This is going to be a little bit of a random download / trip report so feel free to skip past it if that isn't of interest to you It's also a LOT of complaining, so again, feel free to skip if that's not your cup of tea.
After far too many years away from cruising, and a cancelled COVID trip, we finally got to sail on the Adventure of the Seas this past week on a 5 night Bermuda cruise. This was our 6th cruise, and all of them have been on Royal. The first 5 we loved and always felt it was money well spent. This time, everything changed.
Topline takeaway : I always felt that even though the cruise came along with upcharges and added costs, I still got the impression that the Cruise line cared that I had a good time in the end. I always felt appreciated and respected as a passenger, and a vacationer, and even though it wasn't an all-inclusive, I always felt that their number one goal was my happiness. Yes. I know their goal is to make money, but they used to be so much better at still leaving me feeling that I got value.
I didn't feel that way at ALL this time around.
First the food. I have LONG defended the food on this cruise line from those who said it wasn't good. It was never 5 star dining, but I always felt well-fed and well taken-care of. Not this time. The quality and quantity of the food in the dining room has declined to the point that I have to agree with the criticism. A shrimp appetizer had 3 small shrimp. That's it. More fun times at Johnny Rockets when we asked "are these starters per person or to share"? He said to share. Then he brings our onion rings. Four small onion rings for four people. *****? And...my wife's burger never came at all.
I also need someone to explain to me. COVID is airborne. How does congregating large groups of people outside the Windjammer so they can wash hands make sense? Seems to be an increase in risk. It would seem that the quick hand sanitizing shots that they did outside the main dining room would make much more sense. I'm also curious why I can't make my own ice cream...sorry, frozen yogurt...cone outside on the pool deck? How is COVID more transmissible in that one spot as opposed to every other surface in the Windjammer? Or on the soda machine touch screens? On the Promenade coffee machine handles? Arbitrary and didnt make sense.
$7.95 upcharge for breakfast room service if it's an egg, but free if its toast. I don't get it.
$200 for a family of four for a premium restaurant now. Oof.
And there used to be SO many more places to get food. Forget about the long gone away midnight buffets, what about even the burgers and dogs poolside? Now, the ONLY place I could find ANY food during non meal hours was the Promenade, and there was always a huge line because of it.
Overcrowding 3,800 people onto a boat despite COVID...fine I can deal with that...but why are you closing half the pools on an AT SEA day? Insanity. People were pouring OUT of the hot tubs.
The WiFi? I paid $400 for 4 devices with "streaming". It was AWFUL. Worked maybe 25% of the time, and not at a speed where anything was streamable.
I could go on (I know this is a total *****-fest and I am sorry)...But It just felt like every possible opportunity to make things harder for passengers, RCI did that thing. And I NEVER felt this way before about RCI. I don't know if cruising just isn't for me any more, or if its just RCI.
