Oneluckywoman

On the oasis now. I can report that yet another perk has been taken away from D+. No more priority seating at shows. Now that perk is only extended to suites, star class, and pinnacles. AND MY HUSBAND HAS THE NOROVIRUS.  Ugh. 

We are currently on the oasis and last night my husband came down with all of the symptoms of noro virus. This morning when i went to the diamond lounge for breakfast, i was not allowed to serve myself. The captain has made an announcement that many passengers are sick and they are taking precautions to help. I'm not sick yet but washing my hands like crazy!  Does anyone have experience with quarantines from this? Not really sure what to do. Hubby feels somewhat better today but last night was rough. I'm bringing him water and bland foods, so far so good. 

Be aware that celebrity has instated a 3 drink limit during their happy hour event for elite and above. Even in their lounge. They have to swipe your card now. 

Other than that, my husband and i enjoy celebrity's food, clientele,  live music, and service better than Royal. Also very few children except during holidays. I would say give them a try if the drink limit isn't important to you. Shows are better on Royal but we've seen some really good headliners on both. 

Also, when you book with"free drink package", it's not really free. There's a price which includes a perk, and a price without. 

I was just there last month.  The farther down the beach you go, the cheaper they get.  I got a one hour GREAT massage for $20!

I am elite on celebrity and taking a friend on a 3 night cruise on the Equinox.  Since they have now imposed a 3 drink limit during the CC event, will my friend (who is not elite but traveling in my cabin with me) also get 3 drinks on her card? The old policy would have allowed her unlimited drinks with me during the cocktail hours. 

Wow. Thank you,  that's good to know about the 3 drink limit.  

I am elite on celebrity and taking a friend on a 3 night cruise on the Equinox.  Since they don't usually have the happy hour the first night of a cruise, and have a 45 minute welcome party in lieu of the regular happy hour one night, does that mean we only get one night of the full 2 hour captain's club event?  I don't usually do 3 night cruises. 

I can report from the adventure this week we did have priority seating for the ice shows and in the theatre (but those seats are not the best, in my opinion). Not a perk i really care about. 

We are currently on the Adventure of the seas and sadly, a crew member has been missing for several days. Just heard that the FBI will be doing a search of the ship tomorrow, which could likely cause delays in boarding.  Just a heads up for those of you boarding tomorrow.  

We always tip the concierge if we feel he/she has given great service and is friendly. For a 7 night cruise we give $10. Not a lot, but if everyone tipped  little it adds up to a lot. Sorry to hear most people replying that they don't tip the concierge. If the concierge  ignores us we do not tip obviously. We tip the bartenders more, an average of $5 per night. Small price to pay for free drinks every night! 

Thanks to everyone for your replies. We are on the adventure now and as expected, only priority boarding for suites and pinnacles here too. No CL, only a suites lounge. We arrived at about 2:30 pm, there was no line. Although we hate that Royal has made the decision to take this perk away from D+, we can choose to solve the problem by either arriving before 11 am, or after 2:30. 

8 hours ago, scorpluvsdolphins said:

Yep. Was on the Enchantment 10/26. D+ has been with suites and Pinnacles. I asked the concierge about it and she asked and got an email from the port authority. She said it wasn’t Royal. 

Going this weekend. I’m going to go late like 1:30 or super early. Not in my usual JS. 

Won’t matter soon. When I turn Pinnacle on Enchantment 11/30, I’m in a JS. 

Congratulations! 

7 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

 

 

I think the OP is talking about getting priority access through the security line and not boarding.

You are correct.  Sorry I didn't make that clear. 

We've been given priority for years both at port canaveral and fort lauderdale. Also from European ports. Miami not so much but Miami is always a zoo. If in fact they have changed this policy,  i guess we will just change our arrival time to really early or fairly late.  It's just been so nice over the last several years being able to arrive at any time and bypass the line.  And when i say that, we always were ushered by royal caribbean workers, we didn't just barge through the line. 

We are diamond plus and just off the October 28th Oasis cruise. When we arrived to board at about 12:45 pm, we went to the left of the line where we have always been ushered through with the pinnacles and suite guests.  We showed them our set sail pass showing our d+ status, and were told to go to the end of the regular line.  We did just that and snaked through the line for about an hour before we made it through security. We confirmed with several other d+ members who were also told this benefit has been taken away.  With 542 points it felt like a slap in the face to have to go back to waiting in the long lines after enjoying this benefit for many years.  I'm really hoping that this is not fleetwide. I do understand that royal is leaning towards rewarding their "star" class passengers and pinnacles, but there were only 240 d+ members out of 6000 passengers. I think it wouldn't hurt to let us keep the benefit of a shorter line for loyal members. When we got to check in, there was a line for diamond plus, but at that point there were no long lines for anyone. Has anyone else experienced this change?  We know it is fairly new.  

Hello fellow cruisers! My last review was of the Freedom OTS and it was pretty bad, so I decided in all fairness I want to give credit where credit is due, and the Navigator did not disappoint!

First of all, to give a quick background, my husband and I are in our 50's and have cruise with Celebrity, Royal, and Carnival. We are VIP on Carnival, Elite on Celebrity, and Diamond plus with 500 points on Royal. I only say that so that you will know we are pretty experienced with Royal and most loyal to them! I have written only a few reviews and tend to do so only when I feel I've had an excellent experience or a really poor experience. Most of the time we have a fabulous time and are treated like royalty, which is what keeps us coming back. We aren't really foodies but we do enjoy a good meal and have come to expect a level of excellence there on most cruises. We live in Florida and are semi retired so we can jump on a cruise last minute and aren't really picky about which ship.

This won't be a long review, I really just wanted to give a heads up to people who are booked on the Navigator what a wonderful experience they are in for!

This was a 9 night cruise to the ABC Islands. This is one of our favorite itineraries. If you haven't been to Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, you need to go. All of these islands have beautiful beaches, nice shopping, and terrific snorkeling. We love the 9 night itinerary because it's so relaxing with more sea days which we love, and because these islands are our favorite.

Entertainment: I cannot really speak to the shows because we didn't go this time. However, the BEST thing I have to report is the live music on this ship was fantastic! I've been suggesting to Royal for years now that they need to have a nice band for pre dinner dancing somewhere for us folks who don't stay up until midnight! Enter the C Band (get it?) who played in the Boleros almost every night before dinner! And it wasn't loud latin music, it was really nice music where you could dance a slow or fast song or just listen with delight. THANK YOU ROYAL!!! Also, there was a pianist onboard named Rafael. This guy was the real deal, a piano genius, a really nice guy, and a joy to listen to. So, for us, this cruise gets an A+ for live music.

Cabin: We had an inside cabin this cruise. Clean and spacious, as cruise ships go. Cabin steward, Henrique, one of the best we have ever had. The only negative was the bed comfort. Royal switched to really hard beds a while back, (I wrote a review on that also) and they have tried to solve the problem with mattress toppers, which help. However they are still not great. I miss the old comfy beds they used to have.

Food: We ate in the Main dining room every night but one. I was worried after our experience on the Freedom where the food was let's just say very disappointing in November last year. But the Navigator came through. Food was hot, tasty, and well presented. And I'm happy to say they have added some new menu items which were a welcome change for us! Seared tuna, red snapper, and some others I've forgotten but since we cruise so much with them the menu had gotten boring for us so these new items were very nice. And very good! The windjammer food is also good and lots of choices so I never understand when people say the food in there is awful. We did not eat in a specialty restaurant but our friends ate in chops and said it was great.

Diamond lounge: We had over 500 D and D+ members this cruise, so they opened the entire viking crown lounge for overflow. Very nice touch. The best thing about the lounge (other than the free drinks) was J.J., the diamond concierge. She might just be my favorite concierge EVER. Always smiling, always greeting the guests, morning and evening. Hugs all around. I just loved her, what can I say. We only went to the concierge lounge once and the concierge there was also very nice. The diamond lounge and the balcony discount are what keeps us coming back to Royal!

Overall: The ship was in great shape, there were lots of kids onboard since this was during spring break but we were never bothered by them. Pretty much well behaved, even in the diamond lounge. My personal opinion is that kids should not be allowed in there, but if they are, make them behave. They did. The crew of this ship seemed very happy and that is important to me. Great vibe.

If you are booked on the Navigator, you're in for a treat!!

I am wondering if royal caribbean also gives back to back discounts. Does anyone know?

I just got a letter from my t/a saying that as of January 1, grats are going up to $14.50 a day.

Being that you come from an area where there are very smart people, I have not doubt you are 100% correct. :evilsmile: While things may vary week to week or ship to ship, I think you are correct. Though, I will add the every day steak has been really bad for years every time I try it. I have been hearing more reports of cold food lately, something to watch for, I've not had a huge problem yet. Some of my best meals have been on Freedom, but that was last 2 years ago. Welcome back, Hope you enjoyed my favorite ship.

It used to be my favorite ship too. I hope they get their act together. I was on this cruise as well and can confirm the sub par food in the MDR. Also are in chops the first night and was disappointed to see they had taken some of our favorite menu items off the menu. But the steak was fantastic.

For the statements made in the initial post, that is why we NEVER eat in the MDR on any ship. We only eat in the Specialty Restaurants, no matter if we have to pay for it. I'd rather pay more and be happy than not pay and remain hungry cause the food stunk. Gone are the days of Song of America, Song of Norway and Sovereign of the Seas, but that was before the pay for food restaurants and you had Lobster in the MDR and everyone and I mean everyone was in a tux or black suit. I miss those days.

I miss those days too!

Maybe you will get a call from Rudy at Corporate who will say sorry we took your money and gave you a subpar experience and hang up without any resolution.

 

If you are committed to those additional 209 points why would Royal do anything to improve?

You have a good point. Perhaps i should rethink that. After all, being pinnacle doesn't really get me much more than we already get. Except a shiny badge that I will not wear!

Do you people that complain about bar service tip with cash? We do and second time around get our drinks right away. We tip EVERY drink.

 

 

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Yes we do, every drink a dollar. In this case, the problem was that there was maybe one waiter for the entire bar and it was packed! That's a management issue. And the waiter kept chaging every night so they didnt know they could expect a tip from us. Also strange.

About bar service, on my last allure cruise, i too noticed the shorthanded bartender situation but we always leave at least a dollar extra and after a day or two no matter if the bar was PACKED the bar tender would serve us first. unfair to others? maybe.. but just sharing my experience

We tip a dollar or more for every drink. It didn't seem to matter this time. I don't understand people who drink free in the diamond lounge and don't tip.

I wonder if they were due to rotate the staff on the Freedom and everyone was burnt out. Either that or they just got a bunch of new staff and they were still trying to get their mojo going. Either way it is stinks that the lack of service impacted your cruise.

T.

I wondered the same thing. I know they work really hard and long hours so i can understand their frustration.

I just read the thread about the person who was very disappointed with the Brilliance. I could just say "ditto" with the exception of a few things.

First I will talk about the good. The diamond concierge, Jennie, was fantastic and tried to do her best in a tough situation. The ship is showing some age but they are good about cleanliness. The production shows were awesome, especially the ice show which we have seen many times.

Our room steward the first week cleaned our room really well and promptly. He was not the friendliest, but that is ok by me, I don't really need to chat. However, when I asked him if he could get us ice for a bottle of champagne we had, (and this was on day 3 after the bottle had been sitting in plain sight since the beginning of the cruise) his reply was "well, I'll try..." and I said, "is it a problem?" and he said, "well, I have to go all the way to the dining room." At which point I said, ok, nevermind, I can get it. Then, he realized I was a little miffed, and he insisted he could get it and he did. But, it isn't what we're used to. Overall, the crew of the Freedom did not seem happy. Most said hello in the hallways but just not with the usual happiness we are used to over the years.

I hope I don't sound picky, I'm not really, I could just tell the overall vibe of the crew was not good. I don't know where that comes from, I don't know what they are going through, but something seemed wrong.

We are diamond plus members with 491 points to date with Royal. Without exception, we have a great time on every cruise we take. I have been a fan of Royal for years, and I will cruise with them for at least another 209 points when we will become pinnacle. This is the first cruise we have taken that things just went wrong.

So, the diamond lounge. The first week which was Nov. 25 - Dec. 3rd. There happened to be a large group of men aboard traveling together (about 700 I think). So the first night we go to the diamond lounge on deck 14, fully expecting it to be full and to have part of the Oliver twist as a designated diamond lounge. There was a sign up at the entrance to the lounge that said "Diamond Event." But, there was no one there checking cards. And the Oliver Twist did have the buffet snacks set up for us, as did the diamond lounge. But, there was not a seat to be had because it was FULL of people, most of whom were the men traveling together. Now, I don't know if they were all diamond, but no one checked our cards, even when we ordered our drinks. The second night, I found Jennie, the concierge, and she told me that the Oliver Twist was not an overflow lounge, that anyone could come in. Even though there was a sign that said "diamond event." I told her that the bartenders had not checked our cards once (there was very little to no waiter service.) So, she said she was talking to corporate, trying to get them to make it a designated diamond lounge during the evening event. Yay. The next night they were checking cards at the entrance and turning away people who were not diamond. Lots of seats and snacks now. Still not much waiter service. Again, a small thing, but not what we're used to. So we had to get up to get our drinks, no big deal. That was the only night they checked cards. Back to fighting for seats. Sigh.

The other thing that was sorely disappointing was the MDR food for dinner. Lunch was great. Windjammer was fine. But the MDR food was poor quality (tiger shrimp were the size of a small shrimp with the vein not removed and overcooked to the point where even the head waiter couldn't get them out of their tiny shell! Remember how big and juicy they used to be? Almost every dish was served cold. When we told our waiter, he said, "I'll tell the chef." And didn't offer anything else! !!! WHAT?? Ok then we told the HEAD waiter of our disappointment and he said, and I quote, "I'll tell the chef. I don't cook the food." WHAT??? Then he had the chef come out and tell us he was sorry and he would take care of us the rest of the cruise. Surely the next night would be better. Sadly, it wasn't. Food was poor quality and cold. It was embarrassing for us but we really couldn't eat it.

The second week, dec. 3 to 9th, was much better. Diamond lounge issues were gone. Room steward was awesome. Dining room, different waiters and head waiter who were aware of our bad experience the week before took good care of us. The food was served mostly warm and better, but still the quality of the food was not as good as it used to be.

What I am most disappointed about was the lack of caring about the guest's experience. Is this the new Royal Caribbean standard? I hope not. I really want to keep cruising with them. We have a Baltic and Transatlantic back to back on the Brilliance next year. What I read about the Brilliance is exactly what we experienced on the Freedom. In fairness we were on the Oasis in August and LOVED all of it! How can there be such a discrepancy between ships??? I did fill out my guest satisfaction survey and was as honest as I could be. I don't want to get anyone in trouble, but something needs to be done. Happy cruising everyone, let's hope someone hears and listens.

Last, I submit this thread to give my opinion, and to make others aware of my experience. Others may have a different opinion. I'd love to hear from you either way if you have cruised the Freedom lately.