Quantum of the seas nickel and dime-ing going too far?

[LMaxwell]

I wrote to RCI saying I thought the a la carte charges for room service items that have always been complimentary was off putting and just a step too far in the wrong direction. Eventually they wrote back and invited me to go on an older ship.

 

Mr. Bayley made quite a success for himself getting Celebrity guests to not only pay for everything but doing so happily. He is a brilliant man and most assuredly we are going to see a la carte fees on Royal Caribbean for everything.

 

By 2020 (fearless prediction) you can eat in the buffet or pay for a restaurant. Bookmark this and look me up in 5 years...

[LoneStarJeffe]

The problem is there's not nearly enough supply for the potential demand in complimentary dining.

 

Our sailing on 1st December had 3500 out of a possible 4900, we had a terrible experience on almost every one of the 11 nights onboard with dining issues.

 

The push as we know is for more $$$$ per passenger once you're onboard.

 

I'm looking forward to the reviews from the Christmas and New Year sailings as they are supposed to be more full.

 

Dining is my major concern area. My wife and I are fans of traditional dining. We like seeing the same waiter and assistant every night. So this will be different for us when we cruise on Quantum in December. But at the same time, it will be interesting to see how traffic flow across venues change by people being able to eat at different times. And how the flow from passengers departing the main dining room in the back moving to main entertainment on stage at the from the ship will change. I think we might have a much different cruise experience but not worse. If you have bad wait staff, you have bad wait staff. We will make do. For all the complaints on dining, I have never seen anyone lose weight on a cruise. :)

[LMaxwell]

For all the complaints on dining, I have never seen anyone lose weight on a cruise. :)

 

What's that got to do with standing in line every night?

[cruisenfever]

The problem is there's not nearly enough supply for the potential demand in complimentary dining.

 

Our sailing on 1st December had 3500 out of a possible 4900, we had a terrible experience on almost every one of the 11 nights onboard with dining issues.

I'm sorry to hear this. We were on the 11/23 and 12/1 cruises and never had a problem with our dining times.

Edited December 21, 2014 by cruisenfever

[beachnative]

HALF TRUTHS:

 

On the QN there are some bars that offer SPECIALTY DRINKS...one of them being the bar in 270. We ordered "regular" drinks at that bar and paid the same price as we would on other Royal Caribbean ships.

 

You do NOT have to order a specialty drink at a bar just because they are on the menu even though the $12 drink menu is prominently displayed on the counter. Order what you usually drink at the price you usually pay on other ships.

 

There are other ships in the fleet that offer Specialty Drinks (example: "R Bar" on Vision class) and you don't have to order them either.

 

Supply and DEMAND will determine the fate of $12 drinks.

 

If you want a Grey Goose Martini you will pay more than if you order Jack Daniels. We have ordered both and accept the fact that Grey Goose costs more than Jack Daniels in a liquor store.

 

Having sailed on the Quantum and having been on all but 3 Royal Caribbean ships as well as taking about 2 Royal Caribbean cruises EACH month enables us to wade through the HALF TRUTHS posted on Cruise Critic.

[GOIN2C]

I'm sorry to hear this. We were on the 11/23 and 12/1 cruises and never had a problem with our dining times.

 

 

Treatment of pax less than Pinnacle or Suites are not treated as well. You are very fortunate having achieved a difficult level for most

 

Benefits and treatment for those of us below Pinnacle and Suites have fallen to new lows

[cruisenfever]

Treatment of pax less than Pinnacle or Suites are not treated as well. You are very fortunate having achieved a difficult level for most

 

Benefits and treatment for those of us below Pinnacle and Suites have fallen to new lows

Our experience has been that we are not treated any differently than any other passenger on board any cruise we have been on.

 

As far as benefits go, PC Members receive the same benefits and amenities that D+ Members get. The only difference is that our SeaPass card is Gold and that really doesn't carry a lot of weight around the ship.:rolleyes:

[LetsGetWet!]

I wrote to RCI saying I thought the a la carte charges for room service items that have always been complimentary was off putting and just a step too far in the wrong direction. Eventually they wrote back and invited me to go on an older ship.

 

Mr. Bayley made quite a success for himself getting Celebrity guests to not only pay for everything but doing so happily. He is a brilliant man and most assuredly we are going to see a la carte fees on Royal Caribbean for everything.

By 2020 (fearless prediction) you can eat in the buffet or pay for a restaurant. Bookmark this and look me up in 5 years...

Once again we're in complete agreement. I've been making pretty much the same prediction for awhile now. Lots of little steps, all carefully calculated to be small enough to not alienate too many, along the planned path to the end goal of total ala carte pricing. Not all that far down the road, your cruise fare will buy you... a cabin to shower & sleep in, period.

[GOIN2C]

Our experience has been that we are not treated any differently than any other passenger on board any cruise we have been on.

 

As far as benefits go, PC Members receive the same benefits and amenities that D+ Members get. The only difference is that our SeaPass card is Gold and that really doesn't carry a lot of weight around the ship.:rolleyes:

 

I'm truly sorry to say that I have to disagree

 

Did you not have a designated dining room? Top tier event? Recognition? Even the chocolate covered strawberries are gone ( they don't matter lol) , just saying.

No VIP line in guest services. And if you book under military, resident, or senior rate, you balcony discount is cut. The let goes on....

 

These have been cut for us. Believe me being D+ means nothing more than some extra (cheap brand, Crystal) bottled water, on arrival.

[Bases5]

Maybe they will offer a alternative food package for room service = X $ a day, like the drink package.

 

Regular package: chips and dogs.

Premium package: wings and cold sandwich

Ultimate package: Hot Roast beef and Johnny Rocket Burgers

 

At some point we need to say enough is enough instead of

passively accepting everything they do.

[LMaxwell]

Once again we're in complete agreement. I've been making pretty much the same prediction for awhile now. Lots of little steps, all carefully calculated to be small enough to not alienate too many, along the planned path to the end goal of total ala carte pricing. Not all that far down the road, your cruise fare will buy you... a cabin to shower & sleep in, period.

 

If this continues we will end this year more in agreement than not:cool:

[GOIN2C]

Maybe they will offer a alternative food package for room service = X $ a day, like the drink package.

 

Regular package: chips and dogs.

Premium package: wings and cold sandwich

Ultimate package: Hot Roast beef and Johnny Rocket Burgers

 

At some point we need to say enough is enough instead of

passively accepting everything they do.

 

 

 

Agree!!!!!

[bob brown]

As usual, when someone points out something that used to be included in the cruise fare and now has a charge, people jump on the band wagon with the typical responses of it is your choice to use the service and there are plenty of other places to get food without an extra charge.

 

Very short sighted... of course, in my opinion.

 

That's a fair observation...good point.

On the other hand...I dined nightly in the Grande Restaurant, one of the 'free' dining rooms, and never saw any upcharge for an optional food item, that I have heard is offered on other RCI ships....

We could choose a ribeye or a tenderloin, among the other food items....

 

edit...I forgot...they also included a small glass of sparkling wine each night....

Edited December 21, 2014 by bob brown

[RocketMan275]

HALF TRUTHS:

 

If you want a Grey Goose Martini you will pay more than if you order Jack Daniels. We have ordered both and accept the fact that Grey Goose costs more than Jack Daniels in a liquor store.

 

Having sailed on the Quantum and having been on all but 3 Royal Caribbean ships as well as taking about 2 Royal Caribbean cruises EACH month enables us to wade through the HALF TRUTHS posted on Cruise Critic.

 

You make martinis with Jack Daniels?

 

BTW, read of a blind taste test of 21 vodkas conducted by the New York Times in 2005 (you can google it). The winner was, "hands down", Smirnoff. Grey Goose did not make the top 10. So, if you're concerned about saving money on a cruise and like vodka, go cheap.

[bob brown]

Our experience has been that we are not treated any differently than any other passenger on board any cruise we have been on.

 

As far as benefits go, PC Members receive the same benefits and amenities that D+ Members get. The only difference is that our SeaPass card is Gold and that really doesn't carry a lot of weight around the ship.:rolleyes:

 

What about priority on the elevator's?

With so many D+ and PC on our cruise, that was a sore point....:mad:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

+

[bob brown]

Once again we're in complete agreement. I've been making pretty much the same prediction for awhile now. Lots of little steps, all carefully calculated to be small enough to not alienate too many, along the planned path to the end goal of total ala carte pricing. Not all that far down the road, your cruise fare will buy you... a cabin to shower & sleep in, period.

 

Something like that was tried, and failed a few years ago...anybody remember "Easycruise"? :)

Of course, back then it was a radical concept, but perhaps the current trend will indeed lead up to that....

[cruisenfever]

What about priority on the elevator's?

With so many D+ and PC on our cruise, that was a sore point....:mad:

+

Huh?????:eek: We got on an elevator with everyone else. Didn't even realize that was available to Gold Card Holders until I read it here on CC when we got home. I understand that the perk has been deactivated.

[bob brown]

The problem is there's not nearly enough supply for the potential demand in complimentary dining.

 

Our sailing on 1st December had 3500 out of a possible 4900, we had a terrible experience on almost every one of the 11 nights onboard with dining issues.

 

The push as we know is for more $$$$ per passenger once you're onboard.

 

I'm looking forward to the reviews from the Christmas and New Year sailings as they are supposed to be more full.

 

I was on the 12 December cruise...we had around 4,260 passenger's, and did not experience any difficulty, although we did dine very early (5:30 PM)...

 

One more thing...even with the Dynamic Dining, we had a virtual "traditional" dining experience....we sat at table number 135 at the Grande all eight nights of our cruise and were treated very nicely by our regular waitress.:)

[LoneStarJeffe]

What's that got to do with standing in line every night?

 

I won't wait a long time in line. No dining experience on board is worth it (for me). I will go to another venue or change to another time where I do not have to wait. I cruise to relax but I am also not too particular about food. That is why I was wondering about traffic patterns since I think both eating and distribution of time will be more spread throughout the ship. Certain restaurants will be busy almost all the time and others will busy only at certain times. There is no way Dynamic Dining can support everyone who wants to eat at the most popular restaurants every night. I suspect that is why the menu is so limited. To force you to change to other restaurants to get variety and again, distribute the traffic.

 

I certainly agree that for those who want a particular food experience, booked it in advance, and then have to wait in line a long time, that would be disappointing.

[Debde]

Treatment of pax less than Pinnacle or Suites are not treated as well. You are very fortunate having achieved a difficult level for most

 

Benefits and treatment for those of us below Pinnacle and Suites have fallen to new lows

 

No offense and for the lack of any other saying...."says you".

So what you're saying is all these new customers or once in a while cruisers are being treated poorly. Come on now.

I'm sure some gold, platinum, emerald amd diamond folks are thrilled. Even folks that have no C&A membership at all are probably ecstatic to just step on board.

They are building bigger ships because so many like the basic product.

 

You do know how you sound? Be happy you can cruise at all!!

[bob brown]

Huh?????:eek: We got on an elevator with everyone else. Didn't even realize that was available to Gold Card Holders until I read it here on CC when we got home. I understand that the perk has been deactivated.

I was bypassed many times by elevators either empty, or with just a few passengers and the floor indicator above the elevator indicated "Priority"....

there was a place both where you call the elevator, and inside the elevator to tap your gold card.....

They tried to keep it a 'secret' from other passenger's, but once the word was spread, there was a lot of dissention. Perhaps they did deactivate it later in the cruise....

Edited December 21, 2014 by bob brown

[cruisenfever]

I was bypassed many times by elevators either empty, or with just a few passengers and the floor indicator above the elevator indicated "Priority"....

there was a place both where you call the elevator, and inside the elevator to tap your gold card.....

They tried to keep it a 'secret' from other passenger's, but once the word was spread, there was a lot of dissention. Perhaps they did deactivate it later in the cruise....

I'm glad that it was deactivated and I hope it continues to be deactivated. It really is one of the dumbest Gold Card Perks I've ever heard of!!:o:)

[HiCSailor]

I'm glad that it was deactivated and I hope it continues to be deactivated. It really is one of the dumbest Gold Card Perks I've ever heard of!!:o:)

I read another posting that indicated the priority elevators were an error, not a Diamond and Pinnacle benefit. the WOW bands operated on a similar frequency as the transmitters that medical responders used to switch the elevators to priority. As someone has said, the glitch has been fixed. While I don't have first hand knowledge of this, perhaps someone on board can confirm the myth at Captains corner.

[Ocean Boy]

Once again we're in complete agreement. I've been making pretty much the same prediction for awhile now. Lots of little steps, all carefully calculated to be small enough to not alienate too many, along the planned path to the end goal of total ala carte pricing. Not all that far down the road, your cruise fare will buy you... a cabin to shower & sleep in, period.

 

And much of the reason why I don't really care how high I get up the C&A ladder is that I am fairly sure that in a few years cruising is not going to appeal to me any longer... and least not the RCI model. I certainly would not spend more money on a suite just to get extra points and move up faster as some people have posted they do.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Ocean Boy

[Keasel]

I read another posting that indicated the priority elevators were an error, not a Diamond and Pinnacle benefit. the WOW bands operated on a similar frequency as the transmitters that medical responders used to switch the elevators to priority. As someone has said, the glitch has been fixed. While I don't have first hand knowledge of this, perhaps someone on board can confirm the myth at Captains corner.

 

That "myth" was started at the Captain's Corner.

 

I was on the Dec 12-20 sailing. The priority override of the elevators happened often.

 

At the Dec 19th Captain's Corner, they stated that they discovered that some passenger's room keys operate at frequencies too close to the medical responders frequency that put the elevator in priority mode.

 

If one were to put their room key (or WOW band) by the reader by the elevator call button, it would place an elevator in priority service. The elevator would go to the location that called it and everyone was told to leave the elevator.

 

I'm not sure if was really fixed by the end of the cruise. Later on the 19th, I was on an elevator that acted as if it had been called in such a manner by stopping, then going in the opposite direction. But it didn't state that it was in priority mode.

 

I did enjoy the cruise. Mama Mia and Sonic Odyssey were great and I didn't have any dinner reservations cancelled.

 

But some of the glitches cause concern. Doesn't someone check ahead of time for interfering frequencies on medical emergency capabilities?