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

[BillOh]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

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.

Do I remember you rescheduled?  I was happy to be cruising again and we managed to have a very good time thanks to the roll call, new friends made on board, and a good crew.  I do take some blame for not looking over the itinerary closer prior to a few weeks before sailing.  Lesson learned, I will look closer on my next trip to most ports.  I had seen many enchantment cruises that stayed overnight or much longer while following reviews before mine!   I do have to wonder with an 8 day cruise hitting only 3 ports that they could have done better.

[aubreyc1988]

46 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

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.  

Yeah it's a very complex situation. My example was mainly aimed at big chain corporations (McDonalds, etc) who have "Now hiring for 15-20HR" and people who are like "Wow, why wouldn't these unemployed people do that" and it's just more complex than "No one wants to work anymore" sort of rhetoric.  And as always, I think small businesses get the short end of the stick with the hiring of people. 

 

And like you said, with cruise ship hiring, there are lots of legal hoops to go through, not to mention waiting periods for vaccination/quarantine/training so I think it will be at least 6 months at least until we see cruiselines get better in terms of that. 

 

I've only sailed on NCL the past year and they had been at a reduced capacity, so I won't lie, I am a little nervous about my upcoming cruise on Liberty OTS in Sept, but I will just pack my patience and understanding. If the food is bad, maybe I will lose some covid weight lol

Edited July 18, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

What took you so long🤔🤣🤣

I guess I should just put a tracking device on your posts . Like I said before I'm not monitoring all these threads 24/7 like some on here are.

[goldfish65]

Mostly we can only speculate what's truly going on with staffing on the ships....my thought is possibly cruises were already sold/lifted-shifted/etc with the company not really knowing how short staffed they would be. They can't really ask people who are already booked to reschedule their cruises because they don't have enough staff. 

[John&LaLa]

4 hours ago, Jimbo said:

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.

 

You'll get a pair when you turn Pinnacle 😏 

[John&LaLa]

48 minutes ago, goldfish65 said:

Mostly we can only speculate what's truly going on with staffing on the ships....my thought is possibly cruises were already sold/lifted-shifted/etc with the company not really knowing how short staffed they would be. They can't really ask people who are already booked to reschedule their cruises because they don't have enough staff. 

 

Can you imagine the outrage here if folks were notified they got bumped due to low staffing issues.

[Jimbo]

11 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

You'll get a pair when you turn Pinnacle 😏 

I'm sure,bet you got a pair for everyday of the week. 😀

[Jimbo]

3 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Can you imagine the outrage here if folks were notified they got bumped due to low staffing issues.

Pretty sure they could entice me off a ship if the price was right. I'm sure you even have a price where you would jump ship.

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, Jimbo said:

Pretty sure they could entice me off a ship if the price was right. I'm sure you even have a price where you would jump ship.

 

And why would they need to entice you. Just kick you off and refund fare. Likely lower the price, more likely to get the boot.

[John&LaLa]

13 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I'm sure,bet you got a pair for everyday of the week. 😀

 

Actually have a bunch.😁

 

Zenni.com has prescription glasses for around $30. So much better than most opticians. 😇

[Another_Critic]

43 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

And why would they need to entice you. Just kick you off and refund fare. Likely lower the price, more likely to get the boot.

Back in 1992, I booked a 7 nt Bermuda cruise for mid- September.  Got a call a couple weeks before sailing and asked if I'd be willing to go a different date?  Rebooked for 2 weeks later, got a full refund, only paid port charges for the new booking.

 

In 2017, I booked 2 OV on a 16 nt TA.  Got a call a couple weeks before sailing asking if I would be willing to switch the 2 OV cabins for 1 2BR GS.  Took them up on the offer.  And no, we didn't get an extra point for the suite.

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Another_Critic

[John&LaLa]

11 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

Back in 1992, I booked a 7 nt Bermuda cruise for mid- September.  Got a call a couple weeks before sailing and asked if I'd be willing to go a different date?  Rebooked for 2 weeks later, got a full refund, only paid port charges for the new booking.

 

In 2017, I booked 2 OV on a 16 nt TA.  Got a call a couple weeks before sailing asking if I would be willing to switch the 2 OV cabins for 1 2BR GS.  Took them up on the offer.  And no, we didn't get an extra point for the suite.

 

 

Sure, but now they can just blame covid. Or Russia😉

[meadowlander]

5 hours ago, BND said:

The Bermuda stop is the normal one day stop, but surprised they added it into the mix of Caribbean stops. 

No surprise at all. Bayonne cruises have included Bermuda in Caribbean itineraries for years.

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

And why would they need to entice you. Just kick you off and refund fare. Likely lower the price, more likely to get the boot.

Reason I said entice...was because you said prior people on here would come on here and complain about getting kicked off the ship.

 

The way to defuse that kind of issue would be to entice people to leave that sailing with offers to leave that full ship.

Edited July 18, 2022 by Jimbo

[Montanagirlalways]

I pray by june of 2023 many of these issues are resolved.

[Sunshine3601]

4 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

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. 

I think Bahamas tax per guest is $18 to $25.     I know they have to pay the harbor pilot but I am not sure if they have to pay a docking fee for CocoCay.   

 

Bermuda typically has expensive docking fees and is why the port fees/taxes are always higher on bermuda cruises.    

 

3 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

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.

I have the menu on my app for Adventure and I have no idea what that plate was suppose to be as No they do not serve a Charcuterie board in MDR.     

 

We have had an appetizer at Giovanni's Table called "Giovanni's Italian Cheese and Cured Meat Plank" and never had it look anything like this plate.     

[Sunshine3601]

3 hours ago, BillOh said:

Do I remember you rescheduled?  I was happy to be cruising again and we managed to have a very good time thanks to the roll call, new friends made on board, and a good crew.  I do take some blame for not looking over the itinerary closer prior to a few weeks before sailing.  Lesson learned, I will look closer on my next trip to most ports.  I had seen many enchantment cruises that stayed overnight or much longer while following reviews before mine!   I do have to wonder with an 8 day cruise hitting only 3 ports that they could have done better.

I am now scheduled for a Bermuda cruise in September.    I do enjoy the cruises that do overnights in Bermuda as we absolutely love the island.   

[Mum2Mercury]

5 hours 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)

Wow, that's a bad story.  I had no idea and don't really "get" how companies can get away with that -- I mean, aren't there any laws about honesty in hiring?  I just retired after 30 years with the same company, so maybe I'm naive on this topic.  

4 hours ago, rudeney said:

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.  

I believe that.  

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Actually have a bunch.😁

 

Zenni.com has prescription glasses for around $30. So much better than most opticians. 😇

Yes, they have excellent prices.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Reason I said entice...was because you said prior people on here would come on here and complain about getting kicked off the ship.

 

The way to defuse that kind of issue would be to entice people to leave that sailing with offers to leave that full ship.

 

Ok, but that's different. No need for cruise line to do anything. Its in their contract.

 

But even if they did, many would still complain that their vacation is ruined

 

And Royal really can't afford to refund fare and give even more FCC's

[Sunshine3601]

5 hours 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)

Unfortunately this is happening a lot these days.    One of our Sons was looking for a part time job to work evenings and weekends as he roommate was getting married and moving out.   He ran into several situations where what they advertised was Not at all the job or pay they advertised.    He eventually found a part time through a friend.

I recently heard from another friend and her college aged Daughter had a similar problem for a summer job.

[John&LaLa]

48 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I have the menu on my app for Adventure and I have no idea what that plate was suppose to be as No they do not serve a Charcuterie board in MDR.     

 

We have had an appetizer at Giovanni's Table called "Giovanni's Italian Cheese and Cured Meat Plank" and never had it look anything like this plate.     

 

I was thinking the same thing, but if I called someone out, the self appointed experts would be all over me.😉

 

Thanks for the explanation 👍 

 

The lovely LaLa reminded me of a day 1 appetizer. Antipasti

 

This is from upcoming Voyager. Guess I need to order it now😉

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by John&LaLa

[Sunshine3601]

6 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I was thinking the same thing, but if I called someone out, the self appointed experts would be all over me.😉

 

Thanks for the explanation 👍 

 

The lovely LaLa reminded me of a day 1 appetizer. Antipasti

 

This is from upcoming Voyager. Guess I need to order it now😉

 

There you go, now you know how delicious the plate will look🙃

[Another_Critic]

7 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

I was thinking the same thing, but if I called someone out, the self appointed experts would be all over me.😉

 

Thanks for the explanation 👍 

 

The lovely LaLa reminded me of a day 1 appetizer. Antipasti

 

This is from upcoming Voyager. Guess I need to order it now😉

Leave some for the TA.  We don't want to have to eat cut up scallops.  😜

[John&LaLa]

5 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

There you go, now you know how delicious the plate will look🙃

 

Tablemate had it on Harmony in November and it was massive.