Does RCI read these posts?

I have been a CC member for many years, and noted that for each cruise line, including RCI, most comments and reviews in the past are largely positive. While I enjoy varying points of view, I noticed that in past years if I or someone else posts a negative report about RCI, it is met with strong reactions in favor of RCI. Loyal to Royal so to speak.

This year, I have noticed a change in the overall CC climate as to RCI. Many cruisers seem to be frustrated with RCI. I have see more notes of people wanting to change cruise lines than ever before. And the ship reviews have been way more mixed....seemingly as many negatives as positives.

On the front page right now there are complaints of poor customer service, high drink costs, decline in Internet benefits for D+, and one thread which highlights how great RCI used to be....

We are going on the Vision this year and reviews have ranged from average to below average. Complaints focus on a general lack of service (especially at bars and customer service desk), decline in food, and increased prices and up charges. The ship itself fares well, but everything else seems below expectations.

It appears, at least to me, that food quality and service levels are declining across RCI according to reports. Further, the niceties have been stripped... Such as robes, chocolates, shampoo, ice, etc. Costs have certainly increased.... Drinks have skyrocketed, tips have increased and even specialty restaurants have gone up. We are paying $25 more pp for chefs table this year compared to last. Many people claim on CC they are drinking less and spending less onboard due to increased costs and that they are considering other cruise lines.

I recognize there are some positives as well on CC, but I just seem to notice that in 2015, after the many changes, there are more complaints. Less Loyal to Royal.

So, I was wondering if RCI executives are noticing a theme of customers being frustrated by the changes. And whether it even matters to them?

I don't know what gets back to Royal executives, but there is a poster called Royal Caribbean International that has been verified authentic by Cruise Critic management that monitors this board.

I always find these type of questions perplexing. What difference does it make to the cruiseline if people enjoy their cruise a little less as long as they keep taking them? RCCL is a corporate entity; profit-driven as is their fiduciary obligation to their shareholders.

I'm sure they spend more time reading their quarterly earnings reports than any feedback on a interweb message board. As long as customers just complain and "threaten" to stop buying the product instead of actually stopping, why would RCCL need to improve anything? The ships apparently sail virtually full and I'd imagine on-board revenue is still pretty robust and even showing room for "growth", hence the price increases.

I have been a CC member for many years, and noted that for each cruise line, including RCI, most comments and reviews in the past are largely positive. While I enjoy varying points of view, I noticed that in past years if I or someone else posts a negative report about RCI, it is met with strong reactions in favor of RCI. Loyal to Royal so to speak.

 

This year, I have noticed a change in the overall CC climate as to RCI. Many cruisers seem to be frustrated with RCI. I have see more notes of people wanting to change cruise lines than ever before. And the ship reviews have been way more mixed....seemingly as many negatives as positives.

 

On the front page right now there are complaints of poor customer service, high drink costs, decline in Internet benefits for D+, and one thread which highlights how great RCI used to be....

 

We are going on the Vision this year and reviews have ranged from average to below average. Complaints focus on a general lack of service (especially at bars and customer service desk), decline in food, and increased prices and up charges. The ship itself fares well, but everything else seems below expectations.

 

It appears, at least to me, that food quality and service levels are declining across RCI according to reports. Further, the niceties have been stripped... Such as robes, chocolates, shampoo, ice, etc. Costs have certainly increased.... Drinks have skyrocketed, tips have increased and even specialty restaurants have gone up. We are paying $25 more pp for chefs table this year compared to last. Many people claim on CC they are drinking less and spending less onboard due to increased costs and that they are considering other cruise lines.

 

I recognize there are some positives as well on CC, but I just seem to notice that in 2015, after the many changes, there are more complaints. Less Loyal to Royal.

 

So, I was wondering if RCI executives are noticing a theme of customers being frustrated by the changes. And whether it even matters to them?

Hi Lawgirl, thanks for your question. We are constantly monitoring feedback from our guests coming in through multiple channels, and sharing it with our leadership teams. We understand that a lot of changes are being made, and appreciate the honest feedback we receive from our guests.

I always find these type of questions perplexing. What difference does it make to the cruiseline if people enjoy their cruise a little less as long as they keep taking them? RCCL is a corporate entity; profit-driven as is their fiduciary obligation to their shareholders.

 

I'm sure they spend more time reading their quarterly earnings reports than any feedback on a interweb message board. As long as customers just complain and "threaten" to stop buying the product instead of actually stopping, why would RCCL need to improve anything? The ships apparently sail virtually full and I'd imagine on-board revenue is still pretty robust and even showing room for "growth", hence the price increases.

The only way to improve on something is to find out what's wrong with it in the first place and this can only be accomplished from the comments and feedback from customers.

Hi Lawgirl, thanks for your question. We are constantly monitoring feedback from our guests coming in through multiple channels, and sharing it with our leadership teams. We understand that a lot of changes are being made, and appreciate the honest feedback we receive from our guests.

It is nice to see you review the CC boards for feedback, both positive and negative. I bet you have a few laughs along the way.:D:p:)

Andrew

Hi Lawgirl, thanks for your question. We are constantly monitoring feedback from our guests coming in through multiple channels, and sharing it with our leadership teams. We understand that a lot of changes are being made, and appreciate the honest feedback we receive from our guests.

Thanks for your reply! Hopefully the feedback is considered. Thanks again!

I don't know what gets back to Royal executives, but there is a poster called Royal Caribbean International that has been verified authentic by Cruise Critic management that monitors this board.

Bob, I absolutely agree that RCI is a valid rep of the line, but he/she only has 81 posts in over a year. I think it's more of a hobby or maybe an experiment. I'm pretty sure they can't keep up with 10,000+ threads. There are 2,600 in the Quantum Sub-Forum alone.:eek:

Just seems like it would take an entire department, and quite frankly that sounds like a poor investment. Maybe there's an algorithm to identify viable concerns, who knows. :o

Edit - I was surprised how quick RCI popped in to this thread, wish I knew what the trigger was. They responded in the time it took me to verify their post count.

Bob, I absolutely agree that RCI is a valid rep of the line, but he/she only has 81 posts in over a year. I think it's more of a hobby or maybe an experiment. I'm pretty sure they can't keep up with 10,000+ threads. There are 2,600 in the Quantum Sub-Forum alone.:eek:

 

Just seems like it would take an entire department, and quite frankly that sounds like a poor investment. Maybe there's an algorithm to identify viable concerns, who knows. :o

Remember... the number of posts mean nothing. Their primary job is not to provide customer support. It's to monitor various online channels. :)

For the most part, I can get the gist of a thread in a minute or two. If you were doing this on a regular basis, you can easily have a sheet with major category of topics and some sub-topics and just put tick marks as you run across each type of post. You could even snip a URL and a quote someone easily to share specific view points that sum up the majority of a 100 comment thread.

An hour a day can get you quite a bit of information that can be aggregated from CC alone. Another hour on Twitter... another on Facebook, etc. You really could have one person just monitoring online channels and doing it effectively. :)

Bob, I absolutely agree that RCI is a valid rep of the line, but he/she only has 81 posts in over a year. I think it's more of a hobby or maybe an experiment. I'm pretty sure they can't keep up with 10,000+ threads. There are 2,600 in the Quantum Sub-Forum alone.:eek:

 

Just seems like it would take an entire department, and quite frankly that sounds like a poor investment. Maybe there's an algorithm to identify viable concerns, who knows. :o

 

Edit - I was surprised how quick RCI popped in to this thread, wish I knew what the trigger was. They responded in the time it took me to verify their post count.

There could be multiple people monitoring and occasionally posting under the one user name. And, it could be something that is not a full time job for anyone.

I'm guessing the trigger was that their user name was posted.

I am a moderator on a message board for fans of a major Division 1 school (take a wild guess ;) ), and I do know that they will periodically take a look to get a pulse of what some fans are saying. They won't look at every single thread, but if there is something of concern, they do know about it.

About 95% of the threads on here are redundant, so RCCL doesn't have to look at every single one. But in this age, companies do need to know what is going through the minds of their customers, especially the loyal ones. And I'm sure there are several people that monitor these boards on occasion.

Also, remember that people who have positive experiences are less likely to post about them than people who have something negative to say. And - those who read and post on CC are probably a very small percentage of the people who sail on those same cruises.

The other reality here is that even though Cruise Critic has a healthy membership, it is nothing compared to the thousands and thousands of people that walk onboard ships throughout a year. Heck, My last Allure cruise had somewhere around 40 people on the meet/mingle. That may not account for all of the CC members on the ship but compared to the number of people on Allure, we are a VERY small minority.

Sure, I bet they see our comments but in the end if the ships are sailing full and the same average number of people are buying drinks, our opinion really does not weigh all that much.

Great thoughtful topic though!!

I always find these type of questions perplexing. What difference does it make to the cruiseline if people enjoy their cruise a little less as long as they keep taking them? RCCL is a corporate entity; profit-driven as is their fiduciary obligation to their shareholders.

 

 

 

I'm sure they spend more time reading their quarterly earnings reports than any feedback on a interweb message board. As long as customers just complain and "threaten" to stop buying the product instead of actually stopping, why would RCCL need to improve anything? The ships apparently sail virtually full and I'd imagine on-board revenue is still pretty robust and even showing room for "growth", hence the price increases.

I was thinking along the same terms. They slowly take away the things that cost them money. Ships still fill up so no worries there. Cut manpower=money in the bank. Ships still fill up...

As much as we want to believe they care about those of us that are loyal to the brand, the truth is we aren't their priority. New cruisers bring in revenue. They don't know any of the tricks to save money on cruises. They pay top dollar, book excursions through the ship, pay a fortune for spa items and gimmicks. They are the true money makers.

Now, if royal can make some rag tag program that makes people feel special (crown and anchor society) and keep coming back that's another win. People are all about status. The savings they give this "elite" group does not hurt the bottom line in any way. The gifts they give cost just pennies.

I don't claim to have any kind of business sense I'm just a public servant. I will continue to travel with royal Caribbean. Just seems to me that some things aren't worth a second thought. It's vacation. I can only afford to cruise once a year if I am lucky. I enjoy every second that I am simply able to get away.

I think the title of the thread was the "trigger". :)

With the growth of the industry, and in particular RCCL, I imagine there are more posters on CC as well. Some will post bad reviews some not so much.

I'm also one to believe that there are 'plants' from other cruiselines that step up their game on Cruise Critic regarding RCCL.

Well then I hope they read about the need to add more solo cabins. It's the #1 category, along with the Haven, to sell out. Though I am a trip away from Diamond, I've switched to NCL because I can often get a zero supplement...I've cruised three times with them already this year! There are many others like me!

Mr. Goldstein said in an online interview (a few years ago) that they had hired an outside company that monitors Cruise Critic (and probably other social media). Just my guess, they probably receive a chart or aggregate synopsis of the types of threads.

I don't know where the Royal Caribbean International poster fits in, but I have noticed a similar functionary on the Celebrity and Azamara boards. :)

Just off Freedom. 4000 passengers and only 1400 C&A. Most of them were gold

The other reality here is that even though Cruise Critic has a healthy membership, it is nothing compared to the thousands and thousands of people that walk onboard ships throughout a year. Heck, My last Allure cruise had somewhere around 40 people on the meet/mingle. That may not account for all of the CC members on the ship but compared to the number of people on Allure, we are a VERY small minority.

 

Sure, I bet they see our comments but in the end if the ships are sailing full and the same average number of people are buying drinks, our opinion really does not weigh all that much.

Great thoughtful topic though!!

I was thinking along the same terms. They slowly take away the things that cost them money. Ships still fill up so no worries there. Cut manpower=money in the bank. Ships still fill up...

 

As much as we want to believe they care about those of us that are loyal to the brand, the truth is we aren't their priority. New cruisers bring in revenue. They don't know any of the tricks to save money on cruises. They pay top dollar, book excursions through the ship, pay a fortune for spa items and gimmicks. They are the true money makers.

 

Now, if royal can make some rag tag program that makes people feel special (crown and anchor society) and keep coming back that's another win. People are all about status. The savings they give this "elite" group does not hurt the bottom line in any way. The gifts they give cost just pennies.

 

I don't claim to have any kind of business sense I'm just a public servant. I will continue to travel with royal Caribbean. Just seems to me that some things aren't worth a second thought. It's vacation. I can only afford to cruise once a year if I am lucky. I enjoy every second that I am simply able to get away.

I agree completely with these posts. And the fact that RCCL (or some entity contracted by them to do so) pops in with a quick "Hi, thanks for your feedback" shouldn't impress anybody. Acknowledging opinions (which costs them NOTHING) is a far cry from making any of the changes those opinions reflect. They don't care about your opinions - they care about your (their) money. And for those of you who have chosen to spend it elsewhere, well, there's no shortage of other customers. You (me, anybody) not cruising RCCL anymore doesn't "hurt their feelings". They don't have feelings - they are a corporate entity, not a sentient being - they only have a bottom line.

The only way to improve on something is to find out what's wrong with it in the first place and this can only be accomplished from the comments and feedback from customers.

And what exactly is "wrong with it" from an RCCL perspective? The ships are sailing full and the earnings report is favourable. What's to "improve" unless it decreases costs and increases revenue?

I think the title of the thread was the "trigger". :)

Yes!

Plus they have a Host to monitor the boards, so they could give them feedback on which ones to take a look at and what majority of comments are a trigger to look at.

It's called 'market intelligence' as opposed to business intelligence. If you snooze on either you'll lose. CC is not the only source of market intelligence so I imagine it becomes burdensome to separate the whines from the legitimate complaints.

Well then I hope they read about the need to add more solo cabins. It's the #1 category, along with the Haven, to sell out. Though I am a trip away from Diamond, I've switched to NCL because I can often get a zero supplement...I've cruised three times with them already this year! There are many others like me!

I don't want a pokey, boxy little solo cabin - they can just be more reasonable with the solo supplement. I don't eat as much as two people, or use twice the number of towels, or put as much wear and tear on the ship as two people. So far I haven't taken up two seats at the shows (though I might start if I'm paying 200%+ solo supplement). I probably spend as much, if not more, than many couples, as I'm more likely to be out drinking at the bar/casino rather than sitting locked alone in my room necking wine from the bottle.

Here I always wanted to be a greeter at the RCL pier upon retirement. Now, another job opportunity -- monitoring and responding to these message boards. I spend a lot of time lurking, so I may as well get paid. :):):)