lmlamp

Well said Stinger-PR!  I agree that the problems on this ship were due to the lack of enforcement.  I did send Royal Caribbean a message regarding the lack of enforcement of their guest conduct policy, their response was, "I am sorry to learn your vacation was affected by the disruptive behavior displayed by certain guests.  Our staff members are instructed to immediately address these matters, ensuring that all guests enjoy the peace and quiet they deserve.  Our goal is to provide all of our guests with an enjoyable experience.  Thank  you for taking the time to share your observations and please accept our apologies for any inconvenience experienced".

I did respond with asking them what their definition of immediately was.  Loud music was played as lifeguards, beverage service, and bar staff all observed it and walked by it.    It was obvious that shortly after the music played, people began to leave, yet nothing was done.  RC response was, they will forward that information to the ship.

For whatever reason, this sailing seemed incredibly full and too much for the staff to handle.  In my previous sailings, I have never experienced anything even remotely close to this sailing.   The ships always seem to absorb the people and they don't feel over crowded, but this one was unbelievable. 

It was great to see large numbers of families having a great time.  There were a lot of children and for the most part, they were well behaved.  More so than most!  

The problem isn’t a culture, it’s just a complete lack of respect. There is a guest conduct policy intended to help ensure that all guests are able to participate in a safe and enjoyable cruise vacation.  If I want to hear music, I will go to it. I don’t want it forced upon me.  I was enjoying reading a book in the sun at the Solarium, until someone sat down right next to me, turned up their tunes and had no respect for anyone around him. The policy specifically states no boom boxes or loud radios. Nothing was enforced. Respect and common courtesy for fellow passengers is completely overlooked. It doesn’t matter where anyone comes from. It should just come down to being respectful to one another. 

***typo.  We skipped breakfast and lunch.  Dinner was good!  

Also, I think its difficult to say there was cutting in lines, because there were no lines!  It was a free for all! 

You couldn't have summed up the week any better!  I have been waiting to see if anyone would write about the utter chaos we called a vacation.  As you, we completely avoided the Windjammer after the first two days.  Who ever says they go hungry on a cruise?  I can honestly say I did.  We completely skipped lunch and dinner because it was't worth the battle to get to the food and then worse, get to a table.  Come 7:00 AM on Sunday, bags were in hand, and we were off the ship, not because we had two (in fact, our flight didn't leave until Monday), but because I couldn't get off the ship fast enough and couldn't imagine what disembarkation would be like if we waited any later.  By the end of the week I had no patience.  I had been looking forward to this cruise for two years and I can only say, it was disappointing.  It was my 4th cruise (first with Royal Caribbean) and as of today, I can say it was my last cruise.  People who cruised before promised me they have never seen anything close to what we experience before with RC and said it wasn't  normal.  I don't care.  I realized that I pay way too much money to retreat to my room or a quiet bar because of the chaos that was on this ship. Besides for the things you spoke of, another common annoyance was the speakers.  I really don't care to hear your music!  It was a great itinerary!  The islands were great, but like you, did't get to enjoy the amenities of the ship.