Will the higher prices per fare and unpopular changes in the MDR have you considering changing lines?

[BecciBoo]

Absolutely not..,.anyway, what makes anyone thing these are not across lines on other Cruise ships.

[The Fun Researcher]

28 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

 

Actually, after purchasing the three day package in Sept on Liberty after not sailing RCI for a while, I was very disappointed in the specialty dining. I did Chops, Giovanni's and Sabor and I felt like it was the same quality of the MDR. Nothing wrong to me with the quality of the MDR, but why pay when the quality is mostly similar. So I will not be purchasing the specialty package on my upcoming Royal Cruises, but I am going to do Playmakers once because I haven't tried it and it's ala carte. I might do the specialty dining package with Royal again if the price was right, but at 250-300.00 pp, not the right fit for me. Food is subjective though, many people couldn't believe I didn't like Royal's specialty dining. 

Love Playmakers.  It might be my favorite addition to Royal Caribbean ships in years, and I'm indluding entertainment, food, amenities.  I like to have a good snack later at night and get sooooo tired of pizza and finger sandwiches after the first few days.  Love the chicken wings particularly at Playmakers.  For me it's perfect for that midnight snack before bed.  At home I would never do that but on a cruise, chicken wings at midnight?  Bring it on.

Edited February 7, 2023 by The Fun Researcher

[aubreyc1988]

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Love Playmakers.  It might be my favorite addition to Royal Caribbean ships in years, and I'm indluding entertainment, food, amenities.  I like to have a good snack later at night and get sooooo tired of pizza and finger sandwiches after the first few days.  Love the chicken wings particularly at Playmakers.  For me it's perfect for that midnight snack before bed.  At home I would never do that but on a cruise, chicken wings at midnight?  Bring it on.

I wonder if it is similar to O'Sheehan's/The Local on NCL ships. I wish Playmakers was included but the prices don't seem super outrageous if the food is good enough. 

[madawa6]

On 2/5/2023 at 4:16 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

well, I beg to differ... You may be talking about non-school holiday sailings, but unfortunately, having a non-home schooled kid, we are limited as to when we can cruise.

I priced several cruises on RCI for this and next year and they are basically unattainable. So, yeah, I started looking at other lines and even booked MSC for less than half the price of a comparable RCI cruise. And that price includes drinks and wifi.

 

Will the entertainment be worse than RCI's? Yes. Am I bringing 6 people instead of 3 for this price? Also a yes.

I agree that the prices have definitely gone up significantly since Covid restrictions let up this year. Some of its to be expected with fuel prices and inflation but I have felt it has been over the top personally. It does make it difficult for some. I’d be curious to hear what you think of MSC. It’s definitely not RCI but maybe you will love it just as much. Making financial cuts is hard. We started cruising 40 years ago so things have really changed in that amount of time and it’s been hard to change our way of thinking for sure. Food is an area that has really changed for us and not for the better. We don’t like to have to pay for better food that once was included in our cruise fare. We set sail in 5 1/2 weeks and aren’t doing the cruise we wanted to on Royal Caribbean but are doing a more affordable one so hopefully it’s all good. I am all about the sun as we live where there is winter so as long as that shines I’m going to make the best of everything else. Enjoy your cruise.

[The Fun Researcher]

2 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I wonder if it is similar to O'Sheehan's/The Local on NCL ships. I wish Playmakers was included but the prices don't seem super outrageous if the food is good enough. 

I've done both and I would say that's probably what Royal was going for, something like O'Sheehans.  I would say the food is fairly comparable but I think O'Sheehans has more variety, is better staffed for full service, is free, and open more hours. 

 

I just wish they had Playmakers on ALL ships.

 

Considering most basic drinks on Royal are now $13 or so, and that you can get a nachos for $6, good burgers for $9, or 12 wings for $8, I'm o.k. with the cost relatively speaking.

[aubreyc1988]

1 minute ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I've done both and I would say that's probably what Royal was going for, something like O'Sheehans.  I would say the food is fairly comparable but I think O'Sheehans has more variety, is better staffed for full service, is free, and open more hours. 

 

I just wish they had Playmakers on ALL ships.

 

Considering most basic drinks on Royal are now $13 or so, and that you can get a nachos for $6, good burgers for $9, or 12 wings for $8, I'm o.k. with the cost relatively speaking.

 

Do you think the burgers in Playmakers are better than JR? 

[The Fun Researcher]

1 minute ago, aubreyc1988 said:

 

Do you think the burgers in Playmakers are better than JR? 

Personally, yes by a fair margin.  I'm not a big fan of JR burgers.  JR feels more fast food, whereas Playmakers feels more like something that is gastro-pub.

 

To be fair, I'm not a JR fan at all on Royal ships.  The whole concept feels dated and out of place.

[happy cruzer]

What ever happened to Spa choices, vegetaraian???  I get it, some are happy with the calorie ridden  choices but is RCCL really going to ignore the others??  It's pretty cheap to offer a green salad, gilled chicken, green veg with fruit/cheese plate or sorbet for  dessert...

 

We will see...

[Itchy&Scratchy]

33 minutes ago, madawa6 said:

I’d be curious to hear what you think of MSC. It’s definitely not RCI but maybe you will love it just as much.

me too. 🙂 I hope that we at least like it. We are pretty low maintenance, but if the onboarding takes several hours, or dinner takes over 2 hours, or the food is inedible or the smoke smell inside is overwhelming (looking at you, NCL, for the latter two) - then yeah, we may not like it.

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

The whole concept feels dated and out of place.

While I am a fan of JRs (we really like the milk shakes), I totally agree with the above.  It's time for a change.  

[Ret MP]

3 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Love Playmakers.  It might be my favorite addition to Royal Caribbean ships in years, and I'm indluding entertainment, food, amenities.  I like to have a good snack later at night and get sooooo tired of pizza and finger sandwiches after the first few days.  Love the chicken wings particularly at Playmakers.  For me it's perfect for that midnight snack before bed.  At home I would never do that but on a cruise, chicken wings at midnight?  Bring it on.

I just wish they could accommodate both, Playmakeers and Sabor.  I'm not a big sports fan but I'm a big Mexican Food fan.  I wouldn't wish away something that is enjoyed by so many people (sports TV in a bar) just to meet my desires.  But, it would have been nice to do both.  No, I don't think El Loco Fresh is a good replacement for Sabor.    

[davekathy]

17 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

While I am a fan of JRs (we really like the milk shakes), I totally agree with the above.  It's time for a change.  

Put in a grill (mast, pool) like Celebrity has that is at no additional charge. You can request to have the 'burger cooked your way or one that is ready to be plated. And not just 'burgers. Also plenty of toppings. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by davekathy

[time4u2go]

29 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Put in a grill (mast, pool) like Celebrity has that is at no additional charge. You can request to have the 'burger cooked your way or one that is ready to be plated. And not just 'burgers. Also plenty of toppings. 

Also Guy's on Carnival.  Really good burgers, and no additional charge.

[kitkat343]

We found the lines we sailed precovid were more similar than different.  Princess was our favorite, but we also really liked Cunard, HAL, NCL and Carnival.  We sailed RC last August and were quite happy with RC also.

 

But we had serious issues with our last cruise, on NCL.  After final payment, they changed the itinerary - dropping the Dominican Republic entirely, and cutting out the morning in Antigua for environmental reasons.  They arrived late in Puerto Rico, and since they were scheduled to get there at 4 and had a terrible disembarkation process we arrived at the nearby fort at 4:59 and were denied admission.  NCL has been changing a lot of itineraries after final payment, including dropping Costa Rica and Nicaragua from a Panama Canal cruise for safety reasons and replacing them with Acupolco and Jamaica (safety might be a reason to replace Nicaragua, but is a bit more difficult to justify when you are removing Costa Rica).  They cut an overnight stay in Panama to just one night so it isn't possible for the passengers to see the locks in action from the ground.   I'd rather RC raise prices upfront  then wait until after final payment to change the itineraries to save money.  We'd booked our caribbean cruise so our daughter could see the giant toirtoises in Antigua (the boats to the toirtoises only run in the morning so we couldn't go) and the monkeys in the DR, so I asked them if we could cancel our cruise and they refused to let me cancel because it was after final payment.  Pre covid, I'd just recommend people try different lines because I felt they were more similar than different, but if people care about itinerary I'd recommend being very cautious with NCL.

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by kitkat343

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Put in a grill (mast, pool) like Celebrity has that is at no additional charge. You can request to have the 'burger cooked your way or one that is ready to be plated. And not just 'burgers. Also plenty of toppings. 

But, not "toppings"/Condiment island, I hope.  I hate those things.   

[Morecruisesplz]

18 hours ago, baldilocks said:

Fron the menu postings that I have seen, there is always something that I like. The starters seem to be very good. As far as cost, book as early as you can. You can save hundreds over waiting until the cruise is six months out. 

Or last minute when prices are lowest.

[broadwaybaby123]

All I can say until they change the options to something other than fish..... SORRENTO'S HERE I COME!

[Morecruisesplz]

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

But, not "toppings"/Condiment island, I hope.  I hate those things.   

Don't correct people then complain when your mistakes are pointed out please. Waste of space and time. Unnecessary.

[Ret MP]

2 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Also Guy's on Carnival.  Really good burgers, and no additional charge.

As far as the fix'ins bar is concerned,

 

 

I don't have any real problems with the burgers themselves.  

[time4u2go]

4 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

As far as the fix'ins bar is concerned,

 

 

I don't have any real problems with the burgers themselves.  

Eh.  Doesn't bother me.

[Ret MP]

7 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Don't correct people then complain when your mistakes are pointed out please. Waste of space and time. Unnecessary.

I honestly don't get what you are saying and what the hell is your problem?  I didn't correct anybody, period.  I said that, I hope  they don't have a Toppings/Condiment island.  @davekathymade a suggestion of what to replace JRs with.  I only said that I hope, see above.  I did not take it as a correction to anything and I don't now how any reasonable person could take is as any other thing than an expression of my desire, as evidenced by the words, "I HOPE".  YOU NEED TO READ BEFORE YOU RESPOND TO A POST YOU ARE GOING TO BE CRITICAL ABOUT!  There was no corrections or complaints, just an expression of desire and a totally friendly response to someone other than you.  I also "liked" the post.    

 

Seems to me that the only "Waste of space and time. Unnecessary" is your comment/post.  I don't think @davekathyand I have ever disagreed with anything, at least not to the point of argument.  I respect him/her/them as reasonable people/person.  And, I believe he/her/they were just responding with a suggestion to my post, period.  If they thought that my post was offensive or unnecessary, I think they would have said so.

[Ret MP]

19 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Eh.  Doesn't bother me.

I know I'm a minority when it comes to that.  It's just my thing.  

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

But, not "toppings"/Condiment island, I hope.  I hate those things.   

The pool/mast grill is located outside (covered area) deck above the pool. Raw onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and other toppings are at the counter where you place your order. Cheese, sautéed onions and sautéed mushrooms the cooks add those to your selection from the grill (flat top). 

[Ret MP]

2 minutes ago, davekathy said:

The pool/mast grill is located outside (covered area) deck above the pool. Raw onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and other toppings are at the counter where you place your order. Cheese, sautéed onions and sautéed mushrooms the cooks add those to your selection from the grill (flat top). 

It all sounds great.  Especially the sauteed onions, love 'em.  

 

I just have a thing of topping/condiment islands.  If there is no direct overwatch (a dedicated attendant) of the island, I can't utilize it.  Sounds like what you described is good to go, though. 

[rjrpar]

On 2/5/2023 at 4:16 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

well, I beg to differ... You may be talking about non-school holiday sailings, but unfortunately, having a non-home schooled kid, we are limited as to when we can cruise.

I priced several cruises on RCI for this and next year and they are basically unattainable. So, yeah, I started looking at other lines and even booked MSC for less than half the price of a comparable RCI cruise. And that price includes drinks and wifi.

 

Will the entertainment be worse than RCI's? Yes. Am I bringing 6 people instead of 3 for this price? Also a yes.

I just booked the Anthem for next January, a balcony for two for 11 nights. Total cost is $2800.  I think values are out there, you just have to look and be patient.