If you are in any doubt as to whether to cruise Royal Caribbean in the Med from an Italian port please read this review, it will save you a lot of stress. I will explain in more detail later. Sailed from Civitavechia/Rome on 1st September. Boarding quite painless, through check in in less than 10 mins. Went to our Promenade room and met our efficient steward Harry and went to Windjammer for some lunch. This was the beginning of our many disappointments and dismays.

The scene was like a crowd coming out of a football match. No tables, lots of people shouting across the dining room and a feeling of chaos. We later found this to be because 75% of the passengers were 1st time Italian cruisers who had been offered the cruise at giveaway rock bottom prices and treated the cruise as a Butlins style holiday camp at sea, where every civility normally expected on a cruise was thrown out of the window and worst of all Royal Caribbean allowed them to do so by lowering their standards rather than enforcing standards and making them obey them.

At dinning the first night it began. Dress code according to Royal Caribbean for main dining room is smart casual, no jeans or shorts and no sports tops. You guessed it, people were allowed in with sports tops, denim shorts, jeans and even flip flops. At no point did any waiter challenge anyone and point this out or refuse entry to anyone. Previous cruisers with Royal as well as new people to RC were equally shocked. This happened at dinner every night including formal nights where many people had Tuxes on and suits and yet jeans and a polo shirt were allowed in by many of the diners( Italian again). Read more