kruzerci

On Serenade again this weekend due to a non refundable fare we had booked a long time ago. This ship is really embarrassing. The condition of the ship, the quality of the foods, and stateroom condition is dreadful. I genuinely hope they make some massive improvements before the world cruise. It’s really a shame, have had great cruises on Brilliance from Tampa 😒.

Me neither, but I also didn’t think we would see them go from Sovereign and Vision class ships doing 3/4 nights to Freedom class and Allure taking them in five years, but here we are, so I guess anything could happen.

For the 3/4 nights?

Something is up. Voyager is doing the 4/5 nights, not the 3/4. PC 3/4 nights have been selling for more than the Miami counterparts the past couple of years, so I highly doubt they would abandon the route.

You have plenty of time to plan and get excited. One word of caution, if you have not sailed in 5 years, I realistically would probably lower your expectations. Food and service never really recovered after the pandemic. The experience has lost some of its shine, but still a good cheap getaway.

Exact same experience on Jewel and Serenade last month. Additionally, the Serenade was in very poor condition. It was seriously neglected looking inside and out (filthy windows and mirrors, shattered outdoor windows, broken drink stations everywhere, musty carpeting). Imo the Jewel was in better shape, but the food was equally poor.

Over used. I love CocoCay but have no desire to stop in the Bahamas in the winter. Too many cool weather days and cold fronts. I wish they utilized Labadee more.

Exactly. They could have replaced it on Liberty if it was a priority. The entire ship is in dire need of an overhaul, it’s just being neglected at this point.

Yes it has made us reconsider booking anymore RC sailings. We have been sailing Celebrity and Princess more lately but are seeing similar trends on those lines also. Very disappointing.

No Crown Royal or Don Qulio on Serenade and Jewel last month. Bacardi on both ships tasted like the bottles had been filled with a very cheap rum-like product. Had a nasty taste and tequila like aftertaste- definitely not Bacardi, even though I watched them pour it at several bars. I notified the f&b manager on Serenade, but after having this on Jewel also, I think it is international.

Returned from the Jewel last month also after Harmony and Serenade. All three were appallingly poor quality in the Windjammer and fair at best in the MDR. We are sailing the RC cruises we have booked but not booking anymore until they turn it around (if that ever happens).

Hope Allure is a flop on the short cruises. Much prefer Voyager and Freedom class for them. They’re perfect for it.

I'm really surprised there will not be a drydock prior to the world cruise. Have been on her a couple of times this winter and she is by far the most neglected feeling ship I've been on. I genuinely hope they put in some elbow grease between now and December.

I have seen sugar free syrup, that’s it. Very hard to find healthy breakfast options. Would love to see fat free greek yogurt and such, but if you look around, health conscious passengers are clearly few and far between onboard, so I guess the demand isn’t there 😒

Their product is so watered down and cheapened now it doesn’t justify the price. Food quality is down the toilet.

Tbh on Royal there isn’t much left to cut at the buffet. Most items are along the lines of pastas, burgers, hot dogs, and pizza and hospital cafeteria quality at that.

Everybody taking the time to post here, PLEASE contact Celebrity also. It is very important that they know these negative changes are noticed and not acceptable.

Same experience here. It blows my mind that people can come and defend their food quality after these cutbacks. You hit the nail on the head, my mother’s nursing home literally serves better food.

New menus are going into effect during Q1 and you will be charged for more than 1 lobster tail when they are implemented.

I travel frequently for business and pleasure in addition to living an active life, therefore your generalizations and assumptions are unnecessary. I acknowledged that these issues are not specific to Royal Caribbean, however I have found that their cutbacks and general decline is quality is more noticeable and arguably aggressive than other industries and companies. You may have different expectations and standards than others. They have certainly been catering to a budget type of crowd in attempt to fill their large fleet. Cheers.

Celebrity is higher quality than Royal, however passengers are reporting similar changes at Celebrity, which isn’t surprising given they are under the same parent company. I do think it is industry-wide, but have read that Norwegian, since Covid, has refused to discount their sailings to the point of compromising the quality of product.

I don’t find that to be the case with other industries and establishments which I frequent to the extent that it has happened with Royal Caribbean. As I said, most on here will defend it and deny the reality. Common sense would be to adjust pricing to reflect at least a resemblance of a quality experience, because once public opinion of a company or industry changes, it is hard and expensive if not impossible to reverse.

Lower quality meats onboard- specialty restaurants no longer serve prime grade beef, lower cost cuts of poultry and pork (chicken is now primarily bone in legs and thighs rather than breast, more turkey and thin pork cuts), more hamburger/hotdog/meatloaf type foods. You no longer see grilled options like chicken breast, salmon, swordfish, or minute steak in the buffet. Staffing cutbacks leading to longer lines, lowered level of service, less friendly. Dining is rushed and chaotic compared to a relaxing dining experience. Ships used to be spotless and meticulously maintained. Noticeably less preventative maintenance, cleaning, painting, varnishing, etc. is taking place and the ships really show it.

The only suite dining option is Coastal Kitchen, which is on newer larger ships. None of the Tampa ships have a suite dining venue.

Likewise, however that is not the case. It’s a double whammy of less food and lower quality. Minced meat products (hamburgers, meatloaf, hotdogs, etc), pizza, and jello-ish deserts abound, but nothing of quality to be found.