Biggest Changes in the Past Five Years?

[spongecakenibbler]

Hello,

 

Sadly, the last cruise I went on was nearly half a decade ago. I'm a loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser and I'm taking my boyfriend on a cruise this November (Navigator of the Seas). He is a newbie to cruising, but I feel like a newbie again after getting back on these boards.

 

What are some of the biggest changes made by Royal Caribbean in the past five years? I know there are no more chocolates on the pillows. I am probably partially to blame for this change, as I would always snag an extra chocolate from the cleaning cart. ;) I've also heard that you can use your S&S card to view your ship photos?

 

Can you think of anything else that has changed, whether significant or insignificant?

 

Thanks!

[Cuizer2]

Five years ago the biggest ship in the fleet was the Voyager class. Now there are five ships bigger and the biggest are almost twice the size of a Voyager class ship.

[bsbcgirl]

Food quality in the main dining room, especially for dinner.

[lv2cruisgrl]

Food quality and choices are less for sure!

[firefly333]

You used to be able to combine stock credit with future cruise certs and other OBCs. No more.

 

You used to be able to get price drops after final payment. A HUGE one for me.

 

Food would have to change a lot more for me to complain, but obviously there are some cutbacks.

[redlobster]

Crown and Anchor benefits have changed some for the better and some for the worse.

 

Also, the features on ships has increased. The Oasis class ships have set a standard of being the rollout places and then the successes are implemented on other ships.

[yahootelemundo]

You used to be able to combine stock credit with future cruise certs and other OBCs. No more.

 

You used to be able to get price drops after final payment. A HUGE one for me.

 

Food would have to change a lot more for me to complain, but obviously there are some cutbacks.

[Merion_Mom]

Hello,

 

Sadly, the last cruise I went on was nearly half a decade ago. I'm a loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser and I'm taking my boyfriend on a cruise this November (Navigator of the Seas). He is a newbie to cruising, but I feel like a newbie again after getting back on these boards.

 

What are some of the biggest changes made by Royal Caribbean in the past five years? I know there are no more chocolates on the pillows. I am probably partially to blame for this change, as I would always snag an extra chocolate from the cleaning cart. ;) I've also heard that you can use your S&S card to view your ship photos?

 

Can you think of anything else that has changed, whether significant or insignificant?

 

Thanks!

 

You must have been hanging out on Carnival in the meantime. On Royal Caribbean, it's the SeaPass card. ;)

 

Yes, on some ships, facial recognition has been introduced, and you can view all of your photos on a special photo kiosk, instead of looking through wall after wall after wall of printed photos.

 

Don't be too hard on yourself about the chocolates. I think that it's just the opposite. Too many people never touched them, and it was perceived as wasteful. If everyone had eaten them, instead of leaving them lying around, RC might have seen this as a valuable perk that everyone wanted.

[genegri]

You used to be able to get price drops after final payment. A HUGE one for me.

 

But at least you can still upgrade, right? Just curious.

[mechcc]

Dress is a lot more casual and jeans are accepted in the MDR. Tuxes are few and far between on formal nights.

 

My time dining has been added.

[Merion_Mom]

But at least you can still upgrade, right? Just curious.

 

IF a category above you is the same or a lower price than what you paid for your cabin. (and if there are cabins available ;) - or else how would there be a price at all?)