How could RCL Improve?

[bradsnana]

And I have no idea why Nassau is such a popular port. I'd rather sleep in and spend the day on the empty ship than to get off in Nassau.

 

For goodness sake Atlantis now charges people to go to the Aquarium. No thanks, I'll sit by the pool with a drink and a multitude of empty seats to choose from. :D

 

Exactly how we feel about Falmouth! If you venture off the ship you are assaulted by over zealous rude shopkeepers and jewelry merchants.

To do any excursion, you have to travel by bus for 2 hours! After reading how terrified most people are of traveling to excursions...we just stay on the ship. This is a total waste of a day to us. Could totally do without this port...even though it is on so many stops for the RCCL Caribbean sailings.

 

 

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[bradsnana]

Things to Keep

 

1. Larger staterooms overall with excellent storage organization.

 

2. Free room service

 

3. Risotto, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Vidalia Onion Tart

 

4. Excellent perks for C & A members

 

5. Wow Card Rewards for Superior Service

 

Things to fix

 

1. Don't cancel cruises once they're advertised on Royal Caribbean. We just had this happen on the May 2, 2015 Rhapsody and we're NOT happy.

 

2. Stop adding more rooms to ships. This worsens congestion.

 

3. Return to the ship shape menu offerings. Used to be 3 courses under 500 calories, then changed to under 800. Now, it's just healthy.

 

4. Better Itineraries. Pacific Coastal had a blast on Celebrity. RT Hawaii from California, done it on Princess and had a blast! Longer Alaska cruises RT out of Seattle. Also, more itineraries out of Galveston. Been on the two offered so many times. Why not longer ones, or cruise to the Bahama's with a stop in New Orleans? At one time, Carnival had a Bahama's cruise out of Galveston so it's possible. Also, would like to see a South American itinerary out of Galveston.

 

5. Give us choice(s) of appetizer at Giovanni's table instead of dumping them all on the table.

 

Totally agree with more itineraries out of galveston!!!! We live 15 miles from galveston and would cruise way more if they had more sailings. As of now..our last 3 cruises we went to Florida and twice to New Orleans. Love RCCL and are loyal to the company, but have seriously considered jumping ship to Norwegian when they start sailing out of Port Of Houston.

 

 

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[Guest maddycat]

My list of improvements

 

1. On Caribbean cruises have the pool band play Caribbean music instead of American pop music.

 

2. Make the casinos non-smoking. We just returned from the Explorer and smoking was allowed in the casino even on formal nights. The non-smoking areas are a joke. The whole casino reeks of smoke.

 

3. Eliminate all announcements except for the Captain's mid-day report. Bingo and Art Auctions are listed in the daily compass so there is no need for announcements.

 

4. Change the merchandise in the onboard shops more often. We cruise with RCI twice a year. On our last cruise we couldn't even buy a t-shirt because we already had the ones that were being sold from previous cruises.

 

5. Some fresh, new entertainment would be appreciated. As repeat RCI cruisers we've seen all of the shows. We've even seen some of the guest entertainers more than once. And please don't bring on entertainers who are 80+ years old.

 

6. The music is too loud. In many cases it drowns out the singers. It is so loud that it is unpleasant. It hurts.

 

7. Make stops in San Juan a full 8 hour day. A half day (7am to 1 pm) is useless.

[05mak05]

I will take the new C & A policy at their word in saying they will actually reward loyalty when dishing out upgrades. We have a cruise booked for May and so far, staterooms are wide open. As always, I'll keep track of availability using the British website that does show all unbooked cabins. And, I also agree with other posters … it does seem that RCI could make booking on line easier and show the entire inventory. Oh, I don't even want to start on the website … I tried to put a hold on 3 staterooms over the weekend - so frustrating. Every time the "do you want to upgrade for only umpteen dollars per day" popup appeared, the screen froze. They should hire the 3 kids from California who had a clone Obamacare website up and running and working in 3 days.

Edited November 18, 2013 by 05mak05

[FirstAlto]

My list of improvements

 

1. On Caribbean cruises have the pool band play Caribbean music instead of American pop music.

 

2. Make the casinos non-smoking. We just returned from the Explorer and smoking was allowed in the casino even on formal nights. The non-smoking areas are a joke. The whole casino reeks of smoke.

 

3. Eliminate all announcements except for the Captain's mid-day report. Bingo and Art Auctions are listed in the daily compass so there is no need for announcements.

 

4. Change the merchandise in the onboard shops more often. We cruise with RCI twice a year. On our last cruise we couldn't even buy a t-shirt because we already had the ones that were being sold from previous cruises.

 

5. Some fresh, new entertainment would be appreciated. As repeat RCI cruisers we've seen all of the shows. We've even seen some of the guest entertainers more than once. And please don't bring on entertainers who are 80+ years old.

 

6. The music is too loud. In many cases it drowns out the singers. It is so loud that it is unpleasant. It hurts.

 

7. Make stops in San Juan a full 8 hour day. A half day (7am to 1 pm) is useless.

 

Yes, yes, yes - all GREAT ideas that would totally improve the cruise experience !

[bplazo]

Well, we had a screaming toddler in 150 CP at 8pm last November and it was NOT funny!!

 

They could improve by having a few adult only restaurants with no exceptions.

[CruiseAddict1982]

I agree with the no smoking in the casino. My wife and I enjoy gambling, but we don't smoke and we both can't stand the smell of smoke. Great idea!

[G85 SS]

I agree with the no smoking in the casino. My wife and I enjoy gambling, but we don't smoke and we both can't stand the smell of smoke. Great idea!

 

My girlfriend is one who dang near ends up having an asthma attack when she ends up breathing in smoke. And she doesn't have asthma.

 

However, on Oasis, half of the Casino was smoking and the other half of the casino was not. And she was able to spend a substantial amount of time in the casino with no problem at all.

 

I understand this can only work some of the time but that is at least better than nothing for sure.

 

But, look at it from a business perspective. If they take away every area one is allowed to smoke, how long before they start losing business because the ships are practically smoke free? There has to be some give and take somewhere.

[CruiseAddict1982]

Yea I definitely understand the business side of things. A little common courtesy goes a long way these days. If I were to smoke which I don't, I would just leave the table and go outside because I'm aware that everyone doesn't smoke. That's just me

[G85 SS]

Yea I definitely understand the business side of things. A little common courtesy goes a long way these days. If I were to smoke which I don't, I would just leave the table and go outside because I'm aware that everyone doesn't smoke. That's just me

 

100% agree with that.

 

For example, when I go to Halloween Horror nights at Universal here, nothing gets my nerves more fired up than when someone lights up in the middle of a line for a ride or a haunted house(these actions tend to be linked to this event and not your normal every day adventure to universal). There's signs specifically stating no smoking. So I see that as a massive sign of disrespect.

 

But, on the flip side, when I walk into a casino on board a ship, I understand it is a designated smoking area and go in knowing that on the forefront. So I don't take offense if I am at a table and someone comes up, grabs an ash tray and has a smoke or two even though the smoke bothers me just as much in both scenarios.

 

And that leads me back to my original post about how Oasis was split 50/50 with smoking. I stayed on the non-smoking side and had a great time and wasn't bothered by smoke. :)

 

Now, a nifty idea, design wise of a ship, would be to place the Casino on a deck where there is an outside area on either side. So if you were to make a casino non-smoking, those who do smoke have areas on the exterior of the ship they could just walk out some double glass doors and enjoy a smoke or two, come back in and get back to business pressing buttons on a slot 'till their hearts content.

 

I suppose I am getting a little off topic now going into design of a ship, so back to the original post. :)

[CruiseAddict1982]

Lol great idea!! Personally, if the cruisers had more common courtesy the cruise experience would be a lot better. Royal Caribbean can only do so much.

[lightwarm]

RCL has a lot they can do to improve in my opinion.

Last cruise I was on, (oasis of the sea) reeked of smoke just about everywhere on the boat. The crowds were so bad, you had to show up at least 10 minutes early to get a seat at the shows and then leaving the show you felt like a squished sardine. Food could be better as well

[hellsop]

This is a total waste of a day to us. Could totally do without this port...even though it is on so many stops for the RCCL Caribbean sailings.

 

Spa opportunity? :)

[mommabean]

And I have no idea why Nassau is such a popular port. I'd rather sleep in and spend the day on the empty ship than to get off in Nassau.

 

For goodness sake Atlantis now charges people to go to the Aquarium. No thanks, I'll sit by the pool with a drink and a multitude of empty seats to choose from. :D

 

I love Nassau. There are so many nice things to do there if you get out and explore a bit. Bahamian people are friendly if you get away from the pushy port area. The only thing I don't like are the long re-boarding lines when there are too many ships in port.

 

[golfer1966]

In my opinion, they could improve with enforcing their own rules. Like keeping adult-only-areas on the ship child-free, no kids in specialty restaurants after 7pm, taking towels and belongings to towel-stations after 30 minutes etc.

But honestly, not much else comes to my mind, I love to cruise with RCCL.

 

 

Id like to see them toss out people who are not dressed for the MDR. Ive seen tee shirts and basketball shorts...etc Really..?

[BillOh]

Customer service seems to be a big issue with RCI.

 

Barely related, but on the subject of onboard Guest Services, I did see something on Allure that was really great. When the lines were long they had a crew member go through the lines asking people what they needed. If it was something simple that he could take care of he did. (I was notifying that my sink wasn't working, and the phone to Maintenance wasn't either) He took my room number and passed on the info. Other people just turning in forms he took them. Other's he verified GS could help them. Saved a lot of people a lot of time.

Edited November 19, 2013 by BillOh

[BillOh]

Well, someone has to say it and it might as well be me....Bring a ship back to SoCal! :p

 

On that subject, on my recent Majesty cruise, I spent more than the normal time watching TV in my cabin and on one channel they showed a lot of the old documentaries like the refurb on Soverign and a couple of the Samantha Brown shows. They however did show a show with two families taking a first cruise on Mariner out of LA. I enjoyed the show and said, I would do that! It must have been around 2007 or 8 that they pulled Mariner out? I just started in 2006 and hadn't done all the Caribbean stuff yet.

[Clarea]

On that subject, on my recent Majesty cruise, I spent more than the normal time watching TV in my cabin and on one channel they showed a lot of the old documentaries like the refurb on Soverign and a couple of the Samantha Brown shows. They however did show a show with two families taking a first cruise on Mariner out of LA. I enjoyed the show and said, I would do that! It must have been around 2007 or 8 that they pulled Mariner out? I just started in 2006 and hadn't done all the Caribbean stuff yet.

Mariner left PC for LA in Jan 2009. I don't remember exactly when she left LA, but it was after mid 2010 and before fall 2011 when she returned to Galveston.

[BillOh]

Mariner left PC for LA in Jan 2009. I don't remember exactly when she left LA, but it was after mid 2010 and before fall 2011 when she returned to Galveston.

 

I had forgotten Mariner did Galveston. I check out that web cam periodically. I've seen Voyager, Navigator, and Mariner out of there.

[mommabean]

Barely related, but on the subject of onboard Guest Services, I did see something on Allure that was really great. When the lines were long they had a crew member go through the lines asking people what they needed. If it was something simple that he could take care of he did. (I was notifying that my sink wasn't working, and the phone to Maintenance wasn't either) He took my room number and passed on the info. Other people just turning in forms he took them. Other's he verified GS could help them. Saved a lot of people a lot of time.

 

I've seen this on every cruise I've been on for the last couple of years - All ships. If the line is short they aren't out there. But when the line is long they had someone out at all times. Sometimes even a concierge gets the job when they are "off duty". It really is helpful even for those of us who need something more complicated because it gets the minor issues out of line quickly.

 

I would like to see a priority line on all ships. Enchantment has the only one I've seen in a while and it works well. One person is assigned to that line only but if no one is in line, they take someone from the regular line.

 

Gina

[cruiselife4me]

I love Royal Caribbean and there is almost nothing I would do to improve it. When I'm on the ship - I am living the high life. I just wish I could cruise more often as our cruise on Allure had to be cancelled - have two family members with cancer; my mom's surgery is Friday. We needed the money for the fundraiser and my deposit helped out a bunch.

 

I know I'll be cruising again before long - but with a son in college and a daughter who just finished her masters....ah hopefully by 2015!!

 

The only thing I would change is to have a NON-Alcoholic frozen drink package. That's it...seriously. Just that tiny little thing. (Who's with me???)

 

Loyal to Royal,

Mary

[CruiseAddict1982]

Good luck and my prayers go out to you and your family!

[karmacats]

The only thing I would change is to have a NON-Alcoholic frozen drink package. That's it...seriously. Just that tiny little thing. (Who's with me???)

 

It looks like the new $20/night drink package starting soon will include non-alcoholic cocktails (frozen and not), soda, juice, and gourmet coffee and tea. The description just says "cocktails", but customer service seems to be telling people it would include frozen things like virgin margaritas, virgin coladas, etc. There is a thread about it on this board somewhere.

 

Sorry to hear about your mom and other family members. I hope for the best for you all.

[G85 SS]

I love Nassau. There are so many nice things to do there if you get out and explore a bit. Bahamian people are friendly if you get away from the pushy port area. The only thing I don't like are the long re-boarding lines when there are too many ships in port.

 

 

I may just be Nassau'd out or something. lol. Been there 5 times and I usually try to go off and do different things. I will say this, my favorite cruise memory was hopping on one of the City Busses out there and going out to Cable Beach. That $2 bus ride was the best $2 I have ever spent. And has beat out some of the more expensive excursions I have paid for.