Suite Perks..Direct from Royal Carribean

[rubrrick]

Rick,

 

These post make me a little nervous as my husband will have a cow if we are treated this way on our 1st cruise and after paying the money for the RS. If things like this do happen what should we do?

 

(And thanks for the email address. I have written it down and will get in touch with you as we get nearer and the questions start coming. I really appreciate your comments and enjoy reading your posts.)

 

Melissa

 

Melissa........I would have quit taking OS or RS on RCCL long ago if these things happened to me. But to give you an example, we had a sprinkler leak near the wet bar in the last RS we had. It was going to be a 6 hour job to fix, so we made arraingements for the next time we were in port to have the workers in to correct the situation. When we returned they were just finishing up, and after housekeeping cleaned up, shortly thereafter, everything was back to normal. Things do break from time to time, but they keep extra plasma TV's, as a matter of fact, they have so many extras in there storeroom, it's almost unbelievable. Is that a complaint? NO, the same thing could have happened here at home, the only difference is it might have taken twice as long to get someone to the house to fix the problem.

When we first board, we turn on all lights, and generally check out everything in our cabin. We want the dimmers to work, etc. Within 20 minutes of being in our cabin, we are on the phone with Guest Services with a description of any problems. Within 30 minutes later, maintenance is there to assess the problem, and normally it is repaired before we leave the dock on day one, giving us the oppertunity to enjoy our "home away from home" for the cruise.

 

Rick

[COLandlocked]

Rick,

 

Thanks again. That is fantastic. Guess everyone has their own experiences and we will too. We are "the glass is half full" people so I am sure it will be WONDERFUL.

 

Really do appreicate your opinions/comments. Will talk to you soon!

 

Melissa

[Fritz265]

Obviously, if I had these types of issues, I wouldn't be going on my fourth cruise in an OS with two such cruises next year. You do have a right to expect certain levels of service but not "unreasonable" levels but in this case, it sounds like the basics were not covered appropriately.

[ducklite]

Melissa........I would have quit taking OS or RS on RCCL long ago if these things happened to me. But to give you an example, we had a sprinkler leak near the wet bar in the last RS we had. It was going to be a 6 hour job to fix, so we made arraingements for the next time we were in port to have the workers in to correct the situation. When we returned they were just finishing up, and after housekeeping cleaned up, shortly thereafter, everything was back to normal. Things do break from time to time, but they keep extra plasma TV's, as a matter of fact, they have so many extras in there storeroom, it's almost unbelievable. Is that a complaint? NO, the same thing could have happened here at home, the only difference is it might have taken twice as long to get someone to the house to fix the problem.

When we first board, we turn on all lights, and generally check out everything in our cabin. We want the dimmers to work, etc. Within 20 minutes of being in our cabin, we are on the phone with Guest Services with a description of any problems. Within 30 minutes later, maintenance is there to assess the problem, and normally it is repaired before we leave the dock on day one, giving us the oppertunity to enjoy our "home away from home" for the cruise.

 

Rick

 

Unfortunately we called within about half an hour of being in the cabin about lightbulbs, and two of them weren't replaced then, or during the entire cruise. (There were five out when we got to the room--that should have been QA'd by the housekeeping supervisor before we were even taken to the room!)

 

They never did fix the contraption that raises and lowers the TV in the bedroom the whole week, even though they were aware of it by 1:00pm on Sunday.

 

They also were unable to fix the doors in the bathroom, they were actually bent and needed to be replaced--and there were no spares. So all week I heard thump, thump, thump all night as they slammed back and forth. :(

 

I don't think I'm being unreasonable or looking at a glass half empty situation. There were some serious service gaffs, things RCL advertises in writing weren't delivered to us, and there were some issues with the room which weren't corrected and seriously affected the enjoyment of our cruise.

 

Anne

[OPSoccermom]

I completely agree with your assessment of service at the suite level between RCCL and DCL. We have done the 2 bedroom suites on DCL twice and had excellent service. We experienced a lot of "no" responses on the Mariner when requesting services beyond what they consider the "usual". Suites on RCCL are just basically bigger staterroms with a few fluff items thrown in.

 

You might want to re-think your decision about X, though. We have done an RS on X twice, and found the level of service we received comparable to DCL.

[duluthgeorgiacruisers]

Hello there!

 

We went on the three night SOS 10/7 to 10/10 and it was AWESOME!..we wanted to try a three night with the kids to see how well we could all do in one room....(our kids are only 4 and 6).

 

Priority boarding line was great...i think we were on board within a 1/2 hour. (port canaveral....we got to the ship around 12)

 

The room was bigger than we had expected. The decor was extra nice.

 

The pull out couch is really short.

 

There was a plasma tv and dvd (i was told there would not be a dvd in the room...so i lugged my computer along so the kids could watch movies...however, they were so busy and enjoyed watching the retro tv on the ship.....bewitched and casper...those great shows i watched when i was a kid).

 

When we got there some fruit had been delivered to the room.

 

It took a couple of hours to get our luggage.

 

Our room steward was very nice and delivered our fluffy robes right away.

 

The next night they had some chocolate covered strawberries delivered and some invitation to an art show (we didn't go)

 

we didn't see any priority tender for coco cay....the line took about a 1/2 hour.

 

The last night they delivered some nice post cards, a cheese tray (albeit the crackers were saltines), and some cute tote bags with soverign of the seas on them.

 

Our grey color was called very early for getting off the ship....we weren't ready that early so we did have to wait in line with everyone else....that was a bit of a pain.

 

Since we had a suite we had a really great table in the dining room.

 

I think the best part of the suite was the suite itself...loved the ammout of storage....loved the bar.....loved the tv....nice was the large bottles of shampoo, lotion and shower gel....and we did get a few small extras, which were nice.

 

We had so much fun we are going to try a GS on the Grandeur in December...the deal was too good to pass up....we are only paying $400 more for a five night on the grandeur versus a three night on SOS (both in a grande suite for four people)

 

Does anyone know if the grandeur has dvd's in the grande suites?....any idea about the tvs?

 

Thanks!

 

Tiffany

[rubrrick]

Hello there!

 

We had so much fun we are going to try a GS on the Grandeur in December...the deal was too good to pass up....we are only paying $400 more for a five night on the grandeur versus a three night on SOS (both in a grande suite for four people)

 

Does anyone know if the grandeur has dvd's in the grande suites?....any idea about the tvs?

 

Thanks!

 

Tiffany

 

Interesting that the Sovereign has DVD's in their GS. I am not aware of DVD's or CD players in the Vision class till you get to the OS.

 

Rick

[ckrobyn]

Does anyone know if there is a DVD player in the GS on the AOS?

[ducklite]

Sounds like you had a better experience than we did. We were one of the last to get our luggage, it didn't arrive until almost 7:00pm. So much for any priority there either. We got two chocolate covered strawberries delivered one day on a plate with a total of eight sweets, also including two petite fours, and four cookies. No tote bags for us. That wasn't anything that I had been promised or expected, so no biggie. The toiletries also mean nothing to me, we have much higher quality that we use at home, and we bring our own along. I do save the ones from the cabin to donate to a homeless woman's shelter.

 

I learned a few lessons. First, don't believe anything they tell you you will get when you book, because it's just a bunch of lies. Second, don't expect to have any extras except robes and concierge lounge access. In most cases C&A members will get a higher level of service and more perks, in many cases after spending far less overall. Third, experiences on other ships seem to be better than on Mariner.

 

Anne

[PTarbay]

The toiletries also mean nothing to me, we have much higher quality that we use at home, and we bring our own along. I do save the ones from the cabin to donate to a homeless woman's shelter.

I am glad to hear this.We have been donating the toiletries from cruises,hotels etc. for years.They really need them.

[Tybug]

When comparing RCI to other lines, be sure to compare apples to apples. You can't compare Royal to Disney. They aren't the same sort of line. Royal is a mass market product where Disney is a niche product.

 

Those that cruise Disney are looking for a different experience. They don't have casinos, they cater to children, they have adult only areas(that are inforced!) and you are paying for the Disney experience.

 

Priority embarkation is exactly that... priority embarkation. It doesn't mean that your luggage is being handled with special care and will be delivered promptly. It's put in the big bins with all the other pieces and will be delivered when available.

 

No, I'm not sticking up for Royal... many of the other situations that you encountered would have irritated me as well. The lightbulbs need to work... you should be served dining room meals in your room(only for dinner though)... The TV thing, well hopefully they could fix it on board.. but I really don't know much about that sort of thing. And of course the shower door should have been fixed.

 

I've cruise Royal many times and 90% of the time in suites higher than a JS. The best 'perks' were received on the Rhapdody. Goodies nightly... from strawberries, petifores and even a farewell cake the night before debarkation. But have never had the supposed 4 bottles of liquor, robes to 'keep', priority tendering or even bridge tours.

 

I'm curious as to where this 'printed' material is stating what amenitites come with a suite. I've checked the 05-06 Caribbean brochure as well as the web site. I'm sure I'm overlooking this information.

 

Also curious as to who gave you further verbal information about what amenitites you would receive.

 

Thanks in advance for the further information. :)

[Paul123]

Booked GS cabin on the Jewel and Legend for next year. Both are 14 day transatlanic crossings.

 

I have e-mailed RCCL's customer sevices people in the USA HQ, the RCCL people in the UK office and my 'Vacations to Go' TA, asking them all to clarify what 'perks' are available to GS cabin category passengers and what I should expect. The RCCL peple have replied that I am in a queue and they will reply when they get to my e-mail in the line!! I suppose the same will happen to my TA. Only by getting this in writing, preferably from more than one source, can I have some reasurance as to what to expect.

 

Does any one actually have a contact e-mail address for an individual in the Customer Services side of RCCL?

[ducklite]

When comparing RCI to other lines, be sure to compare apples to apples. You can't compare Royal to Disney. They aren't the same sort of line. Royal is a mass market product where Disney is a niche product.

 

The problem is that I got service akin to what I would ahve expected on Carnival, and paid a lot more for it.

 

Priority embarkation is exactly that... priority embarkation. It doesn't mean that your luggage is being handled with special care and will be delivered promptly. It's put in the big bins with all the other pieces and will be delivered when available.

 

We arrived at the same time as others we were sailing with, and they were on the ship half an hour before us, while we were left waiting in the terminal to be escorted on. Oh! I just remembered when we were walking to the place we were told to wait, as we tried to enter that area a RCCL staffer yelled at us that we couldn't go there. After we showed him our paperwork he decided it was OK and grunted at us.

 

I've cruise Royal many times and 90% of the time in suites higher than a JS. The best 'perks' were received on the Rhapdody. Goodies nightly... from strawberries, petifores and even a farewell cake the night before debarkation. But have never had the supposed 4 bottles of liquor, robes to 'keep', priority tendering or even bridge tours.

 

I'm curious as to where this 'printed' material is stating what amenitites come with a suite. I've checked the 05-06 Caribbean brochure as well as the web site. I'm sure I'm overlooking this information.

 

Also curious as to who gave you further verbal information about what amenitites you would receive.

 

I had never seen in writing the liquor thing. But I was told that, and now that you mention it, the robes (whatever) by the RCCL agent I booked with. (Not the TA I ultimately transferred the booking to.) When I booked 18 months ago, it was in writing in the brochure that we would get priority tendering and disembarkation, and flowers in the room, as well as a "higher level of service". If they changed the policy, I should have been notified.

 

Anne

[Tybug]

Anne, thanks for the quick response!!

 

The problem is that I got service akin to what I would ahve expected on Carnival, and paid a lot more for it.

 

This would make sense as Royal and Carnival are on the same level. Although at times Royal charges more for their product. But in the same instance there are times that Carnival can be much more expensive.

 

 

 

I had never seen in writing the liquor thing. But I was told that, and now that you mention it, the robes (whatever) by the RCCL agent I booked with. (Not the TA I ultimately transferred the booking to.) When I booked 18 months ago, it was in writing in the brochure that we would get priority tendering and disembarkation, and flowers in the room, as well as a "higher level of service". If they changed the policy, I should have been notified.

 

I've learned over the years that many, MANY of the res agents for Most cruise lines don't have a clue! lol Most have never even stepped foot on a ship. You can call back 4 times in a row with the same question and get 4 different answers. This of course does not let Royal off the hook for the misinformation. Since the booking was transfered to a TA, it would be the TAs responsibility to call you with changes. Being a cruise specialist myself, I recall when Royal changed the suite policies(or rather noticed in a new brochure that the amenities weren't listed) but did go back to see if it was still in writing somewhere. As well as look for an old brochure showing those amenities(unfortunately, I can't locate one) Chances are, those were the amenities they were offering upon you booking and then they changed prior to your cruise. Which is unfortunate but does happen from time to time.

 

I'm with others that have posted before me... chose a premium/deluxe line for the service. Although I personally sail Royal and on occassion Carnival and NCL... they are providing for my needs at this time. But, if I was looking for supreme service, superb food and an experience that can't be touched... I'd be looking at Cunard, Silversea or Radisson. The premium lines can also offer much of what your looking for such as Celebrity, Holland America and Princess.

 

Good luck with all future cruise vacations!! :)

[ducklite]

Tybug,

 

We transferred the cruise to a TA two days before final payment was due. So it was not the TA's responsibility, it was RCCL's. I highly doubt they changed a policy over that two days time, and had it been changed after final payment was made, then they should have grandfathered us in.

 

RCCL has always presented themselves as a step above the mass cruising one finds on Carnival and NCL. I now know that is not the case. While we don't think Silversea or Crystal is right for us either, Radisson very likely could be, but for reasons I'm not going to get into here, on this cruise we ended up on RCCL. We were seriously ready to book a 14 day to HI on X while aboard RCCL, we changed our mind on about the third day. We simply don't want to deal with the entire corporation, and will now likely just stay at a couple four or five star resorts on the islands instead.

 

I really don't think my requests were over the top, for someone sailing in the premiere accomodations onboard. I'm not complaining about the alcohol not being in the cabin, although we shouldn't have ever been told it would be. Other than issues outside the cabin such as too much noise and poor food, and the maintanence issues inside the cabin which were never corrected, my biggest complaint is that they wouldn't offer a slightly higher level of service by refusing me the darn French toast! You know, it might sound really petty, but it just seemed like the straw that broke the camel's back. It just kind of sums up how we were treated throughout the cruise.

 

If I were RCCL and had passengers booking their first cruise on my line in the top stateroom, you bet I would have accomodated requests with minor deviations from the norm such as in room dining for meals already being prepared and served in the dining rooms.

 

And the whole mess with the bridge tour was just unacceptable. I wasn't looking for a free cruise to make up for the inconvenience and embarassment, I just wanted an apology instead of excuses, and I don't think that's too much to ask for either.

 

Anne

[Lady & Sir]

It really saddens me to see that folks get information that creates problems for them on the cruise, that if they had gotten the right info, it could have meant a non-issue.

 

When I began digging around for cruise info, I went to the horse's mouth and called RCI. I also went over the web site with a fine tooth comb.

Between the C&A benefits that are tiered, and the add ons you can purchase, and the things that seem to come with different levels of cabins, I think you can begin to see how not everyone's experience will be the same possibly. C&A members get some perks. As you accumulate cruise credits, you get more of them. If in a suite, more still. Don't qualify? you too can buy the add on package to get the frills. See the links below. I hope they help shed light. I know it took my reading them to make some sense out of it...

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/enrollment/home.do;jsessionid=0000ElHQGr45oxyezoCvUmvvTGJ:10ktmf25f

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/home.do;jsessionid=0000ElHQGr45oxyezoCvUmvvTGJ:10ktmf25f

 

Beth

p.s. I have also known TA to purchase some of these gift and have them delivered to a client's cabin. (had it happen with appetizers and champagne) Giving up a little commission is a small price to pay when you book another cruise.

[ducklite]

OK, I'm going to put my issues with RCCL into perspective. Forget what cabin I was in, and what additional amenities I should or shouldn't have gotten.

 

I had mechanical type problems with my cabin, we reported them all, and not all were repaired during the cruise, and they had a negative impact on my ability to enjoy my cruise.

 

I was invited to a bridge tour, and then was embarassed by being given a written invitation to the wrong tour and treated like I was trespassing by being there. I was asked to come back for another tour later in the day, not given the approprate place to meet, and was again embarrased by ultimately being late after waiting for twenty minutes in the wrong place. An apology was never extended.

 

I was treated poorly by a waiter who actually argued with me and raised his voice in the process over my needing a different item over what he wanted to give me due to my food allergies. I also had the bar waiter in the dining room give me a bad attitude when I refused to purchase the wine package the first night. He ignored me for the rest of the cruise. Never mind that I spent over $400 on wine in the long run, just not the garbage on the package list.

 

I was left sitting outside the spa for twenty minutes--forgotten about it seemed, while others were sent to the "relaxation room" to wait before their treatments.

 

Just those items alone are enough to at least annoy the average guest, wouldn't you say?

 

Anne

[Tybug]

Anne,

 

I was in no way bashing or making light of the situations you encountered. I agree that the mechanical problems, the tour and the rude staff would be a bit more than irritating.

 

Let us know if you get a response from Royal. I'm curious to hear what they have to say for themselves.

[BossRay2003]

:confused: I wish we had been given a warning that perks are no longer to be expected when booking the Royal suite. We booked the Royal suite in June of 2004 for a B2B on The Jewel OTS on August 19-September 12, 2005. We started out with an air/sea package with 2 nights at the City Inn in Westminister that fell apart when RCI refused to adjust our air so we kept the room and made our TA do our preferred air arrangements.

We arrived at Harwich, England for a 12 day Baltic cruise and the Diamond members out numbered the other passengers so almost everybody had the same priority boarding. When we arrived in the RS we found the concierge had left a notice of an alternative lounge at the Hollywood Odyssey. That evening when we went into the Concierge lounge around the corner from the Royal suite I was told to sit down and be quiet. Then we went to check on our table in the dining room and the card for the assigned table was directly facing the galley door. We stood in a long line waiting to change that table and decided to order dinner in the suite. We were told all we could have was Pizza and Hamburgers so that was our first dinner on the Jewel OTS. I was so upset I couldn't sleep so I went to the pursers to complain about the table and was told we had our assigned table. I asked her if she would pay over 30 grand to sit there and went back to bed. (I admit that was rude but by now I was stressed and frustrated.)The next morning we were called into the Hotel Directors office and informed there had been numerous complaints from other passengers about our behavior. He also told us we should not expect Royal caribbean to stock our bar. I told him they should have told us that they don't do "those perks" anymore so we could have cancelled this cruise. Later that day I went back to the dining room and was told that Miami has a software program that picks the tables now and they cannot be changed. I got on my knees and begged (this is not a joke) and he said his hands were tied. One nice turn of events was the table card moved to a table by a window that had the best Waiter & Assistant Waiter in Tides. The galley table was only used occasionally by staff and their families. We spent $$$ to purchase our own bottles for the bar in the Royal Suite before the cutoff date.

On the transatlantic we shared most of it with a few surprised passengers who after buying it in the shop they were not allowed to take it to their room but we still ended up leaving some behind. We did hope someone got to enjoy it.

I know how Anne felt and I guess it is "hit and miss" who gets what.

Our transatlantic was a "whole different world" with a special cocktail party for 50+ B2B cruisers with Martini's that Peter said were way "over" his budget.

All of us were invited to a special lunch in Tides Dining room while the passenger tranfer was going on in Harwich. We enjoyed the best ever filet, complete with champagne and Banana Foster for a delightful afternoon. This time the RS had roses, Champagne, Jewel tote bags, a wonderful table next to the Captain's table, and Dinner with Captain James who was outstanding thoughout our entire journey. We also received a bridge tour and a backstage tour. We had a fabulous time and I can't explain why the two were so extremely different.

My guess is they favor the Diamond members whose numbers and perks are rapidly increasing. Maybe the suites are not worth the extra expenses that those of us that pay full price to have the Royal Suite were starting to expect. I spent one afternoon cleaning crayola off the frosted glass doors leading to the bedroom. It was already on there when I arrived. I just wish they had let us know ahead of time we were not to expect anything instead of letting us make fools of ourselves.:o I think we deserved better on the cruise we paid the most for not the other way around. I still love the Radiance Class, I loved the Royal Suite on the Jewel Of the seas and most of all I Love Captain James.

I will be watching this board to see if maybe it is time to Move On.....

Sandy

[rubrrick]

Two horror storys in a row! Leaves me wondering about the new leadership at RCCL. A once in a while story of something bad on an old ship is one thing, but these stories are happening aboard some of the newest of the fleet. The story of BossRay on the Jewel is of interest as we are booked for a B2B transatlantic cruise in 2006. I am gathering that this was your 6th cruise, is that correct? Were all of the other cruises that you were in the RS very nice? Is that why you once again booked a RS?

Are there other stories out there, good or bad, dealing with the best suite, within the past year?

 

Rick

[PTarbay]

It really saddens me to see that folks get information that creates problems for them on the cruise, that if they had gotten the right info, it could have meant a non-issue.

 

When I began digging around for cruise info, I went to the horse's mouth and called RCI. I also went over the web site with a fine tooth comb.

Between the C&A benefits that are tiered, and the add ons you can purchase, and the things that seem to come with different levels of cabins, I think you can begin to see how not everyone's experience will be the same possibly. C&A members get some perks. As you accumulate cruise credits, you get more of them. If in a suite, more still. Don't qualify? you too can buy the add on package to get the frills. See the links below. I hope they help shed light. I know it took my reading them to make some sense out of it...

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/enrollment/home.do;jsessionid=0000ElHQGr45oxyezoCvUmvvTGJ:10ktmf25f

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/home.do;jsessionid=0000ElHQGr45oxyezoCvUmvvTGJ:10ktmf25f

 

Beth

p.s. I have also known TA to purchase some of these gift and have them delivered to a client's cabin. (had it happen with appetizers and champagne) Giving up a little commission is a small price to pay when you book another cruise.

The problem with going to the horses mouth and calling RCI is you can sometimes call 3 times and get 3 different answers

[Lady & Sir]

Just when I thought I had gotten the carrying on liquor thing straight...I asked two people at RCI yesterday, and got two huge NO's. New rules...cracking down...anyone know firsthand about this?

 

Beth

[cruise182]

This thread has certainly been an eye opener. When I booked the RS I asked my TA about the perks. For me, perks are important. He called RCI and then returned my call with a list of perks I should expect. If I do not get the perks that I was told I would receive I will be upset. I am not the type to go to the pursers desk to complain. I will if I have to. If I still don't get what I was told and paid for I will write RCI a letter upon my return. In the letter I will include 6 booking numbers for our upcoming cruises with RCI. 3 GS's, 1 OS, 1 JS, and 1 inside cabin presently booked for my family. I will have no problems canceling these booking and taking my money to another line. A line that hopefully does not state certain perks but not follow through. Between this cruise in the RS and the other cabins we have booked for 06 we have well over 30k in just cruise fare's booked with RCI. Hopefully this will not be the case.

[ducklite]

Just when I thought I had gotten the carrying on liquor thing straight...I asked two people at RCI yesterday, and got two huge NO's. New rules...cracking down...anyone know firsthand about this?

 

Beth

 

We carried on a bottle of wine that they do not carry. No porblems, took it to the dining room and paid the corkage fee to have it with dinner one night.

 

We also had a bottle of Dom Perignon packed in our cehcked bags, again no problem. Our suite attendent had no problem putting it on ice for us, and we enjoyed it in our cabin one night.

 

We seldom drink hard liquor, and didn't bring any on, so I can't help with that. I know another family who was on our cruise carried on a bottle of Captain Morgan that they put into a Gatorade bottle.

 

Anne

[tbill]

Can anyone let me know if you do indeed get free water/soda in the Royal Suite? It is not that I am cheap but I hate to pay the price they want for water and soda and I usually bring my own for that reason.

 

Thanks!