Less than ideal experience on Liberty of the Seas

[solinar]

Hi all. I just wrote up our experience on the survey form from Royal Caribbean from our sailing last week on the Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston.

 

There were good parts to our cruise and bad parts, but overall the bad outweighed the good.

 

We felt like Royal Caribbean used every possible opportunity on the ship for an up-sell. During our lunch at Sabor, that we paid money for the upscale experience, we were pitched a class for making guacamole and margaritas, and insistently asked were we going to sign up. Then when we said we would think about it, they brought out an avocado cutting plastic tool and offered it to us for $16, then left it on the table so we could look at it all meal long while experiencing our upscale dining. A plastic kitchen tool. Very unclassy. We had planned to go to all 3 upscale restaurants, but after our first one, skipped the other two. Then, every announcement in our mailbox outside our door, on our phone, over the loudspeaker, or on our TV was an art sale or some other such up-sell. Every night at dinner, the waiter tried to sell us on a discount for the up-sell steak or lobster. It was ridiculously over the top.

 

We also felt like the opportunities for fun activities on the boat were very limited vs what we are used to on Carnival. There didn't seem to be as many events like games, scavenger hunts, stuff done by the cruise director and assistants as we are used to on Carnival. Also, many of the activities on the ship seemed to overlap with dining times and with shows. We missed many things we wanted to make because of poor scheduling. We felt like the cruise was very "buttoned up" compared to Carnival. We aren't huge partiers (we drink a little and gamble) but this cruise felt like it was catering to retirees.

 

The my time dining was a disaster. We didn't realize we needed reservations, as the RC website said just show up when you wanted and you might have a 10-15 minute wait for a table. We did this the first night and it was a 45 minute wait, not acceptable with children standing in the lobby in dressy clothes. We were assured that if we made reservations the wait would be quick. The second morning we decided to get smart and make reservations for that night, but were told they only had 8:00 and 8:30 left. We took the 8:00 and decided to get smart and make reservations for the 3rd day while leaving supper on the 2nd day. There was still an extremely limited set of options to choose from (like 5:30 or 8:00). My time dining is not my time, it is Royal Caribbean's time.

 

I put my wallet and phone in the safe the first day, and by the next day it was broken (error message 90 when you tried to open it). We called maintenance and they opened it and installed another battery. I put my wallet in it again, and the next day, same error message, no access to my cash for ports. I called maintenance again and they opened it again and they said it was fixed. I wasn't trusting it again. I decided to go to our adjoining kids room and use their safe, guess what, same message! "error 90"! couldn't use it either. Only one of our remotes for the two rooms worked. We had to share. We asked for the steward to fix it, she replaced the batteries. Now it worked but only to turn the TV on or off, changing channels or volume didn't work. We gave up and just shared a remote, knocking on the adjoining door for the rest of the cruise when we wanted to change a channel.

 

The casino had a holdem table (something we love to do on vacation) but the limits were $2/$5 which meant to sit with a standard stack of chips was a $500 buy-in. Too rich for our blood. The drinks averaged $12-$14 each. That is a ton of money for drinks.

 

Overall, the ship was nice (we enjoyed the promenade), but the experience was poor. I don't know why we would choose Royal Caribbean again over Carnival.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback.

[tennislvr8]

Sabor isn't upscale but I'm sure the upselling was annoying.

 

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[dwayneb236]

One night we were eating in the Windjammer and some fancy dressed guy comes by being all friendly. Asking questions about our cruise. He finally gets to what he was really there for, wanted us to buy dinner at one of the restaurants. We were not interested at all but let him talk a while. If I remember correctly was a good deal but we had no plans to pay to go eat and we didn't bring anything to wear at one of the nicer places anyway.

 

He was nice enough and left when we told him we weren't interested but was just a bit annoying that while we are eating or at least trying to eat, he would just kind of jump in like that.

[cruzinlisa]

I am sorry you had a less than positive experience. I am sailing on Liberty in a couple of months and hope to have a better experience. I personally find it hard to consider any Mexican restaurant "upscale" but that said, you did pay extra for it and to have people nagging while you are eating is a bit much. However as far as the constant upselling, that is not limited to Royal, it seems to be a mass market cruise thing. The only cruise I have been on where I did not feel like it was a constant upsell was Disney Fantasy and I think that is because they are more inclusive than some of the other lines- or maybe because they had so much free stuff that was above and beyond that I did not even notice them push extra cost stuff. You mentioned fliers and loud speakers- Carnival is bad about that as well. Tons of paper about art shows, inch of gold, 2 hour sales, etc. It seems to be the way of the times, in an effort to keep prices low, making more ala carte things. The shame is that they seem to push service staff to sell, sell and it impacts their ability to serve (like which is their job).

 

I am sorry to hear about the activities. One of the reasons I wanted to sail on this ship is that they have more options than the Carnival ship I was looking at. But I like that Carnival has plenty to do and you really can't be bored. I like to do stuff, I am not a sit around by the pool all day type of person.

 

I also don't like to hear that about My time dining. I specifically picked that because we are not reservations people, I want to eat when I feel like it. I don't mind a bit of a wait but don't want to wait forever either. I expect to wait if I show up at 7 p.m. on formal night, but if we pick off peak times, then I don't want to have to wait. I have a 6 year old and she will get impatient and then we all suffer. :(

 

You mentioned that there were some good points. Any you care to mention?

[solinar]

> You mentioned that there were some good points. Any you care to mention?

 

 

I felt like the ship appearance was very nice. The activities they had, like rock climbing, slides, waverider etc. were all great. The shows (saturday night fever, the cirque du soleil type show, and the comedians) were all top notch. Our 6 year old loved the kids camp. Our 11 year olds felt like their kids room was way too childish for their liking (and we agreed after hearing about it), but the teens room (12-17) seemed always full of kids having fun.

 

 

A waiter in Johnny Rockets (Mahendersomething was from Myanmar I think) was absolutely fantastic. Very genuine, very nice, catered to our every wish without being annoying. We left him a $30 tip on a $42 bill.

 

 

Cayman was great (rays snorkeling and rum point) and Jamaica was out of sight (royalton white sands day pass).

 

 

We had a good time on the trip overall. We just had problems on our first Royal Caribbean cruise, that we have never experienced on our previous 7 Carnival cruises.

[George C]

You should have tried Giovanni's have never been disappointed there. How was entertainment???

[wolfganghowell]

Sorry to hear. I get that the little things can really add up and that's what it sounds like happened for you. I'm just immune to the upselling but this seems to be a common complaint. If enough people mention it on the surveys, we can only hope Corporate will catch on. This is the first I've heard of a lack of activities during the day and early evening. I've noticed issues with after dinner options but not during the day. I've seen lots of scavenger hunts and events in the compass.

 

Are you suggesting that the drink prices are considerably higher on Royal compared to Carnival? I agree, some are pricey but typical "resort" prices.

 

I'm guessing you mean the Tx Hold Em and not the Ultimate Tx Hold Em. I'm guessing with just one table onboard, they only want to attract high rollers to it.

 

We ate in Sabor twice in December and once last June. No upselling and a great experience each time. Maybe they are more aggressive at lunch? Yeah - my time. Heard horror stories. Last cruise, we did specialty, Windjammer and one night just grabbed pizza. Never stepped foot in the MDR for dinner.

 

Sorry it wasn't better for you.

[solinar]

Also, a couple we were talking to were on the 2nd week of a backtoback on that ship, and they said the upselling was off the hook, but was nearly non-existent the previous week. Maybe a quota week or something? I hope its not their new standard.

[grapau27]

Also, a couple we were talking to were on the 2nd week of a backtoback on that ship, and they said the upselling was off the hook, but was nearly non-existent the previous week. Maybe a quota week or something? I hope its not their new standard.

We were approached on Vision around the pool first day and also in the windjammer. We booked chops firstly for 20% off and secondly near the cruise end 30% off with free drinks. Both nights we enjoyed but when we went there was only about 75% take up.I think if the prices were a lot cheaper like on NCL they would easily fill the speciality restaurants without the annoying to some people hard sell.

 

love sailing with RCCL

[Bailey & Sophie]

We also felt like the opportunities for fun activities on the boat were very limited vs what we are used to on Carnival. There didn't seem to be as many events like games, scavenger hunts, stuff done by the cruise director and assistants as we are used to on Carnival.

 

Sorry to hear about your experiences. We got off the Serenade a few weeks ago. We could not find a quiet place to read without bumping into Trivia. Sometimes up to 4 times a day. Other times there would be a presentation in the Schooner bar. Apparently the presenter needed a microphone so 5 people could hear. Really??? It was very annoying.

[Snooksi]

Are you suggesting that the drink prices are considerably higher on Royal compared to Carnival? I agree, some are pricey but typical "resort" prices.

 

We sailed on HAL last Christmas and the majority of cocktail drinks (and included in drink packages) were $7.95. Huge difference compared to the $12-$13 I keep hearing about on RCCL. I don't know about the other cruise lines because it's been 3+ yrs since I've cruised them.

 

I am not loyal to any one of the major lines and have sailed Disney, NCL, RCCL and HAL because they all offer their own unique experiences and I have loved each and every cruise on each line. However, I was in shock reading about the RCCL drink prices after having sailed HAL last December and just wanted to share their drink prices.

[Lady Hudson]

Sorry about your experience on Liberty. I just got off Grandeur and had the same specialty dining "hawking". Way too much. The staff was very polite when we said "no thank you" but I would prefer not to be bothered when relaxing on deck or eating my meal. If I want to eat in a specialty dining room I know how to make a reservation.

[melski]

Sorry to hear about your experience on Liberty. We'll be onboard in a week and we were onboard last year too. Last year the upselling was crazy but usually on the promenade deck and sometimes outside Windjammer. We just walked right past and it worked for us. Of course if someone did it during a meal, I'd be very annoyed too.

 

As for My Time Dining, we make reservations. They can be booked online in your cruise planner. The traditional early is too early for us but we don't want to be too late either with kids and if we want to see shows. I made a 6:15 reservation every night and can cancel if we choose to do a specialty restaurant. Like a restaurant, if you just show up, you may or may not be seated right away and since these aren't quick dinners, the wait may be quite long. I strongly suggest you guess at a time you want to eat and make a reservation...they usually will still accommodate you if you are a bit early or a bit late.

[juliea344]

> You mentioned that there were some good points. Any you care to mention?

 

 

I felt like the ship appearance was very nice. The activities they had, like rock climbing, slides, waverider etc. were all great. The shows (saturday night fever, the cirque du soleil type show, and the comedians) were all top notch. Our 6 year old loved the kids camp. Our 11 year olds felt like their kids room was way too childish for their liking (and we agreed after hearing about it), but the teens room (12-17) seemed always full of kids having fun.

 

 

A waiter in Johnny Rockets (Mahendersomething was from Myanmar I think) was absolutely fantastic. Very genuine, very nice, catered to our every wish without being annoying. We left him a $30 tip on a $42 bill.

 

 

Cayman was great (rays snorkeling and rum point) and Jamaica was out of sight (royalton white sands day pass).

 

 

We had a good time on the trip overall. We just had problems on our first Royal Caribbean cruise, that we have never experienced on our previous 7 Carnival cruises.

Can you describe the royal sands trip?

 

 

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[Wanna Be Retired]

We always go out of Galveston now, simply because it is easy and my husband doesn't have to burn extra vacation to get there and come back. I have a lot more vacation time than him. Anyway, it usually rains when we depart, but our last cruise it did not. I was so excited because we could finally be out in the open. I expected a sail away party but all we got was NFL.....football. I could watch that at home in my living room. I wanted music and boat drinks and it did not happen.

 

Yes, they started pushing the dining too, but I only use the free dinners my travel agent gives us. If not for them I would not go to a specialty restaurant. I hate being pushed for something but find it only usually happens when I hang out on the promenade.

[solinar]

Royalton white sands was about as good as it gets. Two resorts right next to each other on the beach. Each with a private beach, pools, lazy river, waterslide park, unlimited drinks, and a really upscale buffet. The staff were all super nice. There were scores of private couches, cabanas, and other shaded places to sit and enjoy the weather in relaxing peace. Our kids loved it, we loved it, great food, and all you could drink. Well worth it for $100 per person for adults, and kids were $50. I would expect a buffet like that to cost $30 a person easily without anything else. We have already looked into going back to that resort for an extended stay. It looks like its about $500 a night for 2 people all inclusive.

[solinar]

Also, I forgot to mention it, but one night the cruise compass said "meet and greet, madagascar characters, (bring your own camera)". We got there and posed for the picture, let them take their picture, then went to take our own on our phone, and they told us "No pictures allowed!". We showed our butts at that point, busting out the compass and pointing out what it said. They were still reluctant to do it! They just wanted to make a buck. We felt like that was the common theme of the cruise, get extra $ from any place you can from the customers.

 

We do not mind spending money on a vacation at all. RCCL lost money on us by pushing the advertising so hard. We certainly weren't going to pay to go to another upscale restaurant again after the hard sell at the first restaurant.

 

I would have bought a bunch more drinks if I hadn't been so concerned about prices. We went to an adult scavenger hunt one night (which was fun) and ordered a bar brand vodka martini, a strawberry daquiri, and a shot of bar brand tequila. It was $54!!!! I am not inclined to order another round after that...

[juliea344]

Royalton white sands was about as good as it gets. Two resorts right next to each other on the beach. Each with a private beach, pools, lazy river, waterslide park, unlimited drinks, and a really upscale buffet. The staff were all super nice. There were scores of private couches, cabanas, and other shaded places to sit and enjoy the weather in relaxing peace. Our kids loved it, we loved it, great food, and all you could drink. Well worth it for $100 per person for adults, and kids were $50. I would expect a buffet like that to cost $30 a person easily without anything else. We have already looked into going back to that resort for an extended stay. It looks like its about $500 a night for 2 people all inclusive.

That sounds really nice, thank you! Was it through RCCL? We didn't get off the ship in Falmouth last time but I'm looking for something to do in the area next year. Dunn's River Falls is tempting but soooo far of a drive.

 

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[Grandma Dazzles]

 

I would have bought a bunch more drinks if I hadn't been so concerned about prices. We went to an adult scavenger hunt one night (which was fun) and ordered a bar brand vodka martini, a strawberry daquiri, and a shot of bar brand tequila. It was $54!!!! I am not inclined to order another round after that...

 

I think I would have questioned that tab! Three drinks for $54 seems very high even for RC.

[Wanna Be Retired]

You would think they would listen to what their loyal customers are saying. From harassing you to buy stuff to charging you after you get off the ship for water, I am wondering why those in charge are so deaf. It's apparent from what I am reading that the trend is their customers are not liking something. They seem to pay attention to anything negative you say about someone who works on the ship other than the company forcing them to harass.

[drneal]

I initially sailed with RCCL.

I've been on Disney, NCL, HAL, and Princess.

All the lines, with the exception of Disney which is at least 50% more,

now offer many up-sells and less thats included.

 

What people fail to mention is that the base price of a cruse has basically not changed in 15 years.

[Isaboo]

This is what we do as well. I've already made reservations for our July 2nd cruise. Our family tends to eat earlier rather than later, so most of our reservations are 6:00-7:00 depending on whether it's a port or sea day.

 

 

 

As for My Time Dining, we make reservations. They can be booked online in your cruise planner. The traditional early is too early for us but we don't want to be too late either with kids and if we want to see shows. I made a 6:15 reservation every night and can cancel if we choose to do a specialty restaurant. Like a restaurant, if you just show up, you may or may not be seated right away and since these aren't quick dinners, the wait may be quite long. I strongly suggest you guess at a time you want to eat and make a reservation...they usually will still accommodate you if you are a bit early or a bit late.

[bilyclub]

I initially sailed with RCCL.

I've been on Disney, NCL, HAL, and Princess.

All the lines, with the exception of Disney which is at least 50% more,

now offer many up-sells and less thats included.

 

What people fail to mention is that the base price of a cruse has basically not changed in 15 years.

 

 

I would disagree with that. When I'm shopping what I used to pay for a balcony will now get me an inside most of the time. What irks me is all the jacking up of prices for the stupid sales.

[dcgrumpy]

I initially sailed with RCCL.

I've been on Disney, NCL, HAL, and Princess.

All the lines, with the exception of Disney which is at least 50% more,

now offer many up-sells and less thats included.

 

What people fail to mention is that the base price of a cruse has basically not changed in 15 years.

It's funny you say that. I remember paying $1249 pp for a balcony on FOS late August 2007 Western Caribbean. No way would I ever pay that much these days.