We Used to Be Cruise Pros...

[nimbex1970]

I found less service available.  For example, I love to sit out at the pool and be served drinks.  On the WOS, my lazy behind had to get up several times for a water or a drink.  Well more than several times.  Alcoholic drinks at the main dining took much longer than previous to be delivered.  More folks at the bars getting their drinks caused lines and waiting... no one remembered my drink at the bars, lost that special, "I'm being spoilt" feeling.

 

I ate more room service and pizza after the MDR than in the history of my cruising.  Returned an over-cooked shrimp dinner twice.  First time I paid for the upscale restaurants as I was so unsatisfied with the quality of food in the MDR.  (service there was top-notch). 

 

I tried NCL after this and had similar food issues however the service on NCL was impeccable.  Still booked another RCL, just paying for the food upgrades now. 

[MD_Dan]

- Much faster embarkation!  Complete the set sail documents online and include a picture.  Have QR code and passports ready

 

- Muster Drills are much easier!  Report to muster station and get a personal demonstration of how to put on a life vest.  No more waiting shoulder-to-shoulder at the muster station while they call cabin numbers.

 

- Download the Ap.  You can use it to chat but the person you are chatting with will have to routinely check their phone.  They are getting away from paper Cruise Compasses but you can request them.  Most of the event info from the Compass is located on touch-screens near the elevators.

 

- Odyssey has a strange quirk ... the elevations were configured with touch-less buttons.  Don't stand near the panel unless you want to light up all the buttons!  Elevators are very slow on the first day while many learn this lesson.

Edited December 7, 2023 by MD_Dan

[loman]

Yes there are some changes as noted  , but overall , it will  be fine.

Enjoy your cruise .

[PigsCanFly]

On 12/6/2023 at 5:17 PM, Lokip53 said:

We were on a pretty solid cruise rhythm for over a decade leading up to our last cruise (pre-covid) in Feb 2020 right before things lit off. 

 

We're excited to be jumping back in the saddle on Odyssey next month, but are sure that things have changed a bit (or more) over the past four years.

 

What should we be ready for? 

We have sailed 8 cruises post Covid  on Royal.  Things are different, but we still enjoyed every cruise we have had on Royal pre and post Covid.  MDR menus have changed but we 3 have no complaints about the options.  The muster has greatly improved post Covid.  Specialty prices are up, but none of the ones we have attended were not worth our cost.  Playmakers has been a great place to catch a game and food/drink.  Only one time was it so busy that we had to wait a bit for food.  When it showed up, it was great.

[NoShoes2]

8 hours ago, PigsCanFly said:

We have sailed 8 cruises post Covid  on Royal.  Things are different, but we still enjoyed every cruise we have had on Royal pre and post Covid.  MDR menus have changed but we 3 have no complaints about the options.  The muster has greatly improved post Covid.  Specialty prices are up, but none of the ones we have attended were not worth our cost.  Playmakers has been a great place to catch a game and food/drink.  Only one time was it so busy that we had to wait a bit for food.  When it showed up, it was great.

 

Same. We have enjoyed every cruise, pre and post. We realize that things change, hopefully for the better, but not always. When we see a price increase we have to decide if it is still worth it to us... it usually is. LOL Why not, we are on vacation! 

[PhillyFan33579]

On 12/7/2023 at 1:44 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

I hate-hate-hate this, especially as it is accompanied by higher gratuities.  One or the other, Royal.  Hitting us with higher prices AND reduced service is just wrong.  

The solution to this is simple. If you really hate it, take your business to another cruise line. I respect that other’s have different opinions and feel differently about RCI than I do. What I don’t understand is people (I am not saying you fall into this category) who complain about RCI left and right yet they still cruise on RCI. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I can speak directly to this because years ago I was very loyal to Carnival. However, I was not happy with numerous changes Carnival implemented over a few years so I stopped cruising on Carnival a few cruises prior to reaching Diamond and I have no plans to cruise on Carnival again. 

[ONECRUISER]

On 12/6/2023 at 4:17 PM, schooner_Drinker said:

More kids regardless of time of year 

Nancy 🍹

Why I stick with Radiance Class doing 10+ nite Cruises, typically 10-25 Kids, this even on 10 Thanksgiving and multiple Spring Cruises

Edited December 10, 2023 by ONECRUISER

[Kbonner]

On 12/7/2023 at 4:29 AM, bg2310 said:

Get ready for LOTS of complaining from "old time" cruisers who gotta let their opinions be (loudly) known and compared endlessly to how it is today. 

You must be from generation Z

[lovesthebeach2]

I’ll add some of the positives. Odyssey is a beautiful ship (we think so). It’s one of our favorites.

And yes, things have changed with the menus and room servicing.  
 

We like the once a day room servicing much better.

 

We like all the shows on Odyssey. 

 

The menus have changed, and although they are very limited (especially for me because I’m not a meat eater) we didn’t starve. We do go to the WJ now for some nights which we never ever did before. The menus are boring ( the same identical menu all the time gets boring when you cruise a lot) but thankfully eating isn’t our main reason to cruise.
 

I love the ocean and that alone, with the added plus that it takes me to destinations all over the world are why we cruise. Not the food and not the room being cleaned .

 

you will love Odyssey. Enjoy your cruise!

[2chiefs]

9 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

The solution to this is simple. If you really hate it, take your business to another cruise line. I respect that other’s have different opinions and feel differently about RCI than I do. What I don’t understand is people (I am not saying you fall into this category) who complain about RCI left and right yet they still cruise on RCI. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I can speak directly to this because years ago I was very loyal to Carnival. However, I was not happy with numerous changes Carnival implemented over a few years so I stopped cruising on Carnival a few cruises prior to reaching Diamond and I have no plans to cruise on Carnival again. 

Sometimes complaining forces change. Celebrity made some nice changes recently due to numerous complaints. 

[PhillyFan33579]

4 minutes ago, 2chiefs said:

Sometimes complaining forces change. Celebrity made some nice changes recently due to numerous complaints. 

What did Celebrity change based on complaints? The one big change I know Celebrity made fairly recently was eliminating the all inclusive fares (WiFi, drinks, gratuities) for all bookings (it is still an option for most bookings). But that change was made because bookings significantly decreased when they implemented this change. RCI is not going to make any changes based on complaints when their bookings have never been better despite price hikes in every area (cruise fare, excursions, packages, etc.)

[The Fun Researcher]

3 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

What did Celebrity change based on complaints? The one big change I know Celebrity made fairly recently was eliminating the all inclusive fares (WiFi, drinks, gratuities) for all bookings (it is still an option for most bookings). But that change was made because bookings significantly decreased when they implemented this change. RCI is not going to make any changes based on complaints when their bookings have never been better despite price hikes in every area (cruise fare, excursions, packages, etc.)

For one, adding back the "classics" and other popular items back to the MDR menu

[PhillyFan33579]

3 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

For one, adding back the "classics" and other popular items back to the MDR menu

That’s a good example but I think their reduced bookings was likely a factor too. I have been cruising on RCI and Celebrity for years. For the majority of this time cruises on RCI, in general, were significantly cheaper than Celebrity. Right now, and it’s been this way for awhile, the opposite is true, which is why I have a half dozen cruises booked on Celebrity over the next five months. I think Celebrity made a big mistake moving to all-inclusive fares. Based on what I am seeing in their cruise fares they still haven’t recovered from this move. Granted this is just my opinion. There could be other reason(s) why fares on Celebrity are overall pretty low these days. 

[The Fun Researcher]

1 minute ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

That’s a good example but I think their reduced bookings was likely a factor too. I have been cruising on RCI and Celebrity for years. For the majority of this time cruises on RCI, in general, were significantly cheaper than Celebrity. Right now, and it’s been this way for awhile, the opposite is true, which is why I have a half dozen cruises booked on Celebrity over the next five months. I think Celebrity made a big mistake moving to all-inclusive fares. Based on what I am seeing in their cruise fares they still haven’t recovered from this move. Granted this is just my opinion. There could be other reason(s) why fares on Celebrity are overall pretty low these days. 

Not arguing, but reduced bookings?  Haven't heard that.  We have a sailing with them in 9 days, so I've been over in that part of these boards and hadn't seen that.  We love Celebrity too so happy to sail with them to mix things up.

 

We had a gap sailing Celebrity from 2017-2023 so I don't know the booking changes they made during that time.  Did Celebrity ever have it where you HAD to choose the all-in and couldn't just choose the base fare?  For our cruise Dec 19th we have 4 bookings and only 2 of the 4 are "all-in"  The others are base fares.

 

[Lokip53]

Great feedback as always. Very much appreciated. The picking an arrival time thing threw me... used to just showing up early, jumping on with our pool gear in a backpack, and hopping in the pool. 

 

Otherwise it seems that the changes are pretty much in line with every other industry out there that finds itself in recovery mode. The food in the MDR was noticeably headed downhill for us our last few reps before covid, so not surprised by the food comments. 

 

As fresh empty nesters when covid hit, we did (and continue to do) a ton of boating, sandbars/beach, and fishing during covid. That made us miss cruising less (we're blessed to live in an awesome region for that). But after being on the Europe travel kick the last few years, I'm frankly tired of trip planning and missed the relaxation and familiarity of cruising. We're really looking forward to getting back in the groove. 

[PhillyFan33579]

3 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Not arguing, but reduced bookings?  Haven't heard that.  We have a sailing with them in 9 days, so I've been over in that part of these boards and hadn't seen that.  We love Celebrity too so happy to sail with them to mix things up.

 

We had a gap sailing Celebrity from 2017-2023 so I don't know the booking changes they made during that time.  Did Celebrity ever have it where you HAD to choose the all-in and couldn't just choose the base fare?  For our cruise Dec 19th we have 4 bookings and only 2 of the 4 are "all-in"  The others are base fares.

 

There was a short period of time when all-inclusive was the only option. However, it wasn’t that long before that went away. Now there is an option to add all-inclusive to most bookings but it isn’t required.  My reduced bookings comments is based on what I have heard from TAs (I never use one but two of them live within a block of my house) and more importantly what I have seen when booking cruises. Right now fares on Celebrity are significantly lower than RCI, especially comparing new ships for both cruise lines. I am still amazed what people are paying to cruise on Icon and now Star, not to mention current prices on other RCI ships.

[The Fun Researcher]

2 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

There was a short period of time when all-inclusive was the only option. However, it wasn’t that long before that went away. Now there is an option to add all-inclusive to most bookings but it isn’t required.  My reduced bookings comments is based on what I have heard from TAs (I never use one but two of them live within a block of my house) and more importantly what I have seen when booking cruises. Right now fares on Celebrity are significantly lower than RCI, especially comparing new ships for both cruise lines. I am still amazed what people are paying to cruise on Icon and now Star, not to mention current prices on other RCI ships.

Thanks.  This upcoming sailing will be the first time our grown kids (now 16-22 yrs) will sail X.  If they really like it we'll definitely be looking at X more for future bookings.  The elite benefits aren't as good as Diamond on Royal, but if the "all in" price is still good then it doesn't really matter.  My main concern is the lack of activities and entertainment vs Royal.  Of course, X has some nicer amenities vs Royal, so we'll see what they think.

[Lokip53]

8 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

There was a short period of time when all-inclusive was the only option. However, it wasn’t that long before that went away. Now there is an option to add all-inclusive to most bookings but it isn’t required.  My reduced bookings comments is based on what I have heard from TAs (I never use one but two of them live within a block of my house) and more importantly what I have seen when booking cruises. Right now fares on Celebrity are significantly lower than RCI, especially comparing new ships for both cruise lines. I am still amazed what people are paying to cruise on Icon and now Star, not to mention current prices on other RCI ships.

I couldn't figure out when I was looking why that price reversal existed now. We were intending on booking Celebrity for that reason but timing just didn't work out. Figured we'll try to get a couple more in on RCI and get over the Diamond Plus line and then transition for a bit if that's how it continues. 

 

And Go Birds!! 🦅

[cruiseboy89130]

4 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We like the once a day room servicing much better.

You always had the option to lock out the 2 times service - so raving about it -  is just stupid!

[time4u2go]

21 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

You always had the option to lock out the 2 times service - so raving about it -  is just stupid!

I've been thinking the same thing. It was always an option.

[The Fun Researcher]

12 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I've been thinking the same thing. It was always an option.

 

34 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

You always had the option to lock out the 2 times service - so raving about it -  is just stupid!

I might be missing the point.

 

For those that liked twice a day service, and now have no option other than once a day (and don’t like that). …What’s stupid?  

[time4u2go]

16 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

I might be missing the point.

 

For those that liked twice a day service, and now have no option other than once a day (and don’t like that). …What’s stupid?  

"Stupid" might be a bit harsh, but I think they were referring to people that are raving about once a day service being better than twice a day.

[cruiseboy89130]

4 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

"Stupid" might be a bit harsh, but I think they were referring to people that are raving about once a day service being better than twice a day.

Exactly!

[lovesthebeach2]

16 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

"Stupid" might be a bit harsh, but I think they were referring to people that are raving about once a day service being better than twice a day.

They must have read my post wrong. I wasn’t raving about it, just mentioned that it’s fine.