Onboard Royal Caribbean Right Now - MAJOR CUTS - Paying more for less!

We are onboard Symphony of the Seas right now and have noticed some big cuts. What's going on? Why are we paying much more for less? Watch now to see how our cruise has been and what's different!
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00:00 Intro
00:45 Food Cutbacks
05:12 Stateroom Cleaning Cutbacks
06:17 Entertainment cutback
07:13 Gratuity Tips Increase
07:33 Drinks Cutbacks
08:15 Service Cutbacks

[@InsideCruise]

Sign up to our FREE email newsletter. Never miss out on our videos again! 👉 bit.ly/3XuZdsy

[@travelwithdebandnick]

Have just signed up ❤❤

[@cjphx86]

I am so grateful a cruise blogger finally posted about these changes! I observed them at the start of the new year. Royal Caribbean is literally delivering half the service in 2023 that they did in 2022. Half the sushi, half the stateroom service, half the delight. Royal Caribbean is in a race to the BOTTOM!

[@fluffytail6355]

First world problems. I’m sure many of the Ukrainian refugees wouldn’t complain about such things.

[@bradl.4462]

Thank you both for calling out these obvious changes to us consumers. You are correct that it isn't fair to the consumer to charge more for less, both in quantity and quality. Not to mention the increase in gratuities recently that also equated to LESS service. THANK YOU for pointing out this obvious money grab by Royal Caribbean. Long time Royal cruiser who feels the same as you both!

[@MadHail7]

Agree with everything here, but we honestly can’t ask any of these cruise companies to completely shut down for an extended period, then return to operating with very limited capacity, and not have to try to make up their money someplace. Unfortunately, the fact is that I might not want to cruise anymore after experiencing the most recent money saving measures.

[@shaelove70]

Life isn’t fair, Covid wasn’t fair, the fact that the cruise industry being shut down for almost two years wasn’t fair to all the people who work in customer service and staffing not having a job or raise for two years isn’t fair. Covid changed the world and the hospitality industry was hit the hardest. So tired of the 1st world problems of people who clearly have enough money to go on several cruises a year, not to mention how much food is wasted with people ordering food they barely even eat just because they can. I said what I said.😑

[@LeSpy877]

@@shaelove70 That's not an excuse for scamming your loyal customers like this. The fact is they are charging more for less, we all work hard for our money and when we spend thousands of dollars to go on a cruise vacation, we expect to have the best time of our lives. I'm tired of people making the "1st world problems" argument, yes we are well aware that we're fortunate people who get to go on cruises multiple times a year. But that is NOT the problem, if you're gonna cut back on food, services, and entertainment, then you must cut down on the price as well. Also yes people do waste food on cruises, and I am completely against that, but I'm willing to bet that's a minority of people. It doesn't justify punishing the rest of your cruisers for the small amount of people who waste food.

[@stebee872]

I get that the cruise lines need to make up lost revenue and they probably realise they have a captive audience so can get away with it. What annoys me though, is that they will eventually be back making profits but they won’t go back to the way things are. Once consumers are used to the new norm it’ll be just extra profit for them.

[@99999myk]

@@LeSpy877 Thank you. The 'first world problems' poster sounds like a socialist living in his mothers basement. My next cruise is my most expensive and if I get amateur service in the main dining room, I'm going to demand my gratuities be refunded. So many don't know but you can do that. BTW: I also tip in cash too 100$/week. I won't be doing that again if service sucks

[@carolm4545]

Hello. We just came back from Freedom of the Seas, and the food situation was just as you described. Many regular menu items have moved to the “specialty restaurants.” The buffet is half of what it used to be. Unfortunately, It is essentially fast food (hot dogs and hamburgers and starches) with a small grilled steak option. I will be mentioning it all in my review. If customers don’t mention their displeasure, then RCL will continue its cutbacks.

[@kendrawaterbury2328]

The cost of things right now is sucking the joy from everything 😢

[@NVRLNDN]

THANK YOU so much for being 100% honest and transparent with what youre finding. These cruise lines need to be held accountable.

[@williamgauthier9294]

We NEED all you KZbin content producers to keep telling it like it is. Hopefully the pressure will cause the cruise lines to rethink their cutbacks. They watch your videos.

[@luluballoon]

We booked a cruise to Coco Cay to replace the one cancelled during Covid and the Thrill waterpark passes are now $231 per person! We had to tell our kids no, we're not paying $1000 for a few hours of waterslides.

[@InsideCruise]

Ouch! That's a huge increase.

[@duffin.caprous]

Yeah, everything on Coco Cay went up, but unfortunately...it's because people are paying it. The over-water cabanas are an insane $1800, but they're sold out. Prices are never going to stop increasing there until people stop paying the higher prices.

[@luluballoon]

@@duffin.caprous they're more like $3400 for our sailing.

[@chrisscarfo1149]

We are going on the wonder in May of 2024 and the coco bungalows are 3900.00!! I almost passed out..I guess people can afford them but not me I’d rather save that money for something else!!

[@elizabethdurbin9286]

If they cancel cruises they should honor the pricing on excursions if you rebook within a certain amount of time. Wonder how many cruises have been cancelled due to projected revenue after the fact and raised prices...

[@RyanHolliday211]

As a former Royal Caribbean staff member, my take on the crew issue is that they sent all their well-trained crew home during the shutdown, all those people had to find new lines of work to keep themselves afloat for over a year, and when cruising came back a lot of those people were not available to return. Even then, the return happened so slowly that for some people it was a whole extra year before they could return (thus driving even more people to seek out alternate work). Cruise lines are now having to scrape the bottom of the barrel and take what they can get when it comes to new hires.

[@elpurr81]

My husband and I were just on the Anthem last month and everything you just said is what we were complaining about when we got home. It’s so disappointing because we’ve been very loyal to Royal over the years. It definitely helped us to decide to branch out and try a different cruise line for our next cruise, just booked Holland America Rotterdam for 2024!

[@BritsAbroadTravelCruise]

Well, every detail of that is grim news. And frankly RCI needs to receive feedback in the form of a huge line of guests at guest services demanding their gratuities be waived. That should filter through to the bean counters and boardroom soon enough 😏

[@matthewwindisch9449]

This is very disappointing to hear! I’m a huge Royal Caribbean fan. My family and I have always been extremely happy with the service and the food alike. We are sailing this July on the Odyssey of the seas. We are very excited. This is our first Mediterranean cruise. I’m really hoping we aren’t significantly disappointed with these changes. Royal Caribbean has been very successful for a reason. The quality of service ,food and overall experience in my opinion is the best out of all the main stream cruise lines. If Royal Caribbean wants to continue filling Billion $$ ++ cruise ships they better seriously reconsider these changes. I’m loyal to Royal, but would be willing to try another cruise line if I’m significantly disappointment after spending thousands of dollars..

[@jacquelinecoci3063]

I’m curious…how was your cruise?

[@matthewwindisch9449]

@@jacquelinecoci3063 overall very good. Got to see Pompeii and lots of beautiful places. The ship was beautiful and the crew was excellent. The only negatives were the ship was a bit more crowded than I liked and the selection of food in the MDR and Windjammer seemed to have been cut. The food was still good but the selection has definitely changed compared to my previous 4 RCCL cruises.

[@WendyS18]

Thank you for reporting on this. It’s totally understandable that there need to be cutbacks, but some of these changes to service are a bit of a mickey take. You guys have a much bigger voice than the average consumer, so it’s much appreciated that you’re speaking up for us all, thank you!

[@lenvella9541]

Why would you possibly think these cut backs are understandable? Paying more for a cease getting less for your money is far from being understandable it is daylight robbery, You try advertising something and not delivering you would be charged with fraud.

[@lenvella9541]

It is not understandable at all not when they are charging more than previously for much less. That is called getting ripped off.

[@dd-dd2co]

Like the ridiculous main dining menu reduction. Time for people to push back against royal.

[@anotherdayanothercountry4875]

What no one is talking about is shortages in manpower! The industry struggles big time with employees shortages and the competition!

[@vittoriovuocolo2438]

Third world countries have plenty of people willing to work. The cruise lines are trying to do without. Lots of industries do the same thing. The top brass still wants their big bonuses so the little guy gets cut.

[@WilliamGoularte]

We were on Symphony last month and noticed some of the same things. When I called down to guest services for a paper cruise compass, they told me that they will only provide them to guests over 80 years old. I told them that I identified as an 80 years old so I will expect one in my cabin the next day. They did provide it, but not without a lecture from the cabin steward. We do not like the lack of choices on the new menus. I especially don't like being treated like a fool by telling us that they changed the menu to "speed up service". Another big probelm we had was that "my time dining" is actually "their time dining". We had reservations for 6:30 every night which they changed every night to 7 or 7:30, with very little notice....and we still had to wait in line for an additional 15 or 20 minutes. This screwed up our show schedule. Our servers were great and did the best they could to make up for it but the dining room is a complete mess from a scheduling standpoint. We thought the entertainment on our 7 day cruise was great but we did notice that they did not fly in a headliner like usuual. We are also very experianced cruisers with RC and others.

[@carolm4545]

We asked for a paper Cruise Compass, and we’re in our 50’s and 60’s and don’t want to be tethered to our phones. Fortunately, we received no lecture! You’re entitled to a paper copy.

[@mashenka6189]

I identify as an 80 year old! 😂Well done…we also despise being glued to our phones on a holiday…

[@steveericson6209]

You are absolutely correct. We were on that same Symphony transatlantic cruise as you, and we noticed just about everything you mentioned. We did two transatlantic cruises with Royal Caribbean in 2022, and things had already started slipping. But our observation from the 3 cruises we've already taken with them in 2023 is that Royal Caribbean seems to be in a race to the bottom.

[@lawjones2177]

Ben , cheaper alcohol is called "well" , its not unusual - sometimes packaged promos or happy hour will show you two prices ,well or premium 😉 But if RC will give you the premium without a price increase than they are being more than fair , you just have to know to ask . Thank You for Letting Us Know.

[@garyfrass]

This is soooo unfortunate i was planning on celebrating my 50th in 2024 with a large amount of family members (approx. 50) most of us our first cruise; myself included. Royal Caribbean was our first choice after watching the many videos of what is been offered, collectively we approve it to be the best over all value, but after seeing all these vlogs doing comparisons, documenting the deterioration of value, sadly the conversation about land vacation has began.

[@mariefolsom2144]

Not all cruises are bad! We just took a large family cruise on Carnival's Panorama. Our group was ages 1 to 90 years old. There was so much to do, so much fun, great food and entertainment! Crusies are the best for large family trips!

[@fluffytail6355]

A land vacation is NEVER better value than a cruise. What are you worried about the buffet for? There’s still more than adequate food for everyone. No one will starve. In fact, I’m glad to see cut backs on the food with the amount of wastage going on pre-COVID.

[@davidbrewster9743]

We were on symphony and anthem last year… great food and times. We were on harmony 2 weeks ago … everything you said in this video we saw too. Food and service and entertainment way way down. I have a 2 week spectrum cruise in September (Singapore to Tokyo)… I’m kinda regretting booking it now :(

[@zackj997]

I've been planning our first RC cruise since the food reviews were usually better than everyone else but this video is making us reconsider. Bad food is a dealbreaker. Thank you for this video.

[@InsideCruise]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kimmy722]

Yea. I already booked one for next year and now I’m hoping to cancel it for carnival. I was just on the Mardi Gras and it was great

[@omegadeep1]

Bad??????? Did anyone say the food was bad?

[@fluffytail6355]

No one said the food was bad 🤦‍♀️

[@conradlogan5201]

I too was on this same cruise and have to agree with most of your observations Once upon a time, dinners began with freshly baked breads. (What I found oft repeated was that breaking bread would have required a saw or hammer 🔨 totally inedible My servers in the MyTime dining did a reasonable job and enquired as to our satisfaction regularly ParcCafe used to be a lovely spot to find a snack on prior voyages. But everything I tried there this time, though it looked appetizing-to the palette, it fell far short They used to do a great job (which is what keeps people coming back). Now it just seems “ok”… for the most part. I expected better

[@debbyharasen6338]

I just got off a 7 night cruise on the Harmony of the Seas on March 18/23. I agree with the review of the food at Jamie’s Italian. I found the food there to be very bland, nothing special about it at all. I did find the food and service in the main dining room to be excellent. I didn’t notice a language barrier. Some of the staff had accents but had excellent English skills. The shows were excellent although I wasn’t impressed with the aquatic show, The Fine Line. “Grease” was excellent as well as “Christopher Columbus the Musical” and the ice show. The comedian at The Attic was “ok”. This was my first cruise.

[@highlander69usa]

Was on an 8 day cruise on Odyssey of the seas 2 weeks ago and apart from Playmakers the food was excellent. Playmakers food was very poor though compared to other ships. Onion rings were greasy. They used thin fries and powdered cheese vs steak fries and shredded cheese we have experienced on other ships and the burgers were over cooked / dried. We found the buffet and MDR to be excellent and our kids loved el loco fresh on the pool deck. Upcoming cruise in July on Oasis so I’m hoping the experience your describing is isolated to Symphony and not fleet wide.

[@rhill49849]

I don’t mind smaller portions, take a look at the average American cruiser! Portion sizes were too large to begin with. I always feel guilty not being able to finish a dish because the portion is too large. And I don’t really give a crap about turn down service. But the lack of quality is a concern.

[@ZiggyZ820]

Buffet on Anthem was fabulous,,, we had 2 turndown service a day

[@mandkallen]

You guys are great and love your videos on both channels. We are hoping to do Royal again at some point this year if we can fit it in more than likely Anthem as never been on her yet. just hope they get the service right. You can make some cuts to save money like the cleaning but the food entertainment etc needs to stay top notch

[@donnaruatara]

We have done 2 Royal Caribbean cruises in the past 8 weeks and you are 💯% Ben.I was very disappointed in the food quality and serving sizes but the server's were very attentive and doing their best with limited staff.

[@gmkarliah6528]

Breaks my heart to hear all this but I appreciate your honesty.

[@heather1980]

My biggest frustration with Royal is that the single supplement on cruises I’ve looked at is almost 3x the cruise rate. I found a transatlantic sailing that was listed as $549pp plus 40% of the second passenger. When I went to book it as a solo it was over $1400.

[@nay0333]

Ridiculous!

[@BlissGroove]

Seriously? Never 3 times. Only equal to the price of two passengers. On Princess, the single supplement was 10% depending on itinerary and Month of the 7-15 day sailing. I know coz I've helped my single friends on finding these cruises.

[@ZiggyZ820]

My Anthem cruise last week was fabulous. Nothing like what you saying about Sympathy

[@pilot_ddl]

Thank you for calling out these changes. We were on Wonder of the Seas this past October and we definitely experienced these cuts and they were very disappointing. We actually got food poisoning for 2 days from eating chicken parm in the main dining room. The windjammer was a complete mess and the food quality was not up to RCCL par. It’s such a shame because we have sailed them for 20 years and are diamond. I really hope some of this changes soon!

[@ginagreen1202]

I was in Adventure of the Seas a couple of weeks ago and this was EXACTLY the experience we had. Very disappointing.

[@pidrew]

We just had our 9 day cruise on board Radiance of the Seas last week and we did immediately notice the portion size of food served during main dining meals. They are small and it ended up having us requesting sometimes for a second serving or looking for snacks after a couple of hours.

[@fluffytail6355]

And it was all included in your cruise fare

[@ChristianLehrer]

Good news is Radiance has included snacks at Park Cafe, the Doghouse and even Cafe Lattetudes.

[@Snooze_M]

I’m glad you are addressing the inconsistencies with the dining… not only with purchasing the speciality dining, but with the MDR as well. I was on this sailing with you. I posted a picture of the amount of Coleslaw I had received on UK night on the FB Dining page… to get attention - I went into complete detail about how our dining experience had been to that point in MDR. It was horrible to be honest. Food temperatures were terrible, even presentation of same entrees ordered within our 10 top table were vastly different from person to person. Example - 3 people ordered Chicken Parmigiana one night. One had a beautiful plate, one looked like it had been sitting for days and was barely warm, and one was just warm enough to eat. How does this happen within the same table? I was beat up a lot on this post by a lot of Loyal to Royal cronies. We ourselves have chosen to be Loyal to Royal (mostly) and I’m not going to just let it go because of that. Its unacceptable to be served food thats not edible and we made it very well known to our waiter, the head waiter, and maître d’, that were significant issues at our table - EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. It wasn’t until Night 11 when EVERYONE finally had HOT edible food. That’s ridiculous. We even had the sous chef come to the table one night. Our group discussed whether or not RCL is TRYING to push people to buy the UDP by serving crap in MDR. Doesn’t seem like a great business plan if they are. They don’t have a way to accommodate an influx of people purchasing and trying to utilize speciality dining… and to cut back on even what is being served… who is going to want to continue buying those packages?

[@robertc1982]

The turn down service at night is a nice touch ! I can’t believe they are doing this

[@tominfldixon2020]

The new policy is your room will continue to be cleaned and servicesd , but only once a day, and you can choose a morning or evening service with your steward. I asked for a morning refresh and once done, I had a fresh bed to crawl into and no bother of service throughout the day. Just ask for your preference.

[@jamieandrews4880]

Aww this is so sad to hear 😢 We were thinking of booking Symphony soon! A month ago we sailed on Anthem from Bayonne and the service and food were great. Such a contrast! Thanks for posting this and keeping us up to date! Keep up the great work guys!

[@marylamb7897]

Great info, thanks. Hope everyone is utilizing the post cruise survey to discuss these issues.

[@user-yq1dy6tz3e]

We noticed this about a year ago. And sad to know it’s still continuing. Thank you for speaking the truth. Royal Caribbean needs to step it up especially when hiking prices !

[@lissaforrest33]

Thank you as always your honesty keeps us informed. Cheers.

[@daftcattravel]

Appreciate the honesty. It's bad to hear that the increasing prices are paired with lowering standards as everything seems to be costing so much more this year than it has over the past couple of years, with almost a doubling of the base cruise cost compared to 2 years ago.

[@tombgoblin4239]

my wifey and i are beyond excited for out may 7th oasis of the seas cruise, this video was real honest and informative, thanks a lot for the info!

[@pdallen5801]

These cruise lines are suffering what I call the “Kmart Collapse.” There was a time when Kmart was the leading discount retailer. While their merchandise and prices were cheap, you went there for the Blue Light Specials, and there were cafeterias and most important: Customer Service! But, minimum wage in America went up to $5.25 an hour (yes, the decline started in the late 80’s) after being $4.75 an hour for several years. So Kmart significantly cut in-store staff. So customer service suffered. Because customer service suffered no one went there anymore. Because no one shopped there anymore the got rid of the cafeterias. They stopped Blue Light Specials-because after all, their prices were lower than Walmart, right? All everyone cared about were low prices. Well, how many Kmart’s are left, now? Cruise lines are doing the same thing. They’re screwing with customer service to make more money for investors, pretty soon, there will be nothing really special about cruising. I also read the cherry-picking comments like “well I don’t need my cabin cleaned twice a day.” So, why not every other day, then? What about once or twice during a 7-night cruise? While you’re at it, entertainment will require a small additional charge, maybe $10- $20 to see a broadway style show, while Zippy-the one man band is free. Well, we’ve been paying extra for specialty restaurants, where the food is significantly better than the main dining room and buffet for the last 15 years so we’ve already lost that fight. But, as long as we think it’s a better “value” we’ll keep cruising. Just know that this is just the beginning of stripping away the “special value” that we had on cruises, because we’ve already agreed that we’re okay with it because we keep cruising.

[@trinity1181]

Noticed the cheap alcohol in the Cocktails on a RC cruise in June last year. Had to specify each alcoholic element even on the top package . Not a huge deal but it is very cheeky and takes away from the relaxation element of the Cruise .

[@debbief2882]

Thank you for your honesty. I haven't been on Royal, and I think I'll keep it that way!

[@marielco]

Thanks you for this new channel. The practical information and news etc.. complements beautifully the Ben & David channel I have been watching for a very long time. This particular video was very informative. My husband and I are sailing on Explorer of the Seas in June and very much appreciate the heads up re changes in advance. Best of luck with both your channels.

[@whome8444]

TY for this-Keep the Heat on!

[@jackvanleeuwenkamp4706]

We feel exactly the same! We will be diamond+ after our next cruise in may on the ovation and we hope it’s better then our last one on anthem. I also hope the powers that be are listening to all your reviews and have meetings to try and solve these very important issues or the saying “loyal to royal” might not exist anymore in the near future. ❤️🇨🇦

[@shirleyi.jamesrn9115]

You have inspired me to go on my first cruise ever in Oct. I hope things are better before then.

[@TEACASTRO]

Wow Im glad im seeing this now. My husband and I were thinking of booking Wonder of the seas in September. Ill have to think more about it now

[@nancymurphy3127]

Thank you Ben. We enjoy your videos for both channels. We are cruising on the Allure in a few weeks and we will be watching out for all you pointed out. Keep up with those insightful videos.

[@MsMancans]

We're on Quantum of The Seas now, first time on RCI. A couple of things we noticed about the food was an overall stingyness on sauces and gravy. Had to ask for extra every single time. Also every thing seems watered down or just bland - was often difficult to identify the main flavour in a meal. And without a doubt, everything was cold.

[@andersonsm02]

Very interesting and not surprising! Thank you for this concise no-nonsense video. Have seen this starting through several cruises in 2022 and accelerating as the year went on to where we are now.

[@akajasonbourne]

If this carries on, on other lines I'm done with cruising

[@LuckyPierre789]

I was on Symphony last year, and it was awesome. Crew was awesome. But-it sounds like you are are dealing with a mostly new crew since the ship repositioned to Europe. The service issues anyway. The cutbacks to portion sizes may also be related to the new market since Europeans typically do not have the 'huge' American size portions. And inflation all over the world has hit everything/everybody in different ways. Thank you for the great review! I will be hitting Diamond Plus on a Hawaii to Alaska cruise next year on Quantum and can't wait! Cheers!

[@susana7968]

Thank you for this honest review! I've heard about changes in the Royal Caribbean Facebook groups, but as soon as anyone says anything negatives, the Royal Caribbean cheerleaders come out and say we should all just be happy to be on a cruise. No, we shouldn't be happy to be paying more and getting less! I'm also glad you pointed out about the alcohol, I don't even think about that because they USED to only have decent brands. Also I appreciate your reviews because you have comparable cruises to compare it to. A lot of the issues you brought up could be dismissed as being because it's a transatlantic... except you know you've had better service on previous transatlantics. So much for that argument!

[@lawjones2177]

I understand the price increases not only did the the cruise lines lose so much during the pandemic ( money and other assets like crew ) But the cost of everything has gone up drastically everywhere 😕 my grocery bill has gone up by more like 25% ! Utilitys , taxes, gas and medical all have increased . What is not excitable to me is the quality going down . Portion size perhaps, but not cold , not inferior taste. And not service! Water and cutlery, thats a must . There are schools that charge a considerable fee to train almost all aspects of service aboard the ship . Are they not being trained properly ? Or are they just so short staffed that they can't get it all done ? The prices are what they are - and its always been whatever the market can baer - but people should hopefully be able to depend on quality not necessarily quantity for their dollars.

[@lawjones2177]

P.S .. IT'S NOT JUST ROYAL CARIBBEAN

[@scottmilne4757]

Law Jones, the rest have cut back but nobody is talking about the food now being terrible on ncl or princess are they, it's just royal that had cut everything to the bone, poor decision imo as people choose to cruise the money can and will be spent elsewhere

[@lawjones2177]

@@scottmilne4757 It is what it is ... Question, are you getting value for your money ? Each potential cruise passenger will need to decide this , and they will need to look at different ships and different cruise lines to determine whats best for them. The whole cruise industry is in flux right now - and it will take quite some time before things are more even keel ( pun intended ) In the meantime there are work around s , first of all don't expect every thing to be the same as in the past, and don't expect one ship to have the best of everything- you will need to weigh out the options.

[@TheNoahm123]

Did Anthem of the seas in December and everything was great going on Wonder next month optimistic that it will be fine but thank you for your honesty love watching your videos

[@michelemottram5998]

Great video we found the same on P&o no entertainment on lots of evenings and no staff also not interested in any problems great to hear about similar problems

[@norberteng9496]

Thanks Ben for the info. We will be on the Oasis in Aug. we also bought the 3 meal dining package. Now we have to lower our expectations! We were on the Voyager last year, we had the 3 meal dining package as well. We can compare!!

[@robinrosen3236]

Love watching you both. Thank you for always being honest. I haven't cruised in years and am looking to take my daughter on a cruise for her graduation gift. Have tried many lines in the past and would have probably gone with RCCL, but now will likely consider Princess. Thank you for making sure so many others will not walk away disappointed. ❤

[@soulfulaip]

This is why I’m trying a different cruise line this year. I just couldn’t justify paying more than double the price for the same service and quality I received on my last cruise with RCL. To hear it has gone down even more since then is a shame. It seems that RCL is appealing more to new cruisers that may not realize the difference in quality. Well, I’m a fairly new cruiser and I know better.

[@maegankberry]

This makes me nervous about our January 2024 4 day cruise on Liberty of the Seas. We loved our cruise last April in 2022 on Oasis of the Seas. We went on a Disney cruise in Nov 2022 on the dream and I enjoyed my Oasis cruise way more and I’m a huge Disney fan! Hoping things change. Thank you for this update. It’s very useful information.

[@HeffyMatrix]

Thank you so much for sharing this experience!!! I’m cruising on Liberty in mid-April and will most definitely be mindful and watch out for all of this, and I will come back and let you know here my experience there. I’m hoping it was just the crew on your ship this time, but I can see RC cutting back on food portions bc of inflation, but not bad service, that’s awful!!

[@lucywilliams2527]

Ben, thank you for your honesty. I was really interested in your review. We sail Disney and have been interested in sailing RC. Now, im not so sure. Please continue these reviews. Hi to you and David❤️

[@veronicashine1812]

Thank you so much for your homest experience. Now that you discussed your findings, I am sure RCCL will take notice and address this. Although our last cruise on the Wonder was 7 months ago, nothing was amiss. We will be on the Symphony in Sept. and will take note if things have improved. At least I hope so.

[@MandalorianFanboy]

Great video and great information…definitely taking Royal off my list. Haven’t sailed with them yet, and this video just saved me some consternation. Thanks.

[@omegadeep1]

I suspect it's most cruise lines that are affected. It's even the same holidaying ashore.

[@karendeangelis1358]

Wow. That is sad. We were just on Symphony of the Seas in March and had a fabulous time. The crew were so nice and engaging!!!!

[@tysona23]

Yes i saijed on Wonder earlier this year. It Was my first RCCl for a long time. I was very underwhelmed. I agree with all your points 😢

[@beatriceroosmark]

Didn’t know this channel existed till now!!! 🤩🤩

[@thesabbath4]

Thank you for sharing this! I thought it was me and that I was going crazy 😂 The food was a big change

[@karencourtney]

Thank you for your report. We are booked on the Oasis of the Seas TA in Apr. 2024 & your report stress me a bit. I hope you all & the other passengers let RCCL know of your great dissatisfaction so they may find a creative & economical solution for their future cruises.

[@muddywatersbookshelf7758]

Thank you for this update

[@elizalodge]

Well done Ben! Like your objective videos....

[@livingforhimyt]

Completely agree with all of your points! Our experiences as well! Recently on Harmony. Also I am a TA, and the customer service on the booking and reservations end is atrocious!

[@hfenr]

I'm booked on Symphony of the Seas and it will be my first Royal cruise. The portion sizes you showed actually looked fine to me. The problems you had with inexperienced crew will improve with... experience. So thank you for breaking them in for me. Maybe by the time we sail things will be going more smoothly. :)

[@LordAlthalus]

We sailed Symphony in Nov 2019, just before the COVID craziness, and couldn't make it back until Harmony October 2022 and the difference was stark in food and staffing. At first we thought it was because the cruise we went on in 2019 was the RCCL birthday cruise, but now were seeing a lot of loyal Royal folk noticing the same things. The whole cruise in 2022 the only ever had HALF the Windjammer open, and the ship was FULL. Food everywhere was not as good as before, bar service was almost universally poor, among other things. Sad to see. Our next cruise we're gonna try Virgin.

[@LiftUpNotDown]

We noticed the same issues on our recent Celebrity cruise. It will be interesting to see how Holland America has changed since our last cruise when we cruise with them in May.

[@aprilwhite5990]

After sailing Carnival & Princess I finally took my first RC cruise in April of 2022 on the Navigator of the Seas. I loved everything about it, especially the food & entertainment. So much so that I just booked a Christmas cruise on the Navigator for December 2023. Now I’m a bit nervous

[@lmd7340]

Thank you so much for this video! My husband and I noticed the change in food quality when we went on a RC cruise last summer - both in specialty dining and in the main dining room. It was SOOO disappointing!!!! from previous cruises before Covid. It's just really sad to me, because either RC wants to compete/wants business/loyal customers - or they don't. Love you Ben and David - Best wishes and take care!

[@rebeccathibert7706]

We were on this cruise with you (nice meeting you at the aquarium!) and we had a great time! We had no issues with the service or the food. I do prefer the old MDR menus, but they hadn’t been updated in so long, I understand the change. We dined in specialty five nights of the cruise and it was all delicious and great service. Jamie’s and Hooked were the standouts.

[@davidliegey6138]

I watched your video with interest, and I agree with you; we are now getting less for more. I have sailed twice since becoming Diamond: Once on Explorer and once on Vision. The service was great, but the food quality has definitely declined. Some people say "Why complain. if you don't like Royal, sail some other line". I have previously posted my thoughts thusly: "If you settle for mediocrity, that's exactly what you will get; and more of it".

[@ElaineSharon358]

We are Diamond Plus and I have noticed the food on RCI is different too. Going on Holland America next week, fingers crossed….😮

[@jamie.marj.est1983]

Thanks so much for your videos! We love watching, and find your views and reviews quite helpful. We do feel some of what you’re experiencing may be unique to Symphony and/or that specific transatlantic journey. Just last month we cruised aboard the Allure of the Seas, and had exemplary service in the MDR. We found the crew to be attentive, communicative and understandable…MUCH more so than on previous Carnival cruises. What we did NOT like was the "nickel and dime-ing" at every turn ($3.00 for a tiny box of popcorn, $5.00 cotton candy for the kids during the Boardwalk games event), and the restrictions on soft serve ice cream! There was one machine and it was only open for limited hours. Ridiculous for what we pay for these cruises! Our next cruise is on Oasis for their transatlantic crossing April 2024. We’re hoping the personnel issues you’re experiencing are ship specific, and not how the fleet is trending. Thanks again for great stuff!!

[@randy120]

As a diamond plus member I also noticed the many cutbacks starting this year which was very disappointing. I used to cruise just to cruise but due to all the cutbacks I have decided to take land vacations instead of cruises. I'll get back to cruising when things get better.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

That is so sad,. I am not a fussy eater, but I do like my food to be hot when it is served! Thank you for the video!

[@jn3084]

Love your honest and upfront videos! You describe things so well for the cruising public! Really sounds like things going downhill.

[@InsideCruise]

Glad you like them!

[@tanyakrueger4945]

We were onJewel in December and everything was fantastic. Leaving on Brilliance next week and Serenade the week after. No language barriers, excellent service, food,etc. We were on Explorer in March of 22 and that was not good, but Jewel was excellent! Likely bad management on the ship you are on!

[@mileagerunner9759]

I was on the same ship and had great service. I had the unlimited dining package. At at Izumi as well. Ordered poke bowl and it was normal size and ramen soup was normal size. Teppan grill had normal food. Jaimie’s chops both excellent and made sure not to order too much food. No issues. I thought I saw David on the ship passing by on day 1

[@aaronwicke5372]

I'm getting increasingly worried about our upcoming cruise later this year. I can only hope they get some of these issues sorted out before then, but my guess is since it's clearly about money that won't happen.

[@fluffytail6355]

What are you worried about? You’re not going to go hungry

[@susanbritton-giza5054]

Princess is our line ! the huge ships are just too much ! But thx for the info !❤ Our whole world is changing, not just cruise lines my friend ! Trying times ! Be safe 🥰

[@flamingohurricane7602]

Thank you for this honest review. Food is a MAJOR thing for me on a cruise, so it looks like I will keep RC off my list until things look better food and service wise. I can do without the twice daily housekeeping, but nope, don't mess with my food.

[@ilikethingsandstuff]

we just got back from our first ever cruise, on RC Freedom of the Seas. I think it was a good starter cruise, we since have booked another and have switched to Holland America, getting an inside room to save $

[@taraenid7434]

Thank you for reporting on this. I cruised on Enchantment OTS and had the prime rib I enjoyed on Grandeur a year before. A few months after I sailed on Enchantment again after the "menu change" and it looked like they cut the prime rib with a deli slicer and the meat was so tough I had trouble cutting it with my knife. I thought it was just me. A couple spent 6 episodes saying how good the new menu is. 🤨

[@LinuxParadigm]

Just cruised as a Diamond cruiser on Enchantment. I am not a fan of the new menu in the main dining room. Portion sizes were fine and service was good, but definitely noticing the lowering of the quality of the ingredients. We had one meal at Chops and I had to send the food back to be heated up because it came out at slightly warmer than room temperature. The cuts in service and quality and the increase in prices is a worrying trend.

[@sheilahblack3010]

1

[@cherylsmith4826]

Thank you for heads up

[@lindacesarini9950]

Sailed on Wonder of the Seas a few weeks ago. Completely agree with your assessments. Both food quality & crew interaction were sadly lack8ng. I was very disappointed in the overall experience. We are Diamond so have been on many other Royal Caribbean cruises. Just nor the same.

[@snakeyeuk]

Oh no! We are booked on symphony for the western med cruise this Sept. We have been saving hard, it is for our 50th birthdays. This will be our very first cruise and now I am worried its going to be like a floating pontins.

[@LouDebbieTube]

I agree 100%, we were on Brilliance.of the Seas this past February and the food was horrible in the MDR. If we were not past final payment for our next cruise we would have canceled because we don't like what were are seeing. After our next cruise we'll be moving back to Celebrity or Princess.

[@brucerosburg7185]

Just returned from 37 days on Ovation, I agree 100% with your review - I am Pinnacle on Royal and finding the service and food quality has been cut - sad to see

[@lukeirwin4913]

Hey Ben. We just got off Vision of the Seas, we did see some cut backs. But we had the opposite experience on people checking on us to see how we were enjoying our meals and service. It was almost too much. But still pleased we were being checked on. We did have the experience where it seemed like there was a lot of new staff. Cruise lines are struggling to get staff just like everyone else in the world after Covid. On the food quality, we met some cruise friends that took a tour of the galley and the head chef told them that RCI are really struggling on getting quality produce and meats. Plus they were told the procedures have drastically changed in the way the galley ran after Covid. I am not trying to be a cheerleader for RCI but its some of the stuff we learned on our last cruise. We are booked on Icon March 2nd, 2024, then we are getting right off Icon and boarding Sympathy so hopefully things are better then. Love your videos. Thanks. Luke

[@maravonda]

Oh Ben, you are so right! We only do RCI and almost always out of Baltimore.....over our New Year's Cruise this past Dec/Jan, the service in the dining room was INCREDIBLY slow. The food was fine but nothing great. We get the Key when we go and on this last trip the Chops welcome lunch was not very good at all, and the service was unfriendly and slow. We will be going on Vision this October and then I may be done with RCI....we are Diamond now and that doesn't amount to much either...the Diamond lounge was not cared for...the snacks were always late and disappointing, and you practically had to beg for bar service. Next summer we are doing my bucket list trip, Cunard's Queen Mary 2 from NY to Southampton......I may be too spoiled to do any other line after that!!!!! Thank you for telling it like it is...