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That strategy is short sighted and punishes the wrong people. If you feel that strongly about the direction of the line, that’s fine. You shouldn’t cruise until you see a change back in the direction you like. I used to go to Disney World all the time but their guest policy changes ruined the product for me, so I stopped going. The hard working crew members deserve better from you if you continue to sail.

Apologies for those who jumped to conclusions. This forum is definitely for discussing things and events related to Royal Caribbean. Sorry to hear that you are not having a great time on Oasis after coming all this way to North America. As others have mentioned, tours can often be cancelled by the operator, not Royal. Also, I am a huge tea snob myself. I always bring my own. But yes, I when service is not great, that can compound the frustration. My sister is actually on the same sailing as you. I will have to chat up with her after she returns to see what her experience was this past week. Sorry again, and welcome to the message boards.

that's right, doesn't have English as a first language, is from Sweden. so I usually use translation if there are longer texts.

We need to be at Newark at 2pm, plane leave at 5pm. The Cruise have being good, we dont regret it. If it just being the tea bag, no deal, or just something else neither no deal. It was just the cancle of the last road trip that made the bad fealing and the lack of help. We realy try to have backup plans for everything, but not the things that was thru Royal Caribbean, I did not think ”they” cancle a trip like that. But now I know that also need backup plans. Thanks again for all feedback! Next Cruise is from Barcelona to Athen, I hope we will be on that..

Don't feel bad. I had to look it up, too. Involuntary Denied Boarding

Okay, I'm treading lightly here with no intention to offend. Please don't read on if you are offended easily. So I'm Gen X & went a totally different direction then most responses here. At 6 or 10 years old my idea of a cruise vacation was a tire tube floating around our flooded street after a heavy rain. We never cruised as a family, we hardly vacationed. Dinner choices were eat what is prepared or don't eat. Period. We didn't start sailing with our kiddo until she was 12 or 13, only child so she was mature for her age. We of course started with DCL as they catered to the kiddos. I'm just saying this because we were careful to anticipate that our family would have to be flexable to the ships culture and mitigated different scenarios ahead of time. Yes I will complain about a missing ice bucket or no trash bin in the cabin but I won't allow it to ruin the vacation I paid lots of hard earned $$ for. I am blessed beyond measure with health & love and the ability to sail once in a while. When I look around the world & realize the real world problems right now in this moment in time, yes my friend your post seems a bit whiny. Not to say your disappointment doesn't have merit, you were disappointed and your inability to pivot is frustrating as the things piled up but this I believe was your one off. I'm sure if you wait until the kiddos are a bit older you will find your JOY on any ship you choose. Heck my kiddo now eats things that I refuse to, most of which she tried at MDR meals on ships. Please focus on everything that went right, your post does help others cultivate their expectations & allows them to prepare (see @asquared17 & her special milk.) Thank you for sharing & share on the feedback form you receive after the sailing BUT then put it behind you and do it again in a few years. Remember the kiddos are always watching and listening, the way you handle this will teach them how to handle their disappointments in the future. I think you're an amazing dad wanting this fantastic Holiday for the family, don't allow your efforts and energy to be ruined by the little things. Safe travels

In this world of canned, pre-paid luxury, we are easily disappointed. Such downfalls are common in the airlines, restaurants, hotels, and yes, cruise ships. I can complain and only further disappoint myself, or just count my blessings, which are many. I am sorry your cruise was so dismal. It's probably time to consider vacations elsewhere, as on a cruise ship, you get what you get, little will change, and you'll continue to be disappointed.

Me too. Here's the explanation I would use. "Honey, there was an issue with our cabin, RCI is giving us a full refund so let's book another cruise. Oh, BTW, they said we can still sail on this one for free in an Ocean View. I say we do it!"

Once on board, the rest of the day went pretty smoothly. I treated brother nephew & son to Izumi sushi & they loved it. Hubby ate his weight in crab cakes in the MDR. We found all the food in the MDR delicious. We had no problem mixing & matching items on the menu although hubby tried to get soup from an earlier night & failed. I told him they couldn’t do it but hey, why listen to me! I was very happy that the Aqua show was scheduled this time as it was cancelled all week last year. Great show although spinning guy got a little weird after the first 4/5 minutes. I mean it was amazing but after a while. Then an already drunk woman poured her drink down my back. Really? We’ve been on the ship for less than 12 hours for goodness sake!

Finally made Diamond status after 7 cruises on RCCL!

An update in case it gives hope to someone else- I've been checking every so often and today a few spots opened up (our cruise is early July). I dk if someone canceled or if they opened up a few extra spots, but if something you want is sold out be sure to check back because you might luck out grabbing an opened spot

I am on the fence about whether this whiny. I think.....my advice is to do as much research as possible and plan. I think when in doubt always have backups. I am a picky adult. I always look at menus beforehand and pack anything I can't live without. Like you I had a tour cancelled with little to no information and had to pivot. The important thing is perspective: I am on a moving hotel with options, beautiful weather,and I don't have to cook or clean. I can meet new people and experience other cultures. Unless I lose a limb or something, it is or can always be as good as I make it.

Or the more colloquial I Didn't Board

What are IDB’s? Can’t figure out this acronym!

All excursions can be cancelled. Sometimes it is an issue with the tour operator. More likely, it is because the tour did not meet the minimum number required. This same issue could easily happen on any cruise line. If you are still on the ship, just take a cab to times square and you will see a lot on the way. Spend a little time there and then just catch a cab to the airport. If you have time, the subway is right there and can take you anywhere in Manhattan. As for the tea, If I felt that strongly that it was the only type of tea that I could drink, I would ensure that I brought it along. Tea bags do not take up much room in your luggage. I'm not discounting that there were issues, but it sounds to me like you allowed them to ruin your vacation.

Would take that 11 times out of 10! Would just have to figure out how to persuade my wife

Never could understand why Royal does allow this I put a statement on every survey I do "Gratuities" should have it's name changed to "Service Charge" and be made MANDATORY!! How that for stirring the pot

Or don't do that to the crew....more people than not are going to pay the gratuities, so you won't be doing any harm to the company- just the people who helped you during your cruise. I haven't noticed or been bothered enough by cut backs to cause me to want them out of business. If you don't like how they operate- there are plenty of other lines you can try (all doing the same thing, by the way)

Notified this evening that Ravenna port is closed due to area flooding and now will be embarking from Trieste (May 21). Interestingly, they have asked everyone go to check in at the old Venice port Maritima in Venezia and then they will transfer everyone to the ship in Trieste. Has anyone else had a similar situation? I’m wondering if they are going to transfer us by ferry or bus and what the best way to get to the port is in Venice.

Apologies for a long post! Is it the size of the ship that makes the service worse? It becomes more personal when there are fewer guests. We are on the Oasis of the Sea, the last day and several small incidents (and one big one) make us wonder if the level of service follows the size of the ship or if we should simply just accept and like the situation? We went with Voyager of the Sea last summer and it was an absolutely brilliant trip, there were small mistakes, but they could be overlooked as the level of service was so high. One specific event made all other annoying things irrelevant. The children have no great vices, hardly eat anything, and are content with what they get, but they like apple juice, and when they got it in the main dining room, they were very happy. They were served apple juice every evening, but on the 3-4th day the staff said that unfortunately it had run out, they didn't even have the kind you have in drinks left. The children were of course sad, but accept it. But the waiting staff who had our table did not. The next day, she gets off the ship, goes to a competing boat next to it on the pier and asks for some cans of apple juice. (We understand that's what she does, because the mark on the cans is unobtainable in the country we were in, so it must have come from another ship.) For this person, it was so important that two small children were happy that she did this service and it made our whole trip a full score, although there were many small things that could have been annoyed. We decided just a few weeks later to go for a much more expensive and more advanced trip for us, flying across the Atlantic to go with the great Oasis of the sea. I have gone 7-8 times but never with larger boats than the Voyager class. For my wife it is the third trip and for the children the second. We indulge in it, take a bigger, more expensive cabin, book extra excursions and buy packages. We are so excited to go on this big awesome ship. Everything starts well, the cabin is big and nice, there is a dirty towel that we get replaced immediately when we say so. The first evening and the following day are only as pleasant as you can expect. The next morning we come up to breakfast and see that the Earl gray tea bag is gone. It is, for us, an important thing. It is the tea that we drink. It has always been available on all the cruise ships we have been on, It is probably the most common type of tea, so it is always available. So you don't have to bring it from home. But this morning it was out. We ask the staff if they can refill, and they say, as they always do, that of course they will. We think that of course things can run out, and there are sure to be new bags the next morning. We continue to have a good time. The morning after there are still no tea bags, we ask an employee in a white shirt (more in charge) why the tea bags are out? The person said they were no left on the boat. We think it sounds very strange, but accept it, and assume it will be topped up the next day when we get to Florida. We continue with the journey but a gnawing feeling begins to take hold in the head, there are several things that rub, do not feel quite right. Small things that you don't think about in the first few days. What menus look like, what was served and the like. On the third evening, we react to the fact that there is no great variety on the menu in the dining room, it should be Mexican evening and there are a few Mexican roots. I think it felt a bit strange, why have a themed menu if it doesn't follow the theme. Let it be, not much to do about it. Don't like grilled chicken, so instead I take the fried chicken breast that is available as an alternative. And it was unfortunately a really sad experience. Thinking as one does, that it was a bad day in the kitchen and we continue our journey. When we get to breakfast the next morning and there are still no teabags it really gets annoying, we ask again and, well they're out. We have a wonderful day at Coco Cay and go to have lunch, it is as good as you can imagine it can be off the boat, when after the meal we ask where we can find a cup of coffee that the wife always wants, they say that it is not there and you have to go back to the boat to drink it. I, who don't even drink coffee, react with great surprise that they have made such a choice, why don't you have a coffee machine on the island, understand that you don't have it everywhere, but not in any restaurant? You swallow it, but the annoying feeling continues. The evening offers a Caribbean menu, and it is the same as the night before, only a few dishes, the rest have nothing to do with the theme. I understand that it is so, I just think it's a strange choice. And I probably wouldn't have reacted to it if I didn't already have that annoying feeling inside me. To the point, it should be said that the children have received exactly the same menu every night, however, they now have a different design, but it is the same food on them, but why make two (or more) designs without thinking that you can change something in the menu? When they for the fourth day eat the same dinner because they don't like anything else on the menu, then you as a parent get sad. The children are 6 and 10 and fussy as children can be. Then comes the 5th day and now everything will break. We get up to breakfast and still no tea bags, we tell each other we'll buy our own when we disembark in Nassau. We come down to the room and find an envelope with a message that the help we have paid for the last day is canceled and nothing more than "good luck and solve this yourself". We are very surprised by this, go and ask what happened and meet a wall. There is no one who wants to take responsibility and help us. We struggle with this all day, the excursion to walk around Nassau is like 20 minutes, then we go back to the boat and all the joy of being on vacation just disappears. We keep trying to get help, but everyone is pointing in different directions. What we have ordered and planned the trip for was to get a tour of Manhattan during the day before our flight back to Europe in the evening, we didn't want to have to sit in the airport all day with two children, so we chose to pay the right amount per person to rather sit on a bus and actually see something. Since we knew we would see Manhattan on the last day, we chose not to stay there the day before we boarded the boat. Then receiving this message when we are in the middle of the trip, and have very little opportunity to do anything ourselves to fix it, made it just burst. When we are going to have lunch on the same day, it was just too much, all these little things that you ignore, because you are having such a good time, just appear in front of your eyes. You realize that it has been the same food every lunch, the children only have to choose from the same things even here every day, we simply become apathetic. One of the staff asks if everything is fine, as they always do, and you normally always answer that everything is perfect even though it really wasn't, because you don't want to cause trouble. But now we replied that we think it was crap. (Apologies for the choice of words, but we said so). The staff apologizes and asks to get a superior who is coming, we tell the same story you just read about the food and this person also apologizes and asks to get another manager, one of the cooks comes out and he says that unfortunately it is this they have to serve nowadays. But if we want and ask for it, he will fix something else, especially for the children, we thank him for the offer but unfortunately we have the idea that it is just something he says and how will we be able to get in touch with him next time, and will he even remember us? So we leave and just want the trip to end. We are further trying to solve how to get out of the terminal on the last day for any help we still have not received, when late at night I go down in another attempt to get help at least get an offer to go on a bus to the airport but not even close to what we ordered the first time, the only offer they can give us is a full day at the airport.. My wife is so fed up with the company now, she tells me she wants us to cancel the next one year's trip that we ordered. She is so sad. The next morning, my wife says she'll go down to the cafeteria and see what's there and then we'll meet upstairs at breakfast. When we get up she is sitting with a cup of tea, in the cafe there were any number of tea bags, so the boat was not out of them, no one on the Windjammer had any desire to consult with the rest of the boat and see if they could solve a request from a customer. Then I started to think about whether it is too big boats? Will it be like different companies, in the different areas? You only have your own department, you have no contact with the rest? Is it more convivial on the smaller boats? It must be said that the staff are as always very helpful, the food is well prepared, and under normal circumstances we probably wouldn't have complained, because we really aren't whiners, we accept what is and let time pass. We are still looking to see if we can get help to have a nice last day, we met one of the staff who actually sympathized with us, and would see if they could arrange a private trip for us, taking us a couple hours around Manhattan. So the children can tell their schoolmates that they got to see the tall buildings up close, which they have been talking about all year. Haven't received any news yet, I don't think we'll get one either, unfortunately, but got the suggestion to ask at the taxi line at the terminal if there was any car that could consider making the trip around Manhattan before we go to the airport..

Too long; Didn't read? If that isn't what you meant, I'll gladly apologize. Normally, I think of you as being incredibly helpful - this, not so much. Why not just scroll on by?

Asking for a cup of tea is not whiney at all for what these cruises cost. Sorry you are not having a stellar experience.

Thanks. We are going to Newark. I checked with same company that tok us to the terminal last week, they wanted 68-89$ from ship in to midtown Manhattan. And similar price back to Newark. So now we just planing where on Manhattan we want to be an hour befor we need to get back.

Thanks! We will see what we will do. Thanks again for your positive answer and suggestions.

Hi Bryant, This is will be our 3rd cruise and 1st with RCL! We are coming with our 2 school aged kids, my in-laws and niece. It'll be the kid's first cruise. We have listened to quite a few of the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast, so many great tips about embarkation and dining specifically. I would make sure that you have the app downloaded, and your sail pass ready to go! I also like to print out copies my cruise docs just in case. Bring a small first aid kid with some medicine for some common ailments.

Haha, seems obvious once you know. Let’s hope RC doesn’t devolve into IDB’s

Hi. Yes we understand that, it was just the way they told us. As we travel with children I wanted all things to be ready and just work. About the Tea, it was just an example there the service not worked. There are alot of Tea if you search for it, it was just the way that they not helped.

Hi. We are stil on the ship. Gets back tomorrow.

His first couple of sentences note he is still on the Oasis…on the last day of the cruise. So I am guessing they will be back in Bayonne tomorrow.

TL;DR

I don't think it is unreasonable to expect tea, and my wife has never had an issue finding some on any Royal Caribbean ship. I am not sure if she is particular about brands. I am a coffee drinker, and I know how annoyed I would be if I couldn't find decent coffee. Fortunately, every ship has that for purchase. I personally don't think the size of the ship has an impact on service delivery, except to create multiple venues and offer more options to guests. I prefer Radiance and Voyager class ships myself. Dealing with vacation issues is an art, and I will never claim that I have mastered it. I hope your next vacation is more enjoyable, whatever you choose to do.

It let's you carry a little more on. We bring bottles of wine. If embarking in colder months from Bayonne, we like to shed out coats as well. When we have The Key, we'll also carry on our outfits for night 1 dinner on the off chance our bags are delayed making it to the room. We've never actually needed that insurance policy.

You don't book shows on Grandeur. Just show up.

There are all kinds of scenarios. Maybe they have medical equipment like a CPAP or medication. Never a good idea to check that stuff, better to carry it on. But who wants to drag that around? Bringing bottles of wine? That goes in carry on, which is a drag to haul around for a few hours. Maybe you are @AshleyDillo bringing someone all the crystal blocks she doesn't want. Why drag them around?

There must be a reason why offers vary. Think I read another offer “across the street” that was only sent to those who booked a balcony. One option was to downgrade to an ocean view on the same cruise in return for a full refund of their cruise fare. Sounded like a nice “Royal Down” offer to me.

These type are best to ignore and not even respond. They are on an island with their thinking. Best to leave it there. Oops, did I just not follow my advice and reply??

The thing I don't get about the Key luggage perk is why anyone would need it? If you didn't need it to board, why not just check it? And if you needed it to board, why wouldn't you want to keep it with you?

Wow. So let me get this right. You are encouraging us to book a trip and act like total jerks by punishing the staff because you are upset with Royal’s trying to adjust to the new economic landscape we live in today? No thanks, I will continue supporting the wonderful service staff that makes each cruise I am on magical by paying my daily gratuities and further tipping for exceptional service above and beyond what’s expected.

I feel like you've been looking at this cruise in a negative way for weeks, which is a shame. This post has not been confirmed, and I would take it with a grain of salt. The most they may do is limit you to one of each item, and even that I don't see. Please go and enjoy this cruise, but I feel like you will be on the look out for every negative instead of the positives. But try to have fun!

Wow lets punish employees because the bosses sometimes make bad decisions.......is not cool nor good human behavior.

DAS cigars in St. Maarten are absolutely phenomenal. I researched what cigars were on the island and found DAS cigars. Once I got off of the ship, I saw the Das store and I went over and started talking to the gentlemen that was sitting there. He explained all of the verities and I asked if I could sit there and enjoy one with him before I bought any. He said can I cut and light it for you? We sat there and enjoyed the beautiful day with a great stick. He asked what my name was and I asked him what his was - and said, I am Das! I was thinking holy cow, sitting here with the man himself. What a great experience and Das was such a gentlemen. I highly recommend Das if you are in St. Maarten.

You don't like RC's policy changes, so you're going to take it out on the hardworking crew who have absolutely no say over those changes. Wow.

The Quantum repo from Singapore to Brisbane is available and the prices are pretty good. I got a balcony for 2 at $A1900 each

the soy sauce thing is a little different in my opinion. In Japan, the sushi is simply amazing. Even the sushi sold at Costco Japan is good. The rice is flavored well and the amount of wasabi pre-applied is good. So in Japan, I never feel the need to add wasabi to soy sauce. In fact...some sushi is not meant to be dipped into soy sauce at all. And to top things off, only the fish is to be dipped into the soy sauce. Now...to get the kind of sushi I speak of above, you have to pay top dollar or find a sushi chef that really knows. So, here, in the States, I mix wasabi into my soy sauce to my heart's desire and dip like a mad man. Soy sauce on the fish. SOy sauce on the rice. Yum, yum, yum. Trust me when I say this, as a full blooded Asian, most sushi places outside of Japan have sushi chefs that are not likely Japanese or even Japan trained. So what do they care? I doubt the chefs at Izumi give 2 cents whether you mix, dip, or use a fork.

Have you read the whole thread yet?

It's an anomaly of the booking system. The time you book doesn't mean anything.

We’ve taken the bus from Maine to south station then taken the Silver Line from south station to the terminal. It was easy, although there was a short walk. The Silver Line has some stops near hotels, and taxis/Uber/Lyft are available. One thing we didn’t realize was that there was no place to buy a Silver Line ticket when we disembarked on Sunday, so we hoofed it a mile or so to south station. It’s not a bad walk if you’re physically capable. If not, there are taxis/Uber/Lyft are available. There are plenty of hotels in the Seaport area, although depending on what is going on in Boston at the time, the prices may be ridiculous. I’ve stayed in the area for sub $200 and have also seen the same hotels at $400+

Those items are not included in all of the suites. It would depend on the suite class/ship.

This is like going to eat at a restaurant and not leaving a tip. Just gross.

Oh Hell No!!!! Please do not let this be true. Enough is Enough already. So for $7.95 you only get one thing? Appetizer or Entree, But not both??? Can they do this without publishing the change online first? Can anyone else confirm this? Where was this posted?