ive just been on that cruise with my family and it was ABSOUTLY BRILLIANT nothing will top that it was amazing.WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR!!

It is a big ship, and like any large resort there are always going to be venues that are some distance from where you "live". At the front of the ship on deck 2, you were well located for the cinema on deck 3 for the Al-Hambra theatre on decks 4 & 5. Sorrentos on the Royal promenade on deck 5, Schooners bar on deck 4, the nightclub on deck 4, the casino on deck 4. The pyramid lounge on deck 5. For those located at the back of the ship, the dining rooms and studio B would have been more convenient,and they would have to walk a similar distance to those front end entertainment venues. Certainly at times the elevators could be very busy, but there were many periods when they were not. I agree that the ships excursions wre often limited and expensive, but to be fair the ship is rarely in port for very long which does limit the opportunity. I think the ports of call are a bit of a bonus in that the ship itself is really the vacation and the main draw. I agree with you that doing your own thing (with a bit of advanced research) is often much cheaper and generally more satisfying. The ships excursions have the "peace of mind" factor if anything is delayed or goes wrong, and I suppose you make your choice on that basis. Entertainment is always subjective. Almost everybody seems to enjoy the excellent and very professional ice shows. The Bands come in for a lot of praise. The theatre shows are playing to crowds of nearly 2000 every night, and naturally their appeal will vary to some extent based on the mood and expectation of the individuals attending. I also agree with you about the comment about older teenagers. We had an 18 year old son with us. Our younger teens absolutely loved the facilities, as did our 5 year old. However 18 can be an awkward age. Too old for the teen clubs and well below the average age demographic for the adults on this type of holiday. In the US of course it would also be too young to drink (although waivers negate this for European and South american cruises). Nevertheless 18-21 as an age group is rather neglected by RCCL. Although our son was pleased he had the opportunity to cruise on this ship, he was the only family member who wouldn't be anxious to repeat the experience for the reasons you have already pointed out. Like you I thought the ice rink could have been opened more than it was (and that was on 14 day cruise), however it is used for professioanl practice and those same dancers are also the operating staff during public sessions which probably restricts the available opportunities from a safety point of view. I have to say that we the staff onboard anything but unhelpful and tired. In fact they couldn't have been more enthusiastic and helpful. Ther have been a few comments in this vein recently and perhaps as a long season draws to an end there is a noticeable element of that creeping in ? If so maybe it is time for those department heads to take notice and have a motivational talk. It is a shame you didn't enjoy it though, we loved our 14 days on board as a family and would repeat the experience tommorow if we could.

i was on this cruise and totally disgree .my son is 8 he only used the kids club twice and enjoyed it, the only reason he did not use it much was he was doing other things around the ship.what was wrong with the entertainment, nothing but did not like the singer on the last night too old fashioned . the waiters were brilliant to us in mackbeth room . i was in a party of ten with 4 kids aged 5,6,7 and 8. starting to save for return holiday. even i had a go at surfing and boogie boarding . comeback and knew i had been on a holiday.

I was on this cruise and I disagree with you. Also 'Gabralta' is spelt 'Gibraltar'. Why moan, just do not go back on Royal Caribbean leave more cabins for others. Just stick with NCL no one likes people who just moan.

I always look at the deck plans when choosing my cabin. Obviously lifts tend to stop at different floors otherwise other people would be waiting for ages. Cruised on the Independence in June this year and could not fault it. Shows were first class and the ice shows wonderful as were all the staff!!

Why did you book a room at the front of the ship then? Surely you looked at the deck plans first and identified where the location of food/entertainment was and made your room choise accordingly?

I have just returned from this Cruise and apart from finding the tables in the Dining Room too close together did not have any complaints and spoke to several families with children who were full of praise for the various events for their children.

WELL DONE - for giving your honest opinion - AND from an experienced cruiser ..... I totally agree with your views and trust that RC will take heed and pull their socks up ON THIS SHIP!!

I find it quite incomprehensible that anyone, particularly those who have cruised before, would complain about having to use the lifts!! I never been on a cruise where all the facilities were on one deck, so I've always happily used the stairs and the lifts!!