Donut23

Sorry but I have never felt the slightest bit of awe looking at a Disney ship. Now, seeing Oasis or Allure, or even the Freedom sisters.... Yup, they do it for me.

I have to agree simply because there is nothing else like them. Sure Disney has cool horns and a character on their butts but inspiring? Too many others similar.

I remember in my boating days the QEII would stop people in their tracks. I remember chatting with a Customs official in Beemuda. She was no longer the biggest and far from the newest but she turned heads in Bermuda. That was Cunard funnel people recognized......something about it.

Hi!

Had a GREAT answer for you.....and apparently fell asleep before pushing the button to send. Let me try again.

Hubby and I looked long and hard at a Royal Caribbean tour this time. Except for Denali (we wanted the Princess Lodge) their hotels are top rate, rail cars are some of the best, motor coaches clean an run well. The biggest advantage I see for you, however, is each tour is escorted. You will have a knowledgable guide along with you 24/7.....on the train, motor coach, with you at each hotel stop. It's great to have a local problem solver along but they also will know about all excursions available. Just like the cruise, each stop had a choice of excursions. Your Escort will also be like your concierge, helping you to choose excursions available at each stop.

The land tour is more active than the cruise....changing hotels, rail cars and motor coaches. In our case we have built in a 2 night stop in Denali. Jim and our friend Lou will do the long park tour, take 10,000 pictures each, and I will stay back and rest.

The Royal tour may be perfect because of the extra attention of the Escort but there may still be a day you just want to chill on the deck and view the mountain range.

The single largest controllable corporate expense is payroll. We know Royal Caribbean has been working on cost cutting measures. It's obvious they have reduced staff. Pretty short sighted when they are now loosing guests who hang up instead of booking a cruise.

Do you feel if you missed out on an alaskan cruisetour, and just did the 7 day, do you feel you would miss out? Those who have been on a cruisetour???? I've done a cruise southbound and loved it, but missed hubbard, but did see glacier by and did 26 glacier before the cruise. I just don't know whether to do the cruisetour, one, b/c my sister is using a walker and I'll have to help her everywhere, which is fine, b/c the trip is for her, not really me. But, I know it can be tiring. Any suggestions?????

Yea, me again. I wanted to address the walker.

This is my 6th trip to Alaska but the first trip there since my accident. I will have use of a scooter on the ship and my walker onshore. Walking is no longer easy for me.

We are doing our own trip onshore and I wouldn't miss it for anything.

I have cruised with a scooter so I know the limitations and assets of the equipment.

We were married on the Radiance in Juneau 7 years ago. Would I like to be able to stand and walk without pain? You bet I would!!!! Is it going to stop me? Not on your life.

Alaska changes you forever. When you stand out there at midnight and it's only twilight, wolves are singing and you are surrounded by Gods cathedrals-the mountains, you will thank all of us for urging you to go.

If you take a Royal Caribbean tour they will take very good care of you. One additional benefit we will not have? They will take care of your luggage....no schlepping! Schleppage is a big thing for my Jim. Well, it makes sense. He does it all now!

I had them on our Alaska cruise with HAL. Didn't realize that they are snails until I finished eating them. :D

Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy

Gives me hope for the Radiance this summer in Alaska!

E

I'm curious as I haven't looked on the Disney board...what types of things are being affected on the ships?

Disney Gtownups each year reduce the operating budgets of each cost center. Burbank doesn't really care what is done, just don't spend a penny more. Most tried for a long time to do things guests would not see, not driving the ship as hard reducing fuel expenses, stretching maintenance times is a biggie. Then at the beginning of the recession Disney Worldwide had a mandatory 10% staff reduction. Through that year they then went to each business an slashed staff....some places up to 40%. These people have never been rehired. Ship engineers, cabin attendants, etc. They continue with buyouts to long term employees hiring cheep kids in return. One of my favorites is, many of their Pension funds are underfunded. Hubs will have a pension from 2 cost centers, one is funded 123% controlled by his Union, the other is funded 64%.

Next, they began to reduce the quality of food purchased for parks and ships.....from steaks to lettuce. That budget has struggled the last 5 years or so. The chefs have done an excellent job but when menus change, it's often not for the better.

Training....small example. Each castmember has to attend Traditions. In the past, it was actually a 2 week session where each person was taught Disney history, the importance of customer service and company guidelines to handle problems. Now Traditions is 1/2 day.

Don't even get most people started with Disney's IT department. They are known industry wide for that.......from the first days of the Magic to current day. Do it cheep, take 3 times as long. In the end it will be more complicated than it has to be and nowhere near as good as it should be.

Holiday Services has been hit very hard.....Holiday Decorations. In the past they were completely changed/updated more often. Now when something gets shabby, it often is not replaced.

Merchandise assortment has been reduced and overall quality reduced. Don't you think it's odd that ABC (Disney owned) has an ongoing series "Made in America" but it's rare to find anything in any of their stores actually made in America. They have brought on ultra high end merchandise, Dooney bags, Vera Bradley, but otherwise much of the quality is much changed.

Sorry to hijack the thread. These were a few things I thought of off the top of my head. They are like a cancer, slowly eating away at the experience from inside........hoping no one notices. And next year, there will be another cut in every Disney division.

I disagree with your logic. If Disney wanted only to maintain their prices why did they build 3 more ships? Why does Disney continue to add hotels in Orlando?

 

RCI does not serve the public in a vacuum. Will Carnival and the others stop building ships? RCI has to assume they are winning, and more cruisers want to cruise on their line than the other mass market cruise lines. While RCI has sold some ships, many more have been added. New and improved also commands a higher cabin rate.

 

I think we have a very long way to go before there is a shake out in the cruise industry. At some point you will be correct, but I think that's a long way off.

Hi!

Disney only built 2 ships, the Fantasy and the Dream. The resorts they continue to build on property are Disney Vacation Club-time shares and one of the most successful cash cows Disney has along with ESPN they acquired with ABC purchase.

So far their most successful DVC properties have been add ons to current deluxe hotels on property. They build fewer restaurants, pools, etc. so the overall cost is less than a standalone resort. Just finished Grand Floridian DVC and now in the middle of Polynesian DVC. Cheapest way to add a resort.

Disney attracts because it sells something the other cruise lines do not. A Disney experience. I suspect the number of ships is based on the size of the audience willing to pay that premium for that experience.

 

I suspect RCL has run the numbers and repeat "loyal" cruisers as a group spend less on board per person than the same of people who have never cruised. It is not just filling the cabin, but it is revenue per person on board. Airline loyalty programs target repeat business travelers since they pay more per seat to travel when they must travel for business reasons. Cruise lines can only target vacationers who travel only when the price is right. As long as they can offset the loss of a loyalty program cutback by filling with those new to cruising RCL, the cuts will continue. At some point, a new balance will be found. The one thing loyal cruisers offer are early bookings and the chance for RCl to hold their deposits for a longer time.

 

I support voting with your dollars. And a healthy cruise industry financially benefits everyone since they keep investing in better ships and safety.

More than plenty of tarnish in the land of the Mouse. They just had a bigger reputation to fall. The ivory walls over there, and at sea, are showing the years of drastically reduced budgets and CASTMEMBER layoffs. Hubby is a 35 year CASTMEMBER 2 1/2 years from retirement. Tough to watch.

I'm on navigator and I am agreeing with these sentiments. We'll still cruise with Royal, but are lowering expectations.

 

I can understand why the long term cruisers grumble so much.

 

 

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Did you try the new TEST menu in Chops currently on the Navigator? Charge now $35, most steaks a-la-cart, onion soup and crab cake gone and my favorite?????? Baked potato replaced with TOTS!

In the process of booking one-way Alaska. Why do you prefer northbound vs. southbound. Have you done a land tour of Alaska after a northbound?

 

Thank you!

I always suggest a Southbound itinerary.

1.). Longest flight is the beginning of the trip when you are excited and more tolerant. For example, we are flying up in June.....our own land tour then southbound on the Radiance.

Outbound from the East Coast. 11 1-2 hours into Anchorage

Return (after 2 weeks away). 5 3/4 hours home from Seattle

2.). Generally the land tour is far more active. You are changing hotels, riding on trains, motor coaches and rental cars. By the time you arrive onboard you are ready for a little pampering.

Because Southbound voyages are more popular you may sometimes find discounts popping up on Northbound voyages.

We always do a land your but its with Princess. We believe their resorts (own and operate their own properties) are superior. This time we will do a Princess tour and then venture off on our own as well.

We considered a Royal land tour. Hubby really liked the idea of no luggage schleppage. But in the end, we defaulted back to our comfort zone. It didn't hurt when reading a touring guide which agreed with us......Princess has some of the nicest properties in Alaska.

Oh yea.....and the best bloody Mary's. :-)

I'm sure, however, anyone on a Royal Caribbean land tour of Alaska will have an unforgettable adventure and their railcars are beautiful. Nobody beats the Radiance. We were married onboard 7 years ago!

Oh boy. Same thing happened to us with a pair of expensive binoculars the last day.......but we drove home so there was no shuttle, car rental or airline.

I am nearly 100% sure it was not our cabin attendant. I had been Ill during the trip (beginnings of a heart issue) and he was sincerely concerned. He took very good care of me the days I stayed in the cabin.

They were packed the last morning, we scooted up to the Jammer for our last breakfast----hubby's last small mountain of Jammer-Ham. When we arrived at home-no binoculars.

We had trip insurance which actually covered the loss.....but still made me sad it had happened.

Forgot to add, thanks for the cruise compasses!

Cruise Compass.

If you search back about 5-6 days there was a thread..a review of the Radiance in Alaska from 2013 with copies of the Cruise Compass. That may be a place to begin as it lists activities for the day including movies, shows, etc.

I'll try to find it and bump it closer to the front here. I found the copies of the compass interesting. It's been 7 years since we were on the Radiance. Going back this summer to celebrate our anniversary....married onboard in Juneau.

My understanding is the menu has changed only on the Navigator-as a test. Hopefully everyone will tell Royal Caribbean where they can stuff their TOTS .... And other menu changes and these changes will not be permanent.

Our next sailing is the Radiance in June. New menu-no Chops. That would be so sad. We were married on the Radiance in Alaska and our reception dinner was in Chops. It was perfect.

If that's his only "vice," I think you're in good shape. :)

That and beer!

His first cruise.....Hubbard Glacier day. We were warm on our big aft facing balcony. He decided cruising was GREAT. I ordered a pot of tea for me and he ordered his beer. He was amazed they would bring beer to him. That moment he fell in love!

Sigh. LOVE eggs Benny but hubby loves the Jammer more. He is built like a string bean. He is totally addicted to the carved ham at the Jammer. If he wasn't so silly I would be embarrassed.

He goes to one side and gets a few slabs of ham. Next he helps me with my fruit, yogurt and juice. Then quietly he heads to the OTHER side where the carver doesn't know him and gets a second small mountain!

Once, on the Beilliance, the carvers changed stations and he remembered Jim. I told him they didn't care but Jim was still red faced.......with his second plate of ham.

Don't get too excited about "priority boarding". Every cruise we've been on all the lines have been pretty much the same.;)

Brings to mind a funny memory.

Our first JS was for our Second Alaska cruise. We were married in Juneau on the Radiance. Sooooo excited , we were actually up at 2 am and watched her arrive from our Holiday Inn room in Seward.

I wanted the FULL Junior Suite experience on arrival day and oh boy did we arrive. We were the first.

I guess I got my priority boarding. ALL 14 checkin places were empty, no one else in the building, I was the first guest to step foot on the ship, wedding dress in hand so it would not wrinkle.

I agree.

 

We just returned from Grandeur on Saturday and as mentioned there seemed to be a lot of towels left on chairs for staff to pick up. I don't know about stealing of the towels, but having worked with the public for many years, let's face it---there are quite a few folks who would steal anything that is not nailed down. I don't want to pay a higher cruise fare for others to steal or discard beach towels.

Ok, love my parents to pieces. We lived overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and all our beach towels had hotel names on them. 59 now, parents long gone, still a few remnants in the rag bin. I always thought it was odd, even as I child. We certainly were not poor.

One point I'm going to put in my communication... Chops is billed as a steakhouse. Even with the old menu, the steak selection was much more limited than any land-based steakhouse I've gone to. They offered a 10 oz filet, a 7 oz filet, a 16 oz t-bone and a 10 oz new york strip. With the new menu on Navigator, this "steakhouse" has all of TWO steak choices on the menu - unless you want to pay close to $20 additional in addition to paying the larger $35 entry fee. Both the t-bone and the new york strips are completely gone, replaced with a 10 oz sirloin and instead of 7 and 10 oz filets, they've gone to a single offering of an 8 oz filet. Shouldn't a steakhouse offer more than just an 8 oz filet or a sirloin to even be called a steakhouse?

Agree 1,000%

It is important that guests not only vote with their feet and pocketbook, you have to let RCI know directly how you feel about these changes. Think about it, the average person probably only does one to two cruises each year. If you were unhappy about the new menu, it would take months until you had a chance to not go there! Write them a polite detailed letter outlining which changes you are unhappy with. Hundreds of complaint letters are going to get noticed more quickly than a slow decline over months.

If you don't have the HOTS for TOTS you have to put Royal Caribbean on the SPOTS. No need to be a SNOTS, don't have to tell them ALOTS, but we need to get their attention. Chops could be empty, they could be SHOCKED. We don't want anyone DEFROCKED or clean their CLOCKS. Just don't give us ...... TOTS.

Sung to Home on the Range.

Oh give me a ship,

where the guests are all hip

And the steaks cooked in Chops are sublime

Where seldome is heard, a discouraging word

And we can't wait for our dining time.

No, don't give us TOTS

We'll revolt and we'll cry like our kids

We'll hiss and we'll scream

And we'll all act real mean

Till old menus return on the SPOT

That seals it...we will definitely be giving the new "improved":rolleyes: Chops a miss on Navigator next month. These sides look like they came out of an Ore-Ida bag. My local grocery store frequently runs BOGO specials on those products...looks like RCI placed a standing order!:p

Perhaps they should change the name of Chops on the Navigator to.......

The Tots Spot

Hahaha

We have tried the Big Girls, well...not the Oasis class, but we are most fond of the Radiance class. Back to Alaska this summer (married in the Radiance) then B2B on the Jewell in our future.

Have a wonderful trip!

Now I wish I had taken a picture of the tots. :D

Photos of Tots in Chops could trigger a sudden onset of Tourette's. Have you ever noticed swearing doesn't sound as awful with a southern accent? I think I should work on my southern accent before our next cruise!

So do I because I don't know what they are.:D

 

We dined at Chops on Brilliance last week and it was the old menu so I could still get my crab cakes, 9oz filet and Red Velvet cake.

 

I've seen the new menu (I think it was posted one of the Navigator dry dock threads) and mourn the loss of the crab cakes and I don't think Red Velvet is there either.

 

However, as RCI now produce their own Red Velvet cake, I won't be ordering it again as it was nowhere as good as the bought in one. The server admitted when pushed that they now produce it themselves.

 

As for the increase to $35 pp, that's something we'll have to reconsider too.

 

We also ate at Giovanni's Table for lunch and this is now the 3rd try of Giovanni's and I can still say I'm not impressed. Once on Mariner in 2012 after her refit and it was great, once on Allure in 2013, meh, and again on Brilliance, not good. Also doesn't help when you choose a wine from the menu that the server advises they have not had for a very long time - well change the menu then!

 

Trouble is we have a TA coming up on Adventure and yes, they are reportedly changing Portofino to Giovanni's and that's the only speciality restaurant on that ship, so are options are limited, but at least we won't be paying $35 pp for what appears to be inferior Chops Grille. What happened to the days when they presented all the cuts of meat for you to choose from? Wow that was 10 years ago:D

I remember that!

We were married on the Radiance and our reception was simply....dinner at Chops. How could you top that! I remember how impressed our guests were when the slabs of meats were presented.

Cue Babs singing Memories.