RCL Negativity...

[Deptacon]

I just got off my 3rd RCCL cruise yesterday, Navigator...and a part of me shares the same opinion....the mediocrity and the upselling and the corner cutting continues to rise.

 

I have not posted my review yet but basically its a volume volume volume upsell upsell upsell.

[Jimmers]

 

There were a lot of things to like about the Jewel and the Allure, but service by the staff wasn't one of them. From what I understand, cabin stewards now have more cabins each to service, and waitstaff have more tables than they used to. RCI has cut back on the number of staff, while cramming more people onto the ships by adding cabins and taking away public space.

 

I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for a couple of fabulous cruises on the Serenade. My previous cruise on that ship is still my favorite RCI cruise, and it's my favorite ship :)

 

We've been with Royal since 2006 but we first noticed the cut in service personnel and their general decrease in attentiveness on the Quantum in December. We barely recognized it as a Royal ship and I remember wondering aloud to my wife if RCCL had perhaps subcontracted the servers from some other entity. They dressed differently, were less attentive, were personally distant and there were significantly less of them working about the ship, especially in the Windjammer. We're hoping this was just a Quantum thing and not reflective of a fleet wide policy change. We should know one way or the other in a few months when we cruise on the Oasis.

[connes1]

I have to say Royal is the best. No they are not perfect, no they may cut certain things which in a sense keeps fares down (I would rather have the choice to spend more money or in my case save it). The ships are awesome, especially the oasis class ships. I think its a perfect family vacation with lots do do for all age groups.

[Paulette3028]

Wait, you mean that like every other business that has ever existed ever, anywhere that RCI has to choose between raising prices or lowering product quality? Of course the quality goes down if the prices stay the same. Look at dairy prices, beef prices, flour prices, fuel prices, etc. All of the resources that go into providing the basics of a cruise experience have become CONSIDERABLY more expensive in the last decade, whereas cruising prices have remained relatively stable. Unfortunately, It is in the best interest for most mass cruise lines to market to new cruisers. Getting new people interested is more profitable than maintaining existing cruisers.

 

The idea that these businesses "owe" customers certain experiences is misguided, to me. Of course they are in the business of providing specific services, but when amenities are reduced so the company can remain profitable and continue to grow, well, then decide if you want to be loyal to a company that is happy to run itself into the ground while it provides every luxury possible at next to nothing, or if you want to be happy that cruise lines are doing what they can to reduce costs before passing on the added costs to the majority of cruisers.

 

You have hit on a lot of good points. I have to disagree a little with what I put in green. EVERY business needs to attract new customers, all the time. The larger profit that comes from new cruiser customers is in their onboard spending, no doubt; but profits also come from maintaining a loyal base because many of those book the more expensive suites. There is a business motto that says: "It is more expensive to obtain a new customer than it is to retain an existing one" -- there needs to be a fine balance between the two -- the new and repeat customer base.

[bigque]

We have cruised on Royal since 2008 starting with Sovereign Of The Seas. Since then we have been on larger ships and back to small as we will be on Enchantment followed by Adventure. We have no problem with going back and forth in size, but we have not been on Oasis or Allure because we are not willing to pay the price for the type of room that we like on those ships and not because of what has been written on CC about those ships. Will we sail on them one day...I'm sure we will. We don't cruise every year and as a matter of fact this year will be the first time we will cruise twice in the same year. Each time we do cruise however we have a fantastic time and we save to have the type of cruise we want to have and do the things we want to do and relax, ejoy what the islands have to offer and aftewards we look forward to the next time we cruise.

We have only cruised on Royal but not because we are loyal to Royal but we started with them and there has been nothing to send us elsewhere. We also don't care how about acheiving staus in the next C&A level or how fast we get there. Am I saying that we won't someday cruise another cruise line..No, but for now we will stay put. We have never talked about during or after a cruise how wonderful things were in 2008 compared to now and we don't care about how the glory days were as we enjoy it for what it is now and we are not hard to please people.

So with that said, what I can't really understand is the people on here who constantly complain that things are not the way they use to be and talk about how lousy the food is, how lousy the specailty restaurants are, how lousy the service has become, how high the drink prices are, how high the picture prices are, how lousy the entertainment is, how the new ships are nothing more than amusement parks and that you have no interest in that stuff and on and on and on, but yet continue to book cruise after cruise, sometimes 3,4,5 times a years and complain like all get up about it! It might be just me, but I really don't get it because if it is really that bad why spend thousand of dollars a year just to be miserable???!

[phoenix1181]

Royal isn't what it was when we took our first cruise in 1990 but neither are we so it still works for us.

 

The food isn't as good but there are a lot more choices & availability is much less restrictive.

 

Service has declined some but, IMHO, people are a lot more demanding than they were 25 years ago & want 5 star service @ a 2 star price.

 

Ships are MUCH bigger & offer a lot more action & activity. We haven't been on anything larger than Voyager class because the things added to the newer, larger, ships are not things my DH & I are interested in or will use.

 

Seems to me the complainers fall into a few different categories....

 

1) Nothing makes them happy, they just like to complain.

 

2) They are choosing the wrong ship/cruise line. Most people who have been cruising 20+ years are probably not going to use the flow rider or climb the rock wall.............

 

3) They seem to think because they've been cruising Royal for years, the company owes them something. The fact is they got the vacation(s) they paid for & if the company chooses to give them anything more than that, they should smile & say thank you not complain that it's not enough or less than they got last time.

[sjb317]

We have cruised on Royal since 2008 starting with Sovereign Of The Seas. Since then we have been on larger ships and back to small as we will be on Enchantment followed by Adventure. We have no problem with going back and forth in size, but we have not been on Oasis or Allure because we are not willing to pay the price for the type of room that we like on those ships and not because of what has been written on CC about those ships. Will we sail on them one day...I'm sure we will. We don't cruise every year and as a matter of fact this year will be the first time we will cruise twice in the same year. Each time we do cruise however we have a fantastic time and we save to have the type of cruise we want to have and do the things we want to do and relax, ejoy what the islands have to offer and aftewards we look forward to the next time we cruise.

We have only cruised on Royal but not because we are loyal to Royal but we started with them and there has been nothing to send us elsewhere. We also don't care how about acheiving staus in the next C&A level or how fast we get there. Am I saying that we won't someday cruise another cruise line..No, but for now we will stay put. We have never talked about during or after a cruise how wonderful things were in 2008 compared to now and we don't care about how the glory days were as we enjoy it for what it is now and we are not hard to please people.

So with that said, what I can't really understand is the people on here who constantly complain that things are not the way they use to be and talk about how lousy the food is, how lousy the specailty restaurants are, how lousy the service has become, how high the drink prices are, how high the picture prices are, how lousy the entertainment is, how the new ships are nothing more than amusement parks and that you have no interest in that stuff and on and on and on, but yet continue to book cruise after cruise, sometimes 3,4,5 times a years and complain like all get up about it! It might be just me, but I really don't get it because if it is really that bad why spend thousand of dollars a year just to be miserable???!

 

Really agree with you, I've never understood why people complain but continue to cruise with RC. If I felt that way, I would be looking for a new cruise line or different type of vacation.

 

We met a couple who were starting a B2B2B. . . for a total of 6 WEEKS on a ship. Within the first few days of the cruise, they were already complaining about how cruising is going downhill, etc. Why would they book this cruise (and this was something they did frequently with RC) if all they could do was complain?

 

Whenever someone prefaces a statement with "in the old days," I immediately think this person has an aging mentality. I am certainly in the age group that I used to think was "old" but I hope I never start thinking in those terms. Although, to be honest, I do wish my body was more like "the old days!" :D

 

Sherri:)

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Simple answer, in my opinion. There are two types of people... those who embrace mediocrity and those who don't.

 

In the case of Royal Caribbean, unfortunately, everything aside from the ships themselves has become exceptionally mediocre. It didn't used to be.

 

Simple answer is you're wrong, IMO. Your standard is not equal to others just because it is your standard.

 

The whole "Loyal to Royal" cruisers thing is nothing more repeat cruisers. Period. Nothing more and nothing less. And each time one repeats the same thing over & over & over again, the freshness, newness begins to subside. Immediate followed by comparisons. It's a natural mental process that one can't deny. Eventually when one can't emotionally feel good on their vacation, the negativity sets in.

 

Bottomline, when one goes on any vacation and they can't chill out, relax, and look for the positives and ignore the negatives, one needs to find a different way to vacation.

 

No one owes anyone anything from a past cruise(s). Those were bought, paid for and in the books. RCL only owes you what they state openly on the next cruise. RCL is much like many things in this world, things change. You either change with it or you get left behind sitting on a message board whining and complaining.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Goodtime Cruizin

[abridalmaven]

Simple answer is you're wrong, IMO. Your standard is not equal to others just because it is your standard.

 

The whole "Loyal to Royal" cruisers thing is nothing more repeat cruisers. Period. Nothing more and nothing less. And each time one repeats the same thing over & over & over again, the freshness, newness begins to subside. Immediate followed by comparisons. It's a natural mental process that one can't deny. Eventually when one can't emotionally feel good on their vacation, the negativity sets in.

 

Bottomline, when one goes on any vacation and they can't chill out, relax, and look for the positives and ignore the negatives, one needs to find a different way to vacation.

 

No one owes anyone anything from a past cruise(s). Those were bought, paid for and in the books. RCL only owes you what they state openly on the next cruise. RCL is much like many things in this world, things change. You either change with it or you get left behind sitting on a message board whining and complaining.

 

 

I agree. To those who see it as bad, it is time to move on. And for those who whine about upselling. No one forces you to buy anything extra. I prefer the gates stay decent and then I can decide when I get on the ship if there is anything I want to add. I don't drink soda for instance so having it included in the fare, I would be losing.

Edited February 9, 2015 by abridalmaven

[Big_G]

Royal isn't what it was when we took our first cruise in 1990 but neither are we so it still works for us.

 

The food isn't as good but there are a lot more choices & availability is much less restrictive.

 

Service has declined some but, IMHO, people are a lot more demanding than they were 25 years ago & want 5 star service @ a 2 star price.

 

Ships are MUCH bigger & offer a lot more action & activity. We haven't been on anything larger than Voyager class because the things added to the newer, larger, ships are not things my DH & I are interested in or will use.

 

Seems to me the complainers fall into a few different categories....

 

1) Nothing makes them happy, they just like to complain.

 

2) They are choosing the wrong ship/cruise line. Most people who have been cruising 20+ years are probably not going to use the flow rider or climb the rock wall.............

 

3) They seem to think because they've been cruising Royal for years, the company owes them something. The fact is they got the vacation(s) they paid for & if the company chooses to give them anything more than that, they should smile & say thank you not complain that it's not enough or less than they got last time.

 

There was a time when I would have disagreed with #1 and #3 but I think you're winning me over. Maybe I'm just getting jaded from reading too much Cruise Critic. ;)

[Jimmers]

Seems to me there's more complaining about complainers on these boards than there are actual complaints about the ships. Not sure why some are so threatened or annoyed when someone shares a negative personal viewpoint or experience with RCCL and feel they have to make holier than thou snarky remarks or provide their "expert" analysis of why someone would complain about something.

[nbsjcruiser]

Seems to me there is lots of it lately...I have been on several different cruiselines before and of course there are ALWAYS some things on each you don't like....but all around RCL is the best! Food varies in quality from ship to ship....but the one thing that no other line can compare is on board amenities RCL is the best hands down! they have the most fun things to do by far! especially Oasis class which seems to get a lot of criticism please tell me of a ship that can even come close to them as far as on board activities?

 

A lot of the negativity around RCL lately is of their own doing. I know that for me it started with the WOW sales. Jack up prices and then offer a "deal" where the second person travels for 50% off. Only problem is, its total BS. There's a lot of countries that would be investigating RCL for this but for some reason its ok in the US. Now we hear about the great deal with Chops and Giovanni's - buy it ahead of time and get 30% OBC. Only, the price went up before this "great" deal.

 

I find this type of marketing insulting. If there's one thing that gets my goat its someone who tries to insult my intelligence. I'm not an idiot. I know when a company is trying to slow-roll me or outright steal from me and that is where I hear a lot of negativity with respect to RCL.

 

They better smarten up. I know that for me I'm actually contemplating other lines INCLUDING Carnival. RCL isn't the only game in town.

Edited February 9, 2015 by nbsjcruiser

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Seems to me there's more complaining about complainers on these boards than there are actual complaints about the ships. Not sure why some are so threatened or annoyed when someone shares a negative personal viewpoint or experience with RCCL and feel they have to make holier than thou snarky remarks or provide their "expert" analysis of why someone would complain about something.

 

The Pot meets the Kettle.

 

I believe that some complain openly on a message board in an effort to feel better about themselves and hope they can find a few others that are supportive of their complaints. Which in of itself is somewhat strange. But IMO, complaining vs expressing a concern and/or having questions about a particular situation are two different things. I also believe most people can clearly tell the difference of the two.

[bigque]

Seems to me there's more complaining about complainers on these boards than there are actual complaints about the ships. Not sure why some are so threatened or annoyed when someone shares a negative personal viewpoint or experience with RCCL and feel they have to make holier than thou snarky remarks or provide their "expert" analysis of why someone would complain about something.

 

Well it is a message board and certain topics are like point/counterpoint type of subjects. Sure some of the comments do get snarky as you say but I don't think people feel threatened by the negative comments but as I said simply point/counterpoint! It would be much of a message board if people made a comment good or bad and didn't expect replies to it good or bad. If that was so, then the moderators might as well make it where all topics are closed after the initial comment! I don't think there would be much business here if that was to happen! :cool:

[RailRider13]

This is my standard canned response to those that complain about their lack of free perks or a D+ Lounge doesn't meet their standards, etc. Basically your entitled, Country Club, Cruise Critic Complainer that Royal just doesn't WOW them anymore.

 

 

My family and I always get a good laugh at Thurston Howell III and Lovey as they parade around the cruise with a general air of displeasure and general grumpiness. They complain about the Scotch to Soda ratio in their drinks, that there isn't enough Bloody to go with their Mary, and they shouldn't let all of these kids on the ship.

 

The mainstream or big box cruise industry has changed. Royal won't tell you this but their key market is not you. The Family is the key market and who Royal and other mainstream lines hope to attract. Count the new family friendly activities, spaces and initiatives on new ships, they greatly outweigh exclusive lounges and spaces.

 

I am always amazed by these forums and how upset folks get over a stupid lounge or loss of a perk. Really? Are they that important? Do they make or break the trip? Get out and explore the ports and the world while at sea, enjoy life.

 

On a side note my 7 year old daughter is one cruise away from being Emerald. I estimate that before she graduates high school she will have easily surpassed the diamond level, but I hope and pray she never steps foot in the exclusive lounge or is concerned with her free perks, but instead is more concerned about the adventure and memories we make.

__________________

[kruzerci]

Seems to me there's more complaining about complainers on these boards than there are actual complaints about the ships. Not sure why some are so threatened or annoyed when someone shares a negative personal viewpoint or experience with RCCL and feel they have to make holier than thou snarky remarks or provide their "expert" analysis of why someone would complain about something.

 

 

I've never seen anything like the way cruisers defend/take offense to anything negative anybody says about "their" cruise line. It's mind-boggling. There are so many pople around CruiseCritic who literally take it personally if somebody has anything but utter praise for "their" line. It's so bizarre, as if the cruise line an offshoot of themselves. Royal Caribbean could dump a thousand passengers in the middle of the Atlantic and there would be a very vocal group on CruiseCritic arguing that it wasn't Royal Caribbean's fault and the passengers must have done something to deserve it.

 

I've said time and time again, I enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean. I'm also not going to pretend Royal Caribbean is the jewel in the crown that people like to pretend it is. It's ok to acknowledge what a company is doing wrong, just as it is to acknowledge what they are doing right. I think Royal has a well rounded product but going down a slippery slope with questionable pricing schemes and blatant corner cutting.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

A lot of the negativity around RCL lately is of their own doing. I know that for me it started with the WOW sales. Jack up prices and then offer a "deal" where the second person travels for 50% off. Only problem is, its total BS. There's a lot of countries that would be investigating RCL for this but for some reason its ok in the US. Now we hear about the great deal with Chops and Giovanni's - buy it ahead of time and get 30% OBC. Only, the price went up before this "great" deal.

 

I find this type of marketing insulting. If there's one thing that gets my goat its someone who tries to insult my intelligence. I'm not an idiot. I know when a company is trying to slow-roll me or outright steal from me and that is where I hear a lot of negativity with respect to RCL.

 

They better smarten up. I know that for me I'm actually contemplating other lines INCLUDING Carnival. RCL isn't the only game in town.

 

No one is stealing from you if you actually open your wallet. If you don't like the pricing, don't buy a cruise. If you don't like the deal on the specialty restaurants, don't buy them. As consumers, we have choices.

 

I currently have two more cruises booked w/ RCL. I'll be looking for the same type of pricing when I book another cruise. If I don't receive it, I will have a choice to book or not to book. No one is forcing me to pay for something that I elect not to. Your choice is just like my choice. RCL will not miss you and/or me. The cruise industry is growing new passengers every year.

 

BTW, the pricing strategy at RCL is not much different than most retailers, hotels, airline tix, and any number of other means of commerce.

[kruzerci]

This is my standard canned response to those that complain about their lack of free perks or a D+ Lounge doesn't meet their standards, etc. Basically your entitled, Country Club, Cruise Critic Complainer that Royal just doesn't WOW them anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

My family and I always get a good laugh at Thurston Howell III and Lovey as they parade around the cruise with a general air of displeasure and general grumpiness. They complain about the Scotch to Soda ratio in their drinks, that there isn't enough Bloody to go with their Mary, and they shouldn't let all of these kids on the ship.

 

 

 

The mainstream or big box cruise industry has changed. Royal won't tell you this but their key market is not you. The Family is the key market and who Royal and other mainstream lines hope to attract. Count the new family friendly activities, spaces and initiatives on new ships, they greatly outweigh exclusive lounges and spaces.

 

 

 

I am always amazed by these forums and how upset folks get over a stupid lounge or loss of a perk. Really? Are they that important? Do they make or break the trip? Get out and explore the ports and the world while at sea, enjoy life.

 

 

 

On a side note my 7 year old daughter is one cruise away from being Emerald. I estimate that before she graduates high school she will have easily surpassed the diamond level, but I hope and pray she never steps foot in the exclusive lounge or is concerned with her free perks, but instead is more concerned about the adventure and memories we make.

 

__________________

 

 

You're certainly entitled to this bizarre take on the topic.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

This is my standard canned response to those that complain about their lack of free perks or a D+ Lounge doesn't meet their standards, etc. Basically your entitled, Country Club, Cruise Critic Complainer that Royal just doesn't WOW them anymore.

 

 

My family and I always get a good laugh at Thurston Howell III and Lovey as they parade around the cruise with a general air of displeasure and general grumpiness. They complain about the Scotch to Soda ratio in their drinks, that there isn't enough Bloody to go with their Mary, and they shouldn't let all of these kids on the ship.

 

The mainstream or big box cruise industry has changed. Royal won't tell you this but their key market is not you. The Family is the key market and who Royal and other mainstream lines hope to attract. Count the new family friendly activities, spaces and initiatives on new ships, they greatly outweigh exclusive lounges and spaces.

 

I am always amazed by these forums and how upset folks get over a stupid lounge or loss of a perk. Really? Are they that important? Do they make or break the trip? Get out and explore the ports and the world while at sea, enjoy life.

 

On a side note my 7 year old daughter is one cruise away from being Emerald. I estimate that before she graduates high school she will have easily surpassed the diamond level, but I hope and pray she never steps foot in the exclusive lounge or is concerned with her free perks, but instead is more concerned about the adventure and memories we make.

__________________

 

This! If one is constantly making bad memories, one needs to do something differently.

[ryano]

I've never seen anything like the way cruisers defend/take offense to anything negative anybody says about "their" cruise line. It's mind-boggling. There are so many pople around CruiseCritic who literally take it personally if somebody has anything but utter praise for "their" line. It's so bizarre, as if the cruise line an offshoot of themselves. Royal Caribbean could dump a thousand passengers in the middle of the Atlantic and there would be a very vocal group on CruiseCritic arguing that it wasn't Royal Caribbean's fault and the passengers must have done something to deserve it.

 

I've said time and time again, I enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean. I'm also not going to pretend Royal Caribbean is the jewel in the crown that people like to pretend it is. It's ok to acknowledge what a company is doing wrong, just as it is to acknowledge what they are doing right. I think Royal has a well rounded product but going down a slippery slope with questionable pricing schemes and blatant corner cutting.

 

Great post!

[gkbiiii]

I've never seen anything like the way cruisers defend/take offense to anything negative anybody says about "their" cruise line. It's mind-boggling. There are so many pople around CruiseCritic who literally take it personally if somebody has anything but utter praise for "their" line. It's so bizarre, as if the cruise line an offshoot of themselves. Royal Caribbean could dump a thousand passengers in the middle of the Atlantic and there would be a very vocal group on CruiseCritic arguing that it wasn't Royal Caribbean's fault and the passengers must have done something to deserve it.

 

I've said time and time again, I enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean. I'm also not going to pretend Royal Caribbean is the jewel in the crown that people like to pretend it is. It's ok to acknowledge what a company is doing wrong, just as it is to acknowledge what they are doing right. I think Royal has a well rounded product but going down a slippery slope with questionable pricing schemes and blatant corner cutting.

 

 

Very well said, much of this I don't understand myself.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

I've never seen anything like the way cruisers defend/take offense to anything negative anybody says about "their" cruise line. It's mind-boggling. There are so many pople around CruiseCritic who literally take it personally if somebody has anything but utter praise for "their" line. It's so bizarre, as if the cruise line an offshoot of themselves. Royal Caribbean could dump a thousand passengers in the middle of the Atlantic and there would be a very vocal group on CruiseCritic arguing that it wasn't Royal Caribbean's fault and the passengers must have done something to deserve it.

 

I've said time and time again, I enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean. I'm also not going to pretend Royal Caribbean is the jewel in the crown that people like to pretend it is. It's ok to acknowledge what a company is doing wrong, just as it is to acknowledge what they are doing right. I think Royal has a well rounded product but going down a slippery slope with questionable pricing schemes and blatant corner cutting.

 

It's not that some feel the need to protect "their" cruise line (RCL) as much as it is that some feel the need to protect "their" cruise. Look, it's vacation. It's not buying a TV or a car, any inate object. It's an adventure. No one wants to go on a vacation with others that just are flat out negative. Including you & I.

 

But seriously, you lost me with the whole "dump 1,000 cruisers in the sea" bit. This type of comment completely diminishes any valid complaint that you may have.

[Robinhill]

i agree with you 100%. RCCL and Celebrity are my favs overall! But everyone is entitled to their opinions.

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

This is an interesting thread. I have cruised for several decades and the cruise ship experience has changed dramatically over the years. People that complain are not "negative" or "unhappy" people. They are simply veteran cruisers who are nostalgic for how they remember cruise experiences from years past. Though I still love to cruise, I too miss some things that have disappeared over the years. Some people have asked on what old timers miss on cruising. Here are some of the big changes (both positive and negative) to cruising off the top of my heard.

 

1. Price - Cruise pricing has pretty much stayed flat for several decades now. When I was kid back in the early 90s, my dad said it would cost around 4-5k for a family of four to stay in an inside stateroom for a week. This price would include airfare which was commonly sold with the cruise ticket price back then. In comparison, my family is staying in an aft balcony room on the Independence on the May 31st sailing for $3700 total. This price does not include airfare which will add another $1700 to our bill. Not much of a difference in the price really which is pretty amazing when you think about it.

 

2. Food - I remember my mom having caviar nightly when she requested it. There was no charge for this. Breakfast use to have a guy walk around with small glasses of fresh squeezed orange, apple, cranberry, pineapple and other juices. Those no longer exist. Would you like a steak not listed on the dinner menu tonight for dinner? Just ask the waiter and they will make one for you special order. The new fad now is specialty restaurants. The cruise ships love that people eagerly pay $30-45 a person each evening to pay for marginally better food that they cruse lines would give away for free by request several decades ago.

 

3. Entertainment - The evening shows are still similar. Smaller events throughout the day have disappeared though. Who remembers wooden horse racing (and gambling) on the pool deck? Remember when Bingo cost $5 a card? Now we get these electronic things that you rent for $30-$40 a session. The Bingo room is filled with hundreds of these units, and yet the winning Bingo jackpot they just called out was only $250. It is hard to even imagine how much profit they keep these days off Bingo. Remember the cruise talent show? That show was once a lot of fun. Remember the free behind the scenes tours of the ships? Gone. The list of things that have disappeared or now exist only for a price is a very long list.

 

4. Freebies - If anything has changed with cruising, this is it. Cruise ships once gave things for free and now they don't. It is as simple as that. Mints on the pillow. A free welcome aboard drink when you walk on the ship. Remember Ship Shape dollars that you could save up and get a free t-shirt at the end of the week for attending exercise classes? Now if you want to do yoga on the cruise, that is an additional expense. Remember walking into your room and having a free repeat passenger gift waiting for you? That was pretty cool. This is just a small partial list. There are many of these type of perks that are now gone.

 

5. Drinks - Drink prices were pretty expensive several decades ago and still are so today. The difference is you use to be able to offset that easily if you wanted to drink. My dad would buy a bottle of Chivas at the cruise liquor store (for a duty free price) as soon as the ship sailed. He would then make himself Chivas and water out of his room the rest of the week. They have eliminated that little trick. Today we have $50 a day drink packages for those that want to do a lot of drinking.

 

6. The ships themselves - Ships have become huge and are modeled to attract families these days. Ships these days are engineering marvels and are breathtaking to view as you pull into the port on departure day. Cruise ships use to be more elegant on the inside, but were tiny and pretty much dumps compared to the monsters that sail these days.

 

7. Dress Code - Cruising use to be more vastly more upscale. Dressing up 3-4 nights out of a seven day cruise was common. Men wore suits and ties. There were no jeans or shorts in the dining room ever.

 

8. Service - The wait staff use to not be so busy. They could stand at your table and chat. You would learn about their homeland if you asked and it often would not be a short story. The maitre d would drop by your table nightly to check on you. I honestly cannot even remember the last I have seen a maitre d. Does that even still exist on RCCL? If so, they have not stopped by my table in many cruises. RCCL works their employees like almost slave labor these days. People that remember service being better 15-25 years ago are 100% dead right.

 

9. Total price paid - This is the one that personally annoys me most about RCCL these days. You once stepped on a ship and could go the week without spending much money if you chose to. As mentioned, many things have an upcharge these days which gets really old to me. I hate being nickel and dimed and that is exactly what RCCL does these days.

 

These are things that popped into my head. I am sure I left out many. I am 42 years old now and was lucky enough to start cruising at age 12. Things have changed and unfortunately many of them are not for the better. People that remember how RCCL once was are just nostalgic and remembering how things use to be. It is what it is.

[gkbiiii]

Great post, though I have a question for you. We are both 42 yet, I was in college in 1991. If you were cruising as a kid, you must have been cruising in the 1980s correct?