Engineroom Snipe

I have not seen any sales or discounts on the $3,499 over water cabanas at all on any of my cruises since August of last year.

I resemble that remark! 😜

A little bit of humor: Someone at RCI made a mistake and checked the "Casita Block" on the shipboard activities list off of the Oasis Class template. Lo and behold, they get cruisers trying to reserve them even though they do not exist. RCI headquarters conversation: "Harry, Harry, look at this spreadsheet, we have customers ready to pay $450 for Casitas on the Harmony on a sea day." "Joe, the Harmony does not have any Casitas." "Look at the numbers Harry, we got to find a way to capture this demand " "Harry, I got an idea, check the inventory at the closest "Sam's Club" near the home port for E-Z Up Tents and supersized Igloo coolers. We can lash the E-Z Up Tents to the railings, put two of our normal chase loungers under it with the Igloo full of ice and water bottles in between the loungers. The top of the Igloo has cup holders and enough room for two plates. We will offer a "Feel at Home Special" highlighting a reduced price to make cruising more affordable. Price it at 20% less than the normal Casitas." "Brilliant Joe, but you might want to save the 20% for a Black Friday Special. Let's go with 10% and I will get on it right away. We are going to get a bonus this year for one of the best ideas yet." 😁🤣

This could be a viable hypothesis. Imagine that someone has their cruise cancelled due to lack of payment for whatever reason. The reservation system will open the room for availability and a second person books the cabin. With ships sailing very full right now, that would create chaos as you have two customers screaming at you over one cabin and one of them is not going to be happy.

The MDR can be very good or so-so and anything in between. Check the menu on the cruise before yours during the week before you sail through the Royal App on your phone. The menus should correspond closely to what you will have on your cruise. Figure the three meals you might not be interested in and substitute your three specialty meals for those nights. As soon as you get onboard, head to the nearest open specialty restaurant and make your reservations. It does not have to be the specialty restaurant that you are reserving. In most cases, all three can be done in one visit. This is a high priority because it is a first come first served reservation system and prime times can fill up quickly. My breakfasts in general in the Windjammers have been very good. The lunches and dinners are slowly getting better but unpredictable for the last few years. Sometimes the meals are very good and sometimes they are 'meh' as some cruisers have mentioned. Only in a few rare cases have some of my MDR entrees been so bad that I put the napkin on the plate and called it a meal. There is always food available.

As soon as I saw the title of this thread, I knew it was going become "heated" (pun intended). Other variations: Smoking on the Balcony Vaping on the Balcony Vaping in the Stateroom Passive smoke from the designated smoking areas I am giving this topic a wide berth but I still read all the comments. 🤐

That is a good start. Give it a few business days to correct itself. There have been many choice comments made in hundreds if not thousands of posts about the reliability and accuracy of RCI's website and computer systems. I will leave it at that.

I am not sure anyone will take notice of any poor MDR surveys until they are followed by empty cabins which I will admit are not happening yet. Maybe next year when cruisers like myself are trying other options. Good analysis and opinion.

I believe there are two dates in November. Did you prefer the holiday week or the week before? The holiday week ended on Sunday of the highest traveling day which tended to scare me off unless I could drive. Even driving, the New Jersey Turnpike has been clogged on that Sunday for years.

With all of my years cruising, I have not had a billing discrepancy with RCI directly or going through a Travel Agency. Keep a tight eye on this issue. If it is going to be resolved, you should know within a few business days.

This is a real review without angst or vitriol. I can imagine seeing everything you noted over multiple cruises in the last three years. What opened my eyes was the excellent cruise I had last November on the Jewel of the Seas for nine days. The cabin attendant was superb. Any request was instantly handled. Our MDR experience was the best that I have had since 2008. It reminded me of all of the cruises I did from 1988 to 2008. I am now on hiatus (with my wonderful wife) from cruising in 2025 and trying some all inclusive resorts. They could be far worse and I may have horror stories to tell or they might be our transition away from cruising being our main mode of vacations. You are not alone in your observations.

Yes, that one was rammed through, damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead. Unintended consequences could be more cruisers tipping directly and canceling automatic gratuities. RCI loses control over the compensation process. They are now saying to tip on top of automated gratuities for exceptional service which seems to be an oxymoron. If I was a gambling person (of which I am not), I would not bet against you getting a shorter line at the Flowrider if there are new additional fees attached. The thing that I always find fascinating is, "What will be the next currently included item or experience which will transition into a pay for experience?"

Actually, this would scare me if I have not paid it in full. There are horror stories about people getting double charges on something as simple as dining packages or drinking packages during the Black Friday sale events. They canceled their previous purchases and then purchased it at the new lower price. The original sales somehow end up being shown as not credited or still on the books as being unpaid. They then find that their cruise was "cancelled" due to an outstanding payment of what the drinking package or dining package. Anytime a system says I am paid in full when I know it is not sends warning bells about trying to get the billing corrected.

Another hot topic item rears its ugly head again, "Give me freedom, or give me free pizza!" I tend to find it interesting that many items are "floated for questioning" by Royal surveys which almost beg for "can we get away with this without people getting upset?" Enough people go into meltdown over the "it is just a question, we do not intend to do it yet" finds them saying it was never intended to be and "nothing to see here cruiser, please move on." 🤣

The KEY includes the internet package. If I was going to sign up for the internet package for my wife and I, the Key is good buy when they present it at slightly above the internet package. If you get the soda and refreshment package on Black Friday at about $23 per person per day, it is a fair deal. $3,499 for an on the water cabana at Coco Cay is way beyond what I would want to pay for about 6 hours. The ship docks at 8am and you can start getting off the boat at 8:30am. It takes about 15 to 30 minutes to walk to the cabana. The ship leaves at 5pm and the plank is pulled at 4:30pm. At best you get is 7 hours. What if the weather is cloudy or the ocean is snotty? No refund or credit. If the ship can dock, shore excursions and beach reservation are rarely cancelled or refunded. RCI is getting what it thinks the market will bear. I will just put some quick numbers together to show my considerations: Cruise fare and taxes run about $250 per say for inside cabin for two people for seven days. Gratuities now at about $36 per day for two people. Unlimited dining package around $106 per day to include gratuities for two people for seven days. Unlimited drinking package about $177 per day to include gratuities (50% off second person) for two people for seven days. Internet for two people is about $34 per day. That is a medium starting point which is $603 per day for two people. The cabin price might go lower but the other prices mostly remain the same Water park, around $120 on average on sale.Can go as high as $175 or as low as $75. These prices are not outrageous but I think the period of revenge travel is coming to an end and I am finding many other venues that I can afford for $603 for two people per day that include drinks and food. Add $3,500 for a cabana for one day and we are now considering getting a cabana for a week at an all inclusive resort for about $8,000.

You mentioned an "Icon" cruise. I believe that all of the prices associated with an Icon cruise are going to be significantly higher for at least three years as cruisers want to experience the newer ships of the fleet. RCI knows that these cruisers have already shown they are willing to pay a premium for this cruise experience. They are just testing what the market will bear. Another poster in a different thread presented a great observation, "Why do I want to pay for water-park tickets when I am on a ship that boast the biggest water park available on a ship?" I would stay on the Icon and have a much better experience due to the large amount of people getting off the boat at Coco Bay. I love Coco Bay and enjoy it immensely without spending any additional money. With so much to explore on a new class vessel, I would stay on board for no charge and use the heck out of the water park onboard instead of paying $130 to $180 per person to stand in line at the water park on the island.

Which is why I am taking a time-out from cruising. If more customers are willing to pay additional money for meal experiences, logic states that those who do not are going to be getting second class experiences at MDR. I do not mind this knowing it ahead of time. I will adjust my price point for the cruise and not be disappointed with second class food should I get a very good price point. Currently, I do not think RCI is being honest in their advertising when they state the regular cruise fare gets you a high quality dining experience. The statement seems contradictory as they sell "a truly high-end dining experience" with an additional fee. I have two cruises this year with RCI that I booked over one year ago with none for 2025. Like yourself, I am waiting a bit to see how things go this year. There are posters on here whose opinions I respect. They are not whiners, they say how their experiences are going better or worse but they still cruise. After more than thirty-five years of cruising, I have booked other vacations experiences for 2025 to compare against cruising. When one adds an unlimited drink package and unlimited dining package to excursion prices on RCI, the cruise price point goes up significantly allowing other vacations options to present themselves for the same amount of money.

Then we both must stop cruising to achieve our missions. Watching your weight while cruising is a mighty task which is not for the feint-hearted. I try not to put "too" much weight on in one week. I have yet to maintain or lose weight. Should you achieve your mission, I believe your book about it will be a best seller and make you a cruise favorite on your book selling tour. I cannot wait to read it.

Agreed, by the third day of a cruise, the initial food wave starts to dissipate. One can only eat so much before surrendering to the "I am stuffed", must....make....it....to...the ......lounger....for...a.....siesta. Shades of the scenes from Wall-E movie.

At gunpoint? 🤣 I know how you did it but I think that train has left the station. How quickly the prices escalate. This is going to be a hot thread.

You are unique that you had a goal and a plan to achieve that goal. For instance, if I am customer service representative and a customer calls to resolve a problem, what will satisfy the customer? So many customers are angry and venting about their perceived injustice that they do not even know what will solve their problem or satisfy what they consider a fair resolution. In general, most businesses will try to avoid bad impressions which do not lead to more business. Your presented a reasonable offer to satisfy your problem but it took someone with an open mind to say it was achievable within the parameters of their purview. The first layer did not have the authority to attain your solution and you had the patience to take it to a level that could. Nice.

Since it is the sports court, my guess is that there will not be any early "morning" noise and just dependent on when the activities are shutdown for the evening. Enjoy your balcony, pack your earplugs just in case, and try not to stress about it.

This is why I am so hesitate to recommend RCI cruises to family and friends. I enjoy cruising but I am prepared for the miss of this meal or that meal but I do not want someone being disappointed because I said "the meals are so good." Royal only gets one chance to impress a first time cruiser. It could be great or it could be a miss. I do not want my reputation staked on their inconsistencies.

So sorry you have to deal with this. Over the years, my wife and I stopped doing any type of advanced purchases because we have gone through trials and tribulations similar to your story. We have gone "native" and do an MDR fixed time. If the first meal is not up to snuff, we go to Windjammer and wing it. Our time onboard is so limited and I just work around snafus as needed. We are on hiatus from cruising right now but I do not want to discourage you from enjoying yours. I love cruising but the last three years have been not special and that is the time to take a breath like @SilkySal said and regroup. In a year or two, I hope to be complaining about my next cruise!

This is a bit of normal with RCI. Try to listen to @SilkySal and take a breath. I know this is not what you want to hear but you have to work around these things as they happen. Reset, make your new plan to correct their hurdles, and get on with your cruise: otherwise, if you think it is "cursed", abandon your voyage before you have to abandon ship (trying for humor but you might not be in the mood for it). We feel your stress and want to help.