Royal Caribbean Cruises Reviews 

Hidden fees, we were charged 20% not optional after we had a massage. We were told on boarding there is no expected gratuity on an Australia cruise.
I didn't mind paying tips when they are deserved but to be told it's not negotiate and wasn't on the promotional material.

I have to tell you that I was very embarrassed.My last three night cruise.I am a diamond club member.And I told my girlfriend how we will get chocolate covered fruit chocolate covered strawberries.And we never did.Can you please tell me why we never did?And I was embarrassed

This was the first time I have been on Royal Caribbean cruise, I was on the odyssey of the seas. The ship and staff were great. My issue is with the food options, first the high cost of the fare there needs to be more or better food options. This line seems to provide multiple stations for dessert, vegetarian, deli ,while the food choices are limited and seems recycled. A pasta section, hamburger and hot dog station really. The food stations are strategic to appear like there are more options but not the case. The breakfast and lunch are similar with the breads, desserts with rhe exception of swapping out breakfast for some lunch items. I was really disappointed. There are more food options choices at the speciality restaurants you have to pay extra for.

So I absolutely love royal caribbean and there ships .however I will advise never to book a group. Keep your reservation individually unless its for a large company but if your a family or have even 12 rooms or less keep it as individual. Ok why am I saying this so I had booked 10 rooms for my family cruise . I was able to make 2 different log in for royal on there app and I was able to link them so at first I was able to link all of them on one but something happened after one of my family members wanted to move there room so after that I was not able to link it but I just used another email and linked the 3 rooms that it effected and was able to still do what I needed. So before you make your individual rooms into a group your able to see the ballance of each room if u need to switch people from room to room you can as long as the primary guest remains the same . Your able to have much more freedom without putting your reservation into a group. I found the group to be more problematic as even the breakdown on the invoice they send you much more confusing and if you dont pay attention you will pay more or something is not correct. I have to call everytime I need to do anything and sometimes the wait is crazy and it takes about 30 to an hour each request u might have. Another issue I had was after my group was created and again I regret it. Is that I called to give the crown and anchor number to certain members in my group and somehow the rates of the room ended up going up . I was told that this was fixed but as I noticed the following day 2 of the rooms lost the deposit that was in the rooms and back to like not having a deposit so it was the full price again. And once again having to call for them to fix there mistake of not finishing the problem in the first place was another hour on the phone waiting for someone to again fix the issue . So this is the biggest problem and I would never say its worth the agervation even if u got the tour conductor credit. If time is money you will find it not worth the added stress and additional forced communication

Allure January 3 3026
Warning: if you carry and depend on injectable medication that requires refrigeration beware.
The staff provided me with a portable refrigerator because the one in the room isn’t cool enough. While I was out of the room, they took my insulin out of the room cooler and put it into the one they brought in. Problem was, they did not turn the switch on the unit from hot to cold. They essentially fried my insulin. It took 3 days to recover my medication at the islands. They also tried to charge me for a trip hospital visit unsuccessfully. Could have ended up badly so be careful. They shouldn’t have touched my medicine without my knowledge.
Update:they denied the incident happened until I provided them with documentation. All reports were in their system.

We booked a Royal Caribbean family cruise for March 2026 well in advance. Despite this, our cruise was later cancelled because Royal Caribbean provided incorrect information about infant age requirements.

What followed was very poor customer service. Communication was slow, call backs didn’t happen, and our clear request to move to an alternative sailing was dismissed unless we paid significantly more, even though the problem was caused by Royal Caribbean’s own error.

The booking was ultimately cancelled and refunded without our notification, leaving us without a holiday and no realistic alternatives at short notice.

Booking early offered no protection. Based on our experience, this is not a company you can trust!

Lovely cruise around the Greek islands. The boat was lots of fun and very well presented.

Boarding was easy and quick. The staff couldn't do enough for us. The guys in the schooner bar were particularly awesome.

Down side the formal night was a bit of a miss. You could be in a nice suit in the main dining room sat next to a guy in shorts and flip flops. That kinda ruins the experience a little.

Apart from that we were very happy.

Horrible and scary experience with this cruise!!
We took a cruise Symphony of the Seas for new years, 2025. Our toddler became sick in the middle of the cruise and so we went for medical help to the 'clinic' within the cruise. The doctor there could not have been more incompetent - he wanted to inject our son with various things including steroids which our son DID NOT need (we were speaking with our own pediatrician back in the USA while at the clinic and he urged us not to give him steroids and other medication that the cruise doctor recommended (very condescendingly by the way)). We ended up leaving the cruise the next day to get help in Jamaica and that turned out to be a nightmare as well but our son finally did get what he needed to get better so the decision to leave the boat was a good one.

Parents of kids out there, know that cruises are NOT safe for children, particularly small ones, and in this case this particular cruise was not equipped to handle urgent medical situations as proved by the doctor. It was coincidence that we had a stop in Jamaica that day. Imagine being stranded at sea in that situation?

There is a reason the employees of the cruise have to sing songs in every buffet so that you will stop to wash your hands before going in. This is because no matter what they do to make people be clean, cramming 6,000 people in a boat and expecting viruses, bacteria, and all sorts of things not to spread is ridiculous.

Think twice about going into a cruise as it was one of the scariest experience for us. Safe to say I will not take a cruise ever again.

Hope this review will help you make a wise decision.

My 10th cruise love it!

We attended the Chef’s Table on our first night onboard, with dinner starting at 8:30 PM and not finishing until nearly 1:00 AM, which was far longer than expected and exhausting.
Unfortunately, the experience did not live up to the premium price. The wine pairings were switched from what was listed on the menu to what appeared to be inexpensive, grocery-store level wines, with no explanation or acknowledgment. For a Chef’s Table experience, this was extremely disappointing.
The five courses reused the same accoutrements repeatedly, making the meal feel repetitive and uninspired rather than thoughtfully curated. Ironically, we found the food in the main dining room throughout the rest of the cruise to be consistently better in both quality and presentation.
Given the time commitment, cost, and expectations set by Royal Caribbean, the Chef’s Table was a waste of both time and money. Starting our cruise with this experience left a bad taste that carried through the rest of the sailing.
We would not recommend Chef’s Table on Allure of the Seas and would advise guests to save their money for other dining options onboard.

You couldn’t pay me to board a Royal Caribbean cruise. It’s become painfully clear that safety is not a priority for them. Time and time again, decisions show that profit comes before people. When a company is willing to cut corners and downplay risks at the expense of human life, that’s not a vacation — that’s a liability. No destination, discount, or luxury experience is worth gambling with safety.

We went on 4 different cruises on 4 different ships . The one thing I've learned is don't tip , I've tried on the very first one to tip everyone and it doesn't matter, you don't get any better service. Infact it took 4 hours for the cabin stuart to unlock the balcony door, the sheets had holes in them the waitress at dinner keep telling us how poor she was and contradicting us at every turn , and stop tipping for drinks , you aren't made of cash so save it , remember your trip is all inclusive and you already paid for everything! NO MATTER What OtherS TELL YOU. This tipping culture has gotten out of hand ! So save your money . The smaller the ship the bigger the cabin . Because on the small ships the "entertainment" goes on the same level as 7-11 drunks and midnight. Get a drink package because you'll needed ! And please DON'T go and see "Cats" it's a 4 hour nightmare and you will be dreaming about "Jericho cat" and will end up with PTSD from it ! On bigger ships there is more leeway because you will be walking a lot , to destinations .
The elevators break a lot, the older the ship the less it's maintained so you have to watch out for that .
AND PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS ON WINDJAMMER!!!!! It's for everyone's safety !

We did 22 cruises with RCI. During this cruise we were assaulted by a very aggressive man. The man hit me in the back and assaulted and intimidating me. I ask for security. But the way security handless this was poor and disappointing. Because we didn't feel save with this man on the ship. We stayed the last two days in our cabin. And the aggressive man could enjoy his vacation. We are Diamond Plus members and now say goodbye to RCI.

I cruised on the Liberty Of The Seas. It was quite hideous! Within the first 15 minutes I entered Windjammer, I’ve never experienced anything like it. The only option for healthy food options were dried out chicken breast and unripe melon and pineapple. I sat down and one of the other guests on the table next to me started screaming and swearing on her phone. A foul mouthed rant completely ignored by the staff on the ship. This was one of my main concerns on the trip. The staff are so nice the are unable to deal with any kind of anti-social behaviour. My room was old fashioned but clean. No USB ports to charge phones. No iron to iron clothes and a 24 hour turn around on the ironing service which means you have to wear creased clothes on one of the 3 nights. Not that it matters as not many people on the cruise seem to take their appearance seriously. The Promenade area at night is not a pleasant place to be however, first thing in the morning was the best time to visit. The artisan coffee is not artisan coffee. I tried 3 days in a row to get them to make a flat white to my satisfaction and they just couldn’t manage it as they aren’t trained baristas they are just nice friendly people who have been moved into a barista position. I wanted to spend time on my balcony but I had serious cigarette smokers on one side of me and dope smoking, loud music playing people on the other. The handle of my balcony door was hanging off but in fairness it was fixed quickly. To find some positives. The gym was exceptional but the extra charges for the classes seemed unnecessary. The main dining room team provided good food and service at dinner. I had no idea the dining room was open for breakfast and lunch so missed out on that the app doesn’t provide you with the information you need and the WiFi on board is really bad considering how much you pay for it. Doesn’t work well in areas like your balcony which is the one place you want it to work.

I have a long comment, but it won't allow me to post it here. So I summarized it:

We booked Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and our first cruise. While the ship is beautiful and the crew was wonderful, the overall experience didn’t feel worth the price.

The cruise was advertised with four destinations, but after multiple cancellations we only visited two ports, and the refund for three cancelled ports was just over $60 on a trip that cost over $5,000. They lack accountability and initiative on making plans in case there's any cancellations. Onboard, many basics like drinks outside of breakfast required extra charges, and there were communication issues between departments. Called Guest Services to replace the broken lounge chair in the balcony, no follow-up call received and took time for them to fix the issue. I have to call multiple times. Another example when we call the Guest Services to ask if there's available spots for ice skating, we were told none. However, when we arrived at Studio B, where ice skating took place, the staff there happily accommodated us.

There were positives, like great shows and food, but overall, the negatives outweighed the good for us. Sharing this to help others set realistic expectations before booking.

We just had the best cruise on Oasis of the Seas, especially because we were taken care of the most thoughtful & professional staff. I'd really like to give a shout out to Rosalyn, Syruh & Calbert in the main dining room on level 5. We had several allergies at our table and they dealt with them seamlessly. It really put our minds at ease. We looked forward to seeing them every evening, they really made our cruise so enjoyable. We hope to see them again on our next cruise!! We hated when our time came to an end.

My husband and I booked our cruise through RC for our honeymoon. This was my first cruise ever. However, it was my husband’s third cruise. Albeit, his previous cruise was 16 years ago. We went for a Caribbean cruise during Christmas. I try to always keep my expectations low to avoid disappointment… I should have set them lower because this was an extremely disappointing experience. The food in the main dining during dinner time was less than desirable. The food seemed like it was frozen then thawed (I mean how else are you supposed to keep food fresh). It just didn’t seem fresh.

The workers on the ship were lovely and wonderful people. However, I was extremely curious about their working conditions… to say it’s depressing is an understatement. I would encourage everyone to do some research on the exploitation of cruise-ship workers. I wish I had done research prior so that I would not be upholding poor labor practices. Secondly, I would encourage everyone to do some research on the cruise ship industry before you book a trip. There are some very shady corporate practices that are set in place for hoarding money and diverting it away from the local economy. There are many things that I just feel uncomfortable/guilty participating in. I will never go on a cruise again, with any cruise line. Instead, I will book a flight and stay in that destination and pour time, money, and energy into the community.

We went on Odyssey of the Seas in 2024. Had two balcony cabins on a guaranteed basis and ended up with rooms with very obstructed views, huge gantries. After complaining, we were awarded credits which had to be used by 6th April 2026 on a further cruise. Because of the high prices we’ve been unable to afford to book Royal Caribbean until August 2027. I wrote to the cruise company and asked them to honour the credits for our cruise in 2027. They have flatly refused. The credits work out to about £600 per room which means an awful lot to our family but Royal Caribbean say NO! I’m not happy with Royal Caribbean and feel it’s a large company being very unfair. We love their cruises but find them highly priced and it takes us a while to save for two balcony cabins. £600 reduction for each of our cabins would make such a difference!

Crew was outstanding. Food was average at best. Purchased drink package and drinks were subpar..sailed with RC previous year and food and beverages were much better. I realize that its a family oriented cruise line but the kids were a little too much. Kids coming to the liquor bars..sitting on bar stools to order smoothies. Children should NOT be at a liquor bar..period. Parents need to be more accountable. We paid extra to dine at Giovannis on board and were extremely disappointed. Wife ordered a prawn entree and they served her small sized shrimp.Complained to manager and she was gracious and handled the situation professionally. We will be doing adults only cruises from now on just way too many kids.

Currently on the Christmas Caribbean cruise. The food is good in the dining room, Windjammer buffet is ok. However my issue is with the upselling, too much and very pushy. I’m booked on the RC Thailand & Vietnam cruise, I know what to expect now.