Engineroom Snipe

A very plausible explanation. The show is extremely complex (and loud). There was one cruise on the Oasis in September 2022 that had the show shutdown. All kinds of rumors about sickness or performer problems. I was on that cruise and saw many actions concerning the Aqua Theater each and everyday as I walked about on deck 5. The end result was hydraulic fluid from the jumping platforms in the waters contaminating the visibility in the water. The safety divers who make sure all of the divers are safe could not see. They stopped all performances. Drained the area as they repaired the hydraulics and filtering mechanisms in the pool. I missed it in 2022 but saw it in 2023. Worth waiting for.

You noticed that too. A couple of guesses: The day bed materials or kits did not arrive in time so they are postponing them. Royal is saving labor by not having to have dry clean bedding on a day bed which requires it to be removed daily (I have noticed in the past that the mattresses are stored near the Solarium Bar), stored, reinstalled daily, and cleaned occasionally. As I said, just a guess. 🤔

I use orange electrical tape on all the handles too. I might have one of your bags. I knew it was not mine when it had all of the money it. 😇

My emphasis on above line. I do longer cruises on older ships also and I notice very few children but did one summer cruise when school was out and I try to avoid them now. This one caught my eye because it was a summer cruise when more children would be available without regard to how long the cruise was. April 10, 2025, out of Baltimore on the Vision, they are already advertising "Kids Sail Free" for instance and that is an eight day I have booked a specific interior at a very good price at the time. "Royal" keeps trying to bump the price up every two or three weeks but the price eventually goes back to the original lower price. Royal only in the past two weeks started advertising it as Kids Sail Free for that particular cruise. They are trying different bait on the hook because the fish do not seem to be biting the current pricing. We discussed on other threads how some long time customers were considering other lines for a test cruise. They still will cruise "Royal" but maybe not as much. The other factor is still being decided, how many revenge cruisers that paid premium prices on their first family cruise are coming back for more? Demand is high but as we are discussing, not as high as last year if we are getting price adjustments on existing cruises.

I find it interesting that this subject even came up after last year's record breaking prices that saw absolutely no price drops before final payment. In every case, they seemed to soar upwards. I sense a weakness in prices going into the midsummer prices as opposed to last year's extraordinary prices in July and August. I have shadow-boxed interior room availability on August and September cruises for multiple ports and found them unchanged. An example, Baltimore, 9 days, August 8, 2024, 100 interior rooms have been available for the entire month of January, no change. Think about it, a fully booked ship with only one pool for everyone and one pool in the Solarium. At the last minute, "Kids Sail Free" in order to fill the ship to capacity. Where do all of the under age of 18 go? I have children. I love children. Do I want to fight say, 800 to 1,000 children in one pool or two whirlpools? I will pass on this one like it seems so many others have already done. A summer cruise which has so many free rooms at a very low price is a harbinger of change for "Royal". Very interesting.

Adding to @Biker19's point: I sailed on Oasis in September of 2022 and 2023. I have mentioned that my wife and I walk at least five miles per day on a cruise. In this case, it was on deck 5. Normally from 7:55am to 10am. EVERY day we saw crew washing the decks, vacuuming the gunnels of water (so they would not rust), touch-up painting (to the point of having to shutdown part of the walking track so they did not drip paint on passengers) and maintaining the lifeboats. This was not a one-off. I saw crew working on that deck everyday. We greeted the crew with a smile and "Hello" and were always responded in kind. We passed many of them our whole walk (15 revolutions). Side note, I did see dishes and cups go unnoticed by this crew for almost two hours. I joked with my wife that the officers left items for clean-up to see how long they would go without action (failure, we constantly noticed the same dishes and cups in different locations on different days with crew just walking by them). If the ship showed some wear, I felt the crew was constantly trying to address it. I can appreciate trying to keep a ship this large from showing signs of rust in a corrosive saltwater environment as it is nearly impossible to address every little rust streak instantaneously. The OP does have a point about how badly some of the wear looks on that particular ship at that particular time. I rarely pay a high price point for older ships so I am willing to accept some of this wear compared to paying peak top dollar cruise prices (I would not be a happy camper). I adapt my expectations according to the price point I pay.

Enchantment, April, 2023: Overall, ship seemed to be reasonably maintained (nothing out-of-the-ordinary of minor repairs or upkeep). Staff service was very good. Solarium and pool deck seemed in good shape compared to your pictures. Cabin bathroom was worn but everything was safe and functional. Windjammer was clean but food was mostly stews at lunch and dinner in Windjammer. Very little stand alone meat, fish, or poultry. We tried MDR a few nights and were not impressed. I got the cruise for a great price-point so maybe I was more forgiving. I would cruise her again for the right price. Jewel, November 2023: Overall, in good repair. Showing some wear but nothing close to the OP pictures. Very good service, Windjammer food much better than recent Enchantment in April. MDR was the best I have had since reopening. I would cruise her again for the right price.

A very honest review about how our expectations color our food experiences. We have set our expectations much lower than what we experienced in the past so we are not disappointed. Food is food. We do not go to bed hungry. I just really enjoy a good food experience which seems harder to find on a consistent basis with 'Royal' compared to years past. Thank you for your opinion.

🤯

I resemble that remark. Brutally honest as it hits the mark. We are not going to the theatre for 1977 prices. Next time, do not sugarcoat it. 🤣

My sentiments exactly. When I get a cruise for the right price point, much can be forgiven in meal quality compared to spending top dollar as you stated.

This is a great thing and obviously you felt it was reasonable which is what I would hope to be "good customer relations." Were you waving your golf club in the air during the lightning? (Reference to Caddyshack movie as the priest missed the last hole on his perfect game on the golf course.)

Yes! If I was paying $3,499 for a Coco Cay bungalow, it might be worth it to pay $349 in insurance against a day with 3 to 4 foot waves and 25 mile-per-hour winds that make it unusable. Sad to say, no such insurance exist on shore excursions. As long as the ship can tie to the dock, nothing gets refunded. Something to consider.......

Sorry to hear that. I had carving stations in WJ every morning last November and I truly appreciated them. For many years, they were gone and like you said, replaced with hash brown patties on a cast iron plate. They had applesauce with ham (white pork, not traditional style Honey-ham) in the morning which I found quite delicious and interesting for breakfast.

"It ain't heavy, it's my lifetime drinking package." Ten years later, as the liver fails on the ambulance ride: "Sir, you have to let go of the 'Royal' drinking chalice." "I would rather die than leave this fabulous chalice behind." (Shades of Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail crossing the forbidden area). So let it be written, so let it be done. (Ten Commandments, 1956). To some cruisers, a drinking package is everything.

EXCELLENT ADVICE! I have noticed that many of them face the sun after 12pm on a hot day with people trying to shade their eyes or covering up under towels. Under those circumstances, it did not seem much more attractive than the chairs around them.

I have stated how my experiences were subpar in general since "Royal" reopened after the pandemic hiatus. The food was adequate. I have slowly seen improvement over two years. I am willing to state when the food is not good so I have to admit when the food seems to get better. Food is SO subjective. Here is hoping my very good experience last November on the Jewel was not an exception. I would eat those MDR meals again in a heartbeat. 😉

We are looking for high prices. You are a frugal rascal who got it for the right price. I would be very tempted to reserve it for that price. No, I would break weak from my previous past of not paying additional monies for that price. There, I said it, everyone has their price. 🙂 VERY good purchase.

Whoa, Whoa, let's stop the wagon train. I thought we were on who could get the highest price here. Is that all you got? 😧

While I tend to agree with you on this analysis, there is going to be someone who will vehemently disagree with you since I agree with you. Such is life....... 😏

Do not worry, @FionaMG , with Royal's dynamic pricing, you were doomed for failure as the highest price will occur in the next 15 minutes after seeing these posts. 🤣

This is getting darn right ugly! Ouch! Please, I hope no one can raise the price higher than you just quoted.

Yes, as long as cruisers think this experience is worth the costs, there is nothing to say but "in xxxx, I paid $xxxx and now it is $xxxxx." Royal does not care and the only choice I have is to pay or not to pay when I chose to book one of their cruises. I stopped using "RCI" or "RCCL" because people were upset. Is saying "Royal" acceptable? 🤣

So many variables to consider when "checking" baggage against having it with you at all times. I tend to want to have it with me at all times but somehow, the same bags have become heavier with time. Then again, I must weigh the effort of keeping the bags with me against the time lost during my cruise trying to find them. I understand your reasoning.

Lots of good advice packed into one thread.