No longer feel like "Royalty"

[evelyn51]

Came back to see what goes...this is the perfect example of my pet peeve on CC.

These threads should be a reflection/report of the OP's experience and opinions....but not a vehicle for correction of grammar and derogatory comments about the poster.

People should just state their opinion on the subject, not their opinion of the poster or their style of writing....just saying:cool: That's what always gets the thread going downhill:(

Everyone always has a valid opinion, just because it's not yours does not mean it is not valid. I wish we could just learn here and not burn here!;)

 

 

Totally agree! :)

[critterchick]

I sent AGoldstein an e-mail today as this thread touched on that topic, and sure enough, I received a reply that was personalized to me in 2 lines.

 

I have a 1% belief that he actually read my e-mail/responded to it for two reasons:

 

1) He in no way describes in any detail any of the content the video link I sent him (which he mentioned as a "nice video"). This is a classic sign of a PR/customer service rep who reads e-mails and responds to them as fast as possible.

 

2) He responded at 5:56 PM. Normally, that wouldn't be a huge issue but this means if this e-mail was vetted and sent to him, he looked at it at 8:56 PM since he resides in Miami-Dade.

 

Assuming we all accept that e-mails are filtered and sorted, and ones of importance are actually sent to Adam, this leaves room for 3 explanations:

option a - Adam burns the candle at both ends, doesn't spend his off hours with his family and instead looks to answer e-mails during his on and off hours instead of worrying about multi million dollar decisions.

option b - He actually answered ryano's e-mail, and mine was selectively answered by a PR/customer service rep

option c - A PR/customer service rep always answers all of them

 

a is not really logical for a Princeton/marketing genius who would be efficient, b seems very complicated with far too many variables for sorting, whilst c presents the most likely answer for myself.

 

If people still want to believe Adam answers some e-mails personally after knowing this, that's fine. But if you want results, I urge others to address them while they occur on the ship.

 

One of the most well known posters here actually commented on his e-mails before: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=15700487&postcount=4

 

Sound familiar?

 

DJ is a Princeton/marketing genius (don't tell him I said so:p) and I will only be able to pry his phone out of his cold, dead hands - he will answer texts and emails any time that he's awake, and it would not suprise me if Adam did the same. Not all advances in technology are for the better. I have emailed Adam twice - once I received an email that I am certain was from him, and the other time I received a call from a corporate person who was careful not to say that he had forwarded it to her.

[KarinaGW]

..but not a vehicle for correction of grammar and derogatory comments about the poster.

 

Totally agree on latter, totally disagree on former...sort of. The OP posted a letter (s)he sent/was intending to send and asked for feedback. No one actually criticized the grammar...they criticized the format.

 

Paragraphs exist for a reason. They break your thoughts up into relevant meaning. They break up the visual monotony of plowing through lines of verbiage.

 

If one is trying to convey information and reasoning, it behooves one to make it easy on the reader so that they don't wander away out of boredom or confusion. Personally, I forced myself to read through the OP's letter because I, as an individual, was interested in seeing the points raised (I do agree that examples and not generalities are also useful..it feels less like complaining more like one is actually trying to be helpful).

 

But, imagine, if you will, for just a moment, that you are the poor RCCL schlep whose job it is to slog through the thousands of emails per day trying to decide which ones had merit and should be moved up the food chain. Which is easier to read? The previous up to this point or what follows:

 

Totally agree on latter, totally disagree on former...sort of. The OP posted a letter (s)he sent/was intending to send and asked for feedback. No one actually criticized the grammar...they criticized the format. Paragraphs exist for a reason. They break your thoughts up into relevant meaning. They break up the visual monotony of plowing through lines of verbiage. If one is trying to convey information and reasoning, it behooves one to make it as easy on the reader so that they don't wander away out of boredom or confusion. Personally, I forced myself to read through the OP's letter because I, as an individual, was interested in seeing the points raised (I do agree that examples and not generalities are also useful...it feels less like complaining more like one is actually trying to be helpful). But, imagine if you will, for just a moment, that you are the poor RCCL schlep whose job it is to slog through the thousands of emails per day trying to decide which ones had merit and should be moved up the food chain.

 

I guarantee, from having had similar jobs, that the poor maybe-slightly-more-than-minimum-wage-worker-bee's eyes are going to glaze over at the latter and ditch it.

 

Could respondents have responded more usefully than "Paragraphs are your friend" with no further explanation? Of course...it's part and parcel with why the OP would have been better off to include specific examples.

Edited October 26, 2013 by KarinaGW

[halos]

I guess my family is still pretty "new" to cruising and just do not expect as much or miss the little extras. .

 

Being new makes a big difference. It's not like the OP is complaining, comparing Royal to another line, she is comparing Royal to itself. She had a level of expectation that wasn't met.

 

Having been through this myself on another line, I suggest her branching out. The OP has only sailed Royal at this point, it's time for some variety. She may discover another line that suits her needs, or she may discover that Royal isn't as bad as she thought it was, and go back to them.

 

I do think the letter could have been cleaned up a bit too. I started to lose interest after the first 6 sentences and I imagine whoever she sent it to will as well. This is not being said to be nasty to the OP, this is a PSA for anyone who writes to any company.

Reread your letters prior to sending...do it a day after you've written it. Then go back and edit with a clear head. It makes a world of difference.

[ARCruisinNana]

Reread your letters prior to sending...do it a day after you've written it. Then go back and edit with a clear head. It makes a world of difference.

 

Very good advice:)

[halos]

Very good advice:)

 

LOL

Yeah. Now if I'd only learn to heed my own advice when posting on cruise critic. :p

[monkey_wants_banana]

DJ is a Princeton/marketing genius (don't tell him I said so:p) and I will only be able to pry his phone out of his cold, dead hands - he will answer texts and emails any time that he's awake, and it would not suprise me if Adam did the same. Not all advances in technology are for the better. I have emailed Adam twice - once I received an email that I am certain was from him, and the other time I received a call from a corporate person who was careful not to say that he had forwarded it to her.

 

I'm curious, how were you certain the e-mail was from him? Now it has me thinking that this e-mail may have been from him.

 

Also, I just checked my phone and got a call from someone thanking me for the e-mail (don't want to leave the name here, but if you PM me I will give you # and her name) and she admitted she is one of four representatives who respond on his behalf. Again, everything from my personal experience is

1) letters as complaints don't matter as much as complaining at the moment/on the ship/at the event (so criticizing format is sort of irrelev)

2) that if he has an entire team, its more likely he is not seeing any of the e-mails.

 

I could be wrong as some people are coming forth saying "they know" - but again I'd like to know what evidence there is.

[mommabean]

I'm curious, how were you certain the e-mail was from him? Now it has me thinking that this e-mail may have been from him.

 

Also, I just checked my phone and got a call from someone thanking me for the e-mail (don't want to leave the name here, but if you PM me I will give you # and her name) and she admitted she is one of four representatives who respond on his behalf. Again, everything from my personal experience is

1) letters as complaints don't matter as much as complaining at the moment/on the ship/at the event (so criticizing format is sort of irrelev)

2) that if he has an entire team, its more likely he is not seeing any of the e-mails.

 

I could be wrong as some people are coming forth saying "they know" - but again I'd like to know what evidence there is.

 

I got a reply once 2 or 3 years ago on a weekend that said it was from his iPhone. My comment was brief. His answer was even briefer. I'm sure it was from Adam as I don't believe his assistants are working on the weekends and using his iPhone or replying in a non-form letter format using his name and from his iPhone in their signatures.

 

Gina

[Colorado Babe]

A few years ago we had some issues on one of our cruises and I wrote to Adam and received an email response back shortly thereafter and a phone call. I do believe he reads his emails.

[critterchick]

I got a reply once 2 or 3 years ago on a weekend that said it was from his iPhone. My comment was brief. His answer was even briefer. I'm sure it was from Adam as I don't believe his assistants are working on the weekends and using his iPhone or replying in a non-form letter format using his name and from his iPhone in their signatures.

 

Gina

 

I had pretty much the same experience. He has stated publicly that he reads his emails, and I believe him. I suspect that he forwards plenty of them after reading the first line or paragraph, if the email presents an issue or problem that needs attention.

 

I'm curious, how were you certain the e-mail was from him? Now it has me thinking that this e-mail may have been from him.

 

Also, I just checked my phone and got a call from someone thanking me for the e-mail (don't want to leave the name here, but if you PM me I will give you # and her name) and she admitted she is one of four representatives who respond on his behalf. Again, everything from my personal experience is

1) letters as complaints don't matter as much as complaining at the moment/on the ship/at the event (so criticizing format is sort of irrelev)

2) that if he has an entire team, its more likely he is not seeing any of the e-mails.

 

I could be wrong as some people are coming forth saying "they know" - but again I'd like to know what evidence there is.

 

I didn't say that I "know," I said that I am "certain." That makes it a matter of belief, not an assertion of fact.:). But it wasn't an email that needed followup; in fact, I was a little surprised to get any answer at all. But when I went off on the incompetence that permeated the renumbering of cabins on Rhapsody, causing many people to lose their prized aft junior suites, I got a call from a corporate representative. Who, I might add, spouted a load of carp and offered no meaningful solution. But at least they haven't made the same mistake since..

 

And I don't think that CC has a PM function. It would be nice if it did.

Edited October 30, 2013 by critterchick

[Thetrail]

Did you go on the Grandeur lately, apparently NOT. THAT's the ship I was critiquing and therefore you don't have an equal opinion to compare to it. I would expect those larger ships to do a little better. I've NEVER complained about RCI food before. This is my FIRST time and I have to get wrapped up arguing with someone as sarcastic as you to question all of my statements, but I just read your recent posts and it seems that you do that a lot... sorry for you. Might I suggest you try to remove some of the negative sarcasm in dealing with others so that you don't get everyone else as upset as you have me! Have a "nice" day...

Sarcasm is a bit different than my curiosity about the why's and how's of some posts. I take many of theses posts with a grain of salt. Stir the pot at times to get a response, maybe:D. Some folks take the bait, others know by now. You more or less know from experience whether certain posts have merit or not, or if certain posts are from "trolls". That you clarified some of your earlier posts, thats great and as far as you being upset by my retorts I'm sorry to hear that. As far as being sorry for me , please don't, I have a nice day evey morning that I wake up.;) ...K.O....(By the way enjoy your cruises and hope the dining experience returns to the standard you have come to expect.)

[RoyalC]

Came back to see what goes...this is the perfect example of my pet peeve on CC.

These threads should be a reflection/report of the OP's experience and opinions....but not a vehicle for correction of grammar and derogatory comments about the poster.

People should just state their opinion on the subject, not their opinion of the poster or their style of writing....just saying:cool: That's what always gets the thread going downhill:(

Everyone always has a valid opinion, just because it's not yours does not mean it is not valid. I wish we could just learn here and not burn here!;)

 

I agree,

 

but the OP said this letter was sent to RCI which changes the game. If you want your letter to be taken seriously, or read by someone at the cruise line, then grammar and proper writing style is very important. Keep your letter short and easy to read. Stick with

important facts- bullet them if you have a lot. The OP makes very good points, but it is not communicated well.

[pcur]

I agree,

 

but the OP said this letter was sent to RCI which changes the game. If you want your letter to be taken seriously, or read by someone at the cruise line, then grammar and proper writing style is very important. Keep your letter short and easy to read. Stick with

important facts- bullet them if you have a lot. The OP makes very good points, but it is not communicated well.

 

Then you really don't agree with becciboo, because you really don't have the right to correct anyone's grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. It's actually one of this board's policies, as a matter of fact.

[dealer9296]

I think you have actually hit on something that a lot of people are feeling. I have one more night to be Diamond Plus which I am achieving next week. But today I started looking around at other lines for prices and I do not believe that RCCL prices are that much cheaper than the industry comparing apples to apples. You can find deals on all lines. It is sometime the little things....like doing a Suduka puzzle after you're dressed for bed and your little white pen is not in that top desk drawer. I don't mind bringing a pen but there was always that one there if I needed it. BTW: I don't do shows or drink......but where is my pen. :-).

 

Question: Are we or are we not suppose to get the bathroom toiletries anymore. I never know......Just would like to know if it is company wide or my steward.

[dealer9296]

I'd like to try Princess and Holland America!

 

Holland America has some great prices for Dec. and Jan. 7 days $699.00

 

Sorry! No Chocolates......but....

 

SIGNATURE TOUCHES IN EVERY STATEROOM

◾Spacious, elegantly appointed staterooms, many with private verandahs

◾Luxurious Mariner's Dream™ beds and premium linens

◾Daily housekeeping to tidy belongings and keep staterooms immaculate

◾Large, extra-fluffy Egyptian cotton towels

◾Lighted magnifying mirrors; massage showerheads; salon-quality hair dryers

◾Luxurious terry cloth bathrobes

◾Elemis Aromapure "Time to Spa" bath amenities

◾Televisions with DVD players

◾Generous storage

◾Safes for your valuables

◾Complimentary fresh fruit

◾Complimentary 24-hour in-room dining

◾Nightly turndown service

◾Complimentary shoeshine service

◾Complimentary ice service

[pcur]

I'd like to try Princess and Holland America!

 

We have been on 2 Princess cruises, one of which was 28 nights. It's a very nice cruise experience, but the ship's designs don't match RCCL's. Great food and service, much more flexibility with itineraries, and attractive ships. They just tend to be smaller feeling, especially inside. Just the way they are designed, I guess.

 

The outside promenade decks are much narrower, too, and not a good place to sit and ocean watch: lots and lots of walkers all day long in a narrow space.

 

Otherwise, we loved our two Princess cruises.

[Familygoboston]

I think you have actually hit on something that a lot of people are feeling. I have one more night to be Diamond Plus which I am achieving next week. But today I started looking around at other lines for prices and I do not believe that RCCL prices are that much cheaper than the industry comparing apples to apples. You can find deals on all lines. It is sometime the little things....like doing a Suduka puzzle after you're dressed for bed and your little white pen is not in that top desk drawer. I don't mind bringing a pen but there was always that one there if I needed it. BTW: I don't do shows or drink......but where is my pen. :-).

 

Question: Are we or are we not suppose to get the bathroom toiletries anymore. I never know......Just would like to know if it is company wide or my steward.

 

I miss the pen too:( I steal one off the housekeeping cart every time I cruise:eek:

[OCruisers]

Have you ever ... even back in the "ole" days felt Royal on RCCL? :confused:

 

LuLu

~~~~

[Shilee11]

We went on our first RCL cruise in May (Radiance of the Seas, Hawaii), had been on only Carnival before that, I must say that carnival blows RCL away!! The only thing that RCL was superior to Carnival was the ship itself. The service was horrible, coffee was the worst I have ever had in my life, and the food....was so so. Never had I ever thought that RCL service would be terrible but it was, we couldn't get anyone to take our drink order ever!! Have a Southern Caribbean cruise booked for January (with Carnival)! As far as classy, yes RCL ship did have it but I prefer having good service, good food, good ports, and great prices!

[homeschoolmama]

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

[mugtech]

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

 

ditto

[boaterette]

I work in a department that responds on behalf of our CEO. We have to make sure that the responses seem like they are from him. He has never read one of them. We get all the correspondence that is sent to him from his executive assistant.

 

As far as comparing what is now with what was then, we can do that about just about everything in life. You bought a tv decades ago it was built to last for decades. You buy one now and it breaks down after a few years and you go buy another one. Things back then were built to last and now they are just disposable.

 

I started cruising in 1994 and then you could skeet shoot off of the ship. Can't do that now. They had a get together for newlyweds where they served cake and champange free of charge, they don't do that now. You could smoke in the dining room, can't do that now.

 

Thing is that everything changes with time. We can either choose to roll with the changes or live in the past. Doesn't mean we have to like them. We just have to acknowledge them and move on.

[laseiber]

shows are a minimum of 2 1/2, usually 3 hrs after dinner start. Dinner at 6 and shows at 9. Not always, but typical.

Dinner service doesn't take 2 hrs unless someone at the table is ordering multiple appetizers, mains, etc.

 

I guess you have never had that waiter that just couldn't get it together. On my cruise on Freedom, there were 4 of us, and 2 other people that occasionally showed up. at the table, and no we didn't order more than one of anything (we tried) but our waiter wouldn't let us do it. She didn't even suggest anything other than what we ordered. Our service was so slow that the waiter from a neighboring table inquired where our waiter had gotten too on more than one occasion. Not what I was used to on the Exployer of the Seas where we requested the same waiter on every cruise, that he knew our preferences and if we ordered something that he knew was not up to par, suggested an alternative. He knew what we liked and brought it if we had forgotten to order it. Will surely miss our favorite waiter who has moved on to one closer to his home in India. One reason for poor service or inconsistent service is that the waiters and assistant waiters are rotated, meaning that the waiter gets a different asst waiter each cruise. They don't get a chance to work together over a period of time. Maybe they should change this. The fastest service along with a great waiter and asst waiter was experienced with my time dining table for 2, just daughter an I on Exployer of the Seas cruise to Bermuda. We were in an out within an hour and half and we ordered on some occasions more than one appetizer and entree and dessert. So it can be done with the right waiter and assistant waiter.

[Bobbyjean]

We went on our first RCL cruise in May (Radiance of the Seas, Hawaii), had been on only Carnival before that, I must say that carnival blows RCL away!! The only thing that RCL was superior to Carnival was the ship itself. The service was horrible, coffee was the worst I have ever had in my life, and the food....was so so. Never had I ever thought that RCL service would be terrible but it was, we couldn't get anyone to take our drink order ever!! Have a Southern Caribbean cruise booked for January (with Carnival)! As far as classy, yes RCL ship did have it but I prefer having good service, good food, good ports, and great prices!

 

Totally agree with you! Carnival all the way. Actually, I prefer Carnival's ships though. They might be "tacky" but it's all part of the fun. :)

[NJcruisenewbie]

I'm curious, how were you certain the e-mail was from him? Now it has me thinking that this e-mail may have been from him.

 

Also, I just checked my phone and got a call from someone thanking me for the e-mail (don't want to leave the name here, but if you PM me I will give you # and her name) and she admitted she is one of four representatives who respond on his behalf. Again, everything from my personal experience is

1) letters as complaints don't matter as much as complaining at the moment/on the ship/at the event (so criticizing format is sort of irrelev)

2) that if he has an entire team, its more likely he is not seeing any of the e-mails.

 

I could be wrong as some people are coming forth saying "they know" - but again I'd like to know what evidence there is.

 

Of course he has a team. Every CEO has a team to handle correspondence. I've personally worked on a correspondence team for a corporate CEO several years ago. Every piece of correspondence was answered. We had a database of legally approved responses to the most common complaint, question, praise, etc. Serious issues were handled on a case by case basis by a manager. The CEO was given a daily report of correspondence trends and volume as well as a bullet summary of serious issues and their resolution. Often he asked to see a piece of correspondence and would personally respond to them.