Competitors

[nrgMike]

Hi. I realize this is RC blog but just curious. I’ve only been on 1 cruise with RC. What is something a competitor offers/does that you wish RC would do?

[Moby Dick]

8 minutes ago, nrgMike said:

Hi. I realize this is RC blog but just curious. I’ve only been on 1 cruise with RC. What is something a competitor offers/does that you wish RC would do?

I was loyal to Brand X for several years and cruises.  I really can't think of anything that Brand X did that Royal doesn't do better.  Well, there is one minor thing though, Brand X's desserts were much better and a better variety.  That's not to say Royal's desserts aren't great!  But, that's not a reason to go back. 

Sorry, I'll not say the actual name of Brand X.  But, it is the largest or second largest cruise line in the world. 

[mathbees]

6 hours ago, 1st Mate said:

loyal to Brand X

I think I was loyal to the same Brand. Had a lot of "fun" on that line for 5 or 6 cruises. And I do agree with you about the desserts. Of course, when I started cruising they were still doing a midnight dessert buffet one night. And I used to order multiple desserts in the MDR because I wanted to try them all... Now I'm struggling to get rid of all that weight... Ooh, maybe that's just Royal taking better care of their passengers - fewer choices, fewer temptations to overeat!

Seriously, though, now that we've switched to Royal, we won't be going back... I agree with 1st mate, that one minor thing was the only thing marginally better.

[Spang1974]

I would still prefer it if RCI did a midnight buffet or different selection of food late night rather than just pizza. The Chocolate (Sculpture) Buffet was always great to look at and sample as well. late night snacks in the casino was handy as well for late night gambling.

[Moby Dick]

2 hours ago, mathbees said:

I think I was loyal to the same Brand. Had a lot of "fun" on that line for 5 or 6 cruises. And I do agree with you about the desserts. Of course, when I started cruising they were still doing a midnight dessert buffet one night. And I used to order multiple desserts in the MDR because I wanted to try them all... Now I'm struggling to get rid of all that weight... Ooh, maybe that's just Royal taking better care of their passengers - fewer choices, fewer temptations to overeat!

Seriously, though, now that we've switched to Royal, we won't be going back... I agree with 1st mate, that one minor thing was the only thing marginally better.

Yep, same cruise line (I could, but won't, tell you about a horror story about our last cruise with them).  I remember, now, that one night that I couldn't wait to get to.  Oh, and that one large, very large cake that was about the size of a roulette table and about 6 - 8 inches thick and it was in different locations all the time/on different ships.  

But, on Royal, we've switched from the desserts to the "rolls".  Man O man they make some great rolls, especially the ones with cheese cooked into/on top of the bread.  Damn, now I really can't wait for the next 13 days to go by.

[Moby Dick]

1 hour ago, Spang1974 said:

I would still prefer it if RCI did a midnight buffet or different selection of food late night rather than just pizza. The Chocolate (Sculpture) Buffet was always great to look at and sample as well. late night snacks in the casino was handy as well for late night gambling.

Totally agree.  As much as I love pizza, it would be nice to have a wider selection of midnight snacks/salads/whatevers somewhere on the ship.  Unfortunately, it's been far too long since I've cruised and don't have a clear memory but I seem to remember that the Oasis Class ships have the <sandwich> shop open 24 hours or late night that is located in Central Park.  Either way, they could really use more 3:00 AM snack food for medicinal purposes.

[Matt]

Include gratuities with the cruise fare

[Sharla]

There are some really great cruise lines out there, and you'll find a lot of similar things with most of them. Everyone has personal preferences. I think Royal has some great ships and great itineraries, and while they are not perfect by any means they are a great line to sail on.

I agree with @Mattabout the gratuities and I wouldn't mind seeing them also add in beverages (at least soda) like many of their competitors do. 

[GatorCruiser]

Can’t believe some of you don’t want to get funderstruck anymore !!! 

[Moby Dick]

I'm torn with the "include gratuities within the cruise fare".  It takes away some flexibility to reward/punish those that provide great/poor service.  Yes, you can always add/tip in person for great service.  But, you can't control how the money is distributed.  UNLESS, you can go to "Customer Service" and dictate to whom you want your gratuity money to go to, which is impossible to verify that anything was done.  I fear that this would impact the less than motivated crew members from trying their best to provide the great service we expect.  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  But, on the other hand, it would be nice not to plan for and have a bundle of cash in my pocket for tips.  On the ship, I like  having empty pockets, no phone, zip, nada, nothing on me except the "Sail Pass" card. 

[CruisingNewb]

Dedicated Movie Theater.

[Colombia20102018]

I do not know how good competitors are in comparison to RC on this matter but I would like the RC pricing system to be simplified. At times is impossible to know what you will end paying for a room due to multiple variants such as number of passengers, discounts, promotions, etc.

[sammy79]

The mouse cruise line includes soda in their fare. We don’t drink a lot of soda but it was nice to just walk up to a machine and get coke. They also have a dedicated movie theater which was nice. 

[CruisingNewb]

14 minutes ago, sammy79 said:

The mouse cruise line includes soda in their fare. We don’t drink a lot of soda but it was nice to just walk up to a machine and get coke. They also have a dedicated movie theater which was nice. 

The mouse cruise line's included coke beverage is an advantage they have from their lucrative deal with Coke brands, in perpetuity.  Nonetheless, free soda would be nice!

[Moby Dick]

I don't thing it would be too difficult to start a movie theatre on RCCL ships.  They have the "theatre" and sound system.  All they need is a screen and projector.  A true theatre snack bar would be nice too.  Milk Duds, popcorn and a beer would be real nice.  

[twangster]

11 minutes ago, CruisingNewb said:

The mouse cruise line's included coke beverage is an advantage they have from their lucrative deal with Coke brands, in perpetuity.  Nonetheless, free soda would be nice!

At DCL prices all beverages should be included.  

[twangster]

I don't drink soda or pop as some call it so I'm not a fan of including soda with Royal.  While it might be only a modest fare increase to cover the cost it's still an increase that I don't want to pay so that others can get something for free. 

Someone has to pay for it, the cruise lines are not going to accept lower profits, they'll pass the cost on to all guests.  Don't make me pay for a benefit I don't want and won't use.  

[patty22407]

better prizes for trivia. a highlighter, seriously? Even the "fun" line gives you a trophy of sorts!

[csrsue]

I wish they would do an all-inclusive price - cruise, gratuities, wifi, drink package, dining package. That way you would know upfront exactly how much you will be spending instead of booking and then going to the cruise planner and then finding out how much you will spend for the UDP, dining, wifi, et cetera.  Knowing upfront would be nice.  Other competitors do it, or at least have that option.  

[Mike.s]

Having fixed prices for drinks packages, it's daft that it's less that £40 per day for my cruise in 2 weeks, and nearly 50% more expensive for my July cruise. I don't even want to think what it will be next year.

[AlohaLivin]

Better photographers. Norwegian hires actual photographers for their ships, they don’t bring in young crewmembers from other posts who know to point and shoot. The result is some really nice portraits done on Norwegian ships.  On NCL they know the best angles for shots and have far more variety in poses and back drops. When we have sailed on Norwegian we could always use a picture take  for Christmas cards or canvas mounted images in our home. I have yet to see one from Royal that I would want someone else to see. Not holding my breath on that, but it would be nice

[Kirsten]

2 hours ago, patty22407 said:

better prizes for trivia. a highlighter, seriously? Even the "fun" line gives you a trophy of sorts!

For any of the games, really.  I was on Anthem in 2019 and participated in Name That Tune.  I thought it was going to be some little trivia game in one of the bars, but it was a big production on the thater stage with singers and dancers.  I ended up winning and received RC gear: a thin, flimsy backpack (we used it a couple of times before it ripped at the seams and we had to throw it out), highlighter, pen, luggage zipper pulls, and plastic water bottle.  Even something like $25 in onboard credit or towards a future cruise would have been much more preferable. 

[Colombia20102018]

45 minutes ago, Kirsten said:

For any of the games, really.

I agree. My family participated in an Adventure Ocean's game that required to take selfies around different places on the ship. We had fun, were exhausted after, and won a minuscule tiny octopus key chain. One for the whole family. 

[loki007]

Disney's food in the complimentary dining rooms was much better. Royal's specialty dining is great but the MDR is so so at best, but then i found Celebrity which is still a Royal brand and has incredible food in the MDR. I wish Royal would up the food game just a bit. Definitely doesn't stop me from enjoying an RC cruise but would be nice. 

[FoxboroCruiser]

10 hours ago, patty22407 said:

better prizes for trivia. a highlighter, seriously? Even the "fun" line gives you a trophy of sorts!

We won Progressive Trivia on Anthem last week and did get a trophy!  
 

[smokeybandit]

Turning this one around a bit. Some have wondered why RC doesn't offer an all inclusive fare because its sister line does. Well Celebrity just went the opposite direction and announced base fares today.

 

https://cruisefever.net/celebrity-cruises-introduces-no-perk-cruise-rates/

[Newerrcclcruiser22]

NCL does the thermal spa right, it’s really a lovely space with views of the ocean. 

[Dicey]

As gamblers we think RCL needs to improve their casino program.  The Princess casino attend to players' a lot more and closer to what you would expect from casinos on land.  

[AlohaLivin]

1 hour ago, Dicey said:

As gamblers we think RCL needs to improve their casino program.  The Princess casino attend to players' a lot more and closer to what you would expect from casinos on land.  

Would you please elaborate? My parents sailed princess quite often 20-30+ years ago, but we have not and so I don’t know how the casino programs compare. 

[Dicey]

8 hours ago, AlohaLivin said:

Would you please elaborate? My parents sailed princess quite often 20-30+ years ago, but we have not and so I don’t know how the casino programs compare. 

With RCL the players' perks and rewards are not consistent on all ships and the "hosts" are more like casino entertainment directors than player services.  We've been on the Navigator, Allure, Anthem and Oasis and what we received from the casino of each ship varied greatly.  The casino "hosts" are more involved with running tournaments, events and selling lotto tickets than they are with players.  

The casino perks at Princess were consistent on all our sailings, on the Caribbean, Regal and Royal.  The host always asked if we wanted dinner reservations and if there was anything else we needed just ask.  They can comp pretty much anything.  The casino elevated our Captain's Circle status to their highest, Elite, so we can enjoy all the complimentary offerings without having to complete the required sailings.  The casino program at Princess is better integrated with the rest of the cruise line.  They do things to try to make you cruise better overall.  

RCL feels like a novelty casino.  It doesn't have the authority to do much and player's just gets kickback back based on points.  And the "hosts" are not really hosts.  

[Vancity Cruiser]

On 4/27/2022 at 8:56 AM, Mike.s said:

Having fixed prices for drinks packages, it's daft that it's less that £40 per day for my cruise in 2 weeks, and nearly 50% more expensive for my July cruise. I don't even want to think what it will be next year.

So so true. Why would the price per day fluctuate so much?