I think I may be done....

[truffles2]

 

 

Go to the bar and get a drink. I'm not sure if Island Oasis is a majority shareholder or RCI, or if it's the other way around, but I would KILL to be able to get an actual mixed drink instead of that corn syrupy garbage.

 

 

 

I thought I was probably the only one who felt that way. I haven't had a decent Coco Loco since they got those #$!!@ machines (that leave little ice balls) so I quit getting them at all.

[reney313]

I have had times when we left a ship and I felt slightly "let down". I still enjoyed the vacation and the cruise, but the WOW wasn't there for me. When that happens, we go on a different line to mix it up.

 

We also take 1-2 land vacations each year (and many long weekends). I think that it is important to balance so the cruising itself does not get "boring". And the cruises ensure my land vacations are appreciated as well.

 

Normally, it takes one "long" vacation each year to remind myself how easy it is to cruise (unpack once, no driving everywhere, no decisions for where to eat each breakfast, lunch, and dinner, no worry about getting a drink at night and having to get back to the hotel, greater ability to interact with others and form weeklong relationships, and definitely a cheaper credit card bill to pay off when I get home).

 

Like many have commented, take a break. Do a few different things. You never know, you might appreciate other vacations better in the interim. There are many great places to see and travel to that are not accessible by ship and I think it's important to experience those places as well.

[Fat Paul]

I am starting to get that restless feeling as well. We have in the past sailed in Jr. Suits or above, now we are only interested in grands or better. We have started to notice that the overall experience is falling off. We still enjoy cruising and always experience a few of the staff that are just fantastic but overall the whole experience just seems to be ratcheting downward. We have thought about moving "upline" possibly Celebrity or NCL haven suites. What I would really like would be for Royal Caribbean to make the suite experience more exclusive and luxurious.

[cindyscruise]

Sometimes we just need a change. Actually I thought I was through with cruising then I took my grandchildren. It made it a new experience for me. perhaps finding someone who is a first time cruiser to go with you may put excitement back. Perhaps just a change in itinerary would help. But I do agree the service is not what it used to be. Maybe too many changes for the staff and the reduction in staff can account for this. Food definitely is changing. Have you tried river cruising? I heard it is great. We may try that next. I think all the major lines are catering to the masses and new cruisers. We may feel it more on Royal because I believe they did have a superior product to begin with. Have fun no matter what you decide to do.

[paylady]

On our latest suite experience, we had a great time on Serenade in the Med last year but that was due to many factors, not necessarily the suite experience itself. Unless there's a great offer, I don't have plans to book a suite with RCL again. I would rather try a suite on an NCL ship that has The Haven. I have already decided that's where my money would go to try a different suite experience on a mass market line.

 

We are branching out from RCL on our next Med cruise. I booked us with Oceania on a port-intensive itinerary from Barcelona to Rome. This will be our first departure from RCL in 20 years --- but it's time. I want a better dining experience.

 

I don't like this BOGOHO nonsense as others have mentioned.

 

I will come back to RCL when I want a mass market experience but won't spend the money for suites unless there's a great deal.

Edited December 23, 2014 by paylady

[marci22]

The core product has been reduced to an extent that I look for great deals and won't spend extra for lavish accommodations because outside of the room most of what I experience is designed for the lowest cost cruiser, not the highest cost cruiser. Therefore I get 95% of the experience for 30% of the price. As the overall product diminishes further I have less incentive to spend more for higher accommodations.

 

I feel the same way.

 

Regarding worn carpet and dusty plants: if I am paying top dollar for a suite, I would like the accommodations to look nice. If they aren't selling an experience that includes nice, clean furnishings and surfaces, what are you paying for? The square footage of the air space?

[critterchick]

I would be interested in your opinion on the Ncl Haven suites. I read some positive reviews here from RC loyalists. Thanks

 

I have not seen one, but know of two original Pinnacles who have dumped RCI in favor of NCL and those suites. They haven't looked back, either, I don't think.

 

I feel the same way.

 

Regarding worn carpet and dusty plants: if I am paying top dollar for a suite, I would like the accommodations to look nice. If they aren't selling an experience that includes nice, clean furnishings and surfaces, what are you paying for? The square footage of the air space?

 

The dusty plants comment makes me laugh (and not in a good way). I was on Serenade twice this year and her multi-million dollar revenue enhancement didn't include new plants for the Solarium, so they are the same nasty blue ones as before.

 

And a suite does get you a few extra perks over a lesser category, but the dusty plants are a housekeeping issue, as is the worn carpet, and should be addressed no matter where they are found. I suspect that RCI has cut housekeeping staff in the same way that they've cut dining staff, so that those issues go unattended because nobody has time to do anything about them. Even the two minutes it would take to hose down a fake plant seems to be two minutes more than there are in a day for the crew.

 

There's a horse saying, "ridden hard and put away wet," that I think is an apt analogy for how RCI treat their ships and their crew.

 

We aren't to the point of abandoning RCI, but their abandonment of our West Coast market forced us to discover Carnival (meh) and re-discover Princess (as nice as RCI with better live music for our way of dancing). Plus, as I approach the age where African safaris and Antarctic adventures may soon be off the table, I'm focussing on getting those bucket list items crossed off.

 

DH, like many people, prefers the familiar to the unknown. I like some adventure and exploration. We compromise by sailing occasionally on the big ships just to see them and occasionally going off to some place like the Galápagos Islands (Africa and Antarctica are my idea, too.:p) One day I suppose we will alternate being at home with floating around the Caribbean on a ship for weeks at a time, but I'm not ready for that. When I am, if the RCI product is still dusty and worn, we'll likely up the ante.

[Onessa]

I am a long-time cruiser, generally pretty faithful to RCCI. My DH and I are just starting in on the "Prime" of our vacation-spending life. He will soon be retiring. I just hit a milestone anniversary at my work and have two more weeks PTO each year. DD is off at college. We are both in good health, we have some disposable income -- but we won't be cruising.

 

Our last cruise was about 2.5 years ago. It was not "awful" but it wasn't wonderful either.

• The staff was very competent, but nothing more or less than you'd find at any hotel or resturant. Our room steward never introduced him/her self. No towel animals. No ice. Our waiter was nice, but had too many tables -- her assistant was WAY over worked and did not say a word the entire cruise. Never saw a head waiter after he had someone show us to our table the first night.
  
• The entertainment was nice. But beyond the shows very little live music or demonstrations or similar. The trivia contests and scavenger hunts were the same ones that have been recycled for the past few years.
  
• Food was OK - a lot of favorites are off the menu. The plating was OK. The quality was lacking -- the plates seemed to have sat a bit too long.
  
• The room was a bit tired. Public art was dusty and not well looked after. Doors and walls had scuff marks that were not cleaned. Finishes were worn.
  

All-in-all not bad, but not anything good. We've organized a few land vacations the past few years -- searching out small inns where the owner is just as likely going to check you in as an employee. There have been some "misses" but mostly "hits".

 

The Big Box cruise lines and all-inclusives are aiming for a market that excludes me. I miss the excitement of the cruise and feeling special and warm. We've been contemplating some smaller specialty lines. RCCI has mastered the megaboat experience but left me in the dust. That is their business model and I do not bemoan them doing so. But when I asked to unsubscribe from their email and I got a call from there CS area shortly thereafter, they tried to convince me that they had not moved away from what I loved about them -- but their actions (DD; ever bigger more impersonal ships, higher staff to pax ratios, etc.) speak louder than their words.

[Sandy Sails]

I would have to agree that to some, cruising has lost its luster. Heck, I met my husband on a cruise but I have no desire to cruise anymore. Our last cruise was for our 5th wedding anniversary.

Over the past few years, we've picked a U.S. city to expore for a week. Loved doing that. Then we bought a luxury RV to travel in. No more cruising for us for awhile (and no more flying, yuk). And now we can bring the dog, lol.

Good luck finding some new adventures.

[SeaPeaInn]

For the money the OP is paying they should be sailing the upscale lines that are far superior to RCCL.

 

Certainly even Oceania has far better food and the experience in a balcony is far better than a suite on RCCL.

Edited December 23, 2014 by SeaPeaInn

[mommabean]

a few months back, I posted about this very , what i call, scam of a pricing system and got ripped to high heaven on this board... good luck

 

I've always supported anyone I've seen mention this. I'll let people say what they want about it. You and I know what's going on as do some others who might not want to step up and say anything.

 

The state of Florida got onto them about not exposing the taxes up front so now they show that on the pricing page. I'm surprised they haven't gotten approached by the state concerning this bogus pricing technique.

[Ann262]

I get it! For years my husband and I loved to cruise!

 

Then it got kind of "same old, same old" to me. We have hopped around lines and even started choosing different itineraries but have not gotten away from that feeling. I find it hard to enjoy a city when I am having to look at my watch and worry about getting back to the ship on time.

 

My husband really wants to cruise as his retirement party. I booked the Quantum hoping that the newness of the ship and its offerings will help me not feel that way. It is just going to the Bahamas so I am not that interested in exploring the ports so I am hoping I won't have that feeling of "Oh crap! We have to head back to the ship".

[Cruising89143]

I agree with the OP. We lost interest in RCI. I felt as though they were becoming more Carnivalized and that's not a good thing in my book. We tried Celebrity and they offer more of what we're looking for. They treat adults like adults and have fewer kids on board. Celebrity is mass market and far from perfect but IMHO they offer a better product.

 

With that said it is break time from cruising. Have decided to place money in purchasing a vacation home in California and will now spend time there in place of a cruise ship. IMHO most of the cruise lines have started to lose their way but they are also attracting many new cruisers to take the place of the long time cruisers who move on. Those newbies have no idea of what cruising was like even five years ago. Not saying that it's bad now but it has lost some appeal. We had one of our best cruises back in June but it was more about the itinerary. I suggest the OP look at some land vacations. They are a nice change.:)

Edited December 23, 2014 by cruisingator2

[DCT61]

And then there are some of us that have switched from CELEBRITY and NCL (suites) because we like the suite experience on RCCL better ( butlers...phooey!) so maybe it really is just a change of scenery.

[George C]

Ok RCCL may have lost some of its WOW, but its still a great vacation as far as I am concerned. We cruise every year once or twice and not totally loyal for Royal, but I think RCCL is as much bang for the dollar as any one. We still visit NYC every year and do all inclusive also. I have 3 RCCL booked that we are looking forward to.

[Susie51]

Thank you for sharing your point of view. Perhaps if you try other types of vacations, you might find them more appealing.

[kruzerci]

I agree with the OP. We lost interest in RCI. I felt as though they were becoming more Carnivalized and that's not a good thing in my book. We tried Celebrity and they offer more of what we're looking for. They treat adults like adults and have fewer kids on board. Celebrity is mass market and far from perfect but IMHO they offer a better product.

 

With that said it is break time from cruising. Have decided to place money in purchasing a vacation home in California and will now spend time there in place of a cruise ship. IMHO most of the cruise lines have started to lose their way but they are also attracting many new cruisers to take the place of the long time cruisers who move on. Those newbies have no idea of what cruising was like even five years ago. Not saying that it's bad now but it has lost some appeal. We had one of our best cruises back in June but it was more about the itinerary. I suggest the OP look at some land vacations. They are a nice change.:)

 

 

I agree with this 100%. I don't think they mind losing those of us who are disgruntled with the new product because they're attracting so many of the "new" people who cruising never appealed/was feasible to before. And these new passengers don't know the difference.

 

The difference ten years ago and now is astonishing. I think Royal Caribbean still offers good vacation for the price, but it is almost unrecognizable compared to the brand we started sailing with fifteen years ago and at the current rate of decrease in quality, I highly doubly we will be cruising mainstream in a couple of years. We have started branching out to a lot more land based vacations and the quality is substantially better for little higher

cost in many cases.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[rubrrick]

From our signature, one can see that we now switch back and forth from Royal Caribbean to Princess, one reason is the Princess is back on the West Coast.

 

I agree with so many here, that Royal has lost her luster, and charm, for some of the old time Loyal to Royal fans.

 

However, it will be interesting to see if Michael Bailey, newly appointed President of Royal Caribbean, will be making some changes for the better for us old time cruisers (and compared to some of you, we are not very old time cruisers).

 

Our last time to Galveston, at the end of last month, for a Navigator cruise, we decided to drive, and take in some sights along the way. And, no there is not much to see in West Texas, but other areas were fun.

 

We love river cruising, and are planning another for the upcoming year.

 

We have a few more cruises on Royal Caribbean, and then we are going to give them a rest, until, hopefully Mr. Bailey pulls a bit of magic out of his hat!!

 

Happy Holidays to all!!

 

Rick

Edited December 24, 2014 by rubrrick

[kymbakitty]

....it may just be time for something new so my husband and I are considering a land vacation in Europe next fall.

 

We have been doing a land vacation followed by a cruise, land vacation, cruise, for quite a few years now.

 

We started doing that when I became Platinum with Marriott and Diamond with Hilton. It takes a lot more planning than a cruise, which is part of the fun. We went to Peru last fall for two weeks (Machu Picchu). We have a Oct 2015 TA booked on AOS's and I'm already having fantasies on how far $12k would go on land, especially when we've done 4 TA's.

 

Decisions, decisions.

[Nancyluvs2cruise]

If you want true upscale cruising and personal service, try a river cruise. I sailed the Danube, Main, Main-Rhine Canal and the Rhine from Budapest to Amsterdam. Absolutely first class, with a variety of suites and lower priced rooms from which to choose if that is all you can afford. Glad I did it and will do it again, but I still enjoy RCI and Celebrity as I don't have that awful 8 hour flight to Europe. I only do this once a year so I can forget about the jet lag for a bit. When I cruise I don't even get off the ship most days, but enjoy meeting people and making new friends. Don't care about the food, a salad or burger will do. At home I eat in restaurants every day, so it doesn't matter that much to me. How fresh can food be when you are at sea for days? Just enjoy the people, that is what matters.

[mollyeilis]

 

Go to the bar and get a drink. I'm not sure if Island Oasis is a majority shareholder or RCI, or if it's the other way around, but I would KILL to be able to get an actual mixed drink instead of that corn syrupy garbage.

 

I look at ingredient labels, and just went through all the products on the IO website, and the only one I found with anything corn syrup related was the banana flavored one (https://secure.islandoasis.com/drink-mixes/shelf-stable-mixes/banana-shelf-stable.html). But if you look at the image and click into it, you see that the list of ingredients doesn't match what's on the page.

 

DH and DS cannot have anything based on corn syrup or there's heck to pay, so this is actually quite important to my family. And I haven't found that Island Oasis actually has corn syrup in it.

 

Might be too sweet, I'm not saying it isn't. Might be nicer to get a drink made from scratch. But don't bring out the corn syrup words unless it's real, IMO.

 

 

 

My first cruise was on Grandeur when she was less than a year old. Best vacation EVER! But my inside cabin on a "deeply discounted" airline rate was $750. Today that equates to $1087. Now I can get on Oasis about the same time of year (late Sept) for $699 for an inside cabin. That's 36% cheaper based on todays dollars. So, my point is that something had to give. Oil is up over 700% from 1998, yet the cost to cruise is down. So, that explains it. ....

 

 

But I do miss those earlier years when cruising truly was "special."

 

I remember ordering cruise brochures as a kid in the 70s and dreaming and dreaming. Dreaming that we were wealthy so I could think about such a thing.

 

I'm glad I can cruise now. I wouldn't be able to if pricing had remained in line with how it used to be.

[dirtgirl]

I haven't read the whole thread, as it is almost 2:00am, and I just don't feel like it. :o But I agree with the OP. I started with Royal on the Vision. Royal will always have a special place in my heart. But I want more than what they have. I don't want 2000 kids on my cruises - I just don't. I am active - very active - and I am fine with just going to the gym, using the stairs, and being active on excursions. I don't have to have a rock wall anymore. I'm good. I've grown and changed, and I want a more luxurious, adult atmosphere.

 

Some are the opposite, and that is cool. :) I am sure I'll cruise on Royal again. But now I go to Celebrity first.

[dirtgirl]

And a river cruise on the Danube is next for me in June. :)

Edited December 24, 2014 by dirtgirl

[rolloman]

I agree with you OP. I feel Royal has degraded in some respects but I think one of the issues is, while the ships have gotten bigger and better, the staffing has gone down hill, therefore dusting of plants take a back seat. I believe we are experiencing a saturated talent pool. The rudeness from crew members I experienced on my recent thanksgiving cruise caused me to cancel an upcoming RCCL cruise and book elsewhere.

 

It is my understanding Richard Branson is going to build 2 ships and start Virgin cruiselines. I am excited to see what the product will become.

[Trainman-2]

I've been an avid RCI cruiser for some number of years now, but I think I might be done.

 

Maybe I'm just burned out because of the "sameness". Don't really know, just thought I'd share my thoughts. Feel free to fire away.

 

We enjoy being on the ships!

 

YES! We have seen some reductions in quality of the food but we still enjoy dining in the Windjammer and many of the specialty restaurants. We have pretty much given up on the MDR completely, but are looking forward to trying Dynamic Dining.

 

We are Diamond Plus and get three free drinks a day but we are almost non drinkers so this doesn't help us much.

 

We have looked into "all inclusive" shore vacations but they seem to be oriented more to the younger, drinking crowd.

 

We are both in our 70's so we don't do excursions, dancing, twerking, partying, etc.

 

So we have decided to continue cruising with RCI and simply relax and enjoy our time on the ships with some good books while we enjoy smoking on the pool deck and watching the younger crowd having fun while we reminisce about our youth long ago.