LadyLion_AP

29 minutes ago, Sunseeker810 said:

Me too.

Somehow it makes me sad even though it was inevitable!

Received the official cancellation email today! 

43 minutes ago, Sunseeker810 said:

I am on the Boston to Bermuda 7/31 to 8/7.  There is no indication of a cancellation when I sign into my account?

It’s certainly not bookable as of today.

Also...I received another bid to upgrade email for my July 19 Mediterranean cruise today. LOL! 😝

Thanks @bluesea777  Good to know!

Totally expected our cruise in July to be cancelled and have been patiently waiting.  Noticed today that you cannot book any cruises for July but NCL hasn't cancelled July cruises yet.  Anyone have the scoop?

Personally loving the Anthem threads! Thanks @Merion_Mom & @Ourusualbeach for the informative posts thus far! 😃

10 minutes ago, CruiseWendy said:

How many of you with multiple cruise live within driving distance of the ports? The max I've done is two however I have to fly everywhere. Unless I do an Alaska Cruise every other week as I can see the ships from my office 🙂

I have to fly to most ports....live in the DC area. I also work full-time...so two of my cruises this year are short (4 nights & 5 nights). This year...two short cruises out of FL, one out of California, & one from Barcelona. None will be from Baltimore or NY...although I’ve cruise from each of those ports once in the past. 

Becoming more frequent! 3 last year & will be 4 this year...not counting the NYE Cruise that ended on Jan 5. 😊

On 2/1/2020 at 8:23 AM, Heatherco said:

Thanks for all your input everyone!  Very much appreciated!  Will probably wind up trying Anthem.  We always have a great time, so I’m sure we would on this ship as well.  

 

 

Good choice! Give her a try...You never know. I prefer Anthem to Oasis, Freedom, & Voyager class ships! Loved 270 & the Music Hall most. Virtually impossible to ever get bored & great food options.  

Final update....

Our family had a great cruise overall!

It was definitely hit or miss with customer service/care....especially during the first-third of the cruise. Internet was always a miss. Food was hit or miss (I understand the subjectivity here).

@KAA951 Several crew members also told us they were leaving soon. Some gave us exact dates in January.

I still believe this experience is not an accurate depiction of the typical RCL cruise AND I know it’s important to be honest about the disappointments. If no one complains about the not-so-good experiences, subpar experiences will become acceptable! I’m certainly not okay with that. I work hard for my money! 😀

We will cruise Royal again (of course) but will be extremely hesitant to book on a ship headed to drydock or with so many negative reviews (especially from passengers who LOVE cruising & LOVE to talk about it)! In 14 cruises...I’ve never given a bad review....so this was sad to do. I feel terrible for the outstanding staff on the ship who are still committed to making the experience a great one! We (hubby& I) paid over $800 in gratuities ALONE. The service should meet the standard at all times!

Again...great cruise overall with many things we needed to see past to have a great experience. Some crew members were simply fantastic! Super fun activities (at times). Ok entertainment. NYE was a blast! Izumi & Giovanni were great places to eat (although food at Giovanni was not the same quality overall as other RCL ships). Ate at both restaurants twice. Wasn’t happy with Chops. Didn’t return after the first visit. MDR staff stepped it up during the last half of the cruise! Ate there 3 times.

LOVED the ABC Islands....especially Curacao!

Thanks to all who took time to read and comment...Also to those whose experiences were not the same as mine. Lucky you! I’ve also had such luck in the past! 😊

P.S....Loved cruising over NYE...We [the family] have concluded we prefer NYE cruises to Christmas cruises!

That’s all folks. 😝

Happy New Year & Happy cruising! 

P.S...Tried to edit to my last post to correct UBP terminology to Deluxe Beverage Package but the Internet flaked on me again. Took an hour to get back on! 😝

Good Night 😊

Update.....The second-third of our cruise has taken almost a complete 180! We’ve gone from hearing...”I’m sorry I’m too busy to help you” when trying to make dinner reservations & having to wait 20 minutes to get a drink order to MUCH better service & closer to what we’ve grown accustomed to with the RCL brand. We are actually beginning to feel that we’re getting more of what we’ve paid for! 😃

Only remaining irritants: The Internet is crappy. I know...That won’t change. What’s crazy is that they’re trying to convince people to upgrade to surf & stream! We have that and it’s crappy! I hope people don’t fall for that one!!!  Work hubby had to do that would normally take one hour took about six! 😱 They’ve given us a partial refund as we have the 4-device & 2-device packages between our & our sons’ staterooms. 
Also...No more sparkling water after day 5. Sucks because I drink it daily & have the UBP....Hasn’t ruined my cruise though!

@sisocialworker...Shein & the rest of Giovanni’s staff were super excited you said hello. Shein made a point to say that she ALWAYS remembers the really good people...speaking of the two of you! 🥰

Anyway...I’ll give a final update after we disembark! Believe me....I’m ecstatic things have turned around! Hopefully, after drydock, all things will be up to par & MOST customers (as opposed to some) will report great things!

Happy New Year & Many blessings!!!

Dinner at IZUMI tonight was great! @sisocialworker maybe they heard you! It’s unfortunate you didn’t feel heard while sailing! @ShazM we also preferred Giovanni’s over Chops. It just wasn’t the standard we’ve become accustomed to on other ships. ☹️

3 minutes ago, sisocialworker said:

giovanni's has the best staff..we were on the sailing before you..say hi to Luzy and rosemarie-servers and shein, manager in giovanni..from Barry/Anneliese Organ....they always had a smile and greeted us..we liked the filet mignon best...better than chops-worst service there...enjoy the rest of your cruise 

Thanks. Will do! Currently losing at Harry Potter trivia...was sure we’d win! 😝

12 minutes ago, eastender said:

Was on Explorer very recently. Seemed to me the bars and lounges were understaffed. The hard working server would take several orders and then have to go back behind the bar to make the drinks up themselves. This meant having to wait a long time to get served at a table. Not good.

Noticing the same thing! Today has been a little bit better.

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

No need for that, RCI knows all of the physical things you pointed out and most will be fixed during dry dock. The subjective things, like food, crew attitude, can happen on any sailing/ship.

Thanks. & To all others who chimed in. I’m heading out now and just heard our CD on the intercom. It’s Mike 😊

Yes...These things are subjective. I certainly agree with that and they are a things! I guess I’ve been super fortunate in my cruises (14 in 7 years) that I’ve never experienced this. I guess if they are aware they have a tired old ship they should ensure they step up the service so that the costumers’ experience is top notch. This way anyone new to the brand will know you offer a good product! (Especially during a season with premium pricing). Just saying. 😊

Have a blessed day everyone. I’ll continue to make the best of each one of my days on this little engine that could. 😝🥰

Current on Day 3 of our 9-night NYE sailing on Explorer of the Seas.

A little background: My family travels in 3 generations at/near Xmas every year beginning a little over a decade ago (as hubby was deployed to Germany for 2 years & we spent Xmas overseas). We alternate cruise & land vacations each year. 

This is our 3rd Xmas cruise with RCCL but have cruised with RCCL multiple times & on most classes of ships.

Why I suggest Undercover Boss?

I read the not so great reviews ahead of time so came prepared. I’ll preface my noticings with the fact that we ARE having a great vacation because we’ll be certain to. We work very hard, have invested in a lot of extras to make our vacay even nicer, and we enjoy spending time together...and we LOVE the Ocean!!!!

The ugly:

- The ship is not in the best shape. One  example....There are actually windows TAPED shut. (Easy to get past but it definitely doesn’t represent the product well. I’d be embarrassed if I was in charge here!)

-  Overall worst service we’ve experienced on any ship & any cruise line. Yes. Some employees are spectacular but too many are not!

- Worst dining experiences in any venue....by far! We’ve eaten in the MDR, Chops, Giovanni’s, & Johnny Rockets thus far. Giovanni’s has had the best service so far but the food is not comparable to Giovanni’s on other ships. All family members have this opinion.

- My husband still hasn’t met our room steward.

- None of us can tell you the cruise director. Granted we haven’t gone to most shows but that’s typical for us on ships other than Oasis or Quantum class. We have usually seen and/or met the cruise director multiple times by now.

- All of the “little things” are missing: Invitations/Reminders for specialty diners in the stateroom (good thing I wrote them down as my Reservations aren’t accurate on the TV), greetings from the staff, periodic check-ins from the room steward, etc.

- Internet is the worst! We use it mostly to text but hubby does have to work at least one day this cruise. What’s funny is I thought I lost this post to spotty internet twice. Would be surprised if there ends up being duplicate posts!

These things probably sound minor as you read it but experiencing it is interesting to say the least. Hubby & I both said today....Had this been our 1st RCCL Cruise, it would certainly be our last. As a reference point....Our two Carnival cruises years ago far surpassed this cruise in quality of product! RCCL should be aware that if this is someone’s first experience, they might be completely turned off.

So...As I plan to enjoy the last 6 days on this ship...I plead to RCCL....send an Undercover Boss to this ship & determine if you’re comfortable with this particular representation of your product!

Shortly after the UDP disappeared these new “special” offerings appeared. Shame! It’s only a 4-night cruise. I guess they’re still trying to recoup money “lost” on the $14/day beverage package error! 

25 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

You generally cannot use the UDP for an "special" meals.  However, if there are restaurants that are offering their normal menu, then you should be able to use the UDP.

Thanks. As of now Chops & Giovanni’s are offering the “special meal”. I guess Izumi will be an option? 

Hi all,

We’re sailing on the Indy over Valentine’s Day & have purchased the UDP. I noticed they’ve just added a special Valentine’s Day dinner similar to the dinners offered over Christmas & New Years. Wondering if they’re now considering Valentine’s Day a “holiday dinner”. 😡 If so...Does anyone know if we’ll be able to use the UDP for dinner on February 14?

Thanks again to everyone who shared. Also feel the need to say that food preferences/opinion of tastes are uniquely different. In fact, some preferences are actually linked to genetics. I know friends & family whose tastes generally agree with mine & those that don’t. That being said...no need to argue about food opinions or who is a foodie vs not a foodie. Many people LOVE food but not all love the same food. Let’s respect that there are differences in opinion and taste preferences. It is, however, good to hear experiences & great for anyone in the food business to know when MOST customers are/are not satisfied.

Happy Holidays & Blessings to all!

1 hour ago, sisocialworker said:

Glad you could join me on this cruise, albeit vicariously 

Thanks again for sharing! Wishing you safe travels home!

This has been a good thread to read & to hear multiple perspectives! I’ve cruise several lines, mostly RCCL, but have cruised on POA. Had a great time on POA! Have three upcoming cruises on NCL: Epic (Mediterranean), Joy (Caribbean) & Getaway (Greek Isles). 

11 minutes ago, ptf2009 said:

Keep in mind the ones with the correct muster station were allowed in studio B first, the others had to wait until 10 min. before the show to choose their seats. Like I said, in all the cruises we've been on, this is a new set up. IMHO...not a good idea.

Ugh! Don’t like that at all! ☹️