No longer feel like "Royalty"

[missbogota]

Wow, sure looks like I'm in a minority with my opinion. I didn't mean to offend anyone. I was just stating my thoughts. You all have valid thoughts. I guess I should take a refresher course in english too :p:D.

 

CruizAddct you are not the only person that has noticed the decline in services and amenities! I've taken three cruises this year and even within this year, I've noticed a steady decline in all areas of RCCL. So much that I am sailing on a competitor for the first time in 5 years in January.

 

I've emailed all my comments to agoldstein@rccl.com I realize it doesn't really matter to him or RCCL as I am only a party of 2, but as a Diamond Plus, I wanted to express my disappointment.

[PORT ROYAL]

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

 

Your help please - Is the 6% calculated as a whole, or has the zero spenders been eclipsed by the higher [up by 12%] spenders?

 

There is a method in my madness, as we discussed this actual topic with a RM on a recent cruise, where the ship was of the opinion, that in general the USA and long standing patrons are spending more per head than most UK newbies.

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

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

 

It's the English way lol :)

[novalab]

It is strange that in many ways I agree with some aspects of your post, I also have stated that I would be happy to pay that little bit more to maintain high standards..........and yet..........I still find myself attracted to those cruises with the keenest prices.

 

I do find that it is about managing expectations, as long as I consider that I get value for money, then I am happy, and so far I have achieved that.

Sure I do use the speciality restaurants because of the changes in the Main Dining Room, but cruising has changed over the years, and on many occassions I pay less now than I did 15 years ago when I first started cruising. Therefore my expectations have changed, and I can live without some of the items that used to be offered but now are not.

 

However it is not only Royal that have made similar changes over the years, the market used to be a "Once in a Lifetime" holiday, and now in many ways in is an annual option for many. There are still cruise lines out there that do offer the " All singing and Dancing" options, with White Glove service and High Teas etc, but the prices charged reflect the extras that are included. I still prefer to pay as I go if I want an improved option, but do agree that basic standards need to be maintained, and if that in turn means higher prices, then I would still be cruising.

 

Good post. This is pretty much how I feel about cruising.

 

 

Guess I'm hooked.

[wolfganghowell]

I must be in the minority because I certainly haven't been paying LESS for my cruises. Our rates seem to consistently increase.

 

As others have said, food complaints and compliments are way too subjective for Royal to effect change. We found the new menus perfectly fine. Our experience has been that the WJ has improved its dinners in there while the lunches have gone downhill. So for us it's a wash.

 

I'm not certain anyone can make a valid argument on the stateroom attendants or crew based on one cruise. We've had amazing attendants and slow attendants. That seems to be the luck of the draw and hasn't really changed one way or the other based on 14 years of cruising.

 

All any of us can do is make our concerns and compliments known to corporate.

 

fyi - having sailed Royal and Celebrity exclusively, I can state that where once the 2 lines had more in common than not, in the past 5 years I think they have really distinguished between the two and done a nice job of making them separate but unique experiences. There are things we prefer on each line and for now, Royal comes out ahead. But if I were a big foodie and preferred a little bit more pampering and sophistication on my cruises, I would definitely choose Celebrity over Royal based on their current conditions.

[Thetrail]

CruizAddct you are not the only person that has noticed the decline in services and amenities! I've taken three cruises this year and even within this year, I've noticed a steady decline in all areas of RCCL. So much that I am sailing on a competitor for the first time in 5 years in January.

 

I've emailed all my comments to agoldstein@rccl.com I realize it doesn't really matter to him or RCCL as I am only a party of 2, but as a Diamond Plus, I wanted to express my disappointment.

Also D+ and IMHO I have just the opposite of my four cruises this year regarding your opinion of a "decline" in all areas. Have sailed, Navigator (B2B), Explorer, and Allure. Have found the food, crew, cleanliness and the Concierge and the bar staff in the CL all wonderful. Honestly zero complaints or issues.....K.O....:)

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

Sorry for your bad experience on your last cruise Polly. As others have stated, maybe trying Celebrity. On Celebrity you will be atop tier Elite member. They too have also had some cut backs. I'm finding I'm starting to like Celebrity more these days. I have a cruise planned for Jan on Royal, but unless it really wows us, we are switching to Celebrity they have really Wowed us over the top on our last two sailings.

 

Good luck and happy sailing no matter what line you sail on! keep us posted on the response that you get back from RCCL. :)

[Big_G]

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:

 

Maybe it's just me but I think I would be a little offended if after expressing my disappointment with the direction of the cruise line someone told me to just adapt. I'm sure no offense was intended. :)

[CruizAddct]

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.

 

Had you read my post appropriately, you would have seen that I WAS trying to attend MY SEATING's show. Others were NOT or it was the MTD people or people choosing to do the Windjammer. I was NOT attending the other's showtime. It was marked as the show for "main seating".

 

Another thing to ALL of those that have chosen to nothing but criticize my post.

 

Really??????

 

I never asked for criticism nor did I asked to be criticized for my writing skills.

 

I asked if "anyone else might have felt the same way".

 

Now I see clearly why this website is called cruise critic - but I thought we were being critical of the cruiselines - NOT each other.

 

Thats all I want to say about that!

 

BTW, was that enough paragraphs for all of you english majors????

[CruizAddct]

Maybe it's just me but I think I would be a little offended if after expressing my disappointment with the direction of the cruise line someone told me to just adapt. I'm sure no offense was intended. :)

 

Thanks so much to ALL of you who saw what I was seeing happening here. I have some pretty thick skin, but come on... It was an attack-fest by many (not all, by any means).

 

To anyone who is interested, here was my surpisingly quick response from RCI:

 

Thank you for your e-mail. We welcome the opportunity to further address any concerns. We realize when it comes to cruising you have many options. Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International.

 

The dining experience is a crucial part of a cruise and we work very hard to ensure we have excellent service, as well as enjoyable cuisine with a varied selection for our guests to choose from. Despite our best intentions and efforts, we realize this does not always occur on every sailing. I am sorry to hear of the disappointment you experienced with the dining onboard. It is important for us to be made aware of how we are performing in this area, as we are dedicated to satisfying the many varied tastes and preferences of our guests. We are sorry that we let you down regarding your dining enjoyment onboard. Your input is valuable in assisting us to determine where we need to improve to provide an excellent dining experience.

 

Our primary goal is for each guest to enjoy the best possible cruise and we regret that our efforts fell short of your expectations in regards to maintaining certain areas of the ship, especially your stateroom. We are committed to fully maintaining our ships and share your disappointment that the appearance of this area was below our standards. Your feedback is truly appreciated.

 

Additionally, we do our best to ensure that we fulfill our guests’ expectations. I am especially pleased you enjoyed the entertainment acts onboard. Thank you for sharing your positive impressions with us. They will be delighted to learn that they played an important part in creating a memorable experience.

 

We welcome the perspective you offer as a returning guest. Thank you for making us aware of your additional concerns, including the lack of special amenities for Crown and Anchor Society members, the stationery set and chocolates in the stateroom, and seating for the nightly entertainment. Additionally, I have noted your suggestion regarding the pricing concerns and the services that are covered by the cruise fare. Each point raised will be thoroughly documented and shared with our operations teams as this feedback is of great importance to us. We continually strive to improve our performance in order to assure our guests the most rewarding cruising experience. It is always our goal to provide you with a thoroughly enjoyable cruise vacation and we sincerely regret any disappointment you may have experienced..

 

We realize we must earn your business by providing the best possible service both on and off our ships. Again, it is my pleasure to be your personal contact. Please feel free to direct any additional questions or concerns to me and I will be happy to help. We sincerely appreciate your loyal patronage and look forward to welcoming you and your husband on the Legend of the Seas in March, 2015

[CruizAddct]

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.

 

 

Well, I'm done ranting and whining again. I'll see you on our next cruise, Richard. I've learned not to share on these boards something that can become so controversial. It can take someone with thick skin and thin it really quick. I'm fine now and will continue enjoying our more fun, (getting ready for crusining) threads and stay of the main threads, I guess.

 

Thanks for the input everyone...

[jcc1025]

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.

 

We agree completely. We have tried others and are now Diamond on RCCL. Know that due to completion and the economics of the industry all lines will change but for us, we have decided to stay with RCCL and think they are the best value.

[CruizAddct]

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. ;)

 

 

Not any of the ones I ever got, they were Andes Candies... Just saying...

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

Thanks so much to ALL of you who saw what I was seeing happening here. I have some pretty thick skin, but come on... It was an attack-fest by many (not all, by any means).

 

To anyone who is interested, here was my surpisingly quick response from RCI:

 

Thank you for your e-mail. We welcome the opportunity to further address any concerns. We realize when it comes to cruising you have many options. Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International.

 

The dining experience is a crucial part of a cruise and we work very hard to ensure we have excellent service, as well as enjoyable cuisine with a varied selection for our guests to choose from. Despite our best intentions and efforts, we realize this does not always occur on every sailing. I am sorry to hear of the disappointment you experienced with the dining onboard. It is important for us to be made aware of how we are performing in this area, as we are dedicated to satisfying the many varied tastes and preferences of our guests. We are sorry that we let you down regarding your dining enjoyment onboard. Your input is valuable in assisting us to determine where we need to improve to provide an excellent dining experience.

 

Our primary goal is for each guest to enjoy the best possible cruise and we regret that our efforts fell short of your expectations in regards to maintaining certain areas of the ship, especially your stateroom. We are committed to fully maintaining our ships and share your disappointment that the appearance of this area was below our standards. Your feedback is truly appreciated.

 

Additionally, we do our best to ensure that we fulfill our guests’ expectations. I am especially pleased you enjoyed the entertainment acts onboard. Thank you for sharing your positive impressions with us. They will be delighted to learn that they played an important part in creating a memorable experience.

 

We welcome the perspective you offer as a returning guest. Thank you for making us aware of your additional concerns, including the lack of special amenities for Crown and Anchor Society members, the stationery set and chocolates in the stateroom, and seating for the nightly entertainment. Additionally, I have noted your suggestion regarding the pricing concerns and the services that are covered by the cruise fare. Each point raised will be thoroughly documented and shared with our operations teams as this feedback is of great importance to us. We continually strive to improve our performance in order to assure our guests the most rewarding cruising experience. It is always our goal to provide you with a thoroughly enjoyable cruise vacation and we sincerely regret any disappointment you may have experienced..

 

We realize we must earn your business by providing the best possible service both on and off our ships. Again, it is my pleasure to be your personal contact. Please feel free to direct any additional questions or concerns to me and I will be happy to help. We sincerely appreciate your loyal patronage and look forward to welcoming you and your husband on the Legend of the Seas in March, 2015

 

So sorry for the shark attack you experienced here, it seems to get out of control any more, and that's why all these years I look and read but rarely post.

 

Thanks for posting the reply from RCCL! Happy Cruising!!

[ryano]

Well, I'm done ranting and whining again. I'll see you on our next cruise, Richard. I've learned not to share on these boards something that can become so controversial. It can take someone with thick skin and thin it really quick. I'm fine now and will continue enjoying our more fun, (getting ready for crusining) threads and stay of the main threads, I guess.

 

Thanks for the input everyone...

 

Some people take just as big offense to someone talking about Royal Caribbean as they do if you were talking about their children :eek: Let it roll off like water off a ducks back :)\

 

I think you had some have valid complaints and glad they are addressing them for you.

Edited October 23, 2013 by ryano

[mommabean]

Had you read my post appropriately, you would have seen that I WAS trying to attend MY SEATING's show. Others were NOT or it was the MTD people or people choosing to do the Windjammer. I was NOT attending the other's showtime. It was marked as the show for "main seating".

 

Another thing to ALL of those that have chosen to nothing but criticize my post.

 

Really??????

 

I never asked for criticism nor did I asked to be criticized for my writing skills.

 

I asked if "anyone else might have felt the same way".

 

Now I see clearly why this website is called cruise critic - but I thought we were being critical of the cruiselines - NOT each other.

 

Thats all I want to say about that!

 

BTW, was that enough paragraphs for all of you english majors????

 

I personally saw nothing wrong with your letter. RCI doesn't grade anyone on their use of the language nor do they expect everyone to be perfect.

 

I have noticed some of the same things as you. I actually don't like the size and shape of the new menu. How is that for picky? :) And like you, I sometimes sit and look at the menu (usually 2 nights of a 7 night cruise) and there isn't one single thing that I'm interested in. I sometimes say, "oh no, not this menu again. I should have looked before we came." It's a matter of taste I suppose but the old menus with the Indian option every night was greatly preferred by both me and my husband. There are some nights when all the things I like are on the menu.

 

It's not that the food is poorly prepared. It might or might not be prepared properly and it doesn't even matter which ship it is. On our last B2B2B we actually ate at the Captain's table each cruise. Twice my filet was perfect - the best I had. Once it was tough, undercooked, and just not good. I nibbled around and said nothing and just appreciated the evening for what it was. I realize that food may be a miss sometimes. But that menu just doesn't appeal to me overall anymore. Over the years they keep eliminating my favorites. I want my vegetarian chili back. And also the sugar free cream chantilly that was shaped like a swan.

 

I never had a mint on my pillow ever. I had chocolate. :D RCI has never give out mints. And the last chocolates I had were Ghiradelli and they are not at all waxy. I miss them.

 

I hate it when I am ready to take a shower and I realize I forgot to ask the stateroom attendant for my shampoo and conditioner. And even worse, when I do remember, he's off duty. Actually I'm supposed to have it no matter what room I'm in. But when I do get it and it's not Gilcrist and Soames I am mildly annoyed.

 

When I want to leave a quick note for someone, a lot of good it does to dig a pen out from (Now where did I put that thing) somewhere and not have any paper. Yes, we can ask for a pen and get a white generic one - but it's just one more thing to remember to ask for. Pen and paper should be in the drawer just like it is in any cheap motel. And this is something I've written and told them. I've compared it to the motel 6 in writing. Sorry if it sounds whiny. :rolleyes:

 

The little cutbacks are ridiculous. Like someone mentioned - they have eliminated our free advertising. Yes, they pay something for the logo items, but we are the walking billboards.

 

And no it hasn't ruined the best part of cruising for us. We still think the crew is the best, the ships are beautiful, and the rooms themselves are the best value out there. I always write them after a cruise and expand on the comments I have put on the comment card. The card I fill out after I go ask someone for a pen. And then I KEEP that pen. :p

 

And my letters are a lot more long winded than yours are. And Ed calls me all the time to thank me for them. ;)

 

But I definitely agree with your sentiments.

 

I did tell them on my recent B2B2B that the hash browns were horrible in the main dining room. The other 2 types of potatoes in the windjammer were far superior. This letter went off immediately after the second cruise. A few days into the 3rd cruise the hash browns actually improved. They turned brown and were cooked completely although still not the best. I got the feeling someone read the comment - I think I know who that someone was - and he had the kitchen make the adjustment. Some things can be fixed quickly.

 

Putting the pens and paper back may take some time. These may all be first world problems. But we are paying a lot more than we pay for a hotel - at least most of the time we are - and toiletries and pen and paper are standard in even cheap motels/hotels.

 

I would have commented on your original post sooner but I couldn't be this longwinded on my phone. :) I appreciated your post, Polly.

 

Gina

Edited October 23, 2013 by mommabean

[mommabean]

Not any of the ones I ever got, they were Andes Candies... Just saying...

 

I never had an Andes Candy on ANY of my cruises. They used to be square wrapped generic RCI labeled chocolate. Then the Ghiradelli chocolates came to the suites.

 

I did bring all my Royal Caribbean labeled chocolate home along with all my Carnival labeled chocolates. I then had a taste test. RCI had good milk chocolate - no mint whatsoever. Carnival had minted like milk chocolate that was definitely WAXY. They made the RCI chocolate seem like fancy gourmet chocolates. But Andes? Never. You can go look at my signature and see the ships I've been on. Maybe you were on a ship where they only had access to something different. Mine were square and the foil was silver and they used them for eyes on some of the towel animals. No, we never had rectangle eyes (Andes).

 

Gina

[CruizAddct]

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.

 

EXACTLY my point, we DID ask for speedier service and they didn't seem to be able to do any better.

 

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.

 

My point exactly, we still pay today what we did in 1983 (or eve less), so instead of keeping prices down or going lower to attract people to fill the ships, why not allow them to raise just a little to stay one up on everyone else. I am more than willing to pay an extra 100 pp to enjoy the "old" way of little niceties...

[cruisinfanatic]

Still trying to figure out why OP couldn't make it on time to a show that is at least 2 1/2 hrs after dinner start

[pcur]

Maybe it's just me but I think I would be a little offended if after expressing my disappointment with the direction of the cruise line someone told me to just adapt. I'm sure no offense was intended. :)

 

I wasn't instructing the OP to adapt; I was explaining what we have done over the last 40 years to continue enjoying our cruise experiences. Never mentioned the OP once.

[pcur]

Still trying to figure out why OP couldn't make it on time to a show that is at least 2 1/2 hrs after dinner start

 

The OP had slow dining service (a very legitimate complaint, by the way), and it took 2 hours to finish dinner. Then, the walk to the theater is usually to the other end of the ship, and by then it was standing room only some nights.

[cruisinfanatic]

The OP had slow dining service (a very legitimate complaint, by the way), and it took 2 hours to finish dinner. Then, the walk to the theater is usually to the other end of the ship, and by then it was standing room only some nights.

shows are a minimum of 2 1/2, usually 3 hrs after dinner start. Dinner at 6 and shows at 9. Not always, but typical.

Dinner service doesn't take 2 hrs unless someone at the table is ordering multiple appetizers, mains, etc.

Edited October 23, 2013 by SeaUs

[pcur]

shows are a minimum of 2 1/2, usually 3 hrs after dinner start. Dinner at 6 and shows at 9. Not always, but typical.

Dinner service doesn't take 2 hrs unless someone at the table is ordering multiple appetizers, mains, etc.

 

Please read post #27.

[cruizefam]

The following is a letter I wrote to RCI after returning from recent cruise on the Grandeur and I wanted to share it to see if there are others that feel the same way as I do.

 

We boarded the Grandeur as a small group of 8 for a mini-family reunion. My husband and I have cruised ONLY RCI for all of our cruising since 1983 and just became diamonds, even though we have not retired yet. With this being an 8 day itinerary we were expecting things to be a little more "special" when it came to the dining experience (particularly the food choices). But we were quite disappointed in this, ANOTHER, new menu. It seems that every time a "new" menu comes out, its worse. 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. That has never happened on any of my previous cruises. In fact, just the opposite, where I had 2 that I had a hard time to pick between. The food wasn't very good, in our opinion. That, and the shape of the ship was our biggest complaints. Instead of building new ships all of the time, why don't you take some of that money and keep the older ones in better shape, or sell them. I can remember RCI on my first trip... We couldn't get over the fact that almost everywhere we looked (behind the scenes, for the most part) there were crew members cleaning, painting, wiping something down all day long. We were in a junior suite and didn't enjoy the balcony for all of the salt built up on the banister and furniture. With paying extra for the JR suite, I would have thought that it would have been part of the every day clean up. The wood in the room was well worn and the bed was very uncomfortable (hard, and we could feel the crack where the bed comes together). We had to ASK for robes (even though we were Diamonds and in a JR suite) and for stationary (come on, really?). RCI seems to be slowly but surely taking away all that makes them the special company we've come to know and love. You took away the nice welcome back gifts, lowered the crown and anchor amenities, even took away the stationary, the mints on the pillows, and so much more. Those were all the things that made us "feel" like "royalty". I have brought SO MANY people to RCI cruising. Many first time cruisers have joined us, and we always recommend RCI when someone says they are thinking of cruising. But, its not like it used to be. NOW, with that in mind, it brings out our biggest point... WHY is RCI trying to keep their prices down so much and then it forces you to lose the great things that make her what she was always known to be? The prices havn't gone up with the economy. We've said it many times... Raise the price a little if you need to in order to pay for those little things that makes a person walk off that ship feeling like they were just treated so special that they can't wait to come back! I'm wanting to come back less and less, the more you cut things, truly... Keeping your prices a little more than the other cruise lines will make the people that don't care about the classiness take Carnival again. Instead, I'm hearing more and more good things about the ships I always looked down on. Sure, because Royal Caribbean is lowering its prices to fill all of these new ships and consequently having to cut costs - then its quality is no better. So "WHY NOT" try the other cruise lines??? I'm really disappointed, and from what I heard from other long time cruisers (in the diamond lounge), so are they. This is serious, RCI, you might want to re-think what you are doing here...

 

With all of that said, the entertainment was superb! But unfortunately, that leads me to another complaint. When we choose the Main dinner seating, we should be able to finish our meals and go to the show and not have to STAND to watch it! I don't know if its My Time Dining people filling it up or its all of the people choosing to go to the Windjammer (for the better food selections), but it is out of control. Please look better into this because this was NOT unique to this ship. Its been a problem for several cruises now. We shouldn't have to inhale our entree, skip our dessert and run to the other end of the ship to try to find a seat period, let alone 2 together!!!!

 

I'm not trying to get some onboard credits on my next cruise because I'm complaining... I'm trying to get RCI to look at these complaints seriously and reconsider all of these cuts in amenities instead of just letting your price be a little more than the other cruise lines, because you want people to FEEL like "Royal" Caribbean cruisers... If you do, I know we'll still pay extra to be on it, otherwise, we might as well lose our faithfulness to RCI and try the other cruise lines.

 

Please send your letter to Rccl's customer service & Crown & Anchor Membership too. It needs to be brought to their attention. I too see their service waining away and it saddens me.

[CarnieAddict]

The following is a letter I wrote to RCI after returning from recent cruise on the Grandeur and I wanted to share it to see if there are others that feel the same way as I do.

 

We boarded the Grandeur as a small group of 8 for a mini-family reunion. My husband and I have cruised ONLY RCI for all of our cruising since 1983 and just became diamonds, even though we have not retired yet. With this being an 8 day itinerary we were expecting things to be a little more "special" when it came to the dining experience (particularly the food choices). But we were quite disappointed in this, ANOTHER, new menu. It seems that every time a "new" menu comes out, its worse. 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. That has never happened on any of my previous cruises. In fact, just the opposite, where I had 2 that I had a hard time to pick between. The food wasn't very good, in our opinion. That, and the shape of the ship was our biggest complaints. Instead of building new ships all of the time, why don't you take some of that money and keep the older ones in better shape, or sell them. I can remember RCI on my first trip... We couldn't get over the fact that almost everywhere we looked (behind the scenes, for the most part) there were crew members cleaning, painting, wiping something down all day long. We were in a junior suite and didn't enjoy the balcony for all of the salt built up on the banister and furniture. With paying extra for the JR suite, I would have thought that it would have been part of the every day clean up. The wood in the room was well worn and the bed was very uncomfortable (hard, and we could feel the crack where the bed comes together). We had to ASK for robes (even though we were Diamonds and in a JR suite) and for stationary (come on, really?). RCI seems to be slowly but surely taking away all that makes them the special company we've come to know and love. You took away the nice welcome back gifts, lowered the crown and anchor amenities, even took away the stationary, the mints on the pillows, and so much more. Those were all the things that made us "feel" like "royalty". I have brought SO MANY people to RCI cruising. Many first time cruisers have joined us, and we always recommend RCI when someone says they are thinking of cruising. But, its not like it used to be. NOW, with that in mind, it brings out our biggest point... WHY is RCI trying to keep their prices down so much and then it forces you to lose the great things that make her what she was always known to be? The prices havn't gone up with the economy. We've said it many times... Raise the price a little if you need to in order to pay for those little things that makes a person walk off that ship feeling like they were just treated so special that they can't wait to come back! I'm wanting to come back less and less, the more you cut things, truly... Keeping your prices a little more than the other cruise lines will make the people that don't care about the classiness take Carnival again. Instead, I'm hearing more and more good things about the ships I always looked down on. Sure, because Royal Caribbean is lowering its prices to fill all of these new ships and consequently having to cut costs - then its quality is no better. So "WHY NOT" try the other cruise lines??? I'm really disappointed, and from what I heard from other long time cruisers (in the diamond lounge), so are they. This is serious, RCI, you might want to re-think what you are doing here...

 

With all of that said, the entertainment was superb! But unfortunately, that leads me to another complaint. When we choose the Main dinner seating, we should be able to finish our meals and go to the show and not have to STAND to watch it! I don't know if its My Time Dining people filling it up or its all of the people choosing to go to the Windjammer (for the better food selections), but it is out of control. Please look better into this because this was NOT unique to this ship. Its been a problem for several cruises now. We shouldn't have to inhale our entree, skip our dessert and run to the other end of the ship to try to find a seat period, let alone 2 together!!!!

 

I'm not trying to get some onboard credits on my next cruise because I'm complaining... I'm trying to get RCI to look at these complaints seriously and reconsider all of these cuts in amenities instead of just letting your price be a little more than the other cruise lines, because you want people to FEEL like "Royal" Caribbean cruisers... If you do, I know we'll still pay extra to be on it, otherwise, we might as well lose our faithfulness to RCI and try the other cruise lines.

Im not sure if you looked at prices, but RCI are more money then a lot of the other cruise lines.