Just off the Independence 3/2 to 3/9. Comments and Concerns

[Sass4]

My husband and I have been on a few cruises and we usually enjoy every minute of it. I can make the best of any situation and have fun no matter what :)

 

This cruise was different, we felt it the minute we walked on.

 

I've been thinking of doing this post since Wednesday and the only way I can describe it as is it seems to be very low morale among the crew.

 

Previous cruises the crew was smiling, accommodating and seemed to enjoy their job and it was overall a good time.

 

The service was basically horrible. In the past breakfast in the windjammer there were staff greetings everywhere, coffee juice and drinks brought to your table. We saw none of this the entire 8 night cruise except for 1 lunch.

 

Disappointed in the 'new' menu...Turkey twice in 1 week? really?

 

My husband misses the Escargot.

 

The dining room service was beyond slow (yawn). We had my time dining and our waiter couldn't really understand English. I said "I need a fork, please", he said "Enjoy your dinner" and went off to wait on another table. (That was FUNNY, I'll admit)

 

Chops was another yawner as well. It was only 2 of us we ordered off the menu but I don't believe the dinner should of had to last 2 hours.

 

The food was good, the shows were awesome.

 

The first two sea days were basically boring. I don't know why they have the late night comedian the night before a port day instead of in between the 2 sea days.

 

There was no Midnight (11pm) buffet. :(

 

Was wondering if anyone else notice this as well?

[Bandit236]

I'm sorry you didn't seem to have a good time. We're leaving Saturday on the Indy and are really looking forward to it.

[Carolin]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy. Just to let you know, midnight buffet's have been gone for years.

[Daghis]

Most of what you commented seems to be focused on the food. You did mention a sense of low morale among the crew, but I wasn't sure whether that was dining staff or more across the board.

 

How were the activities? Was the comedian entertaining? Did you happen to listen to any of the live music, and if so, how was that?

 

I hope that there were some more positives for your cruise and that it wasn't entirely a downer.

 

Like Bandit236, we leave soon for Indy and are also looking forward to it. I know we'll have a different Cruise Director, but don't know who it'll be yet. I hope we have a good time.

[pcur]

My husband and I have been on a few cruises and we usually enjoy every minute of it. I can make the best of any situation and have fun no matter what :)

 

This cruise was different, we felt it the minute we walked on.

 

I've been thinking of doing this post since Wednesday and the only way I can describe it as is it seems to be very low morale among the crew.

 

Previous cruises the crew was smiling, accommodating and seemed to enjoy their job and it was overall a good time.

 

The service was basically horrible. In the past breakfast in the windjammer there were staff greetings everywhere, coffee juice and drinks brought to your table. We saw none of this the entire 8 night cruise except for 1 lunch.The staff coming around with the cart of juice, water, and coffee is hit-or-miss on all RCCL ships. I would say it's not a standard, and we always expect to get our own drinks in the Windjammer.

 

Disappointed in the 'new' menu...Turkey twice in 1 week? really?

 

My husband misses the Escargot. This is a supply issue, and has been discussed in the media for months. Not much RCCL can do about it.

 

The dining room service was beyond slow (yawn). We had my time dining and our waiter couldn't really understand English. I said "I need a fork, please", he said "Enjoy your dinner" and went off to wait on another table. (That was FUNNY, I'll admit) Get another waiter. Seriously, MTD is all about choice. I would have asked to NOT be seated in that waiter's section after that.

 

Chops was another yawner as well. It was only 2 of us we ordered off the menu but I don't believe the dinner should of had to last 2 hours. This is the usual time it takes for dinner in Chops. I see you've been on other ships with Chops. Was this your first time? If you had eaten at Chops on your other cruises, didn't it take this long then, too?

 

The food was good, the shows were awesome.

 

The first two sea days were basically boring. I don't know why they have the late night comedian the night before a port day instead of in between the 2 sea days.

 

There was no Midnight (11pm) buffet. :( As mentioned above by another poster, they stopped the midnight buffet many years ago. You probably noticed this on your 2 - 3 previous RCCL cruises in the past few years??????

 

Was wondering if anyone else notice this as well?

 

I truly cannot figure out why you didn't enjoy your cruise from your comments. Most of what was bothering you was either standard (and you would know it from previous cruises), unavoidable, or you didn't make an effort to solve the problem (dining room problems).

 

I guess I just focus on other things when I'm cruising.

[leaveitallbehind]

Most of what you commented seems to be focused on the food. You did mention a sense of low morale among the crew, but I wasn't sure whether that was dining staff or more across the board.

 

How were the activities? Was the comedian entertaining? Did you happen to listen to any of the live music, and if so, how was that?

 

I hope that there were some more positives for your cruise and that it wasn't entirely a downer.

 

Like Bandit236, we leave soon for Indy and are also looking forward to it. I know we'll have a different Cruise Director, but don't know who it'll be yet. I hope we have a good time.

 

Everyone's view is subjective - especially with food - and based on their own expectations. Certainly can't criticize their opinion but also won't set my expectations based on that.

 

I also have no worries Marc about ours next week. As you well know so much of a cruise is what you make of it. And based on our roll I think at least some of us will be fine. :D See you Saturday......

[Paul65]

I truly cannot figure out why you didn't enjoy your cruise from your comments. Most of what was bothering you was either standard (and you would know it from previous cruises), unavoidable, or you didn't make an effort to solve the problem (dining room problems).

 

I guess I just focus on other things when I'm cruising.

 

Sounds like she sensed a lack of morale and enthusiasm from the dining room and WJ staff, and this affected her impression of the cruise as a whole.

 

When you've been on multiple cruises in which your waiters seemed to really add to the atmosphere, it can be a bit of a bummer, if that is missing. I've experienced that on one of my cruises. It didn't ruin the trip for me, by any means, but it made it somewhat less enjoyable than some of the others.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Sounds like she sensed a lack of morale and enthusiasm from the dining room and WJ staff, and this affected her impression of the cruise as a whole.

 

When you've been on multiple cruises in which your waiters seemed to really add to the atmosphere, it can be a bit of a bummer, if that is missing. I've experienced that on one of my cruises. It didn't ruin the trip for me, by any means, but it made it somewhat less enjoyable than some of the others.

 

That's what I was thinking. A lot of people that sailed on Indy have reported about the same kind of thing. Just feeling like something was off, or different from their past cruises. Maybe just a combo of little things.

 

Sorry OP, that you didn't have a great cruise.

[Verfai]

I can agree with some of your findings (yet on other ships),

 

Last Allure cruise (last month), Windjammer, wait staff did not take away finished plates at breakfast, they would just let them pile up and only take them away when you left. Except for on lonely guy at the entrance not a lot of crew members to be seen, or others directing you to an empty table (We had this on ALL other cruises).

 

We also noticed that the English of our waiter was not good enough…He could do and say

everything standard and take orders, but when asked something more complicated he never seemed to understand (confirmed by all our table mates).

 

Crew moral, on our NOS cruise we noticed an overall low moral onboard and people like our room attendant not willing to do a proper job even after confronting him with our opinion.

[poncho1973]

The service was basically horrible. In the past breakfast in the windjammer there were staff greetings everywhere, coffee juice and drinks brought to your table. We saw none of this the entire 8 night cruise except for 1 lunch.

I've seen this mentioned a few times, but in all of my cruises, I have never seen drinks delivered to your table. I have been sitting in the WJ when there was hardly anyone there and had a waiter walk by and offer me a refill... but that was like 2 or 3 times TOPS. The WJ was almost barren at the time, too. Whenever I've been there, everything has been self-serve.

 

My husband misses the Escargot.

He should complain to the planet, not the Indy staff. We are in a world-wide shortage.

 

The dining room service was beyond slow (yawn). We had my time dining and our waiter couldn't really understand English. I said "I need a fork, please", he said "Enjoy your dinner" and went off to wait on another table. (That was FUNNY, I'll admit)

 

Chops was another yawner as well. It was only 2 of us we ordered off the menu but I don't believe the dinner should of had to last 2 hours.

With as many cruises as you have been on, you should know that quick & cruise dinners aren't words that go together. Seriously, the main seating (I know you did MTD) times should clue you in on that. They aren't 20 minutes apart. That is intentional.

 

The first two sea days were basically boring.

You say boring, I say relaxing. You didn't notice there were sea days when you booked? You have been on many cruises, so I'm assuming you have encountered a sea day or two along the way.

 

There was no Midnight (11pm) buffet. :(

Your sig says you've cruised a few times since this happened.

 

Was wondering if anyone else notice this as well?

I was here at home, so I didn't.

 

 

It's nice that you enjoyed the shows. You didn't do anything else fun on the cruise? Your review is VERY pointed to the dining service. When I cruise, the dining service tends to make up about 5% of my cruise, at most. I'm usually busy at the pool, out in the ports, sleeping!!!!, enjoying the time away with my wife, wandering the ship, people watching, doing stuff, enjoying the multitude of amenities, etc.

[pcur]

Sounds like she sensed a lack of morale and enthusiasm from the dining room and WJ staff, and this affected her impression of the cruise as a whole.

 

When you've been on multiple cruises in which your waiters seemed to really add to the atmosphere, it can be a bit of a bummer, if that is missing. I've experienced that on one of my cruises. It didn't ruin the trip for me, by any means, but it made it somewhat less enjoyable than some of the others.

 

I agree with you. The thing is I've experienced all of the issues the OP mentions, and I just cannot work up the energy to let even the sum total of them affect my enjoyment on a cruise.

 

I've been on the Indy and had a wonderful cruise.

[Big_G]

Where's Ocean Boy when you need him? I think he was on this cruise.

[micmacmissy]

My husband and I have been on a few cruises and we usually enjoy every minute of it. I can make the best of any situation and have fun no matter what :)

 

This cruise was different, we felt it the minute we walked on.

 

I've been thinking of doing this post since Wednesday and the only way I can describe it as is it seems to be very low morale among the crew.

 

Previous cruises the crew was smiling, accommodating and seemed to enjoy their job and it was overall a good time.

 

The service was basically horrible. In the past breakfast in the windjammer there were staff greetings everywhere, coffee juice and drinks brought to your table. We saw none of this the entire 8 night cruise except for 1 lunch.

 

Disappointed in the 'new' menu...Turkey twice in 1 week? really?

 

My husband misses the Escargot.

 

The dining room service was beyond slow (yawn). We had my time dining and our waiter couldn't really understand English. I said "I need a fork, please", he said "Enjoy your dinner" and went off to wait on another table. (That was FUNNY, I'll admit)

 

Chops was another yawner as well. It was only 2 of us we ordered off the menu but I don't believe the dinner should of had to last 2 hours.

 

The food was good, the shows were awesome.

 

The first two sea days were basically boring. I don't know why they have the late night comedian the night before a port day instead of in between the 2 sea days.

 

There was no Midnight (11pm) buffet. :(

 

Was wondering if anyone else notice this as well?

 

We loved our cruise on Indy last month. All crew members that we encountered were friendly, happy, helpful- we had no issues at all with this!

 

Windjammer service was great on embarkation day- after that we got our own drinks. One day our MTD waiter was working the Windjammer and brought my kids their favorite: chocolate milk. This was a nice touch. It would be nice if there were more wait staff in there (on Celebrity they carry your trays to a table AND get your drinks) but this didn't bother us at all.

 

Our dining room service was great- we did MTD and were able to sit in the same section each night except for one night...and that was the night we had an inattentive waiter. Other than that, service was great!

 

We ate in Chops, and it only took about an hour for the two of us; we went at 6:00pm, so maybe that was why, it wasn't busy yet?

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy it...just wanted to put in my two cents because I had read so much about the poor morale of the staff that I was worried...but it was great!

[PattyG12]

We normally have ONE night time buffet when we cruise. Maybe 70s night?

[banshee72]

We'll be sailing on Indy on Sat. as well. Flying out at 6AM friday....cant wait. I really dont think that anything the OP mentioned would really make any difference when it comes to my enjoyment of the cruise.

[Daghis]

We normally have ONE night time buffet when we cruise. Maybe 70s night?

I don't know about too many other ships, but the only time on Royal Caribbean ships that I can remember a night-time buffet has been on Majesty or Monarch. They still do it as part of their night-time pool party.

 

It's great for a midnight sail away from Nassau.

[Paul65]

I don't know about too many other ships, but the only time on Royal Caribbean ships that I can remember a night-time buffet has been on Majesty or Monarch. They still do it as part of their night-time pool party.

 

It's great for a midnight sail away from Nassau.

 

There was a late-night, poolside buffet on the Voyager last time I cruised (though that was 2010). It's been a long time since the Midnight Gala Buffets in the dining room, though.

[ATLD]

My husband and I have been on a few cruises and we usually enjoy every minute of it. I can make the best of any situation and have fun no matter what :)

 

This cruise was different, we felt it the minute we walked on.

 

I've been thinking of doing this post since Wednesday and the only way I can describe it as is it seems to be very low morale among the crew.

 

Previous cruises the crew was smiling, accommodating and seemed to enjoy their job and it was overall a good time.

 

The service was basically horrible. In the past breakfast in the windjammer there were staff greetings everywhere, coffee juice and drinks brought to your table. We saw none of this the entire 8 night cruise except for 1 lunch.

 

Disappointed in the 'new' menu...Turkey twice in 1 week? really?

 

My husband misses the Escargot.

 

The dining room service was beyond slow (yawn). We had my time dining and our waiter couldn't really understand English. I said "I need a fork, please", he said "Enjoy your dinner" and went off to wait on another table. (That was FUNNY, I'll admit)

 

Chops was another yawner as well. It was only 2 of us we ordered off the menu but I don't believe the dinner should of had to last 2 hours.

 

The food was good, the shows were awesome.

 

The first two sea days were basically boring. I don't know why they have the late night comedian the night before a port day instead of in between the 2 sea days.

 

There was no Midnight (11pm) buffet. :(

 

Was wondering if anyone else notice this as well?

 

 

We were on this cruise and experienced the opposite in most cases. We departed the ship 3/10.

 

We had great interaction with the crew from the bar service to the stateroom attendant (who was one of the best we have had).

 

Shows were very good, especially the RC Singers and Dancers!

 

Food was very good to great, I know, subjective. However, I agree that MDR service was slow due to serving teams getting used to the new menus.

 

WJ staff was excellent. Right when you first walk in you hear a friendly "Washee Washee!" to the staff manning the tables they were all pleasant and helpful. I would say the WJ staff offered coffee/beverage service for the morning 90% of the time, the other 10% we just got it from the beverage stations which were also well staffed. We ate in there a fairly busy times, too. We thought the quality and selection in the WJ was good. Cafe Promenade sandwiches were an excellent snack.

 

We would never have a boring cruise, it is what the customer makes of it. The ship was full of things to do. We did find it odd there was no parade in the Royal Promenade like on previous sailings in this class of ship.

 

Agree on Chops was just ok, would not do it again. However, 3 words - Red Velvet Cake - it was the best!

 

I think the last midnight buffet I remember was back in 2007, none have been offered since then and nor did we expect it - usually what we ate during the day was enough.

 

It is interesting how the same cruise can provide a different experience for others. This was a great cruise for us and will be planning on another soon.

[leaveitallbehind]

There was a late-night, poolside buffet on the Voyager last time I cruised (though that was 2010). It's been a long time since the Midnight Gala Buffets in the dining room, though.

 

Our experiences recently as well - poolside late buffet (but not on every ship) and no midnight buffet in the traditional manner in the MDR or elsewhere now for several years.

[39august]

We cruised Indy last month and loved it! No lack of good staff morale on our cruise. Yes, the food was very good. And tho' the gala midnight buffets have been gone for years, there was a late night pool party and buffet. Best of all was the ship is virtually non-smoking inside...only allowed in the casino. Sorry the OP was disappointed.

[Daghis]

Best of all was the ship is virtually non-smoking inside...only allowed in the casino.

Although I've generally not been bothered by the smoking areas in most of the public venues, I'm still looking forward to seeing this. I wonder, though, whether the casino will be smokier as a result of people being forced to go there if they want to smoke indoors.

[Wilda]

Where's Ocean Boy when you need him? I think he was on this cruise.

 

I think you're right...its always interesting to get other perspectives:)

[crusinpeg]

We were on this cruise as well and experienced the exact opposite. Beverages were always brought to us in the WJ (one time when I asked for the KiwiStrawberry water and there was none..the server brought me all the other choices available so I could pick)

Dishes were always promptly cleared from our table.

WJ staff always welcomed us at the entrance generally singing and smiling.

 

Our MTD staff (Fernando and Lloyd) were fantastic and we requested them every night. Service was always prompt. One evening our waiter even entertained us by playing the guitar and singing.

 

As far as the new menu (great by the way) there might have been turkey on 2 nights but there was also lamb and prime rib two nights as well which was excellent.

 

I don't know how OP found cruise to be boring..there was so much to do that we found a daily quick nap was always welcomed.

 

Since escargot was not available( head waiter told us they couldn't get it from their supplier and the other supplier didn't meet FDA standards) they offered a similar crab and salmon dish with the same butter and garlic.

 

Overall we had a great cruise the CD Joff and his staff were all high energy.. as well as the singers and dancers. I think a cruise is what you make it and we made it a fantastic 8 days.!!!! Can't wait for our next Royal cruise in Oct.

[ryano]

This thread is very typical of most reviews Ive often read here.

 

For every one NOT happy, there will be 4 or 5 come along on the SAME cruise that were completely satisfied. Those 4 or 5 usually wind up getting called cheerleaders though :rolleyes:

 

Sigh

[bigeck]

We were on this cruise as well and experienced the exact opposite. Beverages were always brought to us in the WJ (one time when I asked for the KiwiStrawberry water and there was none..the server brought me all the other choices available so I could pick)

Dishes were always promptly cleared from our table.

WJ staff always welcomed us at the entrance generally singing and smiling.

 

Our MTD staff (Fernando and Lloyd) were fantastic and we requested them every night. Service was always prompt. One evening our waiter even entertained us by playing the guitar and singing.

 

As far as the new menu (great by the way) there might have been turkey on 2 nights but there was also lamb and prime rib two nights as well which was excellent.

 

I don't know how OP found cruise to be boring..there was so much to do that we found a daily quick nap was always welcomed.

 

Since escargot was not available( head waiter told us they couldn't get it from their supplier and the other supplier didn't meet FDA standards) they offered a similar crab and salmon dish with the same butter and garlic.

 

Overall we had a great cruise the CD Joff and his staff were all high energy.. as well as the singers and dancers. I think a cruise is what you make it and we made it a fantastic 8 days.!!!! Can't wait for our next Royal cruise in Oct.

 

We will see you on Serenade. Glad you had a good time and a good review. We are booking the Ta on Indy for November next year.