No longer feel like "Royalty"

[Nessa1dc]

This is your letter to send however you deem fit.

 

If you were unhappy, then you should let them know. Everyone's opinion is different.

 

I personally don't think their prices are that low....so I don't see why the cuts in certain things.

[Paulette3028]

A good point. from my own experience, the Cruise is the time for me to find the absolute most oddball thing on the MDR menu that I might try because I just might like it - and there were some out-there Curry dishes on the Radiance Hawaii-to-Vancouver trip. Even our waiters-- the guys were Indonesian and Malaysian-- were asking me "Are you sure?" the first couple nights. Have only once been let down enough to ask for a substitute entrée.

 

So where some might say they can't find anything they like on the menu, my philosophy is "I'll just keep trying new stuff until I can!" ;)

 

I like this perspective of dining on a cruise....ordering something new and have your taste buds experiment.....what is the worst thing to happen....you need to ask for something else.

[mommabean]

Have you tried the "sweet and sour vegetarian chicken chunks" yet? I could not bring myself to order that one, in spite of my curiosity.

 

 

Yes! I love them.

[Rocknsoul]

The food wasn't very good, in our opinion. That, and the shape of the ship was our biggest complaints. Instead of building new ships all of the time, why don't you take some of that money and keep the older ones in better shape, or sell them. I can remember RCI on my first trip... We couldn't get over the fact that almost everywhere we looked (behind the scenes, for the most part) there were crew members cleaning, painting, wiping something down all day long.

 

The wood in the room was well worn and the bed was very uncomfortable (hard, and we could feel the crack where the bed comes together). We had to ASK for robes.

 

You took away the nice welcome back gifts, lowered the crown and anchor amenities, even took away the stationary, the mints on the pillows, and so much more.

 

... Keeping your prices a little more than the other cruise lines will make the people that don't care about the classiness take Carnival again. Instead, I'm hearing more and more good things about the ships I always looked down on.

 

For the record, everything that you missed on your Grandeur cruise has been there on most of our Carnival cruises: delicious food, constant cleaning, comfortable beds, chocolates on the pillows, a welcome back gift, robes in the cabin--we were in regular oceanview cabins, and we're only gold status with Carnival. With few exceptions, the crew have always made us feel like we're very special; I even believe I felt like royalty once or twice!

 

I'm not suggesting you sail Carnival--I agree with others that Celebrity would likely give you what you've been looking for--but it appears from your letter that you see that looking down on ships you've never sailed was a waste of energy. ;)

 

That said, if your letter communicates to RCI what you miss about their product and they no longer do it for you, I say let them know and go try some new lines to see if you like them better. What do you have to lose? The obvious choice is Celebrity with the perks you've already earned, but I have a friend who loves HAL and sails them pretty exclusively. She took a cruise with Oceania and wishes she could sail them all the time. The fact you're willing to pay more opens up your options. Go for it! Happy sailing! :)

Edited November 13, 2014 by Rocknsoul

[mustangjoe]

The chocolates on the bed were nice. The grand midnight buffet was nice. However, I don't miss the chocolates and from what I could see with the midnight buffet,there was a lot of wasted food and time, which the cruise line could put to better use.

 

DW and have always had good experiences with RC and will continue to sail with them.

 

However, if your experience was not up to your standards, there are many other lines to choose from.

[Paulette3028]

The chocolates on the bed were nice. The grand midnight buffet was nice. However, I don't miss the chocolates and from what I could see with the midnight buffet,there was a lot of wasted food and time, which the cruise line could put to better use.

 

DW and have always had good experiences with RC and will continue to sail with them.

 

However, if your experience was not up to your standards, there are many other lines to choose from.

 

I have to concur with you, I don't really miss the chocolates (even though they were a nice touch). Since I am a chocoholic, I could never resist eating them (yum yum). But those were some of the most wasteful calories to eat. The midnight buffet, I was never hungry enough for, and I can only imagine the amount of wasted food.

 

And DH and I continue to cruise Royal, because we enjoy the overall experience of it.

[SunshineCruiser24]

Keeping your prices a little more than the other cruise lines will make the people that don't care about the classiness take Carnival again. Instead, I'm hearing more and more good things about the ships I always looked down on. Sure, because Royal Caribbean is lowering its prices to fill all of these new ships and consequently having to cut costs - then its quality is no better.

 

Please don't try Carnival. I wouldn't want to risk sailing with someone who sounds so snobby.

[SunshineCruiser24]

For the record, everything that you missed on your Grandeur cruise has been there on most of our Carnival cruises: delicious food, constant cleaning, comfortable beds, chocolates on the pillows, a welcome back gift, robes in the cabin--we were in regular oceanview cabins, and we're only gold status with Carnival. With few exceptions, the crew have always made us feel like we're very special; I even believe I felt like royalty once or twice!

 

I'm not suggesting you sail Carnival--I agree with others that Celebrity would likely give you what you've been looking for--but it appears from your letter that you see that looking down on ships you've never sailed was a waste of energy. ;)

 

That said, if your letter communicates to RCI what you miss about their product and they no longer do it for you, I say let them know and go try some new lines to see if you like them better. What do you have to lose? The obvious choice is Celebrity with the perks you've already earned, but I have a friend who loves HAL and sails them pretty exclusively. She took a cruise with Oceania and wishes she could sail them all the time. The fact you're willing to pay more opens up your options. Go for it! Happy sailing! :)

 

I've always had robes in the cabin on carnival, even when I booked the cheapest bunk bed room I could find, on my first cruise.

Edited November 14, 2014 by SunshineCruiser24

[tlatrice]

please don't try carnival. I wouldn't want to risk sailing with someone who sounds so snobby.

 

 

lol!!!

[CT Sean]

This thread was started in October of 2013, and I often wonder if the OP actually went on another cruise line, and what they had to say about it in comparison to Royal.

 

According to the OP's signature, they are on a Oasis right now and have a Legend OTS cruise in March - guess they decided RCI wasn't that bad after all.

[StarSong]

When are travelers going to realize they are travelling with humans, not God. Humans make mistakes and have bad days just like you or I do. Do you think all the staff from the Phillipines did everything perfectly when their thoughts were with family back home during the recent tragedy? Do you ever consider that maybe that staffer has a son or daughter back home who just had a birthday they missed? For goodness sake, give people a break. I often think during my cruises that there are few passengers who could survive one day of the work schedule the cruise staff endures. Why not be grateful that we have the opportunity to relax and let the little hiccups just roll off our backs. My philosophy is the more I can praise a staffer, especially when they have a bad day, the happier I will be, and maybe it will give the staffer a little umph to go a step further.

 

Sent from my SCH-I915 using Forums mobile app

 

Agreed. I try to never complain about a particular individual, even one that has more than a few bad days in a row. My feeling is that the person will eventually trip himself up without any assistance from me. Better still, maybe, just maybe he will straighten out his act before coming to a bad end.

 

The idea of contributing to someone's downfall, even if deserved, is greatly abhorrent to me. Praising someone for a job well done, however, is an absolute pleasure.

 

I'm not up for sainthood, but rather am appreciative of all the breaks, second chances and benefits of the doubts others have bestowed me. Am also trying to keep my karma good. ;)

[TubbyMrT]

I'm with you. Too me, its the little things that make the cruise better than the competition. A mint, stationary, a pen, larger bar of soap, many ply toilet paper. These would barely cost $5 for an entire 7 day cruise. Airlines are the same way. I pay $$$$ for a first class seat and they serve me Cheerios for breakfast. For that kind of money they cant come up with a better meal? Sad, so sad.

 

Fact is that prices will continue to rise and service will continue to decline as long as the Customer allows it to happen. Unfortunately, once the Customer is lost, it is often too late to earn them back. Customers need to speak up!

 

I imagine that your stateroom attendant would wipe down the balcony area if you would have asked.

[biomedbob]

Why do you need a robe? :confused:

[willing292]

We've cruised the Grandeur four times over the past fourteen years. No real complaints.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Missus Makkem]

Why do you need a robe? :confused:

 

because the towels are to small!

[flpab]

We don't eat in the dining room. We had a great dinner on Chops this month. I kept waiting for it to be an epic fail after reading the reviews. I wanted to go back another night but my husband wasn't getting dressed up again. The Windjammer and park cafe were great. You should try that next time. I made a meal off the antipasto bar one night. So yummy. We had an inside cabin and it was divine for the price. I didn't like that all the entertainment I wanted to see was so late at night. Trivia was always packed and we didn't get to see Cococay again so slept most of Sunday. They need to amp up sea day a bit.

 

I bring a pool towel back to the room. Great for wrapping up after a shower.

Edited November 14, 2014 by flpab

[mollyeilis]

Have you tried the "sweet and sour vegetarian chicken chunks" yet? I could not bring myself to order that one, in spite of my curiosity.

 

I have. It's delicious. The chik'n product is a bit weird in feel, but then I'm used to Gardein products (which are great). The *taste*, though, is fabulous.

 

 

 

 

 

*********************************

I'm sure it was addressed in all the previous pages (I read the first page then went back from the end for 3 pages) but just in case it helps someone out there...it's spelled "stationery". Please oh please. Stationery. With an E.

[Lady Chew]

I use the robes as chair covers on the chairs or loungers on our balcony ... that way I don't have to go fetch a towel.

[Big_G]

I have. It's delicious. The chik'n product is a bit weird in feel, but then I'm used to Gardein products (which are great). The *taste*, though, is fabulous.

 

 

 

 

 

*********************************

I'm sure it was addressed in all the previous pages (I read the first page then went back from the end for 3 pages) but just in case it helps someone out there...it's spelled "stationery". Please oh please. Stationery. With an E.

 

Maybe he likes the ships stationary and not the ship's stationery. ;) :D

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited November 15, 2014 by Big_G

[CruizAddct]

I vowed not to come back to this thread after the horrible way people have accused me of being snobbish, etc, but someone followed me to the Allure thread and asked my opinion of this cruise I just got off. It was very nice. It amazed me how Not crowded I felt. The service was superb and I was told that the crew was hand-picked and that wouldn't surprise me. I would probably cruise her again given the opportunity. Thanks to all of you who read my original post in the manner it was written and treated me like a human being rather than someone to abuse. For those who chose otherwise, you can go hit a pillow and take out your frustrations there. :-)

Edited November 17, 2014 by CruizAddct

[Paulette3028]

I vowed not to come back to this thread after the horrible way people have accused me of being snobbish, etc, but someone followed me to the Allure thread and asked my opinion of this cruise I just got off. It was very nice. It amazed me how Not crowded I felt. The service was superb and I was told that the crew was hand-picked and that wouldn't surprise me. I would probably cruise her again given the opportunity. Thanks to all of you who read my original post in the manner it was written and treated me like a human being rather than someone to abuse. For those who chose otherwise, you can go hit a pillow and take out your frustrations there. :-)

 

So I guess we can infer from reading this, that the experience you had on Grandeur which initiated this thread, is but a long over memory that has been replaced by memories of a much better experience on another Royal ship. Glad to see that and hopefully your experience on your next Royal cruise will be as enjoyable.

[CruizAddct]

So I guess we can infer from reading this, that the experience you had on Grandeur which initiated this thread, is but a long over memory that has been replaced by memories of a much better experience on another Royal ship. Glad to see that and hopefully your experience on your next Royal cruise will be as enjoyable.

 

Yes, I guess I would have to say so, at least this ship. Thanks...

[Paulette3028]

Yes, I guess I would have to say so, at least this ship. Thanks...

 

Glad to read -- a ship is a ship....the staff/crew makes all the difference. The ships gives you the opportunity to have a wonderful cruise, the crew/staff on board make all the difference is my feeling.

[ProfessorEFFE]

CruizAddct: I pretty much agreed with your Original Post. I just got off the Brilliance today. As I read the responses one from Tapi hit me. I have only been on 4 Royal Caribbean Cruises, I thought to myself. Why not just stick with Celebrity. I like their offerings. Aquaclass has the Blu dining room which we love. This is not to bash RCCL. It's the demographic that they are aimed. I didn't have a bad cruise at all. But if I want the little things, go where they are. I found nothing wrong with your letter. It was sincere.

 

I am glad you posted it!!