Find a better cruise line!!!!

[Merion_Mom]

On my last cruise a very irate man was getting into the elevator with me.... ranting and raving -- he wanted to know where the roll-aways were. We just got to our cabins...and he was heading to Guest Services. He said that he booked a cabin for 4 and the roll aways were no where in sight. His cabin steward was refusing to get them. I said... the 3rd and 4th bed will come down from the ceiling.... He said BS and headed to Guest Services. I got off on the same deck and watched him rant and rave while I walked by. He had yet to get to the desk (sort of a long line). Coming back... we were in the same elevator heading back to our cabins. He told me that Guest Services said the beds come out of the ceiling... but he was sure we were playing a horrible practical joke... he was heading back to gather up his family and get off the ship. He was going to sue everyone and I should stay out of his way... which I did. After the muster... we ended up in the same elevator... where he apologized and begged forgiveness. His daughter told me that when he got back to the cabin the beds were down from the ceiling...and she and her brother had made themselves at home! I told him there was nothing to forgive... that cruise ships aren't hotels and they can take a little getting used to. But I suggested he go back to guest service and offer an apology, which he did. Needless to say... they had a great cruise and we laughed about it a good bit before the week was up.

 

With all that said.... Rushing down to Guest Services prior to the muster... when they are dealing with huge numbers of questions and concerns of guests... demanding something that you already had.... was probably not the best way to start your cruise. I believe that the 'chair' you speak of... is actually the sofa (yep that two cushion thing is a sofa. But it did work well for you didn't it. So you talked to someone that either didn't understand you and may have offered incorrect information. But really... it ruined your cruise? It ruined your cruise because he asked you to wait until they were sailing about an hour to come up with a solution?

 

Not enough to do? Maybe it just wasn't what you wanted to do. I enjoy taking a nap in the afternoon, so I can stay up late! Someone told you that you couldn't see land from both sides of the ship? But you already knew this was wrong? Why ask?

 

I could go on an on...

 

It is obvious to me that you had no intention of 'liking' RCI... but rather you wanted the itinerary and would have rather been on Carnival. So you 'settled' for Royal... but you don't have to do that again... simple solution... never ever cruise Royal again. You want what from Royal... to admit you received poor customer service... because you were asked to wait an hour and a crew member didn't tell you what side of the ship to see land... (still not sure how you couldn't figure that one out on your own) . Sorry... you get no sympathy here.

 

Oh.. and I believe the perception is that Carnival's general decorating color scheme is pink and purple.... not something we Fans of RCI consider a great choice.

 

I think you should post this on the Carnival board..... you'll get more sympathy... I hope you enjoy your future Carnival Cruises. But... if you decide to cruise RCI again... please remember... life is a lot easier if you figure out how to just adjust the sails!

 

 

 

She already has. ;)

 

Should have stayed with Carnival!

 

Interestingly enough, she received the same responses over there that she has received here!

 

:D :D :D

Edited July 9, 2014 by Merion_Mom

[jojoanddash]

On my last cruise a very irate man was getting into the elevator with me.... ranting and raving -- he wanted to know where the roll-aways were. We just got to our cabins...and he was heading to Guest Services. He said that he booked a cabin for 4 and the roll aways were no where in sight. His cabin steward was refusing to get them. I said... the 3rd and 4th bed will come down from the ceiling.... He said BS and headed to Guest Services. I got off on the same deck and watched him rant and rave while I walked by. He had yet to get to the desk (sort of a long line). Coming back... we were in the same elevator heading back to our cabins. He told me that Guest Services said the beds come out of the ceiling... but he was sure we were playing a horrible practical joke... he was heading back to gather up his family and get off the ship. He was going to sue everyone and I should stay out of his way... which I did. After the muster... we ended up in the same elevator... where he apologized and begged forgiveness. His daughter told me that when he got back to the cabin the beds were down from the ceiling...and she and her brother had made themselves at home! I told him there was nothing to forgive... that cruise ships aren't hotels and they can take a little getting used to. But I suggested he go back to guest service and offer an apology, which he did. Needless to say... they had a great cruise and we laughed about it a good bit before the week was up.

 

With all that said.... Rushing down to Guest Services prior to the muster... when they are dealing with huge numbers of questions and concerns of guests... demanding something that you already had.... was probably not the best way to start your cruise. I believe that the 'chair' you speak of... is actually the sofa (yep that two cushion thing is a sofa. But it did work well for you didn't it. So you talked to someone that either didn't understand you and may have offered incorrect information. But really... it ruined your cruise? It ruined your cruise because he asked you to wait until they were sailing about an hour to come up with a solution?

 

Not enough to do? Maybe it just wasn't what you wanted to do. I enjoy taking a nap in the afternoon, so I can stay up late! Someone told you that you couldn't see land from both sides of the ship? But you already knew this was wrong? Why ask?

 

I could go on an on...

 

It is obvious to me that you had no intention of 'liking' RCI... but rather you wanted the itinerary and would have rather been on Carnival. So you 'settled' for Royal... but you don't have to do that again... simple solution... never ever cruise Royal again. You want what from Royal... to admit you received poor customer service... because you were asked to wait an hour and a crew member didn't tell you what side of the ship to see land... (still not sure how you couldn't figure that one out on your own) . Sorry... you get no sympathy here.

 

Oh.. and I believe the perception is that Carnival's general decorating color scheme is pink and purple.... not something we Fans of RCI consider a great choice.

 

I think you should post this on the Carnival board..... you'll get more sympathy... I hope you enjoy your future Carnival Cruises. But... if you decide to cruise RCI again... please remember... life is a lot easier if you figure out how to just adjust the sails!

 

 

 

I don't want your sympathy thank you and for your information the chair was a chair with 1 cushion if it had 2 cushions it would have been a sofa. I can figure that out on my own. I actually went with the attitude that I was going to be a loyal royal cruiser from this cruise forward because I was told by some friends how wonderful RCI is and I can handle waiting till we set sail but him to be rude was unacceptable also when my Mom went down they tried to make me look stupid by telling her that when I booked the room it plainly stated that it was a chair bed and when she asked for the proof they had to show her that it said SOFA BED....still no apology they just told her they would send someone to our room before 8pm. Well I figured it out way before they showed up. If you advertise a sofa bed and give a chair bed that is false advertising. Oh & about the color scheme I didn't see pink & purple on our carnival cruises. Although there were neon purple lights on RCI ship but I actually liked those.

Edited July 9, 2014 by jojoanddash

[Spurschick]

yes I know you can see which rooms are suppose to have a sofa bed & I checked there as well as called RC to make sure. She slept on the chair bed but in the picture on the website it was a sofa not a chair. For those upset about some paragraphs sorry you can't read, I have no problem reading it. Those that can't understand why we were upset it boils down to very bad customer service. Is this simple enough?;)

 

 

I agree your cabin shows sofa bed and Pullman. Unfortunately the small print states contact for sofa bed configuration. In future if you are considering a cruise again with RC I would recommend a cabin that has the triangle showing sofa bed as they are cabins with true sofa beds. That being said, even then they are generally not overly large.

 

Yes be very careful of this but I thought I had clarified our needs every time I spoke to someone about our cruise and I still ended up with the crappy chair bed. Just a hint if you do get stuck with it make the room steward get the mattress down from the "ceiling bed" as guest services called it. It still wasn't very comfy but it made it a little better.

Are you able to post a picture of the chair / bed? It would be very helpful for other cruisers to see what it actually looks like for their future assistance.

 

I know you stated the picture on the website showed the sofa, however unfortunately it is a generic picture and not exclusive to the cabin you are booking.

 

I hope you enjoy your next cruise better:)

[Merion_Mom]

I agree your cabin shows sofa bed and Pullman. Unfortunately the small print states contact for sofa bed configuration. In future if you are considering a cruise again with RC I would recommend a cabin that has the triangle showing sofa bed as they are cabins with true sofa beds. That being said, even then they are generally not overly large.

 

 

Are you able to post a picture of the chair / bed? It would be very helpful for other cruisers to see what it actually looks like for their future assistance.

 

I know you stated the picture on the website showed the sofa, however unfortunately it is a generic picture and not exclusive to the cabin you are booking.

 

I hope you enjoy your next cruise better:)

 

There was a HUGE thread about a year ago about this issue of the "chair bed".

 

It was easier to find than I had feared!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1842517

Edited July 9, 2014 by Merion_Mom

[jojoanddash]

I agree your cabin shows sofa bed and Pullman. Unfortunately the small print states contact for sofa bed configuration. In future if you are considering a cruise again with RC I would recommend a cabin that has the triangle showing sofa bed as they are cabins with true sofa beds. That being said, even then they are generally not overly large.

 

 

Are you able to post a picture of the chair / bed? It would be very helpful for other cruisers to see what it actually looks like for their future assistance.

 

I know you stated the picture on the website showed the sofa, however unfortunately it is a generic picture and not exclusive to the cabin you are booking.

 

I hope you enjoy your next cruise better:)

 

The room I booked did have the triangle thank you and no I didn't take a picture of that stupid chair sorry

[Hoopster95]

There was a HUGE thread about a year ago about this issue of the "chair bed".

 

It was easier to find than I had feared!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1842517

 

Post #48

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1842517&page=3

 

Inexcusable imho that this isn't fully disclosed on deck plans. Seriously, this just is not good.

[Spurschick]

The room I booked did have the triangle thank you and no I didn't take a picture of that stupid chair sorry

 

Actually 7566 has the solid black diamond which is sofa bed and Pullman bed. I was referring to the triangle which is not fully shaded which means sofa bed only.

 

And for your info I was trying to be helpful not condescending!!!!!

 

Here is the link to your deck plan showing the diamond not the triangle I referred to

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?deckCode=07&shipCode=RD&shipProfile=1530&sailDate=1140711&hasNavigation=false

Edited July 9, 2014 by Spurschick

[Spurschick]

There was a HUGE thread about a year ago about this issue of the "chair bed".

 

It was easier to find than I had feared!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1842517

 

Thanks Merion_Mom.

 

I am yet to find a picture of said chair but I did find a post that states the black diamond (which is depicted on cabin 7566 on deck plan) is a chair bed and Pullman. According to the poster full sofa beds are not available in the black diamond cabins due to fourth person having a Pullman.

[Spurschick]

Jojoanddash - Thank you for mentioning the chair sleeper. You are the second person to mention this in the past few weeks and have reminded me as I'm trying to book a cruise for 3 that I need to be very careful of this!

 

Hope you at least get some acknowledgement from RC in response to your emails. I will share that I've emailed them about positive things and still took 3 weeks to get a response. I honestly think they don't have their email / online communication methods staffed appropriately.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Look for the cabin that has sofa bed only (no Pullmans in room) and you will be fine.

[Spurschick]

Post #48

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1842517&page=3

 

Inexcusable imho that this isn't fully disclosed on deck plans. Seriously, this just is not good.

 

Thanks

At least I have a picture now.

 

I'd have slept in the pullman:eek:

[Hoopster95]

Thanks Merion_Mom.

 

I am yet to find a picture of said chair but I did find a post that states the black diamond (which is depicted on cabin 7566 on deck plan) is a chair bed and Pullman. According to the poster full sofa beds are not available in the black diamond cabins due to fourth person having a Pullman.

 

 

"There was a HUGE thread about a year ago about this issue of the "chair bed".

 

It was easier to find than I had feared!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1842517"

 

"Post #48

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1842517&page=3"

Edited July 9, 2014 by Hoopster95
Quoted wrong poster

[Spurschick]

 

"There was a HUGE thread about a year ago about this issue of the "chair bed".

 

It was easier to find than I had feared!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1842517"

 

"Post #48

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...1842517&page=3"

 

You were sending as I was reading, thanks

[Adayatatime]

To be fair I was with you on he bed thing and I would have been upset too.

 

Then I lost you. I fear that first incident stopped you enjoying the rest.

[CU64]

If I went on a cruise with my hubby and Mother in the SAME cabin and had never done that before, I would want everyone to be happy, including myself.

If I thought I had it "wired" and knew what to expect, and it did not look like

what I expected, my anxiety would have gone up immediately!

 

and I would be disappointed and frustrated....

 

I doubt very many couples would do well with M or MIL in same cabin for 7 days...too stressful on everybody in close quarters!

 

I have found on many cruises and cruise lines that the staff do not know some of the basics of the ship, IMHO, including the layout and terminology! This happens especially if the crew has changed recently and/or their

"comprehension" skills in English can be misunderstood or NOT understood at all.

This has irritated me sometimes when I have asked the crew something and realize they don't know; if it is really important, I ask someone else but often

I do have to figure it out for myself......

 

I have always enjoyed all of my cruises on 4 different cruise lines, which include European cruises. After I do my research before going, which I enjoy,

I keep my expectations LOW which helps me with any disappointments I may encounter. Just my way, which works for me.

[Adayatatime]

If I went on a cruise with my hubby and Mother in the SAME cabin and had never done that before, I would want everyone to be happy, including myself.

If I thought I had it "wired" and knew what to expect, and it did not look like

what I expected, my anxiety would have gone up immediately!

 

and I would be disappointed and frustrated....

 

I doubt very many couples would do well with M or MIL in same cabin for 7 days...too stressful on everybody in close quarters!

 

I have found on many cruises and cruise lines that the staff do not know some of the basics of the ship, IMHO, including the layout and terminology! This happens especially if the crew has changed recently and/or their

"comprehension" skills in English can be misunderstood or NOT understood at all.

This has irritated me sometimes when I have asked the crew something and realize they don't know; if it is really important, I ask someone else but often

I do have to figure it out for myself......

 

I have always enjoyed all of my cruises on 4 different cruise lines, which include European cruises. After I do my research before going, which I enjoy,

I keep my expectations LOW which helps me with any disappointments I may encounter. Just my way, which works for me.

 

I agree with this. Without going into my personal history there are people who I expect nothing from, so that I'm not disappointed.

 

I take this attitude but in a positive way, and apply it to holidays etc. low expectations mean you very often have a fabulous time and you seek out the good.

 

On our last RCI cruise our room attendant spent all her time on her phone, she was missing her son back home. Every time we went back to our room, she was actually doing very little. There was always something missing in our room. But it didn't change our enjoyment at all - in fact it became funny as we likened her to a TV character we love in the UK.

 

I get your point.

 

Oh and also, love her as I do, I would not wish to spend 7 days in a room with my mum, or mum in law, or both. Neither would they!

Edited July 9, 2014 by Adayatatime

[hairymelon]

I am sorry that you didn't enjoy your cruise on RCI.

 

Out of interest, when you didn't get a satisfactory response from the staff at guest services, did you ask to speak with a supervisor/duty manager who might have been able to deal with your complaints in a better way?

 

It would have been so much better to get resolution whilst still on the ship rather than trying to get responses now the cruise is over.

 

I hope you reconsider sailing with RCI again as the ships and crew are usually spot on :)

[chanat]

Sorry for your experience. We have sailed Carnival once and had such a bad experience ,for several reasons ,we will not sail with them again. We have also done a Princess cruise which was nice but we have had such great experiences on RC we have decided to be loyal to Royal and stick with them from now on.

[marci22]

That chair bed really gets people going. That should have some kind of warning symbol on it like they have for obstructed balconies. Warning: Chair Bed!

 

Otherwise give people some obc if they complain about it. No one wants to sleep on a chair bed. Not even a kid.

[Deptacon]

Paragraphs please!...can't read it.

 

Exactly what I though...I mean the internet was not invented yesterday.... this isn't a forum post its a rant...

 

I think al lthe issues stem from the first one...and the first issue stems from 2 things:

sharing a room with family members besides just a spouse or your own children (bad idea, regardless of how much you say you love your family)

 

And 2.... failure to research and understand the room/cabin you are getting.

 

At that point you wanted it fixed...understandable..it was unexpected...but also not reall possible. Then, failiing to elevate it up the chain of command and only talking to the front line staff...meant it really wasn't going to get a serious fix.

 

everything after than snowballed and created the perception of poor customer service.

 

RCI has millions of customers a week...and they continue to successful and grow as a business..... That doesn't happy without many happy customers. No way everyone will be 100% satifisied...and crap happens sometimes.... its how we deal with it after that is what matters...and decides if we have a bad week or a good one....

 

With that said, I have been on Carnival and RCI.....I wouldnt step foot on Carnival again.....

Edited July 9, 2014 by Deptacon

[hollon]

I think when you're use to a certain line, then you will try and compare and a person will probabaly get upset when things aren't just like that "line", I think you should try rccl again but on a different ship. I took my brother on Oasis of the Seas, and he and his girlfriend are ready to book again, and this is the brother who said "I don't know about this cruising stuff".. Every ship and every line is different. Life is too short to complain. Sometimes you get somewhere and sometimes you don't.... I went on Princess to Alaska and thought the ship was pretty, but I was bored out of my mind and hated the layout of the ship, Alaska also is very low key, it's not like the caribbean (fun/games) it's about scenery. Like I said every ship is different, when we were on Oasis, I went to GS many times and they were always helpful and the people at Starbucks knew my name by midweek. Good Luck!

[UCF_Knight]

That chair bed really gets people going. That should have some kind of warning symbol on it like they have for obstructed balconies. Warning: Chair Bed!

 

Otherwise give people some obc if they complain about it. No one wants to sleep on a chair bed. Not even a kid.

 

 

The issue is the fact that the E category balcony staterooms ("Deluxe") on Radiance class ships are very small (167 sq ft). Because of this, there is no full sized sofa in any of these rooms. Instead you get what could be described as either a tiny love seat / large chair which isn't really big enough to fit 2 normal sized adults. The larger D category balcony staterooms ("Superior") are 194 sq ft and do have room for a full size sofa. This difference is noted in the description of each category.

 

Here are the descriptions from the website:

 

D1/D2:

Two twin beds that convert to a Royal King, measuring 72.5 inches wide by 82 inches long, private balcony, sitting area with sofa, and a private bathroom.

(194 sq. ft., balcony 45 sq. ft.)

 

E1/E2/E3:

Two twin beds that convert to a Royal King, measuring 72.5 inches wide by 82 inches long, private balcony, sitting area, and a private bathroom.

(167 sq. ft., balcony 43 sq. ft.)

 

 

Note the lack of "with sofa" in the description of the "sitting area" in E category balcony staterooms. What this tells you is you will get a sitting area without a sofa which, by inference, means you'll have a chair. That means in E category staterooms which feature a piece of furniture which converts from seating to a bed it will be a chair bed because that is all that will fit. Royal Caribbean believes they cover their bases with the disclaimer "For sofa bed configuration call your Travel Agent or Royal Caribbean International".

[Cindy]

OP, I think you have a valid complaint with the "sofa"bed actually being a "chair"bed. I think Royal Caribbean needs to do a much better job with the specific descriptions on their website, and needs to have pictures that actually represent each level and type of cabin. Currently many of the pictures are outdated, and there is one representative picture for an entire broad category that may or may not be representative of the actual cabin. Unfortunately your legitimate gripe gets lost in your endless rant, parts of which are simply not true.

 

If I were in the RCI office trying to decipher exactly what your gripe was I would struggle, and I wouldn't know how to rectify the situation since the real purpose of your letter seems to be to explain how Royal Caribbean sucks in every way possible, and Carnival is wonderful. Before you accuse me of being a cheerleader, I have taken 20 cruises on 5 different cruise lines, and while I have my favorites and preferences, I've not found any cruise to be as terrible as what you said you experienced on your RCI cruise.

 

Just one question -- Was your cabin a connecting cabin? I have read that a connecting door can alter the size of the sitting area furniture in a cabin. When I typed in your cabin number 7566 on the RCI website, it indicated the cabin connects to 7568. You were obviously very concerned about many of the details of this cruise. Since you booked the day the sailings opened, if this was a connecting cabin, why did you choose it when there was so much availability? It doesn't change the fact that descriptions need to be better, but I was wondering what made you choose that particular cabin.

[live2vayk]

Just to be clear: You do NOT have to pay extra for lobster or steak on RCI.

 

Actually, on my last RCI cruise on Liberty of the Seas in February, we ate at the MDR every night, and not once was Lobster offered, UNLESS you paid an upcharge for it. It was not on the regular menu at all as an offering. It was a shorter cruise, so maybe that is why... but we were disappointed. It in no way was a huge deal, but was just something we would have enjoyed.

Edited July 9, 2014 by live2vayk

[billjessmaddie]

I completely understand the OP's frustration with guest services. They are extremely unhelpful. We sailed on the Grandeur on June 27 and I signed my daughter up for the Barbie experience. Since the experience included gifts that would be in our room on embarkation day, I ordered my son a gift to be delivered that day as well.

 

Well to my surprise my daughter's Barbie items were in our room but my son's present was not. The card for my son's present was there but no gift! My son is only 3 years old so of course he cried and cried because his big sister had presents and he didn't.

 

I called guest services who could careless about the whole thing and told me to wait until later to see if it was delivered. I then spoke to my room steward who told me to wait until the next day. Yeah, you try telling a 3 year old to wait for his gift....

 

Anyway, I waited and still no gift and no calls from guest services or the room steward about it. The next day I called guest services again and of course they could careless and said they would look into it. But hours past and nothing. So I called again and was told they didn't know anything about it as if this whole time no one had been looking into it like they claimed to have been. And then finally by the end of the day, my son's present was delivered.

 

I pre-ordered and paid for a gift and filled out the date that it was to be delivered. I should not have had to put all that effort into making sure it was delivered. It put a bad taste in my mouth and I will not be ordering onboard gifts again.

 

This was our first time cruising with Royal and we were not impressed with their customer service onboard the ship. However after speaking with their customer service off the ship, I see that they can be extremely helpful. Of course this was to book another cruise. So basically if they already have your money, they could careless to do anything for you. But if you are going to book a cruise, they will bend over backwards for you ;)

 

OP, we have cruised on Carnival and Disney and are used to a certain level of customer service as well. So I totally get where you are coming from. But we will be sailing on Royal again next year because we think it was the ship we went on that sucked and not the cruise line.

[UCF_Knight]

Actually, on my last RCI cruise on Liberty of the Seas in February, we ate at the MDR every night, and not once was Lobster offered, UNLESS you paid an upcharge for it. It was not on the regular menu at all as an offering. It was a shorter cruise, so maybe that is why... but we were disappointed. It in no way was a huge deal, but was just something we would have enjoyed.

 

Was it the 4 night cruise?

 

I believe the Fisherman's Plate typically only shows up on either the 2nd formal night or the smart casual night (if the cruise doesn't have a 2nd formal night). These would only occur on cruises of 5 nights or longer.

Edited July 9, 2014 by UCF_Knight