UKCruises66

Absolutely! Apparently Virgin Voyages have seen massive growth in sales from the UK in the last year (Travel Weekly 9/9/24) and that is because it appeals to our sensibilities. No gratuities added before you even set sail, no signing paperwork for every drink with a 20% service charge added, no begging for 10’s or rating staff, no tannoy announcements for art auctions or similar nickel and diming opportunities, all of which we hate. The included food is at a very high level plus wifi and tips included. We will only return to Royal if there are young children in the family. I can’t think of any other holiday I have been on where the staff are begging for a good rating because they are not paid properly by the company that employs them. It’s truly awful.

100% agree. I don’t go on holiday to be made to feel awkward by the staff. This was how I felt on our Anthem trip last year after repeated nagging from our waiter. It is just a very low rate experience but the cost of the trip is not, especially when factoring in the service charge. The food and service in the main dining room was very poor and it was only the 3 day speciality dining package, purchased at extra cost, that saved the trip. It just feels like an incredibly old fashioned approach now.

In fairness to Royal we sailed with them a lot when our children were younger but now they are grown up (over 18) our needs have changed, so perhaps that was a factor in how we felt about the trip on Anthem last year. If we ever have any grandchildren then perhaps we would go back but until then there are much better lines out there with better food (Virgin Voyages), a nicer environment where we can find a seat in the evening and see the sea (P&O Iona/Arvia), no awkwardness with regards to gratuities, ratings, etc and no nickel and diming (Virgin & P&O). Royal seem to have forgotten it is supposed to be a holiday!

Royal Caribbean are stuck in the past as far as I am concerned. We sailed Anthem from Southampton last year and were not impressed. Staff begging for good reviews, extortionate ‘gratuities’, canned music in the dining room for the staff parade…no thanks.