What are you missing on Royal Caribbean nowdays? What would you bring back?

[sjb317]

16 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

She was real.  We had upgrades all the time in 2010-2014. We would get an email about cruise documents while we were on the way to Florida and telling us we had a new cabin.   

 

Whoever though of the Royal Up deserves a huge raise from RCCL   What a moneymaker on cabins they were giving away.  Plus all the info they are gathering on how high folks will pay for a cabin. 

Genius 

M

We were also graced several times by her presence in the early 2000’s, the last time being in 2009.

 

Our first cruise was in 1999 and I remember dining in the MDR each night as an event.  You entered at your assigned time and the dining room was beautiful with each table formally set with flowers in the center.    And the food was amazing!  Now, you might find a complete set of tableware, you might not.  Maybe you have a water glass, but no wine glass.   The ambience is gone along with the amazing food!   If they would bring this back, I would dress up again.😂

 

Sherri🙂
 

Edited July 14, 2023 by sjb317

[lovesthebeach2]

2 hours ago, toxicfairy said:

Cruising is just more expensive camping these days. No one has a care. They don't care to get dressed ( I'm on vacation!). They don't care to watch their children, they just let them run amuck because well...( I'm on vacation). They don't care to follow the rules because ( I'm on vacation). They don't care to be nice because I'm on vacation! It's like everyone cruising any more just left any manners at home. 

I wish we could go back to when cruising was a classy vacation. Not just a bunch of look at me I'm on a boat people.

Why should any of these cruise companies care what they feed us or anything else when a lot ( not all) of the pax don't really care. They dress like they want, they don't follow any rules and have an attitude when the cruise line tries to enforce the rules. We've had kids running down the hallways knocking a doors and throwing things and screaming at 2 in the morning. So if their own parents won't do their jobs the cruise lines aren't going to make it like it use to be. They'll have the same hey look it's  a vacation mentality.

 

 

Take a look at any post in any Disney group, especially in the other social platform. The complaints there about people’s behavior are even worse than any I’ve seen here. I don’t know what has happened to people.

I agree with both of you about the Cruise Director.  Back in June 2002 we took a cruise to Bermuda from NY on Pacific Princess - they brought it to NY for the summer season before they were selling it. The cruise director was the best we’ve ever had.  She was involved in everything and was fantastic. 
 

 

[moposh]

6 hours ago, Mick B said:

I miss making your own ice cream at the machine.

Me too!  

[moposh]

They used to have C&A loyalty thank you in the lounge and you would meet the captain on your way in and have a photo taken with him.  It was in the evening and I think they had some hors d'oeuvres along with beverages.  There were more people at those than the ones now where it's in the theater in the morning.

Edited July 14, 2023 by moposh

[gluecksbaer]

Teens group for teens and not pushing preteens in with the teenagers (or at least allowing families with 12 year olds to choose the more appropriate grouping for them).

[toxicfairy]

On 7/13/2023 at 10:14 AM, moposh said:

I would like the food carvings and decorations in the Windjammer.  They used to have carved watermelons and other items decorating the WJ.  Also had Berry Soup served in a carved out watermelon.  Ice sculptures.

 

Better desserts in the WJ.  Someone who can cook eggs in the morning in the WJ.  I have tried omelette, scrambled, and fried and they are all tasteless.

 

WJ food was better in the past.  Even the fries aren't as good.  

 

Good bands/music on the pool deck.  Being able to find a lounge chair on the pool deck.  Being able to find room in a hot tub.  People camp out in hot tub all day and too many kids in the hot tubs.  I don't want to be body to body.  

Oh I miss the fruit soups. And there was an appetizer I could eat as a main. It was scallops in a creamy cheese sauce served on the metal plates they serve escargot on. I miss feeling like it was such a classy vacation.  We don't cruise every year. We just made diamond after our last cruise and we started cruising in 2006. It changed so much. We still look forward to it. And we still dress for dinner to make it special for us. I just wish it was like it was back then or like I hear others talk about it. We haven't cruised in a few years but have one booked for our anniversary next year. 

[trippen texan]

rcc needs to keep control of kids, keep them of dance floor, how many bars and clubs at home can you bring kids in let them run wild . People cutting in lines in the wind jammer you standing in line waiting and watch people jump in gaps and grab food WRONG get in line!

[Wanna Be Retired]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:20 AM, toxicfairy said:

Cruising is just more expensive camping these days. No one has a care. They don't care to get dressed ( I'm on vacation!). They don't care to watch their children, they just let them run amuck because well...( I'm on vacation). They don't care to follow the rules because ( I'm on vacation). They don't care to be nice because I'm on vacation! It's like everyone cruising any more just left any manners at home. 

I wish we could go back to when cruising was a classy vacation. Not just a bunch of look at me I'm on a boat people.

Why should any of these cruise companies care what they feed us or anything else when a lot ( not all) of the pax don't really care. They dress like they want, they don't follow any rules and have an attitude when the cruise line tries to enforce the rules. We've had kids running down the hallways knocking a doors and throwing things and screaming at 2 in the morning. So if their own parents won't do their jobs the cruise lines aren't going to make it like it use to be. They'll have the same hey look it's  a vacation mentality.

 

You make an excellent point.  We only returned to cruising this year after Covid.  Formal night we wore nicer clothing but did not dress like we did before.  My husband always wore his Air Force Mess Dress and I wore a formal evening gown.  After our second cruise like this we both said it took the joy out and we were returning to dressing up.  The cruises are to make us happy not other people and we missed the dressing for formal night.

 

Behavior is shocking.  I don’t even know what to say.  Damage to elevators has occurred on almost every cruise.  I had one lady in an elevator tell a teen she saw him and his friend tearing the elevator up.  He just looked at her smiling.  They have set off the water sprinklers.  They knock on doors and run.  They run in halls pushing elderly people to the ground.  All you can do is call security.  I never used to see security patrolling the halls of the cabins.

 

We don’t have children so I don’t see much of this.  I do get tired of out of service elevators and those machines that have to dry out carpet.

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, trippen texan said:

rcc needs to keep control of kids, 

No, parents need to keep control of their kids.

[trippen texan]

bring back covid  cruising when they started back up it was the best trips ever 50 percent full they served you in the windjammer. Tested you each week. When the crew wore two mask we did. We went two or three weeks every months for year and a half then it went full . Its nothing like it was.  

[toxicfairy]

23 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

No, parents need to keep control of their kids.

And RCC needs to hold parents responsible for the actions of their kids !

And yes I AM a parent. My kids are grown now, but our 2 daughters cruised twice with us as teens. We had a long discussion of the rules, what we  expected their behavior to be and what the Consequences would be if there were any issues with them not behaving properly!

Edited July 16, 2023 by toxicfairy

[1interpreter]

On 7/12/2023 at 9:38 PM, sullyair said:

Midnight Chocolate Buffet

Oh I loved the midnight chocolate buffet!

 

[smokeybandit]

On 7/15/2023 at 6:56 AM, trippen texan said:

rcc needs to keep control of kids, keep them of dance floor, how many bars and clubs at home can you bring kids in let them run wild . People cutting in lines in the wind jammer you standing in line waiting and watch people jump in gaps and grab food WRONG get in line!

Kids? I see more adults misbehaving on a ship than kids.

[acuprulez]

Loving cups in the MDR after dinner. 

 

Midnight buffet/deck parties

[acuprulez]

On 7/13/2023 at 5:11 AM, cruisegirl1 said:

I saw that Icon advertised dueling pianos "for the first time on RCCL"  Ha Ha Ha. 

M

Did schooner bars ever have two pianos in them?

[firstimer2009]

On 7/13/2023 at 6:14 AM, cruisegirl1 said:

Really????  Ouch!   I will never admit if they leave me a compass.  😀

We are travelling next September.  My husband will be 70 by then.  I'm so happy!

[ATG]

1 minute ago, firstimer2009 said:

We are travelling next September.  My husband will be 70 by then.  I'm so happy!

DH is 71 and we didn’t get paper ones on Mariner earlier this month.  I use the app, so I didn’t ask for them.

[Kdmansfield]

On 7/12/2023 at 4:37 PM, Fairsailing said:

The Viking Crown Lounge on new ships

We loved the Viking Crown lounge after dinner! 

[BND]

7 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Kids? I see more adults misbehaving on a ship than kids.

Someone always says this.  I haven't seen adults running up and down the stairs, hallways, around corners into people or pushing all the elevator buttons.  In fact, in 36 cruises, we have seen a couple of adults arguing one time and a couple of drunk people barely able to walk.  That's pretty much it.  

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, BND said:

Someone always says this.  I haven't seen adults running up and down the stairs, hallways, around corners into people or pushing all the elevator buttons.  In fact, in 36 cruises, we have seen a couple of adults arguing one time and a couple of drunk people barely able to walk.  That's pretty much it.  

 I can think of one cruise where I saw all elevator buttons pressed. And the rest of those things? Pretty harmless.

[BND]

29 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 I can think of one cruise where I saw all elevator buttons pressed. And the rest of those things? Pretty harmless.

By adults?  LOL.  It's reported pretty regularly.

[Tree_skier]

I wish they'd go back to enforcing a dress code on formal nights. 🙂

[bonsai3s]

Does anyone remember getting a free hotel stay (1night) in between 2 cruises (S2S) not ending/starting the same day? We were fortunate (and extremely happy), to get this perk.

 

* First cruise ended on Saturday...second cruise didn't start until the next day, Sunday...RCCL gave us a complimentary stay at a hotel in between cruises.

Edited July 16, 2023 by bonsai3s

[lovelife]

Portofino

Richard Spacey & Erky from Turkey

[Gabrielle R.]

On 7/13/2023 at 11:10 AM, HBE4 said:

Surprised no one has mentioned the  Upgrade Fairy. Perhaps it was an Urban Legend this whole time.

I remember getting a great upgrade… went from an inside to a balcony!  And we could see the bridge from our balcony.  We would see the captain and wave.  The cool thing he would recognize us when he was out and about and always stop and visit!  That was cool.