Engineroom Snipe

I do not think RCI's CEO is worrying about Engineroom Snipe going bankrupt! RCI cruisers who are shareholders might be concerned, RCI Cruisers who have high Crown and Anchor status might be concerned, but if they go out of business, there will be other choices ready to take my money. Capitalism and other cruise lines will create opportunities for it is all about the Benjamins. 🤣

i just did a quick review on the Enchantment of the Seas this week. If you were new to cruising, willing to spend $2250 ( 2 persons, taxes and port fees only) for an interior cabin for 7 days (the price that was available 120 days before the cruise), you would not notice any food differences and room service. To your point, will that new cruiser repeat the cruise at that price point? I think yes because they have no point of comparison to think they should be getting higher service or better food. I believe for the money I paid (less than half), I got a very good deal and would do it again. I will not do it again if my base price is now anywhere near ($2000). I did not even see my room steward the first, second, or third day of the cruise which was a first since 1988. The food was adequate but nothing special. Lunch charcuterie was unrecognizable compared to even last September on the Oasis (and that was disappointing before the cut-backs). Almost all meats disappeared in the Windjammer unless they were chopped into cubes and placed in sauce. Again, adequate" but not something I want to pay double for. Before I get lectured about "how there are cheaper fares out there", my wife and I still work and we do not like locking ourselves into a date 20 months before cruising. Supply and demand, I get it. Unless something changes, my three cruises this year are being reduced to one next. My opinion, my money, and my choice. As stated by so many on this board, why keep cruising if it is so bad? For me, it is coming down to price point and how much I enjoy the experience. RCI is "raising their price points to be more competitive with other vacation experiences (per their CEO)". The downside for them will be when people start trying something new because there is nothing that sets their cruise experience above "other vacation experiences." My opinion and thoughts........

During those early MTD years, I believe they made us pay our "gratuities" ahead of time if we wanted my time dining. Do you remember that?

"Imagine all the people living life in peace..." (John Lennon) Great ideas but you know how difficult it is to get anything RCI IT to work. With my luck, I would go to confirm my choice on the app "that I am waiting at the MDR", ready to be seated, and the app acknowledges that I canceled my reservation." 😠

The ships are operating now at very high occupancy rates. You MUST be prepared for lines and crowds on an Oasis Class ship. I was on the Oasis in September of last year and found this review very interesting. My cruise was before cut-backs in food selection and cabin service. We had a good time but we were prepared for the crowds and went with the flow. In September, high crowds and longer lines the first two days as new cruisers (especially with families) tried as many activities as possible. Lines for slides and water activities were much shorter on the last three days of a seven day cruise. Solarium was full by 9am on most days. Windjammer was packed most of the time to the point that we looked for a table first. One of us would sit down to ensure no-one took the table while the other person obtained their food and switched-off. MDR My Time was rarely available before 7:15pm even if you booked the previous night before you left. MDR food was hit or miss.

The Captain announced that the loud unusual sound was not involved with any ship emergency or problem. It was an aircraft that passed at high speed and there was no threat to the ship or passengers. I believe the Captain was completely unaware that this was going to happen and was trying to assuage the passengers that all was safe. The message occurred about four minutes after the "second" fly-by with no other incidents.

Unlike this video, the jet was so close, it would have not fit into the frame.

I estimated the speed at 390 knots because the plane was on a minimum of a 75 degree left roll as it flew by. I could not see the pylon load (fuel tanks, electronic pods, weapons because I could not see the undercarriage of the fuselage. I had exactly that, about two seconds to see a jet so close I could make out the details of the canopy. It was completely out of sight and sound by the time I could get out of the chair and to the gunwale (five to six seconds). I did not expect to see it again on another fly-by. I do not even think anyone even knew what happened on the first fly-by. Its second approach was on the opposite side, if anything, people went to the side of the ship where it originally appeared. Not everyone has their phone ready to go in standby mode on video. Even then, it takes one second to hit the button and depending on the resolution and speed of the video, it would just be a blur. You could have told me that this plane was coming and I am not sure if I would have gotten a clear, focused, and framed video of a two to three second fly-by at about 350 foot distance. Almost sounds like you are calling me out on making this up. Everyone onboard the ship heard the Captain's announcement.

I recently posted a quick review of my Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore reflecting the small but noticeable changes you just quoted. They did have bags of Chips (limit two) at the Park Cafe at Lunch time. Overall service was very good but breakfast was the only meal that seemed to almost be normal to pre-covid, The other meal selections have been "slimmed" significantly. I accepted the cuts because I thought the fare was reasonable. The same cruise is more than double the price I paid one year from now. I did not book a Next Cruise like I normally do. I do not expect to see prices go down but sometimes a block of rooms become available at a lower price for a few days which I take advantage.

Just off of Enchantment of the Seas. MTD was offered up to two days before sailing. The last two days before sailing, the reservation system is not available online. Times were available from 6:45pm before sailing. Onboard, same day, seemed to be between 7:45pm and 9pm. If you reserved one day early, about 7:15pm and on available. We did not use standby MTD. We were seated almost immediately when using reserved times. Last September on Oasis, even with reservations, MTD was delayed by 15 to 30 minutes. We stopped using it on that trip and just went to Windjammer.

You are correct. Most of my time was spent on small boats out of Little Creek with occasional special assignments to mine hunters and inshore underwater warfare. I have served with carrier personnel and they stated our fuel smelled like aircraft fuel (which had a specific gravity just a bit heavier than JP8).

As experienced cruisers, we would give the cruise a 9 out of 10 based on once a day cabin service, somewhat reduced Windjammer offerings, and the reduced availability of MDR options. I believe we had a great cruise for the price we paid. We did not reserve another cruise onboard as we have in the past. I would not repeat this cruise at prices more than double what we paid. I found fellow passengers to be polite and well behaved. The ship was at high occupancy with a 50/50 mix of passengers older and younger than 45 years of age with a small group of families and young children. A new cruiser would most likely give it a 10 out of 10 and not notice any negative items that we knew only from past cruises. They paid the going price and would book it again without hesitation compared to us. 1. Boarding: Arrived by car at port parking at 9:20am from New Jersey. We were requested with others to return after 10am. Returned at 10:05 am and placed in staging lines of about 20 cars in five lines. Directed towards luggage drop-off, moved around to toll booths for parking payment. We were directed to assigned parking space. Able to directly walk into terminal, no questions about check-in times (we had 11:00am). Security lines were short. Cruise check-in required passport and Set-Sail Pass. Directed to waiting area with about thirty people seated in aisles of 15 seats. We then boarded one aisle at a time. Went to our muster station for check-in. Relaxed in Solarium before 11am. Very smooth boarding process overall. I would give the experience a 9 out of 10 because there was no protected parking garage, just open air parking. 2. Cabins: Available by 12:30pm. Interior cabin, deck three, center, center, 3571. Everything worked, cabin showed some normal wear and tear but clean and functional. No chiller or refrigerator in room. Tried to locate cabin attendant to request ice bucket but unsuccessful. This was the first cruise I did not see my attendant until the fourth day of the cruise. I did locate a cabin supervisor on day two to request an ice bucket and it was in my room within an hour. I saw my attendant on the forth day since I requested am service and we are out and about early. I believe this is a direct result assigning more cabins per steward and some stress was evident. Cabin movement was minimal even during a huge storm at night later in the cruise. We did not even know we had any type of storm until we heard other people talking about it in the Windjammer the next morning. This was a QTY assignment and we were extremely happy with the location. I NEVER heard any of my neighbors with only the occasional muffled sounds of the torpedoes being launched (toilets 🤣). 3. Food: Windjammer breakfast was excellent. Omelettes available with pagers (started two months ago after questioning a food server). Only reduction I noticed was fruit preparation and diversity, reduction of toppings for yogurts, no roasted tomatoes, and small things like that. Food and staff service was excellent. Staff offered to get coffee and juices every morning. The view from all Windjammer seating was fantastic. Wonderful experience to watch the sunrise. Windjammer lunches were good but lacked diversity. We eat light lunches and normally try the available charcuterie. Compared to previous cruises, almost non-existent. Small, deli sliced pieces of Swiss, provolone, American, ham, pepperoni, which tasted blah. Blue cheese cubes were observed twice in eight days under direct staff observation (I noticed the glaring eyes of staff guardians if you went for the third cube in one pass 🥹). Olives of any type were seen as an garnishment but not available individually. Egg salad spread and chicken salad spread were good. Sometimes the egg salad spread was a bit watery. No tuna fish spread at all during the cruise. Windjammer dinners (five of eight nights) were OK. They were satisfying but nothing was WOW. Salad and toppings were MUCH more limited than in past cruises which is a shame because they are my cruise go to food at dinner should nothing else be found. Ribs were good. No boneless chicken except in prepared dishes with sauces. BBQ chicken and chicken had bones and the preparer was cutting them through the bone shaft so it was sharp and left small fractured pieces of bone in the meat. I let a staff supervisor know about this. I have never had bone pieces in my chicken before and I would be upset if someone else starting to choke if they were not careful. Every piece of chicken the whole week with different preparations of sauce was the same. Maybe they are supplied this way to the ship. I did not go to MDR breakfasts or lunches. I would like to go to MDR lunches to see if the charcuterie is better. MDR dinners were acceptable. Beef tenderloin, lasagna, and cheese tortellini were my main dishes. I ordered my appetizer, entree, and dessert at one time. I did request an additional escargot appetizer when the first calamari looked and tasted like potato crisp shoe strings. I did not order more than one entree per meal. We ate leisurely and were still out in about 45 minutes each time. MDR staff services were excellent. 3. Entertainment: Lots of music and action in the center public area of the ship. The cruise director was visible and active during the whole voyage. The activities were appropriate for all age groups and I saw many young cruisers shoulder to shoulder with older cruises. Music on the main pool deck was augmented with DJ music. Solarium was sound isolated from main pool deck if you wanted solitude. Great views all around. They opened ventilation doors at the top as needed. Temperatures were well regulated. Very little or no chair hogs noticed. Everyone was polite and pointed out open chairs as people walked in. The only problem might have been seating a group of three or more together. This was our favorite spot for late morning and late night relaxing. Great conversations with fellow passengers. Viking Crown Lounge is spacious and has stunning views. We spent two evenings watching the sun go down. WOW! Coco Cay was as good as ever. We had the large swimming pool to ourselves from 8:10am to about 9:20am for a great water workout. Food was excellent (did not pay anything extra) which makes me wonder why some of the hot-sandwiches and fresh taco toppings cannot be provided in the Windjammer. My wife and I thought the lunch was a 10 out of 10 and very memorable. 5: Weather: Except for one night and last morning of cruise, the weather was mostly sunny and warm. 6. Leaving ship: Self-assist with a few pieces of luggage each. I think most of the ship did the same thing. This was the only time I sensed a bit of passenger frustration but it was limited and dissipated once the lines started moving. It was like a Disney World ride queue which led through multiple parts of the ship. It was only about thirty minutes start to finish but seemed much longer as everyone was tired and not looking forward to going home 🥹. The post ended up being longer than a "snap-shot" but I have appreciated the reviews of others and wanted to contribute something to them.

And there were more than six "man overboard" cameras in the immediate area that I observed this. I know they were all running since it was near a gang-plank boarding area on the port side of the deck I was on (lifeboat muster deck with cameras everywhere). If the Captain wanted to file a complaint, I would not like to be in the Naval Press Corp trying to put a spin on this one. I wish, as a very proud Navy Veteran, to try and defend this fly-by. If something had gone just a bit north or south, we would be watching this on every channel on this planet for a very different reason.

Imagine being in a bathroom and feeling the boat vibrate strongly and the sound of a freight train going by at 400 Miles per hour. When you attend an airshow, you know what to expect. Most cruise ship passengers cannot even fathom having such a rare event occurring.

The exact reason I would not even think about posting a video. That would get into an ugly mess in a heartbeat.

East of Virginia in International waters as the casino and shops were open.

Yeah, sad to say, it was not "an approved flight pattern". The Captain of the ship has all of this on video. Not a good day for that pilot. I do not want to be on the "Review Board" on this one. Excellent flight reflexes and control of an aircraft. The pilot will be reminded that the plane belonged to the taxpayers. That said, "If I needed close air support, I am on a forty-foot rib-boat, with enemies danger close, I want that plane and that pilot as close as possible." Living on the Edge (Aerosmith)

Easy, easy, we just finished a tribute aboard which has started at 10:30 am to Veterans. So nice to participate and know we are stronger together. That said, most Navy pilots are good swimmers! 😉

There was only a hint.... a bit like the diluted diesel exhaust of an older truck. Maybe the wind was moving it away from the ship at the time. Anyone on board a carrier always seemed to have that odor embedded into their uniform no matter how hard they tried to clean them. That smell gets cemented into your brain. I did not get its intensity.

Scared the "exhaust ports" of many people on-board. "Mission accomplished!" 🤣

The Captain had to reassure the passengers with an announcement because most had no idea what was going on. Some were thinking that we had struck something or the ship had some type of mechanical explosion.

At about 11:15 am on April 27, 2023, (yesterday). I was sitting on deck five outside of the midship elevator bank on the port side. I witnessed what appeared to be an F 18 do a high speed fly-by cutting from our starboard bow and sharply following our port side with the one wingtip lower than the top of the deck railing. I had a complete view of the top of the jet. It might have been about 200 feet away at most. In all of my years in the Navy, I have never seen a plane almost touching the water on its side at about 390 knots. It was a Top Gun moment where I could distinctly make out the details of the pilot's helmet. The same jet made another high speed pass from our stern passing along the starboard side before doing a vertical afterburner ascent disappearing into the clouds in about five or six seconds. I guess we looked threatening but after closer review, found not dangerous. I do think it was a bit unsafe. I would hate to think what would have happened if a wingtip touched the water or God forbid, have struck the ship. The Navy is not proud of it for I cannot find any reports about it with any search engine. "Maybe it was the Air Force.........." 😉 🫢

Thank you for taking the time and effort to post pictures and provide additional commentary. We have speculated about the menu changes but seeing is believing and you are giving your perceptions with reasoning and background. 👏 😋

Families, always something simmering below the surface. After a great week on your own, may you fave the energy and Zen to smile and enjoy your next week. Thank you for your postings.

I LOVE the Nemo fish display. "As Disney says cease and desist any references to copyrighted material" and they respond, "This fish has been around LONG before Disney Copyrights.." Thank you so much for sharing your journey. May I post a review as good as yours.