Our first cruise - our observations

[niksal]

We have now finished our first cruise. It was with the Allure, 7 nights going to St. Thomas, San Juan and Coco Cay. We were a family of four (kids 6 and 4), travelling in a JS. We had the drink package, Chops+1 and the Voom Surf+Stream for 4 devices. We are from Europe, Finland to be more precise. That was a bit of background to the following 3 positives, 3 neutrals and 3 negatives that I want to list below.  
 

3 positives:

1. Entertainment

The quality of the entertainment was high. Mamma Mia and the aquashow were fantastic, and I also listened to the guitar player in the pub, as well as the jazz and guitar in Central Park. The only negative was the piano player in Schooner. He was probably very good, but since he insisted on letting drunk passengers singing (mostly poorly) instead of him, the end result was bad. Overall, entertainment was a clear positive.

2. The cabin

The Junior Suite was definitely the right choice for us. Spacious cabin and nice balcony. Maybe a large balcony room would be the same, but for us the JS was good.

3. The gym

The gym was very good! A few laps around the track in the morning, followed by a 45 minute session in the gym, finished with a great juice was the perfect start to the morning. Free classes were also arranged. I didn’t participate, but following from the side, they seemed of high quality. I was surprised of this, it hasn’t been mentioned much on this forum.

The neutrals are things that are not good nor bad, but general observations I want to raise.

1. Drinks

We had the drink package. I like to drink, so for us it was good value, especially when counting in the juices in the spa, or the freshly squeezed orange juice in the central park cafe. The cocktails were nice, but I would never pay the regular price for them. They weren’t very genearous with the alcohol. Beer selection is bad. Leffe is probably the highlight.

2. Food

This is very mixed. Chops was by far the best experience. The MDR (my time dining) was a disappointment. The food was of fairly low quality but the most annoying part was the ”entertainment”. Loud parades that really ruined the evenings for us. 150 central park was too upscale for us in terms of ambiance, and food was not good. My lamb and my wife’s duck was very overcooked, despite asking for medium rare. On the other hand, windjammer was surprisingly good during lunch and dinner (breakfast not so good). So all in all I have to consider the food being neutral.

3. Service

Overall service was ”ok”. There were some stars (Jorge in Chops) but some really poor experiences (one of the bartenders in Schooner, the maitre d at Sabor) as well. Any special requests (e.g. ordering wine in MDR) seemed to cause a lot of problems. I also didn’t appreciate the ”begging of tips” and the requests to give high ratings in the feedback questionnaire. Both are given based on high standard of service, not based on requests. On average the service was adequate. 

The negatives are things that I know will cause controversy, or be temporary problems that others may or may not face.

1. Royal Suite Class

In a junior suite, we had something called royal suite class. I also know the JS was ”Sea Level” so the lowest level. To me, that meant no perks whatsoever. We were turned away from the suites security line during embarkation, we were given 8.30pm times for coastal kitchen (too late for our kids), and I did not experience any special service at any time from anyone on board although having the sea pass with a different colour. A bit of misleading advertisement, but I didn’t expect much either. But this shouldn’t be the reason to choose a junior suite.

2. Coco Cay

Please note that South Beach and also the beach next to it, on the north side were closed. This meant there was one beach available (plus the lagoon) for all passengers of this ship. It was super crowded and not a nice, relaxing experience at all. Stupid passengers leaving their food on the beach meant that seagulls were everywhere. The lunch experience at the chill grill was disgusting. Nobody seemed to wash their hands before taking food, seagull s*** on the tables. The pool was cold, and the bar had some quite drunk people. If I wanted something like this, I could go to Tenerife for a third of the price! Splashaway bay was the only positive that I saw with Coco Cay, the kids loved it. The situation probably becomes better when the construction is finished and people can spread over a larger area.

3. Crowds and noice

The Allure is a big ship, which means there are a lot of passengers. This also means that pool areas get very crowded, so much that even our kids didn’t want to swim there very much. I didn’t enter the pool once, as the majority again ignored the request to shower before you enter. In addition, there was too much ”spirit-lifting” in terms of loud music etc. The Solarium, where I went two times in the hope for peace and quiet, was packed with adults who clearly over-enjoyed their drink package. Lesson learned, if we ever go on a cruise again, we should choose a smaller ship and perhaps a cruise line with a different clientele.

So those were our observations. Will we cruise again on Royal Caribbean? Never say never, but I doubt it. If we ever cruise again, we will probably save money for longer and choose something smaller, more exclusive, fitting better our European taste.

[mac66]

Thanks for the report. 

When did you sail. We were on the Allure from Dec 1-8.  It wasn't near as crowded as it was back in April.  Here's at tip, never order the duck on a cruise ship it's always greasy and they cook the ship out of it.  

We ate in Chops in April, it was not very good. We ate in 150 Central Park this time (thanks both times to our Travel Agent) and it was very good.  My time dining (we had 6:30 reservations) was just okay. They kept moving us around and only had the same wait staff three nights.

We stayed in a JS back in April, boarded with the other suite guests and ate in Coastal Kitchen 5 nights out of seven.  I think the key to getting in was to book it when you first get aboard (can't book it in advance of sailing) and then book the next night as soon as you finish dinner. We never had a problem getting in and the ship was packed. It could be that it's just easier to seat 2 rather than 4. Or that there were more suite guests in Dec than in April. Hard to know.

I do know that back in April the Windjammer had waiting lines out the door on both sides at just about every meal.

We spent a lot of time in and around the Central Park Cafe since our cabin was on deck 8 just down the hall. We enjoyed the salads and beef sandwiches.

Compared to April the Allure seemed half empty. In April you couldn't get near the Flow Rider, climbing wall, zip line etc. This time if there was a line it was very short and quick.

CoCo Cay didn't seem very crowded when we were there (didn't go there in April) though it was windy and cool. We swam a bit, walked around the whole place to see it, ate at the Chill Grill and then went back to the ship. We thought Chill Grill was pretty good and a lot better food and facilities than when were last at CoCo Cay 20+ years ago. Didn't spend much time there however as we just grabbed some food, sat a few minutes and left.

We usually hang out in the Solarium and avoid the pool areas. I think we made it one time so I can't really comment. We don't drink much, didn't get the drink package but did take two bottles of wine on board. For some reason we didn't get to the Bow & Stern pub once this time. We usually spend some time there.   Didn't really see anybody over imbibing anywhere on the ship but then again didn't spend much time where there was drinking going on. 

Having been on the Allure twice and the Oasis once I will say that the food and service on Oasis class ships generally isn't as good as on the Freedom or lower class ships.  The Oasis class has the activities and amenities that the other ships don't have but if you don't need them (we are an older couple) the other ships are better for sailing. We only booked the Allure again for the itinerary, the price and we needed the points to get to diamond.

[Matt]

22 hours ago, niksal said:

Beer selection is bad.

22 hours ago, niksal said:

I also didn’t appreciate the ”begging of tips” and the requests to give high ratings in the feedback questionnaire

This is why in the post-cruise survey they specifically ask if you were asked for good ratings in the survey. It looks like RC is trying to crack down on this practice, but clearly still a work in progress.

22 hours ago, niksal said:

In a junior suite, we had something called royal suite class. I also know the JS was ”Sea Level” so the lowest level. To me, that meant no perks whatsoever.

You're assessment is correct. Junior Suites aren't really suites, but rather, "extra large balcony rooms" and the Sea Class doesn't offer much.

I'm curious, were you aware of what Sea Class got you in terms of perks before the cruise? Or were you aware, but simply found the perks to be lackluster once onboard?

22 hours ago, niksal said:

It was super crowded and not a nice, relaxing experience at all.

Which beach/area did you end up spending time at?

 

[ChessE4]

22 hours ago, niksal said:

We have now finished our first cruise. It was with the Allure, 7 nights going to St. Thomas, San Juan and Coco Cay. We were a family of four (kids 6 and 4), travelling in a JS. We had the drink package, Chops+1 and the Voom Surf+Stream for 4 devices. We are from Europe, Finland to be more precise. That was a bit of background to the following 3 positives, 3 neutrals and 3 negatives that I want to list below.  
 

3 positives:

1. Entertainment

The quality of the entertainment was high. Mamma Mia and the aquashow were fantastic, and I also listened to the guitar player in the pub, as well as the jazz and guitar in Central Park. The only negative was the piano player in Schooner. He was probably very good, but since he insisted on letting drunk passengers singing (mostly poorly) instead of him, the end result was bad. Overall, entertainment was a clear positive.

2. The cabin

The Junior Suite was definitely the right choice for us. Spacious cabin and nice balcony. Maybe a large balcony room would be the same, but for us the JS was good.

3. The gym

The gym was very good! A few laps around the track in the morning, followed by a 45 minute session in the gym, finished with a great juice was the perfect start to the morning. Free classes were also arranged. I didn’t participate, but following from the side, they seemed of high quality. I was surprised of this, it hasn’t been mentioned much on this forum.

The neutrals are things that are not good nor bad, but general observations I want to raise.

1. Drinks

We had the drink package. I like to drink, so for us it was good value, especially when counting in the juices in the spa, or the freshly squeezed orange juice in the central park cafe. The cocktails were nice, but I would never pay the regular price for them. They weren’t very genearous with the alcohol. Beer selection is bad. Leffe is probably the highlight.

2. Food

This is very mixed. Chops was by far the best experience. The MDR (my time dining) was a disappointment. The food was of fairly low quality but the most annoying part was the ”entertainment”. Loud parades that really ruined the evenings for us. 150 central park was too upscale for us in terms of ambiance, and food was not good. My lamb and my wife’s duck was very overcooked, despite asking for medium rare. On the other hand, windjammer was surprisingly good during lunch and dinner (breakfast not so good). So all in all I have to consider the food being neutral.

3. Service

Overall service was ”ok”. There were some stars (Jorge in Chops) but some really poor experiences (one of the bartenders in Schooner, the maitre d at Sabor) as well. Any special requests (e.g. ordering wine in MDR) seemed to cause a lot of problems. I also didn’t appreciate the ”begging of tips” and the requests to give high ratings in the feedback questionnaire. Both are given based on high standard of service, not based on requests. On average the service was adequate. 

The negatives are things that I know will cause controversy, or be temporary problems that others may or may not face.

1. Royal Suite Class

In a junior suite, we had something called royal suite class. I also know the JS was ”Sea Level” so the lowest level. To me, that meant no perks whatsoever. We were turned away from the suites security line during embarkation, we were given 8.30pm times for coastal kitchen (too late for our kids), and I did not experience any special service at any time from anyone on board although having the sea pass with a different colour. A bit of misleading advertisement, but I didn’t expect much either. But this shouldn’t be the reason to choose a junior suite.

2. Coco Cay

Please note that South Beach and also the beach next to it, on the north side were closed. This meant there was one beach available (plus the lagoon) for all passengers of this ship. It was super crowded and not a nice, relaxing experience at all. Stupid passengers leaving their food on the beach meant that seagulls were everywhere. The lunch experience at the chill grill was disgusting. Nobody seemed to wash their hands before taking food, seagull s*** on the tables. The pool was cold, and the bar had some quite drunk people. If I wanted something like this, I could go to Tenerife for a third of the price! Splashaway bay was the only positive that I saw with Coco Cay, the kids loved it. The situation probably becomes better when the construction is finished and people can spread over a larger area.

3. Crowds and noice

The Allure is a big ship, which means there are a lot of passengers. This also means that pool areas get very crowded, so much that even our kids didn’t want to swim there very much. I didn’t enter the pool once, as the majority again ignored the request to shower before you enter. In addition, there was too much ”spirit-lifting” in terms of loud music etc. The Solarium, where I went two times in the hope for peace and quiet, was packed with adults who clearly over-enjoyed their drink package. Lesson learned, if we ever go on a cruise again, we should choose a smaller ship and perhaps a cruise line with a different clientele.

So those were our observations. Will we cruise again on Royal Caribbean? Never say never, but I doubt it. If we ever cruise again, we will probably save money for longer and choose something smaller, more exclusive, fitting better our European taste.

Thanks for your detailed feedback.  My question would be, Did you get what you paid for?  I generally find this to be true in the MDR and other complimentary venues.  Our experience with specialty restaurants has been mixed.  We find the balcony rooms more than adequate and don't pay extra for a suite.  While I prefer smaller ships, I am a fan of Central Park, especially in the late afternoon or evening.  The music is soothing and the atmosphere relaxing.   When my son was young, he took advantage of Adventure Ocean and eventually the teen clubs -- he spent more time away from us than with us.  For us, dinners and excursions provided the bonding experience we sought on vacation.  I agree with you that the pools are overcrowded in the summer, but beach excursions have always been fun for us.  We don't expect to be treated royally, but since we usually are, we find the service impressive.  My main complaint about alcoholic drinks is that the wine always seems bad -- like I always get the last glass from an open bottle.   We get what we pay for in the end, but that doesn't happen to everyone on every cruise.  Cultural differences do affect the overall ship experience -- our least favorite ship experience was sailing the Explorer out of Southampton.  Wherever you visit next, I wish your family a fantastic time.  Again, thanks for sharing openly and honestly.

[marti314]

On 12/16/2019 at 9:51 AM, niksal said:

Beer selection is bad

Just off Enchantment last week.  Not one IPA onboard the ship, no pale ale nothing with any more hops than a red stripe.  We asked about it and got random answers from random bartenders as to why they didn't carry IPA.  I know the bartenders do not do the ordering but they are the front lines hearing questions "Do you have any IPA's"?

  

[niksal]

Thank you for all the comments! Let me try to answer some of the questions:

-Our sailing was December 8th-15th

-I had looked at the perks for Sea Class here: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-rooms/royal-suite-class I did not experience priority boarding, coastal kitchen dinners were available but at a late time that didn’t work for us with children, and we had some special shampoo etc but it was not L’Occitane-branded. So I was aware, but I didn’t really think the promises were lived up to

-We ended up at Chill Island. If I’m not mistaken, the whole area including wacky seagull junior bar to south beach was closed. Even the map handed out on the ship, and in the app, was wrong. We wanted to go to the beach next to snack shack, but it was closed. The maps indicated it would be open.

-Did I get what I paid for? Good and difficult question. I think the specialty dining was well worth the price. Had we only been at MDR and Windjammer, I think we would have been disappointed. The drinks package was also worth the money for us (although I do understand the comments about drinks fatigue). I would say we just about got what we paid for, but I do not consider the cruise to be of great value. It was a nice experience, but I think it will be a one-off for us. I checked some pricing for future cruises, and I am not sure I would pay the same or higher prices for a similar experience anymore. 
 

A couple of other comments. The internet package didn’t work as well as I had expected. I found many places where the connection didn’t work. I did seem to notice that this was correlated with the number of people in the area or on the ship. In St.Thomas, we returned quite early to the ship, and then the connection worked very well. Later, when more people boarded, I had severe problems with the connection.

Adventure Ocean wasn’t anything for our kids (6 and 4). The main reason, of course, that my kids don’t speak English apart from a few words. But their main critique was that the rooms looked dull. No toys, no books, not really anything visible to play with. We attended one science event (making a volcano), but they would have liked to understand more why the reaction happened. Now it was only a fun demonstration, without the explanation behind it. 
 

I’d be happy to share more comments or answer more questions.

 

[CruisinUpinLife]

3 minutes ago, niksal said:

A couple of other comments. The internet package didn’t work as well as I had expected. I found many places where the connection didn’t work. I did seem to notice that this was correlated with the number of people in the area or on the ship. In St.Thomas, we returned quite early to the ship, and then the connection worked very well. Later, when more people boarded, I had severe problems with the connection.

While my husband and I do not get the internet package (we enjoy being off the grid on cruises), I've read so many reviews on here that the internet functionality is mixed depending on the ship, where it's going, etc.  I'm sorry you experienced it on the poor end.  Given you were on Allure, I would have thought it would work the best for you on that ship with your itinerary vs an Alaskan cruise.  Did you try it out at Coco Cay?  People have said the internet there is much better than the ship.  Also, like with all internet connections, it is depends on volume of users at the time you are trying to use it.

I'm sorry your experience was not as you had hoped.  I hope you were able to get some assistance to improve your cruise experience while you were on the ship.

[niksal]

Internet was really bad on Chill Island. Didn’t really work at all. My wife said she had read a warning about that. Yes, at splashaway bay and oasis lagoon the connection was better. That was later in the afternoon when many had returned to the ship, so it could be related to smaller loads.

[Matt]

39 minutes ago, niksal said:

No toys

Just for your knowledge, there are toys (primarily for Aquanauts) but they keep them stored away to prevent them from constantly being taken in and out. Each session in Adventure Ocean is structured with various programming, so if they are doing story time or face painting, the toys aren't out.

[JBC]

Your experience at Coco Cay is a bit troubling.  I am headed there in February on Anthem,  and Mariner will also be there the same day with us.  We bought beach club passes to try to avoid a total overcrowded situation, but we expect the beach club to be crowded as well.  I am really hoping that stop won't be a a big disappointment.  

[niksal]

2 hours ago, JBC said:

Your experience at Coco Cay is a bit troubling.  I am headed there in February on Anthem,  and Mariner will also be there the same day with us.  We bought beach club passes to try to avoid a total overcrowded situation, but we expect the beach club to be crowded as well.  I am really hoping that stop won't be a a big disappointment.  

I think the new areas should be opened in February. That should triple the beach areas, and I’m sure the experience will be much nicer. More space for the crowds to spread out on.

[mac66]

Just goes to show that every cruise is different based on itinerary, time of the year. Heck even week to week.  Coco Cay/Chill Island was pretty sparse when we were there the week before. Of course the weather was cool (about 70F) and kind of windy in the morning. It didn't start to get busy until afternoon when we were headed back to the ship.

Having been on Oasis class ships three times now, I still think you give up service and quality of food compared to smaller ships.