Further Cheapening of the Brand as Half and Half Disappears from Cruises

[SailorMarg]

15 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

Ok I tend not to complain about the little things but 1% milk is absolutely unacceptable. Anything less than whole milk doesn’t even look right, the coffee gets this weird greyish-beige color. 
 

Luckily, last month on the Enchantment TA there was half-and-half in the MDR though I can’t say if it was every night because I usually ordered a Bailey’s coffee. WJ had separate containers of milk and cream so I just mixed them. 

Same.  I deal with most of the other little tiny cuts with some grace.  But don’t mess with my coffee!

[ShillyShally]

4 minutes ago, SailorMarg said:

Right?  Don’t mess with people’s coffee!!!

Exactly - that could get ugly!

[miked0035]

I was on Vision in mid May and Half and Half was available at the free coffee station in the Solarium and with Complimentary room service in the mornings....cant comment on MDR as never got coffee after dinner.

 

[SailorMarg]

50 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I asked for a cup of ice once and they were big ice cubes, not small ones.

 

I can't believe how RC is ruining the cruise experience.

Please don’t attempt to overstate my intention nor denigrate my concerns.  I clearly stated that this did not ruin my cruise.  But that it did make me question Royal’s choices. 

[torpeedo]

1 hour ago, TinkBellaMom said:

On the Grandeur twice in 3 months.  No coffee machine in the DL.😳

We we’re told the machine broke and unable to get parts.

Oh brother.  the usual BS excuse I've heard many times.

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

I asked for a cup of ice once and they were big ice cubes, not small ones.

 

I can't believe how RC is ruining the cruise experience.

Ha! Was thinking, we haven't one of those type threads in a while

[orville99]

As long as they don't eliminate amaretto, we are good. Haven't put anything except that in my coffee for the last 30 years. Well maybe Bailey's in a pinch.😇

[meadowlander]

Instead of gratuities to restaurant wait staff will Royal accept fake coffee creamer tubs & powered packets of half & half (is that a thing) as compensation?

[neverbeenhere]

3 hours ago, SailorMarg said:

😂.  I’ve already purchased my “Mini-Moos” on Amazon to take with me on the President’s Cruise.  Ain’t that something.  Pay for a Crown Loft Suite and bring your own half and half.  Stop by my cabin if you’re in need. First one is free.

I’m currently not a user, but you “pros” know how to get folks hooked with your “first one is free” strategy. 

[vjmatty]

3 hours ago, SailorMarg said:

Yup.  Exact same on Voyager in May.  This is what that watery milk makes your coffee look like….🥴

That’s it!!!! That’s the grey-beige of despair…

[shipgeeks]

3 hours ago, TinkBellaMom said:

On the Grandeur twice in 3 months.  No coffee machine in the DL.😳

We we’re told the machine broke and unable to get parts.

 

 

I've seen people - including guests of genuine Diamonds - maltreat the coffee machine quite harshly if they think it isn't brewing quickly enough.  Please, people, follow instructions and be gentle.  Some of us cherish our DL coffee.

[Cheesepleese]

Ah jeez, I love my half and half with my coffee and we are going on the Wonder in October, guess I'm going to have to get a big a** suitcase to sneak a jersey cow onboard!

[TinkBellaMom]

37 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

I've seen people - including guests of genuine Diamonds - maltreat the coffee machine quite harshly if they think it isn't brewing quickly enough.  Please, people, follow instructions and be gentle.  Some of us cherish our DL coffee.

If I were to see that, I would put a stop to it!  Don’t mess with the coffee machine.😊.  We rarely go to the DL in the evenings( unless we are on Radiance Class).  Mornings with coffee is my favorite time in DL.  Granduer disappointed in that dept.

[Husky1987]

[mac_tlc]

I have at times found it very difficult to get 1/2 & 1/2 on Royal. Asked at breakfast in CK post -restart and the waiter said they don’t have any. I said “you don’t have it anywhere on the ship?”, he went away for a while, came back and said he couldn’t find any. Not sure how far he wandered😏. 
 

Room service is usually deaf to the request.

Cafe Promenade has the highest degree of success. I have mentioned it on almost every survey since the restart. 
 

BTW, not an issue on Celebrity—— yet.

 

 

mac_tlc

[toxicfairy]

4 hours ago, vjmatty said:

Ok I tend not to complain about the little things but 1% milk is absolutely unacceptable. Anything less than whole milk doesn’t even look right, the coffee gets this weird greyish-beige color. 
 

Luckily, last month on the Enchantment TA there was half-and-half in the MDR though I can’t say if it was every night because I usually ordered a Bailey’s coffee. WJ had separate containers of milk and cream so I just mixed them. 

I don't even like anything less than whole milk when I have my morning chocolate milk. Other wise it's chocolate water.

[Tree_skier]

24 minutes ago, toxicfairy said:

I don't even like anything less than whole milk when I have my morning chocolate milk. Other wise it's chocolate water.

 

[twinmommy08]

I always put non-fat or 1% in my tea and coffee. I didn’t realize so many people actually use half and half or cream! 

[island lady]

I use Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2 at home.  And have no problem with the whole milk they use in the machines in the CL/SL.  

[vjmatty]

20 minutes ago, island lady said:

I use Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2 at home.  And have no problem with the whole milk they use in the machines in the CL/SL.  

At home I use flavored sugar-free creamer, but without it on the ship it’s Splenda and whole milk or thicker. Or just Bailey’s. 

[djvcr]

It is hit or miss. Oasis in March, MDR it was very hard to get half and half at breakfast and dinner time, but they would eventually track it down. Same with Johnny Rockets in the morning. In May on Harmony, no issues anywhere.

 

On Oasis there is half and half out in promenade café as well as Starbucks (and probably windjammer), but whatever reason they don't stock it in the MDR regularly. 

[BigB67]

No problem getting half and half anywhere there was coffee on Harmony 2 weeks ago.

[BirdTravels]

8 hours ago, SailorMarg said:

On our cruise before last it became very difficult to have half and half, much less cream, brought to our table in the Main Dining Room.  On our last cruise it was simply not possible.  We were aboard Voyager May 15.  I’d like to know if this is a policy across all ships or if it is ship specific.  As Royal lowers and lowers their product all these seemingly small things are beginning to add up to the point of my deciding that sailing with them is no longer a choice with value.  At some point the cheapening of the brand with all these “small” downgrades will place the brand among the low end cruise lines, if it hasn’t already. Did it ruin my cruise? Of course not.  Did it make me wonder about Royal’s commitment to a quality experience? Yes, it did. Only 1% milk was available for after dinner coffee in the Main Dining Room. What land based sit-down restaurant would even consider doing this. We would bring the fake coffee creamer tubs from Windjammer so we could at least pretend to have a cup of coffee to our liking after dinner.  If anyone is aboard, or has recently been aboard, can you please tell me if half and half was available in the main dining room.  If anyone is dining in Coastal Kitchen, can you tell me if half and half is available there.

Rather than flaming the cruise line, did ya bother to ask while in the ship?  
 

supply chain problems abound. The didn’t get hash browns, so we’re serving French fries for breakfast. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by BirdTravels

[DukeASUGirl]

I don't drink coffee. Dad drinks it black. Husband has recently switched to butter to make "bulletproof coffee" and he never had trouble just using the butter dishes in the MDR. My mom usually ordered tea most nights, but the couple of nights she ordered coffee and asked for cream, she had no issue getting cream.

 

In fact, on the nights when she ordered tea, and it was just the men ordering coffee, they had to tell the waiter to take away the cream since they wouldn't be using it.

 

We disembarked Navigator about a week and a half ago.

[SailorMarg]

16 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Rather than flaming the cruise line, did ya bother to ask while in the ship?  
 

supply chain problems abound. The didn’t get hash browns, so we’re serving French fries for breakfast. 

Not that I need to explain what I did, or did not do, but yes I “bothered to ask” while *in* the ship.  I received a different answer each time I asked, from the waiter, to the head waiter, to the maitre d, to the Suite Concierge. Coming here to get other’s current experiences seems a reasonable choice.  And half and half was readily available for purchased coffee, just not for included coffee.  So supply chain is not the issue. Hope your concerns as to my methods of inquiry have been assuaged.