REGINA Posted June 5, 2006 #1 Share Posted June 5, 2006 We got back yesterday from the 9 night out of Balto. This was our 7th cruise and our first on Royal C. Boarding was great. On by 11:15am in our cabin by 1pm. FOOD: We thought the food left alot to be desired. Now we are not looking for 4 or 5 start eating here,,,,,just some good food. Breakfast was not too bad in the dining room or the Windjammer except for the day THEY RAN OUT OF EGGS,,,,,,,NO EGGS AT ALL. People were not happy. They were out of Coors Light in alot of the bars most of the trip. Never had trouble getting one in the dining room. Lunch in the dining room was ok but would have been much better if the menu changed daily or at least a few times during the trip. Lunch in the Windjammer STUNK. The food was never warm. The variety stunk. The "sandwiches" were one long sub (I watched them make it) cut up in slices. One day I picked up a BLT for my husband. The thing was so small that you had to make sure that there was even a piece of bacon on it. Same thing with the turkey sandwiches. Burger King was looking mighty fine by the 2nd or 3rd day. DINNER - OK, nothing to write home about. We did have some nice meals. HOWEVER, I MUST SAY IN MY 6 PREVIOUS CRUISES ON OTHER LINES I "NEVER" SAW FRIED CHICKEN AND CORN ON THE COB ON THE DINNER MENU. WHAT MADE IT WORSE WAS IT WAS ON THE 2ND DRESS UP NIGHT. The hot dogs and hamburgers at the Solarium were never done. On other cruise lines they cook them to order. They are not all cooked and sitting in one of those warmer pans,,,nasty! You never got your own ice tea or lemonade (we didn't drink it anyway). They had trays of full glasses sitting for you to take from,,,,,,,,,ice melting away. The food served in the casino at night wasn't good either. CHOC BUFFET: This was our first and we enjoyed that. SHIP: Very pretty, as another post said we had a broken dresser drawer but nothing we couldn't work with. I actually liked our cabin (outside). Beds were great (old bedding). Husband didn't care for the pillows. CLEANLINESS: I thought it was ok. HOWEVER, I was very disappointed when I noticed (all week) how they cleaned the tables in the Windjammer. They pick up the plates and glasses that someone used to dispose of then they TAKE ONE OF THE NAPKINS USED BY A PREVIOUS DINER AND WIPE THE TABLE WITH IT. They did this through the area EVERYDAY. And you wonder how those viruses spread !!!!!!!!!!!! I was shocked. No bottle spray and clean wipe like other places use,,,,,,,,,,,,,,just the napkin you wiped your mouth with or sneezed in! ENTERTAINMENT: The performers that were brought on to the ship were FANTASTIC. The RCCL singers and dances stunk. The Palladium was 1/2 empty when they performed and people left throughout their shows. All this aside we had a wonderful time. You make the best with what you have. We met some of the nicest people on this cruise than any other. With all the money we LEFT in the casino maybe they can buy some eggs and table cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleygr Posted June 5, 2006 #2 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Okay, you didn't like the food or entertainment. And that really is too bad. However, it's not the whole cruise experience. What about the ports? Did you enjoy any excursions? How was the pool? Did you spend time in the Solarium? Did you climb the wall? I hope your next cruise, whatever line that may be, is much more enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivnLife Posted June 5, 2006 #3 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Well, they say there's a cruise line for everyone. Hope you find yours :o ~Steph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearySweet2Cruise Posted June 5, 2006 #4 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Humm.. not sure what to say. Your experience certainly is NOT normal... sorry you had a bad trip.. but inspite of it all you had a wonderful time?? :confused: does not sound like you had a wonderful time... Maybe rccl is not for you??. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biomedbob Posted June 5, 2006 #5 Share Posted June 5, 2006 Sorry you had such a bad time! Wev'e sailed on her 8 times and have booked 9 & 10! Crew is wonderful and we love the ship. Having sailed 46 cruises, but not have reached diamond on RCCL, we do have some experience. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SissasMomE Posted June 5, 2006 #6 Share Posted June 5, 2006 I went on a 4-night out of Tampa and never saw Fried Chicken and corn on the cob for dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WECoyote Posted June 5, 2006 #7 Share Posted June 5, 2006 SHEESH!!!! I am a redneck and never judged a cruise by "fried chicken and corn on the cob!!!" Maybe they should have tried the WJ on occasion....Oh well maybe they can find a "Larry the Cable Guy" cruise they can enjoy. I doubt the Cajuns are starting up a cruise line tho'! I still say the Granduer is one of the best cruises I have ever been on...but as a Diamond... what do I know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikew0805 Posted June 6, 2006 #8 Share Posted June 6, 2006 To the OP, I am so sorry your vacation was less than acceptable, WAIT that is not correct.. I am sorry your cruise sucked!! First, let me say this I find it amazing that ANYONE on here would tell you that "it's not the whole cruise experience" or "they say there is a cruise line out there for everyone." It seems that some just think that there is NOTHING "their" cruise line can do wrong! That is ridiculous.. Some things are going to go wrong some of the time. Please ignore those that tell you what you should "judge" your cruise experience on, as that can only be decided by you. Your complaints seemed valid to me, ESPECIALLY the cleanliness issue. We all have little things that happen, that we overlook, but seems to me that on your cruise, things that were unacceptable just kept piling on. I think ( just my opinion ) that sometimes certain sailings just happen to have things go bad on them. I do not think that this is standard through out the entire fleet, or even that ship. Maybe it was an "off" week for the crew! The only thing that I can say would be absolutely unacceptable to me, is to use that cleaning procedure.:eek: If I saw that I would immediately, have someone come clean the table again, and properly. I hope that RCI is better than this, and by reading many reviews in the past I think that they will be. I have two cruises with them booked, and look forward to the new experience. I hope that you choose to give them a try again, but if not.. I hope you have much better cruises in the future! -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie83 Posted June 6, 2006 #9 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Can you tell us about the entertainers that you liked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheelmjfan Posted June 6, 2006 #10 Share Posted June 6, 2006 SHEESH!!!! I am a redneck and never judged a cruise by "fried chicken and corn on the cob!!!" Maybe they should have tried the WJ on occasion....Oh well maybe they can find a "Larry the Cable Guy" cruise they can enjoy. I doubt the Cajuns are starting up a cruise line tho'! I still say the Granduer is one of the best cruises I have ever been on...but as a Diamond... what do I know? I think the OP was surprised that fried chicken & corn of the cob were on the menu, especially on a formal night. I must admit that I would be a little surprised to see that myself. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivnLife Posted June 6, 2006 #11 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Wow, Mike, I said there is a cruise line for everyone because the OP said they wouldn't cruise with RCCL again, it was meant to be sincere :( ~Steph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikew0805 Posted June 6, 2006 #12 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Steph, I apologize.. I guess before I respond to things like this I should take a few deep breaths. So many times on here I see people getting bashed because their opinion was different than others, and I guess I just jumped in without thinking. Please accept my wholehearted apology. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondu Posted June 6, 2006 #13 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Doesn't sound like it was a formal nite. More like a picnic in the park with frieddddddddddd chicken and corn on the cob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisePRN Posted June 6, 2006 #14 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Wow, Mike, I said there is a cruise line for everyone because the OP said they wouldn't cruise with RCCL again, it was meant to be sincere :( ~Steph Actually they said the wouldn't sail the granduer again not RCL. I wouldn't consider ordering fried chicken or corn on the cob on any night let alone a formal night. Formal nights you expect a little something extra like lobster and shrimp cocktails and escargo. There is always something to order from the alternative menu so food wouldn't be something I'd get upset about. If i saw the waiter clean my table with a used napkin I'd be upset and talk to someone about it. This is how norovirus or other such gastrointestinal outbreaks get spread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules815 Posted June 6, 2006 #15 Share Posted June 6, 2006 CLEANLINESS: I thought it was ok. HOWEVER, I was very disappointed when I noticed (all week) how they cleaned the tables in the Windjammer. They pick up the plates and glasses that someone used to dispose of then they TAKE ONE OF THE NAPKINS USED BY A PREVIOUS DINER AND WIPE THE TABLE WITH IT. They did this through the area EVERYDAY. And you wonder how those viruses spread !!!!!!!!!!!! I was shocked. No bottle spray and clean wipe like other places use,,,,,,,,,,,,,,just the napkin you wiped your mouth with or sneezed in! When you saw this happen, did you report it?? I sure would have! :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WECoyote Posted June 6, 2006 #16 Share Posted June 6, 2006 To the OP, I am so sorry your vacation was less than acceptable, WAIT that is not correct.. I am sorry your cruise sucked!! First, let me say this I find it amazing that ANYONE on here would tell you that "it's not the whole cruise experience" or "they say there is a cruise line out there for everyone." It seems that some just think that there is NOTHING "their" cruise line can do wrong! That is ridiculous.. Some things are going to go wrong some of the time. Please ignore those that tell you what you should "judge" your cruise experience on, as that can only be decided by you. Your complaints seemed valid to me, ESPECIALLY the cleanliness issue. We all have little things that happen, that we overlook, but seems to me that on your cruise, things that were unacceptable just kept piling on. I think ( just my opinion ) that sometimes certain sailings just happen to have things go bad on them. I do not think that this is standard through out the entire fleet, or even that ship. Maybe it was an "off" week for the crew! The only thing that I can say would be absolutely unacceptable to me, is to use that cleaning procedure.:eek: If I saw that I would immediately, have someone come clean the table again, and properly. I hope that RCI is better than this, and by reading many reviews in the past I think that they will be. I have two cruises with them booked, and look forward to the new experience. I hope that you choose to give them a try again, but if not.. I hope you have much better cruises in the future! -Mike Mike, You are correct! Maybe I was too flippant in my earlier reply. I have two ships in RCI's inventory I will never sail on again, and that is due to the influence that the route and the pressure on the captains to make them profitable. On those two ships I saw room service dishes that set at the end of the hallway for three days. RCI, generally does not have these types of problems outside of the "left" coast. I have never had a Grandeur cruise that was described above. We are allowed to expect better service than was described and we SHOULD demand it!. Cruises are getting too pedestrian and we should demand better if they want us to continue cruising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudi610 Posted June 6, 2006 #17 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Unfortunately on these boards and others, there are people who defend their choice to the last person standing. And at the same time there will be people who do nothing but bash a company that is a competitor to their favorite (I don't thing this was the OP's intent). Hopefully the entertainment just had an off week and the egg issue was not the norm (I would think that they would have enough food on board for an entire cruise, unless maybe there was just a supply problem that week -- It happens). But I do think the OP has a legitimate complaint about how the tables are cleaned. You can go to any fast food place in the U.S. and they use soapy water and rags to clean the tables, not used napkins. In this case, the OP (or anyone else) should see the appropriate manager in the Windjammer and complain. If that doesn't work, see Guest Relations, the Purser, or Hotel manager and definitely write about it on the comment card at the end of the cruise. I hope the OP does try RCCL again and hopefully they will have a better experience the next time. Sounds like they had a pretty good cruise except for the entertainment and the Windjammer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisePRN Posted June 6, 2006 #18 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Mike, You are correct! Maybe I was too flippant in my earlier reply. I have two ships in RCI's inventory I will never sail on again, and that is due to the influence that the route and the pressure on the captains to make them profitable. On those two ships I saw room service dishes that set at the end of the hallway for three days. RCI, generally does not have these types of problems outside of the "left" coast. I have never had a Grandeur cruise that was described above. We are allowed to expect better service than was described and we SHOULD demand it!. Cruises are getting too pedestrian and we should demand better if they want us to continue cruising. I think the price has to come up a little. We aren't paying 5 star prices anymore so why expect 5 star everything? I would be willing to pay more to get back the style of crusing 10 years ago. The price usually ran $150 PP per day for an average cruise whereas now it's closer to $100PP Per day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising89143 Posted June 6, 2006 #19 Share Posted June 6, 2006 It just goes to show that two people on the same cruise can have a totally different experience. Two different posters on this thread thought different and one thought the food was good. It all comes down to opinions. We all have our own. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=357872 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rfrenchbaxter Posted June 6, 2006 #20 Share Posted June 6, 2006 We got back yesterday from the 9 night out of Balto. This was our 7th cruise and our first on Royal C. Boarding was great. On by 11:15am in our cabin by 1pm. FOOD: We thought the food left alot to be desired. Now we are not looking for 4 or 5 start eating here,,,,,just some good food. Breakfast was not too bad in the dining room or the Windjammer except for the day THEY RAN OUT OF EGGS,,,,,,,NO EGGS AT ALL. People were not happy. They were out of Coors Light in alot of the bars most of the trip. Never had trouble getting one in the dining room. Lunch in the dining room was ok but would have been much better if the menu changed daily or at least a few times during the trip. Lunch in the Windjammer STUNK. The food was never warm. The variety stunk. The "sandwiches" were one long sub (I watched them make it) cut up in slices. One day I picked up a BLT for my husband. The thing was so small that you had to make sure that there was even a piece of bacon on it. Same thing with the turkey sandwiches. Burger King was looking mighty fine by the 2nd or 3rd day. DINNER - OK, nothing to write home about. We did have some nice meals. HOWEVER, I MUST SAY IN MY 6 PREVIOUS CRUISES ON OTHER LINES I "NEVER" SAW FRIED CHICKEN AND CORN ON THE COB ON THE DINNER MENU. WHAT MADE IT WORSE WAS IT WAS ON THE 2ND DRESS UP NIGHT. The hot dogs and hamburgers at the Solarium were never done. On other cruise lines they cook them to order. They are not all cooked and sitting in one of those warmer pans,,,nasty! You never got your own ice tea or lemonade (we didn't drink it anyway). They had trays of full glasses sitting for you to take from,,,,,,,,,ice melting away. The food served in the casino at night wasn't good either. CHOC BUFFET: This was our first and we enjoyed that. SHIP: Very pretty, as another post said we had a broken dresser drawer but nothing we couldn't work with. I actually liked our cabin (outside). Beds were great (old bedding). Husband didn't care for the pillows. CLEANLINESS: I thought it was ok. HOWEVER, I was very disappointed when I noticed (all week) how they cleaned the tables in the Windjammer. They pick up the plates and glasses that someone used to dispose of then they TAKE ONE OF THE NAPKINS USED BY A PREVIOUS DINER AND WIPE THE TABLE WITH IT. They did this through the area EVERYDAY. And you wonder how those viruses spread !!!!!!!!!!!! I was shocked. No bottle spray and clean wipe like other places use,,,,,,,,,,,,,,just the napkin you wiped your mouth with or sneezed in! ENTERTAINMENT: The performers that were brought on to the ship were FANTASTIC. The RCCL singers and dances stunk. The Palladium was 1/2 empty when they performed and people left throughout their shows. All this aside we had a wonderful time. You make the best with what you have. We met some of the nicest people on this cruise than any other. With all the money we LEFT in the casino maybe they can buy some eggs and table cleaner. Well to say the least it sounds like it could have been better. I feel like you paid big bucks for this cruise and you should have gotten what you paid for. The food issue: I would have went directly to the head attendant and said something to him/her. And if I ever would have seen anyone take a napkin that was used and wipe off a table I certainly would not have stopped at the head attendant! And then they Bi---h if you do not wash your hands with their solution before you enter the windjammer! It makes you wonder just how many of the workers really wash their hands after they wipe their butts!!!! YUK!!! Rebecca Rfrenchbaxter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABeach Posted June 6, 2006 #21 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Wow. I can't believe we were on the same cruise. We went to the shows everynight and there was a full house everynight except one. I thought the singers and dancers were fabulous. Yes, they did have fried chicken with a side of corn on the cob as one choice for dinner one night. If I remember correctly, they also had other choices too. I seem to remember eating duck, lobster, veil, rack of lamb, salmon, mahi mahi, cod, and plenty of other great stuff. I'm someone who believes in choices. If you didn't like Grandeur, you certainly don't HAVE to sail on her again. It'll just be one more available cabin for me! :D I sincerely hope you can find one that can make you happy. Grandeur was just as beautiful and amazing as I remebered. I can't wait to sail on her again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MortgageChick Posted June 6, 2006 #22 Share Posted June 6, 2006 In 2003 I sailed on the Enchantment with my daughter in a Junior Suite(whatever that means- it was smaller than our last regular stateroom on Carnival) We had previously experienced Carnival, NCL, and HAL. Honestly the food was terrible,( Meat particularly was extremely tough and tasteless, desserts were like something you would get in a cafetieria) the service was great . The stateroom was acceptable except for the camp cot matresses which they are remedying in the next 12 months. I am giving it another try in October for 12 nights on the Jewel of the Seas so we shall see. Our last 3 cruises were on Celebrity so it could be tough, ALso booked just 2 days ago on the Navigator of the Seas for 13 nights in Nov 2007, I am really willing to give iRoy Caribbean a chance. We are not cruise snobs and are willing to try them all to see what is best suited to our tastes. We have yet to try Princess, Cunard, Oceania and the ultra expensive lines, but we have a few years left- ha!- I hope. The ship is the destination for us and the ports are secondary. You can go to St. Thomas, San Juan or any of the milk run Caribbean ports on any cruise line any time. After you have been to each one 3 or 4 times , who really cares to get off - seriously!! Service, Food and the ship itself are very important and if these items are lacking then so is the cruise experience, you may as well fly to the Caribbean. Oceanbreeze -October 1995-5 night W. Caribbean Destiny -May 1999-7 night Eastern Caribbean NCL Majesty- August 2000 -7 night Bermuda NCL Sun-November 2001-13 night Repo Boston to MIA Paradise-May 2002- 10 nights S Caribbean Carnival Legend-Sept 2002-15 night Transatlantic Crossing Royal Olympia Voyager-Feb 2003-15 night Amazon River Rotterdam- June 2003-7 night Canada-New England Enchantment of the Seas-Sept 1 2003-5 nights Cozumel and Belize Costa Mediterranea- December 14 2003 Western Caribbean Oosterdam-March 14th 2004- 7 nights Eastern Caribbean Westerdam Nov 12 2004- 17 nights Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale Mercury Feb 7 2005- 11 nights Mexican Riviera Summit Sept 16 2005 – 14 Nights Vancouver-Alaska-LA Galaxy Dec 29th 2005-11 nights Panama Canal Carnival Victory June 13 2006- Canada New England RCL Jewel of the Seas- Oct 31 2006- 12 nights Boston-Bermuda-S Caribbean-FLL Carnival Spirit April 2007- 12 nights to Hawaii Navigator of the Seas November 5 2007- 13 nights Southampton to FLL TA Crossing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefighterhoop Posted June 6, 2006 #23 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I think the food, entertainment, and service is better on the Radiance, and Voyager ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightsluvr Posted June 6, 2006 #24 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I guess I will have to look for that on the menu in a few weeks...I never recalled seeing it offered at night in the dining room...live and learn. LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfcathorse Posted June 6, 2006 #25 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I have to agree with OP, our cruise on grandeur was my least favorite. Food was so-so but the dining room staff was great (at least at our table). Captain was so-so, I wouldn't sail with him again as his attitude filters down through the ranks. The head chef on Grandeur is terrible, he needs to be replaced, and soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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