Overall Score

BERLITZ'S RATING
	Possible	Achieved
Ship	500	334
Accommodation	200	119
Food	400	221
Service	400	260
Entertainment	100	66
Cruise	400	248

How this score is created

The ship is almost identical in size and appearance to sister ship Majesty of the Seas and Sovereign of the Seas but with an improved internal layout, better public room features, passenger flow and signage. Royal Caribbean International’s trademark Viking Crown lounge and bar surrounds the funnel and provides a stunning view, although the original Scandinavian tub chairs are extremely small and have no back support. The open deck space is very cramped when full, as aboard any large ship, although there seems to be plenty of it. There is a basketball court for sports lovers.

Following a grounding just before Christmas 1998, the ship underwent the replacement of 460 tons of bottom shell plating. At the same time, a new facility for toddlers was created. The children’s and teens’ programs are good, overseen by enthusiastic youth counselors, and there is a busy but sound activities program for adults.

The interior layout is a little awkward, as it is designed in a vertical stack, with most public rooms located aft, and the accommodation forward. There is, however, an impressive array of spacious and elegant public rooms, although the decor definitely brings to mind the IKEA school of interior design. A stunning five-deck-high Centrum lobby has cascading stairways and two glass-walled elevators.

There is a decent two-level showlounge and decent shops, albeit with lots of tacky merchandise. Casino gamers will find blackjack, craps, Caribbean stud poker and roulette tables, plus an array of slot machines.

This floating resort provides a well-tuned, yet very impersonal, short cruise experience for a lot of passengers. The dress code is very casual. There are many public rooms and spaces to play in, including a five-deck-high atrium, which really is the interior focal point of the ship, and has glass lifts. Among the public rooms, the library offers space for relaxation and has a decent selection of books.

The ship provides a decent enough range of facilities with consistently sound, but highly programmed service from a reasonably attentive young staff. In the final analysis, you will probably be overwhelmed by the public spaces, and underwhelmed by the size of the cabins. The ship underwent an extensive internal refurbishment in 2003 and looks fresher for it

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publications 2008