Avoidable issues

Ship tip

Beware - If there is anything wrong with your cruise, resolve it on the boat. The Guest services people will look down their noses at you and tell you corporate needs to address your issue. Corporate DOESN'T care! we have also heard of this strategy by Royal used with other friends. We booked two rooms on the Liberty of the Sea ship for a family vacation with specific configurations. Nothing fancy - king bed and a pullout couch/bed. Neither room was correct. The customer service people at corporate told us that our requests were "based on availability". So my wife and I spent three nights co-sleeping with our three year old. Next our youngest (1 year) got sick the day before the cruise so she stayed home with the in-laws. They automatically refunded the taxes and fees but kept the $18 per day "gratuity fee" or anything else. They suggested we check with our credit card company to see if there was travelers insurance. Finally - and the best is for last - there was black mold in our lower shower rails. The ship was updated in 2016 but being in constant use, it feels worn out and a bit tired. With all of this, none of our complaints were in the "Guest Log" which is how the customer service people validate that there was a problem. SUPER convenient. With the exception of useless Guest Services, ALL of the staff were amazing. It was the one saving grace for the vacation and they made it tolerable. The food was ok with the exception of a steak on my first night (I literally had to spit it out). Our waiter was sincerely embarrassed and was willing buyer beware. Read all of the fine print. Don't just read the 5-star reviews read the one and two star reviews as well. Resolve any issues on the ship because once you leave, corporate customer service doesn't care about your issues or their screw ups at all.