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Budget cuts and increased prices?


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I have a friend who is a frequent cruiser. This couple just got back from a recent cruise on independence of the seas. I was surprised by the negative feedback I got about his experience. He basically said that while prices have gone up, quality and service has gone down. He says the specialty dining restaurants were a let down. The portions were smaller and the quality of the taste was mediocre. The buffet was a letdown as well. I’m not a big fan of buffets to begin with but the specialty dining is a cause for concern if what he said was true. And he said that royal Caribbean posted that they won’t clean the rooms twice a day? I’ve never been on a cruise so I didn’t quite understand that statement. Anyone been a a very recent cruise on Harmony’ of the seas? What did you guys think? Did you guys notice a decline in food quantity, quality and customer service? 

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Yes, but...

I've seen a decline in other areas of the travel industry.  Many hotels don't offer maid service during your stay, unless it is at least so many days.  Need new towels?  Go to the front desk.  

The travel industry lost billions.  That includes other areas of the travel sector AND the cruise segment is not immune to those symptoms.  

It's definitely not what it used to be.  Losing billions has that effect.  Just because they restarted operations didn't recover the billions of lost revenue and billions of debt they accumulated to stay in business.  It's going to a take a decade or more to recover.  That's why the stock price is less than half of what it used to be.  

So yeah, no mistaking there has been unwelcome changes.  

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Yeah it makes sense. In any business, if revenue goes down there’s usually a lay off or cutbacks to services that follows. I.E google. And when you cut back staff that means service suffers because there’s more work and less people to do them. Quality is affected because now they’re just putting out anything for the customers because high end stuff are more expensive. You’re right and it’s sad that this is the new reality 

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15 minutes ago, twangster said:

Despite what I said, I still enjoy cruising.  Booked another today.  I don't like it, but I understand why it has changed.  

Me too! This is my family’s first cruise ever. I have no expectations. The only things I know about cruises so far are from what I’ve read on blogs like this one and trip advisor or when my kids show me a YouTube video of a family’s cruise vacation. I think my friend was letdown because his family go on cruises all the time. They’ve gone on 3 so far in the past 12 months. So his expectations are based on previous experiences. Despite the cut backs and lower quality food ect ect. I’m still looking forward to spending quality time with my family. 

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15 minutes ago, twangster said:

I was talking to a friend today who just came off a ship this morning.  He is a frequent cruiser.  He recognized some things have changed but we both agreed that the food is still better than what's available in our respective kitchens at home.  

Lmao..

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4 hours ago, JohnnySB said:

I have a friend who is a frequent cruiser. This couple just got back from a recent cruise on independence of the seas. I was surprised by the negative feedback I got about his experience. He basically said that while prices have gone up, quality and service has gone down. He says the specialty dining restaurants were a let down. The portions were smaller and the quality of the taste was mediocre. The buffet was a letdown as well. I’m not a big fan of buffets to begin with but the specialty dining is a cause for concern if what he said was true. And he said that royal Caribbean posted that they won’t clean the rooms twice a day? I’ve never been on a cruise so I didn’t quite understand that statement. Anyone been a a very recent cruise on Harmony’ of the seas? What did you guys think? Did you guys notice a decline in food quantity, quality and customer service? 

You've seen comments from 2023 travelers.  We took three cruises in 2022, the last in December, and we found customer service was good, although there were a fair number of new employees.  All staff seemed eager to help.  We did miss some entrees in the Main Dining Room, and My Time Dining was mediocre on one trip  -- we waited too long despite having reservations.  In Windjammer, breakfast and lunch buffets seemed better than dinner, but our sample size for dinner was small - just once in three cruises.  In my experience, as long as one has reasonable expectations, a Royal cruise experience is a lot of fun.  I also think that Royal will sort some things out in 2023 as more feedback is accumulated from frequent cruisers.

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I agree! My expectations are none because my family have never been on a cruise. Any experience will be new to us. So I won’t have anything to base this experience on. If it’s great then great! If it’s not so great then there’s something better to look forward to. But I have read elsewhere that the cutbacks be more noticeable to people who have traveled in the past. Seasoned travelers who are “frequent “ cruise passengers who are used to certain amenities might be upset if those things are missing. Especially if there’s a price increase.  Airline’s industry is a classic example. I remember before flying was something different from what it is today. Even in couch you used to have drinks and snacks. Nowadays, the seats have gotten smaller as the industry tries to squeeze more and more seats in.  Checked bags used to be first one free. Now you have to pay for everything. And now there’s not just coach but a second tier couch.  And the airlines industry never got their issues straightened out. I hope the cruise industry doesn’t go the way of the airlines where they pack as many people in as possible and give the least amount back as possible. 

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I mean it's completely understandable things have changed, especially considering the world is very much still going through a pandemic (as much as we hate to admit), things won't go back to "normal" for at least 5-10 years and even then, who knows if we'll ever go back to what it was like pre-pandemic. I don't cruise nearly as much as other people here, but from my experience, I didn't really notice a decline in quality in anything, the staff were all still very nice, lovely and polite, and the food was all very good (except on one night). Everyone has different experiences though, my dad absolutely loved the cruise (it was his first time on a RCI ship)

 

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20 minutes ago, Jamesszy94 said:

I mean it's completely understandable things have changed, especially considering the world is very much still going through a pandemic (as much as we hate to admit), things won't go back to "normal" for at least 5-10 years and even then, who knows if we'll ever go back to what it was like pre-pandemic. I don't cruise nearly as much as other people here, but from my experience, I didn't really notice a decline in quality in anything, the staff were all still very nice, lovely and polite, and the food was all very good (except on one night). Everyone has different experiences though, my dad absolutely loved the cruise (it was his first time on a RCI ship)

 

And I hope you’re right. I am just concerned because these big corporations Just care about the bottom line. We live in an era where it seems that their main goal is to fill as many rooms as possible and fill as many seats as possible while cutbacks are the norm. 
the one glimmer of hope is Las Vegas. In order to attract customers Vegas has had to reinvent themselves. Offer the customers more value and keeping costs at a manageable number. It’s worked for them as they’ve rebounded very well after the pandemic. We were there for the Super Bowl weekend. Complete pandemonium. Rooms sold out. And these rooms weren’t cheap. But the amenities and restaurants were all great

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Last cruise I did notice  a lack of supplies in the bars and shops (i.e. no Crown Royal) no sure if it was just or just supply issues. In the end it didn't diminish my experience. The cruise experience is always changing and I just go with the flow.

As I see right now RCL had  8.5 Billion in debt a the end of 2019 and are sitting around 21.3 Billion at the end of 2022. Carnival in the time went from 9 Billion to 32 Billion. They're all in the same boat. The tourist industry got smacked hard and I look at it being in pure survival mode right now. Add in the high inflation for the past year. No way they can offer what they did pre pandemic at that cost. Right now I want them to do what is required to allow their long term survival.

 

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Just got off harmony yesterday. Speciality dining in my opinion was great and no different than any previous cruise in terms of portion size or taste. Also the bars were impressively stocked with top shelf such as buffalo trace and stoli elit. Belvedere etc. I was in a suite so can’t comment on room cleaning as it was impeccable. Overall it was another fantastic experience on a cruise line I love dearly. 

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21 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

Just got off harmony yesterday. Speciality dining in my opinion was great and no different than any previous cruise in terms of portion size or taste. Also the bars were impressively stocked with top shelf such as buffalo trace and stoli elit. Belvedere etc. I was in a suite so can’t comment on room cleaning as it was impeccable. Overall it was another fantastic experience on a cruise line I love dearly. 

Oh good I’m glad to hear that. I am so much looking forward to our vacation. We’ve been planning this for 2 years. But since it’s our first cruise. I did t have any expectations. Only what I’ve read and heard. So either way I feel we will have a great time. It’s hard to be disappointed when you do t expect anything 

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I’m in several Facebook groups (individual ships, cruise dates, dining etc)

Opinions are all over the place. Even people on the same sailing can have 2 totally different opinions of how their sailing was. 

We did 4 last year. 2 at reduced capacity because of Covid and 2 at more normal capacity. The 2 reduced capacity sailings (Wonder and Symphony) had excellent food and well stocked bars. My guess is they were working through stock they had during the shutdown. 

The issues started last May on Harmony. Same issues we saw landside. Supply chain. Bars out of staple liquors and wine. Food quality was different (lower) but we still had some decent meals. Entertainment wise, Harmony was great! Really good shows. 

Our 12 night on Odyssey in the Mediterranean last October was OUTSTANDING! Different supply chain. Food was very good. 

We’ve got Wonder coming up in May. We’ve experienced good and not so good but we’ve always had a great cruise. 

I wouldn’t worry too much about other’s opinions. Yes cruising has changed but not so much to keep us away. We’ve got 3 booked and figuring out what our next bucket list cruise will be. It’s still a great way to travel and see the world. 

You’re going to have a blast. Come back and tell us! 

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There have been noticeable cost reduction strategies that affect the quality of the cruise today versus what it has been in the past. As others have mentioned, they had to take on a huge amount of debt during the pandemic and need to pay it off, hence the cost reduction strategies on their part. Also, prices are increasing too. But all in all, there is still tremendous value in cruises and I can still take a family of 5 on a cruise a lot cheaper than a Disney world vacation. We just came back from a cruise a week ago and experienced everything your friend said changed. At the end of the day, even with these changes and cutbacks, we had an awesome family vacation and are looking forward to our next one. 

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I just booked my first ever transatlantic cruise on Odyssey leaving on November 2024.  I booked a I was going to book a Grand Suit but ended up booking the Owners Suite for just over $12,500 dollars total including taxes and fees. I recently booked and went on a last minute cruise this past February on Symphony and since it was book 3 weeks prior to departure and they only had one suite left (a Grand Suite) my husband and I paid a total of $7,793 dollars for a 7 night cruise.  That is a lot of money for a Grand Suite but both my husband and I needed a vacation we had been working some crazy hours, we had the money already sitting in our special cruise account so we booked it even at the inflated price because we just needed to get out of Chicago. 

In my opinion there are still some great deals to be had and cruising is still a great value but now more than ever you have to book early.  We locked in $12,500 dollars for a Owners Suite in my opinion is a deal especially on Odyssey where suites are a bit more expensive than on Oasis Class ships, for 14 nights that isn't bad.  I just checked and the price has already gone up several thousand dollars anyone booking a Owners Suite on the same cruise will now pay nearly $16,000 dollars and I think that is because they only have 2 or 3 of those suites left on that cruise. 

On my February Symphony cruise I thought Royal had fixed the issues with their food quality.  The cruises I took in 2021 and 2022 there were issues with food quality and with bars not being properly stocked.  However on February cruise every bar was stocked and we had the UBP so both my husband and I were getting our moneys worth. There were food or quality issues at any of the speciality restaurants, the main dinning room, windjammers, Park Cafe or anywhere else. I thought the food was great, the portion sizes has always been the same.  

As others have pointed out Royal had to take on quite a bit of debt to stay afloat during the shut down.  To pay down that debt they have to do something so if that means raising prices I'm okay with that because I don't want to see Royal end up in bankruptcy court. If you love cruising as much as I do your choices are clear, either book early to lock in a lower rate, book last minute pay the inflated rate especially if you are booking a balcony or a suite, book a stateroom in lower category than you normally would to save money, or lastly stop cruising altogether.  In my mind cruising is still a great value and is still one of the best forms of vacation you can experience.   

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I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m perfectly ok with raising prices just as long as service and quality doesn’t suffer. I think that cruises are a great bargain for the family. When we were deciding on this years end of summer trip for the kids. It was between a cruise or Disney world. The cruise was a better deal. And you are correct about booking early. We got a crown loft for like 11k. We added unlimited dining and beverage. Day excursions and on ship activities and it was still cheaper than Disney world. And I don’t really mind cutbacks to get out of debt. But I hope they don’t go the route of the airline industry. Where they keep raising prices and keep cutting things. I’ve traveled for business for over 30 years. And it’s outrages that the airlines industry has become. You’re basically cattle being herded to your seats. And unless u pay for business or first

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My wife and I were just discussing options for our upcoming cruise in May.  We kind of had a reality check based on our past experiences and the new prices.

For the past year, we usually got the Key at prices close to the internet package.  We enjoyed the easier embarkation / disembarkation process, lunch, and being able to check our carry-ons.  However, the welcome lunch has changed significantly as we found out on our cruise earlier this month, and the price has soared on the Key.  We never use the privileged seating in the theaters and only use the special times for activities when the kids are with us, so no more Key for us at this price point.  I will just purchase internet for 2 devices separately on this upcoming cruise.

We usually were able to get the refreshment package for less than $20 per person per day.  It is about $32 per person per day now, so no more refreshment package.  (We are not big alcohol drinkers).  Instead, we will just use our drink vouchers and prime status for any specialty drinks we want.  I will probably get a soda package for myself, but wife is a tea and water type of person.

At the end of the day, we will probably use the money saved on excursions anyway, so although we are cutting back in on-board services, we are still spending about the same as before.  Even with the changes to the MDR menu and the once a day steward service on our last cruise, we still had a wonderful time and will continue cruising as it is still a good value to us.

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Good morning all, ive been following this blog regularly and the YouTube version to get as much information as I can before my family’s maiden voyage on harmony of the seas this august. Today there was a video blog on this exact subject concerning changes and cutbacks. The narrator Matt pointed out some changes and he makes a lot of good and strong point about the changes to 1 a day housekeeping or the increase in gratuities to the 1 lobster rule in the MDR. I have 1 topic that I’m a little confused about. It’s regarding Izumi. I purchased and UDP. What’s the difference between the fixed price option versus the UDP? That’s the only section I was totally confused about. Is the fixed price dining something different from the package I got?

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2 hours ago, JohnnySB said:

Good morning all, ive been following this blog regularly and the YouTube version to get as much information as I can before my family’s maiden voyage on harmony of the seas this august. Today there was a video blog on this exact subject concerning changes and cutbacks. The narrator Matt pointed out some changes and he makes a lot of good and strong point about the changes to 1 a day housekeeping or the increase in gratuities to the 1 lobster rule in the MDR. I have 1 topic that I’m a little confused about. It’s regarding Izumi. I purchased and UDP. What’s the difference between the fixed price option versus the UDP? That’s the only section I was totally confused about. Is the fixed price dining something different from the package I got?

Izumi has two options regardless of if you booked through the UDP or on its own. It is prefix or a la carte. Prefix means that you choose 1 small plate, two large and a dessert regardless of the cost of each item. A la carte means you can get $35 worth of food. I don't eat seafood, but I love Izumi's yaki udon and teriyaki bowls, they are $17+ each. Under the prefix I get both plus the firecracker shrimp spring roll ($9), and mochi ($6). That means with the prefix I get $51 worth of food. I can choose this regardless of how I purchased my dining for Izumi's. On bigger ships I tend to take my leftovers back to the room for a late-night snack. 

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Thanks for the info. What if we wanted the teppanyaki style dining.  Is that prefix? And is teppanyki included with the UDP I purchased. Let’s say I wanted a bowl of Raman and my daughter wants chicken teriyaki for lunch. Can we still do teppanyaki for dinner same day?

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21 minutes ago, JohnnySB said:

Thanks for the info. What if we wanted the teppanyaki style dining.  Is that prefix? And is teppanyki included with the UDP I purchased. Let’s say I wanted a bowl of Raman and my daughter wants chicken teriyaki for lunch. Can we still do teppanyaki for dinner same day?

Hibachi is an upgrade cost with the UDP, it will be between $10-15pp and is different from the sushi side of Izumi's. To answer your second question, no, you can only go to restaurants with dining credits once a day unless you pay out of pocket. That means you could either pay full Hibachi prices like $54+ grats or buy the Ramen and teriyaki about $17+ grats each. If you are sailing on Harmony: Izumi and Johnny Rockets are credit restaurants and can only be visited once a day. The others you can go as many times as you want as long as they can accommodate you. 

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On 3/25/2023 at 2:52 PM, JohnnySB said:

Yeah it makes sense. In any business, if revenue goes down there’s usually a lay off or cutbacks to services that follows. I.E google. And when you cut back staff that means service suffers because there’s more work and less people to do them. Quality is affected because now they’re just putting out anything for the customers because high end stuff are more expensive. You’re right and it’s sad that this is the new reality 

Welcome to the world of cruising! 

There's no doubt that it isn't what it was a couple years ago,  but it's still amazing. You'll be impressed by the service, amenities and activities.  The food probably won't blow you away, but most people feel it's good. 

Go in with a positive attitude,  and you'll probably wonder how it could be better. 

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2 hours ago, JohnnySB said:

I see. So if we ate at windjammer for breakfast or lunch then had hibachi for dinner one night. Then the next day have Izumi prefix for lunch and maybe Jamie’s for dinner.  Thanks for clarifying things. It was a little confusing in the beginning 

Yes, or you could get breakfast at Park Cafe, Johnny Rockets, the Solarium Bistro, or the MDR. Then do lunch at JR, Izumi, Sabor, etc. and dinner at Chops, 150CP, Wonderland .......the options are only limited to time and hunger. 

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5 hours ago, JohnnySB said:

Thanks for the info. What if we wanted the teppanyaki style dining.  Is that prefix? And is teppanyki included with the UDP I purchased. Let’s say I wanted a bowl of Raman and my daughter wants chicken teriyaki for lunch. Can we still do teppanyaki for dinner same day?

You can do Izumi sushi and Izumi hibachi (teppenyaki) on the same day. They aren't the same restaurant.

The hibachi has a $15/per upcharge with the UDP.

When you each on the sushi side (considered an ala carte venue, so only 1 sushi visit a day) everyone gets a $35 credit towards their food. The entire sushi menu has prices by each item.  Also on the menu is a pre fixe option that costs $34.99, so you can use your $35 credit towards that instead. You order 1 small plate, 2 large plates and 1 dessert with that option. The change that's being discussed is that when you order a sushi roll as one of the large plates under the pre fixe option, it is only a 4 piece roll. If you pay ala carte for that same roll, it's an 8 piece roll.

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