Engineroom Snipe

Do not underestimate the creative process of Cruise Critic Participants. This is a celebration of the the most pressing items demanding our attention. Is is not great that we have left so many others posts in the dust of the pandemic years? 😉

While my previous post might seem as I am mocking the well intended effort to prevent water pollution from chemicals, your solution seems to be more sustainable (and practical). I do the same as I use rash shirts and limit my exposure in general while near the water (always bring a small personal beach umbrella with a super comfy head covering). I would think long and hard about any shore excursion that I am paying for to go through my personal items.

It would possibly be considered "HAZMAT" and cost them a fortune to dispose of! Then again, the cruise lines have been caught "midnight chumming" with waste time and time again. Second thought, I DO NOT want to know what they do with the confiscated sunscreen. 😢

How much money would it cost to try and implement this "policy"? Fellow cruisers, think about it: 1. We cannot implement and enforce any type of "chair hog" policy. 2. We cannot seem to implement and enforce a no-smoking policy or vaping policy in a uniform fashion. 3. Do not even think about the MDR dress policy! 4. Heck, we cannot even understand how the gratuity policy really works. 5. New policies on one appetizer and entree at a time. Royal has to really pick and choose their battles right now. Do you think there is even a remote chance that your suntan chemical substances really matter? 🤣

Baltimore, Enchantment of the Seas, April 2023, 2 bottles of water each, first day in cabin.

That is where Disney almost thirty years ago pandered to the grandparents in wheel chairs and gave them priority entrance to most experiences (to include all of the associated family members). Genius. Guess who wants their grandchildren to have a "magical" experience? Follow the Benjamins!

Almost everyone here appreciates competent IT workers, including you. I sometimes feel that Royal has their IT people do things wrong on purpose so RCI can scapegoat them whenever a policy or new sales gimmick goes south. 🤔

Being there is irrelevant, RCI will gladly try to bill you for the gratuities that you would have owed just to show appreciation for the crew that you would have known. Consider it a thank you to help keep your future crews ready the next time you might actually partake in the said cruise..

I can tell. Loyal to one brand, build up the brand bonus points, and work it for a lifetime. Bing, Bing, Bing,,,, I can hear the casino machines paying off big bonus points for lifetime rewards. 😁

Sounds like you could be a marriage counselor!!!!!!! 🤣

From the infamous movie, Stripes, the words of wisdom from Sgt Hulka, "Lighten up Francis." It is part fact, part fiction, part storytelling, and in most cases, very entertaining. Welcome to Cruise Critic Forums. 😁

Whoah, whoah, whoooooooooah, there fellow. You will soon be getting a "cease and desist" letter from RCI using those words in one of their customer blogs. 🤐

This horse started fast out-of-the-gate and still has plenty of furlongs left. It is already being whipped by the jockey. Just count the amount of entries in such a short time period. 😁

"Tuna flavored Casserole" to be exact. 🤢

I have never encountered the situation that you described but I can understand how scary it would be to have no control over the situation. Normally, my wife is smiling at me from the inside as she locks the door, closes the drapes, and starts her vacation. 😮😉

This is the difficult part to evaluate. My last cruise and the one before it (September 2022, before any announcement of reductions in cabin service or food choices) was "off" My wife and I were close to confirming another spring cruise next year and told our TA we needed to do the cruise in September of this year to make a decision. He accurately reminded me that the price would most likely only go up. The price had already gone up a considerable amount from this year's cruise. He is a good agent. Somehow I sensed a bit of fear during that conversation. I hesitated to quickly book the next cruise, as if they have been selling like hotcakes but suddenly have met some price resistance. I think the spring 2024 cruises have met a tipping point. Previously sold out balcony cruises for November of this year are becoming available. The prices are lower than the last posted prices according to my records. Some cruises are cancelling their reservations far ahead of time and taking a full refund. Just my observations.

From reading some of the nightmares of "leaving things in the cart" accidentally, only to have the processing cause cruises to be canceled, this could be a fiasco just to try and get into a show. I never had this type of incident occur in all of my cruise years.

I am not going to attack your opinion. The medical emergency resulted in a change of venue. If there was no medical emergency and the cruise line had to change venue, what would you think the compensation should be in all fairness? You are still getting all of the amenities except the highly rated island is being substituted for one you could care less about. What percentage of the cruise fare, regardless of the cruise contracts, would you feel adequate to compensate for this change? Try to think of how your cruise experience was reasonably damaged by this change of venue. I have yet to be compensated for any change of venue on any ship I have sailed. If change of venues get to be a common recurring thing on a higher percentage of cruises, cruisers will have to weigh the inconvenience against the cost and experience of cruising. I am not sure how many cruises you have been on but the experienced members of this blog know there is nothing to do about it but not cruise or pick another cruise. Regards,

I read the same report and others. RCI can make it if all of the stars align. I think they are being too optimistic to project the extreme amount of vacation dollars being spent on "revenge vacations" during this time period after the pandemic as a "new normal." Time will tell.

The standard cheerleader defense is high occupancy rates. "RCI has high occupancy rates so things must be good." I have two more reserved cruises this year and one next year in November. I am holding off on reserving any spring cruises next year until I see how the remaining cruises this year perform. Since RCI price points are rising, it becomes easier to look at other options. Like so many businesses, a drop in service takes time to manifest itself to the bottom line. If I find that my Auto shop is charging me "Class A Mechanic prices" but putting a rookie on my car that strips out my wheel lug studs, I will give them one or two more tries before moving on to another shop. I just do not keep going back if the prices go up and the quality of service goes down. The past history of a business does not always predict the future. By the time anyone finally notices it, the horse has gotten out of the barn and jumped the fence in the pasture.

"I have worked a lifetime to finally be free of servitude." (Season 1, Episode 7, Mandalorian, Quill)

I just responded to Biker19 about the same answer you gave to me within one minute of your post, we were posting at the same time about the same with idea the same observation: Standing room only to get out.

JInx!!!!

No, just going out of CATS! 😁

Yes, RCI's version of "CATS" is standing room only! 🤣