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We loved Sabatinis on the Royal.. Have eaten there several times as well as the crown grill. I think your experience was unacceptable. I can understand not wanting to complain during the dinner but unless they know something's wrong it can't be fixed. Certainly not after the fact.

Generally, I've found that food in the specialty restaurants do take longer as they are supposed to be prepared to order. It's very easy to tell the waiter you have a show to get to or something else to do and have things sped up.

Bad nights are not limited to ships or restaurants. We once waited over an hour in the MDR for apps! We spoke to the maître de and more waiters were added.

I'm so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. Blaming an entire company is a bit odd. Rather focus in those who personally handled your experience. Spa staff change contracts frequently. It's the service provider you should be disappointed with.

Keep in mind the internet is changing to a new system and many - including those who've sailed HAL as much as any other living soul - is likely stopping sailing with HAL because they can't connect anymore.

Are there any cruise ships/lines with better connections? I was just on Royal Princess and it was just as slow. I would think being in the middle if the ocean away from satellites would be standard for most lines. It's pax that can't stand to be disconnected. And when people use up bandwith to stream movies or skype it becomes even hard to get a connection. To say nothing of the poor crew!

What type of new system is HAL implementing?

Sounds like I need to try Cunard!

 

Can anyone tell me what the food is like? Compared to Princess.

I found the food on Cunard to be far superior to princess.

Just another tip..we did the Baltic on another line and the currency machine ran out. We just exchanged our money before we left.

How horrible. My sympathies to the op.

Any travel lodging needs to be suspect. We were staying at a five star hotel in England and came back to find our door open, no housekeeping nearby.

I understand the tendency to want to blame the cabin steward. However, as multiple posters have noted, cabin doors are often propped open. The consequences for theft as a crew member as severe. With respect, a watch and an ipad don't seem to merit enough return, for a crew member to risk getting black balled by the industry and no longer able to support family members through employment.

The security camera comment puzzled me. I didn't think the ship was required to show passengers the camera footage nor would they want to discuss security concerns (ie placement) with passengers, only law enforcement. There is no "proof" the goods were stolen, though of course I believe the op. The whole response seems odd.

I understand how the op feels. I did an 11:30 flight out of FLL in February. Tried to do ez check so we wouldn't have bags but were denied by the airline. At that point we had to reschedule our plans and were assigned the third walk off group.

During the high season, there can be huge lines. Check to see how many ships are in port.

Customs also needs to clear your ship. On my voyage we were delayed approx half an hour. Walk offs began at 5:55 originally. They didn't start until 6:25. I was off the ship by 7.

Depending on customs there can be huge lines. Since we were one of the last ships to port that morning, I got lucky.

Taxis are plentiful but again, there were huge waiting lines for taxis and shared vans. We had hired a private car to meet us after hearing the FLL horror stories. The driver told us we got lucky..it was unusually quiet that Sunday. Traffic to get in and out if the port can also use up time.

Bottom line, we were at the airport by 9. We had priority so we sailed through security. No problems getting to our flight but it was definitely stressful and I wouldn't want to go out so early unless there was no other choice. Doable, though.

I recommend checking the FLL port boards..they were really helpful in meeting realistic expectations.

Good luck!

Just my opinion, but with the advent of the internet, deals aren't like they once were. Gold prices are at a premium, there aren't the same bargains as there were 29 years ago. I wouldn't say either has an advantage.

Buy something because you like it..not because you think you are getting a deal

That's what I was saying...sorry if it came across to you wrong.

It's the same as handicapped parking. Not all disabilities are visible. Unfortunately in my state, because handicapped parking is free, abuse was rampant. The state reacted by requiring photos on placards. Personally I feel that is a HUGE infringement on privacy, not to mention safety. I am not at all happy that my elderly mother's mug is in her windshield for all the world to see and possibly target when she is out and about--but that is a whole nuther discussion.

I assumed you were making a comment about your own feelings rather than a general comment about how others approach the issue. Thank you for the clarification. It's sad how some people are ruining and abusing the system.

You may want to read the post again , because that's exactly what the poster said.

My reading skills are fine. If you go back to the original sentence, I was referring to how the poster stated emotional issues are hard to understand. That was the comment I was referring to. The poster clarified this was not their opinion but rather a general statement about how people might feel.

In what way(s)?

HAL tends to attract an older crowd. Princess is more multigenerational.

"Handicaps like blindness and deafness are definitely easy to see and understand. "Emotional" issues not so much...

Clearly, you've never had to work with a veteran suffering from PTSD. It's easy for people to accept disabilities the eye can "see". Please remember there are issues that may not be obvious to the naked eye but are just as valid, those who abuse the system deserve shame and scorn. Those with legitimate needs deserve our compassion and support.

My preference is princess. They are upgrading the beds and pillows fleet wide. Cross the board the entertainment and food beat HAL. Pax are more diverse and livelier. Speciality restaurants and service are similar. It's good to try other lines to see what you like. Enjoy!

There seems to be a trend among cruise lines to cater to the luxury market. We've done suites on multiple "mass market" lines (the Cunard grills are our favorite) and are trying our first luxury line this summer. Hals suites were the least impressive of all the lines we tried.

There is a market for this. I think it has more to do with comfort than anything else. We tend to have mobility issues and need a large room since we spend most of our time there. So we scrimp and save. This has nothing to do with feeling superior to everyone. On most cruises, the premium rooms sell quickly due to their limited amount.

In many cases, the voyages are subsidized by higher paying passenger fares. That's a win for people who need to be more economical.

Quips about steerage or hoi poli really deal with insecurity. I can't imagine a sane person judging another's worth on their cabin category!

Doesn't it stand to reason that if you've sailed numerous times you'd be interested in visiting the ship? I actually think this is a smart business move. Yes it's all pr/marketing but if you love the ship and aren't able to cruise at this point, I think a visit would be nice. I wouldn't take it as an insult, rather as a compliment that they recognize your affinity for Cunard.

This is a sad reminder that we need to teach our kids to be vigilant. I've seen too many parents think, "it's Disney" and let their kids run wild because it's a cruise ship. I'm not commenting on the specific situation, rather the perception that cruise ships are "safer" than the outside world.

You specifically asked about not waiting in line but did you consider just the waiting part? Even if you are there by 11, you still won't be able to board for another hour. You are technically still waiting in a line, it just might be smaller.

Most people arrive around 10:30/11:00. Obviously, they want to start their vacation. During the high season, there are extensive lines. The suggested staggered boarding times are not enforced.. If you arrive after 2, you will literally be able to check in and walk on the ship.

Do you know what ship you are looking at? The new ship (royal Princess) suites were more comfortable for us than a Eurodam suite (except the balcony, it's small and narrow.) HAL had loungers and tables with chairs on their balcony, which was nice but the room wasn't as nice IMO. Royals water pressure in the shower was some of the best at sea. The bathroom is split, which gives a lot of flexibility.The concierge lounges are compatible on both lines.

I find the MDR and buffet on princess to be superior to HAL. Princess seems to have more of a mix of passengers. HAL is a bit more sedate. Both specialty restaurants are on par. I found service to be equally good.

Given a choice, I would choose princess over HAL. I think it's a better product. It never hurts to try another line so if you like the itinerary: why not? Good luck!

What would a day be without yet another sanctuary on Royal thread? ;)

I wonder if the bad reviews had to do with the fact that Royal was dramatically different from the other ships in the fleet. I never cruised on Princess before Royal and I loved her, but I had no expectations to compare her too. Most of the bad reviews seem to come from people who had sailed princess before and hated the new model.

I've since sailed her again and have been very happy.

I would infer the grills aren't going anywhere from the article sited in this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2022512

Looks like Cunard is embracing its heritage.

Most mainstream spas on land have auto gratuities. You can always ask for it to be removed and then tip what you want. Not surprised this is the direction princess is heading.

Had one of the best facials of my life a few weeks ago on Royal. I tipped above the auto, she deserved it!

With respect to the op, where does it say that you dined at one of the highest rated restaurants in Disney? 'Ohana is not one of the five starred restaurants that offer fine dining.

Just like the MDR can't compare to the pinnacle grill or tamarind, a middle of the road priced restaurant in Disney can't compare to something more expensive. I'm not a Disney cheerleader but this was just an odd post.

Eurodams shopping was abysmal. We love picking up souvenirs and can usually find something to buy anywhere. HAL was the exception. Which was great for our wallets :)

While HAL has an older demographic, spring Caribbean breaks attract more families across the board. We were on eurodams eastern Caribbean and had nearly 500 children. I just did one on Royal Princess and there were also a lot of children.

If you don't have to sail during spring vacation and would like a more sedate cruise, you should pass.