Defecting from Royal Caribbean in Port Canaveral

[ragen]

How I am Defecting from Royal Caribbean Port Canaveral and Why,....

 

Due to my job, I can only take shorter 3-5 night cruises,....So,...

 

 

Many months ago I saw that Rhapsody of the seas was coming to Port Canaveral

to replace the Enchantment of the Seas,

I was a little let down to be getting the smaller

unstretched ship,.....

But decided to book a reasonably priced inside stateroom anyway ($249 per Person 3 nite), due to her having Giovanni's Table

and I've never been on her,.....(I LOVE Grandeur , and really like Enchantment, Sister ships to Rhapsody).

 

 

 

 

Fast forward a few months, and see online that Rhapsody is NOT coming to Port Canaveral, but instead the Old, Smaller,

Majesty of the seas is instead,......Very let down, Thought about cancelling altogether,.....

 

 

I called Royal and they told me All will be ok, Because the Majesty was getting all these great dry-dock upgrades before arriving,...

Water-slides, New alternative dining, Sabor instead of Johnny Rockets, Rita's instead of Sorintos pizza, FREE INTERNET, and so much more,

....and for my inconvenience, I would also get a free upgrade from an inside on the Rhapsody to an Outside stateroom on the Majesty.

same date at our old $249 rate. (I love water-slides, so I eventually accepted.)

 

 

 

Fast forward again,......I kept trying to figure out how they could squeeze a water-park on there,......

kept arguing with the wife how it could be squeezed into the old basketball court , but she disagreed with me,....

Over the next few weeks after the supposed upgrades were publicly announced, i watched as our room category more than doubled in price

due to the excitement of new bookings based on the promised upgrades.

 

Needless to say,... one day I click on the net to read that the wife was right all along,...they'd never really add that,....

mater of fact they are now doing away with 3/4'ths of the promised upgrades.

we we're back to basically the old run down, small ship version of Majesty,...

but with a new hot-tub or two and a outdoor movie screen wedged in.

(Yet the higher prices, for new bookings, still at the inflated rates.

Good thing we're still grandfathered in at our low Rhapsody rate.)

 

 

Fast forward one last time,......Now the FREE VOOM internet offer is not gonna happen either, one more lie from RCI.

(I know, we personally would still have gotten it for free in our case,once again grandfathered in by our booking date,.)

But all in all, this whole fiasco is just leaving a bad taste in my mouth towards RCI,.....

Just not a good way to treat you're old, or even new, customers at all.

 

So lastly,.....a few weeks back, I see an add online that NCL epic will be doing some short 3 to 5 night cruises from Port Canaveral,

On a whim I check when,....(Never been on NCL) and low and behold, there it is, Same month,

Same port (Canaveral) a 4-DAY on the NCL EPIC,and for $49 dollars less

than my original 3 night $249 RCI Rhapsody.

 

 

Needless to say, Bye-Bye, RCI (after 10+ cruises with you.) I can get a 4-Nite, With tons of Eatery's, A full Water-park, and Basically NEW world Class ship

for $199 a person, as opposed to you're 20 year old forgotten ship of non-existing upgrades which is only a 3-day?

 

- Both go the very same weekend, both go to Nassau

and when Little Majesty is at Coco-Cay, Big EPIC will be right next door at Big Stirrup Cay, Laughing at you and you're inflated cruise pricing.

(now $359 inside for new cruisers+$15 a day voom internet) Same Dates.

 

 

-------------------------------------

 

Seriously Royal, how can you put Majesty with nearly no upgrades against NCL Epic, Carnival Victory, and Carnival Valor all doing basically Identical

Cruises, yet price at $100-$150 a person higher and think that is a good Business plan???????????????

 

- Ok, Rant over, Had to get that off my chest,.....Goodbye RCI, Hello Epic,.......

 

(At least after my 04/29/16 last Enchantment from Port Canaveral cruise 11 days from now,....Ha!)

 

 

ps. It's not that I hate RCI,...still love them, but until you offer me something better,

It'll be Carnival or NCL from Port Canaveral for the foreseeable future,

[FSUNole]

Sounds like a good decision on your part. Get ready for the onslaught...

[molly361]

What date are you going? The least expensive one on the Epic out of PC that I see is $299 per person

[Denversail]

I agree that NCL has way better pricing right now or similiar with better perks. We had Escape booked, never been on NCL, have done mostly Royal cruises. The ONLY reason we cancelled Escape for Allure was because I ended up using a cruise cert from Royal.

 

I hope you enjoy the Epic. Good call on your part!

[reallyitsmema]

This whole loyal to Royal thing is overrated. At the end of the day, I am loyal to only one thing and that is my family and on some days, even that is questionable.;):p

 

Do what works for you and yours. If you don't like it, come back to Royal, if you do like it, sail on!

[cruzeluver]

This whole loyal to Royal thing is overrated. At the end of the day, I am loyal to only one thing and that is my family and on some days, even that is questionable.

 

Do what works for you and yours. If you don't like it, come back to Royal, if you do like it, sail on!

 

Perfect!!

[PhoenixCruiser]

Awesome decision!

 

Have a great time on the Epic.

 

###

[ryano]

Sounds like a no brainer to me :) I have to agree with reallyitsmema.

 

Im sailing Carnival Magic out of PC in 12 days. Newer ship than Freedom, just out of drydock with all sorts of cool upgrades and about 200.00 per person cheaper. Depending on how much I like Magic will tell how soon I return to Royal Caribbean. Even though I REALLY want to sail on an Oasis class ship, that trip is still fully refundable as of now :)

 

Enjoy!

[ragen]

You're right, it is now $299 per-person 04/27/17 NCL epic cruise,.....(Lucky me, I guess I got a great deal on an inside,....)

 

 

or all my math was off by $100.00,.....I guess my Rhapsody/Majesty was $349 then instead of $249 as stated above, I'll have to go look,....

But I do know, my EPIC was a 4-day for $50 bucks less than my original 3-day RCI booking per-person for the very same weekend.

 

My point still stands,.... How can they expect Majesty with very few upgrades to compete with the NCL Epic and Carnival Victory/Valor at the same port at better price points?

 

And as Stated above, I STILL LOVE RCI,.....I just can't justify the current Majesty price point compared to it's direct competition, is all I'm saying.

Edited April 18, 2016 by ragen

[KiwiGal117]

Good for you! I hope you love it.

 

I've notice an interesting trend here over the weekend - this is the third thread I've read of people who were loyal to Royal, looking seriously at other lines. And most of the responses have been very positive and understanding of those decisions. Is this just a aberration, or a trend, I wonder. And I wonder if Royal is listening.

[Clarea]

Good for you! I hope you love it.

 

I've notice an interesting trend here over the weekend - this is the third thread I've read of people who were loyal to Royal, looking seriously at other lines. And most of the responses have been very positive and understanding of those decisions. Is this just a aberration, or a trend, I wonder. And I wonder if Royal is listening.

Royal is only looking at the bottom line.

[Klstaack]

In my opinion putting this old ship as the 3 and 4 night ship is a mistake. On our last cruise we saw the Majesty in Nassau and it was tiny and looked run down.

 

It my opinion I think it would be smart if they would use one of the freedom class ship and use it for 3 and 4 night trips. Then there would be something comparable to the Disney Dream. In my opinion the nicest ship for a 3 or 4 night cruise is the Disney Dream.

[ryano]

In my opinion putting this old ship as the 3 and 4 night ship is a mistake. On our last cruise we saw the Majesty in Nassau and it was tiny and looked run down.

 

.

 

Sovereign and then Monarch (older sister ships) did this route out of PC for quiet a few years. Had they stuck with the original drydock plans, I dont think it would be as bad. Not sure how Royal plans on competing with the competition with this old ship, few amenities and higher prices. I doubt they will ever use a newer ship like Freedom class for these short itineraries though

[ragen]

I'm not saying Majesty is a bad ship,...She's not.

Even without the upgrades Majesty is still a great ship.

I've been on both the Soverign and Monarch and loved my cruises.

 

I'm sure I'd love a Majesty Cruise.

 

I'm just saying without the upgrades,......

 

How can RCI justify charging MORE for a ship on the same itinerary, when it's Direct competitors, same port, same destinations, are offering,.... More Food choices, water-slides, multiple pools, solarium's, and on and on, for less money?

 

If Majesty was priced Lower than EPIC and Valor/Victory, or if she'd gotten all the upgrades, then I'd understand,......and would gladly sail on her with a huge smile!

after all, sometimes I like small ships, Love RCI and Coco-Cay. But I just can't see how It can compete as it she is right now.

 

RCI needs to, Either,

1. Fully Upgrade Majesty, or

2. put a Vision or Radiance Class Ship for short Cruises in Port Canaveral ,or

3. Lower prices on this route to be competitive in this particular market once again.

Edited April 18, 2016 by ragen

[wendychloecruiser]

Royal is only looking at the bottom line.

 

 

Yeah, and RCI can look at my bottom walking up the gangway of another cruiseline...

[ryano]

 

RCI needs to, Either,

1. Fully Upgrade Majesty, or

2. put a Vision or Radiance Class Ship for short Cruises in Port Canaveral ,or

3. Lower prices on this route to be competitive in this particular market once again.

 

Agreed :) Especially with #3. I guess long gone are the days of 169.00 deck 9 SOV cabins for 4 nights. I remember seeing those on Monarch many times.

[BermudaBound2014]

This whole loyal to Royal thing is overrated. At the end of the day, I am loyal to only one thing and that is my family and on some days, even that is questionable.;):p

 

Do what works for you and yours. If you don't like it, come back to Royal, if you do like it, sail on!

 

Great post!

[cot427]

At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you. Forget loyalty. Factor in the price, the ship, the schedule/itinerary/date. When you find a good deal, snag it.

 

Royal isn't the only one doing what they do. And some like their competitors more, some less and some the same.

 

I deflected to Carnival a few times before finally trying Norwegian, which I absolutely love. Does that mean I won't take another Royal cruise? No. But know I know there's at least one other line I love. Never know until you try!

 

I hope you enjoy your Epic cruise!

[Artemus]

Sounds like a no brainer to me :) I have to agree with reallyitsmema.

 

Im sailing Carnival Magic out of PC in 12 days. Newer ship than Freedom, just out of drydock with all sorts of cool upgrades and about 200.00 per person cheaper. Depending on how much I like Magic will tell how soon I return to Royal Caribbean. Even though I REALLY want to sail on an Oasis class ship, that trip is still fully refundable as of now :)

 

Enjoy!

I sailed Carnival Magic a year or two ago. One of my fav ships.

[papaflamingo]

You don't have to explain to anyone. Heck, I'm doing a HAL cruise in 2017. I'm doing it because it works best for me. We are going on Vision 12 night Baltic out of Amsterdam. I want to also do the Fjords. The only cruise that'll work is HAL Koningsdam the week before. Will I like HAL? Guess I'll find out. You do what's best for you. No one here can blame you.

[deliver42]

As you can see by my signature, I've been pretty loyal to Royal until my last one on the Serenade. That cruise was great, with no regrets, but since then, their pricing has gone nuts. I booked MSC for price, and then Got a great upsell for the Yacht Club. I went for Princess in Alaska due to itinerary, then to Celebrity because they were actually cheaper than Royal, then back to MSC and Carnival because the price difference was ridiculous. Royal might rethink where they are, or there might be too many lost loyals.

[kdnurs]

In my opinion putting this old ship as the 3 and 4 night ship is a mistake. On our last cruise we saw the Majesty in Nassau and it was tiny and looked run down.

 

It my opinion I think it would be smart if they would use one of the freedom class ship and use it for 3 and 4 night trips. Then there would be something comparable to the Disney Dream. In my opinion the nicest ship for a 3 or 4 night cruise is the Disney Dream.

 

I LOVED the 3/4 day Disney Dream (concierge)!!!! We are looking to book again in 2017. I have done the 3 day Majesty (concierge) and the 2 don't compare.;)

[Klstaack]

Our last cruise was concierge on the Dream and it was one of the best cruises I've been on. Concierge level made all the difference.

[kdnurs]

Our last cruise was concierge on the Dream and it was one of the best cruises I've been on. Concierge level made all the difference.

 

Same here!!! We felt like kings & queens. I have an autistic grandchild who they treated like a true prince as we do :D It was our best cruise to date and look forward to doing it all again. I am glad yours was so special too.

[laseiber]

Royal is only looking at the bottom line.

 

Bob is so right. All companies are looking at the bottom line and the almighty dollar at the expense of us all.