Regal Princess- not happy so far...

[richsea]

;p Well if they were inside they couldn't guilt people into stopping!

We spent 20 nights in January on Royal in a forward cabin and passed them multiple times a day, & never felt pressured by any of them. On the other hand, they never acknowledeged me once, even if I smiled and said good day. After a few days, we all just ignored each other, lol. But I was never pressured either. Maybe I don’t look like spa material!

[capriccio]

I now let them know upfront that their tip is contingent on not hearing any sales pitches. Works wonders...:)

 

That - along with telling the staff that you wanted peace and quiet to relax - was the guidance I gave our daughter and daughter-in-law on our Ruby Princess cruise (their first on Princess but each have been on other lines) this summer. Worked like a charm. They knew the massages would be more expensive than the ones they regularly get at home before they made the reservations so sticker shock wasn't an issue. Both of them had a wonderful massage and said it was just what was needed to start the cruise.

[GJClay]

I’ve received spa services on every major cruise line and they’re all the same with the hard sell and the insults. One pedicurist chastised me the entire time about my dry feet which was what the pedi was supposed to fix in the first place! I complained to the manager and was given a free re-do by a different worker during which the original nail tech sat right next to me and glared at me the entire time. I’ve been told I’m fat, wrinkled and on and on in these spas. I still keep going back because my TA provides a spa credit but this year I’m going to tell them that I’m in my fifties and feel very good about the way I look, thank you, which I do. As they’re insulting me I always wonder if they have looked in the mirror lately?

[billyhosencone]

Haven’t received anything back from my complaint, so I just took all the gratuities down to $0. Tip my waiter and room lady personally instead. Yeah rest of cruise is good.

[Omega1]

We are celebrating our engagement on this cruise and they forgot to place our balloons etc at our room. Just booked a surprise massage for the missus ....

Billy, I’m impressed. After only a day on board your fiancée is now your ‘missus’ - quick work, good for you!

I’ve just had another thought - it could be that both your fiancée and your ‘missus’ are both on board, in which case I can see why you paid a fortune. It must be incredibly stressful and exhausting dashing between cabins and keeping both parties apart.;p

Only teasing! Enjoy your cruise.:')

[melodyina]

I can agree with OP about not enough Outdoor Fun on the Regal . Mainly miss the total Promenade Deck .

Like most newer ships , it is all about

the inside space .

 

 

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So true! We love deck 7 especially in the evenings after dinner. When we were on the Royal our 'outdoor' on the top deck was more like a party atmosphere. We tried the new ships, but will continue to choose the older.

[lstone19]

I can agree with OP about not enough Outdoor Fun on the Regal . Mainly miss the total Promenade Deck .

 

Do keep in mind that the primary purpose of the Promenade (called Boat deck on some lines) is to facilitate loading of the life boats. Since it's rarely needed for that purpose, at some point someone had the idea to allow it to be used for lounging and walking when not loading life boats.

 

With the Royal-class ships, new life boat storage devices were developed that allow the life boats to sit lower than in the past. This both cut the width of the promenade and reduced the obstructions to the cabins above on Emerald deck. So some good and some bad from the change.

 

I enjoy a good full-width and full-circle promenade as much as anyone but just remind myself that the existence of promenades comes from a need for them for another purpose and not for them as we passengers prefer to enjoy them.

[melodyina]

When cruising and participating in spa treatments, one must learn to say no. Telling your fiance that she's overweight is over the top. I've never been to the spa on any cruise ship due to the overselling of their overpriced products. I don't have the temperament to listen to sale pitches and I would likely tell them so. Setting yourself up for a spectacular cruise may be your down fall. I hope your cruise ends on a good note.

 

Your post brought a smile to me this morning. You see, I am overweight and WOW - I WON a seawrap and spa massage in a drawing. Now, I was on a strict diet and lost 45#'s (but still very overweight) and I looked at this wonderful spa win as a remarkable reward (as I would never spend the $$ on such extravagance of seawrap). I was so happy with my ongoing weight loss and this cruise was a true reward and I had low carb options in the buffet too! Yes, I had flabby untoned sagging skin (I was mid 50's) from the weight loss. First I will say the 'disappointment' of the gal when she saw that I was her next massage spoke volumes. She was quiet for the first half of the massage and then came the pitch about this product and toxins built up and how the fat can even be electrified away, and I really need to 'tone'.. all those spa and gym words came out of that back pocket... etc..etc.... I was a 'newbie' to spa treatments, really - didn't even understand where all those towels go.. and how does one get all this seaweed paste off? The sell was hard, but I said 'no'. The flyers came in the mail slot too (as I had visited the spa). This "win/gift" did not 'ruin' my cruise - it still is one of the high points of cruise experience. What I do try is act as surprised as I can be when someone says i'm overweight - and I smile when I say 'no'.. Anyways sorry for the ramble, but thanks for the flashback of my great cruise.

[jagsfan]

Your post brought a smile to me this morning. You see, I am overweight and WOW - I WON a seawrap and spa massage in a drawing. Now, I was on a strict diet and lost 45#'s (but still very overweight) and I looked at this wonderful spa win as a remarkable reward (as I would never spend the $$ on such extravagance of seawrap). I was so happy with my ongoing weight loss and this cruise was a true reward and I had low carb options in the buffet too! Yes, I had flabby untoned sagging skin (I was mid 50's) from the weight loss. First I will say the 'disappointment' of the gal when she saw that I was her next massage spoke volumes. She was quiet for the first half of the massage and then came the pitch about this product and toxins built up and how the fat can even be electrified away, and I really need to 'tone'.. all those spa and gym words came out of that back pocket... etc..etc.... I was a 'newbie' to spa treatments, really - didn't even understand where all those towels go.. and how does one get all this seaweed paste off? The sell was hard, but I said 'no'. The flyers came in the mail slot too (as I had visited the spa). This "win/gift" did not 'ruin' my cruise - it still is one of the high points of cruise experience. What I do try is act as surprised as I can be when someone says i'm overweight - and I smile when I say 'no'.. Anyways sorry for the ramble, but thanks for the flashback of my great cruise.

 

 

 

Great attitude!

You can let that kind of treatment ruin your cruise or you can laugh about it.

The spa ladies on all cruises tend to be on the condescending side and can make people uncomfortable, which is the opposite of what the effect should be.

 

 

 

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[vmom]

Haven’t received anything back from my complaint, so I just took all the gratuities down to $0. Tip my waiter and room lady personally instead. Yeah rest of cruise is good.

 

It doesn't seem quite fair to hold everyone responsible for your poor spa experience.

 

 

You may not be aware spa staff are not cruise line employees. They're contract people who work for the spa company, just like the art auction staff are contract people who work for the art company, not the cruise line.

 

 

that is one reason you'll never see them wearing princess uniforms.

 

On my last cruise on the Royal I found out that the manager of the jewelry store on the ship is an Effy employee not a Princess employee. not sure about the others who work in the Effy store.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Haven’t received anything back from my complaint, so I just took all the gratuities down to $0. Tip my waiter and room lady personally instead. Yeah rest of cruise is good.

 

I completely understand your extreme annoyance at the spa, it's warranted.

 

You do realize that by taking the gratuities down to $0 you are unfortunately having everyone pay for the spa mistake. Your waiter and your room lady (steward) unfortunately won't be able to get the tips that you do give to them. Because you took it down to zero, they have to turn those in.

 

Glad to hear that the rest of the cruise is good!

[capriccio]

I completely understand your extreme annoyance at the spa, it's warranted.

 

You do realize that by taking the gratuities down to $0 you are unfortunately having everyone pay for the spa mistake. Your waiter and your room lady (steward) unfortunately won't be able to get the tips that you do give to them. Because you took it down to zero, they have to turn those in.

 

Glad to hear that the rest of the cruise is good!

 

Plus it will have absolutely no effect on the spa staff since they are not part of the automatic gratuities. OP is directly punishing staff that have absolutely nothing to do with the spa.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Plus it will have absolutely no effect on the spa staff since they are not part of the automatic gratuities. OP is directly punishing staff that have absolutely nothing to do with the spa.

 

Thanks for adding that!!

[firecrewcapt]

Haven’t received anything back from my complaint, so I just took all the gratuities down to $0. Tip my waiter and room lady personally instead. Yeah rest of cruise is good.

 

 

Sure sounds like your crying over pretty much nothing. To remove the gratuities is pretty selfish of you, if you haven't heard back go back and ask again if no resolve save it till you get home and write the corporate office, we did after a complaint was never handled on board and guess what...….we received back a voucher for 25% off our next cruise, anywhere they sail and was combinable with any and all current promotions at the time of booking. Think outside your box to resolve issues and one more thing about the hard sell, the hardest word in the English vocabulary to learn, understand and enforce is the word "NO" once you master that you'll not let those type of situations to occur.

[wolfie11]

It doesn't seem quite fair to hold everyone responsible for your poor spa experience.

 

 

You may not be aware spa staff are not cruise line employees. They're contract people who work for the spa company, just like the art auction staff are contract people who work for the art company, not the cruise line.

 

 

that is one reason you'll never see them wearing princess uniforms.

 

On my last cruise on the Royal I found out that the manager of the jewelry store on the ship is an Effy employee not a Princess employee. not sure about the others who work in the Effy store.

 

The spa, the art auction, and the jewelry stores are all concessionaires with a contract, as is the shopping host. I heard a rumor that Effy got a new shopping contract with Princess that makes them the exclusive concessionaire. That may mean no more shopping hosts and pushes to go buy stuff from the stores in ports.....

[RDC1]

I completely understand your extreme annoyance at the spa, it's warranted.

 

You do realize that by taking the gratuities down to $0 you are unfortunately having everyone pay for the spa mistake. Your waiter and your room lady (steward) unfortunately won't be able to get the tips that you do give to them. Because you took it down to zero, they have to turn those in.

 

Glad to hear that the rest of the cruise is good!

Also will not impact the spa employees one bit because they are not part of the tip pool and are not even Princess employees.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Haven’t received anything back from my complaint, so I just took all the gratuities down to $0. Tip my waiter and room lady personally instead. Yeah rest of cruise is good.

 

And now we reach the nub of the matter.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Dealing effectively with pushy salespeople and rude service providers is a valuable life skill, and it is surprising to read so many posts from folks who have never developed it.

[billyhosencone]

Dealing effectively with pushy salespeople and rude service providers is a valuable life skill, and it is surprising to read so many posts from folks who have never developed it.

Saying no was fine. I said no thanks and left, main issue was the combination of the whole experience- meant to be a surprise, a $320 surprise, and something special for our first day. Missus doesn’t travel too well so I wanted to start our trip off with something nice. Instead it was an expensive awkward and rude time. Plus as I mentioned, they implied she was overweight. Basically did up a program, and suggested hit the gym....

[cr8tiv1]

There is a difference between implied and actually verbalizing she was overweight. Which one was it? And please, reinstate the gratuities. It only hurts everyone except the SPA personnel.

 

I did a seaweed wrap a very long time ago. I was also naive. Bought the products. Luckily I could return it back when. I felt so taken advantage of.

[billyhosencone]

Let’s just say she started with “here’s a program to deal with the *hands make shape of wide body*”

[EastBay Cruisers]

Billy, in order to resolve this, I would suggest that you ask your fiancee about what she wrote down on the information sheet. The spa employees read the information sheet to determine which products the guest may want to buy. If the fiancee wrote down anything about fitness or nutrition, the spa employee may have mis-read or mis-spoke after looking at the info sheet; and if they offended your fiancee, then they do owe her an apology.

 

 

 

I would suggest that you go directly to the spa manager, give the name of the employee, or physical description, explain what happened, and ask the spa manager to follow-up with you within 24 hours. The manager will talk to the employee, will be able to reprimand and re-educate the employee on where she went wrong, then when you return to the spa, she can explain the follow-up. I think you need someone who can directly speak with the employee.

 

 

 

You are on a fabulous ship, with a great itinerary; and for many people, that would be the trip of a lifetime. Don't let one remark from a spa employee, who may have mis-read or misinterpreted the information sheet, ruin a great cruise. -- EBC

[EastBay Cruisers]

Your post brought a smile to me this morning. You see, I am overweight and WOW - I WON a seawrap and spa massage in a drawing. Now, I was on a strict diet and lost 45#'s (but still very overweight) and I looked at this wonderful spa win as a remarkable reward (as I would never spend the $$ on such extravagance of seawrap). I was so happy with my ongoing weight loss and this cruise was a true reward and I had low carb options in the buffet too! Yes, I had flabby untoned sagging skin (I was mid 50's) from the weight loss. First I will say the 'disappointment' of the gal when she saw that I was her next massage spoke volumes. She was quiet for the first half of the massage and then came the pitch about this product and toxins built up and how the fat can even be electrified away, and I really need to 'tone'.. all those spa and gym words came out of that back pocket... etc..etc.... I was a 'newbie' to spa treatments, really - didn't even understand where all those towels go.. and how does one get all this seaweed paste off? The sell was hard, but I said 'no'. The flyers came in the mail slot too (as I had visited the spa). This "win/gift" did not 'ruin' my cruise - it still is one of the high points of cruise experience. What I do try is act as surprised as I can be when someone says i'm overweight - and I smile when I say 'no'.. Anyways sorry for the ramble, but thanks for the flashback of my great cruise.

 

Thanks for the excellent post, and I agree with you. :)- EBC

[katrina915]

Just skimming a couple of pages, but wondering if you hit any ports yet? I hope you are having a better time.

 

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[JF - retired RRT]

Haven’t received anything back from my complaint, so I just took all the gratuities down to $0. Tip my waiter and room lady personally instead. Yeah rest of cruise is good.

As has been pointed out by others...you're punishing the wrong people. The crew that shares in the tip pool includes: cook, kitchen personnel, Maitre D', all the waiters in all the food venues (the lady behind the ice cream counter, the coffee bar, international café,the laundry room, the deck swabbers and many more. Please don't punish everyone for an insult and pore treatment from people who aren't in the tip pool.

And as has been pointed out, handing tips to 2 people with your tips at zero puts your $$ in the tip pool anyway.