Smokey79 Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 Background- my wife and I attended the sushi making class on Independence back in 2019. It was 12 of us in Izumi with the chef. Pretty intimate experience and we learned a lot. Today- currently in Allure, my daughter wanted to do the class so we booked it way in advance to ensure a seat for the 3 of us. Mainly because we expected the same type environment as before. Well, we were way way way wrong in our thinking. Intimate environment changed to 80+ people in another area of the ship sitting at two loooong tables. We ended up at the far end of the table from the chef which led to a de facto game of telephone being played during the course on what we were doing. I ended up “teaching” the people around me just so they could stay caught up as the class was very rushed feeling. I did notice most didn’t stay to eat once we were done. Maybe I’m wrong with my criticism of this but it just feels like a massive money grab by RC to conduct the class in this method. Plus the reduction in food quality showed as well. JohnK6404, CruiseGus and PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DublinFC Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 7 minutes ago, Smokey79 said: Background- my wife and I attended the sushi making class on Independence back in 2019. It was 12 of us in Izumi with the chef. Pretty intimate experience and we learned a lot. Today- currently in Allure, my daughter wanted to do the class so we booked it way in advance to ensure a seat for the 3 of us. Mainly because we expected the same type environment as before. Well, we were way way way wrong in our thinking. Intimate environment changed to 80+ people in another area of the ship sitting at two loooong tables. We ended up at the far end of the table from the chef which led to a de facto game of telephone being played during the course on what we were doing. I ended up “teaching” the people around me just so they could stay caught up as the class was very rushed feeling. I did notice most didn’t stay to eat once we were done. Maybe I’m wrong with my criticism of this but it just feels like a massive money grab by RC to conduct the class in this method. Plus the reduction in food quality showed as well. I did the class on Harmony back in May and there was maybe 20 down both sides of a few tables. I would consider it an intimate experience, but there was some "telephone" going on at times. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey79 Posted March 12 Author Report Share Posted March 12 5 minutes ago, DublinFC said: I did the class on Harmony back in May and there was maybe 20 down both sides of a few tables. I would consider it an intimate experience, but there was some "telephone" going on at times. I’m willing to concede that it may be an Oasis v Freedom thing but it was really disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DublinFC Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 5 minutes ago, Smokey79 said: I’m willing to concede that it may be an Oasis v Freedom thing but it was really disappointing. Possible. And I agree that many people does not seem ideal for what the class is. I thought the sushi materials were good during my class. But, I do keep hearing quality has been suffering over the past several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Van Niekerk Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 Did this on Harmony in Feb. It was about 20 people, 2 long tables with 2 chefs leading. I found it pretty much in keeping with what I would have expected. I also thought that the quality of the ingredients was very good, and the quantity of sushi I made and ate was certainly worth the cost of the class. Eamon, PPPJJ-GCVAB, Ryan79 and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 @Smokey79 your experience does not sound like the norm, to me. I have done this class twice - granted, both were pre-COVID - but it was nothing like what you're describing, I would not be happy at all with a class that size in some random area of the ship. CruiseGus, RCIfan1912, Baked Alaska and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 I wonder if it has something to do with being on a short sailing vs a 7 night? WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey79 Posted March 12 Author Report Share Posted March 12 4 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: I wonder if it has something to do with being on a short sailing vs a 7 night? That’s crossed my mind as well but they could have done something different as it was just one single massive class. Split the class up to different times or just say it’s sold out? It was sold out on the cruise planner back in November. WAAAYTOOO and CruiseGus 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan79 Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 I did this class on Quantum in July 2023 and there was 15-20 people. I couldn’t even imagine 80!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey79 Posted March 12 Author Report Share Posted March 12 Spoke with my genie this evening. It seems I’m not alone in my complaints with the class. They are awaiting word on the proposed resolution. I feel strange as I’m not asking for a refund or anything of the sort. I don’t want people to experience something that I loved doing and really pumped up my kid in anticipation only to see it done half-a$$ed. Baked Alaska, WAAAYTOOO and PPPJJ-GCVAB 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey79 Posted March 13 Author Report Share Posted March 13 Update: They refunded 40% of each person’s cost. I’m just hoping that no one gets the idea to conduct the sushi class like that again. WAAAYTOOO, Ryan79, tingtang and 3 others 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkelBierJay Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 If the sushi making class is enjoyable, I would recommend the sushi and sake pairing. I did it on Serenade and on Mariner and had a blast on both. They were a little different on each ship...and I developed a taste for good sake, and not that heated up stuff. RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey79 Posted March 14 Author Report Share Posted March 14 We just received 10% off our next cruise certificates (with apologies for your inconvenience aboard this voyage). Are these usable on a already booked sailing or is it only good if we book a note reservation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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