It wasn't Good. My AOS Review on the July 7th Cruise from Cape Liberty

[billslowsky]

7 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Cruise was 9 nights, not 7.

 

2022 Jul 07	9 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Bermuda	New York
Date / Time Port 07 Jul 16:00     Departing from New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC hotels 09 Jul 08:00 - 16:00     Kings Wharf, Bermuda 11 Jul 12:30 - 20:00     Philipsburg St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 12 Jul 07:00 - 14:30     San Juan, Puerto Rico 13 Jul 09:30 - 17:00     Labadee Haiti, Royal Caribbean private island 16 Jul 07:00     Arriving in New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC

Other than the short stop in Bermuda, the duration of the stops looks pretty normal.  Less than a day in Bermuda is better than nothing but I wouldn't be especially looking forward to it...  One of "go to the beach or Hamilton or St. George's" unless you want to take cabs.  I'd probably go to the beach and then drink at Frog & Onion till boarding time.

[LMaxwell]

7 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Cruise was 9 nights, not 7.

 

2022 Jul 07	9 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Bermuda	New York
Date / Time Port 07 Jul 16:00     Departing from New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC hotels 09 Jul 08:00 - 16:00     Kings Wharf, Bermuda 11 Jul 12:30 - 20:00     Philipsburg St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 12 Jul 07:00 - 14:30     San Juan, Puerto Rico 13 Jul 09:30 - 17:00     Labadee Haiti, Royal Caribbean private island 16 Jul 07:00     Arriving in New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC

 

In that case it would have been preferable, in my opinion, to not have Labadee at all and increase time by 2+ hours in each of Bermuda, St Maarten, and San Juan. But, still a unique itinerary that gives a taste of Bermuda and some of the better Eastern Carib ports. 

[Jimbo]

@johnjen

 

Pretty much guess you know by now it was not worth giving your opinions on this board on how your cruise was.

 

No matter what you say some members will defend Royal no matter what your opinions are of the conditions you found onboard.

[Jimbo]

12 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Not 🍿worthy, imho.  Given the title, there was a surprising number of positives  given out by the OP.  Fairly balanced review, I think. Those with Royal-colored glasses may disagree.

Excellent post, just saw this thread, had a hard time reading it because I don't have  a pair of Royal colored glasses. Made it a tough read.

[BND]

8 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Cruise was 9 nights, not 7.

 

2022 Jul 07	9 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Bermuda	New York
Date / Time Port 07 Jul 16:00     Departing from New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC hotels 09 Jul 08:00 - 16:00     Kings Wharf, Bermuda 11 Jul 12:30 - 20:00     Philipsburg St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 12 Jul 07:00 - 14:30     San Juan, Puerto Rico 13 Jul 09:30 - 17:00     Labadee Haiti, Royal Caribbean private island 16 Jul 07:00     Arriving in New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC

Pretty standard for leaving from NJ.  The Bermuda stop is the normal one day stop, but surprised they added it into the mix of Caribbean stops.  The Bermuda stop out of Baltimore on the 8 night has been part of a Bahamas cruise as it's all closer.  San Juan is always a half day.  Fortunately for us, it's always been an afternoon one(330 - 9 or so)

[billslowsky]

57 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

In that case it would have been preferable, in my opinion, to not have Labadee at all and increase time by 2+ hours in each of Bermuda, St Maarten, and San Juan. But, still a unique itinerary that gives a taste of Bermuda and some of the better Eastern Carib ports. 

Labadee and Coco Cay are cash cows for Royal.  Completely captive audience.

[mjkacmom]

The sushi sauce was most likely sriracha Mayo, my kids always ask for extra even though it takes seconds to mix some up (I like it on fried).

[BillOh]

19 hours ago, johnjen said:

Overall, a questionable itinerary (Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, Labadee). Questionable due to extremely shortened times in port. The cruise line is trying to save money at the cost of customers.

Will read down to get the specifics.  Just completed my first post covid cruise and this was my only real disappointment, but I guess I should have researched that further, but we went with it and had a good time. We were scheduled to be in Bemuda 12-6, didn't get in till 1 and didn't get to the excursion waiting point till almost 2.  Back on board at 5:30!

 

We didn't get into Nassau till around 1pm as well, but our cruise stayed till 9pm, but the port closed up shop pretty much at 6pm.

[Sunshine3601]

11 minutes ago, BillOh said:

Will read down to get the specifics.  Just completed my first post covid cruise and this was my only real disappointment, but I guess I should have researched that further, but we went with it and had a good time. We were scheduled to be in Bemuda 12-6, didn't get in till 1 and didn't get to the excursion waiting point till almost 2.  Back on board at 5:30!

 

We didn't get into Nassau till around 1pm as well, but our cruise stayed till 9pm, but the port closed up shop pretty much at 6pm.

Those ports time are not good.    Was this on Adventure or Mariner?

[BillOh]

Just now, Sunshine3601 said:

Those ports time are not good.    Was this on Adventure or Mariner?

Enchantment 5/19

[Sunshine3601]

1 minute ago, BillOh said:

Enchantment 5/19

While I guess I am happy we cancelled that sailing due to some personal schedule conflicts.  We would have been upset with those times at ports.

[Crazy planning mom]

9 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Cruise was 9 nights, not 7.

 

2022 Jul 07	9 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Bermuda	New York
Date / Time Port 07 Jul 16:00     Departing from New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC hotels 09 Jul 08:00 - 16:00     Kings Wharf, Bermuda 11 Jul 12:30 - 20:00     Philipsburg St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 12 Jul 07:00 - 14:30     San Juan, Puerto Rico 13 Jul 09:30 - 17:00     Labadee Haiti, Royal Caribbean private island 16 Jul 07:00     Arriving in New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC

We did this itinerary back in 2012 on the Explorer out of Bayonne.  We loved it.  

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

@johnjen

 

Pretty much guess you know by now it was not worth giving your opinions on this board on how your cruise was.

 

No matter what you say some members will defend Royal no matter what your opinions are of the conditions you found onboard.

 

What took you so long🤔🤣🤣

[LMaxwell]

1 hour ago, billslowsky said:

Labadee and Coco Cay are cash cows for Royal.  Completely captive audience.

They are for sure.  Better for the cruise line, potentially; but at the expense of time in other ports of call.  

 

It's ok for people to express disappointment.  It's part of learning the ins and outs of making the best bookings that appeal. Bermuda is pretty far off the beaten path so best enjoyed with a dedicated cruise that has some overnights, IMO. 

 

But I see the appeal of a 9 day w Bermuda and Caribbean; just have to look closely at the port times.  There are some other lines, MSC comes to mind, that offer very attractive rates and every port time is odd/short. If the ship is your destination that may not matter, but if you're interested in the ports it could be an awful choice in saving a few hundred dollars.  

[bucfan2]

30 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

What took you so long🤔🤣🤣

Perhaps he's being selective about being repetitive?

[Mum2Mercury]

15 hours ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

Labor shortage was predicted years ago. It’s simple demographics. Boomers are retiring and there’s not enough younger people to replace the largest generation ever. Flights are canceled, cruises are short staffed, patients are dying because of a healthcare worker shortage, nursing homes are closing, not enough teachers or truckers. I think it’s more complex than greed. 

Yes, this worries me a great deal.  With fewer people, fewer workers, will our American quality of life drop?  

I've noted it in several places personally:

- My daughter, who is in Nurse Management, can't hire enough people.  As a result, nurses are working longer /more shifts, and that leads to burn-out and exhaustion.  And those things can lead to mistakes.  

- I just retired from teaching, and last year we operated missing a couple teachers -- the whole year, we couldn't fill those positions.  And next year will be worse because of the people who are leaving the profession.  

- Some fast food places that are only running drive through /not opening the dining room -- they don't have enough workers.  

- Everywhere I see "Help Wanted" signs, yet I hear people say, "I can't find a job".  I can't reconcile these things. 

12 hours ago, OZ. said:

That’s terrible.

Yes, we love charcuterie boards at home, but mine certainly don't look like that!  One of "our things" is to make a nice charcuterie board and munch on it while we watch a movie together.  

10 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Cruise was 9 nights, not 7.

 

2022 Jul 07	9 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Bermuda	New York
Date / Time Port 07 Jul 16:00     Departing from New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC hotels 09 Jul 08:00 - 16:00     Kings Wharf, Bermuda 11 Jul 12:30 - 20:00     Philipsburg St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 12 Jul 07:00 - 14:30     San Juan, Puerto Rico 13 Jul 09:30 - 17:00     Labadee Haiti, Royal Caribbean private island 16 Jul 07:00     Arriving in New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC

I think I'd like that itinerary!  

I think we all understand why Royal wants shorter port hours -- they want us back on board for the evening:  to eat in specialty restaurants, to buy drinks, to gamble.  Those are their cash cows.  

1 hour ago, billslowsky said:

Labadee and Coco Cay are cash cows for Royal.  Completely captive audience.

I've wondered about that: 

- On the one hand, Royal had to pay to develop those islands -- from scratch, I assume.  Just the docks are tremendously expensive.  Does a stop at a private island cost them more than a stop at, say, San Juan or St. Martin?  

- When we stop at most islands, Royal has to pay port fees -- I assume they pay no port fees for their own islands?  

- But, yes, they have a captive audience on the islands, so they're making money from drinks and excursions -- but, on the other hand, they're spending to feed people.  

- They've clearly spent huge money on Coco Cay, and they have that whole Perfect Day campaign -- and so many of the activities are "for a fee".  I haven't "mathed it up", but it seems that cruises that stop at Coco Cay cost more.  

 

I don't know if I'm right or wrong about how the private islands work.  I'd be interested to know more.

Edited July 18, 2022 by Mum2Mercury

[LMaxwell]

1 minute ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

- When we stop at most islands, Royal has to pay port fees -- I assume they pay no port fees for their own islands?  

 

Head Count port taxes are charge throughs to the guests. If you miss Labadee you may get back $10-15 that would have been the tax remitted by Royal on your behalf when the ship docks. 

[aubreyc1988]

13 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

- Everywhere I see "Help Wanted" signs, yet I hear people say, "I can't find a job".  I can't reconcile these things. 

 

I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to share this with you to help you maybe see why these two things are existing at the same time. The situation I am going to tell you is just a personal example I have, but I am sure it is probably happening everywhere. 

 

I have a friend who has been self employed for quite some time (Like myself) and she was looking for a part time job at a restaurant to help with an unexpected bill she had.  She saw a "Help wanted" ad on social media for someone to deliver food on weekends only for 18/hr and she thought "perfect".  She applied to the job and also submitted her resume (She has experience in restaurant work).  She immediately got a call back and an interview. When she went into the interview, the company was super pumped to hire her: except she would have to work front counter in the restaurant, but 30 hours a week and on weekdays AND weekends, rarely doing any "Food delivery", oh and also the starting wage was 10/hr, they couldn't do any better.  So when she presented the ad that clearly stated that the job was for a "food delivery person, for 15/hr" and the company said "Oh that is just for the ad to get people in the door"  My friend was like "Well, I was only interested in working weekends as food delivery for 18/hr so I am going to pass on the job". The company was shocked and was like "How can you turn down this job, you won't be able to collect unemployment if you turn down this job" and my friend was like "Um, I'm not on unemployment, I am self employed, so if you want to hire me for the terms you stated for in your ad, then we can work together." Guess what, the company wasn't even willing to give her what they advertised on the sign, even though they thought she would be great for the job and it's what THEY were advertising. 

 

Anyhow, long story short, most these companies with "Help wanted" signs are most likely gaslighting people, saying hiring for X and for certain days when that is not the case, hoping to get unemployed people who ARE on unemployment and have to apply to jobs and such. It's a complex situation out there that I am glad I don't have to participate in (Also self employed and my husband works from home)

Edited July 18, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[CruiseDad-NYC]

20 hours ago, johnjen said:

Dining - Overall, a C. And I am being generous. Like a 9th grade teacher grading on a bell curve.

Hi, johnjen - Thank you for your review. I was on the same itinerary just before you went on your cruise (i.e., I was on from June 23 - July 2). I really liked the itinerary, especially leaving from New York on Royal, but I totally agree with your assessment of the food. It was just not good. I don't go on cruises  for the food and I am very sympathetic that we we are still in a pandemic so things aren't going to be like they were for awhile. But, I thought the quality of the food went way down hill and was not acceptable for Royal. 

 

The menu items sounded appetizing, but the "charcuterie board" you showed was a perfect example of what Royal is trying to pass off as OK (e.g., order the pastries on the room service breakfast menu and they will include dinner rolls from the night before; fish that is mushy from being frozen; vegetables that obviously had been frozen; and more).  There were a few meals that were good, but most were not good. My fear is that people will just accept this and it will become the new normal.

 

This was my 18th cruise on Royal/Celebrity and the only time I have been truly disappointed with the food (and it was actually my most expensive cruise).

 

 

[mpk]

20 hours ago, firefly333 said:

We had some long meal waits on grandeur too and a waiter with a attitude. They are short staffed. I was hoping it was better. All the lines are short. Give it time.

 

Staffing shortages enable surly staff, unfortunately.

 

Perhaps staff is doing more tasks than they normally do.  And/or the lines may have lowered the bar when hiring.  Even after that, the surly staff know they can take advantage and get away with a certain amount of guff because the lines are desperate for staff.

 

The flip side is that even with the imbalance, I haven't encountered any surly staff since the restart.  Only wonderful people doing their jobs and doing it very well.

[mpk]

18 hours ago, volk904 said:

Right now I am willing to understand that Royal and all the cruise lines have lost hundreds of millions which has no doubt delayed some dry dock maintenance and are having trouble staffing up. 

 

I agree.   Just a slight amplification- the losses in a quarter are measured with billions.

 

Royal Caribbean Reports 2022 Q1 Earnings, Loss of $1.2 Billion

[HBE4]

11 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Cruise was 9 nights, not 7.

 

2022 Jul 07	9 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Bermuda	New York
Date / Time Port 07 Jul 16:00     Departing from New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC hotels 09 Jul 08:00 - 16:00     Kings Wharf, Bermuda 11 Jul 12:30 - 20:00     Philipsburg St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles 12 Jul 07:00 - 14:30     San Juan, Puerto Rico 13 Jul 09:30 - 17:00     Labadee Haiti, Royal Caribbean private island 16 Jul 07:00     Arriving in New York, Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ-NYC

 

4 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Looks like a decent trip if you need to leave from NJ

 

The extra 2 days does help the ship reach more destinations. I've done it several times and checking back thru my old cruise itineraries, the only significant difference I see in port times is the OP had 1.5 hours less in Labadee (we had a 8:00 am arrival vs OP's 9:30 am) but the OP had 1.5 hours more in San Juan ( we departed at 1:00 pm vs OP's 2:30 pm). Personally, I'd rather have the extra time in Labadee but that's a personal preference type of thing.

 

None of this is a deal breaker for me and I'd absolutely would do this itinerary again no matter what the port times are. I cruise for the ship.

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by HBE4

[Jaynay]

21 hours ago, johnjen said:

Overall, a questionable itinerary (Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, Labadee). Questionable due to extremely shortened times in port. The cruise line is trying to save money at the cost of customers.

Night before hotel - This isn't RCL's problem, it was mine. Avoid "Springhill Suites by Marriott" at Newark/Elizabeth. Terrible routing. Massive pot holes. No shuttle service to the port. We paid $65 on a car service there, and $18 back on an Uber. I'm miffed at myself over the poor planning on that leg of the trip. Avoid Newark. On our way out, we thought we wandered onto a zombie scene (need I say more).

Check-in - GREAT!! We were onboard by 1015am. Suite wasn't ready until 1pm but we snuck through 15 mins early. It was ready and our cabin attendant was a great guy who really took care of us. Always ice in the bucket. Always a clean stateroom. I felt bad for him having to take care of cluttered rooms. We never leave ANYTHING out. This helps the attendants get their work done and ours did everything right. Well deserving of a couple of extra $20's on top of our pre-paid gratuities.

Concierge - We had three. The first one was only via email contact. The next two were outstanding. Very good with communication and any needs were met promptly.

Suite lounge service - Outstanding. Sofyan. We will miss you greatly. Such a good man and dedicated to the service. He headed back home to Indonesia for a break the day we pulled back in.

Dining - Overall, a C. And I am being generous. Like a 9th grade teacher grading on a bell curve.

Giovanni's - With the understanding they were short staffed, we were ready for delays. Not for 2.5 hours of dining though. Food was good. The Vongole was a bit bland; lacked color. It was much better on other ships. Steak was decent. I'd give Giovanni's a C. Again, generous on grading.

Chops - OUTSTANDING. Filets were amazing. Wait staff, same. Gruyere tater tots? WOW! Dessert, I think Jen had the chocolate cake. She loved it. I skipped out on dessert. Chops ended up being the place for dinner. An A is well deserved.

MDR - Some comments on noted dishes..
* The NY Strip steak looked like a lung. Lacked flavor, color. and presentation. Literally, it was GRAY.
* Beef Bourguinon, however, was very tasty!
* Seafood fry, it lacked appeal, appearance, and taste. It looked as if someone found some bits of seafood from the floor and placed them randomly on top of...mashed potatoes.
* Charcuterie board - Mortadella and a piece of random lettuce - an olive....and brown prosciutto, which USED to be healthy pink - told me a sad story about that board. It also told me that food preparation was appalling and done in haste. That's due to lack of staff. And, a lack of CARING.

* Chicken Parm - Bland. Lacked tomato sauce (except for the small dry spot). Chicken was thick. No taste to it.
*Scallops served in an escargot dish - greasy, TINY....I think they were chunks of a single scallop floating in butter and garlic. Not good at all.

The rest of the dishes were okay at most, but they needed more flavor. Blandness throughout, but overall I'd give the MDR a C-. Quantity per serving has definitely been cut back, but I prefer that; some, however, do not....this is the cruise line, again, trying to save money at the cost of the customer.

Table staff were outstanding, hard working and friendly. That Head Waiter we had, she needs work on manners while we were talking. Besides walking up and interrupting the table discussion, what does the HW actually DO? And, why do they even deserve to be part of the gratuity distribution? Royal needs to simply ditch that position.

Izumi's - Took me 25 mins to get the Sapporo I ordered once seated. Dinner arrived nearly an hour later. Sushi had a sauce all through it. Ketchup with mayo stirred in?? I forget the name of the roll, it was a "chef's specialty" one. Had the decorative hair all over it. Wasn't impressed. C- grade.

Windjammer - we literally ate there 2 times for breakfast, I can't say much, except it's a place loaded with very hangry people wanting to cut in line or literally bump into me while trying to find a seat with a bowl of cheerios and milk. The service staff (given the situation) were doing their absolute BEST in trying to serve drinks or wipe off the tables. There were far too many people in it.

Venues - The bars, casino, nicely laid out, good experiences in there playing trivia, getting a drink, etc. Typical RCL venues that may need updating.

Entertainment - Campy. Terrible. This comes from a musician in a rock band. ROYAL - Where are the Rock & Roll bands?? One of the bands called Blaze were very good; the Latin band (I forgot their name) they too, did a fine job, I enjoyed hearing them all over the ship, no matter where they played at. It must be the acoustics! A juggler though? Come on. We passed that up. Get us a decent comedy act instead. Games and contests were pretty cool. Had a great time at one of them. I think I might've been drinking too much, haha.

Cruise Director - Campy announcements, but she was all over the place doing her job. Very involved. 

Condition of the ship - Absolutely terrible. This comes from a 20 year Navy veteran. The appearance of our balcony showed multitudes of rust. The wooden rails were badly needing sanding and coating. All of the exterior windows on Adventure were.....filthy with salt. I should've taken pics of the decay. Adventure badly needs to be drydocked. They were painting over rust instead of treating it properly using needle guns and some good grinding and priming. This is the cost of a cruise line trying to save money and cut corners.

By the 7th day we were ready to get back home!

We have rebooked on Anthem for June 2023 on a Canaries cruise out of Southampton. We turn Diamond. Is it worthwhile that we use it to experience Diamond, or head off to another cruise line? These are the questions on our minds today.

Thank you for your review.  I appreciate your candor. How were the ports?  What  did you do at the ports?

[rudeney]

45 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to share this with you to help you maybe see why these two things are existing at the same time. The situation I am going to tell you is just a personal example I have, but I am sure it is probably happening everywhere. 

 

I have a friend who has been self employed for quite some time (Like myself) and she was looking for a part time job at a restaurant to help with an unexpected bill she had.  She saw a "Help wanted" ad on social media for someone to deliver food on weekends only for 18/hr and she thought "perfect".  She applied to the job and also submitted her resume (She has experience in restaurant work).  She immediately got a call back and an interview. When she went into the interview, the company was super pumped to hire her: except she would have to work front counter in the restaurant, but 30 hours a week and on weekdays AND weekends, rarely doing any "Food delivery", oh and also the starting wage was 10/hr, they couldn't do any better.  So when she presented the ad that clearly stated that the job was for a "food delivery person, for 15/hr" and the company said "Oh that is just for the ad to get people in the door"  My friend was like "Well, I was only interested in working weekends as food delivery for 18/hr so I am going to pass on the job". The company was shocked and was like "How can you turn down this job, you won't be able to collect unemployment if you turn down this job" and my friend was like "Um, I'm not on unemployment, I am self employed, so if you want to hire me for the terms you stated for in your ad, then we can work together." Guess what, the company wasn't even willing to give her what they advertised on the sign, even though they thought she would be great for the job and it's what THEY were advertising. 

 

Anyhow, long story short, most these companies with "Help wanted" signs are most likely gaslighting people, saying hiring for X and for certain days when that is not the case, hoping to get unemployed people who ARE on unemployment and have to apply to jobs and such. It's a complex situation out there that I am glad I don't have to participate in (Also self employed and my husband works from home)

 

I have not seen or heard of of that bait-and-switch around here with our restaurants - most are so desperate, they'll take any hours out of any warm body they can get.  But I have experienced employers posting a higher-level job than they are actually hiring for.  As an example, they may post looking for a "department manager" when they are really looking for a "project manager".  Even so, the labor supply is very tight.  A few months back, I was looking to hire a technical writer, remote "work from anywhere" and paying $80K+.  I had 5 qualified applicants, and within a few days, all but one dropped out after taking other jobs. 

 

As for cruise ship employees, my understanding is there is no shortage of labor, but it can take a very long time to process visas and other paperwork to get them legally cleared to hire.  It seems the same government experts that tried to destroy the industry with COVID failed at that, so now they are hoping to do it by holding their labor market hostage.  

[c-leg5]

18 hours ago, johnjen said:

That's the truth. I think they're having struggles, as evident in this pic. i still think they're being greedy by loading up the ship with customers, overwhelming their crew. In the end, this sums it up.

 

I should have included this pic in my review. This was the charcuterie board. 

 

I am interested to know if this was described as a “charcuterie board” on the menu or is that your personal interpretation? I don’t recall seeing a charcuterie board listed on our five sailings this year. I believe my husband had some cold meats as an appetizer one evening but I am sure he had cheese as well. Just wondering what the description on the menu actually was and did they serve what was listed?

 

I did have some good cheese and  prosciutto in the diamond lounge several evenings (blue cheese was scarce but may have gone before I arrived) I agree with pp you could have made a better plate than that in the WJ so not sure why they would serve a plate like that in MDR.