Al Miller

Does seem like less and less tribute bands, but they are still around.  DSB (Journey) is schedule on Symphony of Seas Feb 10 sailing.

I saw this on Wonder in Jan and Allure last week. I honestly think quality as a whole has gone down.

We did have 2 cover bands on Odyssey last week that were very good.  The first was Beatlemaniacs.  We had seen them before on Wonder so passed on this sailing.  Not to mention NFL divisional rounds were playing at the same time.  The second band was Rookie and they were excellent.  Neither cover band played in the Music Hall venue.  Both only performed in the main theater.

Phoenix played on Icon last week and said they are going to be on Oasis this summer.  

Seems weird that the music call has no live music entertainment in it. Looks like it just has mock game shows.  I feel it’s not being utilized the right way.  

Also bummed about the absence of tribute bands.  

My post explained it

I like the idea of a scaled down 270 lounge on a ship that size. Like a Mini-Quantum class ship.

I am no business man. They should do what they want. It's working fine for them so for.  But when/if the market gets saturated and they NEED that loyal base that cruises several times a year to fill up their ever expanding inventory, they may have trouble getting them back. But it may never come to that. The supply of "once a year" families might very well be enough to sustain them. That's all. Like I said, their plan is working great so far profit-wise.

It's marked 30% off at 26.99 on Anthem next week. I don't want to go, but I hope it sells out so as to take some load off the rest of the island. If, after I board they have one of those fire sales for $20, I'd consider it just to see what it's all about for myself. The Beach Club is the one I wish I'd see come down. But that never seems to happen anymore.

I continue to try to defend the restaurants, but Day 1 on Oasis yesterday in Windjammer, absolutely no clean tables, and nobody clearing tables.  My Wife asked a manager what could be done.  He brushed her off and walked away.  Folks cleared tables themselves, piling the mess on other tables or pushed dirty plates aside, just so they could have dinner. 
I do not want to jump on the bash-wagon.  I would like to know why so many restaurant services are lacking.  Are they short on employees?  Did they misjudge the dinner crowd and didn't schedule enough workers?
 



 

It's there ... "cousin PG could be using all four"

I like the idea of a scaled down 270 lounge on a ship that size. Like a Mini-Quantum class ship.

We received Royal Upgrade this morning. Our offer was accepted. We are now two for two.

What kind of upgrade did you receive?

Just finished 5 nights on Radiance.  Service was wonderful.  Food in MDR was acceptable for the most part.  Portions small, menu limited.  Prime rib ok, beef tenderloin very good.  Skipped the MDR the rest of the cruise based on menu.  However, the drop in quality in the Windjammer is stark.  When we began cruising, the Windjammer was an event.  Officers wandered around proudly.  Roving bar, fruit carvings, huge displays of deli, fruits, desserts.  Chocolate night !!!  I remember cookouts on the pool deck with again, huge displays of fruit carvings, and bread offerings.  Sadly, the WJ has become a small version of Golden Corral.   Who ever heard of carving stations serving chicken ?? 

Update
 Don't think I ever posted an update from my cruise from end of September 2023.   The food we had in the MDR and Windjammer was excellent.   What was supposed to be cold was, and what was supposed to be hot was as well.   We didn't feel rushed and the service was fantastic.   We also ate in the Solarium Bistro and several Specialty restaurants.   Very pleased that we didn't encounter terrible food or service.  
 
PS..sorry if this a repeat post.  The memory is the first to go...l

While I appreciate your views, I've seen just as many say Sorrentos is horrible but other food is great. 
 
Just proves taste is subjective.
 
 

My family of 6 took an 8 day RCL cruise (our 3rd) to Aruba over the Thanksgiving holiday and the consensus of opinions on food quality was the same - terrible! Sadly, it didn’t seem to matter where we ate either! Whether choosing to eat from the MDR menu, eating at a specialty restaurant, the Windjammer buffet, or brats on the boardwalk… we all sadly agreed, the food was mediocre at best. We’ve never having this experience before and hate to criticize but, outside the reliable soft-serve ice cream and Sorrentos pizza (both GREAT!), something really should be done about the quality of food. We LOVE cruising but, the dining /food experience is a significant source of our enjoyment and for this cruise, it was an unexpected and unfortunate disappointment. 

It's concerning to hear about the recent feedback regarding food quality on cruises, especially when it comes to the Main Dining Room (MDR) and specialty restaurants. A bad dining experience can indeed leave a lasting impression.

We were on Freedom in August and had a great experience in the MDR. Food was good and service was excellent. 

Update to Original Post
 
     Just Disembarked From Oasis of the Seas today (10/1/23).   The food and service in MDR was great.  The dishes were hot, we didn't feel rushed, the service from staff was amazing.   We also ate lunch in Eindjammer, the food options were plentiful,  the food areas were not a mess, the food that needed to be hot was hot, and what needed to be cold was cold.   I am happy to report that the complaints that I have been reading about didn't occur for me. 
 

I hope this is a short-term hiccup, and not a permanent thing.  Like others have said, I want dinner to be better than I do at home and at least as good as going out to a nice sit-down restaurant. 
I know that RCCL (and other lines) are tweaking their business model in order to gain more revenue and thus profitability.  I just wish that they would slow down on some of the changes.  I once had a boss who used to say as a joke that, "in my life, supposedly, I will eat a bushel of dirt, I just don't want to eat it in one sitting."  Too many changes that affect the customer negatively will do the opposite of what RCCL management is trying to accomplish.

The maximum weight of a Panamax ship is only 52,500 "deadweight" tons. I think Discovery-class will be a Neo-Panamax ship, which can fit into the new locks. To get to the canal, ships must pass under three bridges, which will constrain height. The design should include providing for sailing to and from Tampa, Baltimore, and other ports that have low bridges. They will also take the width of the ship into account. The lifeboats on the Discovery can't obstruct the ship from getting into the lock. 
Discovery should be, therefore, a little smaller than Voyager-class and shaped a little differently. 
Panamax - Wikipedia

Retractable smokestacks yes. I would assume these new ships will definitely be LNG (which is smokeless) so what would you call the smokestacks with no smoke? Lol