Royal Caribbean - The Nickel and Dime Cruise Line

[wwcruisers]

Now that they made it convenient to pay to have my teeth whitened, acupuncture, a shave, haircut, massage, own "fine" artwork, decorate cupcakes, build a scrapbook, make jewelry, blow stuff a sea pet, get temporary tattoos, and rent a stationary bike for "spinning", I'm ready for that heart bypass and brain tumor removal in the forward salon.

 

LOL -- and don't forget the two-for-one electro-shock therapy special (port days only)! :D ;)

[cjdixon4]

Iwannavacation -

First of all, let me say in your defense (not that you need it) that I respect your perspective and your right to express it. I'm sorry that your vacation was a waste of your time and money; and I only assume that because it doesn't appear that there was one day that went well for you. If there was, there was no indication of it in your cruise assessment. I, however, have some concerns about your post. :confused:

 

You expressed your displeasure with the food/beverage quality. I understand that every RCI cruise doesn't hit it out of the ballpark all of the time. But if someone serves you ice cold pancakes, a spoonful of hash browns, and milk instead of the requested half & half, you ought to SAY SOMETHING. Those food/beverage issues are not purely subjective, like whether the coffee is any good, or the quality of the Windjammer. Your issues are service-related, and should be addressed immediately. On the spot. You didn't state that you did that.

 

The staff sent you to 2 different locations for your son's muster station band replacement. You were told to go to the opposite end for a Diet Coke. Unless it didn't really bother you to have to walk all over the ship for it....did you EXPRESS YOUR DISPLEASURE about it to someone? Vehemently? Or did you simply shrug your shoulders and walk away?

 

The "nickel and diming" piece kind of threw me for a loop. Yes, things have changed on Royal Caribbean as they have in many industries. The only thing that is a constant is change. There are seemingly additional charges for EVERYTHING and very few freebies anymore. I get it.

However, you stated,

"Selling bottled water at dinner the instant we sat down

Selling $35 cook books at dinner

Setting down to breakfast and having them immediately try and sell fresh squeezed orange juice

Though we did not partake, lobster and premium steaks are now only available for an additional price (e.g., $19.95"

 

At any point did you simply say NO THANK YOU, and proceed with your meal? Did you ask your server to 'cease and desist' before they began the sales pitch? If not, then you set your own self up for disappointment.

No room service menu in your room, no final check-out bill, deteriorating stage shows (purely subjective)...there may be other things that you didn't include in your post. What did you do to resolve anything negative that happened to you....did you saturate Guest Relations with your presence? It's been my experience that they tire of seeing your face after a while, and they move like 90 going north to keep you from stopping at their desk. After you left the ship, did you CALL the Corporate Offices? Have you WRITTEN a letter? It almost seems as though you need some cheese with that wine (whine)....:confused:

 

It seems to me that since you have already decided that Royal Caribbean is a low scale, poor quality, nickel n' dime outfit, then you don't really have a vested interest in changing what you see as challenges at RCCL. But you want the rest of us to "rally the troops" against RCCL? Your statements about "If we as consumers allow Royal Caribbean to charge for the smaller things, pretty soon it will be everything." and "If we keep taking it, we'll keep getting it" seem disingenuous, since you've already decided to move on to Holland America permanently. Good luck with Holland America....I just wonder what you'll do when THEY disappoint you. My thoughts only.

[beachnative]

Iwannavacation -

First of all, let me say in your defense (not that you need it) that I respect your perspective and your right to express it. I'm sorry that your vacation was a waste of your time and money; and I only assume that because it doesn't appear that there was one day that went well for you. If there was, there was no indication of it in your cruise assessment. I, however, have some concerns about your post. :confused:

 

You expressed your displeasure with the food/beverage quality. I understand that every RCI cruise doesn't hit it out of the ballpark all of the time. But if someone serves you ice cold pancakes, a spoonful of hash browns, and milk instead of the requested half & half, you ought to SAY SOMETHING. Those food/beverage issues are not purely subjective, like whether the coffee is any good, or the quality of the Windjammer. Your issues are service-related, and should be addressed immediately. On the spot. You didn't state that you did that.

 

The staff sent you to 2 different locations for your son's muster station band replacement. You were told to go to the opposite end for a Diet Coke. Unless it didn't really bother you to have to walk all over the ship for it....did you EXPRESS YOUR DISPLEASURE about it to someone? Vehemently? Or did you simply shrug your shoulders and walk away?

 

The "nickel and diming" piece kind of threw me for a loop. Yes, things have changed on Royal Caribbean as they have in many industries. The only thing that is a constant is change. There are seemingly additional charges for EVERYTHING and very few freebies anymore. I get it.

However, you stated,

"Selling bottled water at dinner the instant we sat down

Selling $35 cook books at dinner

Setting down to breakfast and having them immediately try and sell fresh squeezed orange juice

Though we did not partake, lobster and premium steaks are now only available for an additional price (e.g., $19.95"

 

At any point did you simply say NO THANK YOU, and proceed with your meal? Did you ask your server to 'cease and desist' before they began the sales pitch? If not, then you set your own self up for disappointment.

No room service menu in your room, no final check-out bill, deteriorating stage shows (purely subjective)...there may be other things that you didn't include in your post. What did you do to resolve anything negative that happened to you....did you saturate Guest Relations with your presence? It's been my experience that they tire of seeing your face after a while, and they move like 90 going north to keep you from stopping at their desk. After you left the ship, did you CALL the Corporate Offices? Have you WRITTEN a letter? It almost seems as though you need some cheese with that wine (whine)....:confused:

 

It seems to me that since you have already decided that Royal Caribbean is a low scale, poor quality, nickel n' dime outfit, then you don't really have a vested interest in changing what you see as challenges at RCCL. But you want the rest of us to "rally the troops" against RCCL? Your statements about "If we as consumers allow Royal Caribbean to charge for the smaller things, pretty soon it will be everything." and "If we keep taking it, we'll keep getting it" seem disingenuous, since you've already decided to move on to Holland America permanently. Good luck with Holland America....I just wonder what you'll do when THEY disappoint you. My thoughts only.

 

This is an EXCELLENT response and on with which I totally agree, especially the last paragraph.

[joe6666]

This is an EXCELLENT response and on with which I totally agree, especially the last paragraph.

 

I'll bet the cruise line keeps close track of how many people buy staterooms and how much those customers are willing to pay.

 

That's the bottom line.

[saltwaterhappy]

There was no room service menu in our room (it had been torn from the book). We were told there were no replacement books on the entire ship!

 

 

Ours was missing one time, too - we just turned the tv to the channel that lists all the room service menu offerings.

[beachnative]

I'll bet the cruise line keeps close track of how many people buy staterooms and how much those customers are willing to pay.

 

That's the bottom line.

 

Yes, they do keep close track and my record has served me well. I am very pleased with Royal Caribbean and especially the service I have received from their resolution department the times that I have called them.

[TBone2K]

...you ought to SAY SOMETHING. Those food/beverage issues are not purely subjective, like whether the coffee is any good, or the quality of the Windjammer. Your issues are service-related, and should be addressed immediately. On the spot. You didn't state that you did that.

 

The entire post was well said. When I'm thinking about my reviews, I consider that not everything will be perfect. Given that, the way the problem is handled is sometimes more important than the things that were right to begin with.

[Dave4120]

There is an old saying that however you program your mind, determines the results.

 

Did she FEEL she had major issues? YES! Should her comments be a blanket statement for all other future cruisers, or past cruisers? NO!

 

We've all had excellent and poor experiences on our cruises, but, it is how you handle it, and what you make of it. It would seem to me, that some people, not everyone, but, some people always feel that they should be treated with royalty. In most cases, that will never happen. And, I'm sure, it never happens on a normal land vacation either, or, even in our own home environment. So why, be so demanding, or critical of so many things, that many other people don't even have a second thought about?

 

I feel her comments were a bit overboard, and, not something that is the norm because everything that was brought out as a complaint, has never happened to us, so how can anyone make it sound like the norm.

 

Every cruise is different, every cruise employee can act differently day to day, the food and service could be a bit different day to day. However, with thousands of people on a ship at the same time, my hats off to them for doing what they do so well. Yes, there are bad days, but we have them back home and at our own work place too.

 

As the book reads....Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.

[cellyml12]

Why are people that dont EVEN cruise Royal Caribbean posting on this thread and complaining? :rolleyes:

 

Ridiculous.

 

Because maybe they are lurking to get info, so they can make an informed decision about booking a cruise. I'm doing on that on several cruise lines right now to make a decision on a future cruise. Sometimes people have an opinion about about things that aren't exclusive to one cruise line, but all cruise lines, like being nickeled & dimed. Just saying...

[maxxedout2]

>>>>>>>>>

As for my family, we are taking our Royal Caribbean Platinum status and moving to Holland America permanently.

 

 

Cutbacks, upsells, bottom lines, their bonuses and

shareholder satisfaction...sums up corporate aims.

 

Let's hope Carnival never buys Royal Caribbean!

:eek::eek:

[sailnsee]

JUST SAY NO THANK YOU,i don't mind the 5and dime when i get $350 off of a bal. on my next cruise,that's a lot of nickels and dimes,it goes both ways!

[emmacruises00]

I agree.

[cruisn4bruisn]

The OP hasn't even responded to any thoughts or comments since creating the thread. They obviously just wanted to complain without really wanting any feedback. A bad day at sea is better than any day at work

[grand isle joe]

...I always wondered what happened to that book with the missing menu?......:confused:

[orville99]

...I always wondered what happened to that book with the missing menu?......:confused:

 

The book is now missing, but the menu's back:D

[grand isle joe]

The book is now missing, but the menu's back:D

 

 

 

....talk about Bizzaro World.......strange........:eek::D:D

[hubofhockey]

. A bad day at sea is better than any day at work

If you have an unrewarding career.

[Paulxyz2004]

So we have revived this thread after almost 4 month to know someone agrees, though who knows what she agrees with:rolleyes:

[steveru621]

We have cruised Royal caribbean several times before, but had gone to Holland America for our last two cruises to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Baltic. We had not cruised on Royal for 6 years. (We also have cruised on Disney.)

 

We just returned from the Bayonne to Bermuda trip. To say that we were highly disappointed in the seeming transformation of Royal Caribbean from a somewhat upscale cruise line to what I've now labelled as The Nickel and Dime Cruise Line may be an understatement.

 

Not only has Royal fallen down in its service levels, it has decided to scrap every possible penny it can from customers, changing the experience to a negative one. It has also decided that it will lead the industry in transforming how cruise lines charge, and profit, from its customers.

 

First, the cruise itself. Here is what $900 a day now gets you on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

 

Coffee - Royal used to make a good Starbucks available, but now it's merely a bad Seattle's Best coffee # 3, with no other coffee option on the entire ship. The coffee is truly awful.

 

My son broke his muster station band. We were sent to guest services to get a replacement, where we were told they had none for his station. They then us to go to Adventure Ocean to get one. Make the customer do the work. Good strategy.

 

The variety of the food in Windjammer is more limited than before and of poor quality.

 

Dinner in the dining room a majority of the time tasted like airplane food.

 

I ordered pancakes at breakfast and received 2 pancakes of 3 inches in size that were ice cold.

 

At breakfast, they tried to forced our group of six to one side of a large table (instead of at the same end so we couldn't have a relaxing conversation), then telling us they don't have a choice to do it differently.

 

My wife ordered hash browns for breakfast and was literally given one spoon full.

 

We requested half and half for coffee and were frequently being given milk instead.

 

We repeatedly asked to be given 3 silverware place setting sets for breakfast for room service and were consistently given 2 (we had three people in the room).

 

We had a suite so we had a coffee maker, but it had a coffee pre-made filter for 2 cups, but we only had a one cup coffee maker.

 

We bought the soda package. On one occasion we asked for diet coke and were told the boat was "out at this end of the ship...'you have to go to the other end to get diet Coke.'"

 

There was no room service menu in our room (it had been torn from the book). We were told there were no replacement books on the entire ship!

 

We were not given a final bill for check out; when we called we were told to go to Guest Relations to get one. We also could not review the bill interactive tv as it did not work.

 

The quality of the stage shows has deteriorated very significantly ( although, in fairness, we were very impressed with the ice show).

 

Beyond the boat itself, perhaps the most pathetic change is the constant nickel and diming of passengers at every opportunity. As if RCCLis not making high enough margins. It's clear that RCCL has made a strategic decision at the highest levels to move the cruise industry from a modified "all-inclusive" format to a "let's keep billing for everything and see how far we can take it" business model.

 

A few examples of the constant attempts to sell us something;

 

Selling bottled water at dinner the instant we sat down

Selling $35 cook books at dinner

Setting down to breakfast and having them immediately try and sell fresh squeezed orange juice

Though we did not partake, lobster and premium steaks are now only available for an additional price (e.g., $19.95

 

The contrast between Holland America and Royal Caribbean is now striking. One has fine ships with superior service, terrific food, and an overall enjoyable cruise experience. The other is a low scale, poor quality, nickel and dime outfit.

 

The question for we consumers is: are we going to allow RCCL to do this and ultimately make the owners even richer than they already are, or will we stand up and say "no," your profits are already more than adequate? To say that we were disappointed with our experience is an understatement. But it goes beyond that. If we as consumers allow Royal Caribbean to charge for the smaller things, pretty soon it will be everything.

 

I realize that many cruisers become very loyal to a particular line and will defend it against a negative review. To those loyal to Royal I would only say I hope you can look at where it has gone objectively and don't take this decidedly negative review personally. If we keep taking it, we'll keep getting it. And more.

 

As for my family, we are taking our Royal Caribbean Platinum status and moving to Holland America permanently.

 

Goodbye...

 

My guess is you'll be happier with Holland America's nickel and dime. I'm sure they are all inclusive and don't charge you for anything.

 

Out of your entire rant, I counted only 5 sentences where Royal offered you an alternative at an extra cost. I use a simple no thank you, works every time, and it's not a Sea Pass wrenching experience.

 

And then, in advance, you insult others who like Royal by saying we aren't 'objective'. I don't take your review personally, but you make it difficult not to when the tone is we are sheep that should lead a revolt.

[luckyprincess]

I like Royal and for my fourth cruise coming up chose to once again go on RCCL instead of trying a new line. However, I'm in the service industry and I agree with the OP that good service (anywhere) doesn't require the customer to do the work. If there is no diet coke on one end, grab cans or get a director to fix the problem. If you have no more wristbands at the customer service desk send an employee to the children's area to get one and bring it back. Little things like that show a high level of customer service and often allow the customer to overlook any other glitches. Anyone in hospitality would agree with that I think.

 

Also I don't mind upcharging for 'better' options. It's when they purposely let the already paid for options slide and allocate less funds to the quality of it in order to push customers to the extra fee options that I have a problem. If I notice that happening I'd likely try a new line to see if I find the same thing.

[travellady09]

We are longtime RCI customers (C&A Em.) and we just canceled our Aug 31st trip on the Legend of the Seas. We discovered recently that the Cat E cabin we purchased was not the 193 SF as advertised on the RCI website. It is in fact only 153 SF . However when we attempted to resolve this issue with RCI, they would not step up to the plate and provide us with a comparable room in order to provide u...s with the quality of reservation that we purchased. But in fact wanted us to pay even more money to get it resolved. This is their error. Not the customer's. We will not be using RCI or any of their other cruise companies in the future.

 

A company needs to accept ownership of their mistakes and not ask the customer to pay MORE money to get something that they have already paid for. Bad Business practices such as this will end up hurting their business in the long run. I was always their biggest advocate in the past....but not anymore.

I'm so disappointed in RCI.....I don't feel like I can trust a company that has bad information on their sales site (false advertising?) and when they are confronted with it, tries to then get out of meeting their obligation to the customer. How could I ever trust them to do the right thing, if I were on one of their ships and something bad happened? I have lost all trust in RCI.

[cjdixon4]

Sorry about your negative experience, especially since you're an Emerald member. You didn't mention whether you wrote or emailed management about your situation?

[Ken at the beach]

We are longtime RCI customers (C&A Em.) and we just canceled our Aug 31st trip on the Legend of the Seas. We discovered recently that the Cat E cabin we purchased was not the 193 SF as advertised on the RCI website. It is in fact only 153 SF . However when we attempted to resolve this issue with RCI, they would not step up to the plate and provide us with a comparable room in order to provide u...s with the quality of reservation that we purchased. But in fact wanted us to pay even more money to get it resolved. This is their error. Not the customer's. We will not be using RCI or any of their other cruise companies in the future.

 

A company needs to accept ownership of their mistakes and not ask the customer to pay MORE money to get something that they have already paid for. Bad Business practices such as this will end up hurting their business in the long run. I was always their biggest advocate in the past....but not anymore.

I'm so disappointed in RCI.....I don't feel like I can trust a company that has bad information on their sales site (false advertising?) and when they are confronted with it, tries to then get out of meeting their obligation to the customer. How could I ever trust them to do the right thing, if I were on one of their ships and something bad happened? I have lost all trust in RCI.

 

So just how many threads have you posted your tales of woe on. This is the second that I have found in the last five minutes.

[nbsjcruiser]

You're making the proper decision for someone who doesn't like what RCI is offering, i.e. moving to another line. I always say, talk with your wallet and if enough people do so, you'll be heard eventually. Personally I feel exactly the same about Carnival and have decided to walk away in favour of RCI.

 

As far as the nickels and dimes go, a polite "no thanks" isn't so painful. I know the scams and don't partake in them. All the lines I've been on do this - NCL, RCI, Carnival, Princess. Your food observations were interesting. I find the food acceptable. Is it as good as it was 10 years ago? No. But its still acceptable to me. If it wasn't I'd move on like you.

 

Anyway, we are all entitled to our opinions. You should do what makes you happy.

[bplazo]

Hi Ken, yes I have been trying to get the word out to those who have purchased cabins on future sailing of this ship, only because maybe if they know ahead of time what to expect, they will not feel so disappointed when they get on board and discover their cabin is 40 feet smaller than what they paid for.

Someone else was kind enough to warn me, and bring it to my attention. It saved us alot of money, as we were still able to cancel and get our money back.

 

I would not take issue if the difference in the cabin size were only a few feet, however if a person is going with a family that space could make a big difference. Maybe sharing my experience can save someone else some frustration ...

 

I would think that if you knew someone was being cheated....you would want t do what you could to help them out as well. It's should just be human nature to be kind to others...;)

 

 

Have a good day

 

Did I see this on facebook, also? Sounds familiar. Size does matter.