Royal Is NOT What It Used To Be - Can Not Even Select Your Suite, KEY IS WORST MONEY SPENT,
Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern
7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 07, 2022
Ship: Symphony of the Seas
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
As a regular who normally spends $8-10k per trip on Royal, I can honestly say that I will never sail with them again. I remember so many cruises on the Royal in the Junior Suites with so many perks, I said I would never sail with any other line and for years that is what I did and our group. I and the entire group, just canceled today in total disgust of what their bean counters have done to what once was the gem of the ocean lines. Upon booking, they provide an option of Royal selecting the suite OR you pay $3k more for the privilege of selecting your own. Sounded ok until we actually discovered that they could put us in an obstructed view suite and by not selection your own suite, the $$$ is automatically non-refundable. As this was the big July 4th week, a suite move MIGHT become unlikely. No exceptions as we found once we called the "Resolution Desk". Just a lot of "I am so sorry, and I completely understand" talk. Then came the amenity exclusions. Every perk we enjoyed by booking these suites in all the prior cruises, simply vanished. For example, if you and your loved one ever booked a suite, you will remember that it used to be VIP seats at the shows. Now you still can get those VIP seats but it will cost your an extra $420 as you need to purchase the "KEY" which gives you that. Remember the days at CocoCay or the other Royal owned beaches where you would walk up and get the snorkel gear, sorry, they now want over $60 a couple for that privilege. How about the Coastal Suite Kitchen, sorry that is only for GRAND Suite and above but you can certainly pay $4k more for that .. right.. Oh, the deluxe drink package that now cost over $1,900 per couple (I think it was $1200) excludes the mini-bar and boy did those little bottles inflate in price. When each of us added the final booking price without adding any of the perks, we found we lost all the perks but the overall price was 20% or greater than any other Royal cruise taken in the past years. Again, the Resolution Desk and every representative completely understood and agreed, but less passengers to them must be ok. So, Just Strongly Encourage us regulars who got spoiled in prior cruises with Royal, that JUST PERHAPS, we need to look at other vacation options. We all did. So sorry Royal but it is your own fault. You should be looking at how to retain your most loyal customers who incidentally spend retirement dollars very well.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
DO NOT DO THE KEY - WORST MONEY SPENT
Ports of call
Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas