Is this the standard RCI experience?

[Tulsacoker]

3 minutes ago, sixesandeights said:

Carnival manages just fine with Guy's burgers and they are FAR FAR better then what is served at JR.

 

6&8

No doubt, I too thought Guy's burgers were fabulous, however, two totally different venues, poolside grab and go vs. sit down diner with milkshakes and fountain sodas   

[sixesandeights]

1 minute ago, Tulsacoker said:

No doubt, I too thought Guy's burgers were fabulous, however, two totally different venues, poolside grab and go vs. sit down diner with milkshakes and fountain sodas   

No reason to be a sit-down place for lunch.  Open it for lunch and pump out burgers to go.  Would be very simple IMO.  

 

6&8

[Tulsacoker]

they could do a Johnny Rockets express I guess for that, but Johnny whole persona is a 50's diner with milkshakes and fountain drinks. 

[dreamer976]

59 minutes ago, vacationlover_mn said:

On Carnival, our first cruise, when we were young and dumb, we didn’t tip much.  I know, it’s bad, and we always tip well now. But back then we didn’t know any better and were broke and thrifty.  Anyways, our room steward actually put sand in our bed the last night, after getting his tip envelope!  Yes, this really did happen 😞. Where did he get the sand?  Well, I had filled a bottle with it to take home, and I assume he used that, since it was 1/4 empty that night.

OMG!  I certainly hope you reported it before you left the ship!

 

 

[Tulsacoker]

1 hour ago, vacationlover_mn said:

On Carnival, our first cruise, when we were young and dumb, we didn’t tip much.  I know, it’s bad, and we always tip well now. But back then we didn’t know any better and were broke and thrifty.  Anyways, our room steward actually put sand in our bed the last night, after getting his tip envelope!  Yes, this really did happen 😞. Where did he get the sand?  Well, I had filled a bottle with it to take home, and I assume he used that, since it was 1/4 empty that night.

if you dont mind saying how much did you tip that he thought it was too little?  

[LMaxwell]

OP, that's about a standard RCI cruise you described there.  

[vacationlover_mn]

8 minutes ago, dreamer976 said:

OMG!  I certainly hope you reported it before you left the ship!

 

 

Nope, we did not.  In addition to being young and dumb, we were meek.

[vacationlover_mn]

2 minutes ago, Tulsacoker said:

if you dont mind saying how much did you tip that he thought it was too little?  

It was 21 years ago, and I honestly don’t remember.  Maybe $50?  I know now it was way too little, but we were newlyweds, young, broke, and didn’t know any better 😞

[Tulsacoker]

gotcha, thought it happen recently on RCI

[jbethel11]

6 minutes ago, vacationlover_mn said:

It was 21 years ago, and I honestly don’t remember.  Maybe $50?  I know now it was way too little, but we were newlyweds, young, broke, and didn’t know any better 😞

That is not little! $50 is average. Had anyone done that to much family, we would get the entire cruise refunded. What a horrible way to end a vacation.

[Glide_Path]

25 minutes ago, Tulsacoker said:

they could do a Johnny Rockets express I guess for that, but Johnny whole persona is a 50's diner with milkshakes and fountain drinks. 

There is going to be a JR express on the Explorer Of the Sea, but it doesn't look like it's going to be free either. 

[Grandma Dazzles]

1 hour ago, amandaepperson21 said:

 

 

My husband isn’t as tidy as I am. There would occasionally be trash left in the floor. Like a wristband, cup cover, etc.. Just small stuff. Also other lines do touch your personal items. 

 

Sand in the bed - this itinerary was very port heavy. 5 stops + San Juan home port. Lots of beach days. Lots of coming back and crashing for 3 hours, not always bothering to shower first lol. 

 

Not trying to be overly defensive of RC, but it sounds like your room was a mess - and you blame it on the steward.  There are trash cans - I cannot imagine just leaving trash on the floor. As I stated originally, staff are reluctant and are trained not to touch too much personal items. Wondering if you just left clothes all over and expected steward to put away.

 

Many beaches have showers or at least go to the pool on board and use the shower to clean off your feet before going to your bed!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Fun Researcher]

15 minutes ago, Glide_Path said:

There is going to be a JR express on the Explorer Of the Sea, but it doesn't look like it's going to be free either. 

 

Not a free venue.  However I did like the ala carte version on the Navigator way better than paying a fixed price.  I'm not a huge eater in general and loved that I could just buy the burger I was eyeing up instead of paying, IMO, a fixed price that is overpriced.

 

1 hour ago, vacationlover_mn said:

On Carnival, our first cruise, when we were young and dumb, we didn’t tip much.  I know, it’s bad, and we always tip well now. But back then we didn’t know any better and were broke and thrifty.  Anyways, our room steward actually put sand in our bed the last night, after getting his tip envelope!  Yes, this really did happen 😞. Where did he get the sand?  Well, I had filled a bottle with it to take home, and I assume he used that, since it was 1/4 empty that night.

 

This is incredibly wrong behavior, but something inside me thinks it's hilarious.  What a story to tell!

 

Dan

[Sherri914]

2 hours ago, sjb317 said:

We’ve always had our laundry returned nicely folded. In fact, better than I do at home😂

 

Sherri🙂

 

3 hours ago, orville99 said:

Which is unfortunate considering how your laundry is returned to you. They should re-name "wash and fold" to wash and "stuff back into a bag"

 

Our laundry experience has also always been quite good with RCI.  Always nicely folded and placed on the bed. 

[orville99]

4 minutes ago, Sherri914 said:

 

 

Our laundry experience has also always been quite good with RCI.  Always nicely folded and placed on the bed. 

Ours was tossed onto the bed in a paper bag

 

[ONECRUISER]

3 hours ago, Tulsacoker said:

I would disagree about Johnny Rockets. If it was free, I cannot imagine you would be able to ever find a seat in there.  

Agree. 20yrs ago JR was Free, place was always packed within month they added a cover charge. Was many complaints on CC back then on it... 30yrs ago Royal changed/removed sheets daily. But back then most of rooms the Beds were converted into Couches in daytime. Room attendants didnt have set shifts, with only 8 rooms each and would clean room EVERY time left it. 

Edited September 25, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[rimmit]

2 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

I completely agree about Playmakers 🙂. I wish it was free, but the options were affordable and nice 🙂

 

While we were not big fans of NCL when we went on them last Oct, I will say that O’Sheehans (24 hour eatery on NCL ships) is AMAZING!  I crave the burgers and wings and fries from there.  It serves 24 hour bar and comfort food.  Everything is free except the milkshakes.  It was sooo good.  It was my favorite part of the cruise by far and puts RCI’s 24 hour options to shame.

Edited September 25, 2019 by rimmit

[akcruz]

A few comments, don't feel like trying to find all posts to quote.

 

Overall I agree with the OP on food.  We have always said the apps are the best part of the meals and the quality goes downhill from there.  In a way it's good I guess as then I don't eat the desert!

 

It definitely sounds like the room steward was not the best.  My DH is not good at putting clothes away when we travel.  I used to do it but gave up thinking the clothes would be left where they were.  Nope, every time we come back his clothes are folded, kind of, and stacked on the sofa.  Have told many don't do it but they still do.

 

Towels, those in the bath did you rehang them after use?  I believe there is a sign, saying if hung up they will not be replaced, if you want new ones put on the floor.  We don't change towels every day at home so why should I on vacation?

 

Pool towels, while I am not crazy about checking out and exchanging towels it does help with chair hogs. If someone is responsible dollar wise for them they are less likely to leave on an empty lounger.  We check them out the first day and exchange for dry ones until the last day.  Have been on ships without the checkout process and often see rows and rows of used towels on empty chairs as people are too lazy to return them.

 

Johnny Rockets, maybe times have changed and it wouldn't happen now but the service charge was implemented to keep crowds down.  Originally it was free and kids would use it as a hangout.  With the service charge that went away.  Of course they just keep raising the price so I guess people are paying it.  We have one a little over a mile from our house and don't go on land so have no desire to go at sea.

 

Other free food options.  As others have said the larger ships have more options, the smaller even less.

 

Robes, if they were important did you ask the cabin steward if you could get them?  The answer may have been no but even those who have the status to get them have to ask most times.

 

Chocolates on the pillows have been gone for long time which is fine with us, never cared for them.  Sometimes bring some better chocolates for us if we remember.

 

As someone else mentioned a little research could have prepared you the differences you would find.  You could have, at that point, adjusted what you brought or at least knew going in so the disappointment would be lessened.  Of course you wouldnt have kniwn of the poor steward, but maybe would have known who to talk to in order to address it.

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, orville99 said:

We just got off of the two-week Harmony Dorian cruise, and they comped us a "wash & Fold" midway. What we got back was so wrinkled (including a couple of pairs of "wrinkle-free" slacks) that they were unwearable.

 

Never, ever, over stuff the bag. 

[sushitex]

On our last cruise on NCL (November 2016) there were no chocolates on the pillows at night. On our last cruise with Carnival (March 2019) also no chocolates on the pillows. On our first cruise with Royal this past June/July, no chocolates on the pillows, either.  We haven't sailed with any other cruise lines, so after not seeing them on the last Carnival cruise, I wasn't expecting them on Royal. Are other cruise lines still providing them?

 

Personally, I don't care much for the chocolate mints; I used to give them to either dh or ds, or just leave them on the counter.

 

I have only been on 1 Royal cruise, and  I feel that when comparing Royal with both Carnival and NCL, each line has its own pluses and minuses. I really liked the O'Sheehan's on board the Pearl...I think that I requested that we eat lunch there every day! On the Carnival Glory, dh and I loved eating at the BBQ place which was above the regular buffet restaurant. I believe that we also ate lunch there every day. Strangely enough, we have eaten Guy Fieri's burgers before, and maybe they just weren't for us. However, on Royal's Liberty OTS, we used some of our OBC to go to Johnny Rocket's twice; the first time, to try it out, the second time, because we liked the food so much. We also thought that the Windjammer on the Liberty OTS was better than any buffet restaurant on the Carnival and NCL ships that we have sailed on. 

 

I have a suggestion about laundry and clothes: try rolling your clothes and place them in packing cubes. We didn't want to use the laundry service on the Royal cruise because we thought it too pricey, and simply brought enough clothes by rolling and using packing cubes. The only clothes we didn't roll and place in cubes were the suit jacket, slacks, and dresses meant for the formal nights. 

 

I was also a little wary about checking out towels to use in the pool areas on the Royal cruise, but I just made a point of handing the towel(s) back to the attendant before I left the pool area, or after we returned from the beach. As for the towels in the stateroom, I think I recall a posted sign asking that we either hang them or place on the floor if we needed new ones, but I could be wrong. 

 

I missed the robes (got used to them from Carnival) but in all honesty, I rarely used them, and neither dh or ds ever wore them.

 

As for clothes being put away, I actually had some shorts and shirts lying (neatly) on the sofa that was provided in our room. I had changed to go to dinner and was going to put them back on afterwards. Our room steward must have decided that they needed to be put away in the laundry bag that we had left sitting nearby, because that's what he did. Oh well, luckily I had brought plenty of clothes due to the packing cubes, lol. 

 

We were too stingy to buy the Key (I think that it was sold out, anyway, when we used the cruise planner) so I don't have any comments about that. I know that the one or two times that I walked by the flow rider, it was mostly empty, and this was on a holiday cruise. I enjoyed watching the ice skating show,  while dh was bored and almost fell asleep (he didn't like most of the music.) I wouldn't attempt to ice skate - I have broken bones while roller skating, lol. 

 

In summation, will we cruise with Royal Caribbean again? Yes! We have discovered that the casino club treats its members very well with its comps, perks and offers,  and look forward to another RC cruise in 61 days (but who's counting?)

 

 

[rimmit]

1 hour ago, sushitex said:

On our last cruise on NCL (November 2016) there were no chocolates on the pillows at night. On our last cruise with Carnival (March 2019) also no chocolates on the pillows. On our first cruise with Royal this past June/July, no chocolates on the pillows, either.  We haven't sailed with any other cruise lines, so after not seeing them on the last Carnival cruise, I wasn't expecting them on Royal. Are other cruise lines still providing them?

 

 

Celebrity, HAL, and Princess all still have chocolates on the pillows.

[sushitex]

Ah, that is why there is still an expectation of chocolates, lol! 

[Spunky946]

Did you speak to the room attendant or the housekeeping manager about the sheets and towels?  

[bilyclub]

 Nightclub didn’t open until 11pm or later each night.

 

Royal used to have the Dungeon, a two story dance club/disco on the Freedom and Voyager Class. They got rid of it, replacing it with a specialty restaurant and cabins. They now have moved the dancing into the Viking Crown Lounge and start it late at night.

Surprised there was no parties up by the pool or solarium.

[The Fun Researcher]

15 minutes ago, bilyclub said:

 Nightclub didn’t open until 11pm or later each night.

 

Royal used to have the Dungeon, a two story dance club/disco on the Freedom and Voyager Class. They got rid of it, replacing it with a specialty restaurant and cabins. They now have moved the dancing into the Viking Crown Lounge and start it late at night.

Surprised there was no parties up by the pool or solarium.

 

 The dungeon is right. Never liked that Gothic scene. I love the Viking Crown so much better at night for the DJ, dancing, etc

 

 Better yet, I would have loved to see them turn that gothic two story area into a proper modern night club.  The venue was great. The theming was horrible

 

Dan

Edited September 26, 2019 by The Fun Researcher