It was an absolute pleasure cruising with Royal Caribbean'sSymphony of The Seas this month. However, there are some things that transpiredthroughout this vacation that needs to be brought to your attention. First letme start by saying that my family and I have been on four cruises, two of whichwere with RC. With that said this rating is based on past experiences comparedto now.
1. The windjammer -- This is the first time I have everexperienced so much inconsistency with a cruise buffet. For starters cruiserswere instructed to quickly leave their table after eating because there was ashortage of available space. In addition, there were lines of people waiting tobe seated at the windjammer due to overcrowding. Really??? I'm sorry, but Ithought that RC boasted that this is THE biggest ship in the world. Shouldn'tthere be enough seating accommodations in one of the most popular places to eaton the ship?
2. The Drill -- The mandatory safety drill occurredeffortlessly and without any glitches. The drawback, however, occurred afterthe drill ended. Typically, cruisers are asked to leave the area in an orderlyfashion. Oh no, not this ship. I witnessed as cruisers were being dismissedthere were herds of people rushing for the elevators. People with wheelchairs, canes(my own father is included in this group), and women with small children wereforced to wait until the crowd subsided in order to leave. RC you must dobetter...crew members need to be more observant in matters like this. It iscustomary to allow those with disabilities followed by women with smallchildren to proceed out of the royal theater FIRST. Then dismiss other cruisersaccordingly.
3. Speaking of the Windjammer -- I can appreciate the finechoices of cuisine prepared by the chef's working in the buffet area. However,as you can imagine there were so many things that went wrong. Once again, ifyou boast that you're THE largest cruise ship in the world, then you shouldNEVER make guests wait to have food replenished. I had to ask twice if theserver planned on bringing out more of a particular food that had finished.While I waited, more cruisers joined in the wait, and suddenly a large groupformed. As you can imagine it was quite a scene. This should not be. Knowingthat there are 6,000 guests and 3,000 crew members on board, your crew need tobe more observant and diligent about making sure that the food stays fresh andalways ready to serve for hungry guests. Especially during those days at seaand/or embarkation day. While the food was tasty there were so many times thatI was disappointed. There were times it was cooked and seasoned well, whenother times the food left little to the imagination.
4. Sick Passenger On Board -- I was the unfortunate personwho ended up getting sick while on board. Much to my chagrin, I was quarantinedto my room until the nurse cleared me. Now let me start by saying, RC did ensure that my family and I receive afull refund for our missed excursion, I received complimentary room service,and free movies. Now...here's where my dissatisfaction comes in. As a concernedparent, my mother went down to the guest services center to inquire about whatto do since I became ill and couldn't go outside. Mind you I was vomiting andhad severe diarrhea from 1am till 8am that morning in question. The gentlemanwho attended to her said and I quote, "well you and your husband and justgo without her and leave her in the cabin". EXCUSE ME???? My mother wasoutraged that any one would respond in such a callous manner. Clearly this issomeone who needs more customer sensitivity training. I was weak, had a veryhigh temperature, and couldn't keep anything down. The excursion we had bookedwas for 11hrs, therefore God only knows what would have happened if I wasn'tsupervised since RC medical staff don't visit cabins (something I learned veryquickly). This was outraging.
5. Vitality Spa -- Great spa, however, after booking twovery good facial and massage sessions I DO NOT need to be hustled intopurchasing products. I'm there to relax...this isn't a market place.
I say all of this to say this to you, yes you boast that youhave THE BIGGEST ship in the world, BUT you have some work to do where this onein concerned. If you care about your guest who pay handsomely to enjoy aholiday away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives, then do soback making those necessary changes. I did enjoy my cruise despite all of thesethings, but I'm apprehensive about cruising the Symphony of the Seas any timesoon.
Symphony of the Seas....maybe not so much
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
It was an absolute pleasure cruising with Royal Caribbean'sSymphony of The Seas this month. However, there are some things that transpiredthroughout this vacation that needs to be brought to your attention. First letme start by saying that my family and I have been on four cruises, two of whichwere with RC. With that said this rating is based on past experiences comparedto now.
1. The windjammer -- This is the first time I have everexperienced so much inconsistency with a cruise buffet. For starters cruiserswere instructed to quickly leave their table after eating because there was ashortage of available space. In addition, there were lines of people waiting tobe seated at the windjammer due to overcrowding. Really??? I'm sorry, but Ithought that RC boasted that this is THE biggest ship in the world. Shouldn'tthere be enough seating accommodations in one of the most popular places to eaton the ship?
2. The Drill -- The mandatory safety drill occurredeffortlessly and without any glitches. The drawback, however, occurred afterthe drill ended. Typically, cruisers are asked to leave the area in an orderlyfashion. Oh no, not this ship. I witnessed as cruisers were being dismissedthere were herds of people rushing for the elevators. People with wheelchairs, canes(my own father is included in this group), and women with small children wereforced to wait until the crowd subsided in order to leave. RC you must dobetter...crew members need to be more observant in matters like this. It iscustomary to allow those with disabilities followed by women with smallchildren to proceed out of the royal theater FIRST. Then dismiss other cruisersaccordingly.
3. Speaking of the Windjammer -- I can appreciate the finechoices of cuisine prepared by the chef's working in the buffet area. However,as you can imagine there were so many things that went wrong. Once again, ifyou boast that you're THE largest cruise ship in the world, then you shouldNEVER make guests wait to have food replenished. I had to ask twice if theserver planned on bringing out more of a particular food that had finished.While I waited, more cruisers joined in the wait, and suddenly a large groupformed. As you can imagine it was quite a scene. This should not be. Knowingthat there are 6,000 guests and 3,000 crew members on board, your crew need tobe more observant and diligent about making sure that the food stays fresh andalways ready to serve for hungry guests. Especially during those days at seaand/or embarkation day. While the food was tasty there were so many times thatI was disappointed. There were times it was cooked and seasoned well, whenother times the food left little to the imagination.
4. Sick Passenger On Board -- I was the unfortunate personwho ended up getting sick while on board. Much to my chagrin, I was quarantinedto my room until the nurse cleared me. Now let me start by saying, RC did ensure that my family and I receive afull refund for our missed excursion, I received complimentary room service,and free movies. Now...here's where my dissatisfaction comes in. As a concernedparent, my mother went down to the guest services center to inquire about whatto do since I became ill and couldn't go outside. Mind you I was vomiting andhad severe diarrhea from 1am till 8am that morning in question. The gentlemanwho attended to her said and I quote, "well you and your husband and justgo without her and leave her in the cabin". EXCUSE ME???? My mother wasoutraged that any one would respond in such a callous manner. Clearly this issomeone who needs more customer sensitivity training. I was weak, had a veryhigh temperature, and couldn't keep anything down. The excursion we had bookedwas for 11hrs, therefore God only knows what would have happened if I wasn'tsupervised since RC medical staff don't visit cabins (something I learned veryquickly). This was outraging.
5. Vitality Spa -- Great spa, however, after booking twovery good facial and massage sessions I DO NOT need to be hustled intopurchasing products. I'm there to relax...this isn't a market place.
I say all of this to say this to you, yes you boast that youhave THE BIGGEST ship in the world, BUT you have some work to do where this onein concerned. If you care about your guest who pay handsomely to enjoy aholiday away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives, then do soback making those necessary changes. I did enjoy my cruise despite all of thesethings, but I'm apprehensive about cruising the Symphony of the Seas any timesoon.