Possibly looking to book RC, but Nervous at what I see...

[Renken]

Returned last week from a last minute 3-nt. Enchantment cruise. Hubby and I loved it! It was the PERFECT 3-day getaway cruise. This was our 5th RCCL cruise, in addition to Celebrity and Carnival. Quite a mix of cruiselines!

 

The staff and crew were pleasant, helpful, and attentive. The food was actually good! The Bahama Mama rocked! My favorite Swiss Muesli for breakfast was sublime- fresh apple and banana slices, grapes, plus all the dried apricots, figs and nuts I added in. Loved! There's even a Starbucks aboard in case you crave their coffee! And the self-help ice cream machine by the pool called my name over and over again.:rolleyes:

 

We had an awesome time at Coco Cay. We strolled over to Barefoot Beach, and couldn't believe there were 3,000 passengers off the ship! There were maybe 10 of us swimming about in the gorgeous crystal clear Caribbean waters. Hubby even brought me a drink to enjoy while I lazily swam about- I never did that before!

 

The entertainment, though not as tight as a Broadway show, was still... entertaining. The comedian let loose at the late show.;)

 

Our outside cabin was fine. As long as I didn't accidentally drop the soap in the shower.:p The cabin steward left our cabin spotless each day.

 

My only complaint was that we had to get off the ship when our cruise was over.:( :D

 

There will be issues, no doubt- *stuff* happens- but, all I can say is, I'll be sailing RCCL again.:)

Edited August 31, 2014 by Renken

[deliver42]

I used a TA for my first 2 cruises, then started booking direct. I never had a problem, including the 2 that I have booked now. The only time I even had to call was on the Serenade coming up because it was on a future booking, and I wanted to make sure I got the reduced deposit and OBC. It was no problem at all. Try RCCL, and you probably won't go back. It's a great product on board.

Enjoy your cruise, and don't worry so much.

[Barbiegator]

We are young, seasoned cruisers and were looking to possibly book RC to get away on a short cruise. We typically sail NCL (did RC when I was a kid), but none of their short ones would work for us.

 

I automatically came to the board on CC to get info on RC, but all I see are issues. People having their cabins taken away due to overbooking, people with FCCs that corporate isn't honoring, not to mention a flawed reservation system.

 

I understand a few unhappy people, but this seems to be systemic?

 

Should I look to RC for another cruise (I have 2 booked with NCL right now for the whole family, but this would be an 'us' cruise), or should I suck it up, stay with NCL or look for another line?

 

I appreciate your honest responses!

 

Hunter

 

You will find much to like about RC. Do not worry.Activities for all ages.Sure you will love this cruise line.Some people just like to complain.Look at our signature and all the RC cruises we have taken. Happy on all of them.

[hunterjackson]

Hunter, we are Platinum on NCL and Diamond Plus on RCCL. I have found that I like the RCCL product better and we keep booking our 2-4 cruises per year on RCCL. I have never had issues with the reservation system, customer service, or any of the other things. Over the years some of the rules have changed and some people haven't assimilated the changes. In other cases RCCL has rules about on board credit transferring when you change your reservation. Then, there are always IT issues and people slam them for any mistake or inconsistency. Heaven forbid if they make a change to the Loyalty program. Even if it's an improvement people complained. I liked cruising on NCL too but I believe RCCL has more innovative ships and appeals to a wider demographic.

 

 

Thank you for all of the responses.

 

The ships are what is drawing us. More to do, more to say. Granted, NCL has their ships as well, but those iteneraries dont interest me.

 

I understand complaints, but as one poster put it, I am worried about the COMPLAINTS! Just wanted to see if it is systemic or just a once in a while thing.

 

Everyone has an issue, or so it seems on CC...but i have never had an issue really big.

 

I greatly appreciate the positive and honest feedback!

[rtazz17]

We are young, seasoned cruisers and were looking to possibly book RC to get away on a short cruise. We typically sail NCL (did RC when I was a kid), but none of their short ones would work for us.

 

I automatically came to the board on CC to get info on RC, but all I see are issues. People having their cabins taken away due to overbooking, people with FCCs that corporate isn't honoring, not to mention a flawed reservation system.

 

I understand a few unhappy people, but this seems to be systemic?

 

Should I look to RC for another cruise (I have 2 booked with NCL right now for the whole family, but this would be an 'us' cruise), or should I suck it up, stay with NCL or look for another line?

 

I appreciate your honest responses!

 

Hunter

Just like most forums a large number of people who join like to complain.The older you get the more you complain mostly about nothing.

 

But most people are not part of a forum and enjoy their cruise.I have never had one problem with rccl on any of my cruises and have zero complaints.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

You will find much to like about RC. Do not worry.Activities for all ages.Sure you will love this cruise line.Some people just like to complain.Look at our signature and all the RC cruises we have taken. Happy on all of them.

 

So you are saying that when you book an OV gty and the cruise line puts you in an inside cabin that you shouldn't complain?

 

Also if they give you a letter offering you a discount on a future cruise and then won't honor you shouldn't complain?

 

While i agree once you get onboard the RCI ships things go very smothly, their ships, beautiful, and the entertainment top notch but getting through the booking process can be one major pain in the pants.

 

Bill

[LMaxwell]

There definitely seems to be a recent uptick in RCI either silently changing or not adhering to their own published policies, and subsequent poor handling of guests. Overall I think RCI offers a great vacation, I enjoy their ships, staff, and ports of call, but let's call a spade a spade, over the past few months RCI has done some offputting things and been less than forthright in addressing issues.

[budmeister]

I love RC. We have been on about 8 cruises and most ship types. People like to complain. People are more likely to post a problem or complaint than say " all was well - or awesome". I think this is just the nature of lot's of people and most forums.

[rhuntington3]

I don't believe is a systemic problem. Sometimes the cruise line does change their policy and doesn't communicate with the public. Issues that do arise and that do get reported here on Cruise Critic do generate a lot of response due to the sheer number of people that are a part of the forums.

 

Please go ahead and try a cruise of RCCL. I'd say you would have a fabulous time.

 

35 more days and I'll be exploring Allure of the Seas. Can't wait.

[josumello]

Have been on both lines. We felt NCL really nickled and dimed way too much. Food which is subjective was not good in M D R. Everyone traveling with us agreed and we are a pretty easy group to please. Also wait staff in M D R was completely overwhelmed and overworked. We divided to try the speciality restaurants and had same results. However we did enjoy the entertainment but it was on a par with RCL. Have been on all main stream lines and would rate NCL just above Carnival.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[EatSleepCruise]

We are young, seasoned cruisers and were looking to possibly book RC to get away on a short cruise. We typically sail NCL (did RC when I was a kid), but none of their short ones would work for us.

 

I automatically came to the board on CC to get info on RC, but all I see are issues. People having their cabins taken away due to overbooking, people with FCCs that corporate isn't honoring, not to mention a flawed reservation system.

 

I understand a few unhappy people, but this seems to be systemic?

 

Should I look to RC for another cruise (I have 2 booked with NCL right now for the whole family, but this would be an 'us' cruise), or should I suck it up, stay with NCL or look for another line?

 

I appreciate your honest responses!

 

Hunter

 

My wife and I have been cruising for over 8 years and have sailed on Carnival, NCL, and RCI.

 

Our preference is for RCI, for numerous reasons. We just returned earlier this year from a Western Caribbean sailing on Independence of the Seas, which we review here

 

We have received much more consistent service on our RCI sailings compared to the other brands we have tried. Really found NCL service to be poor when we sailed on the Pearl a few years back.

 

The entertainment of RCI is also better, but this depends on the ship. Larger newer ships on RCI have signature entertainment, much like NCL Breakaway and Getaway. I would say the main theater entertainment on smaller ships is probably exactly the same on RCI when compared to NCL and Carnival.

 

Food, well to us cruise food is cruise food. I am not a pick eater and have found the food on all three brands to be about the same. I have always found food that I enjoyed on any ship. Of course, there are always meals and food that were below my expectations on a cruise.

 

More and more cruises we go on we see that there are a variety of fellow cruisers of all ages. You will see families, single cruisers, younger and older folks on most RCI ships, especially the larger ships. We have never had an issue with fellow passengers and have always found the composition of our ships to be make for a fun trip!

 

I think it depends on what ships you are comparing. But, I think if you want to try RCI you can find a ship and itinerary that will be worth it.

[matj2000]

I don't consider a person with 4 cruises on only 1 cruise line as a "seasoned cruiser".....

[goodycruising]

I take the things on these boards as experiences to learn from. We love RCI, and have we had issues, hell yes! Did the good out weigh the bad? Totally yes!

 

There is a lot of staff dealing with a lot of customers that are turning over quickly. We are all human, some of us in our own jobs at home have similar issues. I am not a perfect person every day towards the people I deal with. I don't get perfect service everywhere I go on a weekly basis. Is it always someone else's fault...well...no.

 

I think if I am armed with the things I learn on here, good and bad, then I firstly know what is the usual thing to expect, and also, how to resolve some of the things that come up.

 

If you don't have a FCC, well that isn't going to be a problem when booking a short cruise that you talk about. You need to pick a trip that suits you and give it a try. :)

[MrsPete]

Speaking only for myself, I've never encountered any of the problems you say you fear -- and I always book my own cruises. My biggest complaint about a Royal cruise: Chair hogs.

 

Do note that about 50% of the people who post complaints fall into some rather negative categories: Some come in with unreasonable expectations, while others don't bother to read and understand the cruise contract and then are upset. And some complainers experience a small mishap and are disappointed not to receive major compensation for that trouble. The other 50% have genuine reason to complain -- this is the real world, and sometimes things will go wrong! -- but in comparison to the large numbers of people who cruise each week, these people are small in number. Chances are excellent that you'll cruise without any issues.

 

Note too, that recently we've seen a great number of complaints about new technology and upgrades: It seems that a large percentage of Cruise Critics don't welcome change, even when it's optional. I'm thinking specifically of recent threads on Dynamic Dining and wristlets to replace ship IDs. I'm thinking we have a lot of people who simply aren't comfortable with change. You'll have to decide how you feel about that yourself.

 

Your concern about lack of good choices for short cruises is legitimate. Royal does use its older, smaller ships for its shorter, cheaper cruises. I'd be willing to bet that you -- like me, like pretty much everyone else -- would prefer to sail on a newer, amenity-filled ship. However, while we may not like that, I think we do understand the economic reasoning.

Edited September 1, 2014 by MrsPete

[hunterjackson]

I don't consider a person with 4 cruises on only 1 cruise line as a "seasoned cruiser".....

 

Would be happy to list out the ones I did in the 90's, as you have, but I was in elementary school and middle school...just have the ones listed since I got married.

 

Notice, said young, seasoned cruisers.

 

 

Looking at some of the newer ships, I see they only accept 4 people per cabin. On NCL, we have booked 2 bedroom suites for us and the kids, sometimes bring along a friend to help with the kids. Do any of the suites occupy 5 or 6, or would you have to get another stateroom?

[SparkleBee]

I'm just home from a RCI cruise and there was not one issue. the company did a very good job. I wrote a comparison of my experience vs. Princess in the new cruisers area. I'd feel 100% fine about using RCI. you will get the same level of complaints from most of the companies.

[cruisinfanatic]

Would be happy to list out the ones I did in the 90's, as you have, but I was in elementary school and middle school...just have the ones listed since I got married.

 

Notice, said young, seasoned cruisers.

 

 

Looking at some of the newer ships, I see they only accept 4 people per cabin. On NCL, we have booked 2 bedroom suites for us and the kids, sometimes bring along a friend to help with the kids. Do any of the suites occupy 5 or 6, or would you have to get another stateroom?

Most of Royal's ships have cabins that can occupy more than 4. you can't see them online. You have to call

[chanat]

We have cruised with RC many times and tried Carmival and Princess once each. We have decided to stick with RC from now on as we find the overall cruise experience to be much better. We esp. loved Oasis and will cruise on her again this Jan

[montana2002]

you only hear a few complaints, nothing from the happy thousands that cruise weekly and have no issues

 

I agree - most people only post bad things that happen to them. All the good things that happen never get posted. Every cruise line has things that go wrong - nothing's perfect.