Worst Royal ship?

[Censored]

The author of this blog may make claim that there is no "worst ship". Its subjective and I think it can be people who make for a bad cruise experience, not the ship.  Others may think differently.  Carnival is known to have a stigma attached to it as being bottom rung  "Trailer Park of the Seas" as well.   The following link claims  Ovation of the Seas, along with Quantum ships are stinker ships.  Thoughts?  https://www.farandwide.com/s/worst-cruise-ships-c8eb6e9ffd384546

 

[drjohn4]

If Quantum class ships are the worst of the bunch, you can't go wrong with any ship in the fleet...  which is probably the case.  I was very impressed with Odyssey and had a great vacation.

[JazzBassMan]

This same article also suggests that the BEST ship is Allure of the Seas, which seems like an odd choice given it is the least updated of any of the Oasis Class ships.

[CrimsonCruiser]

Okay so I have a problem with the complaints for Quantum being "Reviewers repeatedly express that the ship is intended for a Chinese audience, "with little or no consideration for the nearly 40 percent non-Chinese."" 1 - 40 percent is still a minority and minority does mean you may not have things for you all the time. 2 - expecting a ship for the Chinese market to cater to Western or non-Chinese tastes is...rude to me. In the same way the ships sailing out of Galveston lean FAR more into Texas/country foods, music and entertainment, I wouldn't be surprised to see ships sailing out of China to skew toward Chinese tastes.

In my opinion making that a complaint of the ship/cruise shows more fault with the cruiser than the cruise.

 

My personal take on the worst ship - Enchantment. Small, boring and dated. Pretty atrium but everything else was compartmentalized and felt stuffy and if things weren't in a box in a room, they were in the middle of the ship in the way. (Looking at you Schooner Bar)

[smokeybandit]

There is no worst ship when you look at it in a vacuum. And for those who do have a worst, or at least "bottom of the list," it'll all be subjective.

Everyone has their favorite ships, and by the nature of that, their least favorite. But if someone comes off a ship with their cruise ruined simply because of the ship, they're doing it wrong.

[ChessE4]

The first time we were on Rhapsody it was run down (2017), but the friendliness of the crew made up for that.  Noticed some rude guests.

Overall, our worst ship experience was Explorer out of Southampton, but I think it was because the food was British rather than American (no surprise).  But we couldn't understand the entertainers, etc.  I chalk that up to cultural differences, not a problem with the ship.  We had great dinner companions who helped us a bit.

[Swar]

My worst ship is the one I don't have scheduled yet. I like them all!

[Geoff P]

Yea I think this is pretty subjective…I for one really enjoyed Anthem of the Seas, and would say my least favorite so far has been Enchantment…but even with saying that, we really enjoyed that trip and if it had the right itinerary we would book on it again. 

[Ray]

Worst ship ever is definitely the model of the HMS Ark Royal i made when i was 8 years old 

[kadmgs]

2 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

 In the same way the ships sailing out of Galveston lean FAR more into Texas/country foods, music and entertainment, I wouldn't be surprised to see ships sailing out of China to skew toward Chinese tastes.

I've sailed out of Tampa, Miami, and Galveston. This isn't true. The only thing ships out of Galveston offer that others do not is Dr. Pepper. Otherwise, the menus & entertainment are the same as other ships. There are more people from Texas on board out of Galveston, but Royal doesn't change the menu or entertainment. In fact, Oasis out of Miami has more "Texas" food with Portside BBQ & El Loco Fresh than Liberty does. Sabor is far from Texas style Mexican. 

[Shari]

2 hours ago, JazzBassMan said:

This same article also suggests that the BEST ship is Allure of the Seas, which seems like an odd choice given it is the least updated of any of the Oasis Class ships.

We prefer the Allure because it in not updated with the view blocking slide and the useless robot bar (instead of the champagne bar).  She is our favorite ship.

[bobroo]

I think we all can agree that Enchantment is the bottom of Royals fleet. And, if news broke tomorrow that Enchantment was sold or bound for a one way trip to Turkey, no readers here would surprised.

[EvergreenCruzers]

I believe its Bottom of the Seas, if memory serves me right

[barjpoe]

1 hour ago, bobroo said:

I think we all can agree that Enchantment is the bottom of Royals fleet. And, if news broke tomorrow that Enchantment was sold or bound for a one way trip to Turkey, no readers here would surprised.

BUTTTTTT, I'm sailing on her in a couple of weeks.

[Momof4crazytocruise]

48 minutes ago, barjpoe said:

BUTTTTTT, I'm sailing on her in a couple of weeks.

Don't worry about it. It's a fine ship. The ship itself is showing her age, but there is still fun to be had. I've sailed her twice and had the best time because of the crew and the activities - and - having a good attitude. I haven't been on the great big brand new ships, Liberty is the biggest I have been on, so I don't have those to compare it to - and honestly, between Liberty and Enchantment, I liked the experience on Enchantment better. Liberty is lovely, but a much more personable experience on Enchantment. We had a blast. Your vacation is what you make of it. 

[GatorCruiser]

I like big ships and I cannot lie !

[smokeybandit]

14 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

I like big ships and I cannot lie !

OMG Becky Of the Seas?

[bobroo]

38 minutes ago, barjpoe said:

BUTTTTTT, I'm sailing on her in a couple of weeks.

Strong suggestion: Do NOT buy the UDP!!!!

 

I'm doing a 12 nighter on Enchantment over Thanksgiving myself. I am looking forward to the voyage exactly to the same degree as I am looking forward to my other bookings. On the other hand, will the absence of all the bells and whistles that every other ship in the fleet has add up to a complete downer? In my case maybe not so much. I am much more likely to be upset that the furnishings have never been updated. 

But how about others? Those 50% who are Pre-Gold that will be onboard?  I think they will be receiving the short end of the stick. 

[steverk]

I've sailed at least one ship from each class except Oasis. I find that every one has its charm. 

I've observed that people that have a bad time on board any of them is simply sailing with a bad attitude. 

Do I have a favorite,  and therefore a least favorite? Of course! Would I avoid any of them? Not a chance.

[Ryan79]

Any RC ship that you are currently on is always 1000% better than not being on any RC ship at all. 

[not easy being green]

Any cruise I go on is the BEST!!! cruise under the RC umbrella.  With a fleet that is changing all the time (and expanding) you have many choices, and at times I don't need all the bells and whistles.  

When we travel with the kids we go big/newer we once took the kids on Celebrity they had a blast but no of the big extras, and when it is just us we do both newer and older.  The major part of the cruise is seeing nothing but water on all sides with no real plan other than to relax.

Lastly to us, the crew is just as important as the ship they can make it and or break it, we have been very lucky with most all trips being fantastic.  

[MJ_]

3 hours ago, barjpoe said:

BUTTTTTT, I'm sailing on her in a couple of weeks.

Ha I feel you. I'm going on my very first ever cruise on Enchantment in December. This post is starting to worry me

[Ampurp85]

I don't think I have a worst ship, but I do have worst airport (MCO), worst port (Port of Los Angeles) and least favorite ship so far was my actual favorite until I sailed Oasis and Freedom class, which is Mariner of the seas. I am doing a Voyager class, Grandeur, in Jan. I plan to try a radiance class, so I can say I have sailed all classes of Royal's ships.

To me it takes a lot of things to make something the worst, pretty much means no redeeming qualities. I didn't enjoy myself as a whole on my Navigator sailing but the ship was not the problem at all. 

[csrsue]

9 hours ago, Censored said:

The author of this blog may make claim that there is no "worst ship". Its subjective and I think it can be people who make for a bad cruise experience, not the ship.  Others may think differently.  Carnival is known to have a stigma attached to it as being bottom rung  "Trailer Park of the Seas" as well.   The following link claims  Ovation of the Seas, along with Quantum ships are stinker ships.  Thoughts?  https://www.farandwide.com/s/worst-cruise-ships-c8eb6e9ffd384546

 

Great.  We just booked Alaska on the Ovation.  Haha!  But seriously, we did just book that.  
Anyway, I'm not worried about the ship.  We're finally going to Alaska and I know we will have a marvelous time no matter what anyone else thinks about Ovation.  Good times are what you make of them.  We just feel blessed that we're going at all!

[Mike n Ky]

2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

I don't think I have a worst ship, but I do have worst airport (MCO), worst port (Port of Los Angeles) and least favorite ship so far was my actual favorite until I sailed Oasis and Freedom class, which is Mariner of the seas. I am doing a Voyager class, Grandeur, in Jan. I plan to try a radiance class, so I can say I have sailed all classes of Royal's ships.

To me it takes a lot of things to make something the worst, pretty much means no redeeming qualities. I didn't enjoy myself as a whole on my Navigator sailing but the ship was not the problem at all. 

I agree about the LA port...was quite the surprise. I did have a first experience as I watched the loading and offloading of container ships from my balcony.

[RichCruise7]

21 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

The first time we were on Rhapsody it was run down (2017), but the friendliness of the crew made up for that.  Noticed some rude guests.

Overall, our worst ship experience was Explorer out of Southampton, but I think it was because the food was British rather than American (no surprise).  But we couldn't understand the entertainers, etc.  I chalk that up to cultural differences, not a problem with the ship.  We had great dinner companions who helped us a bit.

That's a good thing surely......

[tjcruisers]

In the end you have to research the ship you're going on and the destinations. A lot of times that I hear complaints, usually just watching a few videos on the ship before booking it would point out those things

[TJP]

I think it depends on what you're looking for in a cruise ship. I've only done smaller ships and enjoyed them. I've been on Enchantment twice this year, and enjoyed it very much.

[Al Miller]

I wouldn't put much stock in this article. It is specifically written to antagonize a particular audience in order to get clicks. It has factual errors that show the author does not know the subject matter. Quantum of the seas was NEVER royals largest ship. By a large margin. That's an easy google search to confirm but the "Author" could not be bothered. And that's just in the first entry. If you look hard enough you can find someone, somewhere who will say that any ship in question is "the worst ship ever." Just line them up and knock them down. It's click-bait 101 followed to the letter.

[ChessE4]

On 10/7/2022 at 9:26 AM, RichCruise7 said:

That's a good thing surely......

And the itinerary was fantastic - the Canary Islands Funchal, etc.  I still remember the tobogan ride down the hill!  

[Jailman]

On 10/6/2022 at 10:48 AM, smokeybandit said:

On 10/6/2022 at 10:49 AM, ChessE4 said:

The first time we were on Rhapsody it was run down (2017), but the friendliness of the crew made up for that.  Noticed some rude guests.

 

 

I sailed on Rhapsody first in 2006 and again in 2007 then again in 2012.  While the ship is one of the older and smaller ships, it was well maintained and I agree the staff was some of the best I've seen.  My only issue was we were staying in a aft cabin and there was a bad vibration coming from the propellers.  It wasn't bad, just annoying.  On the 2012 sailing to Alaska, they seem to have fixed the problem.  While the ship is getting a little long in the tooth, it is still one of my favorite smaller ships to sail on.  Having said all this, my favorite ships are the Oasis class.

[Oliver]

On 10/6/2022 at 12:44 PM, bobroo said:

I think we all can agree that Enchantment is the bottom of Royals fleet. And, if news broke tomorrow that Enchantment was sold or bound for a one way trip to Turkey, no readers here would surprised.

Agree

[togo]

Went on OVATION a couple of months ago.  Absolutely an amazing ship!

[Tmsmith]

12 hours ago, Oliver said:

Agree

second that!

[fritfrat]

While I agree that the Enchantment is the worst ship, I think the design of the Quantum class is worse for a western audience. This is why the ratings are lower, which seems to be all this uninformed author is using. Only due to lack of upkeep and maintenance is Enchantment the worst. That being said, we've had a great time on both of them.

[RedCoatMom64]

On 10/6/2022 at 7:05 PM, MJ_ said:

Ha I feel you. I'm going on my very first ever cruise on Enchantment in December. This post is starting to worry me

Same here! My first cruise Dec 30 - Jan 06. I've read the love/hate over Enchantment. But I'm looking that this is a learning experience. I've traveled all over the world and have had good/bad in German hotels, Norwegian restaurants, and UK fish & chips... It's all learning!  I'm thinking...I'm not at home doing dishes and laundry, I'm not working on papers (I've gone back to college), and I'm not cooking!  I'll make some notes of what I want and don't want on my next cruise, then go from there. 

This cruise is with my stepdaughters as a last family get-together before they go on their merry lives... so it's going to be fine.  I'm bringing lots of reading and am looking forward to just being away.

[Psycho and Barb]

The worst cruise ships are the ones that end up being scrapped.  All the others may have a few flaws, but we will take a week on them rather than a week at the office.

 

 

 

[FSUFAN]

We are sailing the Quantum in June to Alaska out of Seattle.  We just got off of the Voyager and while we had fun, there were too many small problems (in my opinion). I won't be sailing the Voyager (or probably Voyager class ships again).  Some of the issues might have been a post pandemic hangover and restart. And I agree that any cruise, on any ship, is better than no cruise and I take these types of articles (click bait) with a grain of salt.

This was our first RCL cruise and I hope the Quantum can change my first impressions of RCL. 

[FloatyBoaty]

25 minutes ago, FSUFAN said:

We are sailing the Quantum in June to Alaska out of Seattle.  We just got off of the Voyager and while we had fun, there were too many small problems (in my opinion). I won't be sailing the Voyager (or probably Voyager class ships again).  Some of the issues might have been a post pandemic hangover and restart. And I agree that any cruise, on any ship, is better than no cruise and I take these types of articles (click bait) with a grain of salt.

This was our first RCL cruise and I hope the Quantum can change my first impressions of RCL. 

I have 2 sailings booked on Quantum next year and am super excited.

I did 4 Oasis class cruises in 2022 (2 with family, 2 solo) and loved every single one!

I'm not sure I'm ready for a smaller ship than Freedom class, but keeping an open mind and an eye on everyone's experiences. Sorry this one was so rough for you.