RCCL and Johnny Rocket's

[Ret MP]

14 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Of course, I do feel that much in here is a friendly discussion, including you post.  But, not all are.

 

Edited In:  Also, at least one, probably others are just spouting misinformation or misconceptions.  But, I'll not rehash them.  I've had my say.

 

1 minute ago, ldubs said:

 

Sorry you took offense.  None was intended.   

That was not intended toward you or your comment.

[Mum2Mercury]

5 hours ago, Ret MP said:

... I am/was a defender of the venue.  I, kinda still am.  But, another thread in here has several people listing Johnny's as one of the top overrated venues in RCCL ...

What I don't "get" is that hamburgers are included /served at every lunch and dinner in the Windjammer; in fact, they seem to fly off the serving counter -- hamburgers are definitely one of the  most popular items on the menu.  But why would people pay (and we're talking about $30 by the time you and your sweetie have lunch) to get the same thing only steps away?  

 

I also don't understand how they decide what's "for cost" vs. what's free.  The Dog House, the Mexican food place, Sorrento's pizza and Promenade Cafe sammies are no-cost, whereas Fish & Ships and Johnny Rockets cost money.  I don't understand the thought process.  

4 hours ago, BobNoxious said:

My wife had the most explosive diarrhea after a Johnny Rockets breakfast on Harmony.   Never again!

Um, Dude, if you want to stay married, don't admit things like that about your wife.  My Mamaw told me, "You don't have to say everything you know."  

1 hour ago, Tatka said:

 

1. we like how now umbrellas are added to loungers.
2. Loungers availability.
3. Several beaches to choose.
4. Nice pool.
5. All available food if we are hungry.
6. Nice snorkeling off the beach.
7. We do not need to take a taxi to the beach as on most islands.

We don't care about the pool (too loud), but these are the reasons we enjoy Cocoa Cay!  It's a beach day that doesn't require transportation from the ship ... with lunch included. 

I'll add the hammocks ... my husband LOVES a good, long nap in a hammock.  

22 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

That being said we now choose Play Makers when available. 

Yes, my sports-loving husband LOVES Playmakers.  He doesn't really buy food, but they get their share of his beer purchases.  

[Ret MP]

48 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

We noted that JR's was mostly empty when we were there too on the Independence.  I attributed that to the physical appearance of the place.  Like I said, it presents the perception of unclean, worn-out and just uninviting.  We usually just went in for a Milkshake but did eat there once and, again like I said, the burger was bland, missing something.  Not what I expected.

 

Maybe on the older ships, they just aren't being kept up as nicely as they are on the Oasis ships. However, I don't know that for a fact.  All I can say for sure, JR's was a bit of a disappointment for us on the Ovation.

I mistyped.  It should be Independence.

[Ret MP]

2 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

What I don't "get" is that hamburgers are included /served at every lunch and dinner in the Windjammer; in fact, they seem to fly off the serving counter -- hamburgers are definitely one of the  most popular items on the menu.  But why would people pay (and we're talking about $30 by the time you and your sweetie have lunch) to get the same thing only steps away?  

 

I also don't understand how they decide what's "for cost" vs. what's free.  The Dog House, the Mexican food place, Sorrento's pizza and Promenade Cafe sammies are no-cost, whereas Fish & Ships and Johnny Rockets cost money.  I don't understand the thought process.  

Um, Dude, if you want to stay married, don't admit things like that about your wife.  My Mamaw told me, "You don't have to say everything you know."  

We don't care about the pool (too loud), but these are the reasons we enjoy Cocoa Cay!  It's a beach day that doesn't require transportation from the ship ... with lunch included. 

I'll add the hammocks ... my husband LOVES a good, long nap in a hammock.  

Yes, my sports-loving husband LOVES Playmakers.  He doesn't really buy food, but they get their share of his beer purchases.  

I can't tell you why and won't try to tell you why RCCL has an up charge for certain venues.  All I know is that it is what it is.  I may not like it, that's for sure.  I really don't like paying an upcharge at the Fish and Ships place only because it isn't a full service place.  If I'm paying an upcharge, I want full service.  But, again, it is what it is until thing change, if ever.  

 

As much as I despise Rustbucket Cruise Lines, I've watch a Youtube video of the Mardi Gras and it has a ton of inviting, no extra charge venues.  Maybe RCCL will notice and change.  Or on the other hand, maybe Rustbucket Cruise Lines will notice and change their way of doing things.  OR, nothing will change with either side.  

[ballarinamom]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

Wow are you out of touch.  This is what I get at JR on the ship and free standing JR prices from the local mall.

Rocket dog double= 10.99

onion rings =  6.99

bowl of chili 6.99

ice tea = 3.29

 ice cream Sunday = 3.29

A whopping $31.55 before taxes 

 And as a bonus the JR on the ship is unlimited food.  That being said we now choose Play Makers when available. 

Not out of touch. We have a Johnny Rockets at our local theme park and thats what I pay for a burger, fries and drink. .If we buy the meal package with our season passes its free. Just ate there this weekend when we went to look at Christmas lights

[pfm18]

Yeah, I’m not paying for a burger or a hot dog on a cruise when I can get perfectly good ones in the WJ which is about a 20 second walk away. The place doesn’t even have the cool diner vibe it had a decade ago. No thanks. 

[DaKahuna]

3 minutes ago, pfm18 said:

Yeah, I’m not paying for a burger or a hot dog on a cruise when I can get perfectly good ones in the WJ which is about a 20 second walk away. The place doesn’t even have the cool diner vibe it had a decade ago. No thanks. 

But it has those delicious milk shakes and fantastic onion rings 🙂 

[PamelaHunt]

We find JR.....meh.  Am I the only one that finds the ketchup smiley face utterly revolting? <shudder>

 

[Tatka]

53 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

As much as I despise Rustbucket Cruise Lines, I've watch a Youtube video of the Mardi Gras and it has a ton of inviting, no extra charge venues.  Maybe RCCL will notice and change.  Or on the other hand, maybe Rustbucket Cruise Lines will notice and change their way of doing things.  OR, nothing will change with either side.  

 

 I do not like Carnival at all, but why do you call Rustbucket Cruise Lines and mention their newest Mardi Gras ? It was deployed in 2021?

[time4u2go]

26 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

 I do not like Carnival at all, but why do you call Rustbucket Cruise Lines and mention their newest Mardi Gras ? It was deployed in 2021?

I'm wondering that too, considering that Royal's ships have their share of rust too. 

[Nunagoras]

Quite interesting thread, thanks! Let me just to see it from another side: Don't know if it is for a cultural barrier challenge (EU vs US) or what else, but I can't to see myself paying up-charge for fast food inside a cruise ship where fast food is readily offered included on my basic cruise fare! Understand the 3rd party trademark renting schemes needed to retain base fares as low as possible, which explain why JR is a pay for on RCI, but again; fast food is fast food. Surely you can to make superior made to order fast food, but it remains being fast food!... 😞TBHH: Better to have it fully free, if possible.

 

In such a more positive note; when I did my unique RCI experience on the Allure in Europe a few years ago, on Rome day the shore excursion came sort of late, and consequently we were on near ending Windjammers opening lunch time with less options available, and then I discovered they had a burger station there where they had some very nice chicken burgers displayed. The one I had was perhaps my best ever burger, but again: I'm not particular fond on burgers at all, to say the least!...

[Ret MP]

25 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

 I do not like Carnival at all, but why do you call Rustbucket Cruise Lines and mention their newest Mardi Gras ? It was deployed in 2021?

The reason why is a very long story.  Let's just say that it involves leaving someone (me) out to fend for himself that was/is disabled and it was a big joke to them.

 

I was visiting with my daughter and son - in - law, a few weeks ago and they were watching videos on Youtube and saw the Mardi Gras and wanted to watch it.  I was part of the living room audience.  I haven't had any interest in Rustbucket Cruise Lines since my last cruise with them in ~2017.  As stated in my post, I was somewhat impressed with the variety and amount of free or no added cost venues.  That's not to say I'll ever cruise with them again, I won't.  

[Ret MP]

9 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I'm wondering that too, considering that Royal's ships have their share of rust too. 

Really has nothing to do with actual rust.  It's my way of disparaging them in public.  If I did tell you the whole story, it would take up a lot of space and time.  My complaint to Rustbucket was about a 5 page letter, of which I never received an acknowledgement or apology and the Guest Services/Customer Services manager on the ship in question actually had a smile on his face when I finally had a chance to tell him about it.  I wish I could find that letter in my digital files, I'd post it here just to save time. 

[Mum2Mercury]

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

... If I'm paying an upcharge, I want full service ... 

It's not so much whether a place is full service; rather, it's that some fast-foods are no-charge, while others involve a charge.  It's the lack of consistency.  I don't like not understanding things.  

[Ret MP]

9 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

It's not so much whether a place is full service; rather, it's that some fast-foods are no-charge, while others involve a charge.  It's the lack of consistency.  I don't like not understanding things.  

LOL, some thing are just not meant to be understood.  So mote it be!

[Biker19]

19 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

My complaint to Rustbucket was about a 5 page letter, of which I never received an acknowledgement or apology and the Guest Services/Customer Services manager on the ship in question actually had a smile on his face when I finally had a chance to tell him about it.

That could very easily happen on an RCI ship as well and if you search enough on here, there are probably examples of it.

[Ret MP]

4 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

That could very easily happen on an RCI ship as well and if you search enough on here, there are probably examples of it.

I don't doubt that it has or hasn't happened by RCCL or any other customer service business.  The difference is it didn't happen to me on RCCL.   Believe me, if it did, I'd consider RCCL as much of a pariah as I do Rustbucket Cruise Lines.  Being retired from the hospitality/customer service industry, one of 4 retirements, I'm sure I pissed off many people that didn't get the answer they wanted and had choice words about me, the company and never returned.  That's how the world turns.  On the other hand, I've made many people happy.  One thing I never did was ignore anyone and/or laugh in their face regardless if I sympathized with them or not.  

[A&L_Ont]

 

4 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

mon Dieu! 

 

I was born in Montreal but grew up in Toronto. It took a long while to switch my allegiance to the Leafs from Les Habitants and to the Blue Jays from Les Expos! The old Forum and Jerry Park were cathedrals for me. 

Tabernac. 😂 We are cruising December 31st from Fort Lauderdale and get there a few nights prior. We already have tickets for the Panthers VS the Habs. Like any good Leaf fan I’ll be cheering for the Panthers. Well, except to Tkachuk. 
 

Side note, three seats at the glass in FL are cheaper than one in the gold section in Toronto. 

 

4 hours ago, Mapleleafforever said:

Sorry for your loss. 

 

We love Montreal in fact we'll be there for a few days end of January for the Leaf game. 

And who will you be cheering for dare I ask?

[A&L_Ont]

7 hours ago, BobNoxious said:

My wife had the most explosive diarrhea after a Johnny Rockets breakfast on Harmony.   Never again!

I want to laugh at this comment but know better.  That being said, is it never again to JR or the diarrhea?  Seeing as you are BobNoxious, I’d think that she was she more affectionately know as MrsNoxious at that moment. 

[CFIGuy]

This would be my recommendation to Royal. Rebrand the Johnny Rockets as a burger place, but also with the crazy milkshake idea that Icon is getting.  You get dual use from the venue, which will be good for revenue and also good use of space that can be quiet at night.  

 

As for the burgers, have a menu of crazy burgers to go with the crazy milkshakes.  The restaurants are getting focused on being more experience based. Make it a burger you can’t normally get. Oh, and cook it to temperature too!!!

 

Otherwise I’m in agreement with others on this message chain - why would I pay for a cheeseburger and fries when I can get one at WJ or MDR for no cost? 

Edited December 15, 2022 by CFIGuy
Added comment

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

That could very easily happen on an RCI ship as well and if you search enough on here, there are probably examples of it.

Very true.

[Tatka]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

The reason why is a very long story.  Let's just say that it involves leaving someone (me) out to fend for himself that was/is disabled and it was a big joke to them.

 

I was visiting with my daughter and son - in - law, a few weeks ago and they were watching videos on Youtube and saw the Mardi Gras and wanted to watch it.  I was part of the living room audience.  I haven't had any interest in Rustbucket Cruise Lines since my last cruise with them in ~2017.  As stated in my post, I was somewhat impressed with the variety and amount of free or no added cost venues.  That's not to say I'll ever cruise with them again, I won't.  

 

  I won't cruise them too again. 1 out of 8 lines we tried. Honestly tried 3 times. I did not like numerous things, but most of all we did not like whole ambiance. All 3 times there was something wrong. Like I am suddenly in neighborhood I do not like. All three were fairly new then Liberty (2 month old), Glory maybe 6-7 years and 5-6 y.o Miracle. We tried shorter cruises, but also 8 dayer and it was still wrong neighborhood... 

 

 I do not think improved fast food restaurants will fix that.

 

Royal is not overly sophisticated, but I feel much more comfortable on RCI ships.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Tatka

[Morecruisesplz]

10 hours ago, Ret MP said:

Really?  Did you actually read it?

It's hard to. 

[Ret MP]

7 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

  I won't cruise them too again. 1 out of 8 lines we tried. Honestly tried 3 times. I did not like numerous things, but most of all we did not like whole ambiance. All 3 times there was something wrong. Like I am suddenly in neighborhood I do not like. All three were fairly new then Liberty (2 month old), Glory maybe 6-7 years and 5-6 y.o Miracle. We tried shorter cruises, but also 8 dayer and it was still wrong neighborhood... 

 

 I do not think improved fast food restaurants will fix that.

 

Royal is not overly sophisticated, but I feel much more comfortable on RCI ships.

To be honest, it was that one cruise, the last cruise, that I had issue with and boy O boy were there a lot of issues. Before that, we cruised on Rustbucket 8 or 9 times within just a few year, I started cruising late in life, all different ships.  However, we didn't have any other experience with any other cruise line, so we didn't have anything to judge them against. It was after that last cruise that we decided to give RCCL a try and after cruising on the Oasis of the Seas, that is when we realized what we were missing.  I don't know if you know the guy or heard of him, but I got to know John Heald, no we weren't friends but he knew me and I got to know him, the senior cruise director for the cruise line and now I guess is the company ambassador.  On his Facebook Blog, I was one of his biggest defenders and the companies too.  In fact, John would always have a "Ship on a Stick" waiting on us in our cabin.  I contributed a lot to his blog.  I never told him what happened because it is his job to support the company and I didn't want to put him between a rock and a hard place.  I just left his blog and that was that.

[Morecruisesplz]

3 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

To be honest, it was that one cruise, the last cruise, that I had issue with and boy O boy were there a lot of issues. Before that, we cruised on Rustbucket 8 or 9 times within just a few year, I started cruising late in life, all different ships.  However, we didn't have any other experience with any other cruise line, so we didn't have anything to judge them against. It was after that last cruise that we decided to give RCCL a try and after cruising on the Oasis of the Seas, that is when we realized what we were missing.  I don't know if you know the guy or heard of him, but I got to know John Heald, no we weren't friends but he knew me and I got to know him, the senior cruise director for the cruise line and now I guess is the company ambassador.  On his Facebook Blog, I was one of his biggest defenders and the companies too.  In fact, John would always have a "Ship on a Stick" waiting on us in our cabin.  I contributed a lot to his blog.  I never told him what happened because it is his job to support the company and I didn't want to put him between a rock and a hard place.  I just left his blog and that was that.

See what I mean?