Are the complaints I am reading truly justified?

[Peachypooh]

Most people have limited budgets and vacation time for cruising. They want to make the most of it. That said I think that there is a certain amount of over promising in most cruise line brochures. When people read those glossy brochures and start to dream about their vacation it can cause unrealistic expectations.A room steward or butler is not going to be a mind reader or your own personal nanny/caretaker. Every item of food is not going to wow you. Weather might cause you to miss ports or not enjoy them to the fullest.

I try to adjust my expectations accordingly. I went to a meet and mingle and someone complained that they liked the garbage can next to the bed and was annoyed that every day the room steward put it back where it was originally. To me that seems a little silly.I ordered a meal and specifically asked not to have a certain item on my plate because I am allergic. Did it appear? Yes. but I chalked it up to a lack of communication and ate everything else.

[G85 SS]

For me, I can see complaints in two separate ways.

 

If someone is a loyalist to a specific cruise line, like me to Royal Caribbean, then I will be the first one to point out things I dislike. Why? Because I would like to see these areas improved on to make my next adventure, along with everybody else's adventure that much more enjoyable. But I believe there is a fine line with this.

 

To go off the deep end and say my experiences have been ruined because I didn't get a picture I wanted or ate something I didn't really care for is a bit outlandish. And when I see those posts, I close them out and go elsewhere because they are pointless to waste my time reading.

 

I think there is a balance of positivity and negativity when giving a review of a cruise both on board the ships and on boards like these. And I agree that some of what I read comes from someone who may have a sense of entitlement.

 

And simply put, if I didn't have an OVERALL enjoyable experience with Royal Caribbean I wouldn't continue to sail with them.

[BND]

The biggest problem is some people are extreme drama queens and will post how horrible "everything" was when in reality, they're looking for attention, or even restitution. Like anything else, take all the "perfect" cruise reviews and the "horrible" cruise reviews, toss them out and read everything else. Have we ever had either? Nope, but all our cruises have had positives and negatives, just like real life. The internet has made it easy for people to whine and complain either because they feel entitled or more probably because they love to stir things up and start arguments and then sit back and watch while occasionally throwing in another defensive statement or two. I don't know why people let it bother them so much either.

 

While I'm not loyal to any company or entity, there are things that can be defended when stated the way some do. Calling people "loyal" has become a slur, but if someone wants to defend RCI to the ends of the earth, that is their choice and calling people out for it is asinine.

Edited February 20, 2015 by BND

[oneputt18]

Not trying to disappoint but Johnny Rockets on Freedom does not serve breakast :o Only on Oasis and Allure.

 

The good thing is the Windjammer on Freedom DOES have an egg station where you can get cooked to order omelettes and fried eggs. I dont believe Oasis or Allure has an egg station. Someone will correct me if Im wrong. :)

 

You can order eggs and omelettes cooked to order at JR's and the Wipeout Cafe on the Oasis and Allure. I prefer the Wipeout Cafe as you can sit outside with an ocean view table.

Edited February 20, 2015 by oneputt18

[JimAOk1945]

Oh but there is :) All of ours have been perfect. We are together, we are not at work, no phones, no family (except each other), we get to flowboard every day. Life is great on a cruise. It is the one time every year we can reconnect as a couple and leave the world behind :D They ARE perfect because I am with my husband. While neither one of us is perfect, we are perfect for each other :p

 

Ahhhh! Beautifully stated! In that sense, I agree with you 100% and I think my wife would as well! :D

[PCWalton1]

 

I do feel that the marketing department at RCCL is off base a bit with all of their "sales" and gimmicks, and I have written a respectful letter to them. They are depending on the public being dumb enough to fall for this tactic and think they are getting a good deal. But have you seen any of news shows take to the streets and ask simple questions about current events and how truly ignorant the average citizen is? Since they continue these pricing tactics, RCCL must have the data by now and they must be working. I have never received a response to my email. But guess what? I have 2 more cruises booked with RCCL and I am using my money to speak my opinion. I still like their product and I am willing to pay the going rate for it. I am smart enough to realize that if sales start to fall, they will find another gimmick. Think of JC Penney during the last few tumultuous years and their marketing strategies of no sales and how it plummeted their performance.

 

Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion.

 

Most passengers do not participate on chat boards such as Cruise Critic so have no idea if the current sale prices are better than what was offered say 2 weeks earlier. And they don't really care, a sale is a sale to them.

 

It's like going to a car lot and purchasing a new car. Two people go in and buy the exact same car but one buyer understands the opportunity to negotiate is there and gets their car for a significantly lower price. As long as the buyer that paid the higher price is unaware they paid more they will base their satisfaction on the car itself and most likely fall be happy with the deal they made.

 

As you stated RCCL's marketing scheme must be working as they keep running variations of the same, just changing bits and piece to keep it a little fresh. We are not reading anywhere their sales are plummeting, or that it is even driving away current "knowledgeable" customers as you stated having 2 cruises booked. We have 5 :).

 

But as a "knowledgeable" customer you may have to work harder to get what you perceived as a good deal. Sometimes you can find them, sometimes you can't. For some of our previous cruises I have booked inside cabins in hopes that by the time the cruise rolled around there would be price drops and we could move up for little money. This worked for both our cruises to Hawaii, in both cases ended up in JS for very little extra. It did not work for our Panama Canal cruise but it is still our favorite cruise even with the inside cabin. We are booked on three west coast cruises with Jewel this year and I do not see that happening for any of those cruises as west coast cruises for Royal are unique so the demand is high. It's a gamble we have taken and we are OK with whatever the results end up.

[tserface]

It's funny and we've never complained, but almost every cruise we wonder why the steward can't just leave the stuff where we put it. They always move the garbage can and tables and stuff back. You'd think they would get the hint. I've bashed my legs a few times on those heavy low tables right in the way of the door.

 

This is not a complaint... I just think it's funny that they don't get it. Hotel people almost always leave the "stuff" where I move it until I move out.

 

Tom

 

I went to a meet and mingle and someone complained that they liked the garbage can next to the bed and was annoyed that every day the room steward put it back where it was originally. To me that seems a little silly.

[Elvis1209]

In 37 years as a police officer I learned a very important lesson: Some people are just not happy unless they're complaining! And the ones that complain are usually the loudest! I honestly can't see what they're complaining about. Cruises are so relaxing! Even when I caught the noro virus and was sick I said to myself, "If you have to be sick, it might as well be sick on a cruise ship!"

 

Elvis

Edited February 20, 2015 by Elvis1209

[BND]

It's funny and we've never complained, but almost every cruise we wonder why the steward can't just leave the stuff where we put it. They always move the garbage can and tables and stuff back. You'd think they would get the hint. I've bashed my legs a few times on those heavy low tables right in the way of the door.

 

This is not a complaint... I just think it's funny that they don't get it. Hotel people almost always leave the "stuff" where I move it until I move out.

 

Tom

 

They are required to put trash cans, etc back in a certain location. They can get in trouble if they don't. Supervisors do check and make sure a room is the way it's supposed to be. A hotel doesn't move in rough seas lol.

[tserface]

Good points. I didn't realize it was a requirement because of the sea movement. It's ironic though. We've been so annoyed by having bruises from the locations of things that we've actually tipped less on occasion if the annoyance, or bruises, were fresh on our minds. I know, we should watch better where we are walking, but the rooms are small and if you moved something out of the way you kind of expect it not to jump back in the way.

 

I'm pretty tall and don't always walk looking down.

 

Tom

 

They are required to put trash cans, etc back in a certain location. They can get in trouble if they don't. Supervisors do check and make sure a room is the way it's supposed to be. A hotel doesn't move in rough seas lol.

[Beardface]

It's funny and we've never complained, but almost every cruise we wonder why the steward can't just leave the stuff where we put it. They always move the garbage can and tables and stuff back. You'd think they would get the hint. I've bashed my legs a few times on those heavy low tables right in the way of the door.

 

This is not a complaint... I just think it's funny that they don't get it. Hotel people almost always leave the "stuff" where I move it until I move out.

 

Tom

 

You'd be surprised... There's probably an internal audit that happens randomly and the positioning of the trash bins and tables/chairs after the room has been cleaned for the day is one of those things supervisors ding them for.

[ummgood]

Good points. I didn't realize it was a requirement because of the sea movement. It's ironic though. We've been so annoyed by having bruises from the locations of things that we've actually tipped less on occasion if the annoyance, or bruises, were fresh on our minds. I know, we should watch better where we are walking, but the rooms are small and if you moved something out of the way you kind of expect it not to jump back in the way.

 

I'm pretty tall and don't always walk looking down.

 

Tom

 

We have only been on Disney cruises but we find the tables annoying too. Since we have small kids they just seem to be in the way especially at bed time when you have 5 people in a cabin. We asked the stateroom host to remove what we didn't want in the room and they took them out.

 

As far as constant sales I think that is a sign of the times. Everyone wants a deal and some stores in particular always are running sales. We have little girls and they love the store Justice. They constantly run 40% off and even on some days it is an extra 20% off. Those sales get you in the store and some people fall for it but if you look at the original price it is so insanely high that the sale drops it down to normal price. Then even with the extra 20% off it is still more than buying an equivalent outfit in style and quality at target. They even have toys in that store and with 40% then 20% the cost is more than the normal price at Target. But some people fall for it and it drives sales.

 

I believe you'll see more and more stores moving to this model. It will make it more difficult to comparison shop which helps them. Only a few select companies like Apple prevent this behavior and actually price fix. But they are in demand and can get away with this. Not everyone can.

[TexCruise371]

Opps

Edited February 20, 2015 by TexCruise371

[NewSalt]

One good thing about complaints is lowered expectations. I found Cruise Critic about three weeks before my first cruise, which was on Celebrity's Summit, five years ago. I read so many negative comments on how rusty, worn, and dated she was that I began to regret our decision to try cruising. When I got on board, I was blown away by how beautiful and well-maintained she was. Yeah, there were a some rust spots, but they were few, tiny and unobtrusive. I remember thinking, "This is a metal ship that sails in SALT water. What on earth do people expect?" But it taught me not too give too much weight to any one complaint or think another's priorities and experiences would be the same as mine.

 

I truly hate the "sale game." There are six of us sailing, so a difference of even a couple of hundred dollars can make a huge difference. I wish I could just book a cruise and know that's the price, rather than constantly checking prices and comparing perks. It would just make me feel good to know that everyone pays the same, other than last-minute cabin fillers. But then I always thought the Saturn sales model was terrific too.

[greensnow]

Having not ever cruised before I did a fair amount of research on AOS once we decided that was the ship we were taking on our southern Caribbean cruise.

I read more good things then bad, and the bad things I read seemed minor or an isolated issue.

 

We are going to go and enjoy everything and soak it all in without worrying about anything we may have heard or read.

[queenschick9b]

One good thing about complaints is lowered expectations. I found Cruise Critic about three weeks before my first cruise, which was on Celebrity's Summit, five years ago. I read so many negative comments on how rusty, worn, and dated she was that I began to regret our decision to try cruising. When I got on board, I was blown away by how beautiful and well-maintained she was. Yeah, there were a some rust spots, but they were few, tiny and unobtrusive. I remember thinking, "This is a metal ship that sails in SALT water. What on earth do people expect?" But it taught me not too give too much weight to any one complaint or think another's priorities and experiences would be the same as mine.

 

I truly hate the "sale game." There are six of us sailing, so a difference of even a couple of hundred dollars can make a huge difference. I wish I could just book a cruise and know that's the price, rather than constantly checking prices and comparing perks. It would just make me feel good to know that everyone pays the same, other than last-minute cabin fillers. But then I always thought the Saturn sales model was terrific too.

 

Same exact experience on the Summit - it is old, it is tired, etc. Honestly, it was one of the nicest cruises I have ever been on. Same with the AOS, which I liked better than the Freedom cruise I just took.

[steveru621]

Wow! I have been on these boards for a long time reading and learning. The complaints are unbelievable! Is it a glimpse at our entitlement society? What is going on? I enjoy the honest reviews of pros and cons, because I learn so much from them. But the overall mentality of everything stinks, is a bit over the top. Perhaps an all inclusive luxury resort would be better for you. Or perhaps a luxury cruise line would be better for you.

 

We were on the Adventure in December with 2 of our closest friends. We enjoyed the Windjammer and no one went hungry. In fact, I thought the food was fresh and just fine for a buffet. I also went on the Reflection in November and the food in their buffet was very good. If the food was as poor as everyone says, then why are people still gaining weight on cruiseships?

 

I am a capitalist. I believe that money talks. If you do not like the product, do not spend the money on it. If you prefer another cruise line based on any number of reasons, then use them. If you have a legitimate complaint, take it to customer service. But I am sick and tired of seeing people go over the top with complaints on the ship and act like fools about the dumbest things. How do you manage to treat others so disrespectfully and sleep well at night? As I am reading all the complaints, I feel that these are the people who have the most cruises booked in the future.

 

I do feel that the marketing department at RCCL is off base a bit with all of their "sales" and gimmicks, and I have written a respectful letter to them. They are depending on the public being dumb enough to fall for this tactic and think they are getting a good deal. But have you seen any of news shows take to the streets and ask simple questions about current events and how truly ignorant the average citizen is? Since they continue these pricing tactics, RCCL must have the data by now and they must be working. I have never received a response to my email. But guess what? I have 2 more cruises booked with RCCL and I am using my money to speak my opinion. I still like their product and I am willing to pay the going rate for it. I am smart enough to realize that if sales start to fall, they will find another gimmick. Think of JC Penney during the last few tumultuous years and their marketing strategies of no sales and how it plummeted their performance.

 

Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion.

 

I should point out that my read on this post is you are complaining about the complainers.

 

Then near the end of the post you express your own complaint.

 

Everyone agrees that just stating everything stinks is not very helpful. But very few complaints that I have read are a blanket smack down of RCI's product. I will agree many complaints are based on entirly unrealistic expectations.

 

If you travel on RCI often enough sooner or later they will press the wrong button and some portion of your cruise will generate a complaint. It's just how travel is.

[ronandcarla]

When I was real young we were so poor and we had nothing and I mean nothing, sometimes no heat, no such thing as air condition and a lot of times no food. Now I can just about afford to go anywhere in the world with no restrictions to what cruise line, etc., and this coming weekend we are off to another cruise with at least 12 more or less behind us and everyone as far as I'm concerned were wonderful. As for the Diamond Lounge, etc.,. neither my wife or I could care less about it and don't have the slightest idea where they have been located. RCCL have been for us wonderful and we as a family have compiled many fond memories over the years and this weekend we are taking our future son-in-law for his first tryout on cruising, hoping everything goes well.

 

Sincerely, Ron M

[bigque]

Most passengers do not participate on chat boards such as Cruise Critic so have no idea if the current sale prices are better than what was offered say 2 weeks earlier. And they don't really care, a sale is a sale to them.

 

 

There are a lot of people on CC that are under the false assumption that the sentiments on CC fit the sentiments of the entire cruising public. Actually I didn't know about CC before my 1st cruise and I'm actually glad I didn't so I did not read a lot of the craziness on here and everything concerning my first cruise was based on good or bad was based on my own view and not that of anyone esle. I did not have the opinion of CC on how good or bad the food was or what it was like back in the "golden" days. I did not know the opinions of CC about if I should wear a tux to formal night (I brought a suit and have done so on my next cruises), I don't know if the price of that cruise was too much or not and I didn't care beacuse I thought it was a good price when compared to what we were going to pay on a land based vacation at the time and said lets do a cruise instead. So I fit into your category of "Most Cruisers"!

I ran across CC before my 2nd cruise. But I am my own man and I don't base what ship I am going to book based on any review no matter how good or how bad the review is. I book based on that is the ship I want to cruise and the itenerary I want to go and definately don't use this as a guide on if I should give gratuities or not or what I should wear on any given night in the MDR.

But CC is still fun to read!.....Hillarious at times...They should make a reality show of this board! :D

[TahoeBob]

I got so tired of reading all the complaints that I have pretty much quit reading the posts.

I get tired of people complaining about all the people who complain. Can some one help me, who do I talk to to complain about the people who complain about people that are complaining!

[Kinny]

Well put. :)

[Diver2014]

Wow! I have been on these boards for a long time reading and learning. The complaints are unbelievable! Is it a glimpse at our entitlement society? What is going on? I enjoy the honest reviews of pros and cons, because I learn so much from them. But the overall mentality of everything stinks, is a bit over the top. Perhaps an all inclusive luxury resort would be better for you. Or perhaps a luxury cruise line would be better for you.

 

We were on the Adventure in December with 2 of our closest friends. We enjoyed the Windjammer and no one went hungry. In fact, I thought the food was fresh and just fine for a buffet. I also went on the Reflection in November and the food in their buffet was very good. If the food was as poor as everyone says, then why are people still gaining weight on cruiseships?

 

I am a capitalist. I believe that money talks. If you do not like the product, do not spend the money on it. If you prefer another cruise line based on any number of reasons, then use them. If you have a legitimate complaint, take it to customer service. But I am sick and tired of seeing people go over the top with complaints on the ship and act like fools about the dumbest things. How do you manage to treat others so disrespectfully and sleep well at night? As I am reading all the complaints, I feel that these are the people who have the most cruises booked in the future.

 

I do feel that the marketing department at RCCL is off base a bit with all of their "sales" and gimmicks, and I have written a respectful letter to them. They are depending on the public being dumb enough to fall for this tactic and think they are getting a good deal. But have you seen any of news shows take to the streets and ask simple questions about current events and how truly ignorant the average citizen is? Since they continue these pricing tactics, RCCL must have the data by now and they must be working. I have never received a response to my email. But guess what? I have 2 more cruises booked with RCCL and I am using my money to speak my opinion. I still like their product and I am willing to pay the going rate for it. I am smart enough to realize that if sales start to fall, they will find another gimmick. Think of JC Penney during the last few tumultuous years and their marketing strategies of no sales and how it plummeted their performance.

 

Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion.

 

Kim, I'm with you 100%!!!! (but that's just my opinion, to which everyone except those who disagree with us, are entitled. (heh heh heh):D

[north29]

If we did not have complainers this forum would be rather boring. They do start a lot of opinionated threads LOL and makes the hit counters happy.

[Phoenix1949]

My only complaint is that we don't get to cruise more often......just sayin

[John Reid]

The complaint that perplexes me most is " I can't stand READING all the complaints/negativity."

 

I find some valid, some questionable, and some amusing.

 

But what I always find is that it was my choice to read them. I read the CruiseCritic guidelines several years ago, and I do not recall "All threads must be read; one cannot be selective" as a requirement.

 

It is interesting that the thread about tiresome complaints contains one about RCI. And it is most valid. They have embraced a marketing strategy that rivals used car salesmen of the 1960's. I'm waiting for them to encourage first-time cruisers that they not only should get insurance, but also the undercoating, fabric protection, clear coating, and pin stripe options. :)

 

That said, I need to go over to the Accuweather blog and complain about the incessant coverage of our sub-zero nighttime temperatures. Always something negative. They should be celebrating that it went up to a high of 12!