Have I "outgrown" cruising? Or am I just done with Royal Caribbean?

[mek]

22 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

Hi MEK.  Haven’t seen you around for a while.

Honestly, not much for me to talk about as I haven't cruised since Feb, 2020 and the issues I continue to have with cruise protocols have been beaten to death.

Like it or not, it looks like I will have to go along with them as I'm cruising in October. I'm sure  I'll have plenty to say when I return - hopefully positive.

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by mek

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, mek said:

Honestly, not much for me to talk about as I haven't cruised since Feb, 2020 and the issues I continue to have with cruise protocols have been beaten to death.

Like it or not, it looks like I will have to go along with them as I'm cruising in October. I'm sure  I'll have plenty to say when I return - hopefully positive.

 

 

Hasn't stopped several people😉🤣🤣

[Airbear232]

I agree with a lot of your points.  Food in MDR is down in quality.  I attribute it more to the skill of the chefs than anything else.  Is it intentional to get people into specialty dining? Not sure, but decline in MDR coincides with push for new specialty options. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

On 7/29/2022 at 11:32 AM, vjmatty said:

 

Princess has been getting some poor reviews as well, in fact some worse involving sewage issues and propulsion problems, in addition to inadequate service to match the increase in travel at the start of the summer.  In October I have one Princess sailing and one RC sailing, so it will be an interesting comparison.

Yes, Princess has been having problems with the Caribbean Princess and the Crown Princess.  Which ship will you be sailing on?

[vjmatty]

2 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Yes, Princess has been having problems with the Caribbean Princess and the Crown Princess.  Which ship will you be sailing on?

The Regal....first time sailing in a Royal class ship since all our favorites have been sold. I'd been avoiding them because of the ledge sized balconies, but managed to get us a Club Class mini with a super extended balcony on this sailing.

 

Even though both of us have the highest Princess status, our next 5 cruises after Regal are on RC, Celebrity and MSC, partially because Princess keeps delaying their itineraries being posted. 

[Cruise a holic]

We were on the adventure in May.  The ship needs so much work.  Our worst Royal experience ever.  Old, rusty or Jr. Suite toilet failed a few times.  I am not done with Royal- or cruising- Just no old ships for me- only Oasis class.  Food horrible- service fair- entertainment fair.  We will stick to Celebrity also.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

7 hours ago, vjmatty said:

The Regal....first time sailing in a Royal class ship since all our favorites have been sold. I'd been avoiding them because of the ledge sized balconies, but managed to get us a Club Class mini with a super extended balcony on this sailing.

 

Even though both of us have the highest Princess status, our next 5 cruises after Regal are on RC, Celebrity and MSC, partially because Princess keeps delaying their itineraries being posted. 

I am also Elite with Princess.  
 

Yes, the balconies are super tiny on that class of ship but I love the Royal class.  I have heard those balconies referred to as “Spider-Man“ balconies. That Club Class mini will definitely make a difference.  We had one of those CC extended balconies on the Majestic last December.

 

We were on the Discovery Princess inaugural sailing and also the second sailing. I really do love the Royal class.

 

Now we are going to try the Navigator of the Seas.  Sometimes it’s just nice to try something different.  Enjoy your cruise! Let us know how it goes.  I hope we get to hear about all of your cruises.  😊

[johnjen]

On 7/29/2022 at 12:58 PM, CuseJeff44 said:

First the food. I have LONG defended the food on this cruise line from those who said it wasn't good. It was never 5 star dining, but I always felt well-fed and well taken-care of. Not this time. The quality and quantity of the food in the dining room has declined to the point that I have to agree with the criticism. A shrimp appetizer had 3 small shrimp. That's it. More fun times at Johnny Rockets when we asked "are these starters per person or to share"? He said to share. Then he brings our onion rings. Four small onion rings for four people. *****? And...my wife's burger never came at all. 

 

 

Completely agree with you on the food on AOS. Ironically, we're Diamond after that cruise now. Still have Anthem booked for next June out of Southampton but we are seriously thinking about cancelling that one and doing a Celebrity med voyage instead.

 

I have read other terrible reviews on AOS's food, so we are not the first.

Best wishes on whatever you cruise next time. 

[johnjen]

5 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We were on the adventure in May.  The ship needs so much work.  Our worst Royal experience ever.  Old, rusty or Jr. Suite toilet failed a few times.  I am not done with Royal- or cruising- Just no old ships for me- only Oasis class.  Food horrible- service fair- entertainment fair.  We will stick to Celebrity also.

Yes. The entertainment was HORRIFIC. A couple of the bands were really good though. But....JUGGLING? Come on. 

[vjmatty]

15 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I am also Elite with Princess.  
 

Yes, the balconies are super tiny on that class of ship but I love the Royal class.  I have heard those balconies referred to as “Spider-Man“ balconies. That Club Class mini will definitely make a difference.  We had one of those CC extended balconies on the Majestic last December.

 

We were on the Discovery Princess inaugural sailing and also the second sailing. I really do love the Royal class.

 

Now we are going to try the Navigator of the Seas.  Sometimes it’s just nice to try something different.  Enjoy your cruise! Let us know how it goes.  I hope we get to hear about all of your cruises.  😊

 

Lol after being on the Princess board so much I have grown afraid to use the E word.  I'm glad you like the Royal Class.... I've sailed Star, Golden, Grand, Pacific, Emerald and Island, most of which are either gone or dramatically altered so I am really hoping I like it too.  I don't have a lot of experience with RC, having only sailed Enchantment, Legend and Oasis so there isn't much advice I can give but I can say the only things on RC that annoy me are the lack of self laundry and the two-bottle wine limit.  And the dynamic pricing in the cruise planner.

Edited August 4, 2022 by vjmatty

[johnjen]

On 7/29/2022 at 2:38 PM, smokeybandit said:

I think some just enjoy being unhappy in life

You're a riot. You treated me in the same fashion on my AOS review. Noted. Now ignored.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

9 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Lol after being on the Princess board so much I have grown afraid to use the E word.  I'm glad you like the Royal Class.... I've sailed Star, Golden, Grand, Pacific, Emerald and Island, most of which are either gone or dramatically altered so I am really hoping I like it too.  I don't have a lot of experience with RC, having only sailed Enchantment, Legend and Oasis so there isn't much advice I can give but I can say the only things on RC that annoy me are the lack of self laundry and the two-bottle wine limit.  And the dynamic pricing in the cruise planner.

LOL on the “E” word!

I have also sailed on the Star, Golden, and the Grand but not the other three.

 

I will miss the mini bar. One thing that I really missed when we booked our Navigator cruises was having a Cruise Vacation Planner.  I asked for one on two different occasions and both times was told no. What’s up with that? I like having one person to call.  
 

We are really excited to give Royal a try.  Sometimes you just need to try something different.

Edited August 4, 2022 by MsSoCalCruiser

[vjmatty]

2 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

LOL on the “E” word!

I have also sailed on the Star, Golden, and the Grand but not the other three.

 

I will miss the mini bar. One thing that I really missed when we booked our Navigator cruises was having a Cruise Vacation Planner.  I asked for one on two different occasions and both times was told no. What’s up with that? I like having one person to call.  
 

We are really excited to give Royal a try.  Sometimes you just need to try something different.

 

Forgot about the minibar, probably because we're doing Princess Plus.  I didn't realize you can't book with a dedicated planner at Royal....that must be a Carnival (brands) thing.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

2 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

 

Forgot about the minibar, probably because we're doing Princess Plus.  I didn't realize you can't book with a dedicated planner at Royal....that must be a Carnival (brands) thing.

The mini bottles make great stocking stuffers. 😂😂😂

[Ocean Boy]

24 minutes ago, johnjen said:

Yes. The entertainment was HORRIFIC. A couple of the bands were really good though. But....JUGGLING? Come on. 

Entertainment has never been one of Adventure's strong suits.

[Nackruise]

I have (kind of) been where you are, except with another cruise line.

 

I earned Carnival Platinum status (rough equivalent to Royal Diamond) over a number of years, and the last couple Carnival cruises I took, while still fun, just kind of left me feeling a bit, empty.  The quality of the food (while still equivalent or better than the last MDR food I had on Royal, IMO) seemed to have fallen off a bit, the service (especially cabin service) wasn't quite what it used to be, and even at Platinum, the loyalty perks had been cut back, ostensibly "due to Covid".  In other words, I'll admit it, they just didn't do quite a good enough job at making me feel "special" - i.e. no chocolate strawberries delivered to the room unless you call and beg for them, the platinum pin is just a generic one now, not ship specific, and you have to go to the photo area and beg for it, the "special Platinum gift" was a cheap $1 keychain, that you also had to go beg for, no chocolates on the pillows for a couple years now, the special gathering scaled way back (lucky to get two free drinks, if you work hard at it), the priority embarkation is now a joke, etc. etc. etc.  Yeah, these are all little petty things, I know, but it's death by a thousand cuts to the Carnival loyalty program, the whole point of which, is to make loyal guests stay loyal and want to come back.  I'm sure Royal Diamonds have experienced the equivalent of many of these things as well, so I'm not just blaming Carnival - but I just didn't feel that "special" there anymore.  Soooo, since I'm not special anymore anyway, why not try something new?

 

The food on Carnival in the MDR was very decent, but just not as good as it had been in the past, the Vista Class (Vista and Horizon) seemed a bit bland to me even compared to the Conquest and Dream class ships, and friends who went on the very newest Carnival ships i.e Mardi Gras class, came home with stories about how small the cabins were now, and with lackluster reviews about the dining.

 

So I decided to try Royal, because why not, having heard great things about the Oasis class ships.  I tried Allure, and loved it, so now I've booked a 7-day on the Symphony.  I was blown away by the size and coolness of these ships.  Not having any meaningful status on Royal is a bit annoying after being Carnival Platinum forever (again, Platinum on Carnival is like Diamond on Royal), but the Diamond status will come with time.

 

I did give Royal an unfair advantage though.  The last time I was on Royal years ago, I was just kind of unimpressed with the MDR food, so I booked the UDP dining package.  This really elevated the food experience on Royal, by being able to eat in the Specialty restaurants every day, and that, combined with the really cool Oasis class ships, made it a really fun experience again.

 

I will probably still sail with Carnival from time to time, especially since they still send me offers for almost-free cruises, mostly on the smaller Conquest and Dream class ships (which I think I may like better anyway) through their Player's Club, but I plan to sail more with Royal, and maybe other lines too.

 

Variety is the spice of life, and I am enjoying the new things.

 

Point is, I would suggest you branch out, and try new things, and new cruise lines, but don't give up on cruising.  Also try the UDP on Royal.  It seriously elevates the dining (probably to what the MDR used to be 10 years ago, or even a little better).  I know it kind of sucks to have to pay extra for what used to be included, but those are the times, and nice things cost money.  Everything is more expensive now, than it was before, and cruising is no exception.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, johnjen said:

You're a riot. You treated me in the same fashion on my AOS review. Noted. Now ignored.

 

If you ignore folks, you miss all the fun here😉

[Ret MP]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:05 PM, Airbear232 said:

I agree with a lot of your points.  Food in MDR is down in quality.  I attribute it more to the skill of the chefs than anything else.  Is it intentional to get people into specialty dining? Not sure, but decline in MDR coincides with push for new specialty options. 

To start out with total transparency, I haven't eaten in a MDR since about 2018, except once.  And I stopped going to the MDR because of other reasons (plethora of parents allowing their kids to run freely around and the noise level, not just once but routinely on just about every ship I was on) rather than the quality/taste of the food.  

 

Having said that, when I felt that the food was in a very good place of quality and taste, the specialty restaurants (the up charge venues) were doing very well.  I believe they can control the patronage in the specialty restaurants using price, not the quality of food in the MDR.  As someone else said, I believe, if the quality and taste of food has gone down hill in the MDRs, it's because of crew members, the seasoned/experienced upper tier crew members, not returning after COVID and possibly some supply chain issues.   

[1980dory]

On 7/29/2022 at 12:27 PM, sunlover2 said:

So sorry that your cruise experience was not good. That really sucks. And I agree, they are no longer a deal.

 

It's also disappointing to read your review as we are scheduled to be on Adventure on Sept 1, east coast and Canada. Like you, we have not sailed since covid...2 of our cruises were canceled. We are hitting diamond this cruise so I am really hoping that Royal gets their *hit together for older ships as this is not the first time I have read bad reviews for Adventure. It would be so disappointing to hit Diamond status and change cruise lines. 

Try Celebrity.  You still get the benefits for Diamond and I think it's a step up.

[bigeagle12]

We have been on 6 cruises (3 different cruise lines) since the restart.  Most of these issues are consistent across lines. All are short staffed, costs for extras have increased, and Wi-Fi always sucks at sea.  As of April cruise lines were still having supply chain issues in getting food and supplies. Each of our cruises were out of multiple things from food to alcohol to common items in the shops. 
 

We have just gone with the flow and enjoyed our cruises.  The increased charges don’t bother me, as it keeps the cruise fares low. 

[mandyleighflies]

On 7/29/2022 at 12:58 PM, CuseJeff44 said:

This is going to be a little bit of a random download / trip report so feel free to skip past it if that isn't of interest to you 🙂 It's also a LOT of complaining, so again, feel free to skip if that's not your cup of tea.

 

After far too many years away from cruising, and a cancelled COVID trip, we finally got to sail on the Adventure of the Seas this past week on a 5 night Bermuda cruise. This was our 6th cruise, and all of them have been on Royal. The first 5 we loved and always felt it was money well spent. This time, everything changed. 

 

Topline takeaway : I always felt that even though the cruise came along with upcharges and added costs, I still got the impression that the Cruise line cared that I had a good time in the end. I always felt appreciated and respected as a passenger, and a vacationer, and even though it wasn't an all-inclusive, I always felt that their number one goal was my happiness. Yes. I know their goal is to make money, but they used to be so much better at still leaving me feeling that I got value. 

 

I didn't feel that way at ALL this time around. 

 

First the food. I have LONG defended the food on this cruise line from those who said it wasn't good. It was never 5 star dining, but I always felt well-fed and well taken-care of. Not this time. The quality and quantity of the food in the dining room has declined to the point that I have to agree with the criticism. A shrimp appetizer had 3 small shrimp. That's it. More fun times at Johnny Rockets when we asked "are these starters per person or to share"? He said to share. Then he brings our onion rings. Four small onion rings for four people. *****? And...my wife's burger never came at all. 

 

I also need someone to explain to me. COVID is airborne. How does congregating large groups of people outside the Windjammer so they can wash hands make sense? Seems to be an increase in risk. It would seem that the quick hand sanitizing shots that they did outside the main dining room would make much more sense. I'm also curious why I can't make my own ice cream...sorry, frozen yogurt...cone outside on the pool deck? How is COVID more transmissible in that one spot as opposed to every other surface in the Windjammer? Or on the soda machine touch screens? On the Promenade coffee machine handles? Arbitrary and didnt make sense. 

 

$7.95 upcharge for breakfast room service if it's an egg, but free if its toast. I don't get it. 

 

$200 for a family of four for a premium restaurant now. Oof. 

 

And there used to be SO many more places to get food. Forget about the long gone away midnight buffets, what about even the burgers and dogs poolside? Now, the ONLY place I could find ANY food during non meal hours was the Promenade, and there was always a huge line because of it. 

 

Overcrowding 3,800 people onto a boat despite COVID....fine I can deal with that...but why are you closing half the pools on an AT SEA day? Insanity. People were pouring OUT of the hot tubs. 

 

The WiFi? I paid $400 for 4 devices with "streaming". It was AWFUL. Worked maybe 25% of the time, and not at a speed where anything was streamable. 

 

I could go on (I know this is a total *****-fest and I am sorry)...But It just felt like every possible opportunity to make things harder for passengers, RCI did that thing. And I NEVER felt this way before about RCI. I don't know if cruising just isn't for me any more, or if its just RCI. 

 

Sigh. 

 

 

I think this is an Adventure of the Seas problem.

 

We cruise on Navi in February and Adventure in June and they couldn't have been more opposite of experiences. I think Adventure, for whatever reason has been understaffed and not cared for as well as the other ships. On our cruise on Adventure we were basically forced to eat the specialty dining locations or Windjammers as the lines for dinner were HOURS long. There were not many options for food between meals, we ended up hoarding food in our suite so we could have snacks. Entertainment options seemed scarce during the day. The ship was to capacity, we only noticed this during meal times honestly, but we also spent a lot of time in our room playing Uno and relaxing on our deck during the day. 

 

On our Navi cruise, there were hardly any lines for anything. We got into the dining room right away, lots of things going on all the time and staff was everywhere, no waiting on mocktails on that one. 

 

It's always good to try new things though!! Try another cruise line or an all inclusive resort/tour group vacation, changing things up may be the vacation refresh you need. 

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, bigeagle12 said:

 The increased charges don’t bother me, as it keeps the cruise fares low. 

Demand for the sailing is what determines cruise fare. Every revenue center is priced to what the cruise line believes will maximize profit.

[xpcdoojk]

1 hour ago, mandyleighflies said:

 

I think this is an Adventure of the Seas problem.

 

We cruise on Navi in February and Adventure in June and they couldn't have been more opposite of experiences. I think Adventure, for whatever reason has been understaffed and not cared for as well as the other ships. On our cruise on Adventure we were basically forced to eat the specialty dining locations or Windjammers as the lines for dinner were HOURS long. 

Hours long????  I can’t imagine that statement ever being true.  

[bigeagle12]

54 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Demand for the sailing is what determines cruise fare. Every revenue center is priced to what the cruise line believes will maximize profit.

Yes and if you saw the statement from Royal they were raising the prices of all the add ons so they could keep fares low.  I am not paying anymore for my cruises than I did 25 years ago, except for tips, specialty restaurants, etc.  

[Ocean Boy]

13 minutes ago, bigeagle12 said:

Yes and if you saw the statement from Royal they were raising the prices of all the add ons so they could keep fares low.  I am not paying anymore for my cruises than I did 25 years ago, except for tips, specialty restaurants, etc.  

What other reason would you expect RCI to give for raising prices?