Engineroom Snipe

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..... 😞

First, congrats on putting yourself in such a difficult position that you need to work-out all of your wonderful options. 😀

Your point is accurate but I personally feel that the grumblings you read on this website are precursors to longer range trends. For instance, any price increases that RCI made from last year around September did not affect my four reserved cruises for the calendar year 2023 and 2024. Most repeat cruisers, especially many on this board, reserve two years ahead and have multiple cruises every year. RCI will not see my lack of cruising until about 2025. So far, I have not booked any additional cruises for 2023 and 2024. I am looking for one more cruise in 2024 but I am waiting for better prices. If they do not occur, I will enjoy my one cruise next year and try others options with that money. When you read from experienced cruisers that "I am looking for another cruise line or land vacation experience," my opinion is that RCI will not see the decrease in bookings until 2025. So again, I stress, my humble opinion, RCI will have record bookings and capacity until around 2025 concerning many of the experienced posters on this board.

Agreed, no one will starve, just find a way to eat even more (stress eating, not enough pizza). 😁

Truly meant as fun and tongue-in-check. What you want to use is up to you. I was hoping the emojis would let you know to take it as an attempt at humor. Most plumbers I have known in my lifetime would always roll their eyes when they came to a plugged septic tank after a customer mentioned anything but single-ply TP.

Ok, you are probably responsible for what was discussed on another thread, "Fees for unplugging the heads at sea." 😬 That ultra smooth, thick, quadruple-ply, luxurious TP you smuggle is a high crime (banned substance) to clogging in some situations multiple deck sections in one flush (or attempted flush). 😮 As it makes it way on its journey from your stateroom, it expands and absorbs six times it own weight like the "Blob" and becomes a piece of terror, forcing many cruisers to abandon their rooms. 🏃‍♂️ Once they get the onboard x-ray machines converted to CATSCAN equipment, your TP will lament until you claim it at the "table of shame" at the end of the voyage. 😢 It all comes out in the end. 🤣

Do not sugar coat it, tell us how you REALLY feel! 🤣

If you would like to pack the completed towels animals to take home, there will be a $25 towel charge per animal and every person in the cabin needs to sign up for their own animals. There will be no animal towel sharing between occupants of the cabin similar to the drink packages. 🤣

Well, sounds to me you are already speaking like a CFO (Chief Financial Officer). You are only one step away. The CEO better watch where they are walking. 😉