dbarton02

I thought I noticed a thread on this, but I can't find it...

 

I know food is so subjective, but what are people's general thoughts and opinions on RC's included food options (MDR, buffet, etc..)? How does it compare to other cruise lines, like Carnival? We've only sailed Carnival and given that our AI last year had less than desirable food, we're trying to avoid another issue with food. We're not necessarily particular, but like our food to be at the right temperature and edible.

I had to go back and look at the original post again since things got a little side-tracked with a bit of a pi**ing match...

Re-reading this combined with someone's reply on here keyed a thought in my head which may be what some of the responding posters were trying to communicate, but may have been taken the wrong way.

The last cruise I took was in 2013 - on the Monarch of the Seas to the Bahamas... and then the little kids started showing up, so DW and I haven't been able to get away.

We're scheduled to depart on the Anthem on June 9, and are (honestly) overly giddy at the though since it's been so long.

I'm sure a lot has changed with how RCI handles the experience since 2013, and dining and food options may be part of it that may very well disappoint me since it appears from other posts on this forum that more and more has gone to 'pay or upgrade' for better (i.e. - specialty restaurants).

I read that most of RCI's sailings are overbooked, and that is with what many are saying to be sub-par dining options on here. There were no specialty dining packages to be bought when I sailed in 2013 (that I can remember) - and they're push for upgrades is a way to improve their bottom line, which any properly run business will aim to do.

I am looking forward to hopefully eating in the MDR once or twice with the kids, but know we'll be spending more time in the windjammer than anything - which I never really liked (not a big buffet person). I may not enjoy the food as much as I did in previous cruises, but I have 2 little ones that would like the pizzas, fries, and hot dogs more than escargot and a vidalia onion tart (which I hope I can get my hands on).

If I WERE to have one, and it wasn't as I remembered, I'd probably post about it as well asking if people had similar experiences.

DW and I are loyal RCI Cruisers, and it would take something catastrophic to make us drop them for good - food isn't one. I'll be looking forward to eating a water steamed hot dog from the SeaPlex, and Cardboard Pizza from Sorrentos with my kids since thats what they love. I'm on vacation with my family.

Food isn't going to ruin that. :D

Happy Posting, and Happy Cruising!

I think most responses to questions like these will be subjective, at best - and thats not to say someone is wrong over someone's right.

I've never had in issue with any of the food served on any of my cruises with RCI (and I have not sailed with any other cruise line).

I'm not a picky eater, and am adventurous - but I've sat at tables where the person next to us would shut up over how awful it was, and I thought it was fantastic.

Your Mileage May Vary...

My parents would like us all to go on a cruise for their 50th Anniversary next summer 2019. They are avid cruisers with several on Azamara and Celebrity which do not seem to have as much for the kids that RCI has (and are much pricier for the rest of the family). My brother and family live in NYC and have a new baby so we figured it may be easiest to leave from Bayonne/Cape Liberty so they do not have to fly with 2 little ones. My 3 boys will all be teens so we can get around a lot easier.

 

In looking at the itineraries for Summer 2019 leaving from NYC, it seems the choices would be either the Adventure of the Seas or the Anthem of the Seas going to Bermuda and/or Bahamas. With the limited research I have done, it looks like the Anthem is much larger and newer than the Adventure. In reading reviews, it seems like the Anthem had a lot more negative ones though. Has anyone been on both to give me a comparison or tell which one they liked better and why?

 

In choosing itineraries, I see some go to Labadee vs. Coco Cay. It seems with all of the new plans they have for Coco Cay, that it would be the preferred destination? I assume a lot of it should be complete by next summer?

 

If it helps, our group will be 2 senior citizens, 4 adults, and 5 kids ages 19, 16, 13, 3, and 1.

 

Thanks for sharing your tips and experiences!

I have yet to sail on either - but will be on the Anthem this June.

What I CAN offer is advice based on my experience when pricing these cruises out (and it has been echoed by many on these forums).

Trips on the newer ships are going to come at a cost premium since everyone wants the new 'experience'.

DW and I looked and decided to pay more for the Anthem because we wanted to try out a Quantum Class Ship and it had what would be (in my opinion) a little more for our 5 year old and 2 year old to do (including a kiddie splash area).

I liked how someone worded the "take the negative reviews for Anthem w/ a grain of salt - because it's different, and some people just don't like it".

We had been on one of the last sailings of the Monarch before RCI sold it to Costa. It was a great ship, but we also didn't have kids at the time, and there wasn't much for kids to do there. I'm not going to leave a garbage review because I didn't do my homework to see what they could or couldn't do beforehand... Same goes for the bigger ships.

Book based on what is appealing to you - and what you feel is the best value for the trip.

It's YOUR vacation, and YOUR money.

Enjoy it, and then post a review on what you thought! Still love to see how all the opinions vary!

We are on the same sailing, also in a JS!!! Guess what we had the same issue with a different booking. We originally booked for thanksgiving week 2017 on Oasis. I changed jobs and didn’t have PTO Avalible for it so we moved it to 2018.

We have had the same charge put in our account 4 times over the last 2 months. Our travel agent has gone round and round with Royal. Then, they pulled her commission because “the original cruise was not paid in full”.

We are waiting on a response from upper management on this junk.

Look forward to having an awesome cruise with you!!!

 

 

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Awesome! I'll have to remember to print out a roll call name tag or something and say hello to you on the ship!

We're all looking forward to it, and my 4 year old son asks me if he can watch more videos of the cruise ship every day.

First family cruise, so it'll be an adjustment, but a great time for sure.

Not going to let an IT hiccup 2 1/2 months out ruin the fun.

Thanks for the heads up!

I just checked my bookings and my May Allure cruise is showing a $200 balance due. This was paid in full and I do have a confirmation showing zero balance. This charge just showed up this past week.

The rep said this was the change fee because I changed my sail date back in November. The booking I changed from was a refundable deposit. Finally was able to get it straightened out, but I wonder what would have happened if I would not have checked the reservation since I have all docs printed out.

That was my fear.

I requested the resolutions department send me an email stating that my cruise balance was in fact, zero and there should be no deviation from this amount unless I were to add an excursion, upgrade a room, or something initiated by me, and only me.

They obliged and did, in fact, send something to me that I will take with me to the pier.

I’m just trying to figure out where the OP is investing his money to figure he needs $50 to compensate for being without roughly $700 for a few days. I’m obviously doing something terribly wrong.

 

I have figured out why the friend/TA is in such need of the commission - obviously they are so incompetent they have no other clients.

Crazy requests for OBC like this ruin it for the rest of us.

I'll need your help with the calculations now since OP threw this all off:

If $50 OBC is standard compensation for waiting on a merchant card to refund money, then how much OBC should I request when my morning pastries show up 15 minutes after I had requested on my room service sheet?

For years this has gone on. In some cases a reservation cost will change due to some reason. You would log in one day, and bingo, your costs changed.

 

You should keep your booking invoice as proof of what your cost should be and be prepared to provide it so they can make the adjustment.

 

Doesn't make it any easier, but its been happening hit and miss for a while.

No doubt. I went back and recited all invoices that were sent to me prior and questioned why NOW all of a sudden there was a charge - after a month had gone by. No answer except for "You were made aware of the charges at booking" - yet there was nothing there, even though my reservation from 2 years ago shows a refundable deposit. Hah.

Maybe I'm expecting too much from them - but I would think a high dollar item (vacation) such as this would not come with this kind of baggage (pun intended).

I thought this would be beneficial to post to bring awareness - could be an isolated incident, but need to share:

Background:

My wife, 2 kids and I are scheduled to sail on the Anthem this coming June 9, 2018 to Bermuda. We had initially planned this trip and booked almost 2 years ago for a September 9, 2017 sailing, though moved our reservation out a year when we had bought a house and decided to put the vacation budget toward some updates. The initial booking was for a balcony room, $200 refundable (before they went to the new deposit choice with room pricing).

When sat down to plan time off for the summer, it made more sense to move the cruise up, and we selected the June 9 sailing. February 28, I called RCI directly to change the booking and confirmed the rooms. We selected to choose the non-refundable deposit for the Junior suite we selected, plunked down the $1,000 minimum for the room, and then paid the balance due about a week later. RCI's automated guest relations system spit back the invoice showing our cruise paid in full with a balance due of $0.00

We uploaded all our pictures and checked in online already-just to get ahead of the game as well - so our set-sail passes are ready.

Fast forward to last night...

I get another email from RCI's guest relations that has the cruise invoice attached. This one looks different and has the "Thanks for booking your adventure" heading on it. I assumed it was just sent as another sort of 'thank you' or a plug to get the customer excited about the upcoming cruise.

Looking at it in greater detail this morning, I see a new balance due of around $276, which doesn't make sense to me, so I call customer service.

Long story short, I'm told that I have a balance of $400 for the booking change, even though my deposit before was refundable, and I just applied it to my new reservation. I have invoices showing a zero balance, and now all of a sudden have a PDF showing one balance, and customer service telling me I have another.

Spent a good hour or so of my morning on the phone being told this is legit, and I have to pay it, before I finally get through to someone in resolutions that tells me its erroneous, and they can't see why or when this was added - all a big mystery.

I'll spare you the details of further conversation - but as a heads up - make sure everything matches on your documents. I would have gotten to the pier and probably been in an argument over it, and would have paid it just to solve the issue to get on board.

I requested guest relations send me something in writing stating that my account is in fact paid in full - just in case something like this happens between now and the sail date.

Not sure if this is tied to all the website changes, and if there is a newly automated system they use on their end.

Just be careful!

Hello!! We have cruised on carnival several times and NCL once. I just booked my first RC cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas for March 2019. 5 day to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I am taking my 14 yr old daughter for her first time! I am really excited to try RC!!!

So being new to RC does anyone have any tips or suggestions?? Things that might be different from other lines?

I selected any time dining because that it was we are used to. Dress on NCL was extremely causal for dinner, is RC similar??

Sorry, I am just so excited! lol

Tips or suggestions?

Book another cruise that leaves before March 2019? :')

Seriously though - just enjoy yourself! Royal Caribbean has been great, and I can't see cruising with any other line.

(just don't get sucked into the Diamond pitches)

Thanks everyone for your very informative responses. Unfortunately, we are going to wait until our kids are 3+ as it would be very costly to send them to the Nursery on top of paying more for a larger room. Hopefully Royal Caribbean will adopt a program similar to Carnival's to help families that would love to vacation with little's but not have to pay extra for "daycare services" in exchange of having some child free time.

We had looked for some time, and had semi-planned a couple vacations where we would have my parents or my wife's parents take care of our two kids while we did a quick cruise somewhere. We have 2 kids - currently 4 years old, and just under 2 years old.

Finally pulled the trigger a few months ago and booked a 5 night on the Anthem to the Bahamas this coming June.

We looked into the same things - though my wife is extremely hesitant about even leaving our boys with someone on the ship for a few hours - so we figured it as just that: A Family Vacation - so we went with a ship that would have more than enough for our kids to do - so we could all have fun.

I AM bummed out we'll probably miss out on the Main Dining Room Experience - and getting to know our table mates, or having a quiet sit-down dinner, or a sushi making class, or late night cocktails... but our 4 year old is so excited - it'll just be a run of new experiences we didn't get before.

I can see waiting for another year for you as I'm not sure how much they will actually remember from it - but everyone has their own way of doing it. Whatever works for you is the best way.

This will be our first outing with more than just the two of us, and we went with the Junior Suite since it has a tub in the room, and a little more space (and double the crown & anchor points!)

We figured we'll take advantage of the 2 wine bottle allotment and enjoy some drinks on our balcony when the boys pass out for the day.

So it served it´s purpose as from the title you should have been prepared for this.:'):'):'):')

I was getting so agitated with this entire post, and then reading the last post just made it totally worth it! haha!

To each their own with expectations, for sure (just my 2 cents).

Not to bring light to a creep, but there is a great clip of Louis CK doing a bit about flying on an airplane, and how it should be regarded as a technological marvel that you can sit in a seat, and fly in the air somewhere faster than you could ever drive - but when a perk like wi-fi goes out, certain people suddenly feel the product is absolute garbage.

This kind of goes the same way... You're on a floating city with a whole ship crew at your call, and it's a disappointment because a light is out, or a banana split wasn't served in a bowl? (OP - I know you had other gripes as listed in your post, though those stood out, as did the wilted lettuce).

My wife and I sailed on the Monarch's last voyage with RCI to the Bahamas - had previously been on the Mariner and the Jewel, so we had progressively stepped down in ship class. On our Monarch Trip, we cashed in credit card points and went on a whim when she was 3 months pregnant, knowing this would be the last time we'd take a vacation like that in a real long time.

Was the ship perfect? No.

Was it dated? Yes.

Were there little things 'broken' during the trip? Yes.

Did we have a good time? Absolutely!

The crew did their job and treated us as we've always been on any cruise with RCI. We spent 4 days in the Bahamas for about $100 out of pocket for the cruise (plus gratuities).

We went back just as excited for our next trip (whenever the heck that would be) talking to each other about how much fun it'll be to take our kids some day - and will continue to cruise with RCI because they've been nothing short of amazing.

There's a way to go about giving an honest, opinionated review about your trip or your experience. There are a lot of people that use this site as first-time cruisers to review different lines. Using a catch all post title like that isn't the fairest way to go about it.

I won't question the content of it - but as others pointed out - it's merely opinion (well - except for the profanity laced music... I have a 4 and 2 year old - I wouldn't be too happy about that either).

RCI cares about their customers' opinions. Think about it - they want to do whatever they can to keep you coming back because they know one bad experience could be all it takes for you to be done with them.

Too many people launch social media crusades against places because they want something for feeling like they were wronged. I'm not saying thats what you did - but kudos to you for reaching out to the right people to give feedback. I know they look for it - and act on it.

So yeah - sorry if this was all over the place. Not my intention to start a post-war about who is right and wrong to post what. Just putting a thought (or ten or so ;p ) out there!

Thank you for the details on what to look for - especially with a ship that is due to head into dry dock.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Assuming you're not past your final payment deadline, you can call and reprice as often as you wish under any new promos that appear. Once you're past final payment, you can't get any additional OBC or price drops. You can still upgrade by paying the price difference, or if the new cabin is below what you paid, at no cost.

WHEW! I think the final payment deadline is tomorrow, actually.

Will have to call them and get it finalized today so at least we don't miss out on that!

Appreciate all the feedback (from all of you - even though I only quoted the last reply!) ;p;p

;p;p;p

Hey All!

I'm sure this question has been asked over and over throughout this board, though I'm not sure if policies change from time to time on it.

My wife, 2 boys and I are booked on RCI's Anthem for June 9th to Bermuda. We booked a Junior Suite - non refundable fare. I saw yesterday that RCI has a new 'sale' promoted which would have given us $75 in on-board credit for the sailing if we had booked it.

I am going to compare my current cost side by side with the advertised 'sale', and am pretty sure it is slightly cheaper now in addition to the OBC. From what I've seen, RCI should give me the difference in fare plus the OBC in a sort of low-price guarantee, correct? (as long as I call them about it).

The bigger question I have is - If I see in another month they offer something even lower, can I call about it again to get it added as well? Or is it a "You've got once chance to call us about this "type of scenario?

At that age, I would be talking seriously with other families, either relatives or friends, with kids the same age and exploring the possibility of vacationing together. We did this when our kids were that young and really enjoyed the opportunity to have a nice mix of family activities with babysitting for each other in order to have adult evenings as well. This is an even better option than grandparents along for the ride IMO since it is more mutually beneficial for the families involved.

 

Having said that, I second the notion that this is YOUR vacation and should be planned according to your wishes. The kids won't even remember that splash pool or beach excursion.

Funny you should mention this, as we're going to float that idea as a possibility. My wife's family has cruised a number of times before, and they all love it. Her sister and husband have 2 kids as well, close in age to ours, and we thought of the very same thing: "We'll take the kids for an evening, and then you guys can do it the next night, etc. etc."

It's a definite possibility, so long as everyone is on board.

No doubt its our choice, and we wouldn't be doing anything extravagant for the sole purpose that the memory would be foggy at best for them). It's just the change from "Hey' it's 8:30, lets have a bottle of wine, hit a show, have a few more drinks and not remember how we got back to our room" to "it's 7:30, the kids are passed out in our room - so now what?" (Which will most likely be: drink on the balcony!)

Love and appreciate all the advice, options and experiences. The kids sail free promo is tempting.

Will definitely look heavier into the Oasis class ships for the zero depth pools. I think it'd be a very cruel thing to show the almost 2 year old a pool, and have to keep him away from it while his brother is having a ball!

We'll see what happens!

Happy Monday Everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted or read anything on the forum here.

My wife and I had a Cruise booked to Bermuda on the Anthem this coming September 9th, and within the last year, sold our house, moved, and have done some renovation which ate up the cruise budget that was allocated. As a result, we decided to postpone the 9/9 cruise (sigh) which was going to be just the two of us, and made the decision to start looking for one that would be fun for us to bring our kids with us. We're looking around Spring/Summer of 2018, which would put the little ones at 4 1/2 years old and the other around 20 months.

We both love cruising, and are hoping our kids will as well, but being the first time planning with a family, there's a lot we're looking to research.

What ships are the best for kids of that age? I know we won't be doing much of the adult stuff on the ship this time around, but figure there has to be tons we can do and still have a great time.

Here are some of the questions I have in my mind that am looking for input on:

• What would you say is the optimal length for a first time? We live in Chicago and would either drive out to Jersey, or fly to Florida.
  
• What ship or ships would have the most for kids to enjoy themselves?
  
• What stateroom would you recommend? We were looking at a suite because of the tub and the extra space. Do the balcony doors have locks on them?
  
• What has your experience been with the Adventure Ocean and the Nursery? We're sort of paranoid with leaving our kids with complete strangers.
  
• Other Suggestions/Advice?
  

We're looking forward to getting back to it, and hope they will love it as much as they do.

There's so much of the world to see, and Cruising is a great way to do it.

Eagerly awaiting responses. Thanks in advance for all your input!

6 of one, Half a dozen of the other.

We booked this cruise over 390 days out because of the newness of the ship, and the price compared to the Grandeur out of Baltimore.

I started to read the reviews AFTER booking this, and honestly, was a bit worried given the unusual amounts of negative reviews compared to the other ships we've been on and read about.

After thinking about it for a while, logic set in as to why (IMO) there were so many.

New Ship, New Technology, and a New Way of doing things. We've been on other ships where its 2 dining times, and you're free to do what you want when you want to without having to make any reservantions (unless you're doing a spa day or something like that)

So my take is that there are plenty of cruisers out there that like things a certain way, and this was sort of a system shock to them to have a new experience that they're not used to.

It's OK not to like it - I'm good with that - It's not everyone's cup of tea.

BUT - for every person that hates it, I'm sure there's someone else that loves it. It's all on how you experience it, I guess.

Sort of bummed out they changed it. I was looking forward to trying something new, but there's plenty new to experience for us that I won't cancel.

Sorry to those that are changing the booking! I hope they tweak and find a happy medium somewhere.

...wonder how ours will go in a year!

This is perfect.

Thanks for sharing!

Hey Everyone!

Beating the 'dead horse' drink package topic from a different angle, here.

I saw the new drink package show up in the booking area (and a couple threads investigating their worth). I know in the fine print it says for drinks up to $12.

Basic question here is: On the Anthem, what are the drinks you can have for $12 - and is there anything "typical" on the drink menus that are above that $12 threshold?

We're comparing costs factoring what we'd drink with the package, and I don't want to buy it if I'm still going to be paying more or extra for the stuff I want.

Gotta say - I love this thread.

Thank you for taking the time to update everyone on what is going on.

My wife and I have this exact same cruise booked for next year (Sept 9 2017) and she's a bit worried about taking the trip given what she saw on the news about your trip, AND the fact that its right around Hurricane Season.

I'd like to think that it's all dumb luck - but for the money we're spending, this would be awful (though it would deter us from going on another one in the future).

Hopefully the weather has turned for the better for you all - stay safe - and congratulations on your lifestyle change. I'm hoping to do the same by the time we board next year!

We've always just gotten in line. They usually have a few different backdrops set up around bigger gathering areas.

Take them in a few, and then pick and choose what you like!

Have Fun!

I booked a cruise in Sept. 2017 on the Anthem to Bermuda and saw that RCI has a WOW Sale going on currently. The room rates are not any different - really just a reduced deposit and an OBC offer.

Anyone have experience with calling to 'price match' and get the on board credit offer? Or does this only apply to room rate differentials?

Thanks!

My wife and I booked a cruise for September 2017 to the Bahamas on Anthem.

We had originally booked a balcony room (Deck 10).

In reading about price differentials and room sizes - and this being our first vacation alone in really about 4 years (little kiddos at home now), I decided to bump up our booking to a Junior Suite (which is starboard on Deck 11).

I figured this would be a nice Anniversary surprise when we check in for our trip - I don't plan on telling her till we get our cards and room assignments.

I know you get the double points for a JS, and the robes to use on board. I've also read conflicting things on other sites a far as what perks you get for booking this room. I know you don't get the full compliment of suite perks - but for those that have sailed on the Anthem in a Junior Suite, what did you get out of it, and would you do it again?

It's been a few years since I've logged in here, and I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere, but I felt I need to ask anyway (my cruise knowledge is rusty, having not been on a ship since 2013!)

My wife and I booked a 5 night Bermuda Cruise on the Anthem of the seas (Not 'till September 2017). We booked our reservation, and then I started reading the reviews on this ship (which, truthfully, are a little scary).

I know they shifted from the main dining room on the Quantum Class ships (which is what I've been accustomed to). Everything I've read, which I believe, is to not listed to the negativity, and spend a little more time planning everything out before you sail on this ship because of the dining options, entertainment, skydiving, etc.

I went in to look at the dining options, and they are not coming up yet, which I figure is just because it's too early in the game to do anything.

SO - the big question is: When have you all been able to book these things at the earliest? I'd like to make sure I'm on top of it to get everything set up - time goes quick!

ALSO - What experiences have you had on the Anthem to help make it the best experience possible?

We booked a Superior Balcony Room (Deck 10).

We were on pace to do at least one cruise a year, and then started a family in 2013 (our firstborn was actually with us in the Bahamas - my wife was 3 months pregnant). #2 was just born on the 4th of July this year, and our in laws are graciously taking them for some time next year so we can get back to an adult only vacation that we absolutely need.

Glad to be back on Royal's Itinerary!

Any and all Advice for the Anthem is welcome! :)