Just off a back to back on the Freedom, very disappointed too

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.

The shrimps were tiny on the Freedom TA - never had such tiny shrimps as a main course before...cold and bland is the new norm in the MDR - the MDR food is going downhill fast now...

Good to know that the concierge acted on your impression of the diamond lounge operation. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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Thanks for sharing. I remember reading about similar MDR experiences when we sailed Harmony. Luckily we have had above average service and food, but I do agree that the overall "experience" has declined. The decline is not enough to stop us from cruising again.

Sorry for the disappointing experience, but thatks for the feedback.

Sad to hear as we are sailing on Freedom in two months. However, we had service issues on Oasis. :(

When is the Freedom due for Drydock?

We were on Freedon Nov. 11, 2017. We had the same experience. Could not get a drink at pool bar. On bartender 12 waiting for drinks. Some were getting double mixed drinks. No bartenders fault. He was doing best he could. I talked to head of bars for pool area. He said that is that it just the way it is now. We are Diamond + too 396 points. Lounge was packed all cruise. However waiter were great. Maybe because I tip for each drink.

We also agree with you about food in MDR.

Also we were on Independence 12-2-17. Bar service was not good. Few times I just gave up trying to get us drinks. We also spent some time in casino. Casino was worst ever. On all other cruises we have been on a cruise certificate was delivered to our room the last night. On Indy we had to wait in line for 95 minutes to get our certificate. I said something to casino manager and he asked if they could be delivered to our room. Casino host told him if we wanted a certificate we could wait in line. He was not going around ship delivering them to rooms. They can just wait if they want a free cruise. I was shocked when I heard him tell casino manager that. Food in MDR was not any better than Freedom. Windjammer was ok

When is the Freedom due for Drydock?

Not until 2020.

Thanks Bob!

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.

Thanks Bob!

You're welcome.

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

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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Oh no........... I hate reading these reviews of the FOS. We went for the first time on her and with RCCL in 2009 and back to Carnival it was for us. We thought the food was better , and workers were friendlier on Carnival. But we found a good price for next week on the FOS. Hoping it was just a fluke for you and everything goes fine for us. Food is a big deal for my two kiddos who are always hungry and needing a snack. We will definitely miss Guys Burgers from Carnival, they are pretty amazing.

Lack of bar wait staff and around the pools has become the new norm. Most of time you can expect to get own drinks...

We were on the same B2B as the original poster. We didn’t eat in the dining room at all and felt the WJ was fine. Service there was excellent.

As far as the staff goes, we never encountered anyone who didn’t greet us or have a nice comment to make. Perhaps we were in the right places at the right times.

We had two different cabin stewards, the second one just coming back from vacation. Both were friendly and did a super job. Lucky us.

I’m on Freedom now doing the second half of a B2B (12/3 and 12/9 sailings). They must have increased their bar staff on the Pool deck as I have not seen fewer than three bar tenders during peak times, sometimes four. The Solarium Bar is less busy so it usually has only two bar tenders. There have also been some beer setups on the pool and sun decks as well as some roving bar waiters.

Where I have noticed an issue is with wait staff in some of the areas inside. Before 10PM there may be only one waiter in the Bull & Bear no matter how busy it may be. Most people were going to the bar to get drinks. This was also an issue in On Air when they were showing Thursday Night Football. I have not gone to the Diamond Club in the evening so I cannot comment on that.

I have not noticed any overt unhappiness by the crew. Most will smile and greet you, especially the cabin stewards in the hallway, at least this is the case on the decks I’ve been on (6 and 8, I changed cabins for the second cruise). Both my stewards have done a good job and have been friendly.

I only eat in the Windjammer so I cannot comment on the MDR. Sometimes I haven’t been fully satisfied with the variety in WJ but the food has always been good as has been the wait staff.

The only other beef I have is they may not be very prompt in refilling the soda machines with ice, but then I’ve had issues with the machines on other ships as well.

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In many ways it sounds to me like a management problem. The Captain sets the tone and if he/she is positive and supportive of the staff the attitude of the crew follows suit. Sometimes just a few kind words from supervisors can set a tone for the crew.

JMO

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Keith

I've had the same experience on X with this large group.

Looks like the cruiseline is cutting cost if this group is on board.

Additionally bar opened at 6AM in the morning -> more workload on bartenders....

Lousy food quality in MDR - these guys are gone -> back to normal....

We were on the November 25-Dec 3 sailing also, and found some of the same problems in terms of service issues. Our room steward, while very friendly, was constantly forgetting something whether it be replacement towels, toilet paper or Cruise Compass. In fact, one day, our "Please Clean Room" sign was inserted in our door all day. He forgot to clean our room. No big deal, as we keep our room very neat and clean all the time. We did receive a call from Housekeeping and Guest Services, and we told them not to worry, we were fine. We went down to report the missed cleaning to make sure nothing had happened to our Room Steward.

With the exception of one person, a majority of the staff at Guest Services were efficient, but not overly friendly. I didin't mind, because the line moved quickly, and my questions answered.

There just seemed to be a vibe that the ship staff was a little off. Loved Jennie in the Diamond Lounge barristas at the Cafe Promenade, and the servers in the Windjammer in the evening. First time with Abe Hughes and really enjoyed him. First time on a cruise wher the Cruise Director made it a point to stop and chat with us. We were having coffee on the Promenade and he made a point to stop and talk.

Overall, a good cruise (Loved our cabin location, entertainment, Embarkation and Disembarkation and Windjammer dinners) VOOM is another story. The staff just seemed a little distant on this trip.

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.

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.

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.

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?