What on earth is happening to royal caribbean

[flycreek]

The standards have changed and not for the better. Our last cruise on Enchantment on Nov 9 the food and service was just ordinary. For the first time ever the cabin steward did not introduce himself and we never saw him. Perhaps management is the problem. And what's with the lack of dress code?

[Chelsea1]

Our first cruise was with Cunard in 1994, the "Royal Mediterranean" voyage on the QM2. I was 38, by far the youngest by literally decades on our dinner table of 6, and probably on the whole ship. We were in a standard balcony cabin, booked on a guarantee price, and allocated Britannia dining (3rd class!) in the amazing dining room.

 

To me everything on that voyage was special; the excitement, the amazing ship, the crew, the dining, the dressing up, the entertainment, the foggy Bay of Biscay, passing the QE2 and saluting her mid-ocean, being invited to the Hotel Managers table one evening - despite our lowly cruise status.

 

Our two English dining companions told me "you have started at the top with Cunard and this voyage, everything after this will be a disappointment".

Our two American dining companions told me of the fantastic Princess Cruise Line "You have to try Princess. Better food, awesome lobster, great entertainment, less stuffy - you will love Princess".

 

So roll on 11 years and we have been back on Cunard several times (including our wedding) and also on Princess (once), Celebrity (once), P&O (twice), Disney (once) and Royal Caribbean (4 times).

 

 

I believe the standards on all the above lines are lower now then 10 years ago, but the basic cruise prices still very reasonable, with the exception of Disney which we found very expensive but extremely high quality.

 

Specific changes I have noticed on Cunard are reduced quality of meat in the main dining room, no strawberry or fresh garnishes in champagne and cocktails, no nibbles with drinks, lower quality free tea/coffee, reduced buffet choice, increased drink prices, fewer bathroom amenities, charging for shuttle buses. However, the quality of the QM2 as a ship, the forward views from the commodore club and the professionalism of staff and visibility of the senior officers to passengers are still a big draw.

 

Princess - we really did love the entertainment and made great friends, but I found the food bland and missed a forward facing bar. I would definitely sail Princess again.

 

Celebrity- we did not enjoy at all. I thought it had the worst attributes of all the other Cruise Lines added together. Pretentious, but lacking in any real quality, also the most expensive long cruise I have been on. Would not repeat.

 

P&O - fine for UK short breaks.

 

Disney - Recommended by our tablemates on Princess. "You have to try Disney. Amazing ships and entertainment, food choices, private island, not just for kids. You will love Disney"! So we tried Disney - short break from Port Canaveral. I agree it is an amazing product. Very expensive for a short cruise, but really exceeded my expectations, and I am not a huge Disney fan.

 

Royal Caribbean. Four long cruises in the last 5 years (10 days +): two in Asia, one Europe and one transatlantic. 4 very different ships - Vision, Radiance, Voyager and Oasis Class ships. I found the Legend Asia cruise in 2010 (13 nights) the most enjoyable from a service, food, atmosphere perspective, eve though ship was older. Least favourite was actually Oasis transatlantic due to numerous issues. However the ship is spectacular. On Voyager in Asia the dining room food was poor, but the concierge (we had a Grand Suite) amazing.

 

So to summarize, our English tablemates 11 years ago were right - Cunard, and specifically the QM2, is a hard act to follow. Standards have declined, but that first cruise experience will always be special. We got married on the QM2 en route from Sydney to New Zealand in 2013, and that was truly amazing, despite the reduced product quality. The ship and crew still make for a world class product.

 

All the other lines I have enjoyed and will continue to book based mainly on dates / itinerary and ship. However, if the extras constantly increase and the product dumbs down, it does spoil the experience. I am particularly thinking of the Oasis translantic in 2014, which really was not fun or value for money.

[Charleyann]

I dont know if it was because it was is new or what but the food wasn't great and they either didn't have what was on the menu or they ran out !

 

We ran out of lettuce, bananas.....

 

They ran out of mac and cheese for kids 3 days out of a 12 night......There were no meatballs, no shortribs, no chicken Caesar salad or BLT at Cate Two 70 despite being on menu ...

 

No night at dinner , they ran out of milk/ cream for coffee in American Icon. They finally found some but it was frozen....They brought another which was sour ....

 

Train wreak when it came to the food !

[EaglesWin]

Our first cruise was with Cunard in 1994, the "Royal Mediterranean" voyage on the QM2. I was 38, by far the youngest by literally decades on our dinner table of 6, and probably on the whole ship. We were in a standard balcony cabin, booked on a guarantee price, and allocated Britannia dining (3rd class!) in the amazing dining room.

 

To me everything on that voyage was special; the excitement, the amazing ship, the crew, the dining, the dressing up, the entertainment, the foggy Bay of Biscay, passing the QE2 and saluting her mid-ocean, being invited to the Hotel Managers table one evening - despite our lowly cruise status.

 

Our two English dining companions told me "you have started at the top with Cunard and this voyage, everything after this will be a disappointment".

Our two American dining companions told me of the fantastic Princess Cruise Line "You have to try Princess. Better food, awesome lobster, great entertainment, less stuffy - you will love Princess".

 

So roll on 11 years and we have been back on Cunard several times (including our wedding) and also on Princess (once), Celebrity (once), P&O (twice), Disney (once) and Royal Caribbean (4 times).

 

 

I believe the standards on all the above lines are lower now then 10 years ago, but the basic cruise prices still very reasonable, with the exception of Disney which we found very expensive but extremely high quality.

 

Specific changes I have noticed on Cunard are reduced quality of meat in the main dining room, no strawberry or fresh garnishes in champagne and cocktails, no nibbles with drinks, lower quality free tea/coffee, reduced buffet choice, increased drink prices, fewer bathroom amenities, charging for shuttle buses. However, the quality of the QM2 as a ship, the forward views from the commodore club and the professionalism of staff and visibility of the senior officers to passengers are still a big draw.

 

Princess - we really did love the entertainment and made great friends, but I found the food bland and missed a forward facing bar. I would definitely sail Princess again.

 

Celebrity- we did not enjoy at all. I thought it had the worst attributes of all the other Cruise Lines added together. Pretentious, but lacking in any real quality, also the most expensive long cruise I have been on. Would not repeat.

 

P&O - fine for UK short breaks.

 

Disney - Recommended by our tablemates on Princess. "You have to try Disney. Amazing ships and entertainment, food choices, private island, not just for kids. You will love Disney"! So we tried Disney - short break from Port Canaveral. I agree it is an amazing product. Very expensive for a short cruise, but really exceeded my expectations, and I am not a huge Disney fan.

 

Royal Caribbean. Four long cruises in the last 5 years (10 days +): two in Asia, one Europe and one transatlantic. 4 very different ships - Vision, Radiance, Voyager and Oasis Class ships. I found the Legend Asia cruise in 2010 (13 nights) the most enjoyable from a service, food, atmosphere perspective, eve though ship was older. Least favourite was actually Oasis transatlantic due to numerous issues. However the ship is spectacular. On Voyager in Asia the dining room food was poor, but the concierge (we had a Grand Suite) amazing.

 

So to summarize, our English tablemates 11 years ago were right - Cunard, and specifically the QM2, is a hard act to follow. Standards have declined, but that first cruise experience will always be special. We got married on the QM2 en route from Sydney to New Zealand in 2013, and that was truly amazing, despite the reduced product quality. The ship and crew still make for a world class product.

 

All the other lines I have enjoyed and will continue to book based mainly on dates / itinerary and ship. However, if the extras constantly increase and the product dumbs down, it does spoil the experience. I am particularly thinking of the Oasis translantic in 2014, which really was not fun or value for money.

 

You should try the Haven suites on NCL. I'd be interested to see how you feel it compares to your previous experiences.

[RocketMan275]

Our first cruise was with Cunard in 1994, the "Royal Mediterranean" voyage on the QM2. I was 38, by far the youngest by literally decades on our dinner table of 6, and probably on the whole ship. We were in a standard balcony cabin, booked on a guarantee price, and allocated Britannia dining (3rd class!) in the amazing dining room.

.

.

.

So to summarize, our English tablemates 11 years ago were right - Cunard, and specifically the QM2, is a hard act to follow. Standards have declined, but that first cruise experience will always be special. We got married on the QM2 en route from Sydney to New Zealand in 2013, and that was truly amazing, despite the reduced product quality. The ship and crew still make for a world class product.

 

 

Very fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

[cruzin76]

Ok, I get all the negatives reviews about how RCI is cutting cost and the product is declining. Unfortunately, When I walk into any of their ships the glass in the centrum puts me in a trance and they can do no wrong. RCI you still WOW me!!!

[dada2199cc]

1994 was 11 years ago?

[John&LaLa]

1994 was 11 years ago?

 

I remember 1984 like it was yesterday and that was 31 years ago

[AdvGirl]

1994 was 11 years ago?

 

Pretty sure they ment 2004. No QE2 in 1994.

[markeb]

I remember 1984 like it was yesterday and that was 31 years ago

 

I thought August was rough when everyone was talking about the 40th anniversary of Born to Run.

 

Then September came around.

 

24th anniversary of Nevermind.

 

Just saying...

[John&LaLa]

I thought August was rough when everyone was talking about the 40th anniversary of Born to Run.

 

Then September came around.

 

24th anniversary of Nevermind.

 

Just saying...

 

I actually had to read 1984 in 1984. Sophmore English, taken as a fifth year Senior. ;)

[markeb]

Oh, and on the original question.

 

We've only done 8 cruises on RCI, and started in 2008. I don't know that I notice things being worse as much as being different. I still enjoy stepping onto the ship, but in that time things have changed, and I've also cruised enough that familiarity is probably a problem. I was never a "surf and turf" guy in the MDR, so I don't even recognize whether there's lobster or not, but I did always enjoy the midnight buffet, even if I never ate anything. I enjoyed music in the Viking Crown Lounge. Etc. BUT, I hadn't torn my rotator cuff, and the Flowrider was a blast. I'd never been to most of the Caribbean islands, so every cruise was a new discovery. Etc.

 

So, I'm not a big fan of the new MDR menus, but I'm OK with them. The Windjammer is way too crowded and there's little service, but the food itself can be very good, especially if you enjoy the ethnic food, which we do. Too many of my fellow cruisers don't seem to find the cruise as "special" as we did when we first cruised, but I grew up wearing a suit and tie to church, and that's not necessarily the norm today either.

 

But, in spite of things that make me less happy, I've never had a bad day on an RCI cruise! I've just decided I won't, and so I don't...

[markeb]

I actually had to read 1984 in 1984. Sophmore English, taken as a fifth year Senior. ;)

 

I'd get all irate with the "you kids get off my grass" attitude, but I've only got you beat by a couple of years. Although I did get my BS in 1984. AND, if you were a teenage guy in the late 70's to early 80's, you're in that select group of people that totally understand my intense and forever hatred off all things disco! On the 8th day, the almighty realized just how much he'd screwed up, and gave us Zep, Floyd, and Springsteen. And said this is good!

[John&LaLa]

I'd get all irate with the "you kids get off my grass" attitude, but I've only got you beat by a couple of years. Although I did get my BS in 1984. AND, if you were a teenage guy in the late 70's to early 80's, you're in that select group of people that totally understand my intense and forever hatred off all things disco! On the 8th day, the almighty realized just how much he'd screwed up, and gave us Zep, Floyd, and Springsteen. And said this is good!

 

We're the same age. HS in 1980, BS in 1984 (December). I'd say that Zep and Floyd preceded discount though. Hair Metal brought us out, then grunge. I like California punk

[broberts]

True, but most that have a positive experience don't tend to post reviews and comments. It's the ones that encounter problems that make their voices heard..

 

Some random thoughts on the subject.

 

When we fondly remember past cruises, the little irritants tend to be forgotten. So past cruises generally tend to be "better". One of the contributing factors to "things are going downhill".

 

As part of the drive to cut costs little things get dropped or changed. Each on its own has little or no impact. But over the course of a year or two the total impact is much greater. +TAGD

 

No matter how good any staff there are bound to be the odd bad day, mistake, etc. With tens of thousands of passenger interactions a day, there are bound to be some that have far less than ideal outcomes. As others have pointed out, negative interactions do tend to get reported more often than the positive. +TAGD.

 

How good one thinks the food is influenced by many factors, physical state, state of mind, companions, etc.. I suspect that we have all eaten almost identical meals at different times with different levels of enjoyment. Then of course is the food itself. I have found a wide variance in how well prepared the same dish is on various ships/voyages. So a voyage with poor kitchen prep, or while one has a cold leaves an impression of declining food quality. +TAGD.

 

Sometimes we get bored. Same menus, ports, ships. +TAGD.

[momof3cruisers]

I actually had to read 1984 in 1984. Sophmore English, taken as a fifth year Senior. ;)

 

Lol...I did too! Well, as a first year sophomore. ;)

 

 

As for the "product" I believe so many things are what you make of them.

 

A couple of years back, my family went on Allure. Our dining room head waiter was truly awful to my then 12 year old son. He refused to bring him fries with his steak when we asked the first night. We thought it was something that couldn't be done, but then his cousin at a different table got fries with his steak. When he asked for vanilla ice cream, the waiter rolled his eyes at him and told him (not in a friendly way) that he should try something new. On formal night, the waiter took the kids' menu from my son and told him he had to order off the adult menu. We of course told him in both instances that he could have what he wanted. It went on and on every night and for complicated reasons, we could not change tables.

 

In all of this....even with how much my son hated to go to dinner every night, in his opinion, it was a GREAT cruise. He loved every other moment of the whole week.

Edited November 26, 2015 by momof3cruisers

[Deptacon]

Ok, I get all the negatives reviews about how RCI is cutting cost and the product is declining. Unfortunately, When I walk into any of their ships the glass in the centrum puts me in a trance and they can do no wrong. RCI you still WOW me!!!

 

 

I dont think the service is declining. I think its 2015, we are offended by everything, we have this lofty unpractical expectation of entitlement and self importance, and believe everything and any given time should be catered for them and as they wish. We want to ignore the practical and reasonable world and want ti snap into this world if grumpy upset whinny "customer" when one little thing is as perfect as our imaginations predicted it. You see it in society everyday..... The rich college kids demanding college equality right now.... Case in point....

[dada2199cc]

You're good people, Deptacon.

 

The consumer entitlement mentality has come of age due to the ability to Yelp without thinking or backcharge a credit card willy nilly.

 

What most folk don't realize is the cost of the worst entitled complainers is borne by all consumers in higher prices.

 

With all my cruising, I've had one complaint ever. Everything else negative I've faced I just file under over expectation on my part.

 

Seeing the majority of consumers become gluttonous pigs at the trough (not just cruising, look at Black Friday riots) makes me understand and accept that consumers prefer unlimited commodity garbage to premium boutique goods and services.

 

$2000 for a guest and myself to do anything for 7 days is practically free compared to the basic cost of living. If I had three meals a day at a hotel with pools and then took in a theater show and attended a live music venue every night, I figure it would cost me well over $5000 for two people for a week.

[nbsjcruiser]

Just been reading reviews written about various Royal Caribbean ships, a lot of them are saying the same - What on earth is happing to Royal Caribbean. The service is becoming very also ran, cabins are being handed over to passengers dirty. The food is becoming so repetitive and boring. The quality of the food especially the meat is very poor. Lots of people are saying that they have had enough and are going elsewhere.

I am sure that there are plenty of people out there that will say they they have had a wonderful time on RC, but the ones that haven't seem to increase rather a lot.

 

We just returned from 12 days on the Navigator. I wouldn't say the cruise was bad because it wasn't. The food ranged from excellent in Chops to good in the MDR. We enjoyed our 12 days, the weather was good and the service I thought was excellent.

 

There are, however, a few negative things that stood out.

 

The condition of the ship, especially in the MDR. For a ship that recently went through a renovation, I was really surprised at the poor condition of the chairs. There were also plenty of people complaining about lack of hot water in their cabins. We had the hot water issue along with brown (yes brown) water in our sink for pretty much the entire 12 days.

 

The repetitive menus are getting old. I don't know how people can use one cruise line over and over and not get bored with the menus.

 

As C&A members we used to get a certain amount of free internet which was good enough to check emails, fire off a note or two back home and catch up on what's going on back home. Not anymore. You have to buy, at a minimum, a days internet usage for almost $40. Nope. Not me. They're not getting $40 for dial up internet for a day.

 

Drinks are really getting ridiculously expensive. Two margaritas at sailaway, that will be $28 please.

 

Labadee over the water Cabana came in at almost $500 for us. Luckily we split it with another couple we were travelling with so it wasn't so bad. But $500!? I can book a 4 day cruise out of Miami for a little over $800. They're nuts.

 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not swearing off RCI. What I am doing is taking a break to see how things go. We'll do NCL and Princess until the fall of 2017 and then we'll see how RCI looks.

[mikaula]

I'm my opinion cruising has evolved. Back in the day there were fewer ships. The news got out that cruising was a great vacation value. Now almost everyone I come across has gone on at least one cruise. The ships keep being built and they seem to always sell out. Now there seems to be less crew & more profit for the cruiseline. It's still a great way to travel but it's a different expirence than it used to be.

[SPacificbound]

Oh, and on the original question.

 

We've only done 8 cruises on RCI, and started in 2008. I don't know that I notice things being worse as much as being different. I still enjoy stepping onto the ship, but in that time things have changed, and I've also cruised enough that familiarity is probably a problem. I was never a "surf and turf" guy in the MDR, so I don't even recognize whether there's lobster or not, but I did always enjoy the midnight buffet, even if I never ate anything. I enjoyed music in the Viking Crown Lounge. Etc. BUT, I hadn't torn my rotator cuff, and the Flowrider was a blast. I'd never been to most of the Caribbean islands, so every cruise was a new discovery. Etc.

 

So, I'm not a big fan of the new MDR menus, but I'm OK with them. The Windjammer is way too crowded and there's little service, but the food itself can be very good, especially if you enjoy the ethnic food, which we do. Too many of my fellow cruisers don't seem to find the cruise as "special" as we did when we first cruised, but I grew up wearing a suit and tie to church, and that's not necessarily the norm today either.

 

But, in spite of things that make me less happy, I've never had a bad day on an RCI cruise! I've just decided I won't, and so I don't...

 

And that makes all of the difference. :)

 

We do have the ability to choose to be happy and let the rest go.....

[SamFritz]

I dont think the service is declining. I think its 2015, we are offended by everything, we have this lofty unpractical expectation of entitlement and self importance, and believe everything and any given time should be catered for them and as they wish. We want to ignore the practical and reasonable world and want ti snap into this world if grumpy upset whinny "customer" when one little thing is as perfect as our imaginations predicted it. You see it in society everyday..... The rich college kids demanding college equality right now.... Case in point....

 

 

You are wrong. Service has declined. That's not an opinion it is an objective fact. A smaller staff is asked to do more. They don't make towel animals every night. They don't put chocolates on your pillow. Waiters cover more tables than they used to. It takes longer for meals to be delivered. Waitstaff and cabin attendants are less likely to address you by name. These facts don't make me hate cruising, not by a long shot. But device is not what it once was.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited November 26, 2015 by SamFritz

[Hoopster95]

You are wrong. Service has declined. That's not an opinion it is an objective fact. A smaller staff is asked to do more. They don't make towel animals every night. They don't put chocolates on your pillow. Waiters cover more tables than they used to. It takes longer for meals to be delivered. Waitstaff and cabin attendants are less likely to address you by name. These facts don't make me hate cruising, not by a long shot. But device is not what it once was.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Everything you mentioned above is available to you on Seabourn, Regent, Azamara, Crystal, Windstar, etc.

[gkbiiii]

I dont think the service is declining. I think its 2015, we are offended by everything, we have this lofty unpractical expectation of entitlement and self importance, and believe everything and any given time should be catered for them and as they wish. We want to ignore the practical and reasonable world and want ti snap into this world if grumpy upset whinny "customer" when one little thing is as perfect as our imaginations predicted it. You see it in society everyday..... The rich college kids demanding college equality right now.... Case in point....

 

 

This total BS, and you know it!!

 

In the 1980-1990's there were standards for Hotels, Airlines, Trains, Restaurants, & YES Cruise Lines!! WE ARE NOT SELF ABSORBED, ENTITLED, RICH CHILDREN!!

 

What were are is Consumers, who should get something meaningful for there money!!!!

[gkbiiii]

You're good people, Deptacon.

 

The consumer entitlement mentality has come of age due to the ability to Yelp without thinking or backcharge a credit card willy nilly.

 

What most folk don't realize is the cost of the worst entitled complainers is borne by all consumers in higher prices.

 

With all my cruising, I've had one complaint ever. Everything else negative I've faced I just file under over expectation on my part.

 

Seeing the majority of consumers become gluttonous pigs at the trough (not just cruising, look at Black Friday riots) makes me understand and accept that consumers prefer unlimited commodity garbage to premium boutique goods and services.

 

$2000 for a guest and myself to do anything for 7 days is practically free compared to the basic cost of living. If I had three meals a day at a hotel with pools and then took in a theater show and attended a live music venue every night, I figure it would cost me well over $5000 for two people for a week.

 

 

With all due respect: the average consumer in the 1970's-early 2000's was much more demanding, then we are today. Society had high standards, which were met by corporations. Now we have sliding expectations, that aren't even attempted to be made, by today's corporations.