FSUFAN

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.

I make kind of a poor man's charcuterie tray. I go to the Windjammer early and make a plate of sliced meats, cheeses, crackers, sliced veggies with dressing for dip and what-not and take that back to the room for "Happy Hour". Mrs Fan and I nosh while getting ready for the evening. She drinks wine and I get a whiskey. Sit out on the balcony and chill with the snacks.

I'm doing sushi class next week on the Quantum with one of my sons, my daughter and son-in-law. Mrs Fan and the other kids/spouses did not want to participate. Question for anyone who has done this class before: How many rolls do you make? Is there a large selection of "stuff" to put in the rolls? It is my understanding that you get sake during the class. Is this correct?

We have booked 3 sailings in the last 12 months. I put in a price tracker on all 3 and never saw the price dip below what we paid. We have sailed one of them and have yet to take the other 2 sailings. Both of the upcoming sailings are showing sold out balcony rooms and suites. I think the ships will be full. We have 2 Airbnb rentals in the mountains of western NC. Last year coming out of the pandemic, they were both slammed full of families wanting to get out and back into nature. They could still be out having a vacation, trail hiking, tubing, hiking to waterfalls, yet not in crowds. This year we are busy, but bookings are probably off 10-15% compared to last year. The cruise industry sems to be running a year behind as it seemed like last year there were lots of open rooms and soft/lower prices. Maybe people were still wary of being in large crowds. As others have mentioned, those days seem to be gone (at least in the short term) as pandemic fears wane. We got the "itch" to sail again and as stated we have 3 sailings in less than 10 months (one down, two to go). We will probably roll back a little and do a cruise or two each year. I want to do some inland trips to National Parks and such.

On advice from this forum, I was able to secure an early boarding time for our group of 8 in via the App (phone or tablet). Then I had everyone go to the web page and upload all pertinent information including passport information, their own credit card information, submit pictures and the like. This was several days (and for 1 couple a few weeks) from the initial check-in time. They have chosen and paid for their own onboard activities and shore excursions. I had all the rooms (I booked them all thru Costco Travel) linked to my account. So, I just went down the line and grabbed 10:30 times. They are my grown kids and spouses. I am retired and they all work. So, I manage the process for the most part. I have modified the PDF luggage tags and added their names. I'll print out their luggage tags and bring them with me as none of them has a printer. 1) Check in and choose a boarding time via the app and only the app. 2) Add all the minutia after that via the app or website.

They recently cleaned the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and this was found under the dirt and grime. Who's a good boy!?

That may be the problem now. Profits over customer satisfaction. I just read an article where ships and lines are overbooking passengers (see link below). Not a good look for any cruise line. Sure, there are a few crazy ideas listed but most are asking for tweaks and fixes. I'd pay extra to have a "limited" drinks package of 4-5 drinks per day. The internet should be a fixed cost. The fuzzy math discount game (I know not everyone sees it that way) that is played is not a customer friendly way of doing business. I'm willing to pay a little extra to get back to "wow!" meals in the MDR and IMHO it is foolish to claw back corporate profits by messing with the food quality. If RCL would work in a few bucks on each cruise fare sold and give me an extra lobster tail, I'd be okay with that. Cruises Are Being Overbooked at Alarming Rates: Report | Entrepreneur

I bought an Invicta Men's Pro Dive from Amazon during one of their annual sales. I think I paid $30 or $35 (formally sells for $70). I saw them on the Voyager OTS and didn't even ask as they were only advertising XX% off and not the actual price. It's a knock around watch that I wear when the weather is cooler (don't like a sweaty watch band in the heat).

Oops. System error between the chair and the keyboard

Gratuities rolled into the cruise fare

I resemble that remark. But you are right. Unless I am traveling with my grandkids, I'm not in their sweet spot and stated in the "Loyal to Royal" thread that I was probably going to move away to other lines. I've not seen a 70s night since we have only sailed RCL once before. But it seems like every time I turn around, there is some bar or even church having a 70s theme night. So, it is popular for some. I bet a bar on the ship with a dance floor and a DJ playing 70s, 80s and even 90s dance hits would be packed every night. I like what I see in HAL's "Have it all" fare. It has been mentioned on this thread as a "want" for RCL. Drinks (even limited to a set amount per day), wi-fi, pre-paid gratuities rolled into the front end would cause me to rethink going elsewhere.

European airports as a whole are not as smooth running as US (and the US is frequently a hot mess). Expect longer delays getting thru security. Also, having TSA-Pre or Global Entry will NOT help departing passengers in Europe only arrival in the US as they are US Customs and Border Protection systems. While there are some exceptions and locations that participate, Amsterdam is not one of them.

Not loyal at this point. We've only cruised RCL once and, IMHO, it was a total letdown (we were on @teddy the same Voyager to NE/CA last October). Now we have the upcoming Alaska trip on the Quantum. I've stated before that we also have a HAL Rotterdam cruise out of Amsterdam in August. The HAL sailing has just absolutely crushed RCL in value (on paper). Free Wi-Fi for 2, waived gratuities, Free Drinks package, $100/ea in excursion credit, $100 OBC, 1 night specialty restaurant included. (At RCL's prices over $1,800 in savings.) All of the above in a similar balcony/Veranda cabin. The HAL trip is about $500 more, but the added perks more than make up for that amount. If I had little kids (all ours are in their 30s), RCL and all the onboard stuff would be a huge plus.

Okay, so you get to be "King" of RCCL. There are a lot of opinions and ideas floating around on the board (maybe even a few complaints). What are changes that you would do to make for a better sailing experience? Simply saying cheaper cruises in not an option here. Lowering the price of add-ons is acceptable though. Mine: 1) Drop The Key or give it some really nice benefits like 1 free Drink of the day. Bring back free room service. 10% or 20% off ala carte on board stuff with The Key. 2) Offer a lower tiered drinks package. Maybe a 5 drink per day package for a set lower price of $30 or $40/pp/day. 3) Ban all the hard sell tactics at the Spa. Mrs Fan won't even go to the spa anymore due to this issue (even after she asked not to be barraged with the upsell)

Holding back gratuities is not the solution. Write a letter to the CEO or just stop sailing RCCL. We were never big cruisers even when we lived in Florida, but now that we are retired, we are going to go at least once or twice a year and probably more. I think there is a very high chance that we will move away from RCCL. We have one more sailing with RCCL scheduled. To me it is a perfect line for families but not so much for older couples. I'd rather have a hydro-therapy pool than a rock climbing wall. Jason Liberty, CEO, was quoted in a recent fourth quarter earnings call that "I am encouraged by the ability to increase our pricing even more". Good for the shareholder, not so good for the customer. I'm not mad at RCCL. I just think that the value proposition is not there for me personally and I am probably not in their target market (family vs empty nester). So we will move on to other lines and try to find one that fits our wants and needs.

We are sailing the Quantum in June. I had at one point, Voom S+S for $18.99 (black Friday). Then Mrs Fan wanted the Key so I was able to get that for $22.99 and I dropped the V S+S. The Key is now at a massive rip off of $48.99/pp/day. Not sure how they justify that price.

We were on the Voyager OTS last October and a duo group (maybe Husband and Wife) played songs a few times in, I think, it was the Star Lounge. He had a synth machine that played bass, percussion and some background chords while he played a guitar, and she sang. It was ok but very informal. I am hoping for something more substantial on the larger Quantum. Fingers crossed. I guess the type of dancing I am looking for is kind of on the way out.

Technically not a shore excursion question. But - We are sailing on the Quantum OTS to Alaska in June. Do they have a place for or offer slow dancing? I'm talking about ballroom type dancing. Cheek-to-Cheek dancing. Couples in love dancing. Not the stuff of a typical night club or DJ club full of 20-somethings.

Alaska, Quantum OTS - June 12, 2023 Norway, HAL Rotterdam - August 12, 2023 On the "Wish List" TA on Cunard QM2 in at least Princess Grill category. (2024 or 2025) Australia and New Zealand (2024) A sailing out of Los Angeles (or at least the West Coast). Our youngest and spouse live in LA and we want to visit and then cruise.

You are correct @teddy was on that cruise (Voyager - NE/Canada). Don't get me wrong, overall, we enjoyed the sailing, but it was death by a thousand cuts as far a service issues. Cupcakes were not the problem, but it showed me a lack of attention to detail. And yes, the terminal at Boston was a dumpster fire mess of non-organization. Not totally RCCLs fault, but the buck should stop with them either way and that got us off to a bad start. Maybe if we had been sailing multiple times each year I would feel differently, but we had not been on a cruise in several years at that point. We now (by August) will have had 3 sailings (2 with RCCL and 1 with HAL) in less than a year. I am hopeful that the Alaska trip on the Quantum will be a better experience. I will compare the experience of each line. As far as I know, the issues might be endemic to all lines currently. We will not give up on cruising. Mrs Fan and I both like the value and entertainment that a cruise offers. Maybe RCCL is not for us (if we had small kids or even teens, it would be a no brainer). I want to do a TA with Cunard on the QM2 with at least Princess Grill service. That is the next bucket list trip. And we want to do an Australia / New Zealand trip/cruise sometime in the future. Anyway, I probably need to roll back my expectations some as it appears that service levels of the pre-pandemic time are no longer.

I drink the Mio mixers (lemonade) at home. Our local water is just so-so. I get the Mio Lemonade mixers at a local close-out store (Bargain Hunt) for $1 per bottle so they are cheaper than Walmart brand. They are small enough to get thru airport security (at least so far) in my carry-on.

I was on the Voyager last October and I vented on this board about the "fit-n-finish" of the trip. No chardonnay at one bar, but available at another (same with Buffalo Trace). Tired looking costumes for the shows. The Cupcake Cupboard that did not server cupcakes during the sailing and only served what seemed like stale leftovers from the MDR/Windjammer. Coffee stations with empty urns during morning hours. No bar service/waiter in the MDR several of the nights. Many keep making excuses for RCL about pandemic issues. But now ships are sailing at full or near full capacity (and have been for nearly a year now) so it is time for RCL to tighten up. We are doing the Quantum in 30 days. They have already switched a show time on us that now conflicts with dinner (and it is sold out). Cancelled the Skagway stop and moved port days to different dates (I had to cancel and move some independent excursions we had booked). After that, we have a HAL trip on the Rotterdam in August. On paper, the Rotterdam is now a much better value. We'll see about the actual sailing but I am not hearing the same chatter about HAL on other boards about a "slip" in service. I do believe that the Royal Crew wants you to be happy. Just not sure RCL management is giving them the tools to provide a stellar service that we once enjoyed.

I use Costco Travel but I have an Executive Membership that gets me 5% back in rewards and then a Costco Shop card that has a cash value depending on the price of the cruise. We are going to Alaska, and I got $190, we have a trip to Norway (via HAL) and got $310. So, the card plus the 5% back (2% standard reward, 3% travel reward). The Norway trip meant $508 back in Costco Cash for a $3,966 cruise (7 nights, mid ship, deck 7, balcony/veranda cabin on the HAL Rotterdam) plus an added $100 OBC. They have an online system for making minor changes like switching cabins, changing dinner options, etc. I don't get to compete with Royal-Up, but that is not a great perk for me personally. I can get a person on the line if needed for major changes. We don't seem to cruise as much as most on this board so maybe if we were sailing 4-5 times per year, I might need more hands on.

I'm shocked, shocked I say, that the locals would rip off unsuspecting tourists.

We had these at work. Super easy to use, just place the bottle below the tap and press the dispense button. You have to think that in future ships, something like this will be added. If not, they should be added. It won't fill unless the bottle is below the hidden spout and so no exposed spout to contaminate.