More RCI Cost Cutting?

[marci22]

We would like to take our traveling companions with us . your info says you need to present coupons at time o purchase. How do you do that if you do not have a card or coupons yet? Do you book the four and get reimbursed for the 2 free or will they tell me that I'm SOL? We want to book early as it appears there is only one specialty restaurant on board and assume that it will fill fast.

 

You can either book for 4 right when you get on the ship, or book for 2 and add 2 when you get on the ship. I've never had a problem booking all 5 of us first thing on the ship.

[Realtor at Sea]

I would like to know a cruise line similar in price point to RCCL that hasn't had cutbacks over the last ten years. This is just an informational question.

[sjb317]

really?

We paid $2444 for the week at Disney for 2 of us: hotel, 4 days at the parks and all our food.

 

We paid $4429 for our suite on Freedom for the week with my time dining.

 

Food is very subjective, but I'd have to suggest you likely weren't eating at the same places as me at Disney. Best food ever, by far. IMHO.

 

Disney isn't perfect--waiting in lines for buses and attractions, crowds, etc. But this past cruise just hit us that its 'not all that' either.

 

My husband flow rides a lot and he noticed that the ''unit' itself was showing wear--all discoloured, etc. The mini-putt was a mess--torn up turf. Looked awful. Hallways were dirty, carpets in need of cleaning. I guess Freedom is showing its age at last.

 

The activities and shows haven't changed in years. We found that we spent most of our time lounging on our balcony (not complaining!) sleeping and reading. You can't beat the weather in the Caribbean, but the same old ports are wearing thin too.

 

 

We paid over $900 for our tickets, plus over $300 for two days of food, a Star Wars item, and parking. Our interior room for the week was $1049 (that includes port fees and taxes) Our on board bill for the week was less than $150.

 

This was our 5th time to visit Disney but we had not been since 2000. I was shocked at how bad the food was ( and yes, we did eat at one of the better restaurants but it had the worse food of our two meals at Disney) and how pricey it has gotten! Lunch the first day consisted of one pizza shared by 3, a small salad, chicken fingers & fries for the grandson, and 2 drinks and came to over $50.00. Our meal at the better restaurant was over $150 and we ordered as cheap as we could.

 

I have to admit being biased, as I really don't enjoy Disney and only go to take the grandchildren. On our last visit, we got to the park at 9am and I was completely over the magic by 2pm.:D

 

Our last cruise on Freedom was January, 2013 and I thought she looked pretty good, but maybe a lot has change in a year.

 

Sherri:)

[likes2cruz]

:cool: The first cruise taken by my DW and I was in 94 on the splendid Monarch of theSeas. We were absolutely thrilled with our inside cabin, the service, food, and absolute beauty of the cruise experience. Now, sixty some cruises later we are still experiencing the same joy when boarding all these floating palaces. Have there been changes? For sure.Huge price drops since our first cruise, larger and nicer cabins, exceptional entertainment, etc. So folks, as long as we don't have to clean our cabins and make the beds, enjoy your experience to the max and thank those folks that made your cruise a pleasure.

[PattyG12]

Our last cruise on Freedom was January, 2013 and I thought she looked pretty good, but maybe a lot has change in a year.

 

Sherri:)

 

We were on Freedom last March and thought she looked great!

[golfer1966]

They are reusing coat hangers:rolleyes:

 

Not brushing the towel animals teeth anymore

 

 

I almost spit out my lunch when I read this response... Love it !!:D

[Charger2008]

I almost spit out my lunch when I read this response... Love it !!:D

 

 

Not trying to hi-jack the thread, I simply noticed your tag line at the bottom of your post and it is nice to see a friend in rescue :) I always say "Don't breed and buy while shetler animals die."

[Mickeygrl71]

They are reusing coat hangers:rolleyes:

 

Not brushing the towel animals teeth anymore

 

Ah HAHAHAHAHA! Now, that is funny.:D

[Thetrail]

Have you seen more RCI cost cutting?

 

Here is what I saw on Explorer 2/9 to 2/16.

 

Drink/Cocktail napkins no longer have the RCI logo.

 

No ice bucket in the cabins - only on request.

 

Steward would not empty re fridge or remove Evian water from dresser.

Just plain refused - First time I heard a flat "NO" on RCI ...

 

Past Passenger event held @ 10:45 AM - on a day when you arrive in port @ 1PM - Saving drink alcohol drink costs?

 

"Top Tier Event" - Formal attire required to attend when casual is the MDR dress code.

Again - More alcohol savings?

 

What have you seen?[/quote1. No logo on the napkins...who cares:rolleyes:

2. ice buckets upon request, um just ask:rolleyes: 3.not removing Evian water, how is that cost cutting:rolleyes: 4.Past passenger event time...you wrong:rolleyes:5. Top tier event formal attire when MDR is casual, again your wrong:rolleyes:...Check your facts and maybe your next post, maybe, might have some merit:rolleyes:...sheesh!

[SherriZ366]

How does me having to ask for ice prevent Noro virus??:confused:

I think they have to sanitize the ice buckets every time they are used. I bring a cooler onboard for ice for my ankle replacement and they have to sanitize it every day.

[SherriZ366]

Care to explain how that works?

See my immediate previous post.

[SherriZ366]

We were on Freedom last March and thought she looked great!

Same for us in January.

 

We did have some problems with our hot water staying hot in a GS for the second shower on EN last October (prices fell enough for us to upgrade). The Cabin Attendant and the floor supervisor tried to fix but were a unable to get the water to work right. They gave us a certificate for 25% of our EN cruise price to use on a future cruise. It knocked off a tidy sum on our upcoming May FR cruise. If there is a problem, it is a good idea to bring it to the cabin attendant's attention, guest services and the CL or DL concierge if they apply.

Edited February 19, 2014 by SherriZ366

[Paulette3028]

Nor is it worth it to me as I really don't require that much service. Part of why I enjoy the Windjammer is that I really do not like being waited on hand and foot. I'd rather get up and walk around and get my own food. I don't need staff walking around the decks asking me if I want a drink. I'd rather get up and walk over to a bar when I want one. I guess it all has to do with my inability to sit still for very long. I am big on walking. All I need is my cabin cleaned, the bed made, and the table I'm using cleared of dirty dishes. All and all, I'm pretty good with exactly what RCI is offering for a cruise experience.

 

DH and I are easy cruisers. We don't demand much. Yet we do enjoy a little pampering on our cruise. It doesn't have to be making us feel like a "king and queen' but a little white clove is surely very nice. I don't need to be waited on 'hand and foot' as you say.

 

I like being served dinner in the MDR, since at home, many nights it is rushed or one of us is serving dinner. I could do without some of the staff, constantly asking if I want a drink (especially since we are not drinkers). I almost wish there was a pool area for 'non drinkers' (if I want a drink, I will walk to the bar) -- this will give the drinkers more bartenders to serve their needs.

 

As I read this thread, I have never had a cabin steward that has been anything other than terrific. Maybe it is the 'aura' that my DH and I give off, that we are here to enjoy and not be nasty to the staff. We always get what we request and with a smile and a wave. I am happy.

[time4u2go]

I agree that a suite for what you pay on Freedom should be better than Disney. However, a 2 day pass for 4 adults & one child cost us almost as much as our 7 day Freedom cruise in an interior room, something I kept pointing out to my husband!:D And I think we spent more money in the park for food & one souvenir for the grandchild than we did for the entire week on Freedom. And the food was pretty bad in the parks, in comparison the MDR was gourmet!

 

Sherri:)

 

You had 4 adults and one child in an interior room? There's an interior room that sleeps 5?

[ckfred]

I've found the Welcome Back party to be at different times. On the Majesty, it was between first and second seatings for dinner, after departing Coco Key

 

On the Rhapsody, it was also between first and second seatings, as the ship departed Juneau.

 

On the Jewel, there were two Welcome Back parties, one before each seating. I go to watch the ship leave Halifax disappear as the ship sailed.

[Lachase]

Our steward wouldn't empty our fridge either. We took everything out and stored it under the dressing table, then returned the stock before we checked out. It was annoying, but not so difficult to do.

[sauvichick]

Makes mental note to completely wash and rinse the ice bucket next time.. :eek:

 

LOL! Add that to the list of what to clean in the cabin. I can't remember from last time, but does Royal provide plastic liners for the ice bucket or do I have to bring my own?

[sjb317]

You had 4 adults and one child in an interior room? There's an interior room that sleeps 5?

 

 

No, there were only two of us on the cruise, I guess I could have written that a little more clearly.:D

 

Sherri:)

[Barb Nahoumi]

I hope that they don't cut back on soap.

[travelbuddies]

We go to Guest Services and have them combine our free internet minutes onto one folio. This way we have one pool of minutes to consume when using wireless.

 

Thanks for this tip!

[TequilaToo]

Easy one - had a pretty lazy CS years ago. Took everything out and put it into the sink. Let him know that the sink still needed to be cleaned - "you" put that stuff wherever you want - the chiller is "mine". The second day everything went away ;).

 

YMMV.

We asked our Stateroom Attendant to empty the mini-fridge, and he just took everything out and stuck it up on the high shelf with railings above the dresser. That was fine with me - too high for me to reach anyway, it wasn't tempting, and I wasn't going to use that space. Then we were able to just put everything back in on departure morning, and no questions asked about "where did the stuff in your mini-bar go", or mistakenly being charged for it. The Mini-Bar-Man still tried to come by every day to re-stock, we never let him in once, just said "No, we had it emptied upon arrival." All he did was look at us funny.

[petesweet]

Have you seen more RCI cost cutting?

 

Here is what I saw on Explorer 2/9 to 2/16.

 

Drink/Cocktail napkins no longer have the RCI logo.

 

No ice bucket in the cabins - only on request.

 

Steward would not empty re fridge or remove Evian water from dresser.

Just plain refused - First time I heard a flat "NO" on RCI ...

 

Past Passenger event held @ 10:45 AM - on a day when you arrive in port @ 1PM - Saving drink alcohol drink costs?

 

"Top Tier Event" - Formal attire required to attend when casual is the MDR dress code.

Again - More alcohol savings?

 

What have you seen?

Good grief!!! Doesn't take much to set you off, does it?

 

By the way, have you checked the size of your toilet paper roll in recent years? Or your can of coffee? Either your price goes up, or something has to be shaved. Take your pick. I'd rather have a napkin without a logo on it.:D

 

Kathy

[WeSurvivedSandy]

our room steward was the best...we traveled with an 8 year old and every night there was a new towel animal for her...:) I did notice by the 3rd day of cruise the keep the glass cocktail glass with the drink of the day in it was plastic....which was fine...Fun trip!!! May 3 8th...Bermuda...Explorer of the Seas...

[aftop]

I was on the Enchantment last week and a bar waiter printed out all my "coupon items" at the cash register for me. The top tier event did not require formal dress. The napkins go into the trash so having a logo doesn't mean much.

 

I requested an ice bucket and it was delivered every afternoon. I told the CA I didn't need it until later in the day.

[Arzeena]

They are reusing coat hangers:rolleyes:

 

Not brushing the towel animals teeth anymore

 

Lol