Been Cruising Other Lines Lately: Have Some ?? About Past Guest Perks & Other Stuff

[Sailfish]

I am a Diamond past guest, but it's been well over a year since we cruised on Royal Caribbean; we found a better itinerary and food elsewhere, but now we are thinking of booking a cruise on the Radiance. It's been a while since I stopped by this forum as well, so it's good to see some familiar names!

 

Anyway, we are considering a cruise on the Radiance for Jan 2, 2010. We loved the Radiance before - the question is will we again? I guess what I mean to ask is how are things going with Royal Caribbean?

 

Our last cruise with Royal Caribbean was on the Explorer - the service and food were not very good. As someone who used to cruise the Monarch regularly, the decline in food quality on the Explorer had us scratching our heads as to what happened. Well, the following year, we went to Princess and Celebrity, where the itineraries have been more interesting and the food a lot more to our liking.

 

Because of the itinerary, we are looking to go on the Radiance. I keep reading about more cutbacks at Royal Caribbean here at Cruise Critic, so I am wondering if anyone sees any improvement. I have to say, food is important, but not the most important aspect of a cruise for me; others in my family believe it is.

 

I'd love to get you opinion of Royal Caribbean and the Radiance - honest feedback please. What's new with Past Guest Perks? Are things getting worse, staying the same, or are we looking at fewer benefits. What's the latest gift? How about the coupon books - do they still give them?

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

[negc]

I am a Diamond past guest, but it's been well over a year since we cruised on Royal Caribbean; we found a better itinerary and food elsewhere, but now we are thinking of booking a cruise on the Radiance. It's been a while since I stopped by this forum as well, so it's good to see some familiar names!

 

Anyway, we are considering a cruise on the Radiance for Jan 2, 2010. We loved the Radiance before - the question is will we again? I guess what I mean to ask is how are things going with Royal Caribbean?

 

Our last cruise with Royal Caribbean was on the Explorer - the service and food were not very good. As someone who used to cruise the Monarch regularly, the decline in food quality on the Explorer had us scratching our heads as to what happened. Well, the following year, we went to Princess and Celebrity, where the itineraries have been more interesting and the food a lot more to our liking.

 

Because of the itinerary, we are looking to go on the Radiance. I keep reading about more cutbacks at Royal Caribbean here at Cruise Critic, so I am wondering if anyone sees any improvement. I have to say, food is important, but not the most important aspect of a cruise for me; others in my family believe it is.

 

I'd love to get you opinion of Royal Caribbean and the Radiance - honest feedback please. What's new with Past Guest Perks? Are things getting worse, staying the same, or are we looking at fewer benefits. What's the latest gift? How about the coupon books - do they still give them?

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

 

It's hard to say. It would be incorrect to say that there haven't been some noticeable changes in certain aspects of RCI's cruises, but I find it difficult to believe that you might not notice similar changes on other lines if you cruised with them over a period of years. All are being impacted by the economic recession and each is dealing with it in their own way. Past guest perks, despite rumors to the contrary, are basically unchanged though the coupon books seem to be missing some of our previously favorite coupons. The latest gift has been C&A baseball caps, but it may be time for them to begin offering something else. No matter what they offer, frequent cruisers will quickly become sated with them and look for something new and different. Over the years we have received a wide range of gifts, some more useful than others.

Perhaps your opportunity to cruise on other lines really revealed that they are a better match for you than RCI. No line is best for everyone and until you try other lines, you could believe, erroneously, that you had found the one best suited to you. It could be time for you to move on, not because RCI is declining but because your horizons have been broadened and you have found something that for you at least, is a better fit.:)

Radiance class ships are our favorites and on our most recent cruises we were very pleased with the quality and selection of the food that was being served. Then again we cruised on both Princess and Celebrity and were satisfied overall with the food we were served, but with a few exceptions. I attribute that to our individual and subjective tastes not to any claim that one line's food is intrinsically better than another lines.

[cruiseorbust]

We cruise a lot with Royal...15 over the last few years. Yes there have been changes, like all the other cruise lines, but in my opinion it is still a great product. Currently the gift is a royal caribbean hat, and yes they still give coupon books. We continue to be loyal to royal!

[Sailfish]

It's hard to say. It would be incorrect to say that there haven't been some noticeable changes in certain aspects of RCI's cruises, but I find it difficult to believe that you might not notice similar changes on other lines if you cruised with them over a period of years. All are being impacted by the economic recession and each is dealing with it in their own way.

 

This is very true. To add to this, I have not yet found a perfect cruise - I find I prefer Royal Caribbean's ships to other lines, as well as their entertainment. I find I prefer Celebrity's food quality and taste. Lately, I am finding that itineraries on Princess - 10 days to ports with awesome diving - to be more to my liking. Combine all this and I'll have a near perfect cruise. But that's not going to be possible, so I cruise them all!

 

All the lines we cruise with any frequency (included in this are Carnival, Celebrity, Princess and Royal Caribbean) have made changes to food quality, service, etc. so there is room for improvement in all areas of the industry. But you get what you get, and so we are looking forward to our cruise on the Radiance. I think the food is a little more to our liking on Princess, but food isn't everything, and to be honest with you, wouldn't keep me from cruising on a cruise where I know it's not perfect.

 

I was just curious as to what was up with Royal Caribbean these days. If they had the itineraries we were most interested in, we'd cruise with them. Now that I stumbled on the Radiance, we're planning to book this cruise for next year.

 

Just curious, has Royal Caribbean made any significant changes to their menus? I was just curious what's been happening since we cruised last.

[Sailfish]

I will research this further, but has Royal Caribbean added Anytime Dining? This is new, right?

[dutchess43]

I will research this further, but has Royal Caribbean added Anytime Dining? This is new, right?

 

Yes it is & it is expected to be rolled out fleet wide this year.

[Jake2008]

we cruised Explorer in October and found the quality of the food lacking. When I mentioned it to the head waiter he told me to 'give them a break' because they were not all trained chefs...I thought that was odd because I assumed they were. There you go though with the old adage about assuming. Even the cookies were different. Still we love RCCI and decided to book GOS for May...hopefully the food issue was only an EOS issue...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!:p

[cb at sea]

If you weren't happy with the food the last time you cruised, do NOT expect improvements. If that's important to you (and it is to us!), them you may want to rethink your plans.

We also found the onboard entertainment to be lacking, as well. That is also an important part of our cruise experience.

The service and drinks all remained wonderful, tho, and we always found spots on the sun decks. The weather was great, and the seas were almost smooth.

It was the food and entertainment that left us disappointed.

[silentbob007]

I've definitely noticed a downslide in entertainment with fewer production shows and tactics like subbing the Love and Marriage show as the main show for the evening.

[Sailfish]

Well, I just recerived the quote for the cruise, and I think we are in. Though we cruise more for the itinerary than for the ship, good cuisine and entertainment is a definite plus. Like I stated before, we've noticed changes industry wide, but I was hoping for a better "report card". I loved the Radiance the last time we cruised on her! That said, the status quo will not keep us from booking the cruise for next January; it's just a little disappointing, that's all.

 

All cruise lines have things we like and dislike, and Royal Caribbean is no exception. We always cruise with reasonable expectations, and very few things throw us for a loop!

 

Thanks for all the feedback; it was very helpful!

 

Suzi

[PantherFan]

Just an opinion on the food quality.

 

We did the Liberty and Independance cruises back to back in December. We found the food on the Liberty to outstanding, whereas on the Indy it was so so.

 

Same menu, different chefs.

 

The chef on the Liberty was very outgoing and was in the dining every night talking with the pax. On the last sea day he even had the chefs in the Royal Prom. preparing and sampling their specialties. All none menu items. It was great.

 

So food can vary greatly from cruise to cruise no matter what line your on.