Royal Rip Off Symphony Christmas 8 night

[Tolkmit]

1 minute ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Have heard nothing about covid on this cruise.

 

Well, now you know. Kind of understandable that Royal isn't advertising they had issues with Covid previous cruises, but they did. Rather than keep those crew on board, making it so you couldn't go to ports, they moved them off the ship. Some crew could be replaced with healthy crew from ships not in service, like Vision. Other crew, like performers who need 4+ weeks of training for the ship specific shows, cannot be quickly replaced.

[MrMarc]

5 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Have heard nothing about covid on this cruise.

Well that statement says it all.  

[MrMarc]

7 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

The font is smaller once he starts his list at “no Broadway shows”

Look at the post I quoted and just go with me here.  It's all the same size.

[3kidsncats]

Just now, MrMarc said:

Look at the post I quoted and just go with me here.  It's all the same size.

Not on my screen, just go with me here

[Oxo]

4 minutes ago, cruisegus said:

OP are you an Ostrich,  have you had your head in the sand the last 20 months?

 

We are still in the midst of a worldwide Pandemic. 

 

You took a risk and now all you want to do is complain.  Hope you feel better now that you got that off your chest.

 

BTW currently on a Royal cruise ship and happy to be here!!

Sorry to disagree with you about the last 20 months. People started to cruise again in July, August , Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec 2021 without any of those conditions the OP mentioned.

We cruised on Celebrity  Edge in Sept. Then again on a B2B on NCL Joy in Nov got off Dec 4. 

Those 3 cruises were excellent! No masks, no social distancing. Only reduced guests of 900 and 1,600.

Other than that it was very normal in the way of entertainment,  services, Food, etc.

 

How many people are at talking about the lack of any entertainment?

Yes, prices go up during the holidays,  but $120 for any Specialty Restaurant is totally gouging.

 

Enjoy your cruise! Stay Safe and Happy New Year! 

[Morecruisesplz]

21 minutes ago, DevonfromAcme said:

Dude. Guest services lied to you. Covid is rampant on the ship among the crew. The entertainment didn’t end their contracts. They’re being quarantined for Covid. 
 

 

Sad that they would do that.

[danielwje1]

1 hour ago, fredmdcruisers said:

1st cruise back since cancelation of last Christmas because of Covid. 40th cruise with Royal, but this is not what we called cruising in the past. Paid extra for a Christmas cruise never being told that most everything could or would be canceled!

Embarkation day: went to Chops to make reservations (nothing was available Pre-cruise) only to find out that Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and probably New Years Eve ALL specialalty restaurants priced at $120 -- just cause they could! Okay, so Christmas in the Windjammer was fine! Then all this..

- booked a central park balcony to watch Aqua Theater shows from balcony avoiding close contact BUT ALL aqua theater shows were canceled. Guest services said that those crew members signed out of their contracts last cruise. (No one knew and planned for replacements?) No, all you get are really old movies or doggie youtube stuff all day long.

NO Broadway shows

NO music whatsoever in Boleros

NO music in Prmenade

NO parades or  events in Promenade

NO On Air activities 

NO Sailaway party 

NO belly flop contests or game shows - cruise director is MIA

Everytime I went to guest services to speak to a manager, they were all "in meetings." 

Finally tonight, day 6, I said that I would wait and refused to move from the counter. Finally a manager arrived, listened to my complaints and repeated what must be rehearsed as the company line: "We apologize but it is our practice not to offer compensation for things beyond our control." I said, so no one knew all the aqua theater staff's were ending or all the Royal singers and dancers? "No sir."

I call ****! He seemed amazed when I said that I would never want his job. "Why, I love my job" he replied. I said how can you tell a repeat customer that you owe them nothing more than riding around at sea and food to eat? Do you not understand why people cruise?

IMHO, Royal saw a chance to increase profits by cutting out entertainment and hoping no one would complain.

 

 

I’m planning to do a chargeback on my credit card for services not delivered as described for a few hundred dollars. I suggest you consider the same 

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by danielwje1

[Starry Eyes]

8 minutes ago, danielwje1 said:

I’m planning to do a chargeback on my credit card for services not delivered as described for a few hundred dollars. I suggest you consider the same 

 

If you successfully do that, I wonder if you and others in your party will be placed on a company “no cruise” list.

Edited December 29, 2021 by Starry Eyes

[Tolkmit]

7 minutes ago, danielwje1 said:

I’m planning to do a chargeback on my credit card for services not delivered as described for a few hundred dollars. I suggest you consider the same 

 

 

lol. Good luck with that. If you scroll slightly down on the very page you put up a screen shot of, it says "Health and safety protocols, guest conduct rules, and regional travel restrictions vary by ship and destination, and are subject to change without notice. Due to evolving health protocols, imagery and messaging may not accurately reflect onboard and destination experiences, offerings, features, or itineraries. These may not be available during your voyage, may vary by ship and destination, and may be subject to change without notice."

[firefly333]

4 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

If you successfully do that, I wonder if you and others in your party will be placed on a company “no cruise” list.

Probably or rcl could even send it to a collection company. ..depends on much you are worth. If it's less than $100 most credit card companies will write it off. .. I worked disputes at amex. 

 

It would be better to write to rcl and they would probably offer you something. Deal direct.

[natefish95]

Honestly, you sound like a super difficult person to deal with and I applaud the guest services staff on Symphony for dealing with you. None of this is new! This is your first cruise since the restart, but it sounds like you did zero research and and did not know what to expect. There are parts of my current cruise I'm not pleased with, but I'm being flexible and rolling with the changes, not stomping my feet and pitching an adult hissy fit. 

[zekekelso]

1 hour ago, fredmdcruisers said:

We apologize but it is our practice not to offer compensation for things beyond our control." I

I understand the policy. But when it’s not just one or two things, but a whole flock of problems, a little compensation seems appropriate IMO, even though it’s obviously not required. 

[Coralc]

I am so sorry for all of the people that were so disappointed at the lack of everything over their expensive holiday sailings. The increased price of specialty dining over holidays is totally on Royal Caribbean, but they have been doing that for several years. 

 

In 1996 as relatively new cruisers, we had a really bad cruise. Without going in to all the details of missed ports and everything else, it was awful. We wrote actual letters to everyone and complained on the primitive internet. The book "Trouble Free Travel" by NOLO Press was enlightening. 

 

And unfortunately, the cruise line promises you a cruise, food and accommodation in their contract. And that is basically it. Which is what you received. Nothing else is promised or guaranteed. Not ports, not entertainment, not sports, not anything. "Lack of enjoyment" is not a reason for outrage or any compensation.  I know it doesn't seem fair, but that's the way it is. 

Edited December 29, 2021 by Coralc

[Jimbo]

59 minutes ago, Tolkmit said:

 

Well, now you know. Kind of understandable that Royal isn't advertising they had issues with Covid previous cruises, but they did. Rather than keep those crew on board, making it so you couldn't go to ports, they moved them off the ship. Some crew could be replaced with healthy crew from ships not in service, like Vision. Other crew, like performers who need 4+ weeks of training for the ship specific shows, cannot be quickly replaced.

Wonder how the diving training is doing on Vision of the Seas now?

I would guess they would be diving off the back of the ship. Talk about cool training.

[Jimbo]

33 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

If you successfully do that, I wonder if you and others in your party will be placed on a company “no cruise” list.

There's a lot of people right now on the "No cruise" list, but by the time the IT Departments figures it out you will be allowed to cruise again.

Edited December 29, 2021 by Jimbo

[MommaBear55]

1 hour ago, matt1 said:

ELEVEN PAGES OF DISCUSSION OVER HERE:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2820364-symphony-terrible-no-shows-covid/

 

😵‍💫

He actually posted over there too!

[vandy]

1 hour ago, fredmdcruisers said:

My point: they didn't blame covid so where did you read that? Have you cruised 40 times with Royal? They are constantly hiring new singers and dancers and training them in FL. Take the behind the scenes tour on your next cruise. Watch, listen and learn.

They do not have “back up entertainers” waiting to take over during covid.  All crew joining a ship is required to quarantine upon boarding. 

It has been widely posted that the entertainment crew was affected by covid on your sailing. It could be tech or actual cast members. 
 

I do think some compensation is appropriate if a major part of a cruise is unavailable.  

[topnole]

1 hour ago, MrMarc said:

No I haven't.  How many points do you have to get to have unrealistic expectations and make up conspiracy theories?  Yes the are always hiring and training people, but they cannot replace an entire show, especially the diving shows, instantly.  A person or 2 and given practice time together, possibly.  The entire show, no way.  I have heard COVID in other threads and I believe on the news.  If 1 performer gets COVID, they all have to quarantine because they are always in close contact.   The same thing would probably be true for the techs and safety people.  And it is also quite possible that they decided as a group that they were not comfortable on the ship.   I have taken the tour and understand how shows like that work even without taking the tour.  You don't just throw a group together and start a show.  There is a lot more to it than that.  But you've been on 40 cruises, so if you say it, it must be true.  Do you realize that the people on their 1st cruise had the same experiences you did?

When I was on Allure pre harmony launch the harmony show cast practiced non-stop in preparation for the harmony aqua show.  To the point it got annoying hearing the noise and seeing the same main guy over and over.  I’m sure they did it for weeks.  It takes a ton of time and money for a cast to be show ready.  Zero chance you could replace a show cast of any type on short notice.  Shows are not a one man piano scenario.  
 

When I went on the harmony after, I really didn’t enjoy the show after seeing so many snippets of it on Allure.  

[MrMarc]

15 minutes ago, MommaBear55 said:

He actually posted over there too!

I can't believe that.  It must have been RCCL pretending to be him.

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, fredmdcruisers said:

My point: they didn't blame covid so where did you read that? Have you cruised 40 times with Royal? They are constantly hiring new singers and dancers and training them in FL. Take the behind the scenes tour on your next cruise. Watch, listen and learn.

Grow up and stop whining already.  Crew ARE testing positive, I can only imagine how someone like you would have reacted to that.  Good grief 

[danielwje1]

51 minutes ago, MommaBear55 said:

He actually posted over there too!

With the upmost respect to you, we have all had a rather terrible holiday and Christmas. There’s been numerous posts from independent people including myself about the experiences onboard. 
 

I think it’s hard if you’re at home to visualise the experience onboard. I also think it’s important people’s experiences are shared so people can make an informed decision if they want to step on these ships or not. 

[billslowsky]

11 minutes ago, danielwje1 said:

With the upmost respect to you, we have all had a rather terrible holiday and Christmas. There’s been numerous posts from independent people including myself about the experiences onboard. 
 

I think it’s hard if you’re at home to visualise the experience onboard. I also think it’s important people’s experiences are shared so people can make an informed decision if they want to step on these ships or not. 

I made the decision not to commit to a cruise months ago after seeing reports on travel and check-in hassles, continually changing COVID testing hurdles, limited (and lousy) destinations available, and so on.  And that's not even considering that COVID is a long long way from being over.

 

Whether the belly flop contest or love and marriage game would be held were a bit further down my list.

[nocl]

2 hours ago, danielwje1 said:

I’m planning to do a chargeback on my credit card for services not delivered as described for a few hundred dollars. I suggest you consider the same 

 

Be sure and come back in about 3 months and tell us how that works out for you.  You contest, you get the money temporarily credited to your CC account, the CC company sends the claim to the cruise line, the cruise line responds with your bill and the cruise contract, CC decides in cruise lines favor, money again pulled from your CC.  Might even end up with a ban from the cruise line.

 

 

But give it a try, you might get lucky and the cruise line might not respond, but if they do you lose.

[a2zcruise]

I have been on two cruises since CoVID one with Royal and one with Carnival.  I was quite surprised the difference in the two.  I am not a fan of Carnival however will say there was much more adherence to what was marketed on the ship.  We are diamond on RCL and it is getting worse each time we go yet the marketing and hype continues.

 

Unfortunately the week of Thanksgiving (yes prior to the Omni variant) on the Liberty of Seas out of Galveston RCL relaxed the allowance of under 12 unvaccinated guests and the ship was taken over.  Its BS about 95%. Even one of the officers said they had received approvals for increased capacity along with less vaccinated onboard for families given the holiday week (ie: revenue opportunity).

 

I would say 50% of people had a green band on and others did not and I could see no differences in where who was allowed to do what or go.  The only thing was in the Horizon there was servers for food otherwise a free for all.  Service was sub par and the dominant culture onboard were busy standing around talking rather than cleaning tables or enforcing items.

 

Dont bother trying to book a show because so much seating was segregated for non vaccinated then nobody shows up

Music was limited indoors as well as outside.

There was no reason not to have ice carving, contests, DJ, and a non-working jumbotron screen the entire cruise

No parades or themes in Promenade

Even the automated hand sanitizer stations were empty or not working by day 2

Long lines at service desk with little to know correction of items

Shoreside it becomes more and more difficult to speak to someone that is not reading from a script in another country with any authority when calling to report our displeasure

Yes as another posted said the cruise director (Who?) was never seen and tried to make a cute on air appearance and that was it ~ given the outdoor screen doesnt work RCL might as well layoff the cruise directors and have someone from their customer service record it from afar and upload it the ship to play for the stateroom tv with the other recorded commercials

 

I get there are adjustments due to the pandemic but the pandemic is not an excuse for poor maintenance and and service on the ship

 

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by a2zcruise

[PhillyFan33579]

It continues to amaze me that people continue to go on cruises during a pandemic and then complain when the cruise is far different from what they expected. This may sound harsh, but the OP reinforces my believe that too many  people in this country get dumber every year.