Overall the trip was nice. I learned a lot about RCCI on this cruise and if we choose to sail again with them we will be better prepared for the little things that add up to be big things. I won't count RCCI out just yet. I didn't intend to seem overly critical in this review and hope it helps. Cheers!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was a breeze, was on line for less than 5 mins and even quicker getting through and onto the ship. BIG thing...Complete the online check in ahead of time.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We ordered a 3 night dining package and after being told that a reservation was made on my behalf on night 1 and that we would make additional reservations once we got onboard. Well, the only opening was at Wonderland and frankly, that is not a menu for us so I passed....then I was basically told there simply are no openings anywhere. We ended up eating at the Windjammer buffet. We ate at Jamie Oliver's on Night 2 and personally I was so disappointed in that experience. The service there was mediocre at best (We had a tough time understanding her THICK Tunisian accent which led to communication problem with the order.) The food itself was also a disappointment, Disclaimer: I know I am Italian but I promise you that I am being completely objective and not overly critical because of it. As an example the garlic bread I ordered turned out to me small dinner rolls (like you get at a wholesale store) in a group of 4 with cheese and a small amount of garlic oil. I ordered a main course of spaghetti and when that finally came out and when I put my fork to it the entire ball of pasta came off the plate on the fork...inexcusable for a specialty restaurant. The other meals were taken at Chops, which was a complete opposite experience, thankfully. The wait staff was attentive and our server was fantastic, providing helpful suggestions...the guy knew his craft and his menu item inside and out! The Windjammer was very, very good with extensive choices of foods and deserts.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I gave a 4 star here mainly because we chose to have a "Whichever way the wind blows" vacation and do what we wanted that day. We did love the bumper cars at the Sportsplex though....bumper cars on a cruise ship...lots of fun.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We followed Rock the Boat mainly...very good and talented band which is the reason for my 5th star. My GF liked the DJ at the Music Hall as well.
Children's Programs
No kids this trip!
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
This is where I was most annoyed on this sailing. Our room steward decided to take the card I used to activate the lights etc. (It was a BJ's Wholesale Club card) and put it in his pocket when he was in our stateroom. I am not one who usually makes complaints but in this case it was imperative. When I went to Guest Services and asked to speak with an Officer. The Officer listened to my complaint and kind of brushed it off rather matter of factly saying he would make a report. I even used the phrase "They have a name for what he did where I come from" and that didn't phase him at all. I heard nothing more about the incident from anyone and that put me off big time. Needless to say, the Do Not Disturb sign was on our door most of the cruise so his attendance in our room was minimal after that. I don't know if this was the end of the crews tour of duty on the ship but we found too many of them seemed to be going through the motions, not all of course, but enough to be palpable (Other repeat RCCI passengers said the same thing as well).
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship itself was beautiful and well maintained. The only "complaint" might be that signage telling you which part of the ship you are on (Forward, Mid ship or Aft) would have been helpful as this is a large vessel and easy to get lost the first couple of days anyway....other than that she is a gorgeous ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The stateroom itself was very adequate for 2 persons. The Virtual Balcony was a great idea and really did make a difference.
Ship tip
Reserve as much as they allow you to ahead of time. If you don't want to use your room key to activate lights etc. or use another card as I did, you can request a blank room card from Guest Services. Also ALWAYS have your card key as it is used for EVERYTHING on the ship. I didn't care for the idea that you needed to present your card to get a pool towel (make sure you return that towel to the attendant's area or you will be charged). We took ours to the room not knowing the policy and found a $100 charge on my bill....when we complained about this the charge was taken off. the other thing is at the bars you can only get one drink per card so if you wanted to get a round of drinks let's say, you had to collect the cards from the other folks and present them...after the fact I wondered if all the cards got hit with the drink charge as well. Sorry to say I wouldn't be at all surprised. Oh yeah, don't forget that tips are already included when they swipe your card so don't over tip unless you want to of course.
King's Wharf area was very nice and clean!! The only event we booked was the Bonfire on the Beach at Snorkel Beach. The excursion featured an evening at the beach, 3 Rum Swizzle drink coupons (for adults, kids got fruit punch), and a Smore's kit. Now, it was nice but I had a hard time reconciling a $50 P/P charge. The beach was close so we walked (they did arrange for transportation for those who had trouble walking, kudos for that). If there was food provided, like a BBQ for instance, it would have made more $$$ sense but there was none. I did see people eating so I imagine they purchased food.
Not understanding why you have a pool towel charge?? You only get charged for towels if they are not returned. I've been in many RCI cruises and that has always been their policy. As well as the gratuity...
In response to banaford....the little things to me were things like the bit with the pool towels, that led to a $100 charge (but taken off after we spoke with Guest Services. I guess to sum it up I was trying to express that knowing policies like that one or that a gratuity is already added to everything and not knowing that may cost extra $$$...things of that nature.
Enjoy your trip just be aware of the little things. Luckily you have sailed with them before and have a base of knowledge to go by. Hope you all have a fantastic voyage
Thank you for sharing. I'm taking my fiance, Mom, and her friend on Anthem. is there anything you can share with me that will enhance my experience? I've done their huge ship (Allure) and a small one (Grandeur). This one is in between... Any lessons learned etc that you could share is GREATLY appreciated. ð
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