Cruzinforpeace***

That’s not good to treat the crew like servants but I can say that people in the service industry do not expect to be treated “nice”.  Respect yes, but also tolerant of disrespect.  The customer is always right.  Taking away the “merit” individual tipping has been a big factor in crew morale.  The cruise lines are pocketing your included gratuities for sure.  The crew does not benefit from this method of reward.  The crew loves to see “envelopes”!  That’s why so many of the ships we’ve been on lately we’ve heard constant pitches for extra gratuity.  

It’s good they have some regulations for crew treatment/hours but I highly

doubt many will report violations because they will definitely lose their jobs.  I’ve seen it happen where if someone does try to “complain” they are sent home and at their own expense because part of their contractual agreement states that they must complete their contract or they will have to pay for their airfare home.

As far as the money not going to the crew if fares are raised, that is 100% correct.  The “2 crew to a cabin” is definitely a factor for hiring less crew.  When I worked on Celebrity in the 90’s there were 6 to a cabin!  Pretty tight quarters but again I remember witnessing an overall happier atmosphere amongst the crew.  It was crowded and not too clean in the crew area but it was an “adventure”; we all embraced it as such.  We used to fish off the back of the ship while docked in Bermuda, all levels of crew from officers, cleaners, entertainers and sailors.  We then would cook up our red snappers and share them with our fellow crew members.  It was so much fun.  The cruise lines have less room for more crew quarters on the newer ships.  Those cabins don’t make $ but more passenger cabins do, especially with all the upselling nowadays.  I believe it was a very calculated change across the board except for maybe on the smaller five star lines.  I wish it would change back to the other way like I said; better for the passengers AND the crew.  It would NOT be good for the cruise lines’ bottom lines. They have to pay for all those mega ships they’re building!

I was just reading about all the crew suicides.  This makes me terribly sad and angry at the same time.  I worked on cruise ships for 5 years as an entertainer.  I had a relatively easy life.  Boredom and loneliness are the biggest dangers but throw being overworked (like most of these crew members are) into the mix and it could spell disaster.  I never encountered a crew suicide in my 5 years of sailing as a “crew member”.  My last contract on Costa Cruises in 2002 I lived among the regular crew on deck 4(mostly male Phillipino sailors on my wing). They were great guys with families and worries much like everyone else. I sat along side them in the hallway many times waiting for our laundry to finish discussing their kids and interests back home.  I remember there being a lot of encouragement of crew celebrating their independence days and holidays with the rest of the crew.  We had crew parties with themes, like “Indian independence Day”.  The cruise line would organize a deck party for the different groups and each group would get together and cook their traditional foods and perform traditional dances/songs.  Those were some of my best memories.  It was a joy to see them all so proud of their cultures and to see everyone enjoying themselves.  Everyone seemed to look out for one another back then.  I remember a lot of smiling faces back then.  They worked hard but I don’t think as hard as today’s crew.

I have been cruising as a passenger since 2004.  The biggest change I have seen from 2004 until the present day that I believe it effecting the crews’ health is understaffing and cutbacks.  There are less crew to attend to the thousands more passengers that are now cruising.  The cruise lines have gotten extremely greedy and just need to have all their ships filled to capacity regardless of the “mental health” costs to their crew.  We as consumers should demand better. It not only effects our enjoyment of the cruise but more importantly it could be a life or death situation for an overworked, lonely crew member.  

There really is no way to predict how anyone is going to react to ship life as a crew member.  The least the cruise lines can do is man up and lighten their work load by hiring more staff , encourage friendships and provide fun distractions like crew parties and crew shows. I attended a crew Christian worship service at 12:00am once a week on the Costa Atlantica that literally changed my life and brought me into a deep, personal relationship with God.  There can be simple efforts that can make a HUGE difference in someone’s lonely life and give them a new purpose for living. 

I would personally be happy to pay more for my cruises knowing that the crew is being treated more humanly.  The treatment for crew on ships today would never be allowed in the USA on land; they would be shut down!  

I wish there was something I personally could do to help this situation; my heart literally hurts for the pain and hopelessness they must have been feeling when they took their own lives.  So many,

and many of them young with so much ahead for them in their lives.

I am “done” with this. Many of you are under a “spell” that cannot be broken. I wish you all well and good luck! 👍

Yes everyone is entitled to an opinion. My problem is OP title. Telling people to "prepare to be disappointed" is not a way to start off your experience and not be prepared to received some "Defense!". Its more click bait imho. I also briefly viewed your youtube video and it sure sounded like your other half set it up for a not so wonderful cruise from the start, which may have jaded you.

You’re so clever! Come on, we ALL try to be positive when spending thousands of dollars on a vacation. We WANT to have a good time. My husband calls it “as he sees it”. He’s been on many cruises as well (and loved most of them). He happened to be correct with Anthem. I actually defended the ship before we even boarded. The only recourse we have against bad quality and service is a forum like Cruise Critic or YouTube. I voiced my concerns to the cruise line on board and filled out the end of cruise survey. THEY will never post my opinions so those of us who had a “less than stellar” experience only have the “freedom” of the internet to warn others and let them form their own opinions.

I just made an assumption. In my opinion many of your complaints are petty and in no way guaranteed in your cruise contract. I am glad that my vacation experiences haven't been reduced to counting operational lightbulbs or exposed threads on chairs in the dining room. To each their own. Happy cruising.

Wow, you’re really defending RCL. Do you work for them? Opinions are opinions and an individual’s experiences are THEIR experiences. They are valid for that person and may be for others. Please don’t attack someone’s opinions as “petty”. We post on this website to share our experiences and find support from one another. We are trying to HELP others to make educated decisions while cruising. We may not all agree but it’s important to acknowledge the validity of that person’s experience, not attack them.

I think your biggest problem was choosing a megaship out of NJ over a holiday week, I sail NCL and the Breakaway would’ve been worse.

I agree! No more Mega ships for us. I hope they keep building (or keep) the smaller ships. If not, we may have to retire to land vacations.☹️

Did CC say it won’t be published? I think it usually takes a few weeks.

They didn’t officially say it but didn’t respond to my email asking if I need to resubmit. I submitted it March 1st and see other reviews from my sailing. I hope they DO publish it. My experience may not be the next person’s experience but it was still MY experience. I’m sure there are other people out there who expect certain things on a cruise and would appreciate being informed of what may await them on Anthem. What we went through may not bother other people; hard to believe but every one has a different level of tolerance.

Just got off Anthem on 2/25. A nightmare! You can check out my review and on board ship videos on You Tube : “Anthem of the Seas, a REAL Review”. Cat A (my screen name).

Cruise Critic wouldn’t post my review so I resorted to posting it on YouTube so it could be “heard”.

Haven’t sailed the Breakaway but really liked the Gem. We sailed in suites on the Gem and would suggest that on any ship nowadays. Regular “class” cruising has really gone downhill on all lines. Celebrity is the exception. We don’t like Mega ships; way too many crowds and lines!

Best part as consumers is that we can take our business elsewhere. I'm thinking Oceania may be a better fit to meet your expectations.

Yes, there are other options. My issue is with when cruise lines misrepresent their product. Part of that misrepresentation comes from cruise sites. They need to be more forthright with the true quality and services provided. Then the consumer can make an educated decision as to if that particular cruise is “worth it”. Not everyone is picky about food quality, crowds or activities. However, an honest assessment is difficult to come by.

I totally feel you, CruizinforPeace!! Watched a number of your videos. Yes....a lot of that stuff held true for us too. Anthem is a larger ship, so your crowds were bigger than ours, but quality, etc....SAME! I didn't harp on the cafeteria food too much. (At least it was hot in the WindJammer.) And not a Chocolate Croissant to be found! The "Disney-ish" attention to detail is for sure, gone.

As for kids club...right? 5 xboxes to 1400 kids. What are you thinking? They make these mega ships and don't think that people are confined for 7 days. Our floweRider lines weren't too bad, tho. Bigger is not necessarily better.

 

As for the crap they sell...watches can be a good deal (MAYBE) but watch your gems and quality. I asked about price on a pair of 1 carot diamond studs and they were trying to charge me what I paid for my wife's 1 1/2 carot diamonds. Not even the same quality/color. So you really need to know your jewelry sense before you buy on a ship (or in the islands for that matter!). We have cruised enough that we generally don't pay any mind to the shops. Kind of useless. They are a business and there to make $, so keep that in mind....it's just the cheesy manor they continue to do it in that rubs ya! lol

 

The nickel and dining is horrible, but they all seem to do it in to their own way (Celebrity included - we really noticed it when we cruised Solstice in 2016).

 

Alas, I'm content in my cabin with a cocktail sitting on the balcony with a cocktail watching the sea go by, however when you have kids....that can be a little difficult. Sorry your cruise stunk, but hopefully you made the best of it. Only reason we did ours was because friends of ours went...and we made our own fun. Sadly, they sucked me into another RCCL cruise (Symphony) for 2019 as they are avid RCCL fans (Diamond Level) (not as much after this past cruise)...but they were willing to give it another shot. Again, we only re-booked because of them. Now that i see the bigger ships are no better, I'm second guessing. I still have a few days where I don't lose my deposit, perhaps I can swap it for the EDGE. lol

 

Again...that's what these boards are for....to educate those and show what REALLY goes on. People need to make their own decisions. My bad was I didn't do my HW before this last cruise. I simply went bc friends who we've cruised with went. It was a bit impulsive.

 

-YO

 

BTW...What ever happened to the midnight buffet the display of culinary art/etc. that was THE BEST. Now it's dinner buffet like Golden Corral.

Yes, I remember the midnight buffets!!!! They were wonderful. Cruising used to be so awesome.

Drama? lol Perhaps you'd like to re-read your post. I'm quite surprised at the Drama and responses of my original post. I guess the masses have a lower standard, which is fine. I'm not arguing with anyone. You have your opinion, I have mine.

 

I did what I did for an FYI/Buyer beware. If you don't care....have at it, go. I'm not stopping you.

 

SMDH.

 

YO

I’m completely with you!!! Got off the Anthem of the Seas last week and had a similar experience. Also got Norovirus as a “bonus”. The quality of everything has definitely gone down on RCL!!!! Cruise Critic has yet to post my review (submitted on March 1st). I only see the positive reviews lately and I know others felt like I did because I met them throughout my cruise. I will be reading my review on You Tube sometime soon. I have about 10 videos on You Tube right now talking about and showing my experiences. Go to “Anthem of the Seas, a REAL Review” (Cat A is my screen name). I will have the new one up soon. So sad. I love cruising but HATED this cruise. I’ve been on 100’s of cruises and it is not anything like it used to be.

If you don’t mind that things have declined then “go for it”. I can tell you it was not fun being confined to my cabin for 24 hours and then when I could eat the only food that was edible was a burger at Johnny Rockets that I had to pay for! There was so much more that was terrible about my Anthem cruise. Check out the videos if you want to see all the gory details. If not, I guess “ignorance is bliss.

 

We are going to attempt the bumper cars today at 9 am.. pray for my back :)

 

First up is Breakfast at 8 am

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hello. I am enjoying your report immensely and gathering very useful information for our cruise leaving this Saturday. Question: I know you are Suite guest so it doesn’t apply to you but do you know what the starting time was for tender ticket distribution is for Coco Cay? It was “cut off” on your picture. We like to be proactive and avoid unnecessary delays. :D.

Thank you.

Hoping someone can help with more info on this cabin... Just changed to this aft facing, 20% obstructed cabin. Was told it has a Pullman bed. Does anyone

know the location of the Pullman bed. Is it above the the other twin beds?

Amen and thank you.

That's what's great about America: we have freedom of speech!!!!!

Everyone needs to respect everyone's opinions even if they differ from the "politically correct" norm.

I talked to my son who is a doctor. He kind of thanks this country is getting what it deserves. We elect liberal clowns that hate america the CDC has tests that the military uses the device can detect to 90% certainty if one has EBOLA.

The device was in Texas at the hospital but the FDA did not allow its use.

 

I am not sure she has it but the test on her should be done before the news that she may have EBOLA is out. At this point whether she has it or not may be academic. The cruise industry is in big trouble. Already some ports will not allow our cruise ships to visit if people from west Africa on it even before this news. Its quite likely the restrictions of where our cruise ships can even dock is going to get larger.

 

The sad truth is that it may be to late. The other party is full of RINOs and the media is fully infected with liberalism. It's very hard in this country to get honest news any more.

 

We have yet to get serious about stopping it in America will allow and encourage the infected to come into this country and then we are surprised

that its spreading and other countries may start limiting travel by Americans since we aren't yet serious about stopping it here. I would hate to think the left is doing this on purpose so that martial law could be imposed in this country.

Agree!

It's only a matter of time before all our cruises are cancelled because other countries do not want to take a chance that one of us Americans may be infected because of our very loose border control. I don't blame them one bit!

I never cruise without my seabands, ginger gum and ginger pills and I worked on ships for 5 years. The bands are great!