Cruise Terminal A - Port of Miami - Royal Caribbean International — Attraction in Miami

This was our first cruise and we had absolutely no idea of what to expect. Our 4-day tour was aboard Navigator of the Seas.

The majority of our experiences were positive. There were plenty of restrooms, a very attentive staff and exceptional climate control which made a humid excursion across the Atlantic very bearable.

Our cabin boy, Iputu, (though no Chris Elliott) did a fabulous job keeping our quarters shipshape, and threw in a few surprise towel animals, much to our delight.

Our main-dining-room waiter, Wasana, was the epitome of full-service, making us feel appreciated, valued and pampered. She was the one employee we really connected with.

The freedom to ask for multiple appetizers/entrees/desserts was somewhat liberating. Go ahead and have those four plates of scrumptious coconut shrimp, and don't feel bad ordering an additional main course. You're a little piggy, but we love ya.

We found The Key package to be well worth the cost, as we were treated to a special boarding steak lunch, and a special disembarking breakfast. We also received preferred seating at performances, and got to "skip the line" at disembarking.

The Bamboo Lounge, which was our favorite hideaway, served premium-alcohol specialty tropical drinks with a South Pacific flair and even offered to-go bags.

The karaoke was a real hoot. Some people have talent, but all have heart!

Strolling hand-in-hand, while taking in a sunset from the starboard deck, was fabulously reminiscent of Titanic, without all the soggy ascots.

Starbucks was a real life-saver. Mmm mmmmm.

However, there were a fair share of disappointments and/or annoyances, such as...

While dining at various locations, like the Windjammer buffet, we were approached by several pushy employees whose sole mission was to up-sell us on premium dining packages. This nonsense was moderately aggravating. I paid a fair sum to be on this cruise, in addition to the mandatory gratuities that the first-timer typically doesn't find out about until after booking... so if I want to pay even more for a meal that is otherwise included, I'll go ahead and book it myself.

The pizza offered at Café Promenade was two steps below a frozen Jeno's. I'm still kinda stunned at how bad it was.

The deluxe beverage package (around $50/per person/per day) boasts fresh juices, milkshakes and premium coffee, in addition to alcohol. Starbucks isn't included in this, just the Seattle's Best kiosk at the Ben and Jerry's counter on Deck 5, and they served us an embarrassingly bad frozen latte and hot chocolate. Strike one.

Ok, so the premium coffee sucked, so what about all those milkshakes I anticipated? Well... you can only get one at the Johnny Rocket's restaurant by the pool, and only if you purchase a meal. Son-of-a-mother! I cant even Daniel Day Lewis a milkshake up in this beyotch?!?! Strike two.

I forgot all about the freshly squeezed juices until my disembarking breakfast, as "Fresh Squeezed Juice" on the menu reminded me. Unfortunately, my server informed me that they "didn't have any that morning", but she could get me some "not fresh squeezed". Really??? IT IS RIGHT THERE ON THE MENU!!! points with next-level umbrage

Probably the greatest disappointment, which was out of RCI's control, was losing our CocoCay excursion day, due to Dorian. No giddily skimming across the water on wave-runners. No lounging in the bay, floating on buoyant recliners. No swim-up bars or clamshell beach beds. No relieving yourself at the swim-up bars or on the clamshell beach beds. No drawing hearts in the wet sand with milady. Only another day at sea... watching grubby little hands as they clench palm-fulls of cheddar cheese, willy-nilly, directly from the condiments bar by...

This was the worst “vacation” in the entire world. The Miami cruise port and the royal Caribbean stole our money and treated us like subhumans. My brothers and I decided to take my mom on her first vacation in 10 years after she was the caretaker of our grandmother who recently passed away. We purchased 3 cabins, one of which was a balcony cabin. We traveled from New Jersey all the way to Port Miami where the cruise was supposed to leave from. After flying all morning, and our bags being taken onto the cruise, the port would not let my mother on with her identification. In the State of New Jersey when you renew your license, it takes a month to deliver so they give you a government issued temporary license. We presented this along with her picture ID and her birth certificate and they told us it was insufficient. After being deffered to multiple people for hours, the port told me to get the DMV on the phone, which after long wait times, I finally did. The DMV proceeded to explain that her license was valid and the official copy of the new license is in process in the mail, and until then the government issued document was to act as her license so long as it was presented with her old license with her picture. The Caribbean employees said they would need a written document explaining this, however the DMV said that could take 3-7 business days to process. The employees also told us that our luggage could be stuck on the cruise, even though we requested it back. Luggage which had my brothers medication that he needed. We pleaded with the employees for hours. From 10am-4:30pm they watched us as we sat and waited for ONE lady to talk to us that apparently couldn't get to us for 4 hours. They didn't offer us food or water the entire time we sat in front of them and there was no where to even get something to eat. Ultimately they did not let us on, and then told us we needed to call for our money back. We were stranded in Miami, and had been traveling all day. When we called to explain what happened, the Royal Carribean told us THE EMPLOYEES SHOULD HAVE LET US ON WITH MY MOMS IDENTIFICATION, and they are not responsible because they are employees of the port EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE WEARING ROYAL CARRIBEAN SHIRTS AND REPRESENTING THE ROYAL CARRIBEAN BRAND. The employees at the port told us to go on the cruise without my 63 year old mother, even though this was HER gift. As if we would leave our mother stranded alone in Miami... We never got reimbursement for our $9000 trip, we never got an apology, and we were treated like dirt the entire time without even a drink of water offered to us. Then we had to pay thousands of dollars for a back up plan because our returning tickets were for the following Saturday. This cruise line is inhumane, and filled with thieves. When we called, the employee said there were multiple complaints about the exact same cruise, however they couldn't even reimburse us for the food we should have ate, or the rooms we should have been staying in. I would never recommend the Royal Caribbean or the port...

Unless you like kids roaming around the ship unattended and acting a fool all the time, cold pools that are overcrowded, sundecks that don't have any chairs available unless you get up early and reserve one, and buffet style food that is worse than golden corral then I would not waste your money on a royal carribean cruise. I honestly am still baffled at how bad the food was. They do an amazing job of making it look good, but it was the worst once you taste it.

Also, don't fall for all the add ons. Royal carribean nickel and dimes you the entire time. They purposely give horrible food, so you will pay money to go to the "better" returants. A worker confirmed this with me as he explained they are contractually obligated to sell a certain number of up charged food, so they dont want the free food to be good. Then, once you pay for it and get the food, you realize it's the same food just cooked differently with a different sauce. What a joke. I have never felt more scammed in my life. Also the kids touch all over the food in the buffet lines and I witnessed a worker drop an entire tray of food on the floor of the heating rack that looked disgusting then scoop it all back into the tray and serve it.

I also talked to the workers just out of curiosity about their experience and they explained how they were recruited from poor parts of foriegn countries and then forced to work on the cruise ship for 7 months straight with no breaks. Then they get to go back home for 2 months and have to come right back for another 7 months straight. One tried to make excuses for royal carribeans' work policies by comparing it to people who serve in the military. This is a cruise ship and not a military ship. Do better Royal carribean. Treat your workers better. People need days off and need balance and time with their families. The majority of nice workers were the only good part about your cruise.

Lastly, unless you are a gambler, just go with a cruise line that doesn't have casinos. The captain purposely had to sit us in turbulent waters just so people could gamble. 🙄 so stupid. It's obvious that royal cardibean has strategically designed their ships experience around extracting money from its customers once on the ship because they have no where else to go and offering cheap packages up front to entice you to come. Similar to Vegas, but at least in Vegas, you have options. Once on the ship, you have no alternative options, and all the choices are bad and still cost more money.

From a business stand point. If you want a master class on how not to build a business and see all the ways capitalism can be used for bad, then take a short cruise on royal carribean. I can't support companies like this, and I hope others don't either until Royal Carribean cleans up their act.

Don't be fooled by the great photos of the ship and food and landscape. It's eye candy to draw you in just like the Fyre Festival marketing did. Next thing you know you will be in the bahamas greatly...