RCI Ench. of the Seas > problems

[parrotthead]

We're cruising on Enchantment this weekend. If the air conditioning isn't working I'll sleep on one of the loungers outside. The sound of the ocean always puts me to sleep anyway.

That would have been a great option, except we had bad rain, wind and rough seas most of the days/nights.

(NOT RCIs fault of course), but Im sure a lot of people thougth of that, but could not.--AND--(this part IS RCIs fault--during the last sea day--the only one when the sun was shining a bit--they had made us leave the promonade deck so they could power wash it!!!--no joke, 10-12 people (alone or in coulples) napping/ reading/ watching the waves/ chatting etc, were told "you need to leave this deck, we must wash it" --serioulsy--- it must be washed NOW??? I was something less than impressed with the hospitility on this ship. to say the least.

[parrotthead]

Was the a/c still broken when the cruise ended? Anyone know if it's been fixed?

According to the nice lady I was sitting next to at debarkation, her air was still off the last night.

[parrotthead]

We also were on this cruise

They were doing some tile work in the Centrum area during port days.........

They were replacing the marble tiles in several areas...we heard the banging at all hours...it was pretty loud and it was not just port days...they were doing it back by the casino on the last sea day...very annoying. I did talk to a couple who said the water coming out of their tap was yellow...as was the water coming out of the 'spray gun' in th Schooner Bar...the bartender (who was a doll) said they had been having that problem with the water.--ick..guess thats one way to sell those $4 bottles of water. <eye roll>

I heard one man (who was very upset--understandably so) saying the banging started at 8:30 right out side of his cabin... I believe it. and the attitude of the staff, by and large, was one of non-concern. Or just flat Not caring... Im telling you I heard the word "no" on this cruise more then I have heard it on all my other cruises combined.

Just seemed like the service had really slipped (either on Rci in general or at least) on this ship.

[The Big Booper]

The ship will be 15 years old next year. I know ships should be able to go 25-30 years in service. Do the other 5 Vision class ships have problems similar to this? Are these problems caused, in part, by the stretch?

 

Inquiring minds here.................

[parrotthead]

I think it needs drydock...quickly. ;)

In our cabin there was carpet peeling away from the baseboards, so bad that I tripped over it the first night. Then I knew to watch out for it.

The ship is just very run down, it has beautiful decorations, but just seemed to need a good cleaning/repair job. New carpet, paint etc.

And the staff seemed not too friendly...I mean I cant count how many crew members that we would pass - in the halls etc-- that did not even speak, or even look up to smile, or anything. To me this was very unusual for a cruise.

I will say this was not the best cruise we had ever been on. We enjoyed ourselves because we were together, not at work and we are going to have fun no matter what, but the cruise over all, was not the best one we have had.

[floridacruisegirl]

I think it needs drydock...quickly. ;)

In our cabin there was carpet peeling away from the baseboards, so bad that I tripped over it the first night. Then I knew to watch out for it.

The ship is just very run down, it has beautiful decorations, but just seemed to need a good cleaning/repair job. New carpet, paint etc.

And the staff seemed not too friendly...I mean I cant count how many crew members that we would pass - in the halls etc-- that did not even speak, or even look up to smile, or anything. To me this was very unusual for a cruise.

I will say this was not the best cruise we had ever been on. We enjoyed ourselves because we were together, not at work and we are going to have fun no matter what, but the cruise over all, was not the best one we have had.

 

I agree with what you said about customer service on Enchantment of the Seas. I was on the ship for a four night cruise in May. I have sailed with RCCL several times, and this was, by far, the most unfriendly ship staff ever. With the exception of our waitress at Chops and our cabin attendant, most staff were unfriendly and seemed disinterested with providing the hospitality RCCL touts. Like you, we also encountered staff in the hallway who did not say hello, look up, smile, or acknowledge us. This was a complete 180 from usual RCCL cruises...I hope the unfriendly hospitality won't become the norm.

[parrotthead]

I agree with what you said about customer service on Enchantment of the Seas. I was on the ship for a four night cruise in May. I have sailed with RCCL several times, and this was, by far, the most unfriendly ship staff ever. With the exception of our waitress at Chops and our cabin attendant, most staff were unfriendly and seemed disinterested with providing the hospitality RCCL touts. Like you, we also encountered staff in the hallway who did not say hello, look up, smile, or acknowledge us. This was a complete 180 from usual RCCL cruises...I hope the unfriendly hospitality won't become the norm.

This was exactly our experience!! Exactly. Jefferson our cabin steward was nice. And our Chops waitress (cant remember her name, sweet funny gal dark haired) was a delight. But, the service in the dining room and buffet were not so great.

This was my GFs first RCI cruise and she was excited to 'compare' it was a bit disappointing, because I had raved about how wonderful RCI was and that was not the experience she had. Of course (luckily) I already had her hooked on Cruising, so there is no problem there :p;), but she did say that IF this had been her first ever cruise, she might not be so impressed with the whole cruising thing.

[snausman]

WOW, that is all I can say. We sailed Oct. 12-17, and it was wonderful. No complaints at all. Everything worked no yellow water. Staff was great, even in MTD (they went out of their way in fact). I was sailing with 2 other people and they also loved it. Hard to beleive we were on the same ship and only a couple of weeks different.:rolleyes:

[computerguytl]

but she did say that IF this had been her first ever cruise, she might not be so impressed with the whole cruising thing.

 

It was our first cruise...

We had fun but not sure what we think of the cruising vacation...thing just yet.

They have until Friday to contact me back (1 week) then I will call them. :mad:

[machong]

I sailed on the EOS Aug 31, 2009 for a 5 nighter. It was great and I didn't notice any of the things mentioned in this thread. The staff was extra friendly and I never noticed anything negative. I would, in fact, cruise on this ship again.

 

Sorry to hear about the AC problems---that would ruin any cruise.

[NCMtnBoys]

WOW, that is all I can say. We sailed Oct. 12-17, and it was wonderful. No complaints at all. Everything worked no yellow water. Staff was great, even in MTD (they went out of their way in fact). I was sailing with 2 other people and they also loved it. Hard to beleive we were on the same ship and only a couple of weeks different.:rolleyes:

 

Agreed. We were on the Sept 5 sailing and our sailing was no different in terms of great quality than all my other RCCL cruises. The only issue we had (not uncommon) was the occasional refusal of the toilet in the cabin to flush.

 

Sorry to anyone on future cruises that had problems.

[Linda/Ohio]

We were on the Enchantment not long after the stretch and there was an electrical problem and many of the cabins and some public areas had no A/C. We were traveling with friends who had an oceanview--so this lack of a/c was very difficult for them. We had a balcony--and could get some air--however--it was 85 degrees--so outside air no better.

 

RCCL stayed in port to fix the problem--we lost one stop--Key West. They offered everyone on the cruise 25% off next cruise. I seem to recall perhaps some extra drinks and appetizers being passed around the centrum area where the a/c was working....

 

Our friends who were wih us that trip--were also just on the 17th trip...I'll have to ask and see if it affected them.....

[seatraveler1]

WOW, that is all I can say. We sailed Oct. 12-17, and it was wonderful. No complaints at all. Everything worked no yellow water. Staff was great, even in MTD (they went out of their way in fact). I was sailing with 2 other people and they also loved it. Hard to beleive we were on the same ship and only a couple of weeks different.:rolleyes:

 

We take what people say with a grain of salt. We have had cruises that we thought were the best, and then talked to people on the ship where they said it was the worst cruise ever, go figure.

[snausman]

We take what people say with a grain of salt. We have had cruises that we thought were the best, and then talked to people on the ship where they said it was the worst cruise ever, go figure.

 

 

I do the same thing but from one week to the next. I can understand about the AC being out, that sucks, but everything else.

[hcat]

Seems that since they stretched this ship there have been issues now & then in various systems on board.....not sure we would return. even though we really enjoyed EOS pre-strectch!

[jaegan2]

Was on EOS 10-12 to 10-17-09 and no problems at all with air conditioning and/or water. Employees were very nice with one exception. Before leaving the ship, we had breakfast in the dining room. Many of the people at the table made special requests. Small things, a english muffin for example. The waitress was getting more and more annoyed with each order. We laughed it off but if that had been our regular waitress - that probably would have set the tone for the rest of the cruise.

[drchica]

We were onboard the Enchantment starting on the 17th and this was our first cruise. We had a bit of a rough week due to the rough seas, and I had heard a rumor that the stabilizers were not working and that was lending to all of the boat rocking. Needless to say, my hubby and I were quite sick that Sunday, as were a lot of other folks. Got better as the week went on, but nights were worse (thank goodness for Bonine, knocks you right out for the night!) We were luck to not experience air cond. problems, but our friends were more toward the center of the boat (we were on deck 2, the cheapie cheapie rooms) and they lost their air. Everytime they opened their door, hot air rushed out. some of the lounges, etc were also hot (Boleros). Our room was very squeaky, but that was the only problem we really had. Jefferson, our stateroom attendent, was great. Neleish, our waiter at dinner, was very nice and very friendly. Drinks were great, food was great. Boat could use some updating, worn, dirty carpets throughout. Very hard to find a seat by the pool on our final day (a day with sun!!) but what can you do? Still, it was vacation, and I was not at work:)! Had a blast at both ports, despite the occassional rain. Not sure if we will cruise again- I love having access to the beach daily and I do not enjoy being sea sick!

[parrotthead]

drchica, we might have been neighbors, Jefferson was our steward too. The stabilize thing was not a rumor, Capt said the Starboard Stabilizer was not working for the first 2 days.

For those of you who had not cruised before this one and are thinkging "this might not be for us" or "whats the big deal" at least try One other cruise...(different ship or different line) IMO, and in my experience this was NOT typical of Cruising. To us this was a very unusual cruise experience.

~Now , Im not generally a complainer, for those of you who 'know' me from these boards, you know that.~

But, In the buffett, you were hard pressed to find a Clean Glass or Coffee Cup. I had to go thru 4/6 cups/glasses Everytime I got something to drink. One glass had MOLD inside! When I handed it to a crewmember, and said "this glass is moldy" he just took it and said "ok" -- thats it??!! "ok?!" there was food particals stuck inside glasses/cups, I noticed by the end of the cruise almost everyone was 'inspecting' glasses befor filling them. Same problem with silverware, not as bad, but in the MDR I had a filthy knife, food stuck on it...I had to hand it to the waiter, he just said 'appoligize' and brought me another one. eewwwwww! It was just a lot of things that were 'not quite right' on this cruise that made it seem not up to Par.

[Tabbymom]

I must say this thread is scaring the bleep out of me - everyone seemed to love the Enchantment http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1076792&highlight=enchantment and suddenly it's falling apart. Was this the only cruise with problems? If there were water pipe issues maybe the dishwashers weren't working properly? Just hoping the problems were all fixed after this cruise and will hold together for another few weeks...at least we're not in the "stretch" section; is that where all the cabin problems were?

[parrotthead]

I must say this thread is scaring the bleep out of me - everyone seemed to love the Enchantment http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1076792&highlight=enchantment and suddenly it's falling apart. Was this the only cruise with problems? If there were water pipe issues maybe the dishwashers weren't working properly? Just hoping the problems were all fixed after this cruise and will hold together for another few weeks...at least we're not in the "stretch" section; is that where all the cabin problems were?

Even if it Was a "dishwasher problem" the glasses/cups/flatware should NOT have been put out dirty, it only takes a second to Look at these things, I know they are washing Hundreds and Hundreds of items, but its a SERVICE Indrustry..so those things should be watched. (and it was just gross--my Gf resorted to asking for Paper Cups!!)

Tabbymom, just go with the attitude that somethings may go wrong, as with any vacation.

It was just a lot of little things for us that added up to a cruise experience that was 'not the best one we have ever had'

(waves, weather, things like that never bother me, they can not be helped, it was the things that Could have been helped that bothered me)

[Host Kewlguy]

I must say this thread is scaring the bleep out of me - everyone seemed to love the Enchantment http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1076792&highlight=enchantment and suddenly it's falling apart. Was this the only cruise with problems? If there were water pipe issues maybe the dishwashers weren't working properly? Just hoping the problems were all fixed after this cruise and will hold together for another few weeks...at least we're not in the "stretch" section; is that where all the cabin problems were?

 

Considering many of the complaints posted here have been contradicted by other CC members, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Personally I think many of the complaints are ridiculous. We'll be on Enchantment this Saturday and if we encounter any of these types of problems you can be sure they will be posted here.

[parrotthead]

Considering many of the complaints posted here have been contradicted by other CC members, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Personally I think many of the complaints are ridiculous. We'll be on Enchantment this Saturday and if we encounter any of these types of problems you can be sure they will be posted here.

kewlguy, how are our complaints 'rediculous'? The 'air' was blowing Hot, there were people sleeping in the public areas. People were not happy. (like I posted before, we were slightly forward and our air worked, but many many others did not.)

It was not up to what I have experienced on RCI in the past (or 'the other' cruise line for that matter)

I do find it funny that you call the complaints here rediculous and yet you go on to say that IF you "encounter any of these types of problems you can be sure they will be posted here" (as if to imply, your reports would be accurate and others here are not)

:rolleyes:

~ As I mentioned, you can read other posts I have made in the past, I am not one who 'complains' to the contrary I have been called a 'cheerleader' but this was a bit under par IMO~

[Host Kewlguy]

kewlguy, how are our complaints 'rediculous'? The 'air' was blowing Hot, there were people sleeping in the public areas. People were not happy. (like I posted before, we were slightly forward and our air worked, but many many others did not.)

It was not up to what I have experienced on RCI in the past (or 'the other' cruise line for that matter)

I do find it funny that you call the complaints here rediculous and yet you go on to say that IF you "encounter any of these types of problems you can be sure they will be posted here" (as if to imply, your reports would be accurate and others here are not)

:rolleyes:

~ As I mentioned, you can read other posts I have made in the past, I am not one who 'complains' to the contrary I have been called a 'cheerleader' but this was a bit under par IMO~

 

People can judge for themselves whether the "complaints" mentioned on this thread are legitimate or not. While I agree not having air conditioning is a legitimate complaint and a reason to request compensation, I find it ridiculous to complain about a dirty fork or a handful of employees not smiling at you when they walk past. You've got to be joking?

[computerguytl]

People can judge for themselves whether the "complaints" mentioned on this thread are legitimate or not. While I agree not having air conditioning is a legitimate complaint and a reason to request compensation, I find it ridiculous to complain about a dirty fork or a handful of employees not smiling at you when they walk past. You've got to be joking?

 

My wife had to send back her knife in the MDR that had food stuck to it.

Just certain little things when you spend good hard earned $$ then to receive sub-par service amenities. Attention to detail is what I thought cruises were all about. (It was our first cruise)

 

Only two more days until I call RCI back since they are supposed to call by Friday. Not really sure what it's going to accomplish but it will be my $0.2

 

Hope you have a better one than we did!

[seatraveler1]

The overall comments about Enchantment appear to be very good about food, service and cleanliness but that doesn't mean something might not go wrong on a particular cruise (items break, new crew etc). I certainly would have a big issue if the A/C was not working or if I received dirty dishes daily which I have never encountered on a cruise.

 

I have received dirty silverware and dishes on other cruises and especially land based restaurants once in a while as it's not a perfect science and sometimes the dishwasher may not do its job the greatest if two items get lodged next to one another. If it happened multiple times over and over then I would start questioning the washing process, but once in a while things can happen.

 

Now I am not making excuses for dirty dishes, but we have had a back kitchen tour and watched them placing the dirty dishes in the automated dishwasher and someone on the other end taking the "clean" dishes and placing them in a rack and it was a fairly fast process so they could keep up with the load. I think they do overall look at the dishes for cleanliness, and the dishwasher mostly does a great job, but it is almost impossible to look at every piece individually to determine cleanliness when you have that much volume, you won't get that anywhere even in restaurants with that kind of turnover.

 

Really sorry to hear of some of these issues, but I hope you give the ship/cruise line another chance and see if it is better. I know a negative experience can easily taint anyone's opinion, and sometimes it's very hard to get over it and find that even myself with other things.