No longer feel like "Royalty"

[Lejardin]

sorry to all of you that don't feel like royalty because of your cruise"disapointments" LOL i hope this is all the ill that befalls you.

 

<3 love that you can cruise.!!

[woehwdy]

Good first draft, I would just clean it up a bit before you send it if you want to be taken seriously.

 

Paragraphs would be nice for starters!:D

[Merion_Mom]

ATTENTION:

 

They were not mints. They were never mints. They were chocolates. Not chocolate mints. Chocolates. Waxy, tasteless chocolate, but that's my personal opinion. ;)

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

 

Before you send the letter, you may want to drop the "Diamond" reference as "Diamond" has the reputation of being the level where many expect and demand to be treated special. Instead, include your C&A number and they can look up your history if they want to.

 

We hope to get get there one day but serious question, do you think the complaints of a Diamond member would be taken less seriously by RCI purely for economic reasons.

 

I'm thinking that a Diamond member would probably spend less on ship souvenirs and tours as you are experienced cruisers, and probably less on alcohol as you get to enjoy complimentary cocktails for three hours a night.

 

Of course quite rightly you have spent heavily to achieve the status but thereby by default you are already sold on the product by RCI.

 

New inexperienced cruisers possibly spend more on the ship.

 

I'm probably not making the point very well but Diamonds are probably cherished by RCI's loyalty department and newbies to cruising by the accountants of the company.

 

I genuinely don't know who's views or complaints would be taken more seriously.

 

Sorry for going off topic.

[Wilda]

There were at least 3 days where I could fine NOTHING on the entree menu that appealed to me, and I am not a picky person.

 

We were in a junior suite and didn't enjoy the balcony for all of the salt built up on the banister and furniture.

 

The wood in the room was well worn We had to ASK for robes (even though we were Diamonds and in a JR suite) and for stationary (come on, really?).

 

You couldn't find anything to eat on at least 3 nights. Did you ask for a substitute meal? It has been my experience that they will usually accommodate you and whip something up in the kitchen.

 

You couldn't enjoy the balcony because of the salt build up? Did you ask your cabin attendant to change out the chairs?

 

The wood in the room was worn. It is an older ship. Maybe you (like me) prefer the newer ships that aren't showing the wear and tear that comes with a ship that has seen many sailings.

 

You had to ASK for a robe. If that is the only thing that was forgotten I agree with PP- perhaps you should consider switching to another line. Not cheerleading here- just think that you have expectations that this line no longer meets.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Wilda

[Thetrail]

It's a wall of text and it sounds pretty whiny.

 

That isn't a flame and isn't meant to hurt your feelings in any way. I'm just responding to your request for feedback.

 

I can see some of the items being legitimate complaints, but in this case, less is definitely more. Maybe you could just reference them in one sentence if you feel they MUST MUST MUST be in the letter.

 

"We had several other minor issues with things like Blah, Blah-blah, Blahdy-Blah, and Bleeh, but our main issues were these couple of things..."

 

Personally, I'd drop the small junk completely and focus on whatever 2 or 3 things you REALLY think need to be addressed.

I have to agree here, the new menu for us, wonderful, change and variety are good things in my book, seating for shows( we are always first seating) never a problem, never felt rushed and never have a hard time finding seats. Chocolates on the pillows, who cares. Still after all these years prefer RCL ships, the crew, food etc......K.O.:)

[Thetrail]

I don't understand what age / retirement has to do with C&A Status?

 

###

Have an idea actually, but will keep this thought to myself...;)

[ronrythm]

ATTENTION:

 

 

They were not mints. They were never mints. They were chocolates. Not chocolate mints. Chocolates. Waxy, tasteless chocolate, but that's my personal opinion. ;)

Personally, way back in the early days (Nordic Prince, Sun Viking) they were Andes Crème de Menthe and quite good.

Enjoy

Ron

[nbsjcruiser]

The new menus are fine, not fantastic like they were back in early 2000's but acceptable. There's no question that food is not as good as it was but its not Carnival bad or even close to it.

[Retiringworkingstiff]

We only have several cruises under our belt, want to do a lot more in the future, hitting 58.

 

A few years ago, we were on the Celebrity Infinity, we opted for a Concierge Class cabin, I think it cost us a couple of hundred more. We got personalized stationery (inside some sort of pouch). I understand that's gone now!

 

I always have a pen with/on me, not a deal breaker.

 

Robes, I don't know if any cruise ship washes them every time a new group of passengers board. Maybe they do but we never uses them without knowing for sure.

 

We were on the Allure last year with Junior, summer (high) season, ate mostly at the specialty restaurants: Giovanni - the best. Chops: I expected better. Izumi: They have no idea how to do the stone grill. 150 Central Park: Very nice ambiance, food was OK, waiter not too attentive since we did not order a bottle of wine, he bowed his head after I tipped him $10 extra. MDR food and service was actually quite good, waiter offered to remove the shell of the lobster tail for Junior, that was nice! Allure is just too big for us, next time we might considered the Jewel/Radiance class, I've heard they are more suited for people our age.

 

We are talking mass market cruise lines with RCL, NCL, Cunard, CCL ... even if you have some sort of a suite on any of those lines, it's still mass market, different business model compared to Crystal, Regent 7 Seas and the like.

 

Just my 2 cents!

 

Hope I didn't offend anyone, not my intention.

[PattyG12]

sorry to all of you that don't feel like royalty because of your cruise"disapointments" LOL i hope this is all the ill that befalls you.

 

<3 love that you can cruise.!!

 

and that membership in this club is free ...

[Son of a Cruiser]

I have sailed with Polly a couple times and will only say that I have seldom seen anyone who loves cruising and Royal Caribbean more than Polly. Her excitement about cruising is infectious. She is not a "whiney" person, so I was surprised to see this post. I think she is just pointing out that cruising on RCCL has changed, especially in the MDR, and not for the better. We all notice it, at least those who have sailed for a number of years. Some of us accept the changes as the price of keeping fares low. Some have chosen the option of the specialty restaurants. Some are looking to other lines. Some of us choose to take the effort to point it out to RCCL in hopes that they will stop the cutbacks and maybe even reverse some of the changes. I think that is where Polly is coming from.

 

For me the excellent service on the rest of the ship and the design of the ships keeps me coming back, but I must admit that the MDR food and staff cutbacks become more noticeable. Dining in the MDR Is no longer one of the highlights of the cruise like it once was.

 

We have taken the specialty restaurant option, choosing to eat there about half the evenings. The quality of food and service there is what we used to experience in the dining room year ago. On our cruise last June, on one of the evenings we ate in the dining room, I too found nothing that really appealed to me on the new menu, so I ordered the Chops filet (excellent). Would have never even thought of this in years past. Guess that's what RCCL wants us to do :o.

[Miaminice]

Unfortunately cruising has become a mass market. And cruising will reach more and more customers. If more customers can be reached by lowering the prices for a still above average quality, and if the masses create more revenue than the seasoned and "royal" customers, any company company will cater to the masses. Royal Caribbean is no exeption here.

 

I am NOT saying I like it - but that´s just the way it is. I am a loyal RCCL customer for many years and I still think Royal is above average - even if the average isn´t what it used to be.

 

As an individual I have to decide if my favoured cruiseline is still better than the others or if I have to try a line that caters to a more luxurious market... and pay more for it.

[cello56]

It is hardly RCI's fault that you insisted on trying to attend shows intended for the other dinner seating. Since you are Diamond level, surely you have learned that the early show is for late seating, and the late show is for early seating. You made the choice to try and attend the incorrect show, and now you are complaining that you had to rush to get there in time? Seriously? If you had simply attended the correct show you would have had plenty of time. Perhaps My Time Dining would be a better fit for you?

 

If you had simply mentioned to your wait staff that you wanted to make the meals go faster they would have accommodated you no problem. They are not mind readers. The vast majority of the early seating guests had plenty of time to eat at a leisurely pace and attend the appropriate show time.

[fergusonvt]

Overall, your letter has many valid and legitimate points (although its a bit long, winded, and maybe you should've used better use of paragraphs. Makes it hard to read :o).

 

About the comment concerning Carnival: IMHO, I think that this type of comment just perpetuates the stigma attached to several Royal customers who think that they are better than they really are. I agree that Royal is a notch above Carnival in many areas, but as a Platinum cruiser on both of these cruise line, believe me, both cater to a similar demographic sliver of the population.

 

Finally, As you said, Royal may be keeping prices steady while cutting back on amenities. So is every other cruise line. Unfortunately, these days people can't sit back and wait for their beloved cruise line to "go back" to how they used to be. In today's economics, its not going to happen. If you're willing to pay more to get more, you may need to move to the next cruise line up.

 

 

I agree with everything you said. Plus the part about not asking for onboard credit is just a request for onboard credit in my opinion. If you aren't asking for it then don't even mention it. Also remember that some of these complaints are really just your opinion because I have read lots of posts and reviews in preparation for my first RCI cruise from folks who love the new menus and don't think there is anything wrong with them or the food in the MDR. That being said you are certainly allowed to voice your opinions to RCI.

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

Unfortunately cruising has become a mass market. And cruising will reach more and more customers. If more customers can be reached by lowering the prices for a still above average quality, and if the masses create more revenue than the seasoned and "royal" customers, any company company will cater to the masses. Royal Caribbean is no exeption here.

 

I am NOT saying I like it - but that´s just the way it is. I am a loyal RCCL customer for many years and I still think Royal is above average - even if the average isn´t what it used to be.

 

As an individual I have to decide if my favoured cruiseline is still better than the others or if I have to try a line that caters to a more luxurious market... and pay more for it.

 

Thanks for this post, you have better made the point I was trying to make a few posts back. I was rather clumsily trying to move the conversation on in establishing who is more important to RCI and whether it's more about attracting new customers rather than retaining existing customers.

 

I mean no offence, and I only mention this because the OP does in her letter, but a Diamond lounge full of customers lamenting the demise of standards whilst drinking complimentary cocktails is not adding to the bottom line as much as newly attracted customers glowing from a cut price good deal spending in the shops and bars.

 

This is the corporate world we live in :(

[PORT ROYAL]

Thanks for this post, you have better made the point I was trying to make a few posts back. I was rather clumsily trying to move the conversation on in establishing who is more important to RCI and whether it's more about attracting new customers rather than retaining existing customers.

 

I mean no offence, and I only mention this because the OP does in her letter, but a Diamond lounge full of customers lamenting the demise of standards whilst drinking complimentary cocktails is not adding to the bottom line as much as newly attracted customers glowing from a cut price good deal spending in the shops and bars.

 

This is the corporate world we live in :(

 

Are you including the vast amount of low spending new cruisers, attracted by price only, belonging to the UK branch of the "HOW MUCH?! - YOU'RE JOKING!" Club? The same Club members may also be missing from their tables on the last night in the MDR.

[pcur]

I've wondered for a long time why people living in today's economies across the world can't adjust to what changes. So many people that cruise seem to think their expectations should continue to be met, when the cost of meeting these expectations has increased.

 

I've been cruising for 40 years, and I've adjusted to the facts of life with cruising: it's more expensive, and some of the complimentary things have been eliminated, for one reason or another. Sometimes it's being ecology-friendly: cutting down on laundry with all the towel animals, or less garbage with millions of chocolate wrappers. Sometimes it's just economics. Sometimes it's shortages: escargot, for instance.

 

I have learned that cruising, like many other things in my life, evolves to meet the demands of the world and economy.

 

If I want to keep those nuances and amenities that appeal to me and are important, then I have to seek out a cruise line that provides them. But, wanting them back with no changes on my part (expectations or money spent) is unrealistic.

 

So, I don't expect the two huge lobster tails I used to eat on cruises in the 1970's, and I ate a little more chocolate somewhere else on the ship knowing I wouldn't get a chocolate on my pillow that night, and I make sure to bring pen and paper with me now. In other words: I adapted.

 

There's a difference between poor planning and service, like slow dining service and poor timing for nightly entertainment, and just being stuck with an ideal that won't budge.

 

I still love my cruises, and I still get a lot of good stuff to eat somewhere on the ship, and I use the towels and the washcloths in my towel animals to save on ship's laundry.

 

Just sayin..................sorry it's long.

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

Are you including the vast amount of low spending new cruisers, attracted by price only, belonging to the UK branch of the "HOW MUCH?! - YOU'RE JOKING!" Club? The same Club members may also be missing from their tables on the last night in the MDR.

 

Fair point but RCI certainly isn't attracting low spending customers at the moment. Spend per customer was up 6% when they announced their last results.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/25/us-royalcaribbean-results-idUSBRE96O0QP20130725

[cruisinfanatic]

Dinner (main seating) was 5:30, but we never made it out of there before 7:20. There were times that we had a choice of a second show, but it would be like 10:00, which was later than us early risers wanted to do, but sometimes that was the only choice other than standing in the back.

what time was the show that you had to stand up for?

[poncho1973]

Fair point but RCI certainly isn't attracting low spending customers at the moment. Spend per customer was up 6% when they announced their last results.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/25/us-royalcaribbean-results-idUSBRE96O0QP20130725

 

You get a solid, slow clap for citing your references. Great work.

[critterchick]

It is hardly RCI's fault that you insisted on trying to attend shows intended for the other dinner seating. Since you are Diamond level, surely you have learned that the early show is for late seating, and the late show is for early seating. You made the choice to try and attend the incorrect show, and now you are complaining that you had to rush to get there in time? Seriously? If you had simply attended the correct show you would have had plenty of time. Perhaps My Time Dining would be a better fit for you?

 

If you had simply mentioned to your wait staff that you wanted to make the meals go faster they would have accommodated you no problem. They are not mind readers. The vast majority of the early seating guests had plenty of time to eat at a leisurely pace and attend the appropriate show time.

 

Not always. We've been on cruises where the early show is sometimes for early seating and the late show for late seating. They tend to mix it up, in my experience. One of the reasons we switched to MTD on the rare occasions that we eat in the MDR was that the waitstaff is now so trained to bring as many meals as possible to their stations that they often cannot accommodate requests for speedier service.

 

I've wondered for a long time why people living in today's economies across the world can't adjust to what changes. So many people that cruise seem to think their expectations should continue to be met, when the cost of meeting these expectations has increased.

 

I've been cruising for 40 years, and I've adjusted to the facts of life with cruising: it's more expensive, and some of the complimentary things have been eliminated, for one reason or another. Sometimes it's being ecology-friendly: cutting down on laundry with all the towel animals, or less garbage with millions of chocolate wrappers. Sometimes it's just economics. Sometimes it's shortages: escargot, for instance.

 

I have learned that cruising, like many other things in my life, evolves to meet the demands of the world and economy.

 

If I want to keep those nuances and amenities that appeal to me and are important, then I have to seek out a cruise line that provides them. But, wanting them back with no changes on my part (expectations or money spent) is unrealistic.

 

So, I don't expect the two huge lobster tails I used to eat on cruises in the 1970's, and I ate a little more chocolate somewhere else on the ship knowing I wouldn't get a chocolate on my pillow that night, and I make sure to bring pen and paper with me now. In other words: I adapted.

 

There's a difference between poor planning and service, like slow dining service and poor timing for nightly entertainment, and just being stuck with an ideal that won't budge.

 

I still love my cruises, and I still get a lot of good stuff to eat somewhere on the ship, and I use the towels and the washcloths in my towel animals to save on ship's laundry.

 

Just sayin..................sorry it's long.

 

Cruising is a lot less expensive for the consumer today than it was when we first sailed on Nordic Empress in 1995. We paid something like $500pp for an oceanview cabin for 4 nights, with dollars that bought a lot more than they do now. On many cruises, $500 will get you an OV for 7 nights or longer now. To me the problem is that cruising has gotten a lot LESS expensive as the market has exploded and the lines are building bigger and bigger ships that they need to fill. I'm sure that a crowded market and very high fuel costs are the two major reasons for all of the little cutbacks and some of the big ones as well. I am equally certain that CCers on the Regent, Silversea, Crystal and other higher end lines are also bemoaning the degradation of their product.

[pcur]

Cruising is a lot less expensive for the consumer today than it was when we first sailed on Nordic Empress in 1995. We paid something like $500pp for an oceanview cabin for 4 nights, with dollars that bought a lot more than they do now. On many cruises, $500 will get you an OV for 7 nights or longer now. To me the problem is that cruising has gotten a lot LESS expensive as the market has exploded and the lines are building bigger and bigger ships that they need to fill. I'm sure that a crowded market and very high fuel costs are the two major reasons for all of the little cutbacks and some of the big ones as well. I am equally certain that CCers on the Regent, Silversea, Crystal and other higher end lines are also bemoaning the degradation of their product.

 

This hasn't been our experience. When we first started cruising our fares were $550 per person, INCLUDING airfare, for a 7 night cruise ocean view cabin. The cruise portion now for an "off the shelf" cruise is usually more than that, NOT including airfare. Sales, maybe a cruise is cheaper, but comparing apple to apples, the cruise portion is more now for a cruise booked without incentives, sales, specials, etc.

 

When we started cruising you got a discount for booking 6 months or more in advance. Now, I find myself scrambling to look at senior rates, Tuesday specials, WOW sales, onboard bookings, specials, C&A discounts, etc., to get the price down.

 

Like I said: I adapt. :D

 

And, don't even get me started about air fare!!! :eek:

[Starry Eyes]

After multiple years of cruising, we decided to take a spur of the moment land vacation. So we cashed in some airline miles and reserved a hotel on a popular island. It was a nice place and the weather was perfect. Though a nice trip, it reminded us why we like cruising so much. The restaurants in the resort area were quite expensive; after included meals on ships for years, I'd forgotten how expensive vacation meals can be. And the food we got was not that special. And the service was better on the ships. And perhaps nice stuff, the fragrance in their bath amenities made me sneeze:o. And shows were not included in our stay. And it was the same beach every day;), unlike a cruise that deposits you in a fresh spot frequently. And of course, we could not slip up to WJ or ring room service for a free late dessert or coffee.

 

So now, when so relatively minor complaint arises, like asking for robes, we remind ourselves of that trip to help reset our vacation expectations.

 

We do divvy up our cruising among three cruise lines and we do the occasional land trip, especially for conferences. That means we get some different menus, different shows, different styles, different itineraries and so on.

 

Like others, I think it may be time for the OP to try another line. Celebrity might be a good match. Find recent menus on the Celebrity board and see if they appeal. Maybe, just maybe, it is time to move to a line with a different style, either once or permanently. And if that does not make you feel royal again, try a land vacation someplace with surly staff; that should do the trick:eek:

[cruisinfanatic]

Not always. We've been on cruises where the early show is sometimes for early seating and the late show for late seating. They tend to mix it up, in my experience.

Unless there is only 1 combined show for both seatings, the early seating will almost always be at 8:30 or 9. It's the lat seating that gets moved around. Their show will be either after dinner at about 10:30 or before dinner at about 7