Should have stayed with Carnival....

[jojoanddash]

I have been on 3 cruises now 2 with Carnival & 1 with Royal Caribbean. The only reason I went with Royal Caribbean was due to the destination, we were going to Alaska from Vancouver to Seward and then we were doing land ourselves for a week and Carnival didn't offer that itinerary. My cruise started off bad the moment we walked into our room and got worse. I booked that cruise the very first day it was available and I called to make sure I was getting the room I wanted....I explained that it would be 3 adults my Mom, hubby & myself & that we needed the 2 beds put together and the SOFA bed with a balcony & I was assured that my room would be exactly what I was wanting. I spoke with Royal Caribbean representatives many times for different questions and they always reviewed what my reservation was. So I was very surprised to walk into my room and see the big bed and a chair.....so I go to the guest services desk and I am told nothing could be done until an hour or so after we set sail. REALLY???? So I explained in detail that I booked this the 1st day it was offered and what I was promised so he goes and looks and the computer and a book with a bad attitude like I was asking for him to actually do something and tells me that the other bed was in the ceiling and our cabin steward would drop it down and separate the other bed so we would all have a bed. I was very upset at this point & explained that we were all adults and we were not sleeping in a bed from the ceiling & the idiot actually said then he can try to fit a cot in there. I said NO that is not what we were promised and not what we paid for and he simply shrugs his shoulders and tells me to come back an hour or so after we set sail. So I go tell my Mom & hubby & told them I was going to get on the website to try to get something done. While I was on the computer my Mom went down & tried to talk to them since I was so upset she thought I might have been rude and that was why I wasn't getting any help & she came back ticked off & said that there was several people complaining about their rooms being wrong too. So when I finished emailing Royal Caribbean a woman (another cruiser) asked me what was wrong so I told her and she told me the chair made a bed and how to do it....so I got better customer service from another guest. I was at guest services another time getting some pamphlets and I asked the guy which side of the ship would we see the most land and his response was "you will only see land when we port the rest of the time we will be in open waters" REALLY??? I have never been on an Alaskan cruise and knew that was wrong. We had a couple other issues with them and the people at guest services (they are called employees but none of the new the answers to anything so the guests on the ship could have done a better job) they always gave us the wrong info or just said I don't know and pretty much moved to the next guest. Our room steward Jeff and our waiter Rajesh and waitress Marian were the only employees we really enjoyed and had any confidence in at all. The some of the food may have been a little better but there was not as much variety offered and on elegant nights on the Carnival you got steak & lobster but on Royal Caribbean you had to pay extra for that & the desserts were way better on Carnival. Now lets talk about entertainment or lack there of....Carnival beats Royal Caribbean a million to one blind folded and hands tied behind their back. Some shows were soooo bad that we had to leave and one show the singing was soooo horrible it really did hurt my ears it was worse than nails across the chalk board, costumes were very generic and at times didn't even go with what was going on. We missed the comedy club every night like Carnival has. They had 3 so called comedians that I really felt sorry for because it was like dead silence and then someone would give them a fake pity laugh and one looked like he was 80 years old and drunk most the time I couldn't understand half of what he was saying and what I did understand didn't make any sense. If it wasn't for the spa I don't think we would have enjoyed much of the cruise (but I had to pay extra for the use of the thermal suite which it was ok but it wasn't all that). I did like the adults only pool and Jacuzzi that was open 24 hours but a lot of times there were kids and teens in there too. I never take naps unless I am sick but I think I took more naps on this cruise than I have my whole life just because there was nothing to do if you wasn't a drinker. My favorite entertainment was to go out where the glass elevators are and watch the drunks trying to dance in the center....sad huh? So yeah I could keep going but I am just going to say that from now on we will be sticking with Carnival unless I have my heart set on a destination that they don't go too and then I will think long and hard about that!!! Oh and 1 final thing I still haven't heard anything from Royal Caribbean about the poor customer service. I have sent 2 emails and took 2 surveys and all I have received is on of the surveys asking about how my complaint was handled....I was honest and told them is wasn't as of that date and still nothing. Now this may be just 1 cruise or a bad crew but first impressions are everything and theirs was a horrible first impression on all of us. I have even asked my hubby & Mom and they say the same things as me and my husband told me he will never go on any cruise with RC again I would have to go by myself lol and my hubby is very easy going and doesn't get upset hardly ever and he was not pleased at all.

[cruise_girl2002]

I don't know how long ago your cruise was, but I saw you were waiting for a reply from royal Caribbean. Good luck. I have been waiting 3 years for one with my complaints from them.

[jojoanddash]

I don't know how long ago your cruise was, but I saw you were waiting for a reply from royal Caribbean. Good luck. I have been waiting 3 years for one with my complaints from them.

 

 

I left June the 13th so I guess I shouldn't hold my breath for a reply huh? lol

[Lisichka]

I am sorry you had a bad experience. I love RCCL. Every experience I have had with them has been outstanding.

 

I enjoy Carnival too, but don't expect an answer to emails from them either. I have been waiting for 5 years...

[Markmom18]

Hi,

Is it possible to re-format your post? I'm having difficulty reading it because there are no paragraphs.

Thank you.:)

[dad2my3]

I had the same problem. Try this:

 

I have been on 3 cruises now 2 with Carnival & 1 with Royal Caribbean. The only reason I went with Royal Caribbean was due to the destination, we were going to Alaska from Vancouver to Seward and then we were doing land ourselves for a week and Carnival didn't offer that itinerary.

 

My cruise started off bad the moment we walked into our room and got worse. I booked that cruise the very first day it was available and I called to make sure I was getting the room I wanted....I explained that it would be 3 adults my Mom, hubby & myself & that we needed the 2 beds put together and the SOFA bed with a balcony & I was assured that my room would be exactly what I was wanting. I spoke with Royal Caribbean representatives many times for different questions and they always reviewed what my reservation was. So I was very surprised to walk into my room and see the big bed and a chair.....so I go to the guest services desk and I am told nothing could be done until an hour or so after we set sail. REALLY????

 

So I explained in detail that I booked this the 1st day it was offered and what I was promised so he goes and looks and the computer and a book with a bad attitude like I was asking for him to actually do something and tells me that the other bed was in the ceiling and our cabin steward would drop it down and separate the other bed so we would all have a bed. I was very upset at this point & explained that we were all adults and we were not sleeping in a bed from the ceiling & the idiot actually said then he can try to fit a cot in there. I said NO that is not what we were promised and not what we paid for and he simply shrugs his shoulders and tells me to come back an hour or so after we set sail.

 

So I go tell my Mom & hubby & told them I was going to get on the website to try to get something done. While I was on the computer my Mom went down & tried to talk to them since I was so upset she thought I might have been rude and that was why I wasn't getting any help & she came back ticked off & said that there was several people complaining about their rooms being wrong too. So when I finished emailing Royal Caribbean a woman (another cruiser) asked me what was wrong so I told her and she told me the chair made a bed and how to do it....so I got better customer service from another guest.

 

I was at guest services another time getting some pamphlets and I asked the guy which side of the ship would we see the most land and his response was "you will only see land when we port the rest of the time we will be in open waters" REALLY??? I have never been on an Alaskan cruise and knew that was wrong. We had a couple other issues with them and the people at guest services (they are called employees but none of the new the answers to anything so the guests on the ship could have done a better job) they always gave us the wrong info or just said I don't know and pretty much moved to the next guest.

 

Our room steward Jeff and our waiter Rajesh and waitress Marian were the only employees we really enjoyed and had any confidence in at all. The some of the food may have been a little better but there was not as much variety offered and on elegant nights on the Carnival you got steak & lobster but on Royal Caribbean you had to pay extra for that & the desserts were way better on Carnival.

 

Now lets talk about entertainment or lack there of....Carnival beats Royal Caribbean a million to one blind folded and hands tied behind their back. Some shows were soooo bad that we had to leave and one show the singing was soooo horrible it really did hurt my ears it was worse than nails across the chalk board, costumes were very generic and at times didn't even go with what was going on. We missed the comedy club every night like Carnival has. They had 3 so called comedians that I really felt sorry for because it was like dead silence and then someone would give them a fake pity laugh and one looked like he was 80 years old and drunk most the time I couldn't understand half of what he was saying and what I did understand didn't make any sense.

 

If it wasn't for the spa I don't think we would have enjoyed much of the cruise (but I had to pay extra for the use of the thermal suite which it was ok but it wasn't all that). I did like the adults only pool and Jacuzzi that was open 24 hours but a lot of times there were kids and teens in there too. I never take naps unless I am sick but I think I took more naps on this cruise than I have my whole life just because there was nothing to do if you wasn't a drinker. My favorite entertainment was to go out where the glass elevators are and watch the drunks trying to dance in the center....sad huh?

 

So yeah I could keep going but I am just going to say that from now on we will be sticking with Carnival unless I have my heart set on a destination that they don't go too and then I will think long and hard about that!!!

 

Oh and 1 final thing I still haven't heard anything from Royal Caribbean about the poor customer service. I have sent 2 emails and took 2 surveys and all I have received is on of the surveys asking about how my complaint was handled....I was honest and told them is wasn't as of that date and still nothing. Now this may be just 1 cruise or a bad crew but first impressions are everything and theirs was a horrible first impression on all of us. I have even asked my hubby & Mom and they say the same things as me and my husband told me he will never go on any cruise with RC again I would have to go by myself lol and my hubby is very easy going and doesn't get upset hardly ever and he was not pleased at all.

[momof3cruisers]

I don't know how long ago your cruise was, but I saw you were waiting for a reply from royal Caribbean. Good luck. I have been waiting 3 years for one with my complaints from them.

 

Wow..I am genuinely surprised to hear that. I complained about some issues we had and in the same phone call was offered FCC. Actually, I wasn't complaining...I was alerting them to the fact that my minor child was given a bottle of wine for winning the karaoke contest and that guest services had no clue about alternate muster arrangements for special needs kids.

 

Op I am sorry you didn't have a good trip. Sounds like they were having a pretty bad week!

[PAPERBKWRITER]

IMO some of your complaints are legitimate and others are just your opinion. I've made bed requests on nearly every line and most of the time it comes down to the room steward. Those requests never seem to make the ship. I think RCCL and Carnival are very similar in most things except entertainment, Carnival is way behind. But Carnival hads larger standard rooms. After a bad start you may have been looking for trouble. With all of your complaints RCCL is just blowing you off as a crank. Hope your next cruise is much better than this one was.

[pe4all]

I was not a big fan of the one RCCL cruise I took. (except for the GS perks we had.) However, I do think that the cabin issue was partly the op's fault. Should have looked at a cabin configuration/bedding plan, rather than ever take anyone else's word about it- especially if the booking was made the day the cruise opened, as the op stated.

[BettyPC]

I enjoy both lines - my 1 complaint w/Royal was addressed timely. Must have been a mistake (lol)

[NolaZach]

you should make paragraphs. Most people see a wall of text like that and then go on to another post.

[Cinders411]

Sorry you had such a difficult experience. We will sail for the first time with RC this fall. Previously, we have only sailed with Carnival. Although we experienced a few issues on the Dream, we enjoyed our cruise. We just feel it is time to try another line. We have nothing to compare Carnival to. Hope your next cruise, with whatever line you choose goes better. :)

[jonbgd]

Wow sorry to hear you had bad experience on RCCL.

 

SO you were on the Radiance of the seas.

We did that same ship and cruise 2 years ago.

My favorite ship and one of the best cruises ever

 

 

 

Just curious why you didn't ask about your cabin in the thread you started on the RCL boards?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1848733

[Lovefuninthesun]

We have done one cruise on RCCI, Enchantment of the Seas, and have another short getaway planned in January aboard Brilliance of the Seas.

 

We had a great time on the RC cruise, and felt it compared almost point by point with Carnival: food, entertainment, service, ship. Our RC cabin was slightly smaller than on Carnival. But loved the adults-only solarium with the retractable roof on that class of RC ships.

 

Sorry your experience was not as positive.

[geoherb]

I'm sorry the OP did not have a good cruise. We enjoyed our Royal Caribbean cruises at the time. We haven't been on one since they started building the monstrosities of the seas. We stick, for the most part, to Carnival Corp. brands for our shareholder credit.

 

I wish the OP had come asked about his or her cabin here on Cruise Critic when originally booking it. I'm sure the people on the Royal Caribbean board could have described the bed situation for the specific cabin.

[BenjiRodney]

I understand, dont care if I ever step back on a Royal Caribbean ship, Guest Services, or should I say lack of Guest Services from them on the Bermuda cruise totally soured me on them. Sticking to Carnival from now on.

[celyvabeach]

Hi,

Is it possible to re-format your post? I'm having difficulty reading it because there are no paragraphs.

Thank you.:)

 

I had the same problem...

 

Btw, I have enjoyed all my RCL cruises & sailing on the big one Oasis in 2016.

Edited July 9, 2014 by celyvabeach

[Tapi]

Sorry that you didn't enjoy your cruise. IMHO, it seems as if you may have allowed the initial issue (that could've been a non-issue) to affect your overall enjoyment of the cruise. It seems that after that you may have been negatively biased. In your perception, the service would suck, the food would be horrible and the entertainment would be terrible.

 

About taking a bunch of naps because there was nothing to do: You were in Alaska. You DONT need a long list of activities to stay entertained. Nature provides the entertainment. When we sailed to Alaska last year, I recall very little from what was going on aboard the ship, but I can tell you all about the countless hours spent just watching the amazing scenery go by, pretty much 24/7, spotting whales and other wildlife as we sailed, and enjoying the activities that are unique to this itinerary.

 

I'm sorry to say that if you found yourself bored on an Alaska cruise, the cruise line was not the problem...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[cruizinisthebest]

Wow sorry to hear you had bad experience on RCCL.

 

SO you were on the Radiance of the seas.

We did that same ship and cruise 2 years ago.

My favorite ship and one of the best cruises ever

 

 

 

Just curious why you didn't ask about your cabin in the thread you started on the RCL boards?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1848733

 

Maybe because the OP didn't realize the problem with the room until after she boarded and walked in it. Sounds like once that room configuration set things off wrong, nothing was right thereafter. Very unfortunate to spend money on a vacation and come home unsatisfied.

[ryansmith18]

When we sailed to Alaska last year, I recall very little from what was going on aboard the ship, but I can tell you all about the countless hours spent just watching the amazing scenery go by, pretty much 24/7, spotting whales and other wildlife as we sailed, and enjoying the activities that are unique to this itinerary.

 

I'm sorry to say that if you found yourself bored on an Alaska cruise, the cruise line was not the problem...

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. If I were on an Alaskan cruise the last thing I would care about was the on-board entertainment.

[Arizonagirl14]

We have cruised both carnival and RCCL . We cruised Radiance of the Seas three years ago on the Southbound Alaskan cruise and would say we had a fabulous experience. The views were magnificent, the shows were great, and the ports were fantastic. A vacation is all about what you make of it.

All though I am thoroughly looking forward to my Valor Southern Caribbean cruise in December, I am also planning out my RCCL cruise in Europe in Spring 2016.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[joepeka]

As seen in my sig, we've done mostly Carnival with our most recent (and next) on RCI. Both lines have their pluses and minuses and I have to say we really enjoyed our first RCI cruise last year; the only issue we had was addressed promptly by RCI post-cruise with a refund. I have to agree with others that the cabin setup got the OP off on a bad tangent and they were never able to find anything positive afterward. Too bad because Alaska cruises are beautiful.

[jojoanddash]

Wow sorry to hear you had bad experience on RCCL.

 

SO you were on the Radiance of the seas.

We did that same ship and cruise 2 years ago.

My favorite ship and one of the best cruises ever

 

 

 

Just curious why you didn't ask about your cabin in the thread you started on the RCL boards?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1848733

 

I didn't ask about it because I have never heard of a chair bed....I mean when I am told I have a sofa bed by many RCI employees and I had never seen or heard of the horrible chair bed I just wouldn't know to ask about it.

[jojoanddash]

As seen in my sig, we've done mostly Carnival with our most recent (and next) on RCI. Both lines have their pluses and minuses and I have to say we really enjoyed our first RCI cruise last year; the only issue we had was addressed promptly by RCI post-cruise with a refund. I have to agree with others that the cabin setup got the OP off on a bad tangent and they were never able to find anything positive afterward. Too bad because Alaska cruises are beautiful.

 

We enjoyed everything about Alaska and we didn't let the lack of service on the ship ruin anything to do with Alaska!! Alaska is amazing for sure.

[Markmom18]

Dad2my3,

Thank you SO much for putting the original post in a readable format. To the OP, sorry about your experience. I guess I might overplan our trips, at least since the Internet became so common. Lesson for me, do my own research...look at Deck Plans, read posts, read travel sites etc etc....

On a positive note: You learned some great travel insights from your experience!

:)

Edited July 10, 2014 by Markmom18