Embarkation and Transportation:
Our journey began with a…read morepre-booked Royal Caribbean shuttle from the train station to the port, which proved to be smooth, easy, and completely hassle-free. Upon arrival, however, we experienced a delay sitting on the bus for an hour because the ship's Wi-Fi was temporarily down, halting new cruiser entry. Once operations resumed, the check-in process was entirely seamless. We handed over our large luggage, and it was delivered directly to our stateroom later in the day.
Accommodations and Amenities:
Our room and room attendant were wonderful. Knowing cruise ship dimensions beforehand, we found the room compact yet comfortable, and having a balcony was a fantastic addition. While the room and the ship itself felt a bit outdated, there was plenty of storage space to keep everything organized. Thanks to my loyalty tier status, we received complimentary robes, and we had pre-ordered water waiting in our room prior to our arrival. Since four of us shared the room, the bed was already separated into two twins, and our attentive room attendant happily folded out the couch and put it back up every single night.
Exceptional Dining and Allergy Accommodations:
I was completely blown away by the dining experience, especially regarding gluten-free accommodations. The buffet featured a dedicated gluten-free section, and the staff even offered to whip up something fresh if I wasn't comfortable with eating from the buffet. The main dining hall was simply amazing. Every evening, I pre-ordered my meal for the following day, and the servers meticulously went over which dishes could be modified to be gluten-free, including items I never expected could be adapted. The food was consistently delicious, and the main dining hall servers were exceptionally knowledgeable about gluten allergies and provided stellar service, prompting us to tip them extra at the end of the trip. We enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and dinner there whenever we didn't have excursions. While the main servers were experts, the bar staff were less familiar with gluten-free drink options, so I stuck to the basics. Additionally, Café Promenade offered sandwiches, pizza, and complimentary water and coffee stations, with the option to order a whole fresh gluten-free pizza.
Excursions and Onboard Tours:
The excursions were an absolute highlight, featuring incredible tours of Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, and Split, Croatia, all led by fantastic tour guides whom we happily tipped at the end. Getting on and off the excursions was a completely seamless process. We also signed up for a behind-the-scenes ship tour, which was fascinating. It included a visit to the kitchens, where we saw firsthand how seriously they take allergy safety, featuring entirely separate stations for different ingredients like fish and gluten-free items, and strict station-locking for staff.
Entertainment and Memories:
We enjoyed a relaxing 75-minute stone massage at the spa, which felt wonderful. To capture our memories, we purchased a photo package, dressing up for the fun nightly themes, and even splurged on a private photo shoot in Mykonos that yielded amazing results (we opted to buy 15 prints). The onboard shows were smaller than those on mega-ships, but they were still very entertaining, and the best part was that we didn't need to reserve seating in advance like on other Royal Caribbean vessels.
Overall Impression:
Overall, we were really happy with our cruise experience. The crew went above and beyond to take care of me and my entire group, ensuring a memorable and stress-free vacation.