rccl--first and definately last time.

[Lol 1944]

Just returned from Brilliance of the Seas Dubai/Dubai sailing.

 

Our first two cruises have been with Princess January this year and January last year.

We certainly now know we were spoiled by Princess in all respects.

 

This latest cruise was definately 3* at tops and rccl are certainly off our future cruise list.

I did chat ---(whilst off ship)-- with one of their employees with 19 years service. He informed me of the drastic cut backs that have taken place these past 3/4 years.

[time4u2go]

So can you give us any details of what was wrong?

[bus man]

Your post begs the question -- WHY is this your last time on RCI? What happened that so turned you off to this company? In what specific ways did Princess so exceed Royal Caribbean in your experience?

 

Inquiring minds want to know!

[FLACRUISER99]

Just returned from Brilliance of the Seas Dubai/Dubai sailing.

 

Our first two cruises have been with Princess January this year and January last year.

We certainly now know we were spoiled by Princess in all respects.

 

This latest cruise was definately 3* at tops and rccl are certainly off our future cruise list.

I did chat ---(whilst off ship)-- with one of their employees with 19 years service. He informed me of the drastic cut backs that have taken place these past 3/4 years.

Everybody including Princess has cut back. Could you explain what your problem was.

[Ocean Boy]

I, too, would be interested in your reasoning.

[Flyinman]

The cutbacks became very obvious on our last cruise which was last week. I began sailing RCCL in 1992. This time, the main dining room service was the worst I have experienced in almost 20 years of sailing RCCL mostly due to the fact the waiters are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. There were many other areas as well and I could go on and on. I too, after almost 20 years of cruising RCCL exclusively, have crossed them off the list. In my opinion, the company is heading in the wrong direction.

[TheGenie]

So with fewer wait staff, each now serving more tables, Why is it RCI is asking for the tip increases this summer? So they can hire more wait staff?

[Ocean Boy]

So with fewer wait staff, each now serving more tables, Why is it RCI is asking for the tip increases this summer? So they can hire more wait staff?

 

Tips go directly to staff. They don't provide more revenue to RCI. So I don't really see how increasing recommended levels would affect RCI's hiring practices, and staffing levels, one way or the other.

[time4u2go]

Tips go directly to staff. They don't provide more revenue to RCI. So I don't really see how increasing recommended levels would affect RCI's hiring practices, and staffing levels, one way or the other.

Perhaps they're able to lower salaries (since the tips are higher), allowing them to hire more people? Just a thought.

[COMBOY]

Wow....I just off the Mariner last October and it was simply wonderful and I've been cruising with RCCL since 1980. Food isn't as great as it used to be, but it wasn't bad and I always found something I liked and I'm a picky eater. Service was excellent and staff very friendly. Only cuts backs I've seen is no more chocolates on the pillow. No biggy for me. Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. I hope Princess works better for you.

[Lol 1944]

We found the whole experience sub standard. A few things to start:

 

Food quality very poor and very sparse menu choice in Minstrel---Four times to get a steak that was ordered well done and on first three attempts "bled"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unable to order a salad without dressing. Why?????????

Choice of meals is very poor. "no" is too often the answer.!!!!!!!!

 

Too few waiters in Minstrel--those present rushing around-yes-like headless chickens-- thereby reducing the service---wrongly ordered meal produced to wrong person---necesary cutlery not provided until requested!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Windjammer food very poor quality. Queues for egg station. Queues for chips.

Toast so thin is rock hard. Ran out of bananas one day. Ran out of scones one day. Plastic crockery. ridiculous milk cartons!!!!!!!!!!! Cleanliness of tables--ugghh!!!!!!!!!!! And it is not 24 hours.

 

Cardboard cartons as cups in rooms---I can get these at my local KFC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

No mats on sunbeds. Pool far too small. That stupid towel system!!!!!!!!!!!

Ice cream station located too far from pool and cannot be accessed from pool without covering up.

 

Drink prices excessive. two glasses of wine at dinner buys the bottle at home!!!!!!!!!!

 

no bedtime chocs.

I could go on but no point really. It was a very cheap nasty cruise. And there is no way I would sail with this lot again

[manu4evr]

Wow, if I'd had your experience, I wouldn't sail with them again either.

Fortunately our experience has been very different. We've sailed 35 times with RCI and 9 times with Princess. I find very little difference between the two when it comes to service, food and cleanliness. We've sailed more on RCI and so the perks are better for us than on Princess, however I wouldn't hesitate to cruise with either line. Sorry that you had such a bad experience, Brilliance is one of my favourite ships.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

The cutbacks became very obvious on our last cruise which was last week. I began sailing RCCL in 1992. This time, the main dining room service was the worst I have experienced in almost 20 years of sailing RCCL mostly due to the fact the waiters are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. There were many other areas as well and I could go on and on. I too, after almost 20 years of cruising RCCL exclusively, have crossed them off the list. In my opinion, the company is heading in the wrong direction.

 

Totally agree--we've had the same experience...except we started cruising w/ Royal in 97/98.

[Ocean Boy]

Perhaps they're able to lower salaries (since the tips are higher), allowing them to hire more people? Just a thought.

 

I guess that is a possibility. But I'm not sure how far you can drop salaries and still compete for the better employees who are looking to work for a cruise line. I also am not so sure that the folks in the service positions are making that much of a base salary in the first place.

[TxBubba]

I could go on but no point really. It was a very cheap nasty cruise. And there is no way I would sail with this lot again

 

Sorry you had a bad experience and I hope your venting has made you feel better. Did you contact RCCL about it? Did you get a survey before you left? Hopefully your experience is an isolated one.

 

My last dining experience was similar on RCCL. They did not get my steak right the first time so after I ate it I ordered another one. I ate that one, too.

[Ocean Boy]

What's wrong with complaining about their cruise? Isn't this message board called "Cruise CRITIC"? Do you only want people to come here to talk about positive things about their cruises?

 

I agree. I find it useful to read about why someone did not enjoy a certain cruise/ship/cruise line. It helps give me some perspective on whether I might want, or not, to try something that I have not experienced yet for myself.

[Lol 1944]

Hi Firefly----All the people I spoke with, and there were many and from many countries , were very dissapointed. For some people this was their very first cruise and they were well put off cruising.

 

I put my post on here to see the reaction because we were extremely shocked to endure the experience. It was not what we had expected. My question to the long serving employee of rccl was:

Is this typical of rccl standards, or is it the particular ship, or is it the itinary? His reply I have already stated.

 

We made the best of our holiday but I still have one concern.

Having started our cruise vacations with Princess have we been spoiled. I hope not because of course different routes do come into the eqation.

 

 

Sorry you had a bad experience and I hope your venting has made you feel better. Did you contact RCCL about it? Did you get a survey before you left? Hopefully your experience is an isolated one

Yes sure completed the survey. Also when settling my account I advised quest relations to send two of their staff on a Princess cruise as a learning experience.

When food was unavailable--yes--I asked for the chef in charge--asked why he did not order enough bananas--why did he not make more scones when stocks were getting low--really they did not seem concerned.

[Raptor2010]

Hi Firefly----All the people I spoke with, and there were many and from many countries , were very dissapointed. For some people this was their very first cruise and they were well put off cruising.

 

I put my post on here to see the reaction because we were extremely shocked to endure the experience. It was not what we had expected. My question to the long serving employee of rccl was:

Is this typical of rccl standards, or is it the particular ship, or is it the itinary? His reply I have already stated.

 

We made the best of our holiday but I still have one concern.

Having started our cruise vacations with Princess have we been spoiled. I hope not because of course different routes do have to come into the equation.

 

I suggest the Freedom class or Oasis/Allure. Great ships :D service, food, and fun :)

[wg6530]

wow, your really like exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!:D

 

I am sorry you didn't like the food or the food service. Personally, I like Royal's food better than Princess, but that is so subjective. and that seems to be the largest component of your issues. I wonder if the other smaller a tuff would have irritated so much if you had like the food and food service? really, I don't recall the wine prices differing substantially between the two lines. Is one really surprised that there would be a queue for eggs to order or that one should put on a coverup before going for ice cream? the towel system is unfortunate, mostly as indicates people lost or stole so many towels that Royal staff must track them, but the time I have spent has been minimal.

 

If I disliked the food on a cruise as much as you did, I would avoid that line, too. Princess is a lovely line and I hope you will have happy sails with them.

[Icruzthere4Iam]

I see sooooo many complaints on here about drink prices being high. Can anyone from anywhere in the world please come on here and post a vacation destination, which is what the ship is, where drink prices match what you pay at home retail? I live in a ski town and the prices on the ships are actually lower than when I go out and drink here in town. Last time I was at Disney/Epcot the beers were quite pricey. Go to a football/baseball stadium and you'll be paying a ridiculous price for a beer. I don't understand why so many people lose their minds about drink prices onboard. There is a markup, sometimes more significant than others anytime you order a drink anywhere outside your home. Relax and if it bothers you don't drink till you get home. Ok, rant is over, I think I need a drink:D Take care all, Jim

[temple1]

So sorry you had such an unpleasant cruise. Sometimes it just doesn't work out for people. I don't stray over to the other cruiseline boards very often so I don't know what most say about RCCL - but on here we'll have folks who try different cruiselines and see little difference, love RCCL, hate Carnaval, Love NCL, HAL or Princess. One day I will be trying Celebrity so I can at least make that comparison.

 

Thanks for elaborating about the shortcomings of your cruise. The Brilliance has been ported in Asia for several years I think so we don't get a lot of feed back on here about her.

[Aquahound]

Well, I would tell you RCI has a plethora of ships classes, some with better dining options, cushions on chairs, more convenient ice cream stands, etc, etc, etc, and I could tell you your dining experience on Brilliance does not sound typical of RCI, but I don't think it matters. Your first experience on a RCI ship was not to your standards so back to Princess you go. So be it. Stay with who you like. Nothing wrong with that. Hope you enjoy your future cruises. :)

[Ocean Boy]

I think that if I had a cruise line that I really like (which I do) and tried another cruise line and had a poor experience, that I would not be trying that line again even if the experience was very atypical. My vacation time is way too limited and valuable to risk a second poor experience when I know there is a place that I can go to that provides just what I am looking for. So I fully understand the OP not trying RCI again no matter how atypical his experience may seem to some of us here.

 

And I know what poor dining room service can be on RCI. I experienced it myself on Mariner. It certainly was atypical of my experience with RCI but if that ship had been our first RCI cruise, and the MDR service was very important to me, I might have been very likely to not book RCI for my next cruise.

[Merion_Mom]

We found the whole experience sub standard. A few things to start:

 

Food quality very poor and very sparse menu choice in Minstrel---Four times to get a steak that was ordered well done and on first three attempts "bled"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unable to order a salad without dressing. Why?????????

Choice of meals is very poor. "no" is too often the answer.!!!!!!!!

 

Too few waiters in Minstrel--those present rushing around-yes-like headless chickens-- thereby reducing the service---wrongly ordered meal produced to wrong person---necesary cutlery not provided until requested!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Windjammer food very poor quality. Queues for egg station. Queues for chips.

Toast so thin is rock hard. Ran out of bananas one day. Ran out of scones one day. Plastic crockery. ridiculous milk cartons!!!!!!!!!!! Cleanliness of tables--ugghh!!!!!!!!!!! And it is not 24 hours.

 

Cardboard cartons as cups in rooms---I can get these at my local KFC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

No mats on sunbeds. Pool far too small. That stupid towel system!!!!!!!!!!!

Ice cream station located too far from pool and cannot be accessed from pool without covering up.

 

Drink prices excessive. two glasses of wine at dinner buys the bottle at home!!!!!!!!!!

 

no bedtime chocs.

I could go on but no point really. It was a very cheap nasty cruise. And there is no way I would sail with this lot again

 

I would just respond to two things that you wrote.

 

What is wrong with milk in cardboard cartons? How do you wish to have it?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Plastic ware.

 

I wondered about that, too. I had never thought about it. Royal Caribbean uses melamine and other plastics in the buffet restaurant. (Windjammer on RC, Horizon Court on Princess).

 

So, there I was, on my very first Princess cruise. Went up to the buffet. China. Glass. In the buffet. "hhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm", I thought, "how nice. I wonder why RC uses plastic?"

 

A week later, as we sailed away from Port Canaveral, on our seventh day of a nine day cruise, half the ship was up in the Horizon Court, having just gotten back from a half-day ashore. The ship listed SEVERELY, televisions (not bolted down!) flew off high shelves in staterooms. Most of the pool water spilled, cascading down interior staircases and elevator shafts. Barware and blenders went flying out of bars. Unsecured shelving in shops sailed away from bases, crashing through front plate glass windows.

 

Up in Horizon Court?

 

All of that pretty china and glass went flying, shattering and crashing and showering scantily clad passengers with shards of glass and "crockery".

 

It was a BLOODY mess, and I don't mean that in the "british curse word" sense. There was blood EVERYWHERE. HUNDREDS of passengers suffered cuts and abrasions, some quite severe.

 

So, personally, I am a fan of RC's "crockery".

 

:)

[firefly333]

sorry