Maybe our last Royal caribbean cruise! Freedom 4th April 2010

[Paul65]

Actually, I could say the same about your post. Coming from a marketing background, I can tell you that "one's perception is their reality" is one of the basic credos of any advertising department.

 

It's pretty simple. If you take a cruise and your perception of the cruise was that "it was lame". Then, the reality of it for you was "it was lame". You had a lousy time...get it?:confused::rolleyes:

 

OK. But that's not exactly the way you phrased it before. You said something like, "if you perceive these things to be wrong, then they are wrong." That is what I disagree with. For example, if you perceive that you should be able to leave your trash on the balcony and expect the cabin steward to take care of it for you, that doesn't make it so. You should not be leaving stuff out there. Sure, it may still be your perception, and it may be "real" to you, but you might still be wrong. Your implication seemed to be that we should attempt to alter the OP's perception of things, because they're HIS perceptions, which makes them right. Sometimes, people's perceptions are misperceptions.

[Paul65]

The ugly cheerleaders are getting worse. :(

 

:rolleyes:

[Jerseyboy1]

Sometimes, people's perceptions are misperceptions.

 

Fine, that can often be the case. I was just saying that what the OP or anyone else perceives or (understands to be true) of something becomes the reality of the situation for THEM.

 

I don't necessarily agree with everything the OP said, but just said that if he thought he had a bad experience then he had the right to complain.

[matj2000]

The OP has some valid points and everyone tries to trivialize them. Just because some of the complaints don't relate to you(smoking, mini bar, early bar closing) does not mean that they are not important. And someone saying "at least you don't have to cook or clean" is the worst reply when you spend thousands of dollars for the cruise.

As for the dishes on the balcony, glasses & bottles don't blow away and the steward should go out there every day. It's his job.

Also, how does anyone know if they were doing work on the balconies? Maybe it was the phillipinos....

I would write a letter to RCCL. Give names & dates.

[Paul65]

The OP has some valid points and everyone tries to trivialize them. Just because some of the complaints don't relate to you(smoking, mini bar, early bar closing) does not mean that they are not important. And someone saying "at least you don't have to cook or clean" is the worst reply when you spend thousands of dollars for the cruise.

As for the dishes on the balcony, glasses & bottles don't blow away and the steward should go out there every day. It's his job.

Also, how does anyone know if they were doing work on the balconies? Maybe it was the phillipinos....

 

First of all, I was the one who commented about the fact that things like smoking, mini bar and early bar closing wouldn't relate to me, but it was in the context of saying that it's just interesting to me how different things are important to different passengers. It wasn't an attempt to say these things are trivial, because they don't affect me. In reality, the cruise experience depends upon the fact that different things are important to different passengers. Otherwise, it wouldn't work, because everyone would be trying to do the same things, and those things would be overcrowded.

 

As for the balcony, it is a fact that you are asked not to leave dishes on the balcony. If you leave them anyway, the cabin steward should probably go out there and get them anyway, even though it's really NOT his job. He/she shouldn't have to pick up after you on the balcony, because you're expected to pick up after yourself. It's really not THAT hard to pick up your dishes and move them inside the cabin or set them outside your door in the hallway.

 

And nobody said that they KNOW they were doing maintenance on the balconies (except, perhaps, the one poster who was on the same cruise and got a notice about work being done on the balconies). It was just speculation about why the doors would have been locked. That seems like a very logical explanation. Maybe it was the Filipino maintenance crew....

[nikinakinoo]

 

2. Blood stained bed covers

 

 

ok while im quite laid back and dont complain about much, im sorry this would get my back up. The room steward should have noticed the stains when making the bed and changed them before the op noticed. I may have just given the "Ewww" response if I had paid for a motel and was staying in a motel because with that "you get what you paid for" but im sorry FOS isnt cheap, to expect clean sheets isnt a petty grumble

[LParente]

I don't consider myself a RCCL cheerleader at all. It was my first cruise with them and I'd certainly try other lines. Anyone who had a less than satisfactory experience should definitely let their concerns be known. I do stand by the working on the balconies statement though. I left a swimsuit out to dry and there was a knock on my balcony reminding me that they would be working and I needed to bring everything in.

[RevSmith]

OP...if you informed RCI of the current problems and then you came to CC to imform us...well good for you. Maybe if enough people do that RCI will make an effort to change some of the things you are upset about.

I'm cruising on the Freedom in two months, I certainly hope I do not experience the same things you do...I don't stay up late, but my sister does, she will be disappointed if everything shuts down at one in the morning...I will be regisering a complaint if things are not up to RCI's standard, which is usually much better than the experience you discribed.

[framboesa]

Hello!

If you prefer other cruise line, cruise in other cruise line...so simple;)

[octagonmike]

Well, after 5 great cruises, number 6 turned out to be a BIG disappointent.

 

Without going in to too much detail, here are the best (or worst) bits!

 

1. Very unwelcoming lady at the pier check in

 

2. Blood stained bed covers

 

3. No personalisation as previous cruises. Not once were any of us asked our names

 

4. 4 open balconies closed mid cruise, and guest relation blamed the 'Phillipinos'!

 

5. ALL bars closed by 1am, every night! We complained several times but nothing was achieved. The DJ told us he didnt need the job, hes going to bed so were finished, in a busy night club. One night were told by an officer, who stopped the music himself, im up early so ure done, this is my area so deal with it, I make the rules! Even the bar staff didnt want to close!

 

6. Balconies not cleared of cups/bottles all week

 

7. Mini bar filled up the day before we left, even though we had things out on the first day.

 

8. Photographers who insisted on taking photos when asked to leave us alone.

 

9. A smoking policy that, on formal nights limits smokers to one bar on deck 14!

 

10. A meduim rare steak in the dining room, which would easily have been mistaken for well done!

 

 

Not what we are used to, and, after taking 4 people who have bever cruised before, we felt like liars! We built the cruise up to be something it wasnt. How things have gone down hill in only 3 years.

 

On the plus side, the English pub entertainment with Shane Tapper and our assistant waitress Natalie were excellent

 

 

With all due respect if you think the English Pub is the best thing on the ship then what is the point of even going away seeing as like me you are from England.

 

For what it's worth I wouldn't allow ANY smoking indoors on the ship at all.

[klingoncruiser]

So... one bad cruise and the whole line is off your list. Wow..... you will run out of cruise lines pretty soon if you keep this plan up. :rolleyes:

[Paul65]

ok while im quite laid back and dont complain about much, im sorry this would get my back up. The room steward should have noticed the stains when making the bed and changed them before the op noticed. I may have just given the "Ewww" response if I had paid for a motel and was staying in a motel because with that "you get what you paid for" but im sorry FOS isnt cheap, to expect clean sheets isnt a petty grumble

 

It certainly sounded bad, but given that much of the original complaints have turned out to be less than they sounded at first, I wouldn't be surprised if the same was true of this. Balconies closed mid-way through the cruise implied that they were without the use of their balconies for a good part of their cruise. Instead, we find out they came back to find them locked, contacted guest services and someone was sent to unlock them. The thing with the mini-bar turned out to be just that they weren't restocking it all through the cruise. But all you have to do is ask . . . . I wouldn't assume, based on this guys pattern, that "blood stained bed cover" means there was something terribly obvious. Heck, I sleep in bed-stained sheets every day at home, because I had a boo-boo on my toe one day that left a small dot of blood on the sheet, and the stain didn't come out completely in the wash. Somehow, I don't think his bedding looked like a murder scene. Let the guy have his rant, but just understand that it was probably not as bad as he's trying to make it sound.

[Aquahound]

ChrisUK - In reference to the locked balcony partitions, is it possible they opened all the partitions one day to clean the balconies, then came back and closed them all, not knowing which ones were previously opened? That's my assumption based what I've seen happen in the past.

 

Blood stained bed covers - that one would have upset me. The room attendent should have caught that.

[krisko]

Funny how almost none of what you mentioned would be a downer for me, as I don't stay up until 1am, don't care about the mini-bar, don't smoke, don't mind having my picture taken and don't leave my balcony littered with cups and bottles. The stained bedding would be an ewwwww, but as long as they didn't mind changing them for me, it would be quickly forgotten. The restricted smoking would benefit me, and the overcooked steak would just be sent back to be corrected. If it only happened once, I would barely think to mention it in a cruise review, but if they consistently had trouble cooking to the requested doneness, it would be a problem. The lack of friendly staff calling me by name would be a bit of a disappointment.

 

Why even make a post like this? I can see how EVERY one of the OP's complaints is valid.

 

Every time somebody complains about a cruise, the RCI fan club comes on and essentially belittles the OP. Why?

[Debde]

To the OP;

Sorry you're catching a rashing by some. Some here have a hard time finding fault with the RCCL.

Here goes;

1.-Reception is key with any vacation be it land or sea. Sometimes grumpy check in is not the way to start any vacation.

2.-blood on the bed covers is well-enough to make me wonder what the hell else is in my room. Uncalled for.

3.-Personalization is what most want about this line. As many strive to be D because they want to feel special-why not start on cruise #5.

4.-If my balcony was closed for half my vacation-I'd be pissed to say the least. i paid for a balcony-not an ocean view.

5.-Bars closing by 1;00 stinks but i would march myself into the casino and plop my sorry butt down!!;)

6.-it's been hit or miss with the balcony actually being cleaned for us. I've always brought my stuff in but what to do with a full ashtray? they should peak out there once in a while.

7.-Ya think as soon as something left the mini-bar-they would replace it so you would buy more stuff??

8.-i've learned not to make eye contact with photographers. If they stil come after you-the linda Blair look works well-minus the pea soup!!:)

9.-Smoking on only one deck would have my husband for sure not stepping on a RCCL again.

10-food-send it back dude!!

 

I think what got some of the natives restless is you said you were not coming back. personaly-I don't know why this gets folks in an uproar more then sometimes understanding ones dissapointment with a vacation.

 

Some of your points were just and some of us do get it.

 

Beautiful thing is-it is our money to spend as we choose. for some-something like this will have them never stepping back on a RCCL ship when there are so many other vacation options to choose from.

 

I'm very lucky to never have had anything realy bad happen to me to make me not return to RCCL but I'd be foolish to say that will never happen.

[krisko]

OK. I really am not a "cheerleader" for Royal, but that's about the most lame comment I've ever heard. No, your perception of what is right and wrong is not reality. :rolleyes:

 

You are wrong. We don't get to decide for ourselves if we were wronged or if something is not right? Personal perception is the ONLY 'reality' that matters.

[tracysue]

I don't think it is a case of belittling - maybe a better way of looking at things.....

something goes wrong every single day - at least 10 times.... granted - no fun when on vacation....

but when someone has a couple issues...i guess the question that comes to my mind is "why does it all have to be a slam".... did nothing go right? NOTHING? you're in the caribbean, sun is out - you're with your family..... what could get better.

it is not a matter of being the "fan club" - just maybe a little better way of looking at things so they don't have to be so "harsh".

[Paul65]

Why even make a post like this? I can see how EVERY one of the OP's complaints is valid.

 

Every time somebody complains about a cruise, the RCI fan club comes on and essentially belittles the OP. Why?

 

The point of a post like mine is to remind people that you can't always take the comments of an upset person at face value. Take Debde's post above for example. She, too, assumed that balconies were closed for half the cruise, as I originally did. But we have since found out that was not the case at all. They were left locked (probably by a maintenance crew) and were reopened after it was reported to guest services. Not saying the complaints were invalid, but some of them were not quite as they appear at first reading.

[octagonmike]

Why even make a post like this? I can see how EVERY one of the OP's complaints is valid.

 

Every time somebody complains about a cruise, the RCI fan club comes on and essentially belittles the OP. Why?

 

 

This is of course very true and to be honest I would be seriously pissed off (and will be next month) if they are shutting up shop in the bars, disco and/or Casino at 1AM.

 

It is very true that you aren't allowed to post the truth on this message board and all the others on the Cruise Critic site.

 

However, in this instance I see little to complain about apart from the early shutting up of bars. Obviously bad food and service needs to be complained about but it needs to be sorted as soon as it happens.

 

I also was a little cheeky with my comment about not wanting smoking ANYWHERE on board as I have in fact recently given up and am now one of those annoying ex smokers :D

[Paul65]

You are wrong. We don't get to decide for ourselves if we were wronged or if something is not right? Personal perception is the ONLY 'reality' that matters.

 

Nope. That is absolutely incorrect. If my personal perception were that I paid for my balcony, and I should be able to leave anything out there that I want, I would be wrong. Or if my perception is that it's MY vacation, and I should be able to smoke wherever I want to, I would be wrong. If someone told me I was "Platinum" and pointed up toward a line that I should be in for preferred check-in, should I break in front of 40 other platinum and diamond people in that line, because my perception is that "this is where they pointed me?" (Yes, that happened at the check-in for my recent cruise. A group cut right in front of us, and a few people in line tried to explain where the back of the P/D line was. But this group's perception was "this is where they told me to go." We dropped it and didn't get into an altercation, but the perception was WRONG.) Saying that your personal perception is all that matters is a dangerously wrong attitude to have.

 

I'm not an idiot, though. I do understand that perception DOES matter. If you feel like you had a bad cruise, then it was a bad cruise for you. In that sense, it is true that perception is everything. But sometimes the things that you may think were "wrong" about your cruise may have happened for a good reason. If you learn to understand that, you will probably be a happier person than if you stick with, "if it's not MY WAY, it's WRONG."

[Paul65]

It is very true that you aren't allowed to post the truth on this message board and all the others on the Cruise Critic site.

 

Actually, you can post whatever you want, as long as it stays within community guidelines. But you can't control what people's responses will be. So, you have to be prepared for people to question your posts or ask for clarification or even disagree. In the same way, you can't question or ask for clarification or disagree without being prepared to be called a cheerleader or be otherwise insulted.

[octagonmike]

Actually, you can post whatever you want, as long as it stays within community guidelines. But you can't control what people's responses will be. So, you have to be prepared for people to question your posts or ask for clarification or even disagree. In the same way, you can't question or ask for clarification or disagree without being prepared to be called a cheerleader or be otherwise insulted.

 

 

And WOE BETIED anyone that should not be a Diamond Member !!!! :eek:

[marci22]

2.-blood on the bed covers is well-enough to make me wonder what the hell else is in my room.

 

Some of your points were just and some of us do get it.

 

I completely agree.

 

On IOS just last week, we had a problem with the bedding (btw the room steward was not chatty but he did get everything done and anwered all my requests promptly).

 

We were in 2 JS. All the beds had thick pads on top of the actual mattresses. In one case, after noticing an 'off odor', we took off the sheets and discovered that there was a rather large urine stain, that had originally soaked completely through the pad (was dry by this point) near the head of the bed. :confused:

 

We asked the room steward to change it, which he did promptly, and gave us a less-stained one ;). Needless to say, we were not quite so comfortable in our rooms then, as when we had first arrived. It is just not something you want to find in an otherwise clean-looking room.

 

I debated whether or not to call the head of housekeeping but I really did not want to spend time complaining about something when the steward was prompt to change it out.

 

I also received a requested feather pillow that really smelled awful: that stayed in the closet.

 

We looked at all the bed pads, and all had some amount of staining, although none smelled as terrible as that first one.

 

I have to say that I was extremely disappointed about this episode, and I will email Royal about it when I get a chance.

 

I really don't blame the steward as who knows if this was his room on the prior voyage and he did change it promptly. I'm sure they are told to leave the pads alone unless someone directly complains.

 

btw I just emailed them, lol. (re-living it was incentive, I suppose)

[klingoncruiser]

35 cruises on RCL and 3 have been disastrous. However we will continue to sail with them as we like most of what they have to offer. We have had our worst cruises with Celebrity, and yet, we still sail with them. Stuff happens and we write it up when it does. Most of the time, it is the ship, not the line.

[SamFritz]

Sorry you had a bad time. I am a loyal RCCL cruiser, but I must admit things have gone downhill, especially in the food department. On my March cruise on the Mariner, the steaks were always well done no matter how you ordered it. Prime rib was tough and tasteless, and way over cooked. Once again sorry you and yours were so disappointed. Get ready to get knit picked to death.

 

I just wrote a lengthy review of our cruise on Granduer last week. It was tremendous! I felt like they are coming back up hill after this one. Prime Rib was the best ever. All the food was good. My only complaint was that our waitstaff was a little underattentive to our table.