Censored

Just got off this ship leaving from Bayonne to Bermuda, St Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Labadee. Driving to terminal the parking lot was full to capacity and so they started making people drive about a half mile away to deserted warehouse lots . Then you had to walk a football field length to get to a bus to take you to the terminal. They still made you pay full price ... you would think they would compensate for the added inconvenience of parking so far away! Then you must wait in a long line to enter the terminal. Because I book suites I was able to bypass long lines thankfully. The ship was at full capacity 3500 plus passengers, plus cruise staff, to which many are new and in training. There are only 2 sections for elevators. and ALWAYS full with long waits. Many times you would have to go up to go down and vice versa. Crazy. 45% of the passengers are first time cruisers I am told. Diamond lounge was always full prior to dinner., even though there is no free happy hour drinks as Diamond status cruisers must now use their vouchers up to 5 per day. If you were unlucky enough to book "MY TIME dining you waited in very long lines ,,,,some up to 2 hours if you can believe that! Totally mismanaged...ALL WEEK. Horrible experience, which took many people to Windjammer, where in all my cruising life, was the worst tasteless food imaginable. SHLOP. Very tough pork, overcooked chicken, burnt minute steaks, wet and sloppy vegetables , prime rib roast not served. Only cheap tough substandard cuts. Tried MDR for breakfast... as per usual, cold or luke warm food served. Never hot. never. Soft cool toast, cold eggs benedict.... oh and no fresh squeezed orange juice! Why? They ran out of oranges. Other fruits were "meh" ( to use Matt's language) . green bananas? slightly pink watermelon, hard tasteless other melons. The jello was good...lol. Cakes...only one was great all week Strawberry shortcake. Certain beers and liquors were also limited in supply. The pools were packed every single day. Even though there is a "no reserve policy " on loungers, people would come at 6:00am and throw a towel or book to reserve it ALL DAY. Even if they went on a excursion! Nobody is policing this, nobody. I did not get a poolside lounger all week. Hot tubs filled to capacity constantly . Kids and kids with diapers...yes diapers. Solaium pool also packed and hot tubs... I counted 19 people in one. ( hope those filters work well) Line up all day for an ice cream cone....10 minutes or more. Bars poolside 2-3 deep for a drink. All the shows were lack lustre, as I assume lack of real good entertainment these days. Comedy shows...nobody laughing . The ice show was probably the best on board. , and one violinist group I was told was enjoyable if you like that sort of thing. The casino was jammed packed nightly. Lots of minors partying and drinking. Not playing. Just watching and being annoying. Very small travel paths between slot machines, poor seating , very uncomfortable. Long waits for drinks, and smoke everywhere. Then there are the players on walkers and scooters trying to dominate their travel path...just simply not enough room! Casino host never to be found. Played enough to get another free cruise with $500 free play which I probably won't use. Casino does not have enough newer machines. Oasis class ships have bigger and better casinos. Had to pay $40 extra because one port was Bermuda. What a ridiculous cash grab for Bermuda to make mandatory even if you are staying on board which i did. It rained that day so all the excursions were cancelled, and many disgruntled passengers. St Maarten was a nice day with a trip by water taxi ( avoid ticket line ups and go straight to the ferry and pay $7 round trip) had a nice walk and shop. Ate a fantastic bb1 chicken and ribs right on the beach ( best meal all week) Puerto Rico was hot humid, and would advise to not take waling tour in that heat. Humidity was unbearable., and most people were drenched with sweat. Lots of historic sights to see however. 2 hours of shop and walk and back to ship pool,,,,,, getting full very fast. Labadee had a great swim. Lunch was burgers and hot dogs. Same as on the ship. Enough already. Did not eat. Tried some chicken... not edible. The beach and water was great with a nice back drop of Haiti large hills . Very picturesque. 2 days at sea and on the way back... pools packed full. No loungers to be found. Stayed in the suite most of the time and enjoyed the balcony...thank god I had that. I have 4 more cruises booked with Royal going forward. If things dont improve , I am most likely to find a better fit like Celebrity Edge class. If I need to bring family and grand kids, I shall still select Royal as that is what there focus is. Probably the most affordable family friendly cruise you can pick. I am at the stage of life where I want a little more quiet, and less brew ha ha. , and things I dont need or use like wall climbing, surfing, arcades, etc. Some of us just want a nice clean spacious ship that serves very good food, decent entertainment, fewer kids, minors, large family groups, etc. Because Celebrity costs more , I think you get a different class of people . I may be wrong, but I am going to try. I also realize travelling in a post pandemic or during one, you should not set your expectations too high. I dont. , but this cruise was about the worst I have ever been on.

I recall, doing those things some years ago. I would like to venture out a little farther . I have googled lots....perhaps just a few hour tour ride somewhere?

Will be arriving in a few days on Adventure of the Seas at the Royal Naval Dockyards in Portsmouth Bermuda. Must be back on the ship by 4:pm Im asking experienced cruisers, best advantage things to do for that short time period. We like the beach and have not seen Horseshoe Bay, but would only stay a few hours. Better off to take a tour, public transit, go to Hamilton? Or simply just stroll the port itself? I dont do elaborate tours such as diving, caves, jet skis, etc, maybe a catamaran cruise if its worth it. thx all.

Thx. Its only a day trip back to ship by 4:pm What would you suggest to have a great time with limited time? The ship is at the Royal Naval Dockyard. west end I think. Rent a scooter? tour? Or just walk around the port? thx

I just got off the phone and was informed that this is indeed a mandatory fee that ALL must pay regardless if they stay on the ship or not. CRAZY

Just got a notice from Royal indicating that 1. All passengers MUST have an approved Bermuda Travel Authorization (TA) before arriving at the embarkation terminal . 2. All passengers MUST be vaccinated and are required to upload their vaccine card at time of application. 3. All passengers over the age of 2 years MUST submit an application and pay the $40 fee by Mastercard or Visa. Needless to say I will stay on the ship and not tour Bermuda for the few hours we are there. Imagine a family of 4-6 ? What an absurd cash grab!

What about drinks? Does elite give you that? Or is it included anyway with Celebrity all incl program?

I think there are many people on the same wave length with regards to switching to Celebrity. I am Diamond Plus so there is some kind of reciprocity on the crown and anchor status for benefits on Celebrity. As much as I have enjoyed Royal, when it comes to just me and my wife, I think Celebrity is the way to go. When members of my extended family and grandkids want to cruise, then I would shoot back to Royal.

experts? You will get "opinions" based on previous experiences. Honestly how would anybody know how staffing issues will be handled unless that person works for Royal? Contact head office yourself to get direct answers, to avoid conjecture. To me staffing is a problem worldwide, including cruise ships . I noticed it my last cruise on Oasis, but Im going again this month and willing to take the risk of any shortfalls. Thats just the way it is right now. Take it or leave it.

Ok wise guy, Im referring to the crown and anchor desk aboard ship and the rep that sits behind the desk. The question refers to what exactly they do and can do. I am fully aware of the benefits of being a Diamond,Diamond plus etc.

So there is a news about a new loyalty ambassador , and apparently a layoff of a previous one? I am a Diamond Plus member and after all my cruises , I have yet to find any useful benefit from the desk /representative on board. Can anybody tell me what specifically this dept does all week on board?

Haiti does pollute a lot, along with a lot of other countries.

This is one reason I always book direct. Further I always book through Casino Royale. Its a IRONCLAD guarantee for all my booking and airfare. I can cancel to the day of cruise and get my port charges and taxes refunded. If Royal cancels the cruise, Air2Sea refunds no questions asked. I know this process of booking is not for all, but if you are going to gamble on the ship, you might as well join the program and take advantage of it. Casino Royale is a separate entity and must deliver on its promises. There is a lot of revenue at stake.

For the first time I have a stateroom booked on Liberty at the aft.( 4 nights for the experience ) Unfortunately it is next to a 2 bedroom grand suite. I'm wondering if this is too risky assuming most 2 bedroom suites are booked with families with kids and therefore I am subjected to more noise? Or are the rooms sound proof enough? If I change it I must move midship on another level, as most rooms are selling out.

Just off Oasis for 2 weeks. CK was not over the top. Had dinner there first week only and went to Windjammer the second week with one dinner in MDR. Lack of consistency with food Im afraid. There are issues that all cruise lines are dealing with. Even specialty restaurants are lacking quality . Windjammer was also substandard. Supply chain, staffing ,training are the culprits .

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2019/09/20/caribbean-islands-are-the-biggest-plastic-polluters-per-capita-in-the-world/?sh=18826f8d774b

no. this is 2022 out of vancouver

Air2Sea 100% You don't have to pay until you figure things out.

One time I booked a inside balcony on Oasis. Didn't like the noise levels and lack of privacy. Went to guest services and they gave me a ocean view balcony . Also, had a flight booked to Barbados with Royal's Air2Sea. I had to cancel the cruise and the flight due to covid. got full refund for the cruise and the flight with Air Canada. Royal has been very good to me.

I just got a 15 day comped cruise invite for this on Celebrity. Its for Sept 23 but I got a 7 day cruise on Serenade of the seas Vancouver to Alaska. Never done Alaska. Should I cancel Alaska and go with Celebrity, or go to Alaska? WWYD? Both are Balcony. No suites.

Being a casino ranked player , I only use comped cruises. you must pay port charges and tax, and that is refundable until the day of cruise. I have to check into the associated flight for that . Not so sure.

That is interesting. Will see if I can validate that!

Travelling the world these days brings on challenges. Airlines, cruise ships, Hotels, etc are all struggling with issues. Supply chains, lack of employees, costs of operations, etc. There are always inherent risks associated with travel, especially flights. Especially now. This is a choice we all make and need to acknowledge that there are risks involved if we decide to travel . I just lost/cancelled a 28 day cruise out of Barbados due to covid restrictions even though nobody was sick and tested negative the day before my flight.

Quite a story and honestly could not wrap my head around the logistics of that process. I use Air2Sea for Royal and have never had an issue. There is always a guarantee to get you a flight and get you on the ship....any airline. Not sure if its the same with Celebrity? Personally I would have escalated this to someone in a supervisory position on the phone and follow up with a letter/email. Documentation is vital here. I always ask the person to whom I am talking with to make notes for my file., and follow up with email confirmation. As much as I like Royal, I am thinking about moving over to Celebrity, as it might suite my personal style more. Hope this works out for you.

I never suggested Haiti is the ONLY nation . Just that it produces a tremendous amount of trash that contributes to its local problem . Of course there are other countries/nations that contribute. At the date this was posted, the trash was evident. The reporter that I followed on this made note that he discovered this at the very end of the day. As Royal's clean up crew does a good job continually cleaning of the beaches its very likely you won't see anything. I'll be there in a couple of weeks to further check it out. BTW.. it Sargassum, not Sargossa.