Changes and cuts at Royal Caribbean: Does it matter?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- There's no denying Royal Caribbean has changed, cut back, and otherwise altered certain aspects of the cruise in the last few months, but do these changes actually impact your cruise experience?
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Two changes that are intolerable to us are food and entertainment. They can cut back on many things, but food and entertainment are the two things they should never cut back on. Quality and variety of food should not get worse, they should only get better. And entertainment should not be cut or the the quality lessened. Food and entertainment are crucial to us and why we always loved cruising.
Agree with you.
FOOD SUCKED ON Allure 2 weeks ago!!
Food was great on Oasis March 19, 2023
@@dianesoga4238 Exactly. Saying "the food sucked" like the guy above is idiotic. If you can't find something good to eat on a cruise ship, either specialty, MD, buffet or other...there's something wrong with you. People expect the get the 'Four Sasons' and unlimited lobster and they are paying $150s buck a day for a discounted inside cabin. Ridiculous.
This directly affects the customer experience, a dangerous move by a vacation line.
I think the point that is consistently missed on this channel is the price of this experience has increased dramatically, yet the gains in quality are not there. I don’t like paying for something that is more yet receiving less. Shrink-flation…A gallon of milk is more, I understand that. But it’s still a gallon. Cruising is no longer a gallon of milk, it’s a liter of experience for a gallon price….once that shift happens people begin to look elsewhere. For the first time I am looking elsewhere to find a better cruise experience.
I agree with you 100% however, I am finding this on many many cruise lines not just RC. It saddens me deeply to see this happening pretty much everywhere not just cruise lines.
Since I'm sure Matt gets some kind of money from RC he's not gonna say much in the negative about them.
@@papigrande1971 Exactly. There's no way he actually pays full price for any of his cruises like the rest of us, so he isn't really affected by the price increases.
The crew pay raise should come from a raise in the cruise cost. Which they won’t do.
So right. Let's call it what it is, a hidden cost that gets more money out of you in the end.
I agree!
I see so many ppl say they give hundreds of dollars in tips, it shouldn’t be a problem then!!
Okay let’s do the math: Let’s say the attendant cleans now 15 non suite rooms with 2 people per room. So $16 PP x 2 is $32 x 7 days = $224 per room per week x 15 rooms = $3,360 per week….in tips! That’s $13,440 per month! Does the attendant keep all the tip money or is it split with laundry staff, etc? These are mandatory tips and not shown in the sail prices. Thank Matt.
@@tnrodgers they don’t
Its kind of a pity how RC has changed.
In the past , it felt like a crazy amazing experience, 2 times a day house keeping with a friendly stateroom attendant who typically gives tips, cute towel art when coming back in the evening after watching the performances, really good food. Going on a RC Cruise made you want to do it again.
Went last month, and noticed that the stateroom attendant had to deal with many more rooms, and that friendliness that I used to notice isn't there anymore. Towel art still have , but feels different when you come back in the evening vs afternoon. For windjammer & MDR, can sense the desperation as the staff really were asking people to give a good review.. stating that RC sees either 0 or 10, whereby anything 0-9 is considered a 0 and they have been rated badly a lot. Service definitely used to be better last time but its not too far off.
Everything felt much more generalized now, the wow factor isn't there anymore
Cruising used to be a top option for me for vacation, but since the changes have gone in, still a good choice but not the top.
That rating system is quite unfair. Ten is perfection and perfection is going to be defined differently for each cruiser. I LOVED the staff on my RC cruise and it is 90% of the reason I'm going to cruise again. They are an incredibly talented and hardworking team that made my cruise feel like a true luxury experience.
Celebrity has declined too unfortunately
Try Holland America
Truth!!!
The changes definitely matter. We noticed far fewer choices with the new dining room menu. And customer service seems to have taken a little bit of a hit. Between October of last year and January of this year we went on Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. The changes and service in the main dining room were not for the better.
I've not been on one yet but I would think the same. Less options in the dining room isn't helpful to those especially when the different nights they have are not something that one would enjoy.
But did you starve? Or did you over Indulge in lots of choice like most Muricans?
@@TyreeTravels there is still more than enough selections on the MDR menu
Agree that the dining room changes have made for a lesser experience
@@fluffytail6355 the execs are taking themselves Big bonuses on our $$$ that we pay out. Just look at bar tabs now are $ 1000. $ for couple. They are screwing with us
The primary issue with once a day service isn't the once a day service. It's that they've given the room attendants more rooms to cover, and they're struggling to do room turnover at the beginning of the cruise. On our last cruise there were leftover food crumbs all over the sofa and the bedsheets were covered in various body hairs (probably due to a laundry machine malfunction) and the room attendant hadn't noticed during turnover because they were so busy trying to deal with turning over all these rooms. Was honestly a huge difference compared to past cruises.
We were recently on the Explorer of the Seas and on the last night the stateroom attendant asked if he and an assistant can make up the two overhead bunk beds because he would not have enough time to get all his cabins ready for the next sailing. The stateroom attendant felt really uncomfortable and apologized a few times but we made light of the whole situation. He was amazing throughout the cruise and we tipped him extra. Making up the cabin once a day did not affect or bother us at all.
That is definitely something we noticed on our last cruise. Our room was not ready until about 1.5 hours after we left the port.
@@ChrisVanderMerwe617 0
This was a huge frustration for us. On the first day we couldn’t get into our room for our son to nap. We have been able to do this on all previous cruises with him.
Agree, in March on Vision I found a lady's shirt on the floor and a command hook still in place, I used and appreciated the command hook but the shirt was not to my taste lol
I've been cruising for years and was never aware that they serviced the room twice a day. 😊 We are always out of our cabin first thing and don't come back until time to change for dinner. We eat late. As long as we got towel animals ❤️
Looks like I am in the minority. If I wanted the same experience as a land based hotel I would choose that. I choose cruise vacations because I am treated differently. That is what makes cruising special.
I just got home from a week on Oasis where all of the mentioned changes are in effect. I can say that they did NOT have a negative impact on our experience at all. Everything was wonderful and we felt very spoiled and taken care of all week. We really enjoyed our time on the ship.
I guess you are Not a regular RC cruiser. The dining room memu and quality is junk now.
@edwardhawrylak2777 I have cruised with RC before the menu changes. I enjoyed my MDR meals then and I enjoyed them after the change as well.
7N Med cruise which used to be approx $3000-$3500 is now well over $5500. Was loyal to Royal (our first 10 cruises were Royal & Celebrity) but these high prices forced us to try Princess & MSC. I yet love Royal & hope they do well, but some of these cutbacks along with high prices ensures I won’t be cruising with them on their amazing ships anytime soon. 😢
I think the biggest issue is these methods to save money to help pay down debt will stick around even after the debt has been repaid.
Unfortunately, I think you're totally right about that.
Lately, post Covid, everyone has two ways to regain customer base and hopefully increase it. First you can offer the same or better Cruise experience to increase customer loyalty or sadly like some Cruise lines Exec's, they charge more and use this opportunity as an excuse to offer a poorer cruise experience.It's all about profits for stockholders, nothing to do with the customer's cruise experience. After doing this, what other foods, entertainment and services will they continue to cut, while maintaining and increasing prices.
We have taken 3 Royal Caribbean cruises, including a transatlantic, since January. The food portions have decreased to less than you typically receive in a restaurant, and the food quality has dropped to below what you expect from Applebee's, Outback Steakhouse, and Bob Evans. If you order soup, you must ask for a soup spoon. If you order steak, you might need to ask for a steak knife. Our experience on the nearly a month we spent aboard two ships in 2023 is that Royal Caribbean is in a race to the bottom. What a shame.
I've never experienced these issues, and have cruised with Royal on about 25 cruises... I'm sorry you had disappointing service!
Exactly! Food portions are a joke.
@@nancytaylor7787 Me neither, so far. Nothing is perfect in life. But so far ( 5 Royal sails in 15 years) everything was great. Worried that that era is over or coming to an end soon.
Oh no! I hate Applebees. So paying for the restaurants is a must?
Thanks for your insight...I have cruise coming the end of May with Royal, my first with them because Celebrity is pricing themselves out of business, so I appreciate your comments and will see if anything changed. 👍🏻
This is our first cruise. I don't think the changes will effect us as much as someone who cruises a lot. We are excited to just be going on a cruise.
You are being short-sighted. The first cut is never the last. There is an old story that goes like this:
An enterprising MBA at a hamburger chain ran a spreadsheet and computed that if the corporation put three fewer sesame seeds on its buns there would be a saving of $50,000 per year. Sure enough it worked and the MBA got a promotion and a raise. Well the next year another ambitious MBA proposed an additional cut in sesame seeds and so on. After a few years there were no sesame seeds left and hamburger sales dropped. Your attitude that these cuts are no big deal may be valid but you are encouraging more future cuts that will significantly degrade the cruise experience
I see the point you're making, but none of these cuts are the "hill I want to die on".
I get the principle of cuts in the first place, but like I said in the video, there's always been an evolution to cruising. And you can't overlook the dire financial situation the company is in right now. I'm just looking at things as pragmatically as I can.
Yes, it matters. Last cruise earlier this month, the MDR menus were absolute junk. Didn't eat there once. Miss the twice daily room service too but not a deal breaker. Windjammer food quality had also gone down the pan too. Very disappointing.
I was on the symphony crossing. I saw the cutbacks myself. We decided to no go on a cruse the next decades again. It was boring, the food was always the same and not a good quality. In the end if you think you get a "royal"-experience? No.
You just get a Carnival experience now at Royal Caribbean international.
Edit:
It is funny that royalcaribbeanblog now does something about this AFTER the Ben and David review, posted in their second channel.
Honestly, this was my same thought on Sunday evening.
I said if Matt doesn’t address this subject (Ben & David’s Video) on Monday Night’s Live TH-cam, hordes of people will question his credibility.
Now this… Thank you, Matt, for letting us know that others are commenting and complaining.
I’m a RC FanGirl but I want to hear the good, the bad, the happy and the sad.
Cruisers will have the final say…. By the way, KUDOS to Ben & David for their brutal honesty.
One update here. I watched the video a little bit more. There is one dealbreaker which RC get me out of the bookings. It's the huge cutbacks in entertainments. As I said I was on the transatlantic cruse, there was nothing to do and more of that nothing to eat.
I'm now in the prebooking stage of my cruse of end 2023 and thinking about another cruse line like disney or ncl.
Does someone have experience with them?
What is the name of Ben & David’s 2nd channel?? Thank you
@@jimbo160aaaa It's called "Inside Cabin"
I am confused. We just went on Odyssey and the MDR menu had the NY strip steak every night I believe as well as spaghetti.
I have a cruise on Royal Caribbean in a couple of months and I don’t anticipate these changes will effect my overall experience. I still think cruising is a good value and I am all for shorter times in the MDR. Looking forward to cruising soon!
Wait till yu notice dining room menu and poor quality of food.
Well somebody pointed out in an article that I read a little while ago today, that they don't like to see stacks of dirty dishes lining the cruise ship hallways. That is what we're going to get with the 14-day housekeeping. Because the cabin stewards or nobody else will be cleaning the cabins but once a day. So if they only clean the cabin in the morning. Then everybody's dirty dishes were they bring back food from the buffet or other places are going to either sit in their cabin or sit in the hallway or both roast. Yuck not only to mention that is an inconvenience for people who have to use Walkers, Cane's, Scooters or wheelchairs. Trying to navigate the narrow hallways is hard enough. But now you load up the hallway with dirty dishes for the entire night or day.
Thank you for your comments. We have a few to comment on (we are in the uk). Bed changing does not impact on us and once a day is fine. Cost of increase of gratuities does not impress us, as we are paying more for our cruises on RC and this should soak up staff wages etc. It should not be down to us to subsidise that, as we are also in a bad economic climate and our wages/pensions suffer as well. Otherwise we lose out on both sides. We pay for our cruise NOT pay their wages. Just our opinion of course. Unlimited dining plan and drinks packages do not affect us as we do not use them. Crystal block are of no interest either. We are annoyed at the change of menu in the MDR especially getting rid of the Classic option as we loved the choices on there and was always a good back up. We do not like Indian/Chinese/Caribbean food (for example)so looks like some nights will not be in the MDR...very disappointed. We would also add there are not many extra things that they are giving us. Just to let you know we are Diamond Plus members. Thank you
Just got back from a 10 night cruise on Vision. Awesome! We still had twice a day service since we were in a junior suite but seldom needed more than one service. Crew was friendly and awesome! Rooms were clean and well stocked even on an older ship. The biggest change I noticed was quality of some food in the buffet. Dining room and Park Cafe was great. Food was available late. We liked the theme nights in the main dining room. If you wanted more than one dish they would bring it. Cruise was full but not an issue. Even with only one gangway, leaving and returning to ship was easy as long as you didnt rush down there as soon as they opened. Loved every minute of it. Entertainment was great! No disappointments.
The only thing I would add back to the main dining room menu is the steak every night. If you don’t find anything else you would eat (the Mexican menu is terrible) you can always fall back on the steak and still feel like you had a decent meal in dining room. Just my opinion.
We have already taken two RCI cruises this year. On each, we told our cabin steward we only needed an evening cleaning. Worked just fine!
First of all, I do not agree with your comment that there is good value in the dollars you spend for cruising. All you have to do is to calculate the total cost per day that you spend for a cruise today compared to cruising a year ago. When you add reduced food quality, reduced entertainment options, and reduced level of service, it is not difficult to understand that the value and cruise experience has changed significantly. In the past, we have cruised mainly with Royal and Celebrity and have really enjoyed our cruise experience. However, this was not the case with our two recent cruises. We found the quality of the food and entertainment to be average or below average. There seems to be a common theme to significantly reduce the overall food budget. We have noticed that most more expensive items - beef, fish, and seafood have been replaced with cheaper cuts of chicken and pork. The reduction to once a day cabin service is not an issue for me as long as more towels are available. We normally cruise four to five times per year, but in the future I see this reducing significantly mainly due to the reduction in food quality. Thanks for sharing your assessment.
I just came off the Oasis of the seas this past week and the fact that they are doing the room once a day translates to less staff in the rooms which on embarkation day correlated with bags ending up in different floors and nobody to bring them for hours and even people loosing their luggage because other guest will just get them and will not return them. The horrors I saw on embarkation day this time I have never seen on any previous cruise or cruise line. Also our room attendant told us on the first day to please pardon him in advance because there were going to be days in which it was going to take him towards late afternoon for doing our rooms given the huge amount of rooms he had to take care of. I have never had a room attendant telling me this in a cruise ever before.
Finally, the new food menu in the restaurant is a joke and so is the buffet at any time in the day, just one of many examples is that they don’t bring the berry jam out for breakfast because the grape jam is cheaper and some many others. I’m sorry but it is horrible and absolutely affects the experience overall. This is actually the first time I came off from a Royal Caribbean ship without a next cruise already booked!
We do not like the changes, particularly the dining room changes. We were on Symphony in December and Harmony in January and were very disappointed in lack of selection. We ended up just doing specialty dining and the windjammer most every night. We are diamond plus, for what it's worth, and each sailing they had our main dining room reservations messed up. Not only seating which resulted in musical chairs but even our set time. We always loved the main dining room but not anymore.
My wife and I went on the Odyssey of the Seas before all these changes. I don't like the changes to the MDR. My wife now has a limited choice in what she can eat with the "classic" entries no longer available. I don't like paying for the specialty restaurants. (though I did twice) because I feel I should get the same service and food quality in the MDR. That was the "old" RC, but I am showing my age.
Thankfully, our stateroom attendant checked our room twice a day. We had three in the room with my adult niece on the couch. He came in the morning to do the main cleaning and closed up the couch. He came again in the evening to open the couch and leave a towel animal. Yes, we tipped him lots extra because he was working hard. We appreciated him so much.
If you tips these guys well right from the start IF they have a good attitude which the majority do they certainly will tidy up and remove your dishes etc and then do a full cabin turn down. They work for a living extremely hard and if you show them you are not afraid to slip them a $20 every couple a days you will have essentially two times a day service. If you are on a budget or a cheap skate you are out of luck. On my recent Holland American cruise my guy asked if I want once or twice a day. I told him don't fuss over me just once a day BUT get my room service tray and glasses outahere in the morning. Not a problem and I suspect thats the way to go forward. If you carry around a pocket full of $5 bills and pass em out to everyone who gives you that extra mile you will have a fabulous cruise. They are trained not to say 'NO" to passengers. I have never ever had a crew member tell me NO on any cruise.
Most cutbacks you mention does not effect my core experience. Main part of my core experience is dinner in the MDR and entertainment. As a diamond plus member I was used to and enjoyed the pre 2023 dinner menu and pre 2020 level of entertainment. The new MDR dinner menu is overall not very good and cutbacks in entertainment is very disappointing. The fact Royal Caribbean needs to save money is not my problem, I'm still paying good money for the cruise and expect to have a great core experience. I used to take cruises just to cruise but after what I experienced on my 10 day cruise in January on Vision of the Seas, I decided cruising is not worth it and now I'm only taking cruises based on itinerary. Maybe in 10 years if things improve I'll again start taking cruises just to cruise.
That’s $16 gratuities per day per person. Sum it up for a family of five for a nine day cruise. Some people may just shrug off that amount of money but that’s ridiculous for me.
Having never been on a cruise before, and knowing that I've been invited to go with some friends this upcoming November - I don't believe that I'll be disappointed with the experience overall.
I do appreciate these videos, as they give me good information about what I should expect.
The fact that you've never been on one may be good for you as you have yet to be spoiled and won't notice the differences like those who have cruised before or often. My advice is to keep a patient and open mind and enjoy yourself.
To me, the things that matter are the food and the cutbacks on Diamond Plus / 340 level.
The theme night food is a conceptual mistake. Each time I went, I left feeling that if the food was served at my local Mexican, British, French, etc. restaurant I would not go back. On my upcoming cruise, I plan to ditch Mexican night completely, as it was the worst of the lot. The fajitas at the Windjammer looked better, though I'd prefer speciality.
With D+ members now shut out of Suite lounges, I've pretty much eliminated the Diamond Club as a perk. On my last cruise, I tried to visit it several times. There was not a seat to be had. With the other pullbacks on 340 (such as officer meals), I'm unconvinced the single supplement fee reduction will be available when I hit it. It's already restricted.
Honestly, I've lost faith in Royal Caribbean. I have one more cruise booked with them in 2023, but looking into 2024, I can't really see them as being my preferred cruise line anymore. January 2024 might see me on Princess, or Virgin, or Norwegian.
I don’t mind the one day cleaning but I don’t want the great dining cut. I’ve been cruising 30+ years and will continue.
I agree that the service staff need a regular raise but that needs to come from Royal Carribean. When I receive good service I always give more than Royal requires me to pay. BUT, I’ve been looking into traveling on a newer cruise line that does not charge gratuities. They pay their staff accordingly and I’ve been told by passengers the staff seems very happy. I have been very loyal to RCCL; I am a Diamond and Prime member but I’m looking at other cruising options with the changes Royal has made.
Sounds like our story. We are Australian based but since December have been on 5 Cruised including Alaska, Transpacific, New Zealand and Tasmania. Every cruise the conditions get worse. Heck we had better service whilst in COVID Quarantine on the SERENADE..
We're Diomonds to and agree that gratitude should be in addition to their pay not the sole source of their pay. Call it what it is "employees pay fee". Imagine a family of 4 on a 7 day cruise at $16 per guest per day. That's an additional $448 cost that's not part of the price of the cruise. They should cap the charge to double occupancy,. Larger family's will cruise on non charging gratuity lines.
I just got off voyager of the seas on 3/26/23. It was wonderful! On lobster night I had the lobster and NY strip… no extra charge (how many lobsters does anyone “need”… and there’s alway the option to buy another). Multiple cabin updates a day? Hotels don’t clean the rooms daily unless asked these days. The overall experience was superb… I can’t wait to go back. 😊
Matt, thanks for all the info…. My family feels like they know you as I repeatedly said: “Matt says… “ during our cruise. I loved the lava flow with krackin floater… good recommendation Matt!
We’re pre-gold, 6 weeks from our first sailing so, grain of salt here but the only thing I’m upset about losing is the sky pad. Our second booked sailing is for the ultimate 80s cruise in ‘24 and those people are genuinely in love with that cruise and making the most of every second. I’m with them. We could all belly ache over what was but I prefer to enjoy what I’ve got.
I'm on The 80s Cruise next year too!
There were injuries on the sky pad. One was pretty serious resulting in a lawsuit.
Yeah, they don't have the sky pad on the wonder. Which ship has it? Isn't that the weightless tube
@@janebeville7446 As usual, a few people out of Thousands gets hurt, and boom. Gone. The first cruse for me is coming up, and that tube was one of the reasons I wanted to go!
@@jameswilson5165no, the Skypad are the trampolines, they are apparently being removed, the tube is called the Ifly and should stay, I am going on my first cruise next week on the Odyssey. My daughter is already booked for the Ifly!
Thanks for the info. Appreciate the heads up.
I really appreciate all of these bits of knowledge. We’re going on our very first cruise this summer. It’s a royal Caribbean, allure of the sea cruise . I am learning a lot from you. Thank you so much.
The good thing with it being your first cruise is that you will not be missing anything because everything will be new to you 😎. I think that's a good thing.
We love the Allure, especially the solarium on sea days. You'll have a blast on this first cruise. Enjoy!
Just got off Wonder a few days ago. Cabin attendants might only clean the room once a day but they have twice the number of cabins per attendant now. Food quality and service in the dining room was not up to par on my sailing. I never do this but I sent the prime rib back. It was inedible. We had reservations but the table was never ready - once they made us stand there in a busy dining room while they separated tables from a 10 top to 5 2 tops. Unruly and RUDE kids and teenagers ran the ship - broke the glass on one of the elevators, broke into the prize cabinet in the arcade, took over the solarium many times.
I took the 4 night, 5 day on Liberty and thought it was fabulous!! I will definitely book a longer cruise on RC for next year!! The changes were all positive and understandable to me!!
I'm on liberty in September, looking forward to it despite the changes. Cruising is still providing a lot of value for the money. Changes are always going to upset people. I'm just going to enjoy it for what it is. A great vacation that I paid less then 2 grand for for 5 days of room, food, transport, entertainment etc. The individual just needs to decide if its worth their hard earned dollar. If its not, thats totally ok.
We were on Radiance of the Seas recently. While we were prepared for the changes in the main dining room menu thanks to your blog, the reality of the limited selection didn't fit our taste. We spent more time at the buffet in the evening than the main dining room. Our last several cruises were on Princess and have found that their food quality is much better than Royal Caribbean. There are pros and cons to each of these two cruise lines. An example is Royal's entertainment is a better quality and you will never grow bored, even on a sea day with the activities that have planned. We picked the recent Royal cruise because it was a smaller ship, that we loved, and because of it's ports of call. We still had twice a day cabin service. I do agree that it is not necessary. The increase for gratuities per cabin was not an issue for us. The cabin attendants work very hard to please, and definitely deserve a raise. We did not eat at any of the other restaurants on board during this cruise. One other thing we didn't care for in the main dining room, was being seated at a large table for 10, (for just 2 of us) and having to wait until every one was seated before being served. It was nice to meet other people, but we specifically asked if we had to wait for the late comers to be served, and we were told we did not. In reality, dinner service was close to 2 hours if you ordered dessert and coffee. For an unknown reason on this cruise, they did not have the dining room set for smaller parties.
The changes you mentoned are no big deal to me, and I'm OK with them. But you left a bunch of stuff out. Gone are the little pastries that would magically appear in our cabin several times during the cruise because we are Diamond Club members. Gone are the selection of breads in the MDR. Yes, they still have bread. But it's the same boring selection every night. The bars on the pool deck are painfully understaffed. On our last cruise I waited for 20 minutes and still didn't get served, so I walked away without a drink. And there are fewer waiters around the pool as well (hence my need to try getting a drink at the bar). The food in the Cafe Promonade never changes. Same sandwiches every day. Same desserts every day. And the food in the MDR, while not bad, is the same menu choices that I've been seeing on Royla cruises for the last 25 years. The attempts at cost savings that don't really change the guest experience (e.g., room cleaning once a day vs two times per day), are OK. But the other things I mentioned above certainly do. And with an increase in cruise prices, combined with a reduction in our vacation experience, we'll be forced to question the value of a cruise vacation. And turning off your loyal customers is no way to recover from the lost revenue during the pandemic.
I just got off explorer of the seas and none of those changed really impacted my experience. It was a wonderful cruise and already have next one scheduled!🚢🎉
To be honest, I don't mind these changes too much, but from what I've seen, I don't like that the complimentary food options and food quality is going down. They are having these changes and cutbacks, and then the food quality suffers. That to me is a problem. I love Royal, but their food quality needs to be improved.
Just got off The Explorer this past weekend…once a day service is fine. We were asked what time of day we prefer. Was disappointed in the Windjammer selections. Prices of everything went up which would be fine but when combined with all the cutbacks it has soured me on cruising. I’ve been cruising RCI for decades.
None of these changes effect me! Looking forward to cruising on Harmony on April 29th. We’re good over here. Thanks Matt! ❤️
They could stop building new ships every year and save billions.
Lol
Right!! Those new ships are insane and prices are ridiculous!
All the ships on order now were placed pre-shutdown. Those are binding agreements that were already financed. They haven't ordered a single ship since.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog Thanks for that information. It makes sense.
After hearing all the personnel cutbacks in staff and entertainment that Norwegian Cruise line had put in place, I was planning on switching from cruising NCL and becoming a Loyal to Royal Cruiser; but hearing that Royal Caribbean is copying NCL's charge more, and cheapen out on food and service playbook, I'll need to look at other cruise lines and other types of vacation options.
Lobster is not a problem for me. I dislike the loss of the classic options.
Need Classic options for diet needs. No problem with Lobster since Quality has diminished since COVID!
I guess I’m just a glass half full kind of person. Because as long as I am able to cruise freely, changes can happen and they always will, so just go with the flow and realize that not everyone has the ability to even go on cruises nevertheless grip about them. Happy cruising everyone!
I have been on Royal since they have made some of the changes, I honestly didn’t notice the difference in what we do. I totally understand the changes and honestly think that $16.00 a day gratitude is pretty cheap. I try to always tip more at the end of the cruise. The staff are still exceptional and so nice. I love this cruise line.
@@stevexracer4309 yeah its craze, less work but more pay
I don’t mind paying the workers that I use, but I don’t feel it’s fair to have to pay many of the people that aren’t part of my daily routine!
My problem is this... Once they make these changes I don't see them going back even after they pay off their debt and become respectably profitable. So it's not just to make up for lost revenue it's to take advantage of people in the future.
It's the same thing that is taking place at the grocery stores and restaurants and other businesses. Chicken wings for example were scarce for a while but they have since become more available and yet prices have barely come down.
To me the cruise lines are lazy businesses right now that instead of finding ways to be innovative and encouraged guests to spend more and make more money that way they decided we'll just cut things from guests. That doesn't drive the economy forward and make for a better future.
For the record I have only cruised once about a decade ago and I've got my second cruise coming up this summer so it's not like I'm going to notice most of the changes.
I do agree with you that when they balance their books and come out of the debt they won’t likely go back to the way it was pre-2023. But that’s a different discussion
I don't care about the cleaning change but the food portion/quality changes suck. At the end of the day, the free market will speak on whether these changes are a make or break.
There’s a $16.99 charge for a 2nd lobster tail. There’s absolutely NO CRAB IN THEIR CRAB CAKES. Food is awful now
I was on Harmony in February and new menu was horrible. Sent back multiple times and quality was Golden Corral level. Very disappointing. I don’t think I should be forced into specialty dining to get a cruise level meal. I have been loyal to Royal for 24 cruises and now will be trying another cruise line.
Thanks for telling it like it is...they're on the to pricing themselves outta business...but don't worry...they've got another amusement park on a ship on the way !!!
the food on Holland America was very very good...try the Koningsdam. Its not a party ship but it was excellent.
@@timtim36457 Being retired, I was looking to get back into cruising with NCL, but after they cut staff and entertainment, I was exploring Royal as a possible replacement. Being an adult cruiser, I enjoy the relaxed cruise experience, music/entertainment and food. Hearing that Royal is also cutting crew staff, food size and quality; Royal's diminished cruise experience has me considering other cruise options that still offers great food and music.
What has your experience been with Holland America?
@@wind7sailor I've never had a bad experience on Royal. It really depends on the ship. Navigator out of LA to Mexico was fantastic in January. But if you want a different less party atmosphere the Pinacle class ships on Holland like Koningsdam you might like.
I would suggest getting a suite or purchase the 'club orange' where you get a private dining room . That made the difference for me as I heard many complaints on Holland too about slow service and understaffed in main dining. Holland America is not Royal. Its a very laid back cruise..so if you are used to NCL it may not me for you. Just jump back in and don't listen to the nay sayers about cutbacks...cruising is what you make it. Just pony up for specialty dining and avoid the main dining room. Navigator of the Seas gets great reviews even today. For good reason. Great ship, crew and food.
I was on Wonder in May, I experienced these changes. What I don’t understand is the lack of understanding. If you work in corporate America, what are the changes in your industry? A lot! Look at the airline industry. I know we all have complained about the price of eggs, reaching $7, not to mention the overall cost of groceries. Changes or not I didn’t make a bed for 7 days, I didn’t cook, wash dishes or clean a bathroom for 7 days. I enjoyed breakfast in the main dinning room, Johnny Rockets and all the other including venues. I also got to wear, again, the formal gown I wore to my daughters wedding. I could still get 2 shrimp cocktails and 2 desserts. Even tried entrees I didn’t like and got another. Everything has changed since Covid, including many loss of lives (my mother). I Chose Joy and will remain loyal to RC. Thank you Matt for being transparent.
We are on Serenade currently, first time with once a day. We chose evening clean up, actually it is working fine,
interestingly, we have never been asked what beverages we wanted in out cabin, we always just had water. And we are Diamond members. And as far as the 'Crystal Block" We never knew there was such a thing till the last couple of months, having you mention them in one of your videos
Why is it that they can always cut staff and add work to the reduced staff but they never cut the excess at the top which cost a fortune.
I agree with you opening comments. Inflation which impacts cost of food and fuel (just like it does for us) and yes, the debt from the shutdown has to be addressed. So cut backs in the MDR are to be expected. Also, I believe there are crew shortages or maybe they have more duties, so cutting back on services makes sense too.
I understand the cuts I agree the last cruise I was not a guy had 6 lobsters and that's $96 so if people are eating 4 ,5 and 6 lobsters how can we keep have lobsters if the ocean run out of then
We just got off a week on the Vision and our room was serviced at least three times a day. Maybe no one told our room steward? I had been told it would be once a day, but were surprised to come back to our room throughout the day and keep finding it tidied and a new towel animal to add to the collection.
I’m new to Royal Caribbean and have only ever had once a day cabin cleaning. It has never been a problem for me. I honestly don’t want to have plan around cleaning. Lol. None of these other items bother me but again, my upcoming cruise will be my first Royal Caribbean cruise.
When it comes to the idea of “yearly raises”…. That should be coming from their employer.
I don't disagree. I would love for gratuities to just be part of the cruise fare instead of this idea they're somehow optional or an add-on
Just got off my first cruise ever and it was on independence. Enjoyed very much. At the end of cruise, I found an envelope for additional tips was left on bed by room attendant but We had prepaid 48 dollars a day for 3 people, 3 days.
Just returned from Explorer. Once a day cleaning was absolutely no problem. The selection in the Windjammer was reduced from what they had in 2019, such as no separate section for vegetables. The food quality was the same as before. MDR service was outstanding. The whole crew were wonderful.
I totally agree, we had our cleaning in the evening and could sleep longer
Explorer is my favorite 😊
Don't mind most changes but the change to UDP annoys me greatly. So I'll have to decide by noon if I can have lunch at Playmakers or if I might possibly want to swing by for a late night snack. Interesting question would be if you can split your once per day if you have two people in the same cabin on the UDP. Portion sizes are so big that we'd mostly just share one item anyway and therefore stay well under the 20 $ budget per visit.
We just got back from cruising on the Navigator and we had two-a-day room service and we ate in the main dining room at night and actually we loved the menus
i lioke your blog but definately disagree with the new menu...the last 2 cruises since the change, one took longer than before, the other was about the same length of time but less choice, we did not do mdr as much and are looking at trying other lines, part of cruising isn't it?
I think you are spot on all counts Matt! We are looking forward to Alaska on Quantum coming up in May. Anxious to try the new menu. I do like lobster but I don’t need multiple lobster tails…I’d rather pair my lobster up with a NY strip and make it a surf and turf! Great video.
Been cruising for 16 years, maybe it's time to check out some all inclusives. We'll come back, just not go every year.
I just took my first cruise on the odyssey of the seas, I loved the cruise and had a great time, the only complaints I have were all the misbehaved kids, one kid was playing with the hot water for the hot drinks and splattered hot water all over my arm!! It did not feel good!! Then I accidentally broke a glass, we picked up as much as we could, I thought since our room is going to be cleaned that night, that I wouldn’t have to say anything. After being on coco cay we had some sand on the carpet too! After the nightly cleaning, there was still sand and little pieces of glass!! So I called housekeeping and asked for the floor to be vacuumed!! Idk if that irritated the guy, but that was the only time our cabin was vacuumed!! I definitely learned not to take another cruise during spring break!!!
Royal isn’t the only line to cut back. As long as they don’t remove the tablecloths (like Carnival) in the MDR, nothing they’ve done will bother me. I’m loyal to the brand because it’s a perfect fit for my husband and myself.
I was on Adventure in February for a 5 night cruise and we had the new menu MDR and it was good I thought. All the food was hot and felt like the service was as great as always. But one thing we didn’t have was a night where lobster was on the menu, unless you purchased it. No free lobster, but I really didn’t miss it. I’m wondering what it will be like when I go next year.
I don’t agree with you that twice a day service on the stateroom is more than we should expect. I’ve been cruising for almost two decades and turn down service at night was standard. It was a nice touch.
I actually like longer dinners. We had a few dinners in the main dining room, met new people there, started chatting and spent hours there. ;)
I am a late starter to cruising. My family took me on my first cruise literally at the start of the pandemic. We were watching news about the ship in Japan as we were disembarking. I was hooked have sailed on two more Royal cruises since then. The latest cruise was after the menu change. I was disappointed not as much about the portion but of the quality of the beef in the MDR. Ok I went to Windjammer instead and the food was fine. I found if you take the Chef's suggestions in the MDR menu you will do fine. I am still Loyal to Royal have two more cruises booked.
Enjoyed the video mate! We last sailed on RCCL back in December 2019 aboard Mariner of the Seas. Our next RCCL cruise is this September on the Independence of the Seas. It is always good to know the changes that RCCL has made. None of these changes have any impact on how we cruise so that is a relief!
Yu will not be happy with dining room menu and quality reduction
@@edwardhawrylak2777 I have no set expectations. Hopefully it will good!
Just was on Oasis and the once a day cleaning didn’t bother me because we didn’t have to worry about leaving our cabin just so it could be cleaned, we enjoyed the new menu and dinner service was only a bit over an hr.
I am on Odyssey now and to be very honest we are very disappointed in the one a day cleaning service with no turn down service. We have 4 people in a cabin (2 parent, 2 children) and this is the biggest change that is affecting what makes cruising feel like cruising. I understand some people don’t like housekeeping or would prefer once a day or every other day of just just a refresh of linens. But the rooms are small. The sofa bed being left out longer and us needing to figure out how to put it out of the way and pile up the blankets in a corner really take away a lot of space in an already small room. I agree that 2 full cleanings each day maybe excessive, especially for towels and bathroom cleanings, so we would be happy with just a full cleaning and a turn down service only at night. Honestly after this cruise I may be more apt to search for cruise lines that have 2 a day services. I’m ok with paying a little more for the service or for those that opt out to get an onboard credit. The costs of everything have gone up, so I am also great with paying a little extra in gratuities and for services. The food in the MDR is as good as usual and we can take as long as we want in the main dining room, but the fried foods are not very crispy but that may just be due to the fact we are in early dinning, the number of guests on the ship, and the need that ours has been prepping longer so they can have it all prepared for the large number of guests.
I thought they still come and put away the sofa bed and put it up at night if you request it
@@Bredsaco They do.
Carnival cruise Line have been doing it since , for 6 - 7 years or so ( Once a day cleaning the cabin ) / There is No complaints about once a day cleaning @Jay H
@@Mrcruisefever1 Not true it is one of the reasons I started cruising with Royal I am very disappointed with this change 😞
You can...fold a Sofa Bed, I bet you can, give it a try...😢
I recently did my once a year Royal charter on the Navigator. We still had twice a day service. None of the other changes affected me.
The price to cruise is very expensive now and you can’t spend 4500 for an ocean balcony and have the food and staff cut.
To sum it up - I don't like paying more for getting less. Gratuities went up - service went down. They now want to charge a ridiculous amount to get a second overcooked, rubbery lobster. Things like this are just disappointing.
Wow! If anyone believes the lobster is rubbery and overcooked, then why would their belly want a second lobster anyway.
Didn't know gratuities were subject to rises. A gratuity is a tip which should be offered optionally and freely and the tipper decides how much otherwise its a tax . Basically its a con to supplement the cruislines wage bill.
I don’t like being forced to pay a gratitude on service. When in most cases had I been able to think for myself the person would have gotten more.
I do much cruising and I am a senior citizen. The biggest problem I saw was the Main Dining menu. It is not good! The theme nights sometimes are problematic to older cruisers! Some theme nights have menu items that are too spicy which caused me problems afterwards. I have found that the Windjammer offers better food and a greater selection than the main dining room. At least the previous "classics" section allowed cruisers more options. Secondly, I found out that servers are not allowed to change the plating per RCL corporate! Requesting a different vegetable was not allowed! Very disappointed in the new Main Dining room offered food!
So much for being able to cruise how you want. Now you're told exactly to take what they give you and like it. Not a fan of that.
Thank you for the heads up. I follow a plant based vegan diet and was hoping to get flexibility with my vegetables in the MDR. After all, they aren't paying for me to order lobster tail. I'll check in with the MDR when I board the ship.
I disagree on the faster service. We are still in the man dining room for two hours. Several times per week, we skip dessert so we can get out to the show
@@bossboy7497 on any cruise, the MDR service is slow and it’s not wise to eat there if you expect to be on time for a show. Experienced cruisers know this.
Just returns from sailing on the Symphony OTS on a TA voyage and room was cleaned 2 times a a day, but told my attendant that once a day is good with me
Also do like the once a day service, thought they worked their employees to hard. We always told our attendant to not bother. Secondly like the change in the main menus. We had received a questionnaire from Royal and that was our suggestion. Because of lack of variety people would go to the Windjammer.
The other changes don't effect us with the exception of the Crown and Anchor ships they give out for days at sea which is something that is very nice of them to give out as an appreciation of company loyalty.
Just got off Wonder OTS the other day. None of these changes make a huge difference. I did notice sorrentos didn’t have the anti pasta section open. Maybe another to add to the list. However my waistline did not suffer. Overall it more the thought they are cutting back versus true value change or maybe worth the fear of what will be next.
Didnt enjoy our last RC cruise - hated the ship (Anthem), the buffet was very cut back compared to prior cruises, prices for UK sailings always seem hiked up, I noticed small cut backs everywhere - just feel RC became too greedy for every $ - only thing to do is vote with your feet - 23/24 already booked with another line. Shame as I love RC but it is what it is.
We recently sailed Grandeur. The time spent in the dining room was not reduced at all. I think this is because of less staff serving more tables. The theme nights were ok. We opted for a specialty restaurant when one of the menus repeated, and although I love our English friends, I am not a fan of the cuisine. This night was a big disappointment. Everything else was great.
I’m actually happy about the once a day room prep. I definitely never felt like I needed it twice a day and I didn’t like the not knowing when my room would be attended to if I needed to change clothes really quick or use the bathroom.
I agree.
I like the twice daily. coming back to a clean made up bed at night is really nice
On our last two cruises (Wonder 11/22 oasis 2/23) there was a big difference in food quality from previous. Wonder was downright crowded and service was really slow. Thank god for El Loco Fresh!!😂😂
Excellent commentary. My wife and I sailed on an NCL ship last month. It is interesting to me that the ship was full. Previously, we sailed on eight NCL ships. We noticed a big decline in housekeeping, food and entertainment. We are not pleased with this, and may not sail again on NCL. We noticed a more severe decline on Holland America a couple years ago and have not sailed on it since. One of our ship mates on Holland America stated to me "this is our first cruise. We did not know what to expect, however, we did expect more".
I’m happy that I’m a new and relatively inexperienced cruiser! It’s all fun and enjoyable to me regardless
For over 10 years now, I have told my cabin attendants to only clean my room when I leave for dinner. I tell them use the extra time to relax when they should be cleaning my cabin. I do request extra towels and wash cloths every day. This they leave when they clean. I never feel short changed!
I agree.
Don’t like the need to change certain things. However can understand why.
I miss the twice per day tidy. We come and go a lot to our room throughout the day, so it was nice to have the tidy in the morning and then the evening tidy.
The gratuity increase is understandable and with the amount paid for the cruise fare, drink package, specialty dining, any on-board extras from shopping or activities, plus shore excursions and souvenirs.... the extra couple of dollars per day per person doesn't add up too much in comparison.
But I would like the option for a twice daily tidy.
one day cleaning is perfectly fine for me, in fact, we always have the “do not disturb” up soo that they do not waste their time and straighten up our already clean room. Hubby and I always leave our room the same way we worked leave our bedroom at home and that’s land or sea. as for the other changes, again, I fully understand the state that the world is in, working in all industries, and i also know that change is inevitable, so, in all, i’m good and will continue to cruise
My first cruise with Royal Caribbean will be in August 2023 for my anniversary. I’m just happy to be cruising and will observe but I don’t think these changes will affect my cruise experience. My first cruise was on carnival magic. I want to see how they compare to one another.
Stopped going on RCL in 2021 haven't cruised since .We're not sure if will will cruise again or what to do for vacations anymore
I never understood why they cleaned cabins twice a day anyway. They would clean the cabin in the morning after we left the room. And that was enough because we were usually gone all day. We mostly were only in the cabin just to sleep at night. Except maybe for a short nap before we changed clothes for dinner. And then when we got back to the cabin after the late shows, the cabin would have been cleaned again. But why? There was nothing to clean. Just maybe to make up the beds again. Completely unnecessary. I’m actually glad they only clean the cabins once a day. Sounds good to me.
Going on my first sailing with RCL in Nov, but cruise frequently on other lines. I will have an open mind.
Just returned from B2B cruise on Oasis. No problem at all with one a day cleaning other than I believe staff if very overworked. I was informed that cabin steward staff numbers were cut back and existing staff had more cabins to look after. MDR food was good after some problems ensuring our meals were delivered hot. MDR staff was excellent. Specialty dining at Chops was disappointing. We were rushed and staff was definitely overworked and venue seemed to be short staffed. Park cafe was disappointing. Windjammer selections are not what they used to be. Really noticed the sameness of their desserts every day and every meal. Definitely not the dining experience as in the past.