Will X Follow Royal with 1X Day Cabin Service for Non Suites?

[Cruzinforpeace***]

How do you feel about continuing to pay more $ for less service/quality? Since X is owned by Royal it’s probably only a matter of time.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Time to get up speed 

https://mc1wmw0-rflh5n8g9pwr89vxd3c4.pub.sfmc-content.com/fs1s5o251sa

[Cruzinforpeace***]

9 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Time to get up speed 

https://mc1wmw0-rflh5n8g9pwr89vxd3c4.pub.sfmc-content.com/fs1s5o251sa

That’s a choice right now though on X.  It’s not a choice on Royal.  I x a day of you’re not in a suite.

[bookitdanno]

I think it will remain a choice on Celebrity.

[dunedinmaiden]

We just got off the Voyager of the Seas today and had twice a day service.

[Cruzinforpeace***]

12 minutes ago, dunedinmaiden said:

We just got off the Voyager of the Seas today and had twice a day service.

They just changed it fleetwide 

[LeeW]

Twice a day for us as well two weeks ago B2B on Royal.  Not sure where you are getting your information.

[davekathy]

9 hours ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

How do you feel about continuing to pay more $ for less service/quality? Since X is owned by Royal it’s probably only a matter of time.

RC cruisers are not paying an additional charge for the housekeeping service. As of the first of March you now are required to choose between AM or PM housekeeping for all cabin categories below suites. IMO, RC has made a bad decision and hopefully they come to their senses and reverse this ridiculous change.  

Edited March 5, 2023 by davekathy

[mahdnc]

Here is a link.  I would not be thrilled if this was adopted later by Celebrity, but given the cutbacks, anything is possible.

 

Posted on Feb 28 in Royal Caribbean blog.

[dlh015]

I guess things were getting too positive around here...lol. Pot needed stirring...

 

Personally, I'm just fine with one cleaning a day....

[davekathy]

5 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

I guess things were getting too positive around here...lol. Pot needed stirring...

 

Personally, I'm just fine with one cleaning a day....

I would have no issues with the housekeeping cutbacks if they were voluntary. Like Save the Waves program or the Go Green program. But to implement a reduction in service and limit the service to just suites and above, not agreeing with it. We prefer twice a day. Fresh towels in the AM and PM, ice twice a day, bed made in the morning, Celebrity Today, chocolates in the evening and empty the trash can if needed.

[dlh015]

13 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I would have no issues with the housekeeping cutbacks if they were voluntary. Like Save the Waves program or the Go Green program. But to implement a reduction in service and limit the service to just suites and above, not agreeing with it. We prefer twice a day. Fresh towels in the AM and PM, ice twice a day, bed made in the morning, Celebrity Today, chocolates in the evening and empty the trash can if needed.

I understand and agree with you (and the OP as it turns out). It should remain voluntary. I missed the 'suite' part and didn't see the post of the RC notice until just now. Pretty blunt change for those just boarding...

 

 

[Cruzinforpeace***]

1 hour ago, LeeW said:

Twice a day for us as well two weeks ago B2B on Royal.  Not sure where you are getting your information.

Here it is.  Just cut down to 1x a day with recently raised gratuities:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/02/28/royal-caribbean-cuts-cabin-housekeeping-twice-once-day-service

[Cruzinforpeace***]

1 hour ago, dlh015 said:

I guess things were getting too positive around here...lol. Pot needed stirring...

 

Personally, I'm just fine with one cleaning a day....

It’s not about negativity.  Just sharing facts.

[Alakegirl]

We might as well ask, will Celebrity ??? have formal nights like Royal does or will celebrity have soda machines like Royal does or will Celebrity ?? do anything that Royal does. At this point no one knows. Opinion is that if it becomes too much like Royal, there will be nothing to differentiate Celebrity and that would not be a positive for the brand

[Cruzinforpeace***]

1 minute ago, Alakegirl said:

We might as well ask, will Celebrity ??? have formal nights like Royal does or will celebrity have soda machines like Royal does or will Celebrity ?? do anything that Royal does. At this point no one knows. Opinion is that if it becomes too much like Royal, there will be nothing to differentiate Celebrity and that would not be a positive for the brand

That’s true.  However, it looks like the cruise lines are following each other with the same changes.  Eg.  Raising gratuities, staff reductions, food quantity and quality reductions etc.  It’s almost like they’re working together?

[bEwAbG]

I think they do give each other cover for unpopular changes but it's not a given that X will always follow suit.  They are still run as separate lines. 

 

From a human capital perspective, something is going to have to give if they cannot fully staff ships across the industry.  Expectations are already suffering, so the only thing left to do is change the expectations unless or until they can fully staff every ship.

[dlh015]

39 minutes ago, Cruzinforpeace*** said:

That’s true.  However, it looks like the cruise lines are following each other with the same changes.  Eg.  Raising gratuities, staff reductions, food quantity and quality reductions etc.  It’s almost like they’re working together?

I don't think they're working together. But I do think they are all being driven by the same set of circumstances right now...resulting in the same unfortunate state of affairs in the categories you outline.

 

They need to strive (harder) to point out what makes them different from their competitors. 

 

And it makes it even more important to do ones due diligence to find those items of value/amenities that are offered by a cruise line that help make the cruise worthwhile.   

 

ETA: Want to clarify I did not just mean RC and X...I meant cruise lines in general...

Edited March 5, 2023 by dlh015

[JBSteelerfan]

17 hours ago, davekathy said:

 IMO, RC has made a bad decision and hopefully they come to their senses and reverse this ridiculous change.  

 

Sadly, I wouldn't bet on that.  Which is why our last cruise on them is next month, and THAT"S ALL for us!  Onto Celebrity and looking at Oceania as well.

[JBSteelerfan]

17 hours ago, davekathy said:

ice twice a day

 

 And that is the key right there!  I have no problem with 1 cleaning each evening, but we like to have ice in our room all day, and don't want to be carrying an ice bucket around like we are at a Hampton Inn!!

[davekathy]

7 minutes ago, JBSteelerfan said:

 

Sadly, I wouldn't bet on that.  Which is why our last cruise on them is next month, and THAT"S ALL for us!  Onto Celebrity and looking at Oceania as well.

I'm not a gambler. 😉 For now I'm keeping my glass full while wearing my rose colored glasses. 🍷😍

[Ex-Airbalancer]

27 minutes ago, JBSteelerfan said:

 

Sadly, I wouldn't bet on that.  Which is why our last cruise on them is next month, and THAT"S ALL for us!  Onto Celebrity and looking at Oceania as well.

After the Voyager Arctic September TA , the Voyager was is terrible condition, and it was very unstaffed , so main problems 

It will be hard to book with RCL again 

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

We were frequent Royal cruisers until recent years, but service and food quality issues (before Covid), pushed us to Celebrity. We first sailed on Celebrity on the Millennium in September 2022, and experienced great service and food and an upgraded feel.

 

I don't believe that just because RCI does something means that X will. Take the chocolates on the pillow for example. They've been long gone from Royal since ~2009, but that change hasn't reached Celebrity, for example. So I'm hopeful 2x a day housekeeping is the same way.

 

Royal isn't marketing itself as a "luxury" line, so its easier for them to reduce housekeeping service. Hopefully Celebrity sticks to the their "Luxury" marketing and actually carries that out without a reduction in housekeeping services. 

 

 

[JBSteelerfan]

On 3/6/2023 at 9:00 AM, Ex-Airbalancer said:

After the Voyager Arctic September TA , the Voyager was is terrible condition, and it was very unstaffed , so main problems 

It will be hard to book with RCL again 

 

We were on that as well, and outside of the ports, it was the WORST cruise we have taken.  Did not care for voyager at all, and the staff was not the typical friendly, helpful staff we have become used to.  There were a few here and there, but overall, not a good experience at all!

[JBSteelerfan]

32 minutes ago, OfTheSeasCruiser said:

We were frequent Royal cruisers until recent years, but service and food quality issues (before Covid), pushed us to Celebrity. We first sailed on Celebrity on the Millennium in September 2022, and experienced great service and food and an upgraded feel.

 

I don't believe that just because RCI does something means that X will. Take the chocolates on the pillow for example. They've been long gone from Royal since ~2009, but that change hasn't reached Celebrity, for example. So I'm hopeful 2x a day housekeeping is the same way.

 

Royal isn't marketing itself as a "luxury" line, so its easier for them to reduce housekeeping service. Hopefully Celebrity sticks to the their "Luxury" marketing and actually carries that out without a reduction in housekeeping services. 

 

 

 

Same as you.... we have jumped over to Celebrity.  I cannot imagine they will make those same cleaning cutbacks.  That would cause quite an uproar on Celebrity!