A Poor Imitation Of Celebrity

[Wiseask]

Official word on straws here: https://presscenter.rclcorporate.com/press-release/18/royal-caribbean-to-eliminate-plastic-straws-by-end-of-2018/

 

Celebrity implementing the same policy.

 

We sailed on Celebrity Reflection to the Greek Isles last Summer and straws were not at issue. We’re sailing on the Reflection again on a T/A this Fall and will see for ourselves.

 

But you’re missing the point. Citing an ecology excuse, the crew on my wife's cruise were stingy supplying straws with soft drinks — but, inconsistently, not with alcoholic beverages. Don’t straws from an alcoholic beverage pollute the environment just as badly as those from soft drinks?

[Homosassa]

Let me address the hand washing stations vs hand sanitizers.

 

Too much faith is placed on hand sanitizers. All they do is move around the top surface layer of dirt. Hands are not "sanitized."

 

A good hand washing always has been and always will be superior to so called hand sanitizer solutions. Wash stations at the entrance to the Windjammer is a big improvement over the hand sanitizer.

 

If the passengers did not wash their hands, that is on them. Many would not use the hand sanitizers either.

 

By the way, using your reasoning, Celebrity is a "poor imitation and inferior product" to Royal Caribbean's Azamara line. But someone who has done their reason will realize that each line has a different target market demographic and on board experience.

 

RCI is in the entry level cruise market and competes with Carnival and NCL.

[The Sunset Glow]

We sailed on Celebrity Reflection to the Greek Isles last Summer and straws were not at issue. We’re sailing on the Reflection again on a T/A this Fall and will see for ourselves.

 

But you’re missing the point. Citing an ecology excuse, the crew on my wife's cruise were stingy supplying straws with soft drinks — but, inconsistently, not with alcoholic beverages. Don’t straws from an alcoholic beverage pollute the environment just as badly as those from soft drinks?

 

Was it frozen cocktails? Because you can't really drink those without a straw.

[RDC1]

From my wife’s single experience and objective observations, Royal Caribbean is an inferior cruise line. The cruise was a birthday gift to our daughter and she — not we — chose this cruise based on the destination, shower caps or no and your expectations notwithstanding.

 

Just sayin’.

 

Apples and Oranges

 

Royal Caribbean is not marketed, nor is positioned in the market in the same place as Celebrity. Royal Caribbean is positioned as a family oriented mass market line with the lowest price point and revenue per passenger of the RCL owned lines. It is also the largest of the RCL lines with 19.2% of the world wide cruise market. Competition Carnival, Norwegian, MSC

 

Celebrity on the other hand is slotted as a Premium Mass Market line that is aimed primarily at adults with a higher income level. It has a higher price point and a revenue per customer ratio double that of Royal. It is a much smaller line with 3.5% market share. It primarily competes with Princess, Holland America and maybe the Haven level of Norwegian and Yacht Club level of MSC.

[Wiseask]

Based on the way you worded her thoughts/review, it sounds like she was looking for things to complain about. And, it seems like she went in knowing full well that she was going to compare every little thing to Celebrity. And that, folks, is why she didn't have an enjoyable time. No one is going to enjoy themselves when they compare and contrast everything to a prior experience. Each ship and experience are particular to only one point in time. Enjoy the moment.!

 

Any passenger who is willing to accept without complaint no hand sanitizers, dirty bathrooms, dirty restaurant tables and rusty accommodations is a fool. But hey, that’s just us. Without bringing those observations to RCCL’s attention (as she did both on board and in her on-line survey) is denying the cruise line the opportunity to market a better product. Which is a disservice to both the cruise line and potential passengers.

[RDC1]

You nailed it. And to add, I've been on over 30 cruises on Royal and have never NOT seen hand sanitizer.

 

Just got off the Explorer of the Seas (my first on a Royal ship in the last 10 years. Mostly on Princess, Celebrity, and HAL) Only entrance to buffett had 4 sanitizers and a person standing theire with a squirt bottle of sanitizer going washy washy at everybody entering.

 

Main dining room also had them at entrance, again with a person with squirt bottle.

 

One at entrance to the coffee line at the cafe.

 

They were pretty much everywhere food was served.

[Ashland]

After 25+ cruises on RCI I was actually looking forward to sailing with Celebrity...and so we did, just a little over two months ago the May 27th sailing on Eclipse out of Dublin...The itinerary was wonderful....but I can't wait to get back to a Royal ship this September...:')

 

And certainly found it unnecessary to come back and post the negatives we found after just one experience.

[Eeyore1962]

Claiming that Adventure had NO hand sanitizers is an outright lie.

 

Now I have that darn Washy, Washy song in my head.

 

For you to continue to state that there were NO hand sanitizers will surely make everyone disregard your review.

[Wiseask]

Apples and Oranges

 

Royal Caribbean is not marketed, nor is positioned in the market in the same place as Celebrity. Royal Caribbean is positioned as a family oriented mass market line with the lowest price point and revenue per passenger of the RCL owned lines. It is also the largest of the RCL lines with 19.2% of the world wide cruise market. Competition Carnival, Norwegian, MSC

 

Celebrity on the other hand is slotted as a Premium Mass Market line that is aimed primarily at adults with a higher income level. It has a higher price point and a revenue per customer ratio double that of Royal. It is a much smaller line with 3.5% market share. It primarily competes with Princess, Holland America and maybe the Haven level of Norwegian and Yacht Club level of MSC.

 

I disagree with your analogy. Willingness to tolerate dirty public restrooms, rusty accommodations and dirty restaurant tables on “your” cruise ships with cruise ships which are clean is comparing apples with rotten apples, not apples with oranges.

[reallyitsmema]

Claiming that Adventure had NO hand sanitizers is an outright lie.

 

Now I have that darn Washy, Washy song in my head.

 

For you to continue to state that there were NO hand sanitizers will surely make everyone disregard your review.

 

One poster on this thread is actually on Adventure now, maybe they can confirm that there are hand sanitizers in the usual locations.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Although she was Diamond class by virtue of her past cruises on Celebrity, my wife had to actually ask for basics like a shower cap and lotions and a robe.

why would she expect Diamond Class treatment on RCI on her very first cruise with them?

[voyager70]

why would she expect Diamond Class treatment on RCI on her very first cruise with them?

 

It sounds like she's Elite or up on Celebrity which gives you Diamond status on Royal, and vice versa.

[RDC1]

Cannot comment on the condition of the Adventure of the Seas since I have never been on that ship.

 

However I was just on the Explorer of the Seas. This was my first trip on Royal in the last 10 years (we cruise often mostly on Princess, Celebrity and HAL. While there are clearly some differences in ship layout, food selection, etc. compared to Celebrity (my last cruise there was on Solstice), I would rate service and ship condition to be every bit as good. The crew actually seemed friendlier and more willing to take time to talk than on Solstice. While Royal is still not my first choice, we will certainly sail the line again when we are sailing with our children (grown) and grandchildren.

[setsail]

If bathrooms were cleaned during the day, they would be clean. But they weren’t. They were dirty.

 

Oddly, the passengers who ordered alcoholic beverages didn׳t have to “request” straws with *their* drinks.

 

A shower cap was provided only after my wife asked for it, but caps *are* provided on Celebrity cruises — the comparison being the point of the review.

 

Not going to address anything else you wrote as you weren’t on the cruise, either.

 

Thanks for the past history report on a cruise that's over and does not affect any cruises before or after

[grandgeezer]

How can you condemn a cruiseline based on one cruise? After 20+ cruises on Celebrity we have returned to RCL. Not going into detail why as the only opinion that counts is the person paying for it and that would be me.

[Wiseask]

Claiming that Adventure had NO hand sanitizers is an outright lie.

 

Now I have that darn Washy, Washy song in my head.

 

For you to continue to state that there were NO hand sanitizers will surely make everyone disregard your review.

 

That’s pretty rude talk for someone who wasn’t even on the July 6 sailing. First of all, I’ve known my wife for nearly 50 years and she is no liar. I take offense at your ignorance. Second, she didn’t say there were no sanitizers. She said they weren’t on display and she had to ask for them (though there was one occasion when she did ask and was told there were none). Finally, we won’t accuse you of lying just because you had a different experience on your Adventure sailings.

[cruisinfanatic]

How can you condemn a cruiseline based on one cruise? After 20+ cruises on Celebrity we have returned to RCL. Not going into detail why as the only opinion that counts is the person paying for it and that would be me.

You forgot to add "that I was not even on"

[Eeyore1962]

You stated quite clearly in post #30 that there were NO hand sanitizers . . . so what you are now saying there were hand sanitizers?

 

I am sorry but RCI is very serious and germs on their ships because they can NOT afford for the staff to get ill. Anyone who has sailed on them more than once knows there are hand sanitizers EVERYWHERE!

[RDC1]

How can you condemn a cruiseline based on one cruise? After 20+ cruises on Celebrity we have returned to RCL. Not going into detail why as the only opinion that counts is the person paying for it and that would be me.

 

What is funny is how strongly he is arguing about a cruise that he was not even on, only relaying what his wife reported. Would be more credible if they had pictures.

 

Some of the things in the complaint list are normal differences between Royal and Celebrity, no towels on return to the ship, no carafe of water in rooms, no shower cap, entertainment, etc.

 

Some appear to be counter to what every other Royal cruisers report such as the sanitizer. The sanitizer and wishy washy is so widespread on Royal that the comedians include it in their routine.

 

That would bring it down to 3 potentially real issues - Dirty public bath rooms, tables not cleaned promptly in buffet, and rust around bathroom shower door.

 

I have run into port issues on pretty much all ships, including Celebrity, Princess, NCL, HAL, as well as Royal. Some of my worst was on Solstice around New Zealand where commonly excursions were routinely leaving an hour after scheduled time.

Edited July 19, 2018 by RDC1

[Biker19]

Any passenger who is willing to accept without complaint no hand sanitizers, dirty bathrooms, dirty restaurant tables and rusty accommodations is a fool.

The RCI ships sail at about 110% capacity - what do you think is more likely, RCI keeps finding a whole bunch first time fools or what your wife experienced is not the norm?

[mac001pa]

My wife and our adult daughter sailed on Adventure of the Seas on July 6 to the Bahamas. This cruise was our birthday gift to our daughter, who had never been on a cruise before. My wife and I have been sailing almost exclusively over the years with Celebrity. We gave our daughter the choice of a Celebrity cruise to Bermuda or a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas. Both were for one week and both were on older ships. Our daughter chose the Royal Caribbean cruise because of the itinerary. She and my wife shared a balcony cabin.

 

Some observations, courtesy of my wife:

 

1. The public restrooms were filthy. There were no attendants to clean them during daylight hours. The bathroom floors on the pool deck were wet, slippery and dangerous.

 

2. Hand sanitizers which should be ubiquitous on all cruise ships were no where to be found. Sinks at the entrance to the Windjammer buffet restaurant were not used by all passengers. My wife had to actually ask for hand sanitizers and she was told on one occasion that none were available.

 

3. Overheated passengers returning to the ship from shore were not offered cold face towels or cold drinks to refresh themselves, and of course, no hand sanitizers were on display. Clearly, cleanliness was not a priority on this ship.

 

4. My wife described the vaunted on-board entertainment, allegedly a Royal Caribbean strength, as nothing special.

 

5. On a number of occasions the staff was slow clearing dirty plates from tables in the always crowded Windjammer buffet restaurant.

 

6. Even though disembarking at the port of Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean’s private island) is a ritual the ship performs on a weekly basis, you would think the crew would have learned how and known better. Thousands of impatient passengers were trapped in small, narrow, overheated, confining exit ways for 90 brutal minutes before being allowed off the ship. There were no water fountains at hand. Not surprisingly, under these extremely uncomfortable conditions the mob of passengers became unruly. My wife said she’s seen better organized riots.

 

7. My wife noted the door frames in their cabin shower were rusty. Same with the floor surface on the balcony. Curiously, these features did not appear in the Royal Caribbean cruise brochure.

 

8. Although she was Diamond class by virtue of her past cruises on Celebrity, my wife had to actually ask for basics like a shower cap and lotions and a robe. The cabin had no carafe of ice water.

 

9. Having purchased a soda package, my wife had to continually ask for straws, which the crew were stingy to hand out allegedly due to environmental concerns — but they were ever present on more expensive alcoholic beverages.

 

10. To be sure, and in fairness to Royal Caribbean, there were parts of the cruise my wife did enjoy. Contrary to her low expectations, my wife said the food was decent, though selections on the MDR menu were limited. She said her cabin attendant and MDR server were very good. But maybe because we booked this cruise late, the fare was no bargain compared to what we pay on Celebrity (where we normally book early) — and yet she received a lot less for our money. For years we’ve heard Celebrity described as an upscale version of Royal Caribbean (they are both owned by the same parent company), but until my wife’s upsetting experiences on this cruise we were unable to appreciate what upscale really means.

 

My wife and I and our extended family were also on this cruise, It was our first on Royal Caribbean as we normally cruise on Celebrity. I did not often use the public rest rooms, but when I did they were adequately cleaned. There was a person at the entry of the Windjammer with sanitizer about half of the time; I did not observe them anywhere else on the ship. I thought the wash sinks were superior to the use of sanitizer, and most passengers seemed to use them. We missed the cold towels when returning to the ship from excursions, but did not expect them on this line. I also expected more from the entertainment, and too often it seemed there was a lack of available entertainment. The musicians were generally quite good, but there could have been additional variety available. The Windjammer was always very crowded; when we were able to get a table, the staff was quick to clean it, even if at times we had to get their attention first. Getting of at Coco Cay was very poorly organized. We waited until about an hour after the tenders began running, so our wait to get off the ship was "only" about 30 minutes. We had a deluxe cabana and this stop was a highlight of the cruise as a result. We did not have any concerns about the condition of the ship. We are also Diamond, and did have robes and lotion in our cabin; since we had a junior suite, perhaps that was part of the reason. We had the refreshment package. Straws were readily available even though we did not generally use them. Our cabin attendant and waiter were outstanding. We had a party of 12 from 5 different reservations, and the ship had no difficulty linking the reservations. We had to use My Time dining since traditional was sold out, but were able to have the same table each day which was always ready for us when we arrived. Overall, this cruise was a good experience. We are going to try another (larger) Royal Caribbean ship to see if that improves the entertainment options.

[Wiseask]

Please see highlighted text above. Herein lies the majority of the problem. That, and no prior research.

 

Her experience was preconceived. RCI never stood a chance with your wife.

 

Oh, and I find it hard to believe there were no hand sanitizer dispensers. They are everywhere on every RCI ship I've been on in the past 10 years. This statement alone makes me disregard this entire review.

 

Okay, you’re excused. Reading comprehension is not your strength. The key word is “despite” the low expectations about the food, she actually found it decent. Those expectations came from somewhere. We’ve seen reviews on Cruise Critic that on some of the newer RCCL ships the food was described as “inedible.” Of course, that’s a matter of taste and opinion, but in her opinion, except for the lack of menu selections in the MDR, she had no complaints about the food on this ship.

 

I’m pleased to hear about the hand sanitizers you say were on “your” RCCL cruises. Just be thankful you weren’t on this one.

[Wiseask]

The RCI ships sail at about 110% capacity - what do you think is more likely, RCI keeps finding a whole bunch first time fools or what your wife experienced is not the norm?

 

Of course she can’t comment about cruises she wasn’t on, but judging by the quality of the comments I’ve read today, I can’t rule out the former. And not just first time fools, either.

[yuvraj]

I have sailed with Celebrity and RC. Two different experiences, like apples and pears. The two brands appeal to different groups so I can understand someone accustomed to Celebrity finding RC disappointing.

 

I like both and don't consider either to be the imitation of the other.

[Bailey & Sophie]

Our first 5 cruises were with Celebrity. Our next 5 were with Royal.

Yes, they are different. But in no way would I call Royal an imitation of Celebrity. Both lines have their own quirks and charms.

You were on an older ship. Expect some wear and tear.

.