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

[kidz_rn]

On 8/23/2022 at 1:43 PM, PolicromaSol said:

Even light can only go so fast, and your internet connection is sitting way out in outer space.

 Haha! 186,000 miles/second! Way out in outer space! Thanks for a good laugh to start my day 😂

[PolicromaSol]

Just now, kidz_rn said:

 Haha! 186,000 miles/second! Way out in outer space! Thanks for a good laugh to start my day 😂

You laugh, but it's tough having a 2 way conversation when it takes a second or two to respond to each other. Yeah, you'll get through it, but it's confusing for the brain to be met with a few seconds of silence every time you say something. There tends to be a lot of "did you hear me" and "did you get that" on these calls.

 

Now add some echo to the mix and your brain will feel like it's melting.

 

I've taken many calls from roamers over the years. Cruise ship = lag. It's just part of the "fun" I guess.

[CruisingWalter]

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....

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 don't really have much to complain about with RCI as we have had very good experiences with them in the past and will be sailing Symphony in December for the first. time. But what I can offer is that we have sailed 8 different cruise lines now over 18 cruises. We have yet to have a bad cruise, but certainly some experiences have been better than others, even across the same cruise line.

 

I know there are folks who stay loyal to one cruise line, but we've very much enjoyed the variety of experiences, particularly in terms of food and entertainment. The one constant across all the cruise lines is the warmth of the crew, but the quality of the food and the overall value of the cruise itself varies widely.  But again, we've never had a bad cruise.

 

If you want to elevate your food experience and try a different cruise line, I would highly recommend Virgin Voyages, Celebrity Cruises and NCL. But with the caveat that NCL's main dining room is meh, but it's the specialty restaurants where they shine, particularly Ocean Blue and Food Republic. Of course Disney has an amazing food game too, but their premium pricing is the reason we've only taken one Disney cruise. NCL also has the lovely waterfront area on the Breakaway class ships and the images I'm seeing from the first sailing on the PRIMA look absolutely stunning. 

 

If you're interested in trying another cruise line and you really enjoy good food, here's two episodes we recently published on the Scarlet Lady. The food game totally lived up to the hype and with every single meal included, it was like eating out at a restaurant every single night. Also, all soft drinks and really good WiFi is included too. My wife was able to stream TikTok all day long with the basic WiFi, I upgrade to the higher speed for $10/day and was able to do two, one-hour livestreams from the ship no problem. 

 

This is the overall review of the ship, presented from the perspective of what the ship experience is really like, not all the 'weird and click bait stuff' from other vlogs. The overall vibe is more like Celebrity than what we expected.  https://youtu.be/-R0imB73ajg

 

This is a full food review where we ate pretty much everything. 🙂 https://youtu.be/pBolzKvXjMU

 

I really do hope you will try another cruise, either with RCI or another cruise line. Since you have six cruises with RCI, you might want to try Celebrity as they do share cruise points. Celebrity is an elevated experience over RCI. We have only sailed four Solstice Class ships so far and I'm eyeing the Beyond when she comes over for the winter season. But you'll find those ships to be more of an 'adult resort' vs. a family playground. 

 

Variety is the spice of life and there are something like 350 cruise ships sailing right now. I encourage you to try more options and not let one bad cruise experience turn you away from another amazing vacation. 

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by WheresWalter

[Joebucks]

Not that most of the complaints are completely unfounded. However, this is the society we all agreed to in the name of "safety". Every time we want to chase what sounds morally right at the moment, understand that there are consequences. We will never learn this though.

 

It is easy to say cruises should stay grounded when they can't be fully staffed. Even easier when you aren't the one responsible for billions of dollars in losses. 

 

To complain about the charges onboard is odd. I can find expensive charges on any vacation. They rarely sneak up on you if you are that concerned about them. Vacationing with a family isn't cheap in the majority of major spots.

 

If you don't like the experience, that is understandable. However, I'm a firm believer most people come with a bad attitude or let a few things ruin everything. I've seen it for years, in every capacity. We've allowed a society of Karens to thrive. Those who would NEVER work in the roles that they constantly complain about aren't given perfect service. 

[cynt]

I suggest exploring other cruise lines and land vacations. Mix it up a little. That's what we do.

 

During the beginning of covid we started doing a lot of land based vacations. We always do a few long weekends, 3 or 4 nighters here and there to check off our visit 50 states list. However not 7 or 8 day land vacays until recently. Boy were we in for a rude awakening. The lodging alone was more than a 1 week cruise for two. And that didn't include turn down service, daily cleaning, towel animals or friendly cabin stewards that knew our nanes. Add in food and entertainment and we're at double what a cruise cost. It's all good. We adjusted the budget and enjoyed them tremendously. But as soon as cruising opened we started booking them. We've never cruised 5 times in 12 months but boy do we APPRECIATE cruising now. We will always take land vacations but cruising is and will always be our favorite way to vacation. 

Edited August 28, 2022 by cynt

[SargassoPirate]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

Not that most of the complaints are completely unfounded. However, this is the society we all agreed to in the name of "safety". Every time we want to chase what sounds morally right at the moment, understand that there are consequences. We will never learn this though.

 

It is easy to say cruises should stay grounded when they can't be fully staffed. Even easier when you aren't the one responsible for billions of dollars in losses. 

 

To complain about the charges onboard is odd. I can find expensive charges on any vacation. They rarely sneak up on you if you are that concerned about them. Vacationing with a family isn't cheap in the majority of major spots.

 

If you don't like the experience, that is understandable. However, I'm a firm believer most people come with a bad attitude or let a few things ruin everything. I've seen it for years, in every capacity. We've allowed a society of Karens to thrive. Those who would NEVER work in the roles that they constantly complain about aren't given perfect service. 

Put yourself on the other side of the guest relations desk and ask yourself who you would go out of the way to assist - a rude and demanding passenger or one who approaches with a smile and greeting, explains the situation, and asks what you can do for them?

 

Anyone who is rude to people who provide you with a service is showing what low class boors they are.  They deserve all of the bad karma that the universes send them.

 

[Mytime2014]

On 7/29/2022 at 1:32 PM, Corby114 said:

She explained that her knees were shot and she was considering retirement. She said many fellow employees were being strong armed to extend their contracts.

FWIW, employees everywhere are overworked, pushed to the limit and if you're a nurse - your back AND knees are shot and the best view you will see is someone's arse and/or bedpan!
I just try to be appreciative of the people who DO show up to work and do their best. [remind me of this before my 1st cruise since 2020 on Dec 12. My 1st on RCC] I disembarked in Feb one week before the shut down...

 

[Ride-The-Waves]

Thank you for your excellent observations and straight forward discussion.  

 

Spouse and I are booked on Odyssey October 2023 at the urging of friends and we are concerned.  While D+ on RCI we have not sailed with them in many years do to exactly what you have so well mentioned:  poor food, poor service, too many people stuffed into too small spaces, too noisy MDR, etc..  Since COVID we have sailed with Princess, Celebrity and looking forward to this Fall sailing with Oceania.  Princess, an eastbound TA was horrible and we were in a full suite.  Same issues as with your cruise and add in poor staff (officers) who appeared to be totally unconcerned.  Recently back from a wonderful cruise (central Med) on Celebrity Reflection which embodied all of the positives of cruising.  Looking forward to our first experience on Oceania despite their convoluted pricing/tours.  

 

Our first "modern" cruise some 20 years ago was on an RCI ship.  Good time, good cruise, good food and great staff.  Prior to that I crossed the North Atlantic about a dozen times on the venerable ocean liners, to include the old Queens, SS United States and America, Constitution, and several Holland America ships.  Add in 30 years in the US Navy...

 

The latest Princess experience (we have sailed with them many times before this - but never again) turned us off cruising.  We went ahead with the booked cruise on Reflection which brought us back.  Reading many of the posts here on CC it is clear that there is a "new normal" post COVID which embodies higher pricing, more nickel and dimeing, less and poorer service, and a care-less attitude by officers on selected cruise lines.  I seriously doubt that any of this will be corrected by the time we are scheduled to sail on Odyssey in October and will embark with this on mind, expecting the worst.

 

Maybe, like OP, it is time to reconsider.  We have sailed/visited all 7 continents, safaried across Africa, travel China, lived in eastern Europe during its Communist period, and speak several languages.  Spouse says she wants to visit Ulan Baatar - not sure about that...

[LobsterStalker]

7 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

 I seriously doubt that any of this will be corrected by the time we are scheduled to sail on Odyssey in October and will embark with this on mind, expecting the worst.

And that my friend is why you are destined to have a poor trip !

If you go in with that attitude the scale is already skewed too far to be subjective and actually see some good. 

GL to the friends who "Urged" you.

Glass half full at its best

 

[Ride-The-Waves]

Stalker:  The issue on this thread is "Have I "outgrown" cruising? Or am I just done with Royal Caribbean?"

 

Some cruise lines are implementing a "new normal" which includes, but not limited to: higher prices, reduced selection, fewer crew, longer lines, reduced responsiveness, and increased passenger DIY.  The reason, of course, is the monetary losses experienced during the COVID-19 stand down.  Some cruise lines are trying to recoup those monies by cutting back on quality and services while increasing prices and using "marketing" to obfuscate the lowering of quality instead of improving passenger experiences hoping that slide will not be that noticeable.  The OP has a very valid point worthy of intelligent discussion.

 

AsI mentioned in my post above, I have sailed with many different cruise lines and spent many years at sea.  I also know, learned at an early age, to treat others with dignity and respect.