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Deflated experience on royal caribean


Geraldine

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Would love some feed back on this.just been on a cruise in the jewel of rhe seas, found the while experience, apart from the islands and the size of the ship completely underwhelming. The food was just okay, and the entertainment was what can only be discribed as billy butlin. I was told by people if i wanted to do a cruise the only way to go was with royal caribean, i can honestly say was totally disappointed by the whole experience. We felt we were on a conveyor belt, not what i expected at all certaintly will not be going again.

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I went last month for the 1st time in recent years and have already booked 2 more in the 30 days since we sailed. I am sorry you had that experience, everything we experienced was top notch with the exception of one 'minor annoyance'  that we did not let ruin our cruise. I don't think we'll ever take another land vacation or cruise another line. Our only previous experience was with another 'mass market' cruise line and they paled in comparison to RC.

 

I can't say enough great things about our quick 3 night trip we took. We loved the food in the MDR and Windjammer, our cabin steward, entertainment, the personalized service, everything!

 

We were on Navigator and I am not at all experienced like some here so I can't compare to your sailing but am sorry to hear you didn't have the best time.

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IMO all holidays/vacations are subject to your expectations, it seems like they did not meet your expectations, so sorry to hear that. I have been cruising for 20 years on 3 different companies and 8 different ships I would say cruising is the best holiday, but not for everyone. Each company I cruised with offered different things and different types of cruises, so I dont have a favourite. 

 

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9 minutes ago, Geraldine said:

Would love some feed back on this.just been on a cruise in the jewel of rhe seas, found the while experience, apart from the islands and the size of the ship completely underwhelming. The food was just okay, and the entertainment was what can only be discribed as billy butlin. I was told by people if i wanted to do a cruise the only way to go was with royal caribean, i can honestly say was totally disappointed by the whole experience. We felt we were on a conveyor belt, not what i expected at all certaintly will not be going again.

Sorry RC and Jewel of the Seas did not meet your expectations. Cruising isn't for everyone.

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Sorry about your experience.  We have sailed with 3 other different cruise lines and found for us RCL is the best match. Kind of like Goldilocks...Princess was too old of a crowd....Carnival too young.  NCL was close, but like our TA said, NCL is a 3 star hotel, RCL is 4 star.  Princess is 5, and Carnival is 2.  That being said,  there are certain ships in the RCL inventory we would not sail on unless the itinerary was AHmazing.  For us, Jewel would be too small.   I also would say that on the flip side I would not do Anthem again, unless. it was the 2 night Bermuda.  Navigator, Mariner and Adventure are our sweet spot for cruising.  Lots of things to do on the ship when at sea, and of course more specialty restaurants, but at the same time it doesn't feel overwhelming in size.  I like to be able to find my cabin by day 3 without needing a map.  

I can't wait until next summer when we go on the Oasis.  It will only be in NJ for a few months, and we will save money since we can drive there instead of flying to FL.

We did Enchantment many yrs ago.  I also felt like you in a way it was a let down, especially the shows....even The Quest was kind of a bust.  However, because it was a port intensive cruise we really spent very little time on the ship.  Would I sail on her again?  Yes, even more so now that she is coming to Baltimore.  However, I would go in with the expectation that the ship being so small is not going to have all the bells and whistles like the newer ships.  The food selection late night will be small.  The 70s party will not be the same compared to other ships, but still fun.  Positive side is that bc they don't have as many dining options, your waitstaff really gets to know you, and having traveled on RCL multiple times I know some more ins and outs regarding ordering.  

 

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1 hour ago, Geraldine said:

Would love some feed back on this.just been on a cruise in the jewel of rhe seas, found the while experience, apart from the islands and the size of the ship completely underwhelming. The food was just okay, and the entertainment was what can only be discribed as billy butlin. I was told by people if i wanted to do a cruise the only way to go was with royal caribean, i can honestly say was totally disappointed by the whole experience. We felt we were on a conveyor belt, not what i expected at all certaintly will not be going again.

With all due respect, your comments say you want feedback, but also says you certainly won’t be going again. Sounds like your mind is made up already.  So I’m not sure what feedback would be helpful for you. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Most people on this site love Royal Caribbean so I’m not sure what you expect us to say. 

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Couldnt help but notice you only joined this RC blog 23hrs ago, presumably just to complain and vent your anger at anyone who will listen!!

Now you dont say who told you to cruise RC but it wasnt on here so im at a loss as to why you join here to let of steam? 

It's a shame you didnt bother to join here before you cruised because if you had then you would have found the most honest, friendly and helpful bunch of people going, with vast knowledge of all things RC.

So you would have found out everything you needed to know about JOTS.

BUT YOU DIDNT!!!!!!!

So if your cruise wasnt up to what you expected thats not RC Blogs fault it's your own for not doing the necessary research before cruising. 

Given the fact you can remember Billy Bultin i can only presume you are more of an Ena Sharples ???

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7 minutes ago, Ray said:

Couldnt help but notice you only joined this RC blog 23hrs ago, presumably just to complain and vent your anger at anyone who will listen!!

This happens a lot, doesn't it? The usual pattern of events, from what I've seen, is Join > Vent > Disappear.

Sorry to the OP that RC didn't meet expectations, but, as @Ray said, you should've found and come to this blog sooner. We're all looking to advise fellow cruisers.

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I know someone who, literally, just cruised on Jewel of the Seas in the Mediterranean a couple weeks ago.  It was a 10 day out of Rome ( or whatever that port is north of Rome) and went to several of the islands of Greece. She came back bursting at the seems at how wonderful it was. The thing she kept going on about was the level of service, and how everyone she encountered remembered and addressed her by name. This was her first cruise, and she stated it would not be her last. 

I say all this to point out the previously made point about "cruising isnt for everyone." I dont mean to belittle anyone's experiences, but cruises are like ALL things in life. Two people can experience the exact same thing, and based on their preconceived notions and perceptions, come away with completely opposite descriptions. 

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2 hours ago, PRebecca said:

I went last month for the 1st time in recent years and have already booked 2 more in the 30 days since we sailed. I am sorry you had that experience, everything we experienced was top notch with the exception of one 'minor annoyance'  that we did not let ruin our cruise. I don't think we'll ever take another land vacation or cruise another line. Our only previous experience was with another 'mass market' cruise line and they paled in comparison to RC.

 

I can't say enough great things about our quick 3 night trip we took. We loved the food in the MDR and Windjammer, our cabin steward, entertainment, the personalized service, everything!

 

We were on Navigator and I am not at all experienced like some here so I can't compare to your sailing but am sorry to hear you didn't have the best time.

Loved Navigator.

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3 hours ago, Geraldine said:

Would love some feed back on this.just been on a cruise in the jewel of rhe seas, found the while experience, apart from the islands and the size of the ship completely underwhelming. The food was just okay, and the entertainment was what can only be discribed as billy butlin. I was told by people if i wanted to do a cruise the only way to go was with royal caribean, i can honestly say was totally disappointed by the whole experience. We felt we were on a conveyor belt, not what i expected at all certaintly will not be going again.

new account with no replies back.

sounds like a carnival conspirator! :4_joy:

Could you go into detail about the food and what it was that made it "okay"

Why the entertainment was described as "Billy Butlin"

Also what made it feel like a "conveyor belt"?

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I wss in tides the first night had booked had to queue for 15 minutes food was cold service was rushed, i was realky looking foreward to the entertainement in the 9 days only 2 shiws that were good .We decided to stay and eat in the windjammer a buffet, something we are not use to, was just expecting so much more friom this company, used to the finer thing this certaintly was not, this is why im on this blog , to see if im missing something Should be able to take the negstive as well as the posive

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1 minute ago, Geraldine said:

I wss in tides the first night had booked had to queue for 15 minutes food was cold service was rushed, i was realky looking foreward to the entertainement in the 9 days only 2 shiws that were good .We decided to stay and eat in the windjammer a buffet, something we are not use to, was just expecting so much more friom this company, used to the finer thing this certaintly was not, this is why im on this blog , to see if im missing something Should be able to take the negstive as well as the posive

I think you chose the wrong ship.. You mentioned looking for great entertainment.. That really is found on Oasis class and Quantum class ships.. You choose Jewel of the sea a much older and smaller ship with less amenities. Nothing wrong with that ship but it sounds like you were looking for more of an Oasis type experience.. 

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6 minutes ago, Geraldine said:

used to the finer thing

Royal is a mass market cruiseline.  They're not really catering to the "finer" things.  None of the major lines really are.  For a luxury cruise experience you have to go with a luxury cruise line.  Even if you stay in the upper level suites on a Royal ship, if you're expecting a lot of luxury you will be disappointed.  If you price out a luxury line and cringe at the prices, you may want to give Royal's sister, Celebrity a try.  They tend to come off as a little more upscale, but don't set your expectations too high.  They're still a mass market cruiseline.

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6 minutes ago, Geraldine said:

I wss in tides the first night had booked had to queue for 15 minutes food was cold service was rushed, i was realky looking foreward to the entertainement in the 9 days only 2 shiws that were good .We decided to stay and eat in the windjammer a buffet, something we are not use to, was just expecting so much more friom this company, used to the finer thing this certaintly was not, this is why im on this blog , to see if im missing something Should be able to take the negstive as well as the posive

This is why @Matt says to start out on the bigger ships, I guess. They offer SO MUCH that people can find their cruising groove on a ship.  I started cruising before the bigger ships existed, so I dont really have any unmet expectations....Its all extra icing on the cake, and I love icing.  

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45 minutes ago, Geraldine said:

I wss in tides the first night had booked had to queue for 15 minutes food was cold service was rushed, i was realky looking foreward to the entertainement in the 9 days only 2 shiws that were good .We decided to stay and eat in the windjammer a buffet, something we are not use to, was just expecting so much more friom this company, used to the finer thing this certaintly was not, this is why im on this blog , to see if im missing something Should be able to take the negstive as well as the posive

Is this your very first cruise?  Why did you have to queue for 15 minutes?  Did you not have a dinner reservation?  You were expecting “something more” from the company yet you chose to go the buffet. You should have gotten with the Food & Beverage Manager or Guest Services to address your problem with the dining.

I may be wrong but I see this as being inexperienced in cruising. 

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I really didn't enjoy my first cruise, which was with Royal Caribbean. Why? Expectations were set too high...people kept saying how good the food was, how good the shows were, etc. etc. Got onboard and found the food just okay, and the entertainment just okay. Decided to give cruising one more try, after about five years, and again went with Royal Caribbean. Went with lower expectations, did more specialty dining (but aside from that just viewed the food as a way to get full, not a culinary experience), and skipped the shows. Have had a much better experience since then, and really look forward to my next one. 

People may say cruising isn't for everyone, and that's true. But also, cruising may be for you but your expectations were set too high, as mine were at first. 

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I know I'm just restating what others have said, but there are several factors here:

  • Cruising is not for everyone just as all-inclusives are not for everyone, adventure trips are not for everyone, "staycations" are not for everyone, etc, etc.  The unfortunate part of that is you have to try it to find out.
  • Even if you didn't like this one, RC has many different classes of ships, each offering different experiences.  Some prefer the smaller ships, some the largest, some find their happy zone in-between.  Use this community if you ever go back to RC.  The feedback will be overwhelming.
  • If you decide to cruise again, even if it's not on RC, research the offerings before booking.  There's so much information to be found which can mitigate a bad experience.  For that matter, no matter what you decide for a vacation in the future, research until your eyes go blurry.

I hope you find something in the future that suits you.

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11 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

I really didn't enjoy my first cruise, which was with Royal Caribbean. Why? Expectations were set too high...people kept saying how good the food was, how good the shows were, etc. etc. Got onboard and found the food just okay, and the entertainment just okay. Decided to give cruising one more try, after about five years, and again went with Royal Caribbean. Went with lower expectations, did more specialty dining (but aside from that just viewed the food as a way to get full, not a culinary experience), and skipped the shows. Have had a much better experience since then, and really look forward to my next one. 

People may say cruising isn't for everyone, and that's true. But also, cruising may be for you but your expectations were set too high, as mine were at first. 

I didn't love my first RC cruise but I loved cruising. I had some other things going on paired with expectations. My issues were more about the extra costs that I wasn't aware of. I gave it another shot and am currently hooked.

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No fuss about your opinion, depends on your expectations and places you typically frequent. From your comment that you are not used to the buffet, we also do not frequent buffet establishments here at home but do not turn a nose up at the Windjammer as the food is by far better than other cruise lines we have been on and is the same as the dining rooms. For the higher "level" service, opulence and accouterments that you may have been expecting, in my opinion you would like the Celebrity cruise line. We thoroughly enjoyed the main dining, upscale decorations and level of opulence of those ships but I really enjoy unplugging and being laid back at this time of my life and not worry about dressing to the "nines" for every meal. I may be one of the few who not buy the drink package, voom internet and other "connected" methods of communication to the outside world. I just returned from a cruise last week and have another scheduled in early December and another in early January for a big birthday getaway, all with Royal, and cannot wait to get there, relax and let the world go by. ?

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2 hours ago, Geraldine said:

I wss in tides the first night had booked had to queue for 15 minutes food was cold service was rushed, i was realky looking foreward to the entertainement in the 9 days only 2 shiws that were good .We decided to stay and eat in the windjammer a buffet, something we are not use to, was just expecting so much more friom this company, used to the finer thing this certaintly was not, this is why im on this blog , to see if im missing something Should be able to take the negstive as well as the posive

Did you tell anybody onboard during you're entire trip about any of the issues you have mentioned here? Problems happen every day with the best companies in the world. What makes them great companies is how they handle these problems. If you told them and they did nothing, that's on them. If you didn't inform anybody of these issues and give them a chance to correct them, that's on you. No company is perfect. Not even RC. If you have spent any time on this site, you would see that the people here are not RC pawns or yes men and women. We have had issues with various aspects of RC from time to time,  but we are fair in our assessments and notify RC of issues and give them a chance to correct them. 

 

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5 hours ago, SPS said:

This happens a lot, doesn't it? The usual pattern of events, from what I've seen, is Join > Vent > Disappear.

Sorry to the OP that RC didn't meet expectations, but, as @Ray said, you should've found and come to this blog sooner. We're all looking to advise fellow cruisers.

I agree, if you are only joining to vent you won't get help here, 99.9% of us that are here enjoy cruising good or bad, we just roll with it and choose to make the experience a positive one

 

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9 hours ago, Geraldine said:

Would love some feed back on this.just been on a cruise in the jewel of rhe seas, found the while experience, apart from the islands and the size of the ship completely underwhelming. The food was just okay, and the entertainment was what can only be discribed as billy butlin. I was told by people if i wanted to do a cruise the only way to go was with royal caribean, i can honestly say was totally disappointed by the whole experience. We felt we were on a conveyor belt, not what i expected at all certaintly will not be going again.

Feedback is a gift, so thank you for sharing your experience.  Some ships are older than others, and there will be a few nicks in the furniture or a few overworked staff who aren't entirely helpful.  That said, most of us have found more good than bad on our voyages.  Since RCI wants to grow their business, I am sure they would like you to explain on your end-of-cruise survey more about your disappointments, e.g., the conveyor belt experience.  Whatever you choose to do, have a good time on vacation.  As you try other experiences, you'll be able to make comparisons about what  you like or don't like.  I believe there was a 007 movie "never say never", and I suspect you may try a cruise at some point in the future...

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5 hours ago, Geraldine said:

I wss in tides the first night had booked had to queue for 15 minutes food was cold service was rushed, i was realky looking foreward to the entertainement in the 9 days only 2 shiws that were good .We decided to stay and eat in the windjammer a buffet, something we are not use to, was just expecting so much more friom this company, used to the finer thing this certaintly was not, this is why im on this blog , to see if im missing something Should be able to take the negstive as well as the posive

If your looking for “the finer things” you picked the wrong cruise line. Royal among a host of other brands is mass market. You probably should have looked at a Regent Cruise which would have met your expectations but cost about 10x more then your standard cruise fare. I would first concentrate on who is advising you and whether they are giving you correct information. You should have joined this forum and asked all your questions prior to booking on that ship. I for one would have immediately steered you on a different course. 

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