Never seen so many unhappy people on RCCL Cruise - Anthem out of UK

[meadowlander]

You are forgetting that the op is a diamond member and is entitled to receive 4 drinks with a combined value of $56. Op endures the hardships of Anthem for those extra free 4 drinks. We all should be offering "cheers mate" for the pain and suffering he endures as he alerts us of the tragedies he incurs for 4 free drinks & 50% off a Johnny Rocket milkshake! 🤑

[Etta1213]

3 hours ago, alfaeric said:

What's interesting in this thread.... we have to remind ourselves that the OP knew exactly what the cruise was before booking this trip again.  

 

The ship wasn't going to change shape and deal with the layout issues.  Pretty much everyone knows that the shows never change.  The cut backs have been really well documented here. The actual cost of the beverage package was known going in.  The people who cruise are the people, etc.

 

All of that was experienced before going on this trip, yet the OP chose to go on it again.

 

So who is really to blame for them having a bad time?  As far as I can tell, the cruise vacation pretty much met their actual expectations based on previous experiences.

 

With every additional post by the OP, I'm reminded of that.  Sucks for them, but they knew that going in.

I think maybe a factor is that people "bring themselves" along on vacation; if there's any unhappiness in ones life, it travels along and colors all experiences. I sometimes wish I could shed some aspects of my own personality! Also, sadly, we can't ever have that "first cruise" high again. May the op, and all of us,  find joy and fulfillment on land and sea.💝

Edited June 21, 2023 by Etta1213

[meadowlander]

40 minutes ago, topnole said:

Ok.  I’ll chalk that up to exaggeration from the other poster. 

Perhaps because of following the lead of another poster in this thread?

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

Sounds like Royal Caribbean prices are a bargain! 🙂 

 

Exactly!  Which is why I can never relate to those that complain about the high price of drinks on a cruise.  For me, its' cheaper to drink on a cruise than at home. 😄

 

51 minutes ago, topnole said:

Ok.  I’ll chalk that up to exaggeration from the other poster.  Triple the price of Royal seemed a bit crazy.  Your experience seems more in line with what I would expect.  

 

Could be exaggeration or the other poster & I travel in different social circles.  I'm your basic Irish pub and Sports bar type of person. They may be going to high-end restaurants and/or exclusive clubs. It's been a few years since I've been to either.

[Tree_skier]

25 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Exactly!  Which is why I can never relate to those that complain about the high price of drinks on a cruise.  For me, its' cheaper to drink on a cruise than at home. 😄

 

 

You can get a pint cheap in some smaller less populated areas. However, as you have demonstrated, if you are in a major city ie NYC... or resort area ie. South Lake Tahoe or South Beach, Miami, you are going to spend some money.  Last year after skiing in Tahoe I was typically paying $10 plus tip per Strongbow Après-ski. Vodka and soda with a splash of pineapple would cost $15.  

 

Of course there are cheaper places to drink but I don't begrudge the resort, who have invested 100's of millions of dollars in developing the infrastructure I want to access from charging what the market will bear.

 

I couldn't have got in my car and driven 30 minutes to Carson City Nevada and paid half that.  I didn't for very obvious reasons.  Comparing what you pay on cruise ship to what you pay at your local village pub tells me you aren't serious about a fair examination and review of the cruise line or the experience you just had.

Edited June 21, 2023 by Tree_skier

[mjkacmom]

3 hours ago, topnole said:

Are drinks really $45 in NYC?  Beers $25? If so, my goodness.  

Depends but yes, higher end restaurants, bars and hotels. My son spent $45 on a double tequila at a Broadway show. 

[alfaeric]

53 minutes ago, Etta1213 said:

I think maybe a factor is that people "bring themselves" along on vacation; if there's any unhappiness in ones life, it travels along and colors all experiences. I sometimes wish I could shed some aspects of my own personality! Also, sadly, we can't ever have that "first cruise" high again. May the op, and all of us,  find joy and fulfillment on land and sea.💝

I feel for the people they are travelling with.  How can you deal with a person who knows before stepping on board that the experience is going to be bad?  These are really expensive things to do, after all.  If someone asked them to go, and they said "yes" knowing that they are going to be unhappy- what a terrible situation to be in as the host.

 

But I kind of doubt that was the OP.  They claim to have experience cruising, so they just go.  And it's that experience that they should have found a different option with- as every single thing they complained about was part of a previous cruise as well.  Kind of sad that people subject themselves to this kind of torture.

 

There are so many different types of vacations to take, why would you chose to have a bad time?

[George C]

I wish I had the drink package while in New York City Memorial Day weekend, drinks were not that bad , drinks in broadway theaters have been a ripoff for decades. At least I know where to go to get a good drink where bartenders don’t use a shot glass. My favorite Italian restaurant has a nice selection of wine for 33 a bottle.

[HBE4]

 

46 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

My son spent $45 on a double tequila at a Broadway show. 

 

I spent $40 for a bottle of beer and a vodka/Cran at a play last Sept. I forgot about Broadway shows but I consider that an anomaly as I'm not there to eat or drink. Often times, the small bars are so crowded, you barely have time to get a drink before the play begins or at intermission.  And many of the older theaters are so cramped, you have no place to put your drink.

 

At $20 a shot, I can see a double tequila going for $45. Insane.  Probably didn't even fill up the shot glass either.

 

16 minutes ago, George C said:

drinks in broadway theaters have been a ripoff for decades.

 

True. Which is why I usually limit my self to one or sometime zero when at a play.

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

You can get a pint cheap in some smaller less populated areas. However, as you have demonstrated, if you are in a major city ie NYC... or resort area ie. South Lake Tahoe or South Beach, Miami, you are going to spend some money.  Last year after skiing in Tahoe I was typically paying $10 plus tip per Strongbow Après-ski. Vodka and soda with a splash of pineapple would cost $15.  

 

Of course there are cheaper places to drink but I don't begrudge the resort, who have invested 100's of millions of dollars in developing the infrastructure I want to access from charging what the market will bear.

 

I couldn't have got in my car and driven 30 minutes to Carson City Nevada and paid half that.  I didn't for very obvious reasons.  Comparing what you pay on cruise ship to what you pay at your local village pub tells me you aren't serious about a fair examination and review of the cruise line or the experience you just had.

 

True.

 

I live about an hour outside NYC so prices are bit cheaper. Maybe more inline with what Royal charges. I like to think of it as an investment in the local economy and supporting the local businessman. They have families to feed as well.

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, HBE4 said:

 

 

I spent $40 for a bottle of beer and a vodka/Cran at a play last Sept. I forgot about Broadway shows but I consider that an anomaly as I'm not there to eat or drink. Often times, the small bars are so crowded, you barely have time to get a drink before the play begins or at intermission.  And many of the older theaters are so cramped, you have no place to put your drink.

 

At $20 a shot, I can see a double tequila going for $45. Insane.  Probably didn't even fill up the shot glass either.

 

 

True. Which is why I usually limit my self to one or sometime zero when at a play.

He forgot he couldn’t bring his flask in due to security (hid it outside and it was still there when it was over). My young adult kids go into the city frequently, have friends who live there, they pregame a lot. My niece just moved to Seattle after 15 years in Manhattan. When I go out to eat in my NJ town, my wine is always $12 - $14 in casual restaurants, I prefer byo’s, of which there are many with liquor licenses being so expensive and limited.

[George C]

2 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

He forgot he couldn’t bring his flask in due to security (hid it outside and it was still there when it was over). My young adult kids go into the city frequently, have friends who live there, they pregame a lot. My niece just moved to Seattle after 15 years in Manhattan. When I go out to eat in my NJ town, my wine is always $12 - $14 in casual restaurants, I prefer byo’s, of which there are many with liquor licenses being so expensive and limited.

I was thinking of that , where we go to the movies, we always go to places that serve drinks, I order a margarita but have a flask of tequila to enhance my drink 😁😁

[HBE4]

4 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

He forgot he couldn’t bring his flask in due to security (hid it outside and it was still there when it was over).

 

That last part is impressive. My nephew brought a flask with him when trying to get into Madison Square Garden. He also hid it outside, in a crevice behind some scaffolding. It was gone when he came out.  He thought he was sure that nobody saw him hide it. There were one or two large rats around so perhaps one of them scurried off with it.  😄

[topnole]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

Depends but yes, higher end restaurants, bars and hotels. My son spent $45 on a double tequila at a Broadway show. 

Well.  A Broadway show is like a sporting event in that it isn’t normal pricing for beers.  Even our local large theater charges about double the price for

drinks compared to the popular bars and restaurants right near by.  

[teddie]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

That last part is impressive. My nephew brought a flask with him when trying to get into Madison Square Garden. He also hid it outside, in a crevice behind some scaffolding. It was gone when he came out.  He thought he was sure that nobody saw him hide it. There were one or two large rats around so perhaps one of them scurried off with it.  😄

Perhaps the infamous NYC Pizza Rat nabbed it!

[Pandamonia]

12 hours ago, alfaeric said:

I feel for the people they are travelling with.  How can you deal with a person who knows before stepping on board that the experience is going to be bad?  These are really expensive things to do, after all.  If someone asked them to go, and they said "yes" knowing that they are going to be unhappy- what a terrible situation to be in as the host.

 

But I kind of doubt that was the OP.  They claim to have experience cruising, so they just go.  And it's that experience that they should have found a different option with- as every single thing they complained about was part of a previous cruise as well.  Kind of sad that people subject themselves to this kind of torture.

 

There are so many different types of vacations to take, why would you chose to have a bad time?

I knew I was going to be bad before I got on the ship?

 

anthem is 100% worse in every way than 8 years ago. There is NOTHING that is better. 
 

They put a price rise on EVERYTHING the week before we got on the ship. They cut the room change down to once without informing anyone about it. The increased the packages with one by 50%
 

The food is worse in every venue except maybe windjammer. There is a whole thread on the new cost cutting MDR. 
 

 

[Pandamonia]

15 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Spent this past Sunday (Father's Day) bouncing between 4 different bar/restaurant in lower Manhattan. Draft beer was anywhere from $9-$12 and specialty cocktails were usually $12-$18. Highest price I saw was $22 for a Black Ink Martini made with squid ink.

 

Beers at NY Ranger games are about $18. 24 oz Canned beer at NY Yankee games are about $16

 

 

What does the price of alcohol in a US city have to do with a cruise that sails out of the UK and visits ports in the EU? 
 

A beer in lanzerote is 2 euros for a large and tastes better than anything on the ship

 

they even buy the beer from Europe and then try and charge US prices to UK consumers. 
 

I’m sure royal will see the reduced revenue this year in the UK and EU market. I can tell you that people won’t be paying it because the cost of living is sky rocketing. 
 

mortgages just hit 6% here so that is the death of most families disposable income. 

[Mark_UK]

Agree with many of the sentiments expressed by the OP.  Did a Norway cruise on Anthem and left feeling quite disappointed, particularly Royal's drink price / package situation. 

 

Tried Virgin Voyages out of Barcelona a few weeks back and oh my god - reminded me of the glory days, so much fun, outstanding quality and a real passenger focus. I think I'll find it hard to go back despite being D+. 

[Pandamonia]

1 hour ago, Mark_UK said:

Agree with many of the sentiments expressed by the OP.  Did a Norway cruise on Anthem and left feeling quite disappointed, particularly Royal's drink price / package situation. 

 

Tried Virgin Voyages out of Barcelona a few weeks back and oh my god - reminded me of the glory days, so much fun, outstanding quality and a real passenger focus. I think I'll find it hard to go back despite being D+. 

 

A couple from the US we met said the same about Virgin. 

 

They too were very unimpressed by Royal. So its not just us that think this. 

 

In fact the only place people like Royal ive found is this forum. Everyone else has very little good to say, especially after their first cruise when they start to notice how inconsistent the ship experiences are. 

 

Thankfully competition is getting better. 

[A&L_Ont]

 

40 minutes ago, Pandamonia said:

In fact the only place people like Royal ive found is this forum. Everyone else has very little good to say, especially after their first cruise when they start to notice how inconsistent the ship experiences are. 

 

This is a RC Forum, so it should come as no surprise that you found folks that like Royal. 

 

[bucfan2]

45 minutes ago, Pandamonia said:

 

In fact the only place people like Royal ive found is this forum. Everyone else has very little good to say, especially after their first cruise when they start to notice how inconsistent the ship experiences are. 

Hmmm....can't imagine why people who like Royal would be on the Royal threads lol.  Of course, then there are those who are here that don't even seem to enjoy Royal - they must lead an interesting life.

[livylotte]

We’ve been cruising on RC for years and recently sailed (Caribbean at Christmas) with our 3 adult children. All 3 were appalled at the food and couldn’t believe how non existent the evening entertainment was. I guess over the years standards have been slowly slipping so we hadn’t particularly noticed it. 
No complaints re alcohol price on that cruise  though - RC had a special deal for the UK cruisers. I think it was £43 pp including grats.

We will keep cruising with RC but very much doubt DCs will again.

Never sailed on Anthem but not because of the reviews - sailing from Southampton on RC is overpriced and cold half the time.

[Pandamonia]

6 minutes ago, livylotte said:

We’ve been cruising on RC for years and recently sailed (Caribbean at Christmas) with our 3 adult children. All 3 were appalled at the food and couldn’t believe how non existent the evening entertainment was. I guess over the years standards have been slowly slipping so we hadn’t particularly noticed it. 
No complaints re alcohol price on that cruise  though - RC had a special deal for the UK cruisers. I think it was £43 pp including grats.

We will keep cruising with RC but very much doubt DCs will again.

Never sailed on Anthem but not because of the reviews - sailing from Southampton on RC is overpriced and cold half the time.

 

Sadly that drinks package price is long gone. This season was 68 GBP pre cruise and 80GBP per person per day on board with an amazing buy 1 get 5000000% off including a free new liver transplant (Still 80GBP per day though somehow) 

 

 

[Pandamonia]

25 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

Hmmm....can't imagine why people who like Royal would be on the Royal threads lol.  Of course, then there are those who are here that don't even seem to enjoy Royal - they must lead an interesting life.

 

This isnt a fan forum. This is Cruise CRITIC. 

 

Except some here dont like people being CRITICAL of Royal... their dear multibillion dollar corporate love child who nobody can talk badly of. 

 

To me that are just a service provider. One that is getting worse at providing its service. Ive already started buying cruises from competitors and so have many others. 

[A&L_Ont]

Just now, Pandamonia said:

 

This isnt a fan forum. This is Cruise CRITIC. 

 

Except some here dont like people being CRITICAL of Royal... their dear multibillion dollar corporate love child who nobody can talk badly of. 

 

To me that are just a service provider. One that is getting worse at providing its service. Ive already started buying cruises from competitors and so have many others. 

Actually this is a fan forum that is called Cruise Critic. It occasionally brings a first time poster, because of the name Cruise Critic, who have had issues to complain about and occasionally the seasoned cruiser.  However, that isn’t a daily event with a new poster every day. 
 

Head over to some of the other Forum Pages to which you have booked new sailings and you will discover that few people there are being CRITICS of their cruise line. They just like to talk about their line of choice, with negatives as well as positives.