johnjen

On 7/29/2022 at 2:38 PM, smokeybandit said:

I think some just enjoy being unhappy in life

You're a riot. You treated me in the same fashion on my AOS review. Noted. Now ignored.

5 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We were on the adventure in May.  The ship needs so much work.  Our worst Royal experience ever.  Old, rusty or Jr. Suite toilet failed a few times.  I am not done with Royal- or cruising- Just no old ships for me- only Oasis class.  Food horrible- service fair- entertainment fair.  We will stick to Celebrity also.

Yes. The entertainment was HORRIFIC. A couple of the bands were really good though. But....JUGGLING? Come on. 

On 7/29/2022 at 12:58 PM, CuseJeff44 said:

First the food. I have LONG defended the food on this cruise line from those who said it wasn't good. It was never 5 star dining, but I always felt well-fed and well taken-care of. Not this time. The quality and quantity of the food in the dining room has declined to the point that I have to agree with the criticism. A shrimp appetizer had 3 small shrimp. That's it. More fun times at Johnny Rockets when we asked "are these starters per person or to share"? He said to share. Then he brings our onion rings. Four small onion rings for four people. *****? And...my wife's burger never came at all. 

 

 

Completely agree with you on the food on AOS. Ironically, we're Diamond after that cruise now. Still have Anthem booked for next June out of Southampton but we are seriously thinking about cancelling that one and doing a Celebrity med voyage instead.

I have read other terrible reviews on AOS's food, so we are not the first.

Best wishes on whatever you cruise next time. 

I'd have expected that a 22yo would have a passport. 

Probably all depends on the port/ship manning status, and their abilities to get you onboard early. Our check-in time was 11am; by 1015am we were onboard and had suite access by 1230pm.

On 7/17/2022 at 7:11 PM, Sunflower77 said:

Since you were in a suite, why did you eat in the MDR and not eat in Coastal Kitchen or did you mean CK when you said MDR?

AOS doesn't have a Coastal Kitchen.

Just now, Sunshine3601 said:

I don't recall that being an option in MDR.   But wherever that is from it looks horrible.

Just avoid ANY prosciutto. Both in MDR and Giovanni's, it was brown with green edges. Not the pink we're familiar with. It was sitting out far too long.

29 minutes ago, Dorset Cruiser said:

We have a cruise booked for April 2023.  Date is now problematic for us.  Will Royal Caribbean allow us to move cruise to 2024 without forfeiting our deposit?

They should. With no issues.

1 minute ago, BND said:

You do realize there have been other Don Quixote's on here, right?

 

And, unless you have their personal emails, you don't have anything that many of us don't have or can't find on CC.

Emails not needed. They don't bother with emails, they have staff who do that. And it's canned responses. Yes, I do have personal contact with Roberto.

On 7/15/2022 at 12:25 PM, familycruzinnewbie said:

We are taking our first Royal cruise on serenade next Sunday. I’ve heard service has declined a bit. Just looking for some recent food reviews or recommendations. I am the more adventurous one and will try new things, eat seafood, etc.  Hubby is a meat and potatoes guy - no fish or cheesy things. We do not have an ungraded dining plan and are hoping to mostly just eat what is included - unless there is a specific thing we should not miss. 

The beef Bourguinon on AOS was superb. Just avoid the charcuterie plate in the MDR. Then again, this was on AOS this past week.

19 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

I doubt very highly, the top 3 will ever see your letter. They have assistants that do all that work. Although you’re not seeking compensation, you will probably receive something, since that is usually the norm.

I eat dinner a lot in the Windjammer, and I could have made a much better Charcuterie Board, with the breads, meat and cheeses they have there. The one you received was very sad. 

As mentioned before, all I want is the company to take in my issues. No comp even desired, at least host a meeting on what cruisers are observing. This review on here was just for this forum. There are higher level items that badly need board attention that I haven't mentioned. Crew morale being one of the topics I will address. The top 3 WILL see my letter. I know how to address them directly (well, at least Roberto). I have testimonials from crew members who are anon. The morale is miserably low.,

13 minutes ago, Cutigerlady said:

Have you been on another vacation since COVID that has met your expectations?  Everywhere is struggling and I don’t think you can compare experiences now to those before COVID.  
 

I just got back from a resort on land and it suffered from many of these exact same things - obvious maintenance delays and the resort trying to get on its feet, closed venues, short staff, missing food items, activities not available, etc.  The thing is I loved this place and I want it to make it, so I’ll spend my precious vacation dollars with them to give them a fighting chance. I’m also packing my patience because the people working are killing themselves and it’s not their fault. 
 

I honestly don’t know if travel/leisure vacations will ever be the same. I’m grateful I get the opportunity to go at all and I appreciate the good moments more than ever. 

First of all - granted, the review didn't reflect it - we actually had a good time. I managed to dig into reading again and RELAXING. There were good moments. I never had a single issue against a crew member as all of them were doing the best with what they had. Short staffing was expected. But I cannot accept changes for the worse when it comes to my vacation money. Some sheeple will blindly just say, "it is what it is" - I don't. Should I have waited longer? YES! Should the company press on adding more customers? NO. No. and, no.

I have been to the UK three times this year to take care of my ailing father up in Scotland, and the year before - even in the midst of the pandemic when it was around.

2 minutes ago, Tlbecker1 said:

Anthem is an amazing ship!  I am not sure it will be up to your standards, but we love the Anthem!

TBH, I loved it too.

16 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

It's a catch-22.  Limit bookings = raise prices.  Raise prices = low bookings.  Low bookings = little to no profit.  Etc., etc. 

That's the truth. I think they're having struggles, as evident in this pic. i still think they're being greedy by loading up the ship with customers, overwhelming their crew. In the end, this sums it up.

I should have included this pic in my review. This was the charcuterie board. 

4 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Being short staffed to you means rcl is greedy, instead of having issues hiring. So if a restaurant down the street doesnt have enough staff you assume it's not due to having trouble hiring you say that restaurant is greedy.

 

I assume rcl is trying to hire but as they have said there seems to be a govt bottleneck getting visas thru to get new staff on the ship. This is where I'm saying name calling and making assumptions.  I agree with the others, this isnt the time for you on rcl. ..yet you say you were aware from reading they were short staffed, but now decided it's because they are greedy. Ok ... you should cancel anthem. 

 

Rcl isnt the right line for you. Good luck on virgin. Seems you dont understand the labor market is tight. Schools here are very greedy. Having trouble hiring teachers... so much greed. Crazy assumption.

I believe you misunderstood me. No. Greedy is where a company willingly brings on more customers while the staff struggles with what they have. I clearly understand that the labor market is tight. I just do not hold the same beliefs that you hold. I was NEVER one to just say, "It is what it is" because I want value for the money I spend. You simply didn't grasp what I was saying. My decision making will come from the reply that I receive from the RCL managers, not yours.

5 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Tbh I get very tired of the term greedy. Imo they are fighting for their lives. Analysts said they think ccl took on so much debt they might not make it .. make or break time for cruiselines.

 

I agree 2 hour meals are needing work. I dont agree it makes a company greedy. I own some oil stocks and probably why I'm so very tired of that line. They also couldnt give away oil in 2020 and took losses.

 

When you say this you lose me .. and I've agreed with you on other stuff.. I'm taking a few months off from cruising and hoping things get better. 

Hey. We all think differently. At least you agree on some points. I agree with yours. Thanks for being honest. But if you have a very limited staff, it is not fair to press on with more bookings which overburdens the existing staff that you have, thus making the end results more difficult on the customers.

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

Might as well cancel Anthem now. 

I will wait for the response from RCL's top three where I have written a letter to them about this cruise. I'm NOT seeking compensation; I only want them to realize that booking up customers to max capacity isn't doing the customer (or mainly, the staff) any justice. Hoping that things improve by next year. If not, we will cruise with Virgin instead of RCL for next year.

On 7/15/2022 at 6:09 PM, Sarahjane001 said:

Leaving on Symphony on July 30th. Having a panic re Covid tests. I ordered four for us from RCCL. They arrived, there’s two of us that live in the USA and my two nephews who are coming on the cruise from the UK.

 

Firstly, am I right in thinking the supervised test is through the Emed app. If so Do we all need separate accounts with e med? Because it also says download the Navica App before my appointment on the box but emed says you don’t need an appointment … lol

Secondly,, it appears you don’t have to pre book an appointment to do the test, you just log in and press “start test”. Will someone just join in from emed to supervise?

 

To be honest, The whole testing procedure has changed since I last used it, I used to have to book an appt for a supervised test from home, also I have used CVS a lot for Covid tests, now that’s all changed and Walgreens seem to not be scheduling any tests at all in my area ( SWFLORIDA)
im starting to get really stressed. I just want a simple procedure and I don’t even care about the cost anymore. 
So any advice will be great. 

 

 

Believe me, your stress is totally understood. It was like an "initiation" of sorts. I hope it all goes well for you. Just relax. What struck me was how after the test, the proctor looked at it after four minutes and said we were all good and they instantly emailed us the results.

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

You turn Diamond on the Anthem cruise, or will be your first cruise after turning Diamond? Personally, I love the Quantum class ships, and Diamond benefits, but that’s just me. I travel solo, so never eat in MDR or speciality. I am more of a snacker, than a big meal person. 😂

We're Diamond now. I think it takes two weeks to reflect that after this cruise. Not sure that it matters but we'll see.

1 hour ago, coaster said:

Believe you should of started cruising again earlier. Our 3 cruises late last year with under 50 percent capacity were the best cruises I recall. No lines or drama with WJ staff plating your food. Able to wait in your cabin until your number was called on departure day.

 

Now they pack the ship regardless of how much crew they have.... Prices were so much cheaper late last year also. It was the best of both world's.

It's mixed feelings. We feel terrible for the staff. We came with that understanding. But the company needs to cut back on customers as to fairly match the demand against what little employees they have. To put it bluntly, RCL is nothing but a greedy corporation bent on getting their profits back. I will wait for the response to my point paper written to the top three of RCL.

13 minutes ago, BND said:

Salt on the windows?  Wow, who'd a thunk a ship at sea would have salt on the windows?  It's virtually impossible to stop that.  It's called sea spray.  

 

How did you have 3 concierge?

THE WINDOWS WERE FILTHIER THAN EVER BEFORE.
3 concierges due to staffing changes. They were all nice though.

Just now, BND said:

We've done 2b2b's since restart and they were cleaning and painting but with fewer crew.  As for the windows, they would have to clean them nonstop to keep the sea spray salt off of them.

No. The windows were filthier than ever before. They simply don't have the manpower they once had.

14 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

 

Your 2 posts contradicted each other, but it looks like you did reach Diamond on the Adventure. I think it was just confusing. Personally, I would give the Anthem a try and enjoy your Diamond benefits.

We'll wait for Roberto, Michael and Jason's reply to determine the decision making on my behalf whether or not to go on Anthem or cancel it. That is getting posted in the mail tomorrow.

Just now, Another_Critic said:

You do not get Diamond benefits until the cruise after you earn Diamond.  So, you will not get the benefits on your next cruise.

Yes, we will. 

1 minute ago, Another_Critic said:

 

Did you earn Diamond on Adventure or will you earn Diamond on Anthem (if you don't cancel)?

On AOS we earned Diamond.