Adventure Disappointment

[Big_G]

I'm curious, as a newbie, is there any kind of process for addressing these issues mid-cruise? If I were staying at a resort and not getting good service, I would bring it up with a manager. Is this somehow poor etiquette while cruising? I see that there are post cruise surveys but what about while you are being poorly served? Does being seen as a complainer lead to even worse service? Just trying to figure out how it all works.

 

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If something is wrong go to the front desk...can't remember what it's called. If you are c&a go to the loyalty ambassador

 

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It depends on the complaint. If your waiter or cabin attendant isn't doing their job to the point where it becomes irritating or burdensome, I would complain. If you don't like the food, shows, or the fact you couldn't find a waiter in the Solarium, I would save it for the survey. If they can fix it right away, let them know so it won't ruin your cruise.

[Fa-Li]

Ah. Helpful distinction. Thank you.

[CruiseAddict1982]

Did you complain while you were on the ship? I'm sure the passengers outnumber the waiters so you could've just gotten up and waited at the bar if you needed a drink that badly. Some people expect to be waited on hand and foot while others are more proactive. Neither is wrong, but if you want something done sometimes u gotta do it yourself.

 

 

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[jay1952]

Hope I experience only the good and great as I am going on my first cruise on the AOS in March and looking forward to it. Does anyone have a copy of the compass from a recent cruise they could share.

[tiessa]

Wow, that seems odd. We just finished b2b cruises on the Adventure in Jan and early Feb and never experienced anything like you have described. In fact we ate in the Windjammer for 7 days in a row because the service there was better than the MDR. Servers all over us offering drinks, refills, cleaning tables, and even going around with a cart making ice cream sundaes at the table.

 

Maybe on port days bar servers are scarce but that's always the case -- most people are on shore.

 

Sorry you had a bad cruise but we've booked her again for next January -- only 4 weeks next year!

 

 

It wasn't a bad cruise. It was just the little things that I noticed Royal Caribbean is letting slide. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and loved the itinerary. The service was just not what I expect from Royal Caribbean.

[Chuck&Toni]

Seeing this thread prompted me to add a somewhat full review. We were on the 1/26 sailing, traveling with two other couples. We had an OUTSTANDING time overall. There were some high points but there were some low points. It was our first trip on Adventure, and we would go on it again.

 

CABIN

 

We were in balcony cabin 6368, starboard side, near aft. The bed was worn out, I hope it gets replaced in the refurb. Same with the sofa, it had an unsightly stain on the seat. The balcony floor has looked like someone had barfed on it, but it was permanent. Everything else was ok, but with a general run down appearance. The steward was good, not great.

 

SHOWS / ENTERTAINMENT

 

We went to 2 shows in the theatre - "Invitation to Dance" and Gary Williams. Invitation was fun - we all really liked it. The warm-up guy had a really fun and funny audience participation act. It got everybody in the mood. Gary was good, and we all enjoyed him as well. We also went to the Mystery Dinner Theatre in Portofino. It was pretty hokey, but it was a real hoot as well. Well worth seeing. Overall the shows were just what we expected, fun and entertaining - not Broadway but pretty darn good for a ship.

 

DINING

 

We had breakfast in WJ each morning. Better than we expected, given some recent threads complaining about it. Lotsa variety, omelette station, something for everybody. Attendants offered water, juice, and coffee in a timely manner.

 

We had dinner 3 evenings mytime in the MDR. Got the same table by a window each night. Food was outstanding, service good, but very slow. First night in the MDR, there were shorts being worn!

 

We had dinner in Portofino twice, once as part of the Mystery Dinner Theatre, once with regular reservations. The food and service for the Mystery were both outstanding. I recommend the Dinner Theatre to anyone. But the evening we had a standard reservation, things were not so great. Took a long time for someone to come by after we were seated, there were mix ups in our food and drinks, and they had a difficult time splitting the checks correctly (there were 3 couples at the table). VERY slow service and general confusion. Not sure what was causing it.

 

We ate in WJ two evenings. Both times the food was very good and we enjoyed a very relaxed atmosphere. Again, much better than we were expecting.

 

Overall, food was very good, service somewhat slower or less than expected.

 

POOLS

 

Like the OP, we found that getting a drink in either the pool or solarium was a task. Used glasses and plates were somewhat slow to be picked up. Bands, contests, dancing, party stuff were great fun, though.

 

OTHER STUFF

 

The Promenade and bars, and shops were very nice. Not run down like we had expected. Trivia was fun. Bands were good enough. The band in the atrium bar (can't remember the bar's name) after dinner was really good, with lotsa folks dancing.

 

We didn't use the spa or casino. In fact with so many ports of call, it is hard to experience the entire ship in one week!

 

No real complaints. It was a great vacation.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards

 

Chuck

[pamelajs]

It wasn't a bad cruise. It was just the little things that I noticed Royal Caribbean is letting slide. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and loved the itinerary. The service was just not what I expect from Royal Caribbean.

 

I agree with you!

[EBM]

I just got off the Adventure and had a great time. The only issue with bar staff we had was it took a long time to get a drink on the pool deck our first day. The rest of the week we had no problems getting drinks by the pool. As for the Windjammer, I tend to get my drinks myself but the wait staff always asked if we needed anything. We were happy with the service.

[Sarah@Sea]

It wasn't a bad cruise. It was just the little things that I noticed Royal Caribbean is letting slide. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and loved the itinerary. The service was just not what I expect from Royal Caribbean.

 

Same feeling I had after my FOS cruise in September with my mother, overheard wait staff complaining, dining room service was ok but not great, food was ok...I prefer Carnivals food. One day at lunch staff in WJ helped us find a table, my mom was using a scooter, the waiter took us to a table that needed wiped off...not an issue for me...the issue was that as he went to find someone to clean it or something to clean it himself I saw him complaining to others that the table wasn't wiped off, then when he returned with supplies to clean it he said to me that some people don't do their jobs...IMO completely uncalled for and I could just tell staff were trying too hard to be friendly/happy to us verses really being in a good mood. Others on my sailing shared similar service issues...nothing so major to ruin a cruise but definitely below the expected RCL standard. And then I read similar concerns occurring on other ships so makes me wonder what is going on within RCL?

 

I had cruise with boyfriend on Carnival a month later, and had no concerns what so ever, requests that RCL could not manage...3 towels for a 2 person room? And extra pillow. Towel didn't need to be requested, as I do not think it should for a double occ room 3-4 towels is the norm in most hotels and ships...and my request for an extra pillow which was never received on RCL, was promptly received on Carnival.

[OttoCal]

We were on Adventure in January, with my folks. They were 'regulars' at the Solarium Bar and had fabulous service there all week. We weren't and in general would say that our entire trip was all good, but nothing stood out as WOW. In fact, we didn't even use our Wow Cards. Our favorite staff person was the guy who did the Lafitte Wine Tasting.

 

Skipped all shows- not our thing.

 

Good food, but average service and experience at Portofino's. We really only went because we knew it was being replaced with a Giovanni's.

 

But with this being such a port-intensive cruise, this entire cruise was about the ports for us. We very much enjoyed our time on the Adventure, but wouldn't rush out to re-book the same ship.

[sellwingri]

Same feeling I had after my FOS cruise in September with my mother, overheard wait staff complaining, dining room service was ok but not great, food was ok...I prefer Carnivals food. One day at lunch staff in WJ helped us find a table, my mom was using a scooter, the waiter took us to a table that needed wiped off...not an issue for me...the issue was that as he went to find someone to clean it or something to clean it himself I saw him complaining to others that the table wasn't wiped off, then when he returned with supplies to clean it he said to me that some people don't do their jobs...IMO completely uncalled for and I could just tell staff were trying too hard to be friendly/happy to us verses really being in a good mood. Others on my sailing shared similar service issues...nothing so major to ruin a cruise but definitely below the expected RCL standard. And then I read similar concerns occurring on other ships so makes me wonder what is going on within RCL?

 

I had cruise with boyfriend on Carnival a month later, and had no concerns what so ever, requests that RCL could not manage...3 towels for a 2 person room? And extra pillow. Towel

didn't need to be requested, as I do not think it should for a double occ room 3-4 towels is the norm in most hotels and ships...and my request for an extra pillow which was never received on RCL, was promptly received on Carnival.

 

We'll be on AOS in 12 days and really looking forward to it, especially after the horrible and brutal winter we've been through. I know it's everyone's personal preference but we cruised on Carnival in June and the food was horrible and service was no better. Different people enjoy different aspects of each cruise line. We prefer RCI or Princess.

[tiessa]

We'll be on AOS in 12 days and really looking forward to it, especially after the horrible and brutal winter we've been through. I know it's everyone's personal preference but we cruised on Carnival in June and the food was horrible and service was no better. Different people enjoy different aspects of each cruise line. We prefer RCI or Princess.

 

 

I'm glad to hear you like Princess. We've only sailed RCI but, with some of the changes they've made, they're just not "special" anymore. We're planning our next cruise on Princess. It's just time to try out other cruise lines.

[crisndeefromde]

We'll be on AOS in 12 days and really looking forward to it, especially after the horrible and brutal winter we've been through. I know it's everyone's personal preference but we cruised on Carnival in June and the food was horrible and service was no better. Different people enjoy different aspects of each cruise line. We prefer RCI or Princess.

 

Hope you enjoy as much as we do. Each person has a level of expectations and we sure didn't have the experiences others had. We enjoyed two weeks of no snow, no cooking, no cleaning, and loving life!

[tiessa]

Same feeling I had after my FOS cruise in September with my mother, overheard wait staff complaining, dining room service was ok but not great, food was ok...I prefer Carnivals food. One day at lunch staff in WJ helped us find a table, my mom was using a scooter, the waiter took us to a table that needed wiped off...not an issue for me...the issue was that as he went to find someone to clean it or something to clean it himself I saw him complaining to others that the table wasn't wiped off, then when he returned with supplies to clean it he said to me that some people don't do their jobs...IMO completely uncalled for and I could just tell staff were trying too hard to be friendly/happy to us verses really being in a good mood. Others on my sailing shared similar service issues...nothing so major to ruin a cruise but definitely below the expected RCL standard. And then I read similar concerns occurring on other ships so makes me wonder what is going on within RCL?

 

I had cruise with boyfriend on Carnival a month later, and had no concerns what so ever, requests that RCL could not manage...3 towels for a 2 person room? And extra pillow. Towel didn't need to be requested, as I do not think it should for a double occ room 3-4 towels is the norm in most hotels and ships...and my request for an extra pillow which was never received on RCL, was promptly received on Carnival.

 

 

Our Feb Adventure OTS cruise was the first RCL cruise I actually heard employees angry. One of the deck patrol was giving an officer what for (I think she was complaining to him about someone else) and one of the WJ floor managers was yelling at one of the workers about not keeping drinks stocked. I've never seen any of that on other cruises.

 

Obviously, not all was well on this cruise.

[Granny DI]

We are also Diamond with RCCL. We sailed on the AOS in Oct 2012. We were in an Owners Suite so one would think the service would be top notch....we won't return to the AOS...husband thought it was a management problem. We enjoyed our sailing on the Mariner in Dec 2012 and the Oasis in May 2013.

[JimAOk1945]

We were in an OS on the AOS Dec 22-29.

 

Although the cruise was a nice experience, it seemed like the crew was not as happy or friendly as the crew members that we dealt with on the Mariner of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas.

[paggerscorvette]

We were on the 2-9-14 sailing. Loved the MTD service in the dining room, did the prepaid booze package, we were always asked what we wanted to drink in the WJ. I did notice the bar service at the pool was slow, but there people 2 deep waiting. they did bring in more bar staff, but patience is what was needed.

Had a wonderful cruise, very port intensive, but we will go back.

[heeb]

Just got off of the Adventure this past Sunday. Food was okay but not as good as it has been in the past. Service in the Windjammer was very good with someone always asking us if we need coffee or a refill or drinks. Service at the pool was fine but if did walk up to the bar sometimes you had to wait your turn. This is always to be expected. Our balcony cabin was always taken care of and if I needed something it was done ASAP. No cold water from faucet or shower. It was way to warm and uncomfortable. Portofino's was great. Deserts in the MDR were mediocre. Bed mattress was terrible even with a topper. They will be replacing them soon. This was our third cruise on this ship and 14th overall.:cool:

[B&J_Pgh]

I apologize for not having taken the time to read the entire thread. I agree. It had been 2 years since we cruised last. We were on her Feb 9-16. Disappointed.

 

Seems like it's a sorority started by one person so I was surprised as well. Our room attendant and the promenade were really the only things we liked. We had an adjoining door and won't make that mistake again. Too noisy.

 

Here's one of the places that makes us expect more.

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=37249437#poststop

[B&J_Pgh]

Isn't that what a discussion board is for?!

 

We're not choosing sides just sharing our experience.

 

Cruise Critic is not Cruise Accolades.

[dealer9296]

After 200 nights with RCCL I booked a solo, 8 day cruise to Southern Caribbean on Carnival Freedom for $439 + Taxes 110.07 and tips 92.00 for a total of 641.07. Leaving April 5th. RCCL prices are so out of line that it looks like they are really hiking the prices and sailing with less than full ship and still can make it, perhaps with less crew. I might be back when the prices are more realistic. Happy sailing!

Edited March 2, 2014 by dealer9296

[Big_G]

After 200 nights with RCCL I booked a solo, 8 day cruise to Southern Caribbean on Carnival Freedom for $439 + Taxes 110.07 and tips 92.00 for a total of 641.07. Leaving April 5th. RCCL prices are so out of line that it looks like they are really hiking the prices and sailing with less than full ship and still can make it, perhaps with less crew. I might be back when the prices are more realistic. Happy sailing!

 

It is amazing the difference in pricing when you're desperate for customers. Independence sails from the same port, on a better ship, for the same amount of days for less than a $100 dollars for the week. Who told you Royal was sailing less than full? LMAO! :D:D:D

[CruznTom]

It is amazing the difference in pricing when you're desperate for customers. Independence sails from the same port, on a better ship, for the same amount of days for less than a $100 dollars for the week. Who told you Royal was sailing less than full? LMAO! :D:D:D

 

Less than $100 for a week on RCL? Did Rhode Island legalize pot recently?

Also, dealer said he/she will be sailing solo. Single supplement?

[Big_G]

Less than $100 for a week on RCL? Did Rhode Island legalize pot recently?

Also, dealer said he/she will be sailing solo. Single supplement?

 

Sorry, I missed the single supplement but hey, it's still amazing what a desperate cruise line will do to sell cabins. :D Still LMAO!

Edited March 2, 2014 by Big_G

[CruznTom]

" less than a $100 dollars for the week"

$14 per day for a cruise?

Edited March 2, 2014 by CruznTom