Is RC still Top Notch?

[iluvcruises]

It's been many years since we sailed on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship, . RC was our very first cruise and it left such a great impression with their wonderful service, friendly staff, etc. I remember being so impressed at dinner where on the first night I had asked for a diet soda and requested ketchup for my meal, and every night after that, when I would come to our table, there sat a glass of soda and the bottle of ketchup. We are finally sailing on RC again (Grandeur of the Sea) and I am curious to hear from other passengers, if service and great staff still exists on this cruise line. Thanks for any info!

[wieslaw]

It's been many years since we sailed on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship, .

 

How many ?

[Lilyrosemum]

It's been many years since we sailed on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship, . RC was our very first cruise and it left such a great impression with their wonderful service, friendly staff, etc. I remember being so impressed at dinner where on the first night I had asked for a diet soda and requested ketchup for my meal, and every night after that, when I would come to our table, there sat a glass of soda and the bottle of ketchup. We are finally sailing on RC again (Grandeur of the Sea) and I am curious to hear from other passengers, if service and great staff still exists on this cruise line. Thanks for any info!

 

This kind of service still happens on Royal Caribbean ships, but it depends on your servers. We still get "top notch" sometimes but not always. We have cruised 2000-2014 @ 25 times on Royal Caribbean and have sailed other lines as well, just to give you my perspective.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

It's been many years since we sailed on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship, . RC was our very first cruise and it left such a great impression with their wonderful service, friendly staff, etc. I remember being so impressed at dinner where on the first night I had asked for a diet soda and requested ketchup for my meal, and every night after that, when I would come to our table, there sat a glass of soda and the bottle of ketchup. We are finally sailing on RC again (Grandeur of the Sea) and I am curious to hear from other passengers, if service and great staff still exists on this cruise line. Thanks for any info!

 

It is definitely still possible to get that great service, however sometimes, you many get a not-so-good waitstaff. With that said, I find the smaller ships, like the Grandeur, to have better service overall.

[SeaPeaInn]

No it is not top notch.

 

However you can still get soda and ketchup.

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

The answer is both yes and no. The smaller the ship, the better the service imo. Hop on a smaller Celebrity cruise ship (owned by RCCL) to Alaska and it will be like sailing 20 years ago. I went on a cruise with my dad to Alaska two years ago. On the first night my father asked what night was escargot as he loved them. The waiter came back with two orders for my father and then had two orders of them ready for him every night of the cruise after that. On the flip side if you jump on one of the mega ships to the Eastern Caribbean the service tends to be poorer. Those waiters are just slammed with a ton of people to take care of including a higher number of families with kids who can be high maintenance. There are always exceptions, but generally that is what I have found.

[FLACRUISER99]

It's been many years since we sailed on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship, . RC was our very first cruise and it left such a great impression with their wonderful service, friendly staff, etc. I remember being so impressed at dinner where on the first night I had asked for a diet soda and requested ketchup for my meal, and every night after that, when I would come to our table, there sat a glass of soda and the bottle of ketchup. We are finally sailing on RC again (Grandeur of the Sea) and I am curious to hear from other passengers, if service and great staff still exists on this cruise line. Thanks for any info!

I say yes. However due to cost cutting by RCI the staff just has to serve more folks causing some decline of the service compared to a few years ago. IMO this has happened on all cruise lines. Edited October 15, 2014 by FLACRUISER99

[jkrislc]

I have wondered the same thing given that my last cruise on RCI was in 2005, yet I have three cruises booked on the line in the next year. Generally, I have seen a decline in service and MDR food quality. At the same time, I've seen a reduction in fares, so the former is understandable. Comparatively, though, RCI seems to charge a premium compared to its competitors on comparable itineraries. We actually ended up on Disney twice because it was a better value comparatively speaking. However, I am looking forward to getting back to RCI.

 

In general, though, I find many of the cruise lines to be more comparable than different.

[debbs0723]

I think it depends a little on definition of top notch. I'm not sure any cruise line (other than the really expensive smaller ones) provide the same experience that they did years ago. As compared to other lines though I think they are as top notch as they can be considering how big they have gotten. People go on and on about Disney but I didn't feel it was any higher quality than Royal but it all depends on what ship and what waiters you have as to how things can go.

 

Our waiter on Navigator of the seas a year ago was nice enough but not great but his assistant waiter was. We actually had really great staff help us in the Windjammer last time that stood out more. Do I miss when food was actually super awesome on cruise ships and we had a wine steward? Yes, but not enough to say that Royal is not a great cruise line. I guess I'm still a big kid at heart because I will happily trade that kind of service for all the bells and whistles (toys) that the ships have now.

 

Top notch is really in the eye of the beholder.

 

Debbie

Edited October 15, 2014 by debbs0723

[Ocean Boy]

This is a question that is not easy to answer as it depends on what your past experience has been and the service team that you happen to get now. Years ago we had horrible MDR service on a cruise we did on Mariner. Compared to that cruise RCI is far better than it has been in the past. We have also had amazing service in the MDR on one of the cruises we did on Explorer. Compared to that cruise things these days may not be as good. It is al relative. But we have certainly not been unhappy with the level of service that RCI is providing over all.

[davy jones]

You will receive good service. "Top Notch" is a relative term.

 

 

You will not get the level of service provided by luxury lines that are 2 to 4 times the cost of an RCI cruise, nor should you expect it. RCI ships are just too big.

 

However, service like you describe does still happen if you have traditional dining, or MTD with the same wait staff every night. The people that serve you daily usually learn your preferences quickly and strive to meet them.

[bouhunter]

We first cruised RCCL in 2005 or 6 and have been every year since. We have seen what many here have pointed out in regards to the "cut backs" - fewer welcome back gifts, fewer towel animals, pillow chocolates, etc, etc. Hasn't bothered us in the least, still GREAT cruises. That said, we have noticed, particularly the past two years, fewer staff (pool waiters, etc). Again that hasn't mattered to us but it appears to be quite obvious. On our last cruise 3/14 the staff in Windjammer seemed to be MUCH reduced. Fewer people serving drinks, clearing tables, etc. That cutback was noticeable and troublesome. There does seem to be a lot of cost cutting going on and the changes are there. If the staff cutbacks continue it could very well impact our vacation plans in the future. In fact we recently cancelled an RCCL cruise for this winter and will be trying Celebrity for the first time instead.

 

As for employee service, all the waiters and room stewards have still been great - no complaints!

Edited October 15, 2014 by bouhunter

[SeaPeaInn]

The OP thought that getting a diet soda and ketchup each night was "Top Notch".

 

By that definition all cruise lines qualify.

[AlanFromFL]

... I remember being so impressed at dinner where on the first night I had asked for a diet soda and requested ketchup for my meal, and every night after that, when I would come to our table, there sat a glass of soda and the bottle of ketchup. We are finally sailing on RC again ...

 

On our most recent cruise aboard Majesty OTS, our Diet Cokes were waiting for us at the table after the first evening; our waitstaff was excellent. Alas, I fear that this kind of personal, attentive, proactive service will disappear with the demise of fixed seating.

[mark290]

It's been many years since we sailed on a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship, . RC was our very first cruise and it left such a great impression with their wonderful service, friendly staff, etc. I remember being so impressed at dinner where on the first night I had asked for a diet soda and requested ketchup for my meal, and every night after that, when I would come to our table, there sat a glass of soda and the bottle of ketchup. We are finally sailing on RC again (Grandeur of the Sea) and I am curious to hear from other passengers, if service and great staff still exists on this cruise line. Thanks for any info!

 

I get the point you are making but it seems like it has to

be pointed out to the literal few that it was not the ketchup and soda

that impressed you. I am betting that it was this extra detail that was

just one part of the top notch service you received.

 

On may cruise last Spring, Enchantment, I received this type of service.

About a year ago on Freedom I did not at first but had it corrected

and service for the rest of that cruise was top notch.

[dz9yvr]

Nope, RCL is not Top Notch and never really was top Notch. RCL has always been average. The sad part is that the avergae is dropping in quality.

[RetiredMailman]

I still like the staff members on RCL. I really and truely get the impression, for the most part, they WANT to serve you and want to assist you in any way, and any time. Of course there have been exceptions when I have asked for something special in the dining room. They have cut back on the free mints at turn down each evening, cut the bathroom amenities out. So overall I think they are the best, but there is also so many cruise lines out there that I haven't tried.

Side comment, why don't cruise lines go Calif. to Fla. through the canal during summer months so school age kids could visit. So educational. We will be doing our first trip through the canal next April. But we can't pull the kids out of school for basically three weeks for the trip. Anyone know?

[JimAOk1945]

Although we have not been cruising on RC as long as others, we have been quite happy with the service and over all experience. We have another RC cruise booked for next year that we are looking forward to.

 

Cruising is a great way to relax and explore the world.

[ryano]

Nope, RCL is not Top Notch and never really was top Notch. RCL has always been average. .

 

As a fairly new cruiser and in an effort to make a more articulated post in this thread, the above statements puzzle me.

 

In another thread titled "Is RCI trying to attract more upscale cruisers?" many seasoned cruisers say that RCI use to be "top notch" and upscale. Im just wondering which is true.

 

For less than 100.00 per person per night, I would never roll onto an RCI ship expecting a luxury cruise experience and 5 star dining. With that said, I have never anything other than what I would consider excellent service and I actually enjoy the food onboard for the most part.

[TheMastodon]

It's all in the eye of the beholder.

 

Just get on the damn ship and enjoy yourself. They pour great drinks, and the food is decent. What more do you need?

[George C]

I was away from RCCL for 5 years ( we are diamond) most of that time I was on Hal. I returned last April on the Navigator. Was a little shocked on how dress code disappeared, many people wearing shorts in MDR for dinner, very few people dressing for formal night. But for the most part the rest was good, food in MDR was better than I had remembered, was a little disappointed in entertainment, except for the ice show ( which is not on all ships ). But liked it enough to book another few cruises on RCCL.

[Ocean Boy]

I was away from RCCL for 5 years ( we are diamond) most of that time I was on Hal. I returned last April on the Navigator. Was a little shocked on how dress code disappeared, many people wearing shorts in MDR for dinner, very few people dressing for formal night. But for the most part the rest was good, food in MDR was better than I had remembered, was a little disappointed in entertainment, except for the ice show ( which is not on all ships ). But liked it enough to book another few cruises on RCCL.

 

Of course that has nothing to do with the service that RCI provides aboard their ships.