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First Cruise Disappointment


sixstringgti

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My wife and I just got back from our honeymoon which was the Grandeur from 11/16 to 11/23. I'm sure some have heard the stories that the Anthem and our ship had to endure at the start of their trips. While we are prepared for changes whenever we travel, we both felt that we were very let down by RCI. Unlike those on the Anthem that were offered a full future cruise credit if they decided to cancel and were still able to get off the ship after the first day, we were not so lucky. The itinerary was changed between the time we left our house and when we arrived at the port (8am to 10am), and there was no option to postpone. After we were on the ship, we were told that we would set sail at our scheduled time and anchor in the bay until the Coast Guard opened it.

Now I have seen some people claim "a day on the ship is better than a day at home". While this is somewhat true, it is definitely not ideal when most of the ship is closed due to it being forty degrees outside. Even having the deluxe drink package did not help as bar service was horrible the entire cruise. We were routinely ignored by bartenders despite tipping with every drink and even standard recipes were mixed differently every time. The service was horrible all over the ship including not meeting our stateroom attendant until the last night, as well as the receptionist in the spa being incredibly rude when my wife was asking about scheduling a salon appointment. If it was not for our dinner waiters, Joe and Kevin were outstanding, we would have been totally let down by the staff of this ship. We only saw the Cruise Director the first night, though we heard rumors that he was sick for the majority of the week. We chose this ship based on the service recognition/awards it has received, but it did not come close to our expectations. We were hoping the staff would be as helpful and friendly as at Disney World, but they were not much better than a local amusement park.

After we were cleared to head out to sea (11/17 at 10:30pm), we thought we would start to finally have our honeymoon. We would not be going to Port Canaveral, but we weren't expecting much there anyway. Nassau was altered to be 11/19 at noon; however, that changed as well. It kept getting pushed back until we finally arrived in port and disembarked around 10:30pm. My wife and I walked around for 45 minutes, found the only place open (Imperial Cafe), and used their free wifi.

So now we have missed two of our three ports. But luckily for RCI we would be going to Coco Cay the next day. Conveniently for their wallet, it had been moved to 11/20 from the 19th before we had even left Baltimore. Coco Cay was amazing and helped to make up for the miserable three days leading up to it. However, it still felt like RCI sacrificed our entire itinerary to ensure that we had a full day on their island. I'm glad we went there and I'm happy we had a full day, but it still felt greedy to us.

After we arrived back home, we had received FCC's for missing Port Canaveral. It wasn't much but it was something when we weren't expecting anything. It was very aggravating to know that we would not get anything for "missing" Nassau though. The only reason our ship stopped there was to re-supply and pickup the next night's entertainment (who was very good btw). This felt like we were getting ripped off, but again we weren't expecting anything as we know the risks of traveling. A little consideration and understanding goes a long way.

Overall we were very disappointed in our experience. We loved our table mates, our waiters, and all of the other people that we met; but we feel that we would rather spend our money elsewhere than with RCI. We had a list of cruises that we were planning to book while on board, but realized we would not do that after about the third day. Not even a $600 credit would make it worth it to us right now. We've talked about itineraries with more stops and trying another time of year but we doubt it will be with RCI again.

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Wow, that just horrible and on your honeymoon to boot. There is not much we can do on this message board to help other then suggest you communicate your experience directly to RCI. Try to be patient with the Customer Service team and work your way up the management structure to where you get someone who can honestly give you some stratification (i.e. most likely in the form of RC credits). I had to do something similar with an airline. It took me several transfers to "a manager" until I got to the right person who was able to actually help. Good luck.

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Things do happen on cruises and I have never had a perfect cruise. You seem to have gotten more then your share. I make a point of having a great time and don't discount my own reaction to things. My own attitude can have a major impact on how I process the negative happenings.......ok, what is plan B when I have no control over current events. 

 

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There is nothing worse than having a bad first cruise, it really makes future cruises questionable. I can only say that I have been on about 110 cruises and 84 have been with RC because after trying a few other cruise lines they have always been the one we have the most fun on and we get some great deals. They are not the best at everything but they do check a lot of the boxes.

I would give them one more chance, maybe sail from Florida and on a newer ship and not during hurricane season....

All the best!

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15 hours ago, sixstringgti said:

Coco Cay was amazing and helped to make up for the miserable three days leading up to it. However, it still felt like RCI sacrificed our entire itinerary to ensure that we had a full day on their island. I'm glad we went there and I'm happy we had a full day, but it still felt greedy to us.

Are they hoping you'll spend more by being at there? Of course. To be fair, though, Coco Cay, with all it's recent upgrades, is a big selling point for cruises in that area, particularly when it comes to families with children.

15 hours ago, sixstringgti said:

It was very aggravating to know that we would not get anything for "missing" Nassau though. The only reason our ship stopped there was to re-supply and pickup the next night's entertainment (who was very good btw).

This "only reason" is a very important one, though. A lot of behind the scenes logistics go into play on a daily basis to make sure that guests are as comfortable, entertained, and as satisfied as possible. Also, the contracted entertainers need to get from their embarkation point to the ship's next destination to keep on their hectic traveling schedules. They may be entertaining you on board for only one night, but, once the ship reaches Baltimore, they most likely need to catch a pre-booked flight from BWI or DC to their next gig.

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I am sorry to hear/read about your cruise.

I have to agree with others, a lot was out of RCL's hands.  Safety comes 1st. 

IMPO, you can't compare what was offered to Anthem vs Lady G.  The ships are much different in size/age and thus, for the company that plays a factor in their decisions.

I am loyal to Royal.  2 yrs ago, 48 hrs prior our 5 night Anthem cruise changed from going to Bermuda to going to New England due to a hurricane.  They treated us right.  They offered 100% back, or if we sailed 50% off and 250 OBC.  The ship sailed 100% occupancy.  

I would contact customer service and push it more until you are satisfied with the result or they refuse to budge any further.

My hubby and I have gone on different size ships within the RCL fleet, and other cruise lines.  We have had hiccups on all of our cruises regardless of the line.  We are loyal to Royal bc overall in our opinion they treat their passengers better.  I don't know if your cruise was the same week that RCL did offer you an FCC, but Carnival made news for offering far less than RCL.  

Picking the right ship is as important as the itinerary impo.  IE, Lady G is small and intimate, but, it does not have the bells and whistles like Anthem or Adventure that sails out of Liberty.  Anthem to me is a 1 hit wonder ship for us.  We prefer Adventure, even though it does not have the Kummelwreck and less dining options.  Only reason I would go on Anthem again is their pools.  Their solarium is ahhhmazing!   The point is, when you are stuck in port like you were on Lady G, at least on Anthem you would have had more options to fill your time and maybe you would have enjoyed it more.

Nothing against Lady G, she is like Enchantment that will be replacing her next yr.  Sailing on her is intimate, with a connection to the sea.  It is more laid back and the staff really gets to know you compared to a ship like Anthem.  That being stated, those ships are at the very bottom of our list.  The vibe is just not us.  We only go on that size due to the itinerary.  

OBTW, you really didn't miss a lot in Nassau unless you had an excursion booked to swim with dolphins. The distillery is teeny tiny, but great rum.  The Graycliffs tour was a huge disappointment and a little scary...we actually saw a cockroach crawl across the floor in the chocolate making area, hard for us to eat the samples after seeing that.   Now if you said Bermuda, than I would be on the phone screaming at RCL.  

FWIW, my SIL never sails RCL, she is the equivalent of pinnacle on NCL.  She grudgingly agreed to go on RCL (family vacay and I was in charge).  I heard for almost a yr about how NCL is better, even as we were driving to Cape Liberty she was still on the NCL train.  By day 2, she was saying how impressed how clean the ship was compared to NCL.  Day 3, bc she is a gambler they sent her a bottle of champagne to the cabin.  Day 4 we had a pedi apptmt at the spa.  She decided to ask for a mani.  The person in front of her asked, and they said no available.  She than said never mind, I wanted a mani, after my pedi.  They somehow found time to do it.  We did the chefs table, and she was floored.  In the end, she booked another cruise on the cruise and said she was never going back to NCL.  The 70s party, the Quest, the Starbucks kiosk all won her over.  Coco Cay also was a factor.  I don't know if NCL was there on the day at Coco Cay, but their private island is meh at best.

 

 

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23 hours ago, sixstringgti said:

My wife and I just got back from our honeymoon which was the Grandeur from 11/16 to 11/23. I'm sure some have heard the stories that the Anthem and our ship had to endure at the start of their trips. While we are prepared for changes whenever we travel, we both felt that we were very let down by RCI. Unlike those on the Anthem that were offered a full future cruise credit if they decided to cancel and were still able to get off the ship after the first day, we were not so lucky. The itinerary was changed between the time we left our house and when we arrived at the port (8am to 10am), and there was no option to postpone. After we were on the ship, we were told that we would set sail at our scheduled time and anchor in the bay until the Coast Guard opened it.

Now I have seen some people claim "a day on the ship is better than a day at home". While this is somewhat true, it is definitely not ideal when most of the ship is closed due to it being forty degrees outside. Even having the deluxe drink package did not help as bar service was horrible the entire cruise. We were routinely ignored by bartenders despite tipping with every drink and even standard recipes were mixed differently every time. The service was horrible all over the ship including not meeting our stateroom attendant until the last night, as well as the receptionist in the spa being incredibly rude when my wife was asking about scheduling a salon appointment. If it was not for our dinner waiters, Joe and Kevin were outstanding, we would have been totally let down by the staff of this ship. We only saw the Cruise Director the first night, though we heard rumors that he was sick for the majority of the week. We chose this ship based on the service recognition/awards it has received, but it did not come close to our expectations. We were hoping the staff would be as helpful and friendly as at Disney World, but they were not much better than a local amusement park.

After we were cleared to head out to sea (11/17 at 10:30pm), we thought we would start to finally have our honeymoon. We would not be going to Port Canaveral, but we weren't expecting much there anyway. Nassau was altered to be 11/19 at noon; however, that changed as well. It kept getting pushed back until we finally arrived in port and disembarked around 10:30pm. My wife and I walked around for 45 minutes, found the only place open (Imperial Cafe), and used their free wifi.

So now we have missed two of our three ports. But luckily for RCI we would be going to Coco Cay the next day. Conveniently for their wallet, it had been moved to 11/20 from the 19th before we had even left Baltimore. Coco Cay was amazing and helped to make up for the miserable three days leading up to it. However, it still felt like RCI sacrificed our entire itinerary to ensure that we had a full day on their island. I'm glad we went there and I'm happy we had a full day, but it still felt greedy to us.

After we arrived back home, we had received FCC's for missing Port Canaveral. It wasn't much but it was something when we weren't expecting anything. It was very aggravating to know that we would not get anything for "missing" Nassau though. The only reason our ship stopped there was to re-supply and pickup the next night's entertainment (who was very good btw). This felt like we were getting ripped off, but again we weren't expecting anything as we know the risks of traveling. A little consideration and understanding goes a long way.

Overall we were very disappointed in our experience. We loved our table mates, our waiters, and all of the other people that we met; but we feel that we would rather spend our money elsewhere than with RCI. We had a list of cruises that we were planning to book while on board, but realized we would not do that after about the third day. Not even a $600 credit would make it worth it to us right now. We've talked about itineraries with more stops and trying another time of year but we doubt it will be with RCI again.

I am sorry it was so disappointing.  Be sure to provide comments on the end-of-cruise evaluation.  We sailed the Grandeur many times when we lived in Maryland and didn't experience the problems you've described.  I suspect it was a "perfect storm" of sorts.  Whoever you choose in the future, have a great time.

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I suggest contacting RCL management too. I sent an email out this morning as well (we were supposed to be on the 11/16 Anthem but canceled). I'm on the Facebook group for this cruise and everyone seems to be receiving varying types/amounts of compensation. One woman apparently went on the full 7 day cruise, complained to management after she got back about all the intenirary changes, and (according to her) received a full cash refund plus $300 FCC and specialty dining and paid wifi for her next cruise. Which honestly I think is not right at all. She got to enjoy the full cruise, food, etc, and should've been deducted at least 50% as others have been in past cruises. Others got back like $13 pp for some port charges. It's all over the board. 

Anyways my gripe was the bad communication up until just an hour or two before we were supposed to leave as well as the fact that I only received a portion of my FCC back so far (what I think is just the 1 day credit  for missing CoCo Cay) but not the full cruise fare I was supposed to receive. I'd like to rebook Oasis this week during the Black Friday sales but don't even have my full FCC I was supposed to get back for canceling.  Let's see what happens! 

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16 hours ago, CarlaB said:

I suggest contacting RCL management too. I sent an email out this morning as well (we were supposed to be on the 11/16 Anthem but canceled). I'm on the Facebook group for this cruise and everyone seems to be receiving varying types/amounts of compensation. One woman apparently went on the full 7 day cruise, complained to management after she got back about all the intenirary changes, and (according to her) received a full cash refund plus $300 FCC and specialty dining and paid wifi for her next cruise. Which honestly I think is not right at all. She got to enjoy the full cruise, food, etc, and should've been deducted at least 50% as others have been in past cruises. Others got back like $13 pp for some port charges. It's all over the board. 

Anyways my gripe was the bad communication up until just an hour or two before we were supposed to leave as well as the fact that I only received a portion of my FCC back so far (what I think is just the 1 day credit  for missing CoCo Cay) but not the full cruise fare I was supposed to receive. I'd like to rebook Oasis this week during the Black Friday sales but don't even have my full FCC I was supposed to get back for canceling.  Let's see what happens! 

Yes, contacting one of the RCI executives worked for my wife when the ship lost her luggage on disembarkation.  Another site publishes contact information for cruise line executives, likely you can easily search on the Internet.

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I couldn't tell from the post if you had cruised before, but a Vision Class ship in its final chapter in the fleet isn't comparable to the new builds that RC operates. I am disappointed in the service problems you experienced, especially the cabin attendant issue. That's inconceivable to me from my experience. While some have been better than others, all have been fantastic in our experience. Many in this forum recommend that first timers or those new to RC sail on Oasis or Quantum Class first...or Freedom/Voyager. In some ways, I agree with that because you can have a classic experience on those ships as well as a newer experience. I see that you can be limited to a classic experience on Grandeur, which I hope to sail on before she leaves the fleet.

In terms of calling on ports and itinerary changes, none of that is in the cruise line's control, and they do their best to deliver the best experience that they can. With the weather being what it was, I am sure the solarium was packed until you got to warmer weather. I loved the solarium on the Vision Class ship I sailed on.

I get what you mean by Nassau, but I have learned that pre-planning what to do before getting there vastly improves the experience. It's a lousy place to walk around and doesn't compare to ports like Cozumel. You definitely don't have to go to Atlantis to have a good time there. It also seems strange that a ship re-supplied in Nassau on that itinerary. Maybe something else was going on.

 

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