We have cruised many times on Royal Caribbean and this time was no exception. It was however, the biggest ship in the fleet! We were so excited to see what extras it had to offer.
I was a little nervous wondering if the ship was so big that it would be over crowded at the elevators or the walking distance would be overwhelming. Neither of those things happened. We never felt over crowded and the elevators were quicker than they were on the smaller ships.
Aside from all the usual amazing features on Royal Caribbean ships, such as the pools, the shows, the outstanding restaurants, I wanted to highlight some of the most impressive features on this ship:
Central Park was amazing. The whole deck made you feel like you were truly walking around the Park. Lined with upscale restaurants, a bar and a Cafe. Several park benches sprinkled all around. It is open air, so you can stargaze at night. They also had a small stage where there was entertainment throughout the day and evening.
The outdoor Aqua Theater was spectacular. The high diving and aerial acrobatics are extraordinary acts. Everyone in the audience was holding their breath with every dive.
The floating Rising Tide Bar was very unique. A full bar with bar seating, as well as, table seating. It slowly floats between 3 decks, from Central Park to the Promenade.
Speaking of bars…the Robotic Bar was wild. I had never seen anything like that. You place your order on a kiosk and the robots would make your drink. Not sure I want to see humans taken out of the picture, but it was fun to watch.
The Virtual Balcony was something I had been wanting to try. We always stay in a real balcony room on our cruises, but I wanted to see how the virtual balcony would be. The room was the same price as an inside cabin, but you had something to look at instead of a blank wall. There is a camera mounted on deck that feeds the video to your virtual balcony. Everything is in real time. If a bird flies by the camera, we see it. As the waves swell, we see that. As we pull into ports, we can see the islands as if your looking out your sliding doors. I would love to do it again. It was very cool!
Since I am a “Fun” Empty Nester now, I enjoy trying new things, such as…
Zip Lining, nine decks above the boardwalk.
Going down the Abyss slide, 10 stories high. This a dry slide, so you don’t get wet! You land out on the boardwalk!
I even took a chance with my food at Wonderland! We almost didn’t go there, but decided to try it on our last night. I really think this ended up being the highlight of the trip. The food was delicious and the presentation was stunning!
I was incredibly surprised with this ship, and would love to cruise on it again!!
Looks like a great trip! The virtual balcony is interesting, I have never heard of it. Thanks for sharing!
Looks like fun! I love that virtual balcony.
I would love to check out this ship – looks absolutely amazing. So many things to do, you’ll never be bored.
This post reminded me of how much I love to cruise! I would especially like to try the zipline on this ship!
The giant slide looks kind of scary, but also a lot of fun! I love the live shows on cruises. It’s something I don’t ever do “in real life”, so I try to enjoy them on a cruise.
THe slide was so much fun. I don’t like the water slides so I was happy to see this one. The shows were excellent and I must admit I was singing every song in Grease!
Rotal always intrigues me. I need to make a reservation and check them out!
I am always amazed at everything that is on these ships. They’re like little floating cities!
The virtual balcony is such a great idea!
I want to go on this ship. I’ve been on 5 others but never any in this class of ship. Looks stunning.
I did not know about the Virtual Balcony. That is a clever idea.
It was really neat! The picture was so clear it truly looked like a balcony. The the price was the same as an inside cabin so it gave us a little more for excursions.
I LOVE Royal Caribbean, and this ship looks AWESOME! Now I totally want to try…everything :)…the virtual balcony, zip lining, the slides…Whoooa! I am ready! 🙂
What a fun cruise! I really want to go on one!
You need to!
This sounds like a great cruise ship! The park sounds really cool, and I would probably try the slide. I’d like to try the virtual balcony, too!
This looks like a great time. And a zipline on a ship, how cool is that!
It was a blast and my husband couldn’t get the camera to work the first time so I had to do it twice!
The outdoor aqua theatre!! I’ll be there!! These cruises all look so lovely! I haven’t been on one yet.. but I’m tempted
You’ll love it once you go. We taken several first timers with us and they are all hooked on cruising now!
I’ve heard nothing but great things about Royal Caribbean. I just took their training and now have my Bachelor’s certification. I’m an independent travel agent so will definitely share this post with my clients when they’re trying to decide which cruise line and which ship (so many decisions to consider!).
Looking to take our first Royal Caribbean cruise next year!!
Awesome! You’re going to love it! Once I know the ship it’s going to be on I go to youtube and look at videos of the ship to help give you an idea of the layout. Have fun!
Love cruises! Virtual window? Never heard of it, always had a balcony or Veranda, but good to know. Looks like a great trip!