Things that make me sad about Royal.

[LobsterStalker]

9 hours ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

Back in 2015 we were on a NZ cruise out of Sydney.  Met quite a few Aussies and thoroughly enjoyed their company in the Explorer DL. One couple told us that they got to D status by taking four 10N cruises in a JS. At that time cruises out of Sydney were rather reasonably priced.  And many NZ and So Pacific cruises tend to be longer.

 

If you have the money and the desire to cruise, getting to D status doesn’t take all that long.  D status does provide some nice perks.

 

Cruising for points isn’t our thing.  We’re D+ with 400 some points but I know we weren’t booking RCL cruises simply to pile up points.  We’ve cruised Princess (Elite status), X, NCL and Regent.

 

What do you really get by moving from D to D+?  Two Hershey bars and a Coke.

 

Book for the itinerary, possibly for the ship, for warmer climates during the winter.  But points?  Nah.

 

Back on topic.  What would we enjoy if it were to happen with RCL?  No Coco cay.  No slides or other amusement park distractions.  Less nickel and dime-ing. Less horrendous techno-beat music on deck (it had disappeared but seems to have crept back).  Fewer ships on which you need to pack a lunch in order to walk bow to stern.  And, finally, here’s a pipe dream, consistency when it comes to enforcing rules.

 

Just edited to add one really important item:  MTD THAT IS REALLY MTD!  It’s done on other lines and handled very well without time restrictions or long, long lines.

I have not experienced how other lines handle this properly ... (consistently) , with the exception of 1 NCL cruise that opened my eyes to the possibility , .... But I hope Royal can figure it out !

Based on my cruises since Restart , Royals MDR dining in general , is a $.hit show 

 

Cheers

[RB9643]

36 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

Based on my cruises since Restart , Royals MDR dining in general , is a $.hit show

 

 

It is a bit disingenuous to call it "My Time Dining" when it works best if you have a reservation, and the earliest one you can get is 6:45. As long as traditional early and late seating exists, MTD will be nothing more than a pipe dream.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by RB9643

[Norwich Cruiser]

2 hours ago, RB9643 said:

 

It is a bit disingenuous to call it "My Time Dining" when it works best if you have a reservation, and the earliest one you can get is 6:45. As long as traditional early and late seating exists, MTD will be nothing more than a pipe dream.

 

 

 

 

Exactly 

[ILCTCRUISER]

9 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

I have not experienced how other lines handle this properly ... (consistently) , with the exception of 1 NCL cruise that opened my eyes to the possibility , .... But I hope Royal can figure it out !

Based on my cruises since Restart , Royals MDR dining in general , is a $.hit show 

 

Cheers

What we’ve noticed with NCL is that a short line for MTD (Freestyle Dining) forms just before the dining room opens.  Should qualify that by saying, On the NCL cruises we’ve taken.  Once the people in that line are seated, we’ve never seen anything like the lines one encounters on RCL.  Princess also handles it well.

 

Must add one thing.  NCL does have its Free at Sea package.  (Is anything really FREE???) This package includes x number of specialty restaurant dinners based upon length of cruise.  That, coupled with multiple options for complimentary dining, does  spread people out and that may alleviate some of the stress in the system.

Edited July 2, 2023 by ILCTCRUISER

[zoepipes]

On 6/30/2023 at 5:24 PM, shipgeeks said:

Some random thoughts:

We've been cruising for 30 years. Never heard of double points.

Everything is much more expensive. Our groceries cost more than double what they did just a couple of years ago.

We cruise to be on a ship at sea, and to have some nice food, music, service, conversation with other passengers, and entertainment. All of that is still there. We rarely have an interest in other stuff such as specialty restaurants, souvenirs, excursions, shopping.

We sail only the small ships. On our last cruise, the Captain was asked if they will be sold off soon. He said No; there is still plenty of life left in them.

We got double points during the pandemic otherwise we would still be working our way toward Diamond.

[zoepipes]

37 minutes ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

What we’ve noticed with NCL is that a short line for MTD (Freestyle Dining) forms just before the dining room opens.  Should qualify that by saying, On the NCL cruises we’ve taken.  Once the people in that line are seated, we’ve never seen anything like the lines one encounters on RCL.  Princess also handles it well.

 

Must add one thing.  NCL does have its Free at Sea package.  (Is anything really FREE???) This package includes x number of specialty restaurant dinners based upon length of cruise.  That, coupled with multiple options for complimentary dining, does  spread people out and that may alleviate some of the stress in the system.

No, nothing is really free.  I look at the "Free at Sea" and you were paying 20% on top of what it would have cost you if you had purchased the package separately, i.e. the “free” version of the NCL drink package offer does not include the cost of those gratuities. You are responsible for paying the automatic 20% gratuity that’s assessed against all beverage packages even if you’re selecting it as one of your promotional perks. This entire amount is due up front before you board the cruise. It’s rolled into the total price of your cruise when you book your reservation.  Same thing for the specialty dining.

[Joebucks]

People are always cute trying to get their free stuff. Booking suites for points, so thrifty. 

[BecciBoo]

You'll make it to diamond plus easy, trust me.  Pinnacle, not so much, I'll be in the grave first and we started in our 40's.  They may just reinstitute Diamonds in December...it's a possibility not a probability.  I can handle the lost perks and poor food quality because those aren't the reason we cruise, it's a pity we lost them, but not insurmountable.  We will continue our journey, but I suspect hubs will be sifting my ashes into the sea before we make Penni

Edited July 2, 2023 by BecciBoo

[BecciBoo]

10 hours ago, RB9643 said:

 

It is a bit disingenuous to call it "My Time Dining" when it works best if you have a reservation, and the earliest one you can get is 6:45. As long as traditional early and late seating exists, MTD will be nothing more than a pipe dream.

 

 

 

 

Funny we have never had any problem getting into MTD in reasonable time, with or without a same table rez.

[TheHawk1]

If you think Diamond seems a long way off, don’t get too excited about reaching Emerald as a stopping point on your way. I just did and there is literally no difference from Platinum. All these loyalty programs have lost their lustre and don’t mean that much anymore, imo. Even though I cruise on Royal more than other lines, I’ve started looking at the itineraries now, regardless of what ship it’s on, as being more important than the cruise line and collecting points.

[Mick B]

2 things to be aware of here.

 

A few important differences between Diamond and Diamond plus are...

1 extra free drink.

A bottle of wine or another gift in your room per cruise.

A free wash a fold laundry bag each worth $$$

and...

at the moment on most ships, reserved seating (first come basis) in the theatre, ice arena and ice shows.

 

Secondly ref MTD. I have found on several cruises that the first sitting is around 1730 and the second is around 2000 and this is based around people going to show.

MTD tends to be around 1845 which means you are stuck with the late show which is OK if you don't have to be up early the following day.

However, I have found that if you go and see the MTD folk on the first day and ask if you can get in earlier, although they will tell you that 1845 is the earliest, the way around it is to tell them that you would be really grateful if they can help you and that you are prepared to sit at any unused table and are not bothered if its a particular waiter or next to friends.

What I have witnessed in the past a few times is people arguing and holding up the queue because they want a particular table such as by a window or the grand stairs and/or they want a particular waiter or to be with another group etc. You may have to wait until 1845 for that, and even then its not guaranteed, but if you are nice to the MTD staff then you should get in around 1820 which means with the new menus designed for 90 minutes you may be out for 1945 and therefore make that early show or whatever. 

And...

If you like the table and staff you can ask the MDR staff if that table is available every night and if so they will book it for you and there you go.

 

Mick.

 

 

 

[Tree_skier]

12 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

I have not experienced how other lines handle this properly ... (consistently) , with the exception of 1 NCL cruise that opened my eyes to the possibility , .... But I hope Royal can figure it out !

Based on my cruises since Restart , Royals MDR dining in general , is a $.hit show 

 

Cheers

It's interesting how our experiences differ.  I have only one NCL cruise and it was the chaos of their MDR and wait times for their MTD dining that were one of my biggest complaints.  I'm glad it was good for you. My last MTD on Royal was back last August on Ovation.  The first night seemed chaotic and disorganized but after that went pretty well.  

[nelblu]

To get decent prices, you need to book as soon as the schedule comes out.  To mitigate the NR deposit I like to book on board and as a solo my exposure is only $100 if I need to cancel. 

[RB9643]

40 minutes ago, Mick B said:

but if you are nice to the MTD staff then you should get in around 1820

 

 

Seems like a pain in the arse for 50 minutes. Just sign up for traditional at 1730 and you can go to any show you want.

 

 

[OCSC Mike]

49 minutes ago, Mick B said:

A few important differences between Diamond and Diamond plus are...

1 extra free drink.

A bottle of wine or another gift in your room per cruise.

A free wash a fold laundry bag each worth $$$

and...

at the moment on most ships, reserved seating (first come basis) in the theatre, ice arena and ice shows.

 

Don't forget BOGO specialty dining. We're 7 points away from D+ and that's really the only one we're all that interested in beside the 5th drink voucher. Still very much looking forward to it though.

[Rackham]

3 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

If you think Diamond seems a long way off, don’t get too excited about reaching Emerald as a stopping point on your way. I just did and there is literally no difference from Platinum. All these loyalty programs have lost their lustre and don’t mean that much anymore, imo. Even though I cruise on Royal more than other lines, I’ve started looking at the itineraries now, regardless of what ship it’s on, as being more important than the cruise line and collecting points.

 

The big thing with Emerald is the jump in standing discount when booking balconies and suites. That jump between Platinum and Emerald is more than the increase between Emerald and Pinnacle for sailings 6 nights and longer.

[KroozNut]

6 hours ago, Joebucks said:

People are always cute trying to get their free stuff. Booking suites for points, so thrifty. 

Right... But it makes them feel good, like they're actually getting something for nothing. 😉

[ReneeFLL]

7 hours ago, Joebucks said:

People are always cute trying to get their free stuff. Booking suites for points, so thrifty. 

True they get double points, but they also get a bigger and much nicer cabin in the true suites. There are also other great perks and not just the double points. You've got to look at the entire picture and not just focus on the points.

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by ReneeFLL

[LobsterStalker]

8 hours ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

What we’ve noticed with NCL is that a short line for MTD (Freestyle Dining) forms just before the dining room opens.  Should qualify that by saying, On the NCL cruises we’ve taken.  Once the people in that line are seated, we’ve never seen anything like the lines one encounters on RCL.  Princess also handles it well.

 

Must add one thing.  NCL does have its Free at Sea package.  (Is anything really FREE???) This package includes x number of specialty restaurant dinners based upon length of cruise.  That, coupled with multiple options for complimentary dining, does  spread people out and that may alleviate some of the stress in the system.

I'm not sure I buy that theory as from what I understand most times specialty dining on Royal is hard to get reservations for , so they too should be spread out by that theory.. ?!

 

Cheers

[LobsterStalker]

5 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

It's interesting how our experiences differ.  I have only one NCL cruise and it was the chaos of their MDR and wait times for their MTD dining that were one of my biggest complaints.  I'm glad it was good for you. My last MTD on Royal was back last August on Ovation.  The first night seemed chaotic and disorganized but after that went pretty well.  

Well there....

You are the first I have heard refer to NCL's dining as chaotic...

[Tree_skier]

3 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

Well there....

You are the first I have heard refer to NCL's dining as chaotic...

We were on Pride of America back in November last year.  We had a few nights of specialty dining that was excellent.  But each night at the MDR was very very poor.  We couldn't reserve anything, it was first come first served.  Typically, we waited 30-45 minutes before being seated.  Service, once seated was really really slow. One night it took us almost 15 minutes to get someones attention once we had been seated.  It seemed one set of waiters thought we belonged to the other set and the that set thought we belonged to the first set.   Food was just okay.  

 

I understand that POA is a little different than other NCL ships so my experience may be atypical of NCL. I want to be fair.    

[karena1]

Been cruising since 1994, now 66 and 79 years old.  Love it so much.  We have only done 2 suites in the 147 cruises we have been on, 135 on Royal and still finally made Pinnacle last June.  We live in Florida, so take a lot of 3 night cruises so cruise almost every month.  We love all the ships from Radiance Class up and love the promenade on the Voyager Class and up.  Husband likes the new menus.  We love the staff and entertainment.  Costs on everything have gone up, so not surprised it went up on cruises also.  Don't feel like we get nickeled and dimed at all.  We buy the beverage package, prepay our tips and other than additional tips for the staff, we don't spend a dime once on the ship.  I have priced out other lines, but don't like NCL at all, Celebrity is much more expensive and Princess is also.  With our perks, we see no reason to go on a ship that will give us nothing extra, and we love Royal, so we stick with them. Have 21 booked on Royal right now through April 2025.  Will do Utopia in a couple of years when the price drops a bit.  Waited to go on Wonder until this October and got a balcony for a very reasonable price.  

[ILCTCRUISER]

47 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

I'm not sure I buy that theory as from what I understand most times specialty dining on Royal is hard to get reservations for , so they too should be spread out by that theory.. ?!

 

Cheers

I'll agree.  Then it probably comes down to the system RCL has in place for reserving tables.  It's simply not that dynamic.

 

There was a time when MTD came really close to being MTD.  It wasn't all that long ago that the 6:45 (I think that's the time) earliest MTD reservation time was put in place.

 

We always do MTD.  Do we necessarily reserve a time?  Well, there are times when we do because we need to be somewhere.  More often than not we just show up and, at times, we do that before 6:45.  And we know we're not the only ones showing up early, and it usually seems that there is a table available.  Early seating reservation for a two-top doesn't show?

 

Another thing we do.  Line for those WITH reservations and those WITHOUT reservations.  I'm sure some will find fault but we tend to go to the shortest line and I'll hazard a guess that we're not the only ones doing that.

 MTD was rolled out and tested on X many years ago.  X offered it for $2 per person AND it was a small area set up in the buffet.

[Mick B]

Hi,

I forgot about the BOGO because IIRC it only applies to the first 2 nights of the cruise where you buy one and get the other free. We usually have found out what the menu in the MDR is going to be and normally happy with that. We have done most of the specialty restaurants in the past and now hear lots of complaints about them.

 

Also the 2 days of internet. I don't do internet when on holiday because I don't care about anything else but my cruise. However, I do give my 2 days to the wife so she gets 4 and as its 24 hours continuous, it is possible to get the internet for free just about every day on a 7 day cruise by activating it at certain times of the day.

 

As for the 1730 first sitting. Unless we are doing something like a TA where there are plenty of sea days, we would normally be doing a port heavy itinerary and may not be back on board at some ports until late so would be rushing to get ready for the 1730 time.

Because we would know in advance what days we are going to be late we would either tell the staff at the MTD on day 1 or the night before that we are going to be late on a certain day so they can give the table to someone else or program the different time into the App for those days.

 

As for those two lines, yes it is crazy that there can be a very long line and a much shorter one and that it seems you can go to either and they will sort you out rather than turn you away. If they sort you out to simply avoid making a scene then although that's good for you, it does seem to make a mockery of the whole point of the two lines though, but who in their right mind is going to join the long queue if there's a short one?

 

As for nicer cabins, Yes I must admit when I had my JS on the Anthem back in 2021 it came with a door bell, a coffee machine and we had both a show and a bath with the loo in a separate room too. We also had access to the Coastal Kitchen for dinner only - which we did every night and got double double points so got 28 points for 7 nights. Although I am Diamond plus, I still have a long way to go to get to Pinnacle and I suspect that before I do something drastic will change, so not cruising (and never have) for points, but to enjoy the ship and ports of call.

I am hoping for the 340 night point though in the next few years as you get more stuff in the bathroom. The wife loves those things!

 

Another thing about nicer cabins, it may be bigger, but is it in the right location for you? I always check the layout of the ship and book a cabin that serves our needs rather than it being of a certain type.

 

Mick.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Mick B
spelling

[KroozNut]

6 hours ago, Mick B said:

Hi,

I forgot about the BOGO because IIRC it only applies to the first 2 nights of the cruise where you buy one and get the other free. We usually have found out what the menu in the MDR is going to be and normally happy with that. We have done most of the specialty restaurants in the past and now hear lots of complaints about them.

 

Also the 2 days of internet. I don't do internet when on holiday because I don't care about anything else but my cruise. However, I do give my 2 days to the wife so she gets 4 and as its 24 hours continuous, it is possible to get the internet for free just about every day on a 7 day cruise by activating it at certain times of the day.

 

As for the 1730 first sitting. Unless we are doing something like a TA where there are plenty of sea days, we would normally be doing a port heavy itinerary and may not be back on board at some ports until late so would be rushing to get ready for the 1730 time.

Because we would know in advance what days we are going to be late we would either tell the staff at the MTD on day 1 or the night before that we are going to be late on a certain day so they can give the table to someone else or program the different time into the App for those days.

 

As for those two lines, yes it is crazy that there can be a very long line and a much shorter one and that it seems you can go to either and they will sort you out rather than turn you away. If they sort you out to simply avoid making a scene then although that's good for you, it does seem to make a mockery of the whole point of the two lines though, but who in their right mind is going to join the long queue if there's a short one?

 

As for nicer cabins, Yes I must admit when I had my JS on the Anthem back in 2021 it came with a door bell, a coffee machine and we had both a show and a bath with the loo in a separate room too. We also had access to the Coastal Kitchen for dinner only - which we did every night and got double double points so got 28 points for 7 nights. Although I am Diamond plus, I still have a long way to go to get to Pinnacle and I suspect that before I do something drastic will change, so not cruising (and never have) for points, but to enjoy the ship and ports of call.

I am hoping for the 340 night point though in the next few years as you get more stuff in the bathroom. The wife loves those things!

 

Another thing about nicer cabins, it may be bigger, but is it in the right location for you? I always check the layout of the ship and book a cabin that serves our needs rather than it being of a certain type.

 

Mick.

Agree 100% with your point about cabin location. For us, location is the most important aspect of cabin selection. And this means we don't do guarantees..