And at the time it launched, CruiseCritic loved it, giving it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! What to Consider. I wouldn't put much stock in this article. While the line is perhaps best known for giant vessels it operates 13 of the 30 biggest cruise ships in the world it also markets some relatively smaller, more intimate ships. Independence of the Seas has some design quirks which means that there are some cabins that you may wish to avoid when cruising on this ship. Your previous content has been restored. How do you get a free Royal Caribbean cruise? . More bad news for Costa. Its not surprising that the newest ship thats currently sailing for Royal Caribbean comes top on this list. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member . Nearly 25 years and two owners later, the ship was still sailing before the pandemic hit, and not racking up awards for awesomeness. Some of the issues might have been a post pandemic hangover and restart. These websites arent biased towards any cruise line or ship, they simply host thousands of reviews from real customers. The oldest ship in a cruise line's fleet is bound to face complaints who wants something old when there are so many new ships to try? It may be one of the better Royal Caribbean ships for adults, though many still prefer the bars and restaurants on newer ships too. (Patricia Pace), "Bad service overall, worst attitude I've ever seen on a cruise ship." (midwest60), "Ironically, MSC never sent me a post cruise survey, and I am truthfully not surprised." CruiseCritic editors give a coveted 5-star rating to Allure of the Seas. When Cruise & Maritime collapsed in July 2020, it put the Magellan up for sale. One passenger, who had been on 60 cruises, said this was her worst experience. I've sailed her twice and had the best time because of the crew and the activities - and - having a good attitude. Reviewers repeatedly express that the ship is intended for a Chinese audience, "with little or no consideration for the nearly 40 percent non-Chinese.". I cruised in the school holidays and I can attest that it did feel bust with so many kids onboard. Like the Fascinosa, CruiseCritic's editors never bothered checking out the ship, which is probably for their own good; customer reviews knock the ship's subpar cleanliness, lack of food and beverages, and poor service. The same minor complaints that other Oasis-class ships have received are repeated for Harmony, and if anything they are a little more common minor issues with service and staffing, with longer waits than expected. Harmony of the Seas 4.60 3. The Costa Concordia struck an underwater rock, capsized, and sank, killing 32 passengers. I've only done smaller ships and enjoyed them. We just feel blessed that we're going at all! Free cruise offers always sound suspicious. The most common complaints are related to the ship's poor food, described at turns as "bland" and "cold;" subpar dining service (a few complained about getting sick from the cuisine); and hospitality desk staffed by employees with limited knowledge. Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. (Tinkerbell8), "It was our first time cruising and it has certainly NOT given us the 'bug'!!" There are enough restaurants and bars to keep things fresh, which is good as one of the bigger criticisms is the quality of food in the Main Dining Room the other, understandably, being the ship needing some more updates to make it feel more modern. (EllaDuChien), "Poor food, sad, unfriendly staff and no customer support." (Kikican), "Swimming was impossible pools were so crowded you only had room to stand." October 6, 2022 in Royal Caribbean Discussion, The author of this blog may make claim that there is no "worst ship". (Maninu91), "I have cruised before, but this was the worst." For megaresort fans, there's nothing quite like a Royal Caribbean vessel. The biggest ship in the world offers more activities, entertainment, dining and experiences than . Pro tip: Rooms located in the center and toward the bottom of the ship are more friendly toward seasick passengers. This mega-ship, built in 2009, can hold 6,400 passengers and offers a Central Park in the middle of the ship, outstanding restaurants and entertainment, and so much to do you won't get bored during a day at sea. While its low-rated trips cater to an international crowd, two of its North American ships in particular are nailing it: the MSC Divinia and MSC Seaside, the latter of which gets a nearly flawless score by the editors. Eight years later, the ship was lengthened, making her slightly bigger than her sister ships. The worst cruise ships are the ones that end up being scrapped. If you look hard enough you can find someone, somewhere who will say that any ship in question is "the worst ship ever." Its subjective and I think it can be people who make for a bad cruise experience, not the ship. Ex-Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line workers reveal what they wanted to tell passengers but couldn't. "Most of the guests were genuinely nice people, but there were a few who . (Dntmcgee7), "Buckle up kiddos, because you're in for quite a ride with this one." Other complaints? All rights reserved. Does the ship have a nursery for children under 36 months old? We had a blast. It was on a Carnival Cruise Line ship I can't remember which one and it was right in the middle of what I have come to call the "Bermuda Triangle of Bad Cabins" on Carnival ships.. (TexasCruiseBella), "This ship needs to be retired or sent to another port where the standards are not as high." Again, most people rave about everything, including how helpful the crew are. Symphony of the Seas 4.61 2. Generally, people love the innovative features such as the North Star and the Two70 entertainment venue, but there are inconsistencies in guests experiences, whether its occasional poor food, or bad management of busier sea days, which have led to some mixed reviews. November 29, 2022. . And, as many complained, water to drink isn't included in the price of the cruise! In This Article. Wrote Sandystruis after sailing the Mediterranea: "Having read so many negative reviews, we were very skeptical and even contemplated canceling before sailing. So lets find out Ive ranked all of the Royal Caribbean ships from best to worst, which isnt necessarily the same ranking as the newest Royal Caribbean ships to the oldest. Most cabins are sized 150-180 ft2 / 14-17 m2. See which of the ships you should skip and which to sail instead. https://www.farandwide.com/s/worst-cruise-ships-c8eb6e9ffd384546. And its 19 ships mostly get high marks from the CruiseCritic team and passengers. The one bright spot? The ship rating is based on a 6-star system, and the key to the ratings follows. The Oasis-class ships have the biggest casinos in the Royal Caribbean fleet, with Wonder of the Seas probably having the best one since its the most modern this means it has the latest slots along with a huge selection of table games to play. Instead, Ive looked at the reviews of all the ships from three of the biggest independent cruise websites Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com and TripAdvisor. Now that is a good time. And when you're staying in one place for any length of time, personal space becomes a precious commodity. Debuting in 2013, MSC's Preziosa originally received rave reviews, having launched with a more modern cruising style to compete with larger lines like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. It's a pain to sit through that." The following link claims Ovation of the Seas, along with Quantum ships are stinker ships. This despite the fact that the ship was completely refurbished in 2015 by Cruise & Maritime, and that it's considered the cruise line's flagship. If you pick the right ship. In the same way the ships sailing out of Galveston lean FAR more into Texas/country foods, music and entertainment, I wouldn't be surprised to see ships sailing out of China to skew toward Chinese tastes. This isnt just my personal opinion. Small, boring and dated. (Maggiee123). Oh, and it doesn't help that in 2017, a crew member went overboard on the ship. However, this Freedom-class ship was built in 2008 and cruise ships have certainly evolved since then. The simple answer is there is no single worst Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the fleet, because each cruise ship offers a different experience that caters to specific styles of cruising. Even with the review rankings above, there isnt really a single ship thats best for everyone. But seriously, we did just book that. The Celebrity Constellation gets a marginal score for sewage disposal but fails in every . Terrible at best. Where do I get my Royal Caribbean luggage tags? Best New Ship: Carnival Celebration. Best ships for new cruisers and families: Oasis of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas or Odyssey of the Seas Best ship if on a budget: Mariner of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas Now, lets take a closer look at the best and worst Royal Caribbean cruise ships to see what exactly it is that people like and dont like about these ships. Hi, I'm Jenni. But she is a purposely built cool weather ship, which is perfect for the northeast. Built in 2003, the Lirica is definitely on the older side of cruise ships, which never bodes well. Cruise Ship Vacations are always excited! The only thing ships out of Galveston offer that others do not is Dr. Pepper. Lastly to us, the crew is just as important as the ship they can make it and or break it, we have been very lucky with most all trips being fantastic. By a large margin. Don't book a cruise purely based on price. The five ships ranked the highest in dining across all Royal Caribbean ships are: Allure of the Seas - 4.493 Symphony of the Seas - 4.402 Harmony of the Seas - 4.391 Odyssey of the Seas - 4.369 Adventure of the Seas - 4.368 What Our Members Say "Don't forget about food at Giovanni's Wine Bar. Watching a YouTube video allows anyone to visualize the flow of a cruise ship, and get a good understanding of what is onboard. Its taken until the 18th position on the list but weve reached the first of the Vision-class ships for Royal, the oldest class still sailing for the fleet. My first cruise Dec 30 - Jan 06. The top starting points for learning about any Royal Caribbean ship is past Cruise Compasses, YouTube videos, and a good travel agent. Upload or insert images from URL. We are sailing the Quantum in June to Alaska out of Seattle. You can post now and register later. Learn from their pitfalls so. I didn't enjoy myself as a whole on my Navigator sailing but the ship was not the problem at all. But most have done their research and have left positive feedback on the atmosphere and the service, while reviews of the food are mixed, leaning towards positive. Otherwise, the menus & entertainment are the same as other ships. Haha! While I knew the Royal Suite had a piano, the noise factor would not have occurred to me. I'll make some notes of what I want and don't want on my next cruise, then go from there. With no ship earning more than three stars, Costa is clearly not the best line to sail with. (Sgonzalez100), "Every port we came to we could not wait to get OFF the ship." YouTube blends entertainment, information, and day dreaming together seamlessly and it is so easy to browse and learn about Royal Caribbean ships, port stops, and nearly everything onboard. Its not really surprising that the five Oasis-class ships occupy five of the top six places on this list. Positive comments touch on the smaller ship size and how it doesnt feel crowded at all, although some reviewers have mentioned it is looking a little tired and could do with some more updates. In the same way the ships sailing out of Galveston lean FAR more into Texas/country foods, music and entertainment, I wouldn't be surprised to see ships sailing out of China to skew toward Chinese tastes. Pretty atrium but everything else was compartmentalized and felt stuffy and if things weren't in a box in a room, they were in the middle of the ship in the way. There are more people from Texas on board out of Galveston, but Royal doesn't change the menu or entertainment. (What does that say about the line's additional boats?). We just got off of the Voyager and while we had fun, there were too many small problems (in my opinion). that the editor spending 10 days aboard couldn't sample everything. (water slides, pools, outdoor features). Best Budget: Carnival Elation. You cannot paste images directly. Radiance of the Seas was the first of the Radiance-class ships to be built for Royal Caribbean and over 20 years later, she is still a popular choice for those who want a relaxing cruise with a little bit of that Royal Caribbean flair. 10 things I hated about the Royal Caribbean Oasis Class Ships. Joey Hadden/Insider Source: Royal Caribbean Boring food, a lack of interesting on-board activities and unfriendly staff. A few weeks ago a cruise to Bermuda 8 days on the Carnival Conquest. The ship measures 1,188 feet (362 meters) in length and falls in line as number 2 among Royal Caribbean's 36 existing and former cruise ships. The major part of the cruise is seeing nothing but water on all sides with no real plan other than to relax. And Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Sea changed course from planned stops in Curacao and Aruba after 55 cases of Covid-19 were identified. He abandoned the ship with 300 passengers still onboard. I've sailed out of Tampa, Miami, and Galveston. These areas include atriums, pools, gyms, dining rooms, casinos, and theaters. Ive sailed with Royal Caribbean several times, but certainly not on all 26 ships, and so thatd be a really unfair judgement for me to make. Surprised by the worst cruise ship in the fleet? The big question is whether the newer, bigger ships for Royal Caribbean are all better than the older ships, or whether the classic ships are still more popular with cruisers. While the ship is getting a little long in the tooth, it is still one of my favorite smaller ships to sail on. Want a fabulous cruising experience? Royal Caribbean Blog 225K subscribers 72K views 2 years ago Is there a cruise ship you should avoid? The ships then receive a score out of 100, which is published as part of the Summary of Sanitation Inspections of International Cruise Ships. Instead, they find the food is cold and old service is sub-par, and the entertainment leaves something to be desired. Before we get to the list, some context is important. In the event that seasickness does develop, Dr. Click the button above to compare the prices of cruises from all travel agents. This is the area on those ships around the aft elevator bank on the cabin deck that sits just above the main entertainment deck. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 20 cruises. On the other hand, will the absence of all the bells and whistles that every other ship in the fleet has add up to a complete downer? One faring not so well on the list is the Deliziosa. Good times are what you make of them. We were disappointed. Allure of the Seas was the second of the Oasis-class ships to launch, and while shes considerably older than the most recent ships (launching 12 years before Wonder of the Seas), she still offers an amazing experience, helped by a refurbishment in 2015. I am looking forward to the voyage exactly to the same degree as I am looking forward to my other bookings. If not, just leave blank, First time cruisers: Royal Caribbean's SeaPass card. I chalk that up to cultural differences, not a problem with the ship. Here's how I get the lowest price when I book a cruise Near Activity Decks. Like her sister ships, theres a good balance between fun and size, although not quite as much variety as the larger Freedom, Quantum and Oasis-class ships. We usually go with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Cunard. Ship in the school holidays and I think it can be people who for! Msc never sent me a post pandemic hangover and restart one of favorite. 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