates
Royal Caribbean cruises have a broad appeal for active couples and singles, mostly in their 30s to 50s. Families are partial to the newer vessels that have larger staterooms, huge facilities for children and teens, and seemingly endless choices of activities and dining options.
Dress Code
Two formal nights are standard on seven-night cruises; one formal night is the norm on shorter sailings. Men are encouraged to wear tuxedos, but dark suits or sport coats and ties are more prevalent. All other evenings are casual, although jeans are discouraged in restaurants. It's requested that no shorts be worn in public areas after 6 pm, although there are passengers who can't wait to change into them after dinner.
Junior Cruisers
Supervised age-appropriate activities are designed for children ages 3 through 17; babysitting services are available as well (either group sitting or individual in-stateroom babysitting, but sitters will not change diapers). Children are assigned to the Adventure Ocean youth program by age. They must be at least three years old and toilet trained to participate (children who are in diapers and pull-ups or who are not toilet trained are also not allowed in swimming pools or whirlpools). Youngsters who wish to join a different age group must participate in one daytime and one night activity session with their proper age group first; the manager will then make the decision based on their maturity level. All participants in the youth program earn credits by attending the activities and trade them in for prizes at the end of the cruise.
In partnership with toy maker Fisher-Price, Royal Caribbean offers interactive 45-minute Aqua Babies and Aqua Tots play sessions for children from 6 months to 36 months of age. The playgroup classes, which are hosted by youth staff members, were designed by early childhood development experts for parents and their babies and toddlers, and teach lifeskills through playtime activities.
A teen center with a disco is an adult-free gathering spot that will satisfy even the pickiest teenagers. A flat-rate soda card program is a bonus for family budgets -- children can have all the fountain soft drinks they desire for a single charge. Pluses are family-size staterooms on certain ships; drawbacks are the small standard cabins in the older vessels and the lack of self-service laundry facilities.
Service
Service on Royal Caribbean ships is friendly, but not consistent. Assigned meal seatings assure that most passengers get to know the waiters and their assistants, who in turn get to know the passengers' likes and dislikes; however, that can lead to a level of familiarity that is uncomfortable to some people.
Some ships have a concierge lounge for the use of suite occupants.
Tipping
Tips can be prepaid when the cruise is booked, added onto shipboard accounts, or given in cash on the last night of the cruise. Suggested gratuities per passenger, per day are: $3.50 for the cabin steward; $3.50 for the waiter; $2 for the assistant waiter; and $0.75 for the headwaiter. Passengers may adjust the amounts based on the level of service experienced. An automatic 15% gratuity is automatically added to all bar tabs
.
Past Passengers
After one cruise, you can enroll in the Crown & Anchor Society. All members receive the Crown & Anchor magazine and have access to the member section on Royal Caribbean Web site. All members receive an Ultimate Value Booklet, an invitation to a complimentary wine tasting, a welcome back party, and commemorative gift. Platinum members (after five cruises) also have the use of a private departure lounge and receive priority check-in (where available), the onboard use of robes during the cruise, and an invitation to an exclusive onboard event.
Diamond members (after 10 cruises) also receive consideration on a priority wait list for sold-out shore excursions and spa services, concierge service on select ships, priority departure from the ship, complimentary custom air fee, special rates on balcony and suite accommodations, and a priority wait list for dining room seating. When you achieve Diamond Plus status (after 24 cruises), you're offered behind-the-scenes tours and preferred seating in main dining rooms. Comparable Crown & Anchor membership status is also extended to members who sail on Royal Caribbean's sister cruise line, Celebrity Cruises.
Public Areas & Facilities
Considered by many people to be the most beautiful vessels in the Royal Caribbean fleet, Radiance-class ships are large but sleek and swift, with sun-filled interiors and panoramic elevators that span 10 decks along the ships' exteriors.
High-energy and glamorous spaces are abundant throughout these sisterships. From the rock-climbing wall, children's pool with waterslide, and golf area to the columned dining room, sweeping staircases, and the tropical garden of the solarium, these ships hold appeal for a wide cross section of interests and tastes.
The ships are packed with multiple dining venues, including the casual windjammer, which has both indoor and outdoor seating, and the Latte-Tudes patisserie, which sells specialty coffees, pastries, and ice cream treats.
Restaurants
The double-deck formal dining room serves meals in two evening seatings and is supplemented by Portofino Italian restaurant and Chops Grill steak house, each of which requires reservations. The casual Lido buffet serves three meals a day, and the Seaview Café is open for quick lunches and dinners. A pizzeria serves pizza by the slice. Room service is available 24 hours.
What Works & What Doesn't
Radiance-class ships take the concept of expanses of glass in a new direction, with panoramic elevators allowing sea views while you move vertically through the ship. Aft on deck six, four distinct lounges and the billiard room form a clubby adult entertainment center furnished in rich colors and accented by warm woods. With the traditional and nautical-leaning decor on these otherwise classy ships, the weird free-form atrium sculptures are a jarring throwback to earlier design elements.
Accommodations
Layout: With the line's highest percentage of outside cabins, standard staterooms are bright and cheery as well as roomy. Nearly three-quarters of the outside cabins have private balconies. Every cabin has adequate closet and drawer - shelf storage, as well as bathroom shelves.
Amenities: Light-wood cabinetry, small refrigerator - minibar, computer connection, vanity - desk, TV, personal safe, hair dryer, and a sitting area with sofa, chair, and table are typical Radiance-class features in all categories. Bathroom extras include shampoo and bath gel.
Suites: All full suites and family suites have private balconies and include concierge service. Top-category suites have wet bars, separate living/dining areas, multiple bathrooms, entertainment centers with flat-screen TVs, VCRs, and stereos. Some bathrooms have twin sinks, steam showers, and whirlpool tubs. Junior suites have a sitting area, vanity area, and bathroom with a tub.
Good to Know: Nineteen staterooms are wheelchair-accessible.
Favorites
Best Place to Escape the Crowds: Not everyone discovers the out-of-the way Seaview Cafés, making them a favored casual dining spot for those passengers who take the time to locate them.
Our Favorite Spot for a Nightcap: In a setting overlooking the atriums, yet with intimate seating arrangements, the Champagne Bars offer privacy at the heart of the action.
Best Family Quarters: Particularly spacious, family-ocean-view cabins, which sleep up to six people and can accommodate a roll-away bed and/or a crib, have two twin beds (convertible into one queen-size), additional bunk beds in a separate area, a separate sitting area with a sofa bed, a vanity area, and a bathroom with a shower.
