Just off Navigator, decline continues

[kevin1551]

Just got off a 7 night cruise on Navigator of the Seas out of LA.  It saddens me how much Royal has declined. It was strange that there wasn't even crew welcoming you aboard.  Not even people trying to sell food or beverage packages. If I hadn't been on many cruises I would have had no clue where to even go as it seemed like they've never done an embarkation. 

 

Guests smoked on their balconies throughout the cruise. I called guest services with the room number as it was near me and I could see them.  Got a call a couple hours later that there was no evidence so there's nothing that can be done. Royal promenade also reeked of smoke from the casino, but not much can be done about that since the staircase to the casino is right in the middle.

 

Food quality has declined even further since this last July. I bought the ultimate dining package since MDR was bad last cruise. Hooked seafood was such tiny portions.  Claimed to be 4oz lobster, but it was hard to believe it was even 3oz. No more 2 lb crab stuffed whole lobster. Chops steaks really didn't seem to be prime grade and fish selection was Atlantic salmon, which I would never feed to anyone.  Jamie's was decent, but I'd consider Olive Garden to be far better quality and taste. Went to Izumi once and cancelled our future reservations as the sushi was terrible.

 

My parents went to chefs table and everyone seemed to agree it was a waste of 3 hrs and did not taste good. 

 

Breakfast in the MDR was terrible. No pastries available. I ordered the French toast and had dried out bread that seemed somewhat like French toast. Windjammer was the same low quality food every meal. 

 

Playmakers was the bright spot. We enjoyed the food there and ended up going back several times. 

 

Waterslides were frequently closed because there was wind. I'm not really sure effect wind has as the lifeguards were all still stationed there. Flowrider was still going, so it wasn't temperature related.

 

Kids pool closed at 4:30 for some reason, guessing not enough lifeguard staff.

 

Disembarkation was a mess as one of the gangway exits was down so there was a line wrapping down both sides of the exterior deck to get off and they kept calling groups anyways. 

Edited January 28 by kevin1551

[smokeybandit]

13 minutes ago, kevin1551 said:

Claimed to be 4oz lobster, but it was hard to believe it was even 3oz.

You'll have to bring your scale next time

[Tatka]

  We usually cruise 5 cruises on 4-5 ships a year.. and I don’t think crew welcomes cruisers on every cruise. Only on some we were approached and asked about special  dining. To me it’s a good thing.. there is a table where I can order it.

[time4u2go]

I also agree that the experience is declining. And sadly, the prices are also increasing.

[Ashland]

Very sad to hear your disappointment with Navigator. We sail her often (home port) and have always had a great experience on her.

[firefly333]

Just a thing that cracked me up. Royal got so bent out of shape when asked about pay pizza options.

 

Carnival I love their thin crispy pizza for one. This wasnt the best, but I like their white pizza with a thin crispy crust. 4 kinds of cheese and I ask for pepperoni which is always more than rcl puts on. They make each from scratch. .

 

Anyway the funny thing is they added 2 kinds of pizza you can pay for. Never saw them ordered but never saw carnival posters go nuts at adding a new option. Carnival has a $5 and $6 new pizzas offered. Not a clue what a Korean pizza is and another. It's there if someone wants to pay and no one is complaining the way royal posters do. I've always believed royal posters just are a whiny complaining group of posters vs what I see on carnival. True i thought carnival food this last cruise was a 8 or 9, royal lately a 5 or 6. Carnival is busy upping their food and rcl cutting. And i was on a special 14 day journey cruise.,.. so maybe that's also why the food was extra good and not a fair comparison. The food rocked. 

 

My white pizza, just cheese and pepperoni and no sauce I cant get on royal. I hate royals pizza. Tried it once in 3 weeks on harmony. Dont assume just because royal posters are are posting all lines are cutting it's true. I ordered this 3 times, a few times too much cheese, I like crisp thin crust and no sauce.  .. just thought it was hilarious carnival added 2 pay pizza options and they arent even in a uproar like royal posters. Try some other lines you might enjoy the change.

[Engineroom Snipe]

The OP opted for the unlimited dining package to enhance their options above the standard free meals.

 

This would bother me more knowing that I spent additional monies beyond the standard cruise fare and it did not seem to matter to the final enjoyment of the meal experiences.

 

Another point to consider a "3 meal package" during Black Friday Discounts. If the meals are good at the specialty restaurants, it might be worth it to book the remainder at onboard prices.

 

If they fail to deliver, you can call it quits on specialty dining and survive on MDR rations.

 

I have never gone hungry on a cruise but I have had some bad food experiences over the years.

 

A thought to work around this problem.

[chill6x6]

I have two CARNIVAL cruised booked BTW! Haven't been on one in 10 years! I'm thinking the service/food will be just as good and price will be less. No Royal cruises booked after Jewel coming up in March.  I was a great customer too!

[firstimer2009]

So sad to hear this. We cancelled our NCL Med cruise in September to book the Voyager instead.  One thing I already knew I was going to miss was the food choices on NCL.  Too late now. ☹️

[cruzsnooze]

I'm booked on the Navigator in February. I booked RCL because after 10+ Princess cruises I was disappointed with the decline in Princess Cruises food amongst other areas of the cruise. I was hoping RCL would be a better option and am going to go with an open mind but comparisons will be made.

[cruiseguy1016]

15 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

Thank you for your review.

Simple - Cancel RCL. 

Find another cruise line or examine other travel options like escorted tours, drive vacations in North America - all of which I have booked, No cruises going forward.

I say this as I have cruised from 2001 on Celebrity Zenith, and now NO cruises.

You are being taken for granted, so up to you if you wish to be abused in the future.

The cruise lines (ALL) are degrading their product, there are no exceptions.

I have cruised Oceania in the past 5 years, it is being degraded in terms of food, increased port cancellations. No more Oceania cruises.

You are The Boss. 

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

It is the same scenario in restaurants, air travel etc.

Until someone takes the horns and stops the inflation, ridiculous energy prices etc, this business situation will continue.

We simply have stopped purchasing anything other than essentials - cancelled much. The $ is piling up and when the consumer is treated with respect in the future, I will spend.

If more consumers stopped purchasing, the business world would have to cut the downgrading.

No one needs a cruise or many other things we spend on.

YOU be the boss, not the business world.

 

 

Your screen name explains a lot about your attitude toward things.

[SbbquilterUT]

So sad to hear you felt that way.  We were on the same sailing and had a great time.  We have only been greeted by officers on the ship on Celebrity and Viking so did not even expect.  I wrote a review yesterday and it perhaps shows a different point of view as we booked another next year as our easy winter getaway.  Food is not what it was years ago but in life that does not matter that much to me - I knew what to expect and got it.  I did feel bad for folks who were not prepared for cool weather the first and final day of sailing.