What Was Royal Caribbean Like Back in the Day?

[sellwingri]

Our first couple of cruises were on Princess but back in the early 90's, I think they operated like RCCL. You didn't see any jeans in the dining room at dinner. Our waiter had my husband's dinner drink sitting in his place when we arrived every evening. They really did make you feel important and by the end of the cruise, they were part of your family. They're now so stressed that they hardly have time to say anything to you.

 

The things that I wish they would bring back:

 

appetizers in the casino in the evening

horse racing (you used to place your bets with cash but I prefer using my card)

passenger talent shows

flaming desserts

Bingo using the big light up board that doesn't cost the price of dinner in Chops for 4

[rusty nut]

I've been sailing exclusively with Royal since the Viking Serenade days. Much has changed since then. The biggest change that I see is in customer service. Let's just say that back in the day you were a "guest" and now you just a customer, a number. Food was 5 star, or nearly so. They didn't have specialty restaurants an they didn't need them as the food in the MDR was stellar. Bartenders couldn't wait to take your order. You were never left at the pool with an empty glass and you never had to get up and get a drink yourself.

 

The midnight buffet was something you will never forget as long as you live. Yes, it was that extravagant and posh, a true sight to see.

 

Towel animals every night, chocolate on the pillows, room stewards that would remembered you and your Wife's name.

 

I think most of the complaints these days are from seasoned customers that want it like it used to be. I still enjoy cruising but definitely see the bean counters getting in the way.

[ccletzgo]

We were on Grandeur for a family cruise in 2001 and they had those glasses. My cousin ended up with a whole set. I had completely forgotten about those. They were a lot of fun and good too.

 

Sue

 

I have a nice collection of those little metal goblets. They are cute. :D

[jules815]

I remember horse races on the pool deck in 2006 on Mariner. That was my first cruise and I don't think I saw them after that. I think the last year I saw an actual Midnight Buffet was in 2007. I can't say I blame them for discontinuing those. There had to be a lot of waste. Remember how the first hour was just for viewing? I remember a post on here a LONG time ago about someone who witnessed a woman take an entire decorative loaf of bread shaped like an alligator. :D

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

This thread is great, though really makes me miss cruising back then - the good old days.

 

First cruise was on Grandeur in 1997 - I was 16.

 

The staff was unbelievable back then - there was no disorganization, running around crazy, and waiting for your courses. Everything was very elegant, organized, and well prepared. No matter what you asked for - you got it.

 

You had the same waiter (no female waitresses back then, or if there were there were very few) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and by the end of the week, you had a new family incouding your tablemates, head waiter, waiter, and assistant waiter. It was hard to leave them! We've made lifelong friends (staff) who we still speak with today.

 

Soda was no charge in the dining rooms, and you could get orange juice, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, etc., with no additional cost at breakfast.

 

Desserts were excellent, grand, and plentiful. I remember flaming cherries jubilee and bananas foster being made tableside. During the midnight/Gala Buffet, there were so many different desserts you couldn't try everything!

 

Labadee was a tendered port, with nothing but beaches and the large garage where the natives sold their goods.

 

People dressed for dinner, and dressed as the rules stated.

 

Your cabin was squeaky clean and the attendants were less overworked, more happy, calm, talkative, and helpful. You never had to ask for anything twice.

 

The Calypso band played on the pool deck, and for the late-night parties as well. No rap music or other kinds being blasted over the intercom as it is now.

 

The Captain made 2 daily announcements and everyone stopped to listen intently to what he was saying.

 

I could go on and on, but I will just say that in a nut shell, EXCELLENT service, and people followed the rules and were respectful.

 

I miss those days!

 

Very good summary. However, some of these things can still be found today, but might just be a little rarer. Cabin stewards can still be awesome, talkative, fun, and helpful (as was ours on our Oasis cruise this past May), and the waitstaff can still be personal, efficient, friendly, and helpful (as were ours on our June 2014 Alaska cruise on Radiance). I know, back in the day, it was almost guaranteed that your steward or waitstaff was going to be amazing... Today, there's that chance that they won't be so great, but I just wanted to put this out there, even though many of us already know this.

 

I didn't mean to get off topic, I just wanted to give a little credit to the great service we have received in recent years. :)

Edited June 30, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[emeraldcity]

First cruise? Sovereign of the Seas ... February 1988. It was her fourth cruise and we were blown away by how beautiful the ship was. I still have the passenger list and the poster of the Caribbean, which I had a calligrapher add the pertinent details to (and framed it).

 

We felt duty bound to get up early and make it to breakfast because our wait staff had to set the table and be there even if no one showed up.

 

We were at the Hotel Captain's table and it made for some really interesting conversation at dinner. Pierre was our waiter and he was fantastic.

 

Sail-away was so festive with steamers tossed over the side. I have pictures of me with handfuls of the streamers after the other passengers lost interest and went inside in search of other pastimes. I have the biggest grin on my face.

 

Prizes for trivia were substantial in comparison to today's keychains ... I have a set of 4 glass highball glasses with the RC logo on them. And Bingo offered better paybacks for the money. A $5.00 game netted $400-$500 to the winner.

 

Decks of playing cards could be had just for the asking ... I have one deck with blue backs and one with red ... both have the RC logo.

 

We paid about $1250 per person for an inside on the tween deck ... and that included airfare from Cleveland.

 

Before going ashore in Labadee, you bought Labadee doubloons ... wonderfully weighty gold-colored coins that were used for drink purchases ashore. I still have two of them in the leather bag that came with it. The amenities ashore were primitive and the vendors were very aggressive, but the conclave was pristine and wonderfully laid back .

 

At Megan's Bay in St. Thomas we split the cost of a half hour waverunner rental with one of the other passengers ... it was $30.

 

And there was always a midnight buffet ... and I noticed the same desserts on it that had been served at dinner that evening (so that must have been how they used up the extras) :).

 

When I told Garnet, my cabin steward that this was to be a once in a lifetime experience for me, he smiled and said, "No. You'll be back" He was right ...

[norcalemt02]

Sovereign of the Seas promo video from Royal Caribbean International.

 

http://youtu.be/QFXgWkq5WLg

[ronandannette]

I've been sailing exclusively with Royal since the Viking Serenade days. Much has changed since then. The biggest change that I see is in customer service. Let's just say that back in the day you were a "guest" and now you just a customer, a number. Food was 5 star, or nearly so. They didn't have specialty restaurants an they didn't need them as the food in the MDR was stellar. Bartenders couldn't wait to take your order. You were never left at the pool with an empty glass and you never had to get up and get a drink yourself.

 

The midnight buffet was something you will never forget as long as you live. Yes, it was that extravagant and posh, a true sight to see.

 

Towel animals every night, chocolate on the pillows, room stewards that would remembered you and your Wife's name.

 

I think most of the complaints these days are from seasoned customers that want it like it used to be. I still enjoy cruising but definitely see the bean counters getting in the way.

 

I think the bolded sums it up best. There was just a different vibe to it that's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't had the experience. And it's not really just about what used to be included and now comes for a fee. There was a "other-worldly" feeling of leaving regular life behind that really no money can buy. Now the experience is very much more "floating hotel" (or theme park in some cases).

[ryano]

I appreciate this thread. I really do. Ive only been cruising for 7 years now so I know not of these days. I love reading about them but I think I can faithfully say though that the only thing I would have enjoyed from "back in the day" is the better food and service. Also I would have been all over some skeet shooting because that is one of my favorite hobbies.

 

Glad there are so many more options now. I cant imagine have fixed dinner times for all three meals. Midnight buffets Im sure were beautiful but I dont eat that late and see that as a huge waste of food. I cant imagine older ships were very accessible for us disabled guests either.

 

My first cruise was on Carnival Holiday. 46,000 GRT and about 1400 passengers. The small ship experience was nice because you ran into people youve met during the week several times a day. On Allure, you could probably go all week without seeing them again unless you make special arrangements to meet up. Even though the ship was old, I thought the service was excellent.

[AtlWired]

There were no casinos, just a wall of slot machines. I was 12 on my first cruise (not RC). I was there with my parents and put 2 dimes in a machine. (No one stopped me even tho I was underage) I won the top prize of $20 dollars! The year was 1972 and I've been hooked ever since.

[Nado44]

Were passengers of yore really that oblivious when they hit golf balls off the back of ships? I've read that they take about a thousand years to decompose.

 

Am enjoying all the responses!

Edited July 1, 2015 by Nado44

[Clarea]

Were passengers of yore really that oblivious when they hit golf balls off the back of ships? I've read that they take about a thousand years to decompose.

 

Am enjoying all the responses!

Plus the obvious risk of the golf ball landing in a whale's blowhole.

[Shelli]

I remember driving over the bridge in Miami to embark on the SS Norway and the first ship to greet us was the Sovereign of the Seas. I remember standing on the deck of the Norway and just watching the SOS, then turning to DW I said that is next. We loved the first cruise on Norway but we fell in love with cruising the next year on the Sovereign.

 

Some coincidence: my first cruise was also on the Norway (1987) and the next year we went on the Sovereign, along with our kids.

 

As we boarded, we were greeted by a string quartet. No welcome-aboard champagne in those days-- also no towel animals. But *much* more elegance, fabulous food, and incredible service! I wore dresses to dinner every night except for "Caribbean Night," and a formal dress on formal night.

 

I miss those days!

[3CatsInMA]

Plus the obvious risk of the golf ball landing in a whale's blowhole.

 

...But a hole in one wins a free cruise! :D;)

[tommoore1]

Plus the obvious risk of the golf ball landing in a whale's blowhole.

 

 

Ahhh, Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld--great show about nothing!!!

 

 

[Clarea]

 

Ahhh, Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld--great show about nothing!!!

 

 

Was it a Titlest?;)

[Paulette3028]

I've been sailing exclusively with Royal since the Viking Serenade days. Much has changed since then. The biggest change that I see is in customer service. Let's just say that back in the day you were a "guest" and now you just a customer, a number. Food was 5 star, or nearly so. They didn't have specialty restaurants an they didn't need them as the food in the MDR was stellar. Bartenders couldn't wait to take your order. You were never left at the pool with an empty glass and you never had to get up and get a drink yourself.

 

The midnight buffet was something you will never forget as long as you live. Yes, it was that extravagant and posh, a true sight to see.

 

Towel animals every night, chocolate on the pillows, room stewards that would remembered you and your Wife's name.

 

I think most of the complaints these days are from seasoned customers that want it like it used to be. I still enjoy cruising but definitely see the bean counters getting in the way.

 

You have been cruising much longer than we have, since we started in 2004 on Navigator, when Navigator was the largest ship in the fleet. We followed that up with a cruise on one of the oldest ships in the fleet when we sailed on Her Majesty about 9 months later. Lots of people want MANY things to be "like they used to be", but the truth is, NOTHING is like it used to be.

 

We are paying guests, which means customers -- no way around that. Even the bean counters at a Ritz-Carlton, have two options....raise their prices or change the service they deliver....it happens all over. If a company thinks they can maintain their service and keep customers with increasing prices they do......or they choose another way.

 

Some people want Ritz Carlton service staying at Courtyard by Marriott...but it won't happen.

 

We are neighbors, since you live in Coral Springs and we live in Margate, FL.

[bluebeard39]

This fun question is for the veteran cruisers who've sailed with Royal Caribbean for 20+ years. I would enjoy and appreciate hearing anecdotes or stories about what cruising with Royal Caribbean was like back then?

 

Some questions I have are: Were passengers more well-dressed and/or behaved? Was the general atmosphere more refined or even stately? Was there more passenger interaction? Were two-tops as popular then as they are today? What shipboard activities do you miss? What venues or customs have gone the way of the dinosaur? What was Labadee like in 1986?

I didn't sail on Royal Caribbean in my younger days but I did Sail on a company Called Home Lines. One of the things that was great is that you could bring your friends and relatives on to the ship for a Bon Voyage Party for a couple of hours then they left the ship.

[John&LaLa]

When exactly was back in the day?

[fenton04]

In 1990 we went on the Carla costa 1100 passengers. It was a converted World War Two destroyer converted to a cruise ship. It had bulkheads between floors and the old fashioned round doors that had a circular hand device to seal it. You had to duck your head and lift your feet to go through them. A very hard task after a night of drinking!,,

[billsgal]

Our first cruse was on thenCarla C, all Italian waiters, upper and lower bunks, room so small you could stand in the middle and reach all four walls! Food and service were outstanding!

 

First RCI cruise was Song of Norway in 1983, had an outside room with a double bed (really a 3/4 board with a full mattress, so one of us was always falling onto the board! After the bunk beds we thought it was heaven!

 

When we wanted to go to the Viking Crown Lounge we had to walk up the outside staircase, and it was quite a sight with the ladies in dresses trying to hold the dresses down because the wind was trying to blow the dresses over our heads!

 

Service was great, food was outstanding, but those cruises were much more expensive than today's cruise prices. A year or two ago we found a brochure for Song of America and an outside stateroom for a weeks cruise was about $1500 per person.........what would that be in today's dollars?

 

The ships of today have so much more to offer, rooms are better, food not so much,, entertainment better (Broadway shows, ice shows) we find the service to be outstanding 95% of the time, and the prices are much better than years ago.

[Happycruiser17]

Our first cruise on Royal Caribbean was a Christmas/New Year's cruise in 1995 (15 or 16 nights). We cruised the China Sea (Singapore r/t) on the Sun Viking. I took 4 suitcases for myself (one of shoes) and every night we dressed. My husband and high school aged son wore tuxes or suits - I wore long dresses/skirts and heavy beaded tops (no casual nights as we have today). Wonderful meals, excellent service . . . midnight buffets, you could have anything prepared specially for you (our head waiter made lobster thermador twice for me (my favorite)) and wonderful entertainment. Since it was a Christmas cruise, we had Christmas trees everywhere with fake snow, carolers strolling the ship every night singing dressed in old fashion winter grab with muffs and long skirts, etc., handing out treats. Santa Claus was onboard for the smaller children and gave them all gifts. Christmas Eve dinner was extra special and when we returned to our cabin we had a large box and card on the bed . . . it was a very large (about 2 feet) Lladro with a note that all duty had been paid when we returned home. We found out the next day that it was the cruise line's tradition for Christmas to give each stateroom a Lladro. For New Year's Eve, they stacked champagne glasses in the centrum area to the top floor and then began pouring champagne down from the top until it filled all the glasses and then they dismantled the "tree of glasses" and handed them out to toast the "new year"! It was truly an amazing cruise and one which has never been topped! Cruising today just does not compare! Oh, and if you were not properly attired at dinner, you could not enter the dining room AND if you were more than 15 minutes late, the doors closed and you could not enter and would have to have either room service or the cafe!!! Also, live background music played in the dining room every night.

 

Diamond+

Edited July 2, 2015 by Happycruiser17

[NEARING 100 CRUISES]

My first of 66 cruises on Royal Caribbean was i 1977 on the Song of Norway. This was before it was stretched to add more rooms. The ship only sailed one route.

7 day cruises from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, then to St. Thomas. There was no such thing as a balcony room. We had a washing machine type window. The cabins were small, but efficient. There was a full size Hershey bar on each pillow every night. There was also a fruit bowl with 2 bananas, 2 apples, and 2 oranges.

 

Dining was either at the main dining room or at the buffet. In the dining room you had the same table with the same waiter for all three meals each day. Bells chimed when meals were being served.

 

We flew from L.A. We were put on a midnight charter with other passengers all going on our ship. Going home was the same.

 

Ship shape dollars were given out each time you participated in a exercise event. They were redeemed for tee shirts.

 

Most entertainment was provided by the passengers. There was talent night. The big event was a costume party where everyone wore a costume. The ship provided material. The crew did their "If I were not upon the seas" event on the last night. There were trivia nights and name that tune nights.

 

You got to meet most of the 700 passengers because everyone participated.

 

I got hooked on cruising.

 

Jerry

[Paulette3028]

A year or two ago we found a brochure for Song of America and an outside stateroom for a weeks cruise was about $1500 per person.........what would that be in today's dollars?

 

 

Everyone needs to keep this in mind.....there might be very few cruisers at the rate it might be in today's dollars.

[rusty nut]

You have been cruising much longer than we have, since we started in 2004 on Navigator, when Navigator was the largest ship in the fleet. We followed that up with a cruise on one of the oldest ships in the fleet when we sailed on Her Majesty about 9 months later. Lots of people want MANY things to be "like they used to be", but the truth is, NOTHING is like it used to be.

 

We are paying guests, which means customers -- no way around that. Even the bean counters at a Ritz-Carlton, have two options....raise their prices or change the service they deliver....it happens all over. If a company thinks they can maintain their service and keep customers with increasing prices they do......or they choose another way.

 

Some people want Ritz Carlton service staying at Courtyard by Marriott...but it won't happen.

 

We are neighbors, since you live in Coral Springs and we live in Margate,

FL.

I agree with much of what you say. We all understand the guest/customer relationship. When I first stepped on board a Royal ship, (Royal is all I've sailed, BTW) There was no question, I was a guest. I fully understand that I was a paying customer but Royal treated me as an honored guest. They actually enjoyed having me on board. I've lost most of that feeling on my first Voyager cruise. The service was still there but it was different and difficult to describe, really. Of course, by my first sailing on Oasis, I was a paying customer, nothing more.

 

I see you've been on Majesty several times. We're sailing on her in 38 days. Never been on her. We've been on her sister ship, Monarch, and by all admission, she remains, to me, Royals most memorable ship. Something about her crew or maybe the ship itself, I don't know but she was grande. Something about her I will never forget.

 

Yes, we are neighbors, glad to see other South Floridians posting here. :)