First cruise with RCI coming up - not at all impressed

[rudeney]

I have a nearly 40-year career in software design and development so I try to cut Royal IT some slack.  Besides their outages and obvious bugs,  I believe they specifically design the website to extract the most money from customers, and that is why some things may seem hard to use or unintuitive.  For example, I'd love to be able to quickly home in on "available GS or above staterooms on an Oasis-class ship sailing next spring or summer to Alaska for under $5000 for 2 passengers".  This is something easily programmed, but they won't do it because it removes their opportunity to "upsell" or "downsell".  Making me wade through many screens and searches to find just the right cruise gives them the opportunity to show me other things I might be persuaded to buy.  The same goes for Cruise Planner - it's designed to get me excited to pay for these add-ons, not to help me get the best value.  It's all very savvy marketing.

[HicksRA]

1 minute ago, rudeney said:

I have a nearly 40-year career in software design and development so I try to cut Royal IT some slack.  Besides their outages and obvious bugs,  I believe they specifically design the website to extract the most money from customers, and that is why some things may seem hard to use or unintuitive.  For example, I'd love to be able to quickly home in on "available GS or above staterooms on an Oasis-class ship sailing next spring or summer to Alaska for under $5000 for 2 passengers".  This is something easily programmed, but they won't do it because it removes their opportunity to "upsell" or "downsell".  Making me wade through many screens and searches to find just the right cruise gives them the opportunity to show me other things I might be persuaded to buy.  The same goes for Cruise Planner - it's designed to get me excited to pay for these add-ons, not to help me get the best value.  It's all very savvy marketing.

Kinda like grocery stores putting the bread and milk aisles at the back of the store..

[Jimbo]

6 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

Kinda like grocery stores putting the bread and milk aisles at the back of the store..

Milk is always at the back of the store because it's a cheaper install because it's closer to the mechanical room.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

16 hours ago, matj2000 said:

Reason 104 not to book throught the cruise line...

well, I dunno... I've been booking through the cruise line's websites for about 9 years and I am happy with all of their websites.

[poocher]

I was just gonna say the same thing!  There’s a reason milk & bread are in the back of the store.  Same with moving stuff around in Dept stores.  If you know exactly where what you want is, you’ll miss the impulse purchases.

[The Scurvy Pirate]

9 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

Based on the definition, Cork Sniffer appears to apply to the poster rather than his audience….

[Travel R]

Sniffing the cork? Anyone remember the days of the sommelier coming around table to table during dinner on cruises?

 

 

[palmettostatecruiser]

Wow, I feel sorry for your in-laws having to deal with you

[lovesthebeach2]

16 hours ago, ZoeyVictoria said:

Test before you leave home.  Maybe you will test positive and will have an excuse to stay home.

This post was a bit mean… and I’m sorry to admit I laughed out loud. And as I read it again while I’m typing this, I laughed again.

[PTC DAWG]

20 hours ago, squierjosh said:

I've been listening to the cork sniffers for years tell me how great RCI is, especially compared to Carnival. As fate would have it, my in-laws booked an Alaska cruise for us on RCI, and it has not been impressive.

 

The website is almost useless. You can't do much from it compared to Carnival. Find cruises, picking staterooms, etc, is so much easier. RCI doesn't use the Verifly app, preferring to do everything by paper, like we're in 15th century England. We can't test 3 days out, so coming to port a couple days early means we have to test there, which means a negative tests causes A LOT of preventable problems. Given how many covid outbreaks have been happening on RCI lately, does it even matter if we test?

 

Then this whole fiasco with the Quantum ship not going to all the destinations, and absolutely no communication about it, no updates on the (worthless) web site, etc. My itinerary still shows excursions I booked and paid for, yet they're on days listed as sea days, or they don't fit into the new port schedule. Seriously, it shouldn't take this long to fix something, and it absolutely floors me that for what you pay for an RCI cruise, the service is non-existent. 

 

/rant

Hey cork, I hope you survive this ordeal. 

[PTC DAWG]

33 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

Based on the definition, Cork Sniffer appears to apply to the poster rather than his audience….

Exactly, I wondered when y’all were going to figure it out.  

[rudeney]

38 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

Kinda like grocery stores putting the bread and milk aisles at the back of the store..

 

And how Walgreens and CVS put the pharmacy in the back of the store.   Speaking of milk at the grocery store, my wife and I have this running joke about "$50 milk" - we go into the store for milk, and come out with $50 of "stuff".  Of course this joke started 30+ years ago, so now it's $300 milk.  🤣

[Tree_skier]

16 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

The website isn't great, but I honestly haven't found any of the websites of lines I've sailed with recently to be any good (cunard, ncl, princess).

I just booked a cruise on NCL.  Navigating their version of the cruise planner is way worse than Royals.  I let my TA do all the booking stuff so I didn't experience that part but I have booked online with Royal in the past and it is a piece of cake.

 

I'm sure the OP will be very happy to go back to Carnival. 

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, chiguy67 said:

I had to google what is a “cork sniffer”. I found this very, very amusing, especially the first paragraph. According to Urban Dictionary:

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cork sniffer

 

Cork Sniffer definitely applies to the OP.     

Anyone else notice he has disappeared from Royal threads.      Maybe when I mentioned his in laws may be on CC he is hiding out now.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, rudeney said:

For example, I'd love to be able to quickly home in on "available GS or above staterooms on an Oasis-class ship sailing next spring or summer to Alaska for under $5000 for 2 passengers". 

To be fair, there are very few, if any, TA sites on which you could that.

[JeffT237]

21 hours ago, squierjosh said:

I've been listening to the cork sniffers for years tell me how great RCI is, especially compared to Carnival. As fate would have it, my in-laws booked an Alaska cruise for us on RCI, and it has not been impressive.

 

I hope you respond to this question and not just be one a done, why start with the derogatory comment when you begin your post?  Wouldn't it more productive for you to vent your frustration over the disappointment of your Alaska cruise and your first experience with RCI?  And no I am not loyal to Royal, I've sailed and enjoyed multiple lines including Carnival as I see you have too.  Did past RCI cruisers hurt your feelings and leave you with with such a  negative perception of them that you find it necessary to lash out?  

 

21 hours ago, squierjosh said:

Then this whole fiasco with the Quantum ship not going to all the destinations, and absolutely no communication about it, no updates on the (worthless) web site, etc. My itinerary still shows excursions I booked and paid for, yet they're on days listed as sea days, or they don't fit into the new port schedule. Seriously, it shouldn't take this long to fix something, and it absolutely floors me that for what you pay for an RCI cruise, the service is non-existent. 

 

I believe the upcoming Quantum sailings are missing their glacier day, how disappointing and I know of the frustration this leads to especially when the info pre-cruise is lacking.  I recently sailed on the Crown Princess to Alaska, owned by Carnival Corp.  If you want to hear about frustration and disappointment read the reviews, especially the May sailings.  Known propulsion issues, plumbing issues, the medallion app onboard not functioning, non working equipment on board the list goes on.  We were notified the week before which led to multiple itinerary changes and all excursions being cancelled, still waiting for my refund.  We totaled 15 hours in Alaska on a 7 day cruise.  Not sure if you have already sailed the Quantum or it's upcoming but I hope you enjoy Alaska and can manage to enjoy yourself with the ports you do get to call on and you might be surprised with the RCI crew, experience and passengers if you approach it with an open mind.  You might actually have a good time.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/princess-crown-princess-alaska-cruises_cl28-sh347-de115/mra/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Cruise_Review-d15691419-Reviews-Crown_Princess

[Biker19]

Just now, JeffT237 said:

I hope you respond to this question and not just be one a done, why start with the derogatory comment when you begin your post?  

Drive by rants or pot stirring is not unusual on CC.

[JeffT237]

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Drive by rants or pot stirring is not unusual on CC.

 

On CC and pretty much every other message board.

[RedIguana]

I've only been on one Carnival Cruise, and I know to lower my expectations if I ever go back as far as the food, drink, and entertainment are concerned. The staff was just as wonderful as RCL. The shows were just mediocre, the MDR was not something I looked forward too every night (RCL does have escargot available every night is one so chooses), and they did not have a decent Cab by the glass available in most places under the beverage package (MDR staff did find me some J. Lohrs, drinkable but not as good as Oberon). HAL was on par with RCL for food, drink, and staff. The shows were not quite as good, but the music scene was good. I typically book through an online TA just for the extra perks, and I have used different ones depending on the offers, so no website booking issues.

     I really don't think you want to compare RCL's reliabilities issues with Carnival. I don't think Carnival has a big problem with the front falling off, but they do seem to have a problem with catching on fire and hitting rocks.

[mitz18]

17 hours ago, Jimbo said:

No fear, I have all the vaccines and one booster . Just don't think the value is there right now on the ships.

 

Cutbacks on provisions and service are still lacking. Reading to many complains on people's reviews when they get back from their cruises right now and ever since the start-up.

 

We can wait to cruise again, in the mean time land vacations.

 

Then why are you still reading CC?

[rudeney]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

To be fair, there are very few, if any, TA sites on which you could that.

 

Oh, I know.  I'm just using that as an example of how I might like to search vs. how the cruise line wants me to search.  The data is all there and it would likely take a small development team a day to implement it.  I am guessing that TA sites with more robust search capabilities may not even have that level of access to RCCL's inventory so even they can't offer that granular of a search.  It's OK, I'll keep searching using the tools available and I'll keep getting "upsold". 🤣

[John&LaLa]

20 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Up until now, we have been using eMed proctored tests for our cruises (7 post restart cruises so far). Fast. Easy. Done where you are 2 days prior to cruise. If we're at the departure city early, done from the hotel room. If we're at home, done at the kitchen table while sipping coffee. 

 

That being said, NCL is dropping their pre-cruise testing requirements. Wonder when RCCL will fall in line. 

 

Only in Europe for the most part

[John&LaLa]

17 hours ago, Jimbo said:

No fear, I have all the vaccines and one booster . Just don't think the value is there right now on the ships.

 

Cutbacks on provisions and service are still lacking. Reading to many complains on people's reviews when they get back from their cruises right now and ever since the start-up.

 

We can wait to cruise again, in the mean time land vacations.

 

Odd that you avoid reading the good reviews.

 

You are truly blessed

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Milk is always at the back of the store because it's a cheaper install because it's closer to the mechanical room.

 

And this is based on your extensive work in the grocery business🤔

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Drive by rants or pot stirring is not unusual on CC.

 

Crop dusting