Et Tu RCI?

[The Admiral]

First of all, for the record I am a C&A Diamond Member and Shareholder in RCI so given these facts I can assure you I do not have a hidden agenda or an ax to grind. If anything, I want RCI to grow its reputation and market share.

 

Recently I returned from a sailing (for the second time) on the Brilliance and wanted to point out some disturbing trends that I have seen with RCI, which in my view are making RCI no longer my first choice in cruising. I will try to be brief as I will be repeating some things I have read on this forum previously.

 

I won’t spend time reviewing the ship, on this note RCI gets high marks; the Brilliance was beautiful and overall very well maintained.

 

Now the problem areas:

 

THE FOOD:

 

The good thing is that the Windjammer’s food has improved and its dinner buffet was good in variety and quality. The problem is that we had dinner at the Windjammer and at Chops for 1/2 the cruise. The dining room menu has not changed much in the past 2 years. The food choices are unoriginal in my opinion and not as good as they used to be. Overall, same choices with same sides just different sauces.

 

It’s sad that if you want a great menu you have to PAY $20.00 per person at Chops. Call me crazy but I thought that we were supposed to get that (a good menu) STANDARD as part of our RCI Cruise experience.

 

Another aggravation was the unbelievable mark up on wines, more than I had ever seen before! If you like to have wine with dinner occasionally you no longer have a good range, if any on whites and reds in the $18-$25 range as before. Most wines are now $28+ for the same bottles you get on land for around $8-$15. Unless you get the “Wine and Dine†package you do not have a lot of choices. The problem: not everyone has a bottle every night with dinner, so the “Wine & Dine†package may not be and option for everyone (again RCI misses the mark when they did not before).

 

***The recent Johnny Rockets surcharge adds insult to injury. When you look at this and other recent charges that RCI is coming up with such as recent hikes in the price of drinks (I know because on some of the wine menus I could see the stickers with the new prices stuck on top of the old ones) I no longer feel like I’m getting a good cruise value on RCI and the difference between this and a land based vacation are no longer that stark!

 

 

THE SERVICE:

 

RCI’s service used to be better than the other lines in its class, Now? The service was average, not as good as before and definitely not any better than Carnival, Princess etc…

I will give two examples to illustrate my point:

 

On two occasions I went to the Explorations desk and inquired about things to do and beaches to go to on some of the islands in our sailing. Twice I was told by the staff that basically they didn’t have any info other than the map they gave us and that the only info. they had was on tours offered by the ship. I was told by one of the staffers to just ask the taxi drivers on shore they’ll know. OH YEAH!, the onshore taxi cabs drivers will give me unbiased advice on good areas, reasonable prices are and what areas are generally safe.

 

The other glaring problem was the new CABIN STEWARD SERVICE. First of all let me state unequivocally that the Cabin Stewards on this trip WORKED THEIR BUTTS OFF!!! and where great, so this critique is not directed at them. There’s only so much a machine an animal or a human being can take before they break down. The cabin stewards now work as teams; they no longer are one on one. There are two cabin stewards assigned to each team and based on what I saw it seemed to me that they had twice as many cabins to take care of.

 

The result??? Although the stewards worked almost all day you never saw them or could speak to them in the hallway, you never got a chance to get to know them and as a result they never got a chance to know you, thus they were not able to personalize the service and learn their passenger’s likes and dislikes. Additionally, our cabin was rarely made before lunch and at night was not made until after 10:00PM whereas on previous cruises the rooms were made up much faster, usually by the time you returned from breakfast or Dinner. Although during the last 3 days of the cruise the service picked up a bit.

 

For the record we also spoke to fellow passengers that were in the Royal Suite and other top suites and they said they had the same experience and could never find their stewards easily.

 

THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE:

 

I just got the overall felling that the staff was overworked; I don’t know, are the staff ratios the same??? Anyone know? I did not see the attention to detail I have seen in the past and in fairness to all of these hardworking people I think its because of more work and responsibilities placed on staffers and maybe new ways of doing things which may not necessary be good. I’m not on the inside so I can’t say for sure; all I can give is an opinion.

 

Everything else on this cruise entertainment, activities etc… were OK but nothing to write home about. Personally, Princess and Carnival (to stay in the class) score better on all counts.

 

Based on these recent observations at a time when Carnival has improved their menus, service and entertainment to shed its image of being below par, RCI seems to be working equally as hard to UNDERMINE its reputation and see how much its loyal cruisers will take in reduction in service, nickel and dimming etc…before they walk away.

 

My advice, RCI re-think your recent strategies or I suspect you will not be seeing those of us that made you cruising with you anytime soon!!! I know I do not plan to choose RCI for my next cruise.

[Nancyquilts]

We just got home from Brilliance. We had a two-man team for our room, and it was usually made up during breakfast and again during dinner. I asked, and they had 24 rooms to clean. After some of the comments on this board, I was especially looking for cutting back, and only noticed two places where there was a problem. 1. Dirty dishes sat in the halls for up to 16 hours. 2. Our assistant waiter was spread so thin that we didn't see her for 20 minutes at a time - I finally went to ask someone for a refill on water. In the meantime, our main waiter was running herself ragged, doing all the things that the assistant usually does. Nancy

 

[want2seaitall]

I'm leaving soon for my cruise...and service, in general, from what I understand...can be better on the smaller ships. But...if I see a drastic decline...I will too...go and try another line.

 

Please, please, please don't bash the OP on this one...we all love cruising...and some of us feel the need to come to the defense of RCCL...lets just take this thread as what it seems to attempt to do...share an opinion...as a Diamond member...he obviously has loved RCCL in the past...and is just giving the heads up on his experiences.

 

until my Majesty of the Seas cruise!

 

 

Carnival Inspiration - June 2003

 

RCCL Monarch of the Seas - July 2002

 

 

[mammallama]

ADMIRAL--Very nicely stated. As my husband and I are new to cruising (going on my 3rd in June) I appreciate hearing what other people have to say about their experiences. My MIL only cruises with Princess. She loves them! I've been on NCL and RCCL and liked RCCL so much better, we booked again with them. The best way to build a business is word of mouth, IMHO. If you like it, say so, likewise, if you see problems! Thanks for your tactful post. Karen

 

 to get me on the ADVENTURE OF THE SEA

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[Got2Cruise]

When we cruised NCL last year, we had a three person team. . Two for the stateroom, and then there was one person whose sole responsibility was to clean the bathrooms of a block of cabins. The room was always clean, the stewards were always polite and helpful. Holland America has always had teams as cabin stewards, because the tipping was always included in the price. . .All of the moderate priced cruiselines seem to being going in this direction. . .Princess and NCL has alternative dining programs and RCCL is rumored to be heading in that direction. . .Face it, RCCL is MASS MARKET. . .we will have to switch to one of the luxury lines if we want that level of service. I for one can't afford that, and am happy to pay affordable prices and have the time of my life visiting the wonderful ports. jmo

 

Got2Cruise

till we sail ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS,

[The Admiral]

I agree with you about trying other premium lines if you want "that level of service" the problem is that in the past RCI had that level of service, menu quality and entertainment, but recently have cut back A LOT! I would have never missed something I never had but with RCI we did have it!

 

Maybe they are trying to push people like me into Celebrity but they are going about it the wrong way bacause people get aggravated, like some cruisers we spoke to on our sailing and just stop cruising RCI althogether, including

Celebrity! They should promote Celebrity not cut back and alianate their RCI loyalists! :-)

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Got2Cruise:

When we cruised NCL last year, we had a three person team. . Two for the stateroom, and then there was one person whose sole responsibility was to clean the bathrooms of a block of cabins. The room was always clean, the stewards were always polite and helpful. Holland America has always had teams as cabin stewards, because the tipping was always included in the price. . .All of the moderate priced cruiselines seem to being going in this direction. . .Princess and NCL has alternative dining programs and RCCL is rumored to be heading in that direction. . .Face it, RCCL is MASS MARKET. . .we will have to switch to one of the luxury lines if we want that level of service. I for one can't afford that, and am happy to pay affordable prices and have the time of my life visiting the wonderful ports. jmo

 

Got2Cruise

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;7;11;23;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

till we sail ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS,<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[TomCat32174]

Surcharge for Johnny Rockets? Is that beyond the charge for milkshakes and soda or is it more now? Was on the Naviagtor last November and no charges except for what I mentioned above.

 

 

Until Mariner of the Seas

 

 

Navigator of the Seas 11/03

Explorer of the Seas 11/02

Royal Majesty 12/95

Costa Riviera 8/89 & 12/89

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GET OUT THERE!

[Got2Cruise]

re: Celebrity. . .Celebrity and Royal Carribean are owned by the same company, stating that you are going to switch over to Celebrity is not going to change anything on RCCL. Maybe that is what the parent company wants. . .

 

Got2Cruise

till we sail ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS,

 

[yarlenna]

Yes, the surcharge at JR is now for the meal.

Admiral, I hadn't read anything more about the room steward thing since our March 8th cruise. (That was the first cruise when Brilliance had the reduction in room steward ratio.) I was hoping that the silence indicated that RCI got their act together. I guess not. I wonder if somebody is trying to manipulate the price of RCI stock. I cannot think of any other reason for a company to trash its own reputation. Will I sail RCI again? Perhaps at $100 per person per day for an outside amidships. But even at that, I would only do RCI (in its current level of service, food and extra charges) for a short cruise. If I am going to pay more than $100 per person per day, I want more than I experienced on my last RCI cruise.

 

Work like a dog. Live like a pauper. Save all your money. Then Cruise!

 

[mafig]

We've been on Celebrity and they have a two-person team cleaning the cabins - the room steward and an assistant.

 

We're going on Royal in June. Our last cruise with Royal was in 200l and since then we have been on Carnival, Princess and Celebrity. We will be able to compare the difference in service and food to how Royal was and also to the other lines. If it has gone downhill, our next cruise will not be on Royal (or Celebrity - my DH thought it too quiet).

 

To the previous poster, Johnny Rockets is charging 3.95 for food (on Mariner and Navigator for now), drinks extra.

[judie43]

Admiral....I enjoyed reading your critique.It is nice to get an honest opinion stating the god and the bad.I have had the same feeling as you...the service and food is not what it used to be.Not that is is bad,just not as good as we have come to expect from RCI.I love that you give credit to the overworked staff...I agree that the have way too much to do as they have been given added duties.I hope RCI does read these boards,because you have hit the nail on the head without any bashing.

[island04]

You people have GOT to be kidding me! I can not BEGIN to imagine how you can place Carnival in the same class with Princess OR RCCL! I've been on the Mariner twice this year and am scheduled to go again in 3 weeks. I found everything to be what I expected and sometimes more! I cruise often and am particular, since I am a TA. The ONLY thing I feel is way off base is charging at Johnny Rockets. My advice to you...if you don't like RCCL, then don't cruise on them and that will make more room for us who do.

[pcur]

Hmm...we were on the Splendour, Enchantment and Grandeur between October of 2002 and last November, 2003, and only had minor problems with the dining service being slow on one cruise. I also noticed the double-team cabin stewards, but I've seen that for years.

 

We don't have a real problem with the food choices, either, since between the Windjammer and the dining room we get a good choice. Since we don't drink wine with dinner, the increase in wine prices didn't affect us, either.

 

I'd say it's got everything to do with what you expect from a cruise, and you can't please all the people all the time. Each person has to choose a cruise line that meets their personal preferences. So far, RCI is the one for us, as long as the prices are OK. However, I see that the prices are only reasonable for last minute deals or selected cruises, so that limits the choices.

 

JMHO

 

Peggy - RCI since 1973

[Lynnees]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by island04:

You people have GOT to be kidding me! I can not BEGIN to imagine how you can place Carnival in the same class with Princess OR RCCL! I've been on the Mariner twice this year and am scheduled to go again in 3 weeks. I found everything to be what I expected and sometimes more! I cruise often and am particular, since I am a TA. The ONLY thing I feel is way off base is charging at Johnny Rockets. My advice to you...if you don't like RCCL, then don't cruise on them and that will make more room for us who do.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

I just have to comment on your attitude. For a TA you are rather rude don't you think? I certainly wouldn't want to book a cruise with you - the reason being it looks to me as if your opinions are more important to you than those of your clients.

 

I too have said that the quality of the food on RCL is deteriorating, (at risk of offending others) according to my tastebuds. WE are all entitled to our opinion and certainly don't need to be flamed by others for it. Especially someone who works in the industry.

 

Cunard - various ships over many years

Song of America

Grandeur of the Seas

Dreamward

Infinity

Azur

Sovereign of the Seas

Serenade of the Seas

 

 

 Til the Brilliance in the Med.!!!

 

 Nordic Empress

 

 

 

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[yarlenna]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by island04:

You people have GOT to be kidding me! I can not BEGIN to imagine how you can place Carnival in the same class with Princess OR RCCL! I've been on the Mariner twice this year and am scheduled to go again in 3 weeks. I found everything to be what I expected and sometimes more! I cruise often and am particular, since I am a TA. The ONLY thing I feel is way off base is charging at Johnny Rockets. My advice to you...if you don't like RCCL, then don't cruise on them and that will make more room for us who do.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Easy to put Carnival in the same category as RCI! I have sailed both recently. (within the past year) Carnival Pride and RCI Brilliance. Both are narrow and long. Both are Panamax. Both compare quite well in the entertainment department.

Carnival has better food.

Our waiter on RCI served it better.

Carnival has larger standard cabins and suites.

Carnival's room steward managed to get my outside balcony cleaned while I was out for breakfast every day.

On RCI's Brilliance, my hardworking (and I mean that) room steward struggled to get my room done before I got back from lunch. I was in a Cat B suite.

Pool towels and chair saving are a mess on both lines.

The food at the extra cost restaurant on Pride (David's) was far and away better than anything at either Chops or Portifinos. I did prefer Portifinos to Chops. They couldn't seem to get my hubbie's extra rare fillet right on either visit. (We were there twice.)

I loved the oboe player on Carnival Pride almost as much as the string trio on RCI.

I did not appreciate the belly flop contest on either line. Both had one.

I prefered the look of the Brilliance.

But - and this is a big one - Carnival gave me much better value for the money. Over the past 3 years Carnival has made great improvements to their product. RCI has been been downgrading their product. Yes, Carnival's service is still uneven. Now RCI's service is just as unpredictable.

 

Work like a dog. Live like a pauper. Save all your money. Then Cruise!

[MamaTene]

Lynne...well stated and I am sure your thoughts mirror those of many here including myself!

 

Adventure Martian Mania Madness!!!!

 

 

Chris

MamaTene@aol.com

[deborahjo]

Since island04 has cruised twice on RCI already and a third time shortly I have one question for her. Who is paying for her cruises.

 

Everyone has their own taste and to just out right insult people like you did in insane. I am happy I will never book a cruise through you. I happen to love Carnival. I have larger cabins and not as many people on the ship. The food has been great and the service staff work very hard to keep their customers happy.

 

I hope people know who you are and they no longer book with you either. Narrow minded people usually learn things to late.

[Nancyquilts]

Holland American doesn't "require" tipping, and won't tell you how much is appropriate, but the staff relies on tips, so we always plan to tip the same amount as on other cruises. A number of years ago, we thought that the tips were included in the price, and found out half way through that that isn't so. Then we had to cut back other costs on shore to be sure we had enough money for tips. Nancy

[mdeane]

We were on Mariner in Jan. and could not have asked for better service from our cabin steward (he was great) or from out waiters. Maybe we just love being there so much we are not very hard to please. We even thought the dining room food was very good. I guess I was just so happy not to be cooking myself. I think I will stick with RCCL and Celebrity.

[want2seaitall]

lynnees...you took the words right out of my mouth...I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone came along to bash the OP for only sharing an honest...and fair judgement.

 

until my Majesty of the Seas cruise!

 

 

Carnival Inspiration - June 2003

 

RCCL Monarch of the Seas - July 2002

 

 

[cruiselovers]

I agree with many things you said about RCI. Just got off the Navigator today. When we took issue with the Johnny Rockets surcharge a few weeks ago, my husband was blasted with responses directed as us "rich people" complaining. We only meant to bring it up as you did - as an unfortunate "sign of the times."

 

 

It does seem that when you spend an average of $14K/year on cruises, you should be able to at least receive a consistent level of services. Guess that's why we take cruises on different lines.

 

So far, at least, I wouldn't trade any of our 11 cruise experiences.

 

Princess: Ocean: 3/02

RCL: Enchantment: 8/01

Grandeur 1/00

Celebrity: Century 8/00

Galaxy 8/03

NCL: Norway: 7/86, 3/87, 6/90, 4/03

Navigator of the Seas 4/04, Golden Princess 8/04

 

[island04]

TO EVERYONE on these boards...I DO apologize for "insulting" you. That certainly was NOT my intention. I feel like I have the right to express my opinions just as many of you do. So I came across too strong...I'm sorry. I sell these cruises for a living. I cruise on many lines and do so quite frequently. Everytime I have sent clients on Carnival, they have returned very unsatisfied. Any complaints I have heard from RCCL guests, have been very minimal. The last time I accompanied a group on Carnival, I was so ashamed. We had terrible service the entire cruise, the food was awful, the cabins were dirty and the entertainment was less than standard. When I called, e-mailed, and wrote to Carnival I got NO RESPONSE whatsoever! Now I don't know about you all, but that left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to mention, that I had to "win back" my clients' trust to book them on another cruise. ALL of my experiences with Disney, RCCL, and Princess have been great. So, if I have confidence in a certain product, of course I'm gonna promote it. As for my number of times on the Mariner and wondering who is paying for it (as if that's anyones business), two of them have been with me accompanying groups and one for my own personal vacation. Again, I do hope that you all will accept my apologies for being offensive. I did not intend that to happen. I guess I'll have to be more careful in how much of my personal feelings I share.

[JeffHatfield]

Admiral, I have seen similar comments on the Brilliance. Since this is a new class of ships, I'm wondering if RCI made a choice to increase the number of paying customer rooms at the expense of crew quarters. Is the passenger to crew ratio on this class different to other classes?

 

We'll be on the Mariner in a couple of months so we'll be able to tell if there has been a decline in that class. We have gone on the Carnival Pride and the Celebrity Galaxy in the last couple of years, so this will be our first RCI cruise in 3 years. Honestly, we couldn't tell much diffence in any of the lines. But Celebrity did have a few nice extras like the chilled towels and sorbet on parade around the pool.

 

Galaxy 6/03, Carnival Pride 7/02, Voyager of the Seas 7/01, Grandeur of the Seas 07/00, Enchantment of the Seas 06/99, Carnival Destiny 7/98, Grandeur of the Seas 7/97, Sensation 6/96, Imagination 8/95, Carnivale 7/90, Festivale 7/89, Seaward (Norweigan Sea) 7/88, Carnivale 9/86

 

Next up, the Mariner 6/04.

[pcur]

Hey, island04, you didn't offend me. I'd be pretty steamed up, too, and especially as a travel agent with clients!

 

Don't worry; be cruising!!

 

Peggy - RCI since 1973

[cmjaffe]

I "hate to say this" but I think this is a Brilliance thing. We're Diamond, recently sailed on Vision (July), Serenade (Sept) and then Brilliance (Dec) and the service in the diningroom on Brilliance was a drastic step down from ALL our previous cruises. Wonder if it's just that ship... (since we don't "hear" much about mediocrity from those who've sailed recently on Serenade or Radiance). That said, we're still booked on Brilliance for this December... price was very good so I put everything in perspecitve... maybe that's what RCCL is doing... skimping on the Brilliance.

Carolyn