Tongiejayhawk

Thanks for the replies. I'm a little bummed that there won't be Christmas performances but am completely jazzed to be on the open seas again.

We leave this week for a 7 night cruise. This is our first time cruising with the ship decorated for Christmas. Do they allow door decorations on the entire door - meaning we wanted to have the door covered in wrapping paper to look like a present? Also, do they have carolers roaming the common areas singing? Do they have special Christmas musical performances? Any other differences for the weeks preceding Christmas?

We chose RCCL because the price was competitive, the itinerary interesting and I have been wanting to try RCCL for years. I have two sons and thought they would love all of the fun activities RCCL but Carnival always beat them out on price. And don't get me wrong - any complaints I had are first world problems. It was very sobering any time we ran into Ukraine employees. My heart breaks for them. If I could have done the survey, one of my comments would have been to have a fund raiser for Ukraine (similar to how CCL does St. Judes). I would have 100% donated. I will say they did have a neat parade of flags with employees representing their countries. I tried to watch from a few floors above but it was crowded.

Below is a summary of what we did in each port. Kotor, Montenegro - we went on the olive grove tour through RCCL. We had a nice air conditioned bus and saw some beautiful countryside. The olive grove owner was so very, very nice and informative about how olive oil is made. Our "snack" was a phenomenal spread. We sat down to a tasting of their local food along with all the wine we could drink. And they had pomegranate juice which was very refreshing. Corfu - we chartered a boat through Viator for 7 of us. It was a very relaxing day. The captain did a great job of telling us about the history and culture. We swam, and then had snacks/drinks. Good thing about Corfu...there are no sharks🙂 Athens - we did the Highlights of Athens tour through RCCL. We visited the acropolis and had a really good guide. Some in our group had hoped to see more but it was pretty warm and we had done a lot of walking so I was ok finishing off the tour by having a local dinner (our dime). Mykonos - my DH and DS went on the Delos tour through RCCL. My DS loved it (he is a big mythology geek) and my DH didn't care for it (don't think ruins are his jam). Myself and others planned to get on a public bus and head to a beach. From what I had read on CC, it made it seem that the buses were right off the port and we could just hop on. Ah, no. First you have to make yourself through a huge maze to find the bus stop. Then we waited in line for 1/2 hour. We saw there was already a really long line to get on the ONE bus that had arrived while we were in the ticket line. We asked the agent how soon until that bus left. She said five minutes. We asked when the next bus would come. She said 1/2 hour. We didn't want to chance not being able to get on the current bus so we headed to the taxi line. It probably took 15 minutes for a taxi to arrive and it wouldn't fit the 5 of us. At this point, it was getting late and we would only get about 2 hours max at the beach. So I volunteered to walk back to the ship with my friend's mom who was in her 60s. I'll have to try Mykonos another time - but more the wiser. Argostoli - we booked an island bus tour with Shipmate.com. It was my first time using them and everything went well. We all loved the island of Kefalonia. It was just as beautiful as the other islands but not crowded at all. We agreed if we ever came back to Greece, that is the island for us. We visited an organic family farm and learned how they grew their crops and the challenges they faced over time. Let me know if you have any questions.

Myself, DH, DS and eight others sailed on the Brilliance of the Seas on June 5th for a Mediterranean cruise from Ravenna, Italy. This was my 20th cruise but first time on RCCL. I have sailed with Carnival, Holland America, NCL and Disney. I’m writing the review from a perspective of how RCCL compared to the others. I’ll post to the RCCL and CCL forums since I’ve sailed with CCL the most. I’ll break it down by category and then share my and others’ overall thoughts. Communication: Horrible in general and compared to the other lines. I was inclined to give RCCL some slack since things have changed since 2020 but I have cruised since then as have several others in our group. The communication before the cruise was so frustrating – being given false information, being on hold for hours at a time, or not receiving any information. One example is that there was a train strike the day of embarkation. Luckily for us, we stayed in Ravenna the night before. Our plan was to take a taxi to the port from the train station. While waiting in the taxi line, a nice gentleman came over and asked if we were coming back from a cruise or leaving for one. We said we were leaving for one. He said most of the people in line were trying to leave Ravenna because there was a train strike and weren’t having luck getting a taxi. He said we were fortunate that we could take a bus to the port. He pointed to a gal with a clipboard and said “she’s from RCCL”. He said we could probably get on the bus for $10 pp and that it was frustrating because no one told him that on his embarkation day, one week ago. My husband went and talked to the gal and it was true. Then, instead of her coming over to address the large line of people, my husband told everyone that the bus over there was a RCCL transfer to the port. Several people thanked him and we thanked the gentleman that told us. Next, was my frustration with the coffee beverage package. In the last two years, I have planned a lot of trips. I thought I had purchased the coffee package but wasn’t sure. I looked at the app, the website and my boarding documents and couldn’t find anything so I thought I passed on it. Then on the 5th day, the nice barista said I had bought the package and showed me my name on a list. What?! He said I should just ask for a refund at that point. It was such little money but off of principle, I did get a refund. I am at a loss why you have to go to the coffee bar to pick up your card. Why isn’t it delivered in the room with your excursion tickets? Or on the app? Guest services said they are working to add it to the app. The same thing with the internet package. I knew 100% that I bought it because I needed it for work. But there was nothing in the cabin or the app stating I purchased it or how to access it. We had to visit the technology center for this. Embarkation/Disembarkation: This was really smooth, probably better than most with the exception of HA. Although they encourage leaving luggage out the night before, we did self-assist. Spa: The spa was nice and I had a great masseuse. They use the same products as CCL – Elemis. I didn’t use the gym but others in my group said they were impressed with the amount of equipment. Casino: We preferred RCCL’s casino compared to other lines. It was large, had a decent sized non-smoking section and there were fans running to make it less smoky. We played slots and they seemed looser than others we’ve played. My DH enjoys watching (and sometimes playing) craps but they never had a table open. The main negative is that they didn’t have staff circulating to provide drinks. Laundry: We definitely needed to do laundry since we stayed in Italy several days before the cruise. We asked Guest Services on embarkation day if there would be any specials during the cruise (similar to other cruise lines) and were told “no.” The prices seemed high compared to other lines but we sucked it up and paid over $100 to wash some items. Then what do you know, midway through the cruise, there was a special – fill the bag for $30. Grrr…. Excursions: We enjoyed our excursions. The only real negative is the website. There were no reviews. And they really need to put their transfers as excursions like other lines to avoid the problem mentioned above. Food: This was very disappointing. Definitely the worst of all five lines. First, when the Windjammer is closed, very little options exist. And it closes at weird times. One example is when I needed to leave for an excursion at noon. I went up at 11:00 a.m. thinking I’ll get something to eat. Nope, it was closed from 11:00 a.m. to noon. The only option I had was the little sandwich place by the pool or the coffee bar. I had my choice of a small focaccia sandwich or a smoked salmon on croissant. I tried the former but it was inedible. Luckily, I had protein bars in my cabin. Similarity, the Windjammer closed at night. The same place by the pool had pizza. But we all agreed we’ve had better frozen pizza. We missed Guy’s, the Blue Iguana and Neapolitan style pizza. And no 24-hour soft serve. Lastly, there is a charge for room service. Big, big bummer. The food in the dining room was hit or miss. Some days I would say it was the best of all five, some days it was awful. I ordered the filet for $16.95 one night and it was fabulous. My friend ordered a medium rare steak and it was burnt. Entertainment: Disappointing compared to the others. While I’m not a big “show” person, several in our party are. They only had one big show. They talked to the dancers one day and the crew said they normally do three shows in a week but with the pandemic they’re down to one. I asked my friends that have been on several cruises since the pandemic and the other lines are back to three shows a week. It felt like there weren’t many activities planned. We had a very port-intensive itinerary so maybe that’s why. We didn’t see much of the Cruise Director – some even wondered if we had one. Pool: Both pools were at a good temperature and were not overly crowded the times I was there. I enjoyed the covered pool to escape some of the sun. I don’t understand why the main pool has no shallow end for kids. It’s over 5 ft deep. The hot tubs were better than most other lines – they were actually hot. The screen for the outdoors movies needs replaced badly. It’s pixilated and looks like the original from the time the ship was built. One member from our group tried to watch a movie at night but gave up. They were just in dry dock – not sure why they didn’t replace it then. They should just turn it off – it seems more embarrassing to show it the way it is. Crew: The staff all seemed to try really hard and put on smiles. But you could tell something was off. Some of our friends heard others discussing how short-staffed they were and RCCL just can’t get enough employees. Our wait staff was not good at all (again, very nice). All the table around us consistently ordered later than us but we were the last served – sometimes a whole ½ hour behind. Our room steward was wonderful. Cabins: Our cabin was an aft balcony and I thought it was really nice. The storage space in the bathroom was lacking but it felt like our couch was larger than other lines. I’m not a fan of the slider’s lock. Others have mentioned getting locked outside and we almost did that to our son when my DH and I left the cabin. We had friends with 4 in their cabin, a spacious balcony. Instead of a trundle or beds coming from the ceiling, the sofa folded out in a futon style. They said it was hard and made sleep nearly impossible. I did like the television program options. They had some really quirky shows – it seemed many one season series that I never heard of but got sucked into watching. Conclusion: All 11 of us agree that RCCL is our least favorite cruise line that we’ve sailed. There were even some in our group that had sailed RCCL previously and said something was very off from their past experiences. We won’t be sailing with her again, even if we get free offers (we get plenty of free offers from CCL and HA). The icing on the cake is that I just had time today to complete the survey and what do you know, it says it’s expired – after only disembarking 8 days ago from an international cruise. Heavy sigh.

Myself, DH, DS and eight others sailed on the Brilliance of the Seas on June 5th for a Mediterranean cruise from Ravenna, Italy. This was my 20th cruise but first time on RCCL. I have sailed with Carnival, Holland America, NCL and Disney. I’m writing the review from a perspective of how RCCL compared to the others. I’ll post to the RCCL and CCL forums since I’ve sailed with CCL the most. I’ll break it down by category and then share my and others’ overall thoughts. Communication: Horrible in general and compared to the other lines. I was inclined to give RCCL some slack since things have changed since 2020 but I have cruised since then as have several others in our group. The communication before the cruise was so frustrating – being given false information, being on hold for hours at a time, or not receiving any information. One example is that there was a train strike the day of embarkation. Luckily for us, we stayed in Ravenna the night before. Our plan was to take a taxi to the port from the train station. While waiting in the taxi line, a nice gentleman came over and asked if we were coming back from a cruise or leaving for one. We said we were leaving for one. He said most of the people in line were trying to leave Ravenna because there was a train strike and weren’t having luck getting a taxi. He said we were fortunate that we could take a bus to the port. He pointed to a gal with a clipboard and said “she’s from RCCL”. He said we could probably get on the bus for $10 pp and that it was frustrating because no one told him that on his embarkation day, one week ago. My husband went and talked to the gal and it was true. Then, instead of her coming over to address the large line of people, my husband told everyone that the bus over there was a RCCL transfer to the port. Several people thanked him and we thanked the gentleman that told us. Next, was my frustration with the coffee beverage package. In the last two years, I have planned a lot of trips. I thought I had purchased the coffee package but wasn’t sure. I looked at the app, the website and my boarding documents and couldn’t find anything so I thought I passed on it. Then on the 5th day, the nice barista said I had bought the package and showed me my name on a list. What?! He said I should just ask for a refund at that point. It was such little money but off of principle, I did get a refund. I am at a loss why you have to go to the coffee bar to pick up your card. Why isn’t it delivered in the room with your excursion tickets? Or on the app? Guest services said they are working to add it to the app. The same thing with the internet package. I knew 100% that I bought it because I needed it for work. But there was nothing in the cabin or the app stating I purchased it or how to access it. We had to visit the technology center for this. Embarkation/Disembarkation: This was really smooth, probably better than most with the exception of HA. Although they encourage leaving luggage out the night before, we did self-assist. Spa: The spa was nice and I had a great masseuse. They use the same products as CCL – Elemis. I didn’t use the gym but others in my group said they were impressed with the amount of equipment. Casino: We preferred RCCL’s casino compared to other lines. It was large, had a decent sized non-smoking section and there were fans running to make it less smoky. We played slots and they seemed looser than others we’ve played. My DH enjoys watching (and sometimes playing) craps but they never had a table open. The main negative is that they didn’t have staff circulating to provide drinks. Laundry: We definitely needed to do laundry since we stayed in Italy several days before the cruise. We asked Guest Services on embarkation day if there would be any specials during the cruise (similar to other cruise lines) and were told “no.” The prices seemed high compared to other lines but we sucked it up and paid over $100 to wash some items. Then what do you know, midway through the cruise, there was a special – fill the bag for $30. Grrr…. Excursions: We enjoyed our excursions. The only real negative is the website. There were no reviews. And they really need to put their transfers as excursions like other lines to avoid the problem mentioned above. Food: This was very disappointing. Definitely the worst of all five lines. First, when the Windjammer is closed, very little options exist. And it closes at weird times. One example is when I needed to leave for an excursion at noon. I went up at 11:00 a.m. thinking I’ll get something to eat. Nope, it was closed from 11:00 a.m. to noon. The only option I had was the little sandwich place by the pool or the coffee bar. I had my choice of a small focaccia sandwich or a smoked salmon on croissant. I tried the former but it was inedible. Luckily, I had protein bars in my cabin. Similarity, the Windjammer closed at night. The same place by the pool had pizza. But we all agreed we’ve had better frozen pizza. We missed Guy’s, the Blue Iguana and Neapolitan style pizza. And no 24-hour soft serve. Lastly, there is a charge for room service. Big, big bummer. The food in the dining room was hit or miss. Some days I would say it was the best of all five, some days it was awful. I ordered the filet for $16.95 one night and it was fabulous. My friend ordered a medium rare steak and it was burnt. Entertainment: Disappointing compared to the others. While I’m not a big “show” person, several in our party are. They only had one big show. They talked to the dancers one day and the crew said they normally do three shows in a week but with the pandemic they’re down to one. I asked my friends that have been on several cruises since the pandemic and the other lines are back to three shows a week. It felt like there weren’t many activities planned. We had a very port-intensive itinerary so maybe that’s why. We didn’t see much of the Cruise Director – some even wondered if we had one. Pool: Both pools were at a good temperature and were not overly crowded the times I was there. I enjoyed the covered pool to escape some of the sun. I don’t understand why the main pool has no shallow end for kids. It’s over 5 ft deep. The hot tubs were better than most other lines – they were actually hot. The screen for the outdoors movies needs replaced badly. It’s pixilated and looks like the original from the time the ship was built. One member from our group tried to watch a movie at night but gave up. They were just in dry dock – not sure why they didn’t replace it then. They should just turn it off – it seems more embarrassing to show it the way it is. Crew: The staff all seemed to try really hard and put on smiles. But you could tell something was off. Some of our friends heard others discussing how short-staffed they were and RCCL just can’t get enough employees. Our wait staff was not good at all (again, very nice). All the table around us consistently ordered later than us but we were the last served – sometimes a whole ½ hour behind. Our room steward was wonderful. Cabins: Our cabin was an aft balcony and I thought it was really nice. The storage space in the bathroom was lacking but it felt like our couch was larger than other lines. I’m not a fan of the slider’s lock. Others have mentioned getting locked outside and we almost did that to our son when my DH and I left the cabin. We had friends with 4 in their cabin, a spacious balcony. Instead of a trundle or beds coming from the ceiling, the sofa folded out in a futon style. They said it was hard and made sleep nearly impossible. I did like the television program options. They had some really quirky shows – it seemed many one-season series that I never heard of but got sucked into watching. Conclusion: All 11 of us agree that RCCL is our least favorite cruise line that we’ve sailed. There were even some in our group that had sailed RCCL previously and said something was very off from their past experiences. We won’t be sailing with her again, even if we get free offers (we get plenty of free offers from CCL and HA). The icing on the cake is that I just had time today to complete the survey and what do you know, it says it’s expired – after only disembarking 8 days ago from an international cruise. Heavy sigh.