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5 years since my last RCI cruise and wow how the standard has dropped!!!!!


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February 2014 was our first cruise that there was no ice sculpture and no fruit carvings. Our prior cruise was February 2013 so the change was somewhere in that period. I was very disappointed and thought it was specific to that ship. That first view of the fruit carvings in the Windjammer was my WOW moment when boarding. I was told by one of the chefs that the elimination of the carvings was due to staff cutbacks and there aren't enough hands in the kitchen now - he also said that it is not a food issue because almost all of the fruit was able to be used or consumed in some way.

 

 

Im glad some one else loved the fruit carvings too :) I can remember watching a staff member carving roses out of beetroots and radishes for passengers , he was so quick and highly skilled , they even had the staff carving the ice sculptures for guests to watch .

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Im glad some one else loved the fruit carvings too :) I can remember watching a staff member carving roses out of beetroots and radishes for passengers , he was so quick and highly skilled , they even had the staff carving the ice sculptures for guests to watch .

I loved the carving demonstrations! Since they were always packed, I think we weren't the only ones. [emoji4]

 

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Food and service have taken major hits in the last 20 years but we are getting what we pay for. If you want the luxury of the past, cruise the premium lines.

 

 

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we have only starting cruising since 2010 (3 a year), so I am not familiar or used to luxury of the past. Actually I don't think service has declined in the last 7 years. Luckily. your sage advice on the reality of today's cruising, will keep us "critics" in line.

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Well excuse my ignorance!!

 

Sorry, I thought the response to you was a bit harsh especially since you are relatively new to Cruise Critic. I think I started cruising just when it started going the way of quantity over quality, so I was fortunate that I was able to experience a couple of cruises where there were still midnight buffets, chocolates on pillows, etc, etc, so many other things! But I still enjoy RCI and I still love to cruise!

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As a "Loyal to Royal" passenger.... I will say that I have noticed some decline in the "atmosphere" of the cruise. I agree with the member who said "you make what you will of your dining" - and I agree, I get dressed up really nicely for formal nights, and look forward to "date" night with my husband. I don't care what others around me dress like. However! I will say that you do get what you pay for.... we are constantly bargain hunting for the best deal, and that means that we've gone "cheap" and not necessarily "less expensive" - there is a difference. I really hope that RCI can stay "less expensive" and do what they can to police and get rid of the "cheap" travelers.... but I don't hold my breath. Maybe by the rest of us holding a higher standard, we'll recognize each other, and just enjoy our vacations and not bash too much.

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And dont get me started on the tender ticket fiasco !!! 2 weeks before sailing we were informed we were no longer docking but needed to tender, no worries i thought ive done this before, not with RCI I hadnt.

the night before the tender port on the cruise compass It stated that if you were not on a RCI excursion you needed to get a ticket for tender from the shall we dance lounge between 8am-9.30 the next day and to expect it to be busy and they recommended we dont get off until after 1pm (we arrive 9am) , so annoying that we had to get tickets in the morning but this I did, I arrived at said lounge at 8.20 am for a ticket, Estimated time to get off 11am !!!! when I asked why so late I was told people had been queuing since 7am !!!! (im on bloody holiday) ,

Anyway what incensed me the most that was when our ticket number was called to go to the tender NO ONE EVEN ASKED TO SEE THE BLOODY TICKET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so waste of time going to get one .

 

Wait... is this the same on all RCL ships? If you don't have a RCL excursion you have to get a timed ticket to get off the ship at port? My family will be on the Allure for the first time. Is this standard?

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Took my first cruise over 35 years ago. So yeah....lots of changes. Some of it reflecting how things have changed in general. Somethings reflect the wants of today's cruisers overall.

 

Entertainment........on the Oasis Class, which I've mostly sailed recently, the entertainment is hands down better than it was in the '80s. No question.

 

Things to do.....again, compared to the rock walls, water attractions, surf, etc....there's a lot more to do than just the bingo, casino diversions from the '80s.

 

Food.....I've never had any issues with MDRs of today. The buffets leave something to be desired and are not quite as elaborate as the buffests of the past. But, the speicality restaurants are excellent, and there was no such thing as specialty restaurants on the first cruise I took (SS Norway).

 

Dress code....as most point out, today's dress code is much more casual than it was in the '80s, too. I used to wear a suit every day to work in the '80s. Today, it's khakis and a polo shirt. So, again dress code is reflecting the changing times. I know some here have been kicking and sreaming about people not dressing up (or down) the way they want them to. But, none of us are there to succomb to the fancies of others. That, and the fact that getting luggage to a more reasonable size and amount due to extra charges on airlines, every little bit you can do away with (like tuxs, suits, ties, gowns, heels, dress shirts, dress skirts, etc) helps. To those who want to dress up, no one is stopping them. Dress as you want. Why it matters what others wear has always befuddled me.

 

Price.....while there's a lot more to do on today's cruise ships, I don't think the price has risen all that much. IIRC, I think my SS Norway cruise cost $1,700. That's '80s dollars. I'm going on the Harmony in a couple of weeks in a Superior Ocean Balcony for about $2,500. To me, that's probably similar to what I paid 35 years ago.

 

Standards have dropped? I dunno...maybe? But, there is a whole lot more to do today than there was even 5 years ago on a cruise ship.

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For the last 5 years ive enjoyed a certain standard of cruising from other cruise lines, I guess I expected the same standard from RCI and when I realised how much it had changed in the 5 years since I had last sailed with them , yes I was disappointed . For me having a meal in a nice restaurant where there is a dress code but its not enforced does effect my over all experience especially formal night , If people want to wear shorts and flip flops they should choose the buffet.

Many a folk are obviously still happy with RCI but for me I think they no longer fit my criteria for a holiday.

 

I would like to know which other cruiselines you are speaking about.

 

In our experience, there has been a decline across all the mainstream cruiselines; even Princess and Celebrity have the same issues.

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Fwiw, when we priced FOTS (Western Caribbean) for this fall it was not that much more expensive than SOTS (Southern Caribbean) was over a decade ago, while most everything else had gone up in price a great deal. That's got to make a difference.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

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Yes the value RCI delivers is going down fast - try to hang on to your money and get them back wherever you can!:rolleyes:

Value is in the eye of the beholder. Despite the changes over the years, we still find good value in RC but again, that's us.

 

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Wait... is this the same on all RCL ships? If you don't have a RCL excursion you have to get a timed ticket to get off the ship at port? My family will be on the Allure for the first time. Is this standard?

Relax.

 

The Allure does NOT tender. She never goes to ports that require tenders. She's just too big for that.

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I've been cruising since 1995. I am a senior (75) and enjoy cruising.I'm not completely loyal to Royal, but it's still my go to line.I've done Royal, Carnival, NCL, MSC, and are booked on Princess, Celebrity, MSC again, and Royal again.For me, Royal is much better than Carnival or NCL, on a par with MSC, and we'll see about Princess and X.

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Being a relatively new cruiser, I wonder if maybe the cruise prices have dropped along with the standards. Are they switching from quality to quantity??

I know many years ago when my parents cruised (1980's) it seems that mostly only rich retired people cruised.

You have a point. Fares in relation to average wage are less than they were at that time. I have cruised for a number of years and have not been upset by some of the changes (eg fake chocolate on pillow). Midnight buffets were a waste of food and man hours to prepare. Who needs another meal or excess of chocolate at midnight? In the past year have been on cruises with carved vegetables and fruits, good bread rolls etc etc that people say are missing . Have never seen flip flops and shorts in the MDR in the evening. Sometimes memories are looked at with "rose colored glasses".

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This is one of those dead horse topics that come up so often it's like groundhog day. It's like people forget we just talked about this a day or week ago and then they have the exact same argument/discussion again. Cruise prices have actually gone down since the 80's, which when you consider inflation in the last 30 years means people are paying far less to cruise today than they used to. Quantity is way up, quality is way down, that's just how it is across the major cruise lines. If people don't like it they can vote with their wallet and do something else for vacation. At the end of the day that is all Royal or any of the other lines are going to respond to. When profits start falling they will make changes.

 

Or these people can pony up the cash for a suite and those perks... or better yet, sail on a luxury oriented line. There is options for a higher quality experience but most have no interest in paying for it.

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Took my first cruise over 35 years ago. So yeah....lots of changes. Some of it reflecting how things have changed in general. Somethings reflect the wants of today's cruisers overall.

 

 

 

Entertainment........on the Oasis Class, which I've mostly sailed recently, the entertainment is hands down better than it was in the '80s. No question.

 

 

 

Things to do.....again, compared to the rock walls, water attractions, surf, etc....there's a lot more to do than just the bingo, casino diversions from the '80s.

 

 

 

Food.....I've never had any issues with MDRs of today. The buffets leave something to be desired and are not quite as elaborate as the buffests of the past. But, the speicality restaurants are excellent, and there was no such thing as specialty restaurants on the first cruise I took (SS Norway).

 

 

 

Dress code....as most point out, today's dress code is much more casual than it was in the '80s, too. I used to wear a suit every day to work in the '80s. Today, it's khakis and a polo shirt. So, again dress code is reflecting the changing times. I know some here have been kicking and sreaming about people not dressing up (or down) the way they want them to. But, none of us are there to succomb to the fancies of others. That, and the fact that getting luggage to a more reasonable size and amount due to extra charges on airlines, every little bit you can do away with (like tuxs, suits, ties, gowns, heels, dress shirts, dress skirts, etc) helps. To those who want to dress up, no one is stopping them. Dress as you want. Why it matters what others wear has always befuddled me.

 

 

 

Price.....while there's a lot more to do on today's cruise ships, I don't think the price has risen all that much. IIRC, I think my SS Norway cruise cost $1,700. That's '80s dollars. I'm going on the Harmony in a couple of weeks in a Superior Ocean Balcony for about $2,500. To me, that's probably similar to what I paid 35 years ago.

 

 

 

Standards have dropped? I dunno...maybe? But, there is a whole lot more to do today than there was even 5 years ago on a cruise ship.

 

 

 

Your math is a little off, $1700 in the early 1980s is worth close to $5000 in 2017 dollars. Also, I think that standards have definitely dropped, not maybe. That is not to say that the value of cruising for most of us has not increased over time. Cruising today , imo, is a great value

 

 

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Well excuse my ignorance!!

 

 

Sorry, I thought the response to you was a bit harsh especially since you are relatively new to Cruise Critic. I think I started cruising just when it started going the way of quantity over quality, so I was fortunate that I was able to experience a couple of cruises where there were still midnight buffets, chocolates on pillows, etc, etc, so many other things! But I still enjoy RCI and I still love to cruise!

 

My response wasn't meant to be harsh, sorry if anyone was offended. I was simply stating the facts. This is a topic that comes up often. The same arguments are made / discussion is had every time, and often by the same people. If people want the same level of service they were getting in the 80's they need to go on a luxury cruise line offering that experience. If they don't want to pay that much and aren't satisfied with cruising otherwise, vote with your wallet and do something else. The problem is most people who complain want the 80's experience with today's prices, which is never going to happen.

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Reminds me of the people who complain so much about airline travel and how great it was in the 80's. Do they not realize that the cost of a first class domestic ticket today is similar to an economy ticket in the 80's? You want the better experience? Pay for it.

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I would like to know which other cruiselines you are speaking about.

 

In our experience, there has been a decline across all the mainstream cruiselines; even Princess and Celebrity have the same issues.

 

in the past 5 years ive cruised with Thomson, NCL and MSC and all of these cruises cost less than the price we paid for this recent RCI , even on the NCL which was more casual , formal night was still something many people dressed up for and those who didnt go the whole hog formal at least made an effort to wear trousers not shorts in the main dining . As I said in my original post its been 5 years since ive been with RCI and I was amazed by the change as my cruising experience up to now has had that touch of luxury feel enough for me without the luxury prices .

The reason for my post was to find out if the standards of the cruise we were on are the new standard of RCI ? or was it just the cruise/ ship we were on

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Your math is a little off, $1700 in the early 1980s is worth close to $5000 in 2017 dollars. Forums

 

I saved the following links for threads exactly like this one:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2474835

I do $100 in 1986 is now worth $220.89

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2447364&page=47

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in the past 5 years ive cruised with Thomson, NCL and MSC and all of these cruises cost less than the price we paid for this recent RCI , even on the NCL which was more casual , formal night was still something many people dressed up for and those who didnt go the whole hog formal at least made an effort to wear trousers not shorts in the main dining . As I said in my original post its been 5 years since ive been with RCI and I was amazed by the change as my cruising experience up to now has had that touch of luxury feel enough for me without the luxury prices .

The reason for my post was to find out if the standards of the cruise we were on are the new standard of RCI ? or was it just the cruise/ ship we were on

 

The amount of people who dress up for formal night apparently varies wildly from cruise to cruise. I have done a 10 and 11 night cruise on the Serenade in Dec. 2015 and Dec. 2016 respectively, and both times I was one of the very few who did not dress up for formal night. The demographic for those cruises skewed much older, I assume because it was during a time that kids were in school, they were longer cruises, and they were on an older ship. I think the 2015 cruise we had something like 7 children on board. The 2016 cruise there were definitely a few more families, but it was still a much older demographic. And yet, I see posts on here all the time complaining that no one dresses up anymore so YMMV. Entertainment is subjective and most singing/dancing shows don't appeal to me, so I won't comment on that, and I haven't had to tender yet so I can't speak to that.

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in the past 5 years ive cruised with Thomson, NCL and MSC and all of these cruises cost less than the price we paid for this recent RCI , even on the NCL which was more casual , formal night was still something many people dressed up for and those who didnt go the whole hog formal at least made an effort to wear trousers not shorts in the main dining . As I said in my original post its been 5 years since ive been with RCI and I was amazed by the change as my cruising experience up to now has had that touch of luxury feel enough for me without the luxury prices .

The reason for my post was to find out if the standards of the cruise we were on are the new standard of RCI ? or was it just the cruise/ ship we were on

 

 

See my post #22. I think it's a combination of many things. I am not sure where you cruised. Caribbean cruises and shorter cruises tend to be more casual.

 

I tend to cruise 10-12 day cruises, in the Caribbean, but still find plenty of people who adhere to the suggested dress code.

 

Entertainment is not as good on the Rhapsody. You need to cruise a Voyageur class or larger.

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See my post #22. I think it's a combination of many things. I am not sure where you cruised. Caribbean cruises and shorter cruises tend to be more casual.

 

I tend to cruise 10-12 day cruises, in the Caribbean, but still find plenty of people who adhere to the suggested dress code.

 

Entertainment is not as good on the Rhapsody. You need to cruise a Voyageur class or larger.

 

We cruised in the Mediterranean , when I cruised on RCI 5 years ago both cruises then were also the Med and my first was on the Grandeur so im use to the smaller ship

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Grandeur was our first RCI cruise back in 2011, it had a WOW factor for us. Ice sculptures, fruit carvings, great entertainment. So good we booked Explorer for the following year. She gave an even greater WOW.

 

We've been on several more RCI ships since from the smallest to the largest and yes, the little extras have disappeared. It is possible the elimination of the fruit carvings is due to staff cutbacks and certainly not a 'wastage' issue. Staff cutbacks seem to be more evident with each cruise.

 

We did miss the midnight buffets when they stopped. The last midnight buffet I can remember was on Splendour February 2016. It was dramatically scaled down from previous buffets, but to be fair, as someone mentioned earlier, they can be a bit of a waste as not much food was being consumed.

 

We have been on several Caribbean cruises and one short cruise, which are indeed more casual, but I do not recall seeing anyone in shorts and flip flops in the MDR.

 

We are on Rhapsody in October. I certainly hope the 'shorts and flip flops' you mention in the MDR was during lunch and not dinner? And swimwear worn in the Schooner Bar? Really?

For us there are no issues at all with smart casual, I'm all for it, even when the evening is suggested formal, but shorts and flip flops for evening dinner in the MDR is pushing it a bit. If I wanted to be that casual I'd have booked easyCruise.

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Reminds me of the people who complain so much about airline travel and how great it was in the 80's. Do they not realize that the cost of a first class domestic ticket today is similar to an economy ticket in the 80's? You want the better experience? Pay for it.

 

This is (in my opinion) a lot of " Corporatist BS" served to us by, you guessed it, corporate America: Royal Caribbean has grossly overbuilt its fleet. Thus leaving, to an economic reality that they must "heavily discount" nightly rates, to fill there ships.

 

Also realize that the smaller ships of the 1980/90's were much smaller with a much higher cost factor per passenger. It should be noted that the increased debt taken out, to finance these new ships, is immense.

 

These large ships were supposed to bring about great economic savings, due to their large scale. The problem with RCCL and the industry as a whole, is that (much like LAS Vegas Mega Casinos) it is hard to sell 2500+ staterooms and still get a strong price for them.

 

By reducing the quality and differences between lines, the cruise lines are becoming like the US airlines, when only price matters. But air travel is mandatory for many, while cruise travel is not. When you factor all the new airline type "add-ons, the cruising becomes less competitive (lesser quality as well) than land based vacations.

 

Drink pricing at RCCL is no similar to where I live, the Fountainblue, but not near the quality! Pricing of the on-board liqueur, is now often what I pay in Miami Beach! Who would purchase this now? I don't understand the "greed factor here", as these companies get HUGE discounts through their massive purchases. All Royal and others are doing, is reducing their on-board, through their own greed.

 

The casino is another example, as are other departments, such as shore excursions, and the spa. Only newbies buy these services, do to the horrible pricing. The staff is grossly underpaid on the ships, yet these services are MUCH higher priced, than on land. Not to forget that scam of all scams, the mandatory 18% gratuity: pay your own staff!!! What gives, don't you think??

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