Engineroom Snipe

So I should celebrate that I never noticed it before because I never considered paying for something so simple. I am happy again. I hope my lack of participation does not cause RCI's stock to collapse. 😁

Everyday, I learn something new about my life that makes me thankful for surviving all of my idiocy and bravado during my lifetime. Today, I face the most challenging life danger both in the morning and evening. My drive to and from work. It is o-dark-thirty in the morning, I am in a narrow construction lane on the far-right with concrete barriers 6 inches off of my passenger rear view mirror with no shoulder going over a small bridge. All of this occurring as a gasoline tanker is passing me at 70 mph in a 45 mph construction zone slowly drifting into my lane. Makes those memories of following the mosquito foggers on a bicycle seem rather tame and enjoyable. 🫠

OMG! Please say another attempt at nickel-and-diming is not happening! We are getting to the point that $2.00 plus gratuity for a hot cookie on Celebrity and $1.50 for a gelato on RCI are becoming the norm. 😢

You will also get a great perk: A behind the scenes tour with the engineering officer as he gives you hands-on exclusive operator's rights to the MSD (Marine Sanitation Device) control area. This is once in a lifetime privilege to make sure that the vacuum flushes make it to their final resting place keeping everything shipshape for your fellow passengers. Please make sure to dress accordingly (Tyvek hazmat suite, preferably dress white on formal night and matching organically filtered face-mask is recommended but not required). You must sign a waiver to be eligible for this 16 hour tour and everyone in your tour party must be present for the entire tour. There are no age limits but everyone participating is expected to be able to pull their weight and your hands will be checked for callouses. Those with observable callouses will be made honorary officers and supplied a keepsake whip which will have to be surrendered to the captain before being cleared on the final day of the cruise. 🤣

"But honey, you forgot your pants......", to which he responds dryly, "I have on sporty underwear." I like the man just from your description.

On second thought, the walkers would not be feasible for the MDR since the tables are so close to each other. Maybe there could be a small fee to have additional room around your table, similar to airlines charging more for seats that have more legroom. 🤔

RCI could make a fortune selling mandatory embroidered Tennis balls to protect the deck on the walkers. "Only official scuff-resistance tennis balls approved by RCI (available at the towel station for a fee) will be allowed for any walker races performed on-board." 😉

Your husband would have been very happy in a Viking dining hall! I can appreciate that! 😁

I guess we are all "Looking for a Heart of Gold.." (Neil Young) 😁

You get my point about the cost of an RCI cruise needing the UDP added to the price if one wants the quality of food that used to be the norm in the MDR. Adding the new higher UDP package for two to the 100% to 250% price increases allows much leeway to try other cruises which have this package added into the original pricing. Like yourself, I am pro RCI but the cruises which I have participated on so far in 2022 and 2023 are not improving in quality. I would like to come on this board and say everything is rosy and they are a good deal for what you pay. They are a good deal for what I PAIDED. I am not so sure about the price going forward.

A good explanation of why different people can book the same cruise and have completely different opinions on the outcomes. My September 2022 voyage on the Oasis was hit or miss in the MDR. The Windjammer was very disappointing. My April 2023 voyage on the Enchantment of the Seas was 5/10 for the food and 9/10 for service. The service was good and the food was adequate in most cases. I have definitely tempered my referrals of RCI concerning their food. I always say you will not go hungry. You will not have to cook and clean. I am very careful to avoid saying I thought it was great, good, or bad. Everyone has their own opinion of what those words mean. I was able to score very good prices for my 2022, 2023, and 2024 cruises before the recent price increases of 100% to 250% more than what I paid. I do not think the prices are fair for the current food quality compared to the past. I am holding off on any more reservations at the current prices. RCI still has five more chances to change my mind.

At this point, DO NOT jump overboard. I would tell you in most cases to take a deep breath and relax but the last deep breath you took in your balcony stateroom smells like poop. Maybe you should take a long hot shower to calm your nerves, NOT! No hot water! The ship "has seen better days." Are you sure you are not on a Naval vessel? 🤣

Was that a "Krystal" Burger or a "Krusty "Burger (Simpsons)? 🤣

This was an article that I found to be foreshadowing last year: https://thepointsguy.com/news/cruise-ship-travel-value-now/ "We've seen this 40% gap to land-based vacation [this year]. It used to be about 20%," Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty lamented Thursday in a conference call with Wall Street analysts. "We're not happy about that gap." RCI appears to be vigorously pursuing an aggressive price increase strategy to close the gap.

No argument. There are always sufficient calories for the masses to survive. I will always trade quantity for quality, even if it cost more. My problem, the prices are going up as the quality does not keep pace. Just my opinion which you respectfully say is very subjective. I cannot argue that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. 😉 Thank you.

Da da, da da, da da, DA DUH! (sung to the theme of the movie, JAWS).

I find your opinions balanced. You allude that everything was well with the ship. I only wish the CEO of RCI would be on all of my cruises! 😁

I, like yourself, really try to look for the best of the cruising experience. We do not do multiple cruises for years on end unless we like it. There has been quite a bit of "slippage" on food experience. The servers, in my recent observations, seemed to be rushed, stressed, and not enjoying their jobs. You said, "Slippery slope." I think it is more like Fleetwood Mac's "Til the landslide brought me down." The start of the dish, before preparation, the root of all problems, is the quality of the original ingredients provided to the chefs. An old saying, "You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." Poor initial ingredients cannot magically be transformed into fabulous final presentation. Everything seems to be breaking in a bad direction. I still have two cruises this year and one cruise next year. I desperately wish that this trend would be reversed. I became hooked on RCI in 1988 on a ten day cruise out of Miami on the Nordic Prince for our honeymoon. Times change, I get it. Too much change right now. I am lamenting that I cannot find a cruise on RCI for a price that I would like which compromises so many historical cruise magic moments. As BB King would say, "The thrill is gone." 😢

Only salads I saw this year were egg salad and a "tuna-ish" salad. I tried a tablespoon of each. The egg salad was not too bad but a bit watery sometimes. The tuna seamed to be mostly filler and mayonnaise. After the first two days, I stopped testing the tuna salad. The egg salad was good on two days.

My wife and I have missed the charcuterie presented at Windjammer Lunches. It went AWOL starting with our Spring Cruises this year. Maybe I will be lucky to find some in September (we are none summer and holiday cruisers knowing how crowded the ships get with school out of session).

I would like to know how much it will cost to train the "Wawa" (Native American word for the Canadian Goose, part of their trademark) for long distance delivery. Might need to order a week in advance if requiring "air" delivery on the water. 😁

I did enjoy the Cuban served on Coco Cay. One of the better snackerals I have had on RCI.

Worried about the drinking water mention. Do I have to pay $32 for a case and make it last the week as they go to Navy rations of one three minute shower every two days (hot water not included)? I am telling you, quit giving them ideas! 🤣

And the person behind you would growl because you took the last mussel! 🤣 😡

Great fun topic with so many serious and funny responses. I do think questions regarding services are going to become more and more based in reality. The question about pizza has been asked. We are down to once-a-day room service (unless in a suite). MDR choices have been reduced. MDR ordering requests have been reduced. "Gratuities" are automatically charged unless one "opts out". The majority of ships have been "amped" requiring a fee to be paid for sauna use after the "amp". The beautiful views from the trademark "Viking Lounges" are slowly disappearing as the older ships are replaced. Diamond lounges seem to be an afterthought on many of the larger ships. 24 hour free room service has been reduced to select breakfast items with all else requiring a fee. I know times change but many of these things made a cruise vacation stand-out to me against a land based vacation. Sigh..... 😞