Just returned from 4 night Bahamas cruise on the recently refurbished Sovereign Of The Seas. I had read many reviews of this ship prior to sailing and decided beforehand that I would write my own upon returning. This was my very first cruise and I thought that by not having other ships to compare it to a review would be difficult. As it turns out it will be a cinch. This trip was a true pleasure from moment one. My partner and I arrived at the Port at around 11:00am and found parking to be a breeze. By arriving early we had avoided any long lines and were on Deck 11 enjoying a very tasty buffet and a cocktail by 12:15.

We were told that the rooms would be ready by 1:00pm and the door opened precisely on the hour. Having never sailed before we didn’t know what to expect with an “Ocean View” room. We were pleasantly surprised. Though the room was small, approximately 122sf, it was very efficient, extremely clean, and tastefully decorated. The bedding, carpets, and drapes were obviously new and for a first cruise or a short stint to the Bahamas it was just fine. Think “Holiday Inn” - Nothing too fancy but nice. We had no problem with storage and found the small bathroom easier to utilize than we first expected. Our luggage was delivered within 30 minutes of being in the room and the suitcases fit perfectly under the beds leaving the ample closet space and drawers for our clothing. When we booked the “Ocean View” room we were warned by the RCI web site to expect some sort of obstruction but it was a perfect view. I highly recommend Deck 6 as there is nothing outside your room and privacy with a view is guaranteed.

Entertainment onboard was great. The Dueling Pianos in the Bolero lounge were wonderful. The Broadway type shows in Follies were amazing given the small stage space they have to work with. The pianist in the Schooner Lounge was awesome – don’t miss the trivia contest. And the Rosario Strings when playing in the Centrum were the perfect background while lounging before dinner.

The Formal Dinners were comparable to an upper scale hotel banquet. Good food, great service in an elegant setting. The only slight disappointment were those passengers who disregarded the ships “No Shorts” policy on casual nights and hadn’t a clue what “Casual-Formal” meant. I would have liked to see the crew enforce the dress code a bit more stringently. The Windjammer Café buffet as an option was very airy, well decorated, clean, and the food tasty. Shorts…jeans…etc… are expected here.

The entire ship gleamed and glistened with very few signs of wear and tear. Overall the environment was like that of an upper scale hotel. The crew was extremely helpful and inviting. We enjoyed our first cruise so much that we booked another RCI cruise while aboard. Next time we will be trying the Mariner Of The Seas for a 7 night cruise. However, I will definitely be cruising aboard the Sovereign again very soon.