Expensive Worst Experience Ever

Odyssey of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 5

Overall rating:

2.8 out of 5
Odyssey of the Seas

7 Night Greek Isles (Rome Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 21, 2024

Ship: Odyssey of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9698

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 3 months ago

Review summary

It was supposed to be a dream vacation, but it was one of the worst and most expensive vacations and experiences I have ever had. With every step, you feel like you are penalized/squeezed. If you are a first-time cruiser and don't have any idea about cruises, then you are screwed on this one; if you are a cruiser but don't have experience with RC, then you are screwed as well. There are multiple reasons, and here is the list. We are a group of 10 people of all ages, ranging from infants, toddlers, teenagers, middle-aged, and old. We are from a couple of states within the USA, and my parents are from India. This trip is to celebrate my parents' anniversary and my niece's graduation. I got the rooms per the suggestion of the rep to be able to get the VA discount, so we split the rooms accordingly between the 10 people. Drink Policy - We onboarded, and when I wanted to get a drink, they asked me to get the drinks package, which I didn't have any idea about before as I never got a chance to spend time on the additional packages that I had to purchase, so I purchased 2 drinks packages and 1 refreshment package, spending almost $1500. The interesting thing here is you cannot just get it only for the people who drink alcohol. You are forced to get the package for everyone in the room, regardless of whether they drink or not. For example, if I have 3 people in the room and only 1 person drinks, then you are forced to get the package and pay for all 3 people. If they are underage, then they are supposed to get refreshments and nonalcoholic drinks. Every time you want a drink, it must be you. If I want to get a drink for my father and use his card while he cannot get up, they don't allow it. The porters hardly show up. The bartenders always look at you with suspicion. Dining Policy - You are automatically assigned to dining places for the evening at 6 P.M, and if you cannot make it on time, then you cannot enter for the rest of the evening. We had to learn the hard way. However, you always have the buffet option, and the food is almost the same except that it is served at the table here. The food is mediocre and has 2-3 options max with very few choices. They have Italian, Sushi, or steak places where you have to pay extra. Customer Service - The customer service is terrible. People who work there mostly have attitude issues and hardly smile, and you sometimes come across some nice folks. I felt like they treated their customers suspiciously as if they were someone who had taken advantage of them. For almost anything you ask for accommodation, their first response is, "it is their policy." I expected there would be accommodation like other places I experienced. The policy is the last thing that should come out of the crew's mouth, but that is the first thing you almost always hear without any empathy or "let me see what I can do." I didn't have time to read the Royal Caribbean constitution. Always, you feel like they are watching you. When I'm asked about drinks packages and how they make sense, their answer is due to past customer experiences; they are doing it. Pool Policy - They have two pools and a splash place for infants. So if my 3-year-old wants to use the pool and the infant wants to be in the splash park, then the 3-year-old has to be on the other side of the splash where you don't have any visibility. When our toddler went into the 5+ years old pool, their answer was that it was their policy, and my 3-year-old had to be on the other side. My wife asked, "I am by myself," and their response was, "where is your husband?" The point here is you go on these cruises or all-inclusive to be free, relax, and get a break. It is a $2B ship, and they forget the basic common-sense idea that children should be on one side and adults on the other. Interestingly, adults are all over the place. They announce in the buffet and dining halls to appreciate their servers that are working tirelessly to make us happy, and they mention, "Ladies and gentlemen, we believe we have given you a 10-star service. You will get a survey in 24 hrs; please fill it." They take it for granted that they are the best, and customers don't have a choice other than giving them 10 stars. It is supposed to be, "We thank you for choosing us with your hard-earned money when there are many options out there. Please let us know how we can make your experience better and make it a dream vacation. We look forward to serving you again." Towel Policy - Every time you want to get a towel, you scan your key card, and you have to return it again by scanning your key card. For both these tasks, you have to stand in line. If you forget to scan to return the towels, you are charged $25 for each towel. For getting ice cream in the pool area, there is almost always a line. To get to guest services, there is always a big line. So, part of your vacation will be spent in lines in most places. Security Nightmare - This is a big one. My father, who is from India, is a very social person and he is interested in people, and part of this is due to his culture. He is curious and treats people like his own. The man is 77 years old. He is not fluent in English and speaks broken English. Apparently, he met a Mexican gentleman and had a conversation, and the gentleman mentioned that he was on his honeymoon. The next day, we were disembarking in Turkey, and security stopped my father due to an alert in their system and pulled him aside with me. They questioned him and said he bothered someone by asking about their personal life, and his wife complained. I was shocked to hear the way the security guy was questioning and told my father not to spend time on the deck where children are without a reason and also said, "don't bother people." They didn't even bother to ask his side of the story. My question was, are we on a vacation or a wartime ship? It bothered me so much that on my way back to the ship, I saw the same security guy and asked how he came to this conclusion. He said my father was walking at the door back and forth and talked to this gentleman. It is our policy not to spend time on the deck where children are without any reason. But in this case, my father was lost on that big ship and has grandkids of all ages. I don't remember signing anything about not spending time on the deck, and he even said I or anyone else cannot spend time either. I was shocked by this type of response and attitude. For what reason? Because he is having a conversation with a person? My father didn't spend much time outside after that. He was in his room for the most part. We ended up not even celebrating their anniversary. My father felt it was his mistake to talk to strangers, and he said he didn't realize it was a bad thing. I felt bad for him and how our society has become. Pressing Clothes Policy - We got our clothes thinking they had iron boxes in the room. No, they don't due to security reasons, but you can get laundry. You have to pay $5 for a full shirt and $4 for a half shirt. Why can't you do like other companies like Norwegian, where they bring the iron box, and after they're done, you just return it? It is just another reason to make more money. Overall, the ship is new with a whopping $2B cost, which is above my experience. What is the point of an expensive ship if it makes you feel horrible and is the worst experience of your life? They should train their staff better. They should make people feel welcome. While it is an organization for profit, it feels like profit and policy are first, and people are next. I prefer an older ship with an empathetic crew and good service for the money you pay and who really respects and values customers, not treats or makes them very uncomfortable. These ships make a ton of money every day they sail by keeping customers last and everything else first. When I tried to share my experience with a guest service staff, the guy said, "Sir, we sail thousands of people, and we know what we are doing," with a type of attitude. I do not recommend it to anyone. You have better options out there. I've been on Norwegian and been to all-inclusive resorts like Hyatt, where they treat you right and truly make your experience memorable. Money is lost, and my precious 10 days got wasted with the worst experience, making my parents feel terrible. I hope this helps.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Children's Programs

2 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Stay away

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

1 out of 5

Santorini, Greece

4 out of 5

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

2 out of 5

Mykonos, Greece

4 out of 5

Naples, Italy

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

2 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 5

11 Comments

guesswho21900     3 months ago

Ok, so after reading that dissertation, obviously you didn't do your homework. So my wife and I have been on many many cruises, all of which have been on RC, or Celebrity. Anytime we cruise we purchase our drink package on the website before we even step on the ship, if you have children you should look at Disney cruises or go to a place that is kid friendly. My last cruise my stateroom account at the end of the cruise was 36 bucks. Why, because we book everything we are going to do months before our cruises. Excursions, drink package, dining, etc.

Mimilu7     3 months ago

I’m seeing the evaluation above and then the responses from the crew AND the Captain — I am disappointed that this evaluation by a paying vacationer was judged as they were… RCCL used to be a very good cruise to go on, now I am a bit leery what we will be experiencing

Gwbigdog     3 months ago

Oops sorry thanks

PNWDenny     3 months ago

Sorry you had a bad time, but use this experience as a lesson to do your research for your next cruise.

cruising2004     3 months ago

Sorry you were disappointed but you have to do your research.

javawoody     3 months ago

TiffyTaffy     3 months ago

Sorry you had a negative experience. I always tell people to research, research, research or use a travel agent.

ousoonernurse     3 months ago

This review wasn't helpful at all. It was a long list of rambling complaints, most of which resulted from not doing general cruise research, as well as having what appears to be some sort of paranoia of everyone looking at you suspiciously. I highly doubt that everyone was watching you and your family like you were up to something with every move. No cruiseline allows you to have an iron. Some have a laundry room with one to use, but not in your room. The drinks package could have been addressed before embarking, but you didn't do your research, so you paid extra. You could have opted for the refreshment package for everyone and paid per drink for those who just HAD to have alcohol and probably would've come out cheaper. You can also use another person's card to get them a drink. I've done it before, so again, if you felt like they were eyeing you, that's your perception. Dining room times can either be assigned or MyTime, but you obviously didn't handle that before boarding either, then became angry when you showed up late to the MDR. Finally, I feel like the point of their "no lingering on the children's decks without a reason" policy (which I've never heard of) would be to protect our children from pedophiles and predators. As a parent, I'd hope you could appreciate that.

kellies26     3 months ago

If you take the persons card you wish to get a drink did you can. You can change dining time. Ask questions, find out. Cruising is a good value for your money, maybe not for you.

BarbSeymour     3 months ago

I feel like a lot of your complaints could have been averted if you were proactive before the cruise . We did research and found out you can not bring an iron on board. As for your dining time of course if your late your not getting in that's being courteous. When people come off with a big long list of complaints I don't think anything would please them . As for friendliness of staff you are a job they are doing . I don't expect everyone to cater to me . I enjoy myself and don't sweat the small stuff .

HeavySeas     3 months ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience and glad you enjoyed your cruise

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