PAYING for Pizza in Sorrento’s

[cruiselvr04]

We are booked through 2024 but not looking at 2025 right now because prices have gone up too high. I’m not talking a couple of hundred of dollars a week.  I’m seeing some that are double.  
 

Royal was talking about how cruising is cheaper than land vacations and they have room to charge more to compete. 

 

 They are 2 completely different vacations unless you’re staying at high end resorts or at an all inclusive. A non suite cabin on a ship is not high end and the MDR is not fine dining unless it’s a luxury line.  Royal is a mainstream line and it will price itself out if they are not careful.  There are a lot of choices out there.  

[Trixie21]

We had to cancel an Iceland cruise on Jewel this year because my wife was ill. It was around £4000 from memory. The same cruise for next year in the same grade of room is over 10k. Not sure what is going on there. We have booked our first celebrity cruise instead (after 14 Royal cruises in a row) - just under £4000 for the same basic itinerary on the Apex - a brand new edge class ship. In no hurry back to Royal at current pricing. We will be shopping around all lines from now on to get the product we want  , the itinerary we want at a price we feel is fair. 

[Norwich Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Trixie21 said:

We had to cancel an Iceland cruise on Jewel this year because my wife was ill. It was around £4000 from memory. The same cruise for next year in the same grade of room is over 10k. Not sure what is going on there. We have booked our first celebrity cruise instead (after 14 Royal cruises in a row) - just under £4000 for the same basic itinerary on the Apex - a brand new edge class ship. In no hurry back to Royal at current pricing. We will be shopping around all lines from now on to get the product we want  , the itinerary we want at a price we feel is fair. 

We’ve just booked a celebrity cruise also because of the insane Royal prices plus another MSC Virtuoso.

[SeaDome]

Charge me for pizza and I must just then go get a plate full of food at the Windjammer and throw it all away. 

[nasa1974]

Sorrento's is ok. Would I pay for it? NO.

[ReneeFLL]

On 8/15/2023 at 6:10 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

No, this is incorrect, please see post #341

 

It is important to recognize the distinction between "marine heads" which do indeed require special paper, and "vacuum toilets" which the ships use and do not have any such requirements.

This is what one of the officers said when someone asked why they were having clogged toilets. He did also name a few other things. Maybe there's different kinds of tp? I know there is the marine type and then what I would call the regular type. 

[cublet]

13 hours ago, Jjohnb said:

I agree with you, Jason Liberty is hell bent on destroying the incredible cruise line that Richard Fain spent 50 years building!  We just got off a 9 night sailing last week and all of the cost cutting was painfully obvious.  This is the first in almost 40 Royal cruises where I consistently left the dining room hungry.  The portions were ridiculously small and the quality of the food was terrible.  And before all those who have drunk the Kool Aid start asking why I didn't order multiple entrees, our poor waiter had so many tables to cover, literally he had about 30 entrees balanced on the serving cart and was running constantly to try to serve them all.  Related to Sorrentos Pizza, which was Royal's answer for late night snacks when they eliminated the mid-night buffet, it's ironic that they're thinking of charging for it considering they've cut costs there as well!  The pizza is now almost all crust, there is only a very small amount of sauce and cheese in the center, the outer 2-3 inches of crust has nothing.  At first I thought it was the person who made it but I tried about 3 pieces over the course of 9 nights and went a few other times and just passed because all the pizza looked just as bad and just wasn't worth the calories!  Royal, I believe is also slow rolling the making of pizza to discourage people from eating it.  Every time we went, no matter what time of day or night, there was always a long line.  Not because the pizza was so amazing, but because there was never more than 1 or 2 pies prepared at any given time and then it took them 5-10 minutes to throw a smidgen of sauce and cheese on a frozen pre-made crust and heat it!  I believe this was intentional as many people saw the line and after a couple days knew how slow they were and how bad the pizza was and just left.  So once again Royal has lowered the quality and is serving a lesser product and actually wants to start charging or charge more!  I guess this is what you get when you put a bean counter incharge of the company.  Jason Liberty was a senior manager at KPMG, for those that have never worked in public accounting, that equates to about 10 years experience out of college.  Royal then hired him to be CFO.  He didn't even have his MBA when they hired him, he got it while working as CFO.  When Richard Fain retired after Covid, Liberty was promoted to CEO.  He is a bean counter destroying a great company.  Carnival was once the giant of the cruise industry, Royal has now surpassed them in many ways, why?  because Carnival got greedy, they stopped developing new innovative ship designs (they were developing their own Oasis Class long before Royal and cancelled it due to cost), they stopped maintaining their ships, they were/are rust buckets constantly having mechanical issues, they were cutting costs everywhere, the quality of their food declined significantly... sound familiar?  The mistakes that Carnival made that allowed Royal to pass them by, arguably for good reason with innovative ship designs and great advertising, Royal (Jason Liberty) is now following in Carnival's footsteps and making the same mistakes.  As someone who has been a huge Royal fan for 40 years, it's said to see, it's like watching a train wreck in slow motion.  It may not happen instantly but the pent up Covid demand and dollars will dry up and people will be more selective where they spend their vacation dollars.  Given the current level of quality, service and pricing, will it be with Royal?    

Hello,

 

There was a highly respected UK business man called Sir Hohn Harvey-Jones MBE. He, prior to retirement, was the CEO of Imperial Chemical Industries - ICI. Post 'retirement' he was known as 'The Trouble-shooter' in which he travelled the country giving advice to struggling companies for a TV series of that name.

 

During this time, he gave a talk to 'The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists' (a professional institution, not a trading company). He said that he would never allow, whilst at ICI, the CFO/Company Accountant, to be responsible for anything 'operational' as he called them "The abominable 'No' Men".

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[cublet]

6 hours ago, SeaDome said:

Charge me for pizza and I must just then go get a plate full of food at the Windjammer and throw it all away. 

Hello,

 

Until such time as Royal posts guards at the exit of the WJ to stop food being taken out.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[ReneeFLL]

19 hours ago, SailyaCruise said:

I started sailing RCCL in 2001. I joined CC in 2006 I think, I’m not on CC much, but I do remember seeing you here in the past. It’s regulars like you and me that Royal is driving away with their service cuts, price hikes, and fuzzy math. I see very few mega CC posters here anymore. Sad.  I’m booked on Oasis in Dec (we first sailed her in 2010) and there will be several 1st time cruisers with us. After reading this thread I am really fearful that I’ll be hanging my head in shame and apologizing a lot. Although I now book suites only and am D+ and I get more “freebies”/access than non-suite guests, I fear my cruising every year days are over. I haven’t booked for 2024 and am considering a European land-based trip with a few of my “I hate to cruise” friends next year. Going to watch my Commanders play in New Orleans in 2024 also which will affect my cruise decision as well. Won’t be any food complaints about charbroiled oysters in New Orleans, that’s for sure!

We started cruising in 2011 and made Pinnacle in January and it's not keeping us from looking at other cruise lines. With the way Royals prices are going even with the Pinnacle benefits I'm seeing better deals on some of the other lines. 

[LobsterStalker]

17 hours ago, bstreep said:

Well said.  I hope someone at RCCL reads this.  I’m seriously dreading our return trip to Vancouver on Royal on Friday.
 

I’m a career sales and marketing guy.  It costs 10x as much to get a new customer as it takes to keep an existing one.  Our last cruise on RCCL was a bit disappointing.  We chalked it up to post Covid issues.  NCL sure doesn’t seem to have these issues. 

Nooooooooo  ... Don't go into it with that attitude . Ur doomed 

[boscobeans]

It's amazing that with millions and even billions spent on mega ships with electric windows and 14th deck amusement parks, they still are unable or unwilling to make a decent pizza.

 

Hundreds of lowly pizza joints around the country where a teenaged kid who throws pizzas as an after-school job can toss a piece of dough, add sauce and other ingredients and make a great pizza. 

 

[Falling_down]

26 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

It's amazing that with millions and even billions spent on mega ships with electric windows and 14th deck amusement parks, they still are unable or unwilling to make a decent pizza.

 

Hundreds of lowly pizza joints around the country where a teenaged kid who throws pizzas as an after-school job can toss a piece of dough, add sauce and other ingredients and make a great pizza. 

 

RC manages to botch a lot of "standard" food, not just the pizza. I think its the sauce where things really fly off the rails though. It tastes just like they opened a can of tomatoes and warmed it up. It even comes complete with an authentic "metallic can" taste. 🤣

 

I often wonder where these "Chef's" got their culinary degrees from (Free online printable or maybe there is a mail order culinary degree?).

Edited August 17, 2023 by Falling_down

[molly361]

[time4u2go]

52 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

It's amazing that with millions and even billions spent on mega ships with electric windows and 14th deck amusement parks, they still are unable or unwilling to make a decent pizza.

 

Hundreds of lowly pizza joints around the country where a teenaged kid who throws pizzas as an after-school job can toss a piece of dough, add sauce and other ingredients and make a great pizza. 

 

I think the difference is, on a cruise ship, they don't need for the pizza to be good.  They just need it to be inexpensive to make.

 

They have a captive audience that has already paid for it.  Unlike a land-based pizza joint, if the customers don't like it, they can't simply try a different pizza joint the next time.

[boscobeans]

1 hour ago, Falling_down said:

 It tastes just like they opened a can of tomatoes and warmed it up. It even comes complete with an authentic "metallic can" taste. 🤣

 

 

Pizza sauce should be made with HIGH quality canned tomatoes, SAN MARZANO D.O.P. are the best. Just crush them and use it right from the can. NEVER cook pizza sauce.

No sugar or anything else.

Put some mozz,  fresh basil on top and MAYBE a sprinkle of dried oregano or a drizzle of olive oil and that's the basic pizza. 

It is th standard for most places making good pizza.

Edited August 17, 2023 by boscobeans

[Falling_down]

5 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

Pizza sauce should be made with HIGH quality canned tomatoes, SAN MARZANO D.O.P. are the best. Just crush them and use it right from the can. NEVER cook pizza sauce.

No sugar or anything else.

Put some mozz,  fresh basil on top and MAYBE a sprinkle of dried oregano or a drizzle of olive oil and that's the basic pizza. 

It is th standard for most places making good pizza.

Unfortunately, I doubt RC will ever splurge on high quality canned tomatoes so we are stuck with the metallic can taste on everything that has a red sauce.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, Falling_down said:

RC manages to botch a lot of "standard" food, not just the pizza. I think its the sauce where things really fly off the rails though. It tastes just like they opened a can of tomatoes and warmed it up. It even comes complete with an authentic "metallic can" taste. 🤣

 

I often wonder where these "Chef's" got their culinary degrees from (Free online printable or maybe there is a mail order culinary degree?).

I am not sure how much is the chefs' fault and how much is RCI telling them what they have to work with.

[Tatka]

   I am not a pizza gourmand and trying to avoid pizza due to high calories intake (and my husband long time ago had a side job with pizza deliveries so he cannot even look at pizza), but we absolutely loved Primavera Pizza on Liberty in May! It was probably the second best pizza or even equal in quality to one we ate while visiting Italy (that one was not Primavera, but consisted of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella)

 

   We basically binge on that Primavera several times. 🤣

[PompeySailor]

7 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

We started cruising in 2011 and made Pinnacle in January and it's not keeping us from looking at other cruise lines. With the way Royals prices are going even with the Pinnacle benefits I'm seeing better deals on some of the other lines. 

Any excuse to get a NEW clutch 👜 🤣

A nice big X maybe 🤔 

Yours by any chance 😎

[PompeySailor]

A Slice always goes down well with 4 shots of something late at the schooner bar

May it continue to be Free 💯 

 

I know the napkin says Jaeger Bomb 💣 

 

 

[Jasukkie]

Virgin Voyages has the best pizza I've had at sea. Fresh, made to order, pretty quick, and very tasty. And built into the all-inclusive price, which now isn't more than Royal in some cases. You have to compare apples to apples with them because grats and excellent internet are included in the sticker price.

[ReneeFLL]

23 hours ago, Jjohnb said:

I agree with you, Jason Liberty is hell bent on destroying the incredible cruise line that Richard Fain spent 50 years building!  We just got off a 9 night sailing last week and all of the cost cutting was painfully obvious.  This is the first in almost 40 Royal cruises where I consistently left the dining room hungry.  The portions were ridiculously small and the quality of the food was terrible.  And before all those who have drunk the Kool Aid start asking why I didn't order multiple entrees, our poor waiter had so many tables to cover, literally he had about 30 entrees balanced on the serving cart and was running constantly to try to serve them all.  Related to Sorrentos Pizza, which was Royal's answer for late night snacks when they eliminated the mid-night buffet, it's ironic that they're thinking of charging for it considering they've cut costs there as well!  The pizza is now almost all crust, there is only a very small amount of sauce and cheese in the center, the outer 2-3 inches of crust has nothing.  At first I thought it was the person who made it but I tried about 3 pieces over the course of 9 nights and went a few other times and just passed because all the pizza looked just as bad and just wasn't worth the calories!  Royal, I believe is also slow rolling the making of pizza to discourage people from eating it.  Every time we went, no matter what time of day or night, there was always a long line.  Not because the pizza was so amazing, but because there was never more than 1 or 2 pies prepared at any given time and then it took them 5-10 minutes to throw a smidgen of sauce and cheese on a frozen pre-made crust and heat it!  I believe this was intentional as many people saw the line and after a couple days knew how slow they were and how bad the pizza was and just left.  So once again Royal has lowered the quality and is serving a lesser product and actually wants to start charging or charge more!  I guess this is what you get when you put a bean counter incharge of the company.  Jason Liberty was a senior manager at KPMG, for those that have never worked in public accounting, that equates to about 10 years experience out of college.  Royal then hired him to be CFO.  He didn't even have his MBA when they hired him, he got it while working as CFO.  When Richard Fain retired after Covid, Liberty was promoted to CEO.  He is a bean counter destroying a great company.  Carnival was once the giant of the cruise industry, Royal has now surpassed them in many ways, why?  because Carnival got greedy, they stopped developing new innovative ship designs (they were developing their own Oasis Class long before Royal and cancelled it due to cost), they stopped maintaining their ships, they were/are rust buckets constantly having mechanical issues, they were cutting costs everywhere, the quality of their food declined significantly... sound familiar?  The mistakes that Carnival made that allowed Royal to pass them by, arguably for good reason with innovative ship designs and great advertising, Royal (Jason Liberty) is now following in Carnival's footsteps and making the same mistakes.  As someone who has been a huge Royal fan for 40 years, it's said to see, it's like watching a train wreck in slow motion.  It may not happen instantly but the pent up Covid demand and dollars will dry up and people will be more selective where they spend their vacation dollars.  Given the current level of quality, service and pricing, will it be with Royal?    

Very well said.

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, molly361 said:

 

 

[Jjohnb]

4 hours ago, boscobeans said:

It's amazing that with millions and even billions spent on mega ships with electric windows and 14th deck amusement parks, they still are unable or unwilling to make a decent pizza.

 

Hundreds of lowly pizza joints around the country where a teenaged kid who throws pizzas as an after-school job can toss a piece of dough, add sauce and other ingredients and make a great pizza. 

 

$$$$$

[ReneeFLL]

2 hours ago, PompeySailor said:

Any excuse to get a NEW clutch 👜 🤣

A nice big X maybe 🤔 

Yours by any chance 😎

I do plan on making one with an X, but how are people going to know if it's for Celebrity or the new Twitter name? Yes, that's mine, but I have a new design I'm doing. I might need to make me an MSC, Norwegian or Princess design. Haven't decided who I'm going to book next. It'll be a first for us on any of those cruise lines.