Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Negative Royal Caribbean International Experience: Harmony of the Seas

csm2000

By csm2000,
in Royal Caribbean International

 Share

Recommended Posts

critterchick

critterchick

Posted
Posted
Carnival always has popcorn for "free" on their movie nights under the stars (dive-in movies i think they all them). They give it out along with blankets and cookies. I have never seen an excess of popcorn to sweep up or an extreme mess. Again I dont like popcorn but to me it just stinks of greed. And they should want people filling up on cheap popcorn rather than overeating at the buffet.

 

They had free popcorn on HAL, too, by the pool deck, no movie required. I never saw any up there in the morning, but that was likely because the crew let it blow overboard, and much of it landed on the aft balconies, along with all the other garbage people left lying around that the crew didn't feel compelled to clean up.:eek:

 

As you likely already know, RCI is making every dollar cry out in pain as it leaves the corporate coffers. We are reminded of how extreme it has become every time we sail on Princess and pay $9 for a glass of good wine or have a really nice meal in the main dining room. I'd happily let somebody else pay $2.50 for popcorn if they would bring back the Giovanni's filet and other dishes that were just cut from the menu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
peacefrogdog

peacefrogdog

Posted
Posted
Doesn't the same thing happen with buffet food? Soft serve frozen yogurt? Samples along the promenade? All other "free" (included) food? Don't they get spilled sometimes?

 

And specifically with your example, wouldn't that free hotdog or sausage cause the same potential problem (spillage)?

 

 

Of course all food can get spilled in theory. But just recall your last experience in a movie theatre to see how bad we are at spilling popcorn. And who really spills a hotdog?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
royalcruz

royalcruz

Posted
Posted (edited)

Suggestions for dining on RC cruises, based on my experience:

Avoid the Windjammer on day one, especially on the mega ships. Look for alternatives, like Park Café or Sorrentos and avoid the chaos.

Don't order the upcharge food if you don't want to pay an upcharge.

Avoid ordering steaks or salmon in the MDR, as they are often disappointing in that venue.

Avoid My Time Dining. If you are wait listed for fixed dining try to change to fixed dining as soon as you board by visiting the MDR.

Confirm your show/dining reservations on day one by way of guest relations or concierge if you have one.

If you like Asian buffet food, you'll probably enjoy the Windjammer for dinner.

Try the specialty dining. It's usually very good. If it isn't, ask for the manager.

Be nice.

Edited by royalcruz
Link to comment
Share on other sites
time4u2go

time4u2go

Posted
Posted (edited)
Of course all food can get spilled in theory. But just recall your last experience in a movie theatre to see how bad we are at spilling popcorn. And who really spills a hotdog?

 

At movie theaters I notice spilled drinks/sticky floors, but not really much spilled popcorn.

 

I find the mess around soft serve frozen yogurt machines on ships to be much worse. Do you suggest they charge for that too?

 

And I find a LOT of spilled food in the buffet.

Edited by time4u2go
Link to comment
Share on other sites
travelgoddess1

travelgoddess1

Posted
Posted
Suggestions for dining on RC cruises, based on my experience:

Avoid the Windjammer on day one, especially on the mega ships. Look for alternatives, like Park Café or Sorrentos and avoid the chaos.

Don't order the upcharge food if you don't want to pay an upcharge.

Avoid ordering steaks or salmon in the MDR, as they are often disappointing in that venue.

Avoid My Time Dining. If you are wait listed for fixed dining try to change to fixed dining as soon as you board by visiting the MDR.

Confirm your show/dining reservations on day one by way of guest relations or concierge if you have one.

If you like Asian buffet food, you'll probably enjoy the Windjammer for dinner.

Try the specialty dining. It's usually very good. If it isn't, ask for the manager.

Be nice.

 

Good, common sense advice. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrYellowDuck

MrYellowDuck

Posted
Posted

Broadly the complaint is that there's an opportunity to elect to make optional purchases where the poster believes that everyone should have paid a cruise fare such that these are no longer options but included benefits. The rest is just picking fault over some very minor issues.

 

As can be seen from the endless posts on price for this cruise line the headline price does matter a lot to the demographic that cruises of RCL. It's actually rather customer focused of RCL to acquiesce to the demands of this audience and unbundle pricing but by doing so you always find others who will complain. The question I guess is whether they would be happy with the cruise fare if they moved to a fuller service provider? Using the sliders of low cost, vast choice and best quality it's not possible to set all three to maximum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Fun Researcher

The Fun Researcher

Posted
Posted

The cancelling of your reservations and splitting up your group, without notifying you, would have been a huge disappointment for us. We've done three cruises with multiple other couples, and to imagine being split up for dinner would be terrible.

 

OP, I'm curious. What other cruise lines are you moving to, and why? The reason I'm asking is because we are looking to try another cruise line as well. Not because we don't like RCI, but rather to try something new.

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Robo1098

Robo1098

Posted
Posted

I have come to realize a cruise is what you make of it. We were on Harmony following Thanksgiving. We ate in the MDR the first two nights and both the food and service were sub par. There were also some issues with the WOW bands and our sea pass cads. We spoke with the restaurant manager and got the food issues resolved and made a couple trips to guest services to get the card and bad issues resolved. We could have dwelled on the negative and even thought about how I would complain on here. In the end we had a great cruise and really enjoyed the ship even with a couple hiccups. I pay thousands of dollars on a cruise. It would be easy to dwell on negative things but in the end I would still be out thousands.

I try to get issues resolved right away so I don't have to think about them any longer than I have to. If the issues are bad enough I will think about not going on that ship or going with another cruise line. I won't let minor things waste my money or vacation time. No cruise is perfect but if you make it bad it will be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bootman4U

Bootman4U

Posted
Posted

It seems pretty obvious that deciding which, if any, issues are "bad enough" varies from one person to another. Perhaps everyone might agree that if the ship actually sank, THAT would be one "issue" just about everybody would agree is "bad enough."

 

OK, so people "spend thousands" on a cruise. A LOT of people "spend thousands" on a cruise and when they do they expect a certain level of service, etc.

 

I see that since we first sailed on the Oasis and were told the first night, in writing, in the MDR, to "expect to wait at least an hour" things haven't changed much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nelblu

nelblu

Posted
Posted
It seems pretty obvious that deciding which, if any, issues are "bad enough" varies from one person to another. Perhaps everyone might agree that if the ship actually sank, THAT would be one "issue" just about everybody would agree is "bad enough."

 

OK, so people "spend thousands" on a cruise. A LOT of people "spend thousands" on a cruise and when they do they expect a certain level of service, etc.

 

I see that since we first sailed on the Oasis and were told the first night, in writing, in the MDR, to "expect to wait at least an hour" things haven't changed much.

 

Unless you're talking about MTD, I have never had to wait an hour for the MDR. Basically, when we board, we look for our table and go straight to it. As a matter of fact, having sailed Oasis (3) & Allure(2), I basically ask for the same table # for 2 by the window when making cruise reservations and always accommodated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rbschultz

rbschultz

Posted
Posted
I have come to realize a cruise is what you make of it. We were on Harmony following Thanksgiving. We ate in the MDR the first two nights and both the food and service were sub par. There were also some issues with the WOW bands and our sea pass cads. We spoke with the restaurant manager and got the food issues resolved and made a couple trips to guest services to get the card and bad issues resolved. We could have dwelled on the negative and even thought about how I would complain on here. In the end we had a great cruise and really enjoyed the ship even with a couple hiccups. I pay thousands of dollars on a cruise. It would be easy to dwell on negative things but in the end I would still be out thousands.

I try to get issues resolved right away so I don't have to think about them any longer than I have to. If the issues are bad enough I will think about not going on that ship or going with another cruise line. I won't let minor things waste my money or vacation time. No cruise is perfect but if you make it bad it will be.

 

100% agree.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
#55worktoplay

#55worktoplay

Posted
Posted
The Voom on Harmony was, by far, the slowest between OA, AL and HM.

 

Really? I was on the 3 day sailing on The Harmony where they gave every passenger free wi-fi and it was the best I have ever experienced. Not one issue was encountered with speed for any of the four of us.

 

I was a little surprised with other areas lacking from past experiences but the speed of Internet was not lacking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Big_G

Big_G

Posted
Posted
It seems pretty obvious that deciding which, if any, issues are "bad enough" varies from one person to another. Perhaps everyone might agree that if the ship actually sank, THAT would be one "issue" just about everybody would agree is "bad enough."

 

Could you be a little more specific about where it's sinking? ;):p:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
borntobehappy

borntobehappy

Posted
Posted
I will be a new RC passenger on Oasis in 3mos. I am very disappointed to read OP's experience, and even more so to see responses that all of it is not only true but also old news. Now I'm really bummed.

 

 

We had the time of our life on Oasis in Aug. Enjoyed great service and food in the MDR (never upgraded any menu items). Ya gotta just zig a little and zag some. We didn't do any speciality restaurants and were completely satisfied with the food.

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Biker19

Biker19

Posted
Posted
Really? I was on the 3 day sailing on The Harmony where they gave every passenger free wi-fi and it was the best I have ever experienced. Not one issue was encountered with speed for any of the four of us.

 

I was a little surprised with other areas lacking from past experiences but the speed of Internet was not lacking.

 

How one perceives internet performance could be as subjective as the food in the MDR. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...