Adieu Royal Caribbean?

[Brad1185]

It is a statement of fact.

 

More room for me = I am happy

have fun on princess = wishing him good luck

 

So, whats the problem with that?

 

Are you intentionally attempting to bait people?

 

 

These type of comments are extremely childish and uncalled for.

[Captain Jake]

 

PS to Merion - thank you for ferreting out the hogwash in the "survey" that proved Carnival was The Best.

 

Nobody proved the survey was hogwash.It did not say Carnival was best only that it was better than RCCL..Lots of people like Carnival and dismissing the the surveys is plain silly

[wdh]

We were on the Jewel the week of Thanksgiving. We decided the RCCL is not for us any more. Service was not up to par. Had an outside suite. When called for the cabin steward, we were told, "I am taking my dinner, I will be with you later" Definitely not what we wanted to here. Ship was clean, but serve was lacking. We left Chops dissatisfied. We dined in Chops and Portofinos every night of our cruise. Truly a disappointment. Time to move on.

[RetireeWannabee]

Nobody proved the survey was hogwash.It did not say Carnival was best only that it was better than RCCL..Lots of people like Carnival and dismissing the the surveys is plain silly

withdraw the 'hogwash' comment (apologies to those who may have been offended by that), but, without full info about how the survey was conducted and who responded (predominantly Carnival cruisers? same number of responders from all cruise lines? How many cruisers answered it?...), I will continue to dismiss them. You may of course use them as guidelines. Info from 99 is, in my opinion, no longer relevant.

[FL_Cruiser64]

These type of comments are extremely childish and uncalled for.

 

Yeah, thats coming from the guy trashing RCI at every corner yet continuous to sail on it.

 

Go find another fuel surcharge thread or no brown sugar thread.

[Brad1185]

Im for the fuel surcharge and dont use brown sugar, strike two for you.

[Retired not Expired]

withdraw the 'hogwash' comment (apologies to those who may have been offended by that), but, without full info about how the survey was conducted and who responded (predominantly Carnival cruisers? same number of responders from all cruise lines? How many cruisers answered it?...), I will continue to dismiss them. You may of course use them as guidelines. Info from 99 is, in my opinion, no longer relevant.

I'm with you. Many of those types of awards are just given to the biggest advertiser.

[vmom]

I certainly do. But obviously the OP made his/her mind up, I can not verify some of the claims (like the chewing gum on a chair), so the issue is closed. As a RCI cruiser to a former RCI cruiser I wish him good luck. Got a problem with that?

 

 

I think you have the OP's post confused with a different thread. There is nothing in the original post or following posts regarding chewing gum on a chair.

 

 

However I did read a DIFFERENT post by a DIFFERENT person (not the OP) on a DIFFERENT thread that complained about chewing gum on a chair. Seems you have them mixed up. The chewing gum incident was in the thread about the Liberty being a disappointment and contained a letter that the OP of that thread wrote to Mr. Fein.

[Jimmers]

I think you have the OP's post confused with a different thread. There is nothing in the original post or following posts regarding chewing gum on a chair.

 

ROFLMAO, that's just too funny.

[Fran Harp]

Oh I hope this is not our experience on the Brilliance next week. We haven't been on RCL ships for 2 years.Tried Princess last year and generally liked RCL better. Will post when I get back.

 

I just got off Brilliance two weeks ago (sigh) - and my experience was that everyone was helpful and polite - the room steward Wendell was terrific, and prompt - the dining room service was good (considering it was a training cruise), and despite the fact that some of my fellow cruisers did not like the food, you never could have told that at our table. Most of us were ordering two appetizers and two desserts - and generally having a ball.

 

I keep saying - if you go planning to have a good time and just make the best of what comes, you will hvae a good time. If you are fussy, don't go - as you will just find things to fuss over. Personally, imo, life is too short to sweat the small things - enjoy the sea, enjoy the beautiful ship, and take not of how tiny you are out there in the ocean.

 

Fran in Toronto

[Fran Harp]

We were on the Jewel the week of Thanksgiving. We decided the RCCL is not for us any more. Service was not up to par. Had an outside suite. When called for the cabin steward, we were told, "I am taking my dinner, I will be with you later" Definitely not what we wanted to here. Ship was clean, but serve was lacking. We left Chops dissatisfied. We dined in Chops and Portofinos every night of our cruise. Truly a disappointment. Time to move on.

 

Or time to stop cruising. We enjoyed both Chops and Portofinos...and why should a room steward stop eating dinner because you wanted something?

 

Fran in Toronto

[Jimmers]

I think you have the OP's post confused with a different thread. There is nothing in the original post or following posts regarding chewing gum on a chair.

 

Brad, what that be a foul ball or strike 3 for Fl_Cruiser?

[Jeka]

We were on the Jewel the week of Thanksgiving. We decided the RCCL is not for us any more. Service was not up to par. Had an outside suite. When called for the cabin steward, we were told, "I am taking my dinner, I will be with you later" Definitely not what we wanted to here. Ship was clean, but serve was lacking. We left Chops dissatisfied. We dined in Chops and Portofinos every night of our cruise. Truly a disappointment. Time to move on.

 

Oh no, how awful, the staff actually get to have dinner.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

"Time to move on" Bye bye

[Fran Harp]

Just off the Brilliance transatlantic. We were in an annex to the dining room right by the door (exit). The servers were ok. The waiter was not at all friendly but techincally he did his job. The assistant waiter was a bit better. The food was awful. "Shoulder steak" twice on the menu and always available top sirloin. The chicken in the buffet was almost always dark meat. I am a bit picky. My DH is not but said his food was either tasteless or just plain bad. We sailed on the Jewel in '04 and the food was fine. We are booked on the March 30th Jewel transatlantic and are very aprehensive that the food will be the same. We gave up on the dining room but even the Windjammer was getting bad at the end. Peas and carrots and Zuchini either covered with mashed potatos (vegetarian shepherd's pie) or with cheese daily. I don't expect the food to be great. Just fair to good with variety. Our last three cruises were with Celebrity and the food was always good to very good. We ate in Chops one night and the food was wonderful. I told the head waiter on the way out that I wished the dining room food was half as good. He said they know it is a problem and are starting something new on the Brilliance in January and then it is supposed to apply to the other ships. I would not mind paying more as I think RCCL has really deteriorated.

 

Joyce

 

Well, Joyce and I being friends, can disagree nicely:D We had a lovely table for ten in the centre, and had a riot at our table almost every night. We loved the food, and ate more than one of some things (as I've said elsewhere). We also liked Chops and Portofinos. Our table servers were awesome, and we cried when we left - so did they. We also made friends with the table next to ours and started goofing up with them.....

 

but I did feel bad for Joyce and Randy as they were literally right by the door, and there just should not be a table in that location under any circumstances.

 

Fran

[travelteam]

Well, Joyce and I being friends, can disagree nicely:D We had a lovely table for ten in the centre, and had a riot at our table almost every night. We loved the food, and ate more than one of some things (as I've said elsewhere). We also liked Chops and Portofinos. Our table servers were awesome, and we cried when we left - so did they. We also made friends with the table next to ours and started goofing up with them.....

 

but I did feel bad for Joyce and Randy as they were literally right by the door, and there just should not be a table in that location under any circumstances.

 

Fran

 

Hi Fran........................don't feel bad for those who have a table near the door...............if those tables weren't available, people who use wheelchairs could not use the dining room. remember how close the tables were on the Brilliance?

 

As to the food and menus.................on our past cruise this December, the food was bad most nights in the dining room. I agree with Joyce ad Randy on that point. But food is not the most important part of the experience. Our wonderful waiter always suggested the best prepared meal..........which we ordered, and it was fine. Not fine dining, but fine for what we paid...............we ate in both Chops and Portofinos - wonderful meal, well prepared and presented, with great service. that's what cruising used to be...........but it's not anymore. We enjoyed our last cruise...............we had a blast with our table mates, the food was not as important as the company and we were happy by just being there. We found our waiter and his assistant to be both professionals and they made up for what was not on our plates. As Fran said we found it natural to compliment the staff when appropriate............we enjoyed every day, just to be alive, smell the sea, experience new ports and meet new people. For us, that's what travel is about...................just my opinion.

[cctn]

Good luck obtaining the perfect cruise from another line...

 

Perhaps it is time to move up to a more upscale line that will meet your expectations...

 

Well said - like Crystal - QM2 - etc etc... Corkey

[Brad1185]

Foul ball.

[Jimmers]

Foul ball.

 

That's very generous of you to keep him in the game.

[OhJoy]

But I tend to have fun in just a dark room with a wad of chewing gum.:cool:

 

Too funny! Yeah, I tend to be easy to please too!

 

Patt (smiling)

[sagiv666]

Like so many threads here, this has changed from a simple statement of opinions to vicious attacks ad nauseum. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

[Hlitner]

Ok, its cool to poke fun at some of the negative comments such as the post about the stewards having dinner. On the other hand, when we were on the Brilliance 3 weeks ago (transatlantic) and wanted a late afternoon drink on our balcony, we had no ice. So, we first looked out in the hallway for a steward, but they were all on break. We than called room service, who at first, told us to ask our steward for ice. When we said the stewards seemed to be off-duty, they told us it would be about 45 minutes (this was 4 pm) until they could deliver a bucket of ice. So (I did post this previously) I took our ice bucket (after draining the melted ice from the previous day), walked down the steps, went to the Casino bar and nicely asked for ice. The bar tender first asked me why I didn't get ice from my steward, but when he saw that I was not smiling he did quickly fill the ice bucket. Did we complain about this episode on the cruise? Or course not. However, the RCCL (before they changed their name and attitude) of years ago would have had that ice to our cabin in 5 minutes. Now, we all make excuses and defend the cruise line that we like (we are Diamond), but the reality is that RCI is not even close to what it was a few years ago. They do now have gorgeous giant ships ("Blight of the Seas"), but food, service and entertainment has dropped many notches. I guess this is a good thing for the McDonalds generation who does not want to dress for dinner, prefers fast food over slow elegant dining, etc etc. My wife likes to say that airline travel is the only thing that has not improved in over 40 years (its actually gone backwards), but some of the cruise lines seemed to be determined to follow in the airline tradition. Wonder how long it will be until RCI charges for peanuts?

 

Hank

 

Hank

[Fran Harp]

Ok, its cool to poke fun at some of the negative comments such as the post about the stewards having dinner. On the other hand, when we were on the Brilliance 3 weeks ago (transatlantic) and wanted a late afternoon drink on our balcony, we had no ice. So, we first looked out in the hallway for a steward, but they were all on break. We than called room service, who at first, told us to ask our steward for ice. When we said the stewards seemed to be off-duty, they told us it would be about 45 minutes (this was 4 pm) until they could deliver a bucket of ice. So (I did post this previously) I took our ice bucket (after draining the melted ice from the previous day), walked down the steps, went to the Casino bar and nicely asked for ice. The bar tender first asked me why I didn't get ice from my steward, but when he saw that I was not smiling he did quickly fill the ice bucket. Did we complain about this episode on the cruise? Or course not. However, the RCCL (before they changed their name and attitude) of years ago would have had that ice to our cabin in 5 minutes. Now, we all make excuses and defend the cruise line that we like (we are Diamond), but the reality is that RCI is not even close to what it was a few years ago. They do now have gorgeous giant ships ("Blight of the Seas"), but food, service and entertainment has dropped many notches. I guess this is a good thing for the McDonalds generation who does not want to dress for dinner, prefers fast food over slow elegant dining, etc etc. My wife likes to say that airline travel is the only thing that has not improved in over 40 years (its actually gone backwards), but some of the cruise lines seemed to be determined to follow in the airline tradition. Wonder how long it will be until RCI charges for peanuts?

 

Hank

 

I think there are two points though, Hank -

 

First, not everyone on the ship had the same experience. We didn't...we had ice all the time and never had to ask.

 

Second, if I had asked and discovered my steward was eating dinner, I would have either asked how long it would be, or just gone to a bar to get some. Bottom line - for me, anyway - is that they don't have to be at our beck and call 24/7. They are entitled to off hours, and we the pax are not entitled to expect them whenever we want them.

 

I agree with Dee about tables for those who need to be at them - but Randy and Joyce were right smack beside the door in the tiny dining room - where all the traffic went back and forth.

 

I disagree - obviously- about the food. Food is entirely subjective, I think - and while it was not 5-star dining, I don't expect that. I don't really care if cruising is "what it used to be" - there's a certain tone of elitism in that. I may be misreading, or misunderstanding intentions, but that's what I hear.

 

It *was* a good cruise, though wasn't it????

 

Fran in Toronto

[Lightsluvr]

Are you willing to pay more for that better food? The prices for cruising have stayed at about the same price for the last five years while everything else has risen in price. If folks want higher quality then be prepared to pay more for it but most will not. They expect to cruise for fifty bucks a day and receive Ritz Carlton quality. Ain't gonna happen on a mass market line.

 

Oh come on, gator; I almost always agree with you, but I have to disagree on this one. First, there ain't no $50 a day cruises on RCI. I have been cruising exclusively on RCI since 2004. I have seen quality decrease; services cut back, and prices increase by at least 30% for the same itineraries. A cruise experience on RCI is cookie cutter - the same ole thing every trip. As I recently stated in another thread, I've seen enough "Broadway Reviews" and hairy leg contests to last my lifetime. The OP's comments are correct in my opinion. The only difference is that I won't flee to another cruise line. I'll go to that Ritz Carlton (or similar) in a port of call of my choosing...and probably wind up spending less $$.

JMHO.

 

LL

 

P.S. to the RCI cheerleaders - you don't have to add your sarcasm; we still have three cruises booked on RCI. Maybe we'll bump into you on one of them... ;)

[texancruzer]

Just gotta jump in here. We have only been sailing RCI (and only RCI) since 2003....it is a good fit for us so we have stayed with just them.

 

That said..... I have noticed a change since our first cruise on Rhapsody. Small subtle ones. But changes nonetheless.

 

Our last cruise - just a few weeks ago on the Brilliance for her last Med tour before heading back to Miami for winter Caribbean season.

 

Food in dining room....definately a "little less" but still very good and edible and served with a smile and efficiently.

 

Steward .... we had no ice and repeatedly asked him to keep water in our mini fridge.....nope.

 

Ship.....beautiful..... in great shape.

 

Entertainment..... don't know. Didnt make any shows since this was such a port intensive cruise....we were too pooped to make it to any.

 

But even with the small changes this is still by far the most economical way we could have EVER visited 6 countries in 9 days......

 

We paid $899.00 per person for the largest balcony cabin for 9 nights.

 

We have stayed in many 5 star hotels and eaten at many 5 star restaurants and have never EVER done it for $ 100.00 per day per person...... just not gonna happen.

 

So - bottom line we feel it is still one of the best "BANG FOR THE BUCKS" we can get. We will still take land vacations but choose to cruise every once in a while too.

[madforcruising]

Wonder how long it will be until RCI charges for peanuts?

 

Hank

 

Hank

 

Don´t they do that? I never realized they give you peanuts anywhere else than in the shops onboard where you have to pay for them.