RCCL implementing fees for Johnny Rockets

"DaFlaBear" wrote in message
...
Paul,
You must not get out much.
I was on the Explorer (twice last year), the Brilliance (December),
Mariner (January) and going on the Radiance on 4/11.
Except for the Captain's formal night, the food is average at best in
the dining room.
We don't even bother anymore.
The so called steak is awful and the dinner rolls are ALWAYS as hard as
a rock.
We go to Windjammer, Chops, or Portifino, or JR's or the other outlet on
the Radiance class ships.
We like RCI for other reasons, but it sure is NOT the food in the dining
room.
If they were a restaurant at home we would never go there.


DaFlaBear

Sorry, have to disagree with you.....the food is always average at best,
even on Captains formal night. I also disagree that the rolls are ALWAYS
hard as a rock. They weren't on the Brilliance last thanksgiving, or on the
other seven ships we have sailed on. Perhaps you received our leftovers
after we disembarked on Dec. 5th . Actually, the bread products have
always been a big hit at our table. Perhaps we are just lucky.

I do agree with the steak comment. Had it the first night last year and it
was terrible. As a matter of fact, that was the first terrible meal I have
ever had on an RCCL cruise. I was cautious the rest of the cruise and only
had one other, which was no worse than ordering a steak from Applebee's (not
a compliment).

Windjammer for us for breakfast and lunch, still like the dining room for
dinner. Can't justify paying extra for "great" food at Chops and Portifino
though. We also enjoy the menu at the Seaview Cafe on the Brilliance!

Like you we sail RCCL for many reasons, and food is not one of them.

Jeff Back to the Brilliance in November

Jeff,
To me RCCL (my favorite line) is like the Pillsbury doughboy.
Stick your finger in one place and it comes out the other.
Last April on the Explorer the food was tolerable, but the entertainment
sucked (except for the ALWAYS wonderful ice skaters).
The cruise director was some bald headed Jamaican guy.
He was completely talentless (could not sing, dance, nor tell jokes!) as
was his band of entertainers.
It was awful.
Go back on the Explorer in September they have this outstanding British
guy as cruise director. Terrific entertainment. They had a BEATLES look
a like group (among other stuff) that was mesmerizing.
However, the food sucked in the dining room.
Seems like they have a budget on each ship and I guess they can't afford
to make the food AND the entertainment top of the line.
Hell, even the slots seem different on each ship.
The Brillance in December, GREAT!
The Mariner in January, I lost my A**!
Oh well.

"DaFlaBear" wrote in message
...
Jeff,
To me RCCL (my favorite line) is like the Pillsbury doughboy.
Stick your finger in one place and it comes out the other.
Last April on the Explorer the food was tolerable, but the entertainment
sucked (except for the ALWAYS wonderful ice skaters).
The cruise director was some bald headed Jamaican guy.
He was completely talentless (could not sing, dance, nor tell jokes!) as
was his band of entertainers.
It was awful.
Go back on the Explorer in September they have this outstanding British
guy as cruise director. Terrific entertainment. They had a BEATLES look
a like group (among other stuff) that was mesmerizing.
However, the food sucked in the dining room.
Seems like they have a budget on each ship and I guess they can't afford
to make the food AND the entertainment top of the line.
Hell, even the slots seem different on each ship.
The Brillance in December, GREAT!
The Mariner in January, I lost my A**!
Oh well.

I have to ask this question. I have only been on one of the RCI ships and
that was the Majesty of the Seas. I was on it in October 2001 and September
2002. I found the food and service to be great in the dining room. The bread
was hot and fresh. Some of the best soups and desserts that I have ever had
on a ship. Could the reason be that she is a smaller ship and is not trying
to cater to so many passengers? The Windjammer was not bad but what turned
me off was finding an infestation of roaches in the outer Windjammer. I
noticed them due to one climbing up my leg in the buffet line. I asked one
of the crew members about it and he stated that they were aware of the
problem but could not get rid of them. I think that they should have shut
this area down until something could have been done. Needless to say, we
have breakfast and lunch in the main dining room after that.

The entertainment was good but not great. To me if you have seen one Vegas
style show, you have seen them all.

Overall I came away with a good feeling about RCI. I look forward to trying
them again to see if they live up to all the hype.

Gordon

"Gordon" partially wrote in message
...

Could the reason be that she is a smaller ship and is not trying
to cater to so many passengers?

Gordon



Gordon,

My $.02 on the smaller ship issue. We have been on the Brilliance, Grandeur,
Legend, Rhapsody, Monarch, Sovereign, & Vision. Only two were /= the
Majesty (passenger wise), they are the Monarch and the Sovereign.

Food is a personal thing. We feel we have seldom had great meals on any of
them, mostly just good. The first thing non-cruisers will say to us is "I
hear the food is great". We tell them for some maybe, for us it's just ok. I
will agree with your bread observation though as we almost think it is
better than the meal itself. So no, I don't think it's a "size" issue.

We also have a good feeling with RCI as will be doing no. 11 this November.
We have yet to try another line, but someday probably will. There is more
than just food to cruising.

Jeff

Yeah- my one trip was for a free dinner- a neighbor (who raved about the
place) took us. It was awful food- but I was polite and told him it was
good.

We have another chain around here called Carrabas (spelling?) that's
positively the worst italian food I've ever had... they tried to tell me (an
Irishman!) that their potato soup was ministrone!!! (even the italian
couples with us were laughing!) Needless to say, they won't see me ever
again at Carrabas.

--
Cheers,
Paul

Latin phrase to live by: "Illegitimis nil carborundum"



"Surfer E2468" wrote in message
...
Agree with you about APPLEBEES,they opened one here recently,we walked
in one day ,sat down ,waited 15 minuets,got up and walked out ,not a
likable place.

Gee, maybe the $4 fee will improve burgers at JR's- they certainly could use
enhancement at the one on Explorer!

To the idea of cutting into my "free" buffet so that more people can get
"free" burgers- BOO! (actually, if RCCL is as evil minded as many of you
seem to think, all that would lead to is a bigger JR's that charges $4-
which translates to less "free" food for me- and I love Windjammer. I've
always had great meals there on all of our RCCL excursions.)

btw- does JR's REALLY charge you the fee if you only want a shake??? That
seems questionable- I would think the drink service is still separate. The
$4 charge only mentioned a burger, fries, onion rings and a dessert from
what I remember.

Has anyone else been on these Voyager class cruises who could enlighten this
thread on what's actually going on at JR's? (I think I'm kind of interested
since Parnami is starting to convince me that not all JR's are blah food-
and I am getting ready for a couple of Voyager class ships soon!)

I still firmly believe that the JR's fee is probably more the result of some
sort of financial pressure (we'll probably never know) from JR's owners-
something that RCCL has trickled down to us. I find this especially likely
since I've learned (from this thread) that JR's was originally a charge
restaurant and that the "free" meals came as a result of pressure from the
RCCL client base. Perhaps the "free" is the test that failed. Food for
thought.

--
Cheers,
Paul

Latin phrase to live by: "Illegitimis nil carborundum"



"Grey Wolf" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 19:04:13 -0800, Ray Goldenberg
wrote:


Hi Mel,

I have no idea whether it is a test or something more permanent. The
point is they said they are trying to dampen the demand. Many here
say it will dampen their demand so it seems that the test will be
successful if r.t.cruise posters are indicative of the cruising
public.

Hi Ray,
Why would a successful venture (which I guess JR on RCCL fits that
bill) want to dampen demand? Don't restaurants usually expand when
demand becomes too great? If JR is consistently outperforming, say,
Windjammer, why not convert one of the Windjammers to another JR?
Then you theoretically halve the lines (half the people can go to the
JR on the other side of the ship) and everyone gets to eat JR and
cruisers are happy. Or... increase quality of food offered in
Windjammer. Allow fresh-cooked food to be served there. More folks
will visit WJ and less will visit JR.

My point is, there are other alternatives to manage demand than
charging a per person rate. While charging a pp rate might lessen the
demand (I doubt it, because in the scheme of even a $1000 cruise,
$3.95 is not a big deal... if you want JR food, and are willing to
stand in line for it, you're probably willing to pay for it as well),
it will, for certain, add money to their coffers that they are not
getting now.

So to me, their statement is, at the very least, fallacious. If
they'd be honest, and say "Well, we'd like to manage demand, but we
decided to do that AND make extra money off of the pax," people would
not be as willing to pay. If someone were to tell you they're
planning on ripping you off, you probably wouldn't purchase their
products. So fallacial advertising is nothing new... but let's not
fall for it.

I'm glad it's just a test for now, and that from the sounds of it,
won't be happening during my cruise so I don't have to boycott. I am
really looking forward to trying a JR shake, and I just wouldn't do it
if I had to pay $3.50 and then another $3.95 on top of that. For a
family of three, that went from $11.50 for three shakes to $22.35.
For one trip. No thanks.

I suspect, though, that it will not cause very many folks to be
dismayed, other than experienced cruisers who remember what it was
like when it was free. I expect they will make quite the profit, and
as people get used to the idea of paying for it, they will up the
price.

f it adds to their bottom line at the same time as it
dampens the demand, then you kill 2 birds with one stone, as we use to
say in Texas. All cruise lines at this price point are charging for
various alternative dining facilities. I don't think Royal Caribbean
is going to miss a chance to enhance onboard revenue.

Then let them advertise it honestly as a method of increasing revenue
instead of trying to find a way to describe their choice. The fact
that they don't mention anything about revenue implies to me that
they're being fallacious and therefore it's not as innocent as it
sounds... and that implies that really the revenue is the primary
focus.

David

I don't drink coffee, but my friends who do roundly and consistently say
that RCCL coffee is the absolute worst muck on the 7 seas. I've commented
on this elsewhere and some have said that actually- the coffee is
exceptionally strong- and that that's more popular in the region? Again, I
despise coffee- so I can't comment further on this.

--
Cheers,
Paul

Latin phrase to live by: "Illegitimis nil carborundum"



"Tobie Gerbrandt" wrote in message
news:mhp8c.899940$ts4.777076@pd7tw3no...
Maybe "Nathan's" has an inferior hot dog. RCI does serve "Seattle's Best"
coffee. I've seen them empty the bag of ground coffee into the
coffeemaker
(on Radiance of the Seas GGC2004). I checked the bag and it was labelled
"Caribe Blend". It was far worse than any Seattle's Best coffee I've
drunk
in their land based coffee outlets.

Tobieon an Island in the Pacific

"PARNAMI" wrote in message

The JR's on RCI also indicate that they serve Nathan's hot dogs. Those
ARE NOT
NATHAN'S!!



Cruising is like being awake, and dreaming!

Visit my cruise page:
http://parnami.tripod.com/

David-

You know, I was just struck by something (ouch!)-

If the pre-cruise info you have (or anyone here has) declares that the food
at JR's is free but the drinks are not (this has been the case until the
"test"), I'll bet voicing your concern (in a calm and even tone- don't drop
the "F-bomb", like I would) with the front desk on board would get you a
free coupon (or maybe a few free coupons) to JR's. It is awfully short
notice for those about to cruise. I've never been disappointed in my
reasonable requests made with RCCL. They even returned vitamins that I
foolishly purchased aboard even though my sales receipt clearly stated NO
REFUNDS.

Of course, perhaps if you have a really great TA, they could give you a
slight break on the cruise price, too? Say $20 off for each person in your
party? (That's assuming 5 lunch trips at $4ea- anything more then that is
risking a heart attack)

Congrats on going on your first cruise! It is in my opinion, still the best
vacation there is. As for the pampering and your enjoyment- don't let this
foolishness over this JR's business ruin your entire sailing.

--
Cheers,
Paul

Latin phrase to live by: "Illegitimis nil carborundum"


"Grey Wolf" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 03:27:30 -0500, "Paul" wrote:

If I really hated the idea of the surcharge (as MOST of you do) I'd voice
my
concern with RCCL and I'd steadfastly refuse to eat at JR's. You're
right,
Thumper (the bunny?), I don't really care whether I eat there or not- but
if
this place meant that much to me, I'd buck the system and not eat at JR's
on
board. In fact, if I was as emotional about it as many herein, I might
even
cancel the cruise and make sure RCCL knew about this. Cancellations are
VERY effective ways of voicing your concerns with cruise operators. Go
for
it!


Hi Paul,
Heh, that's a great idea... but I think I'll wait until my NEXT cruise
to implement it. I'm going on my first cruise in less than 2 weeks,
I'm not about to up and cancel it!!!
In reading all about cruising from you experienced people, I got
caught up in the idea of cruising as the ultimate in pampering. I
really am against charging a flat rate per person to eat food that was
previously offered for free... or as someone else mentioned, food that
was INCLUDED in the charge of my cruise.
It *would* be quite something, to book a cruise... and then cancel at
the last minute in protest of increased restaurant prices. But I'd
feel downright evil doing that on purpose knowing in advance all along
that I was planning on cancelling.
Too bad the cruise ship doesn't feel the same way about instituting
the cost increase. :=(

David

Hi Jean,

It's included in the bottom of my post- I was responding to what Lee said...

(maybe some newsreaders truncate the thread?)

--
Cheers,
Paul

Latin phrase to live by: "Illegitimis nil carborundum"



"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
m...

"Paul" wrote in message
...
well put, it's a mystery to me, too.

I love the food at all the locales on RCCL's Voyager class ships- I'd
rather
not sit near someone who hates it!


Paul, would you please indicate to whom you are answering and a part of
their post so that we know whom you are responding? Otherwise it makes it
necessary to hunt for that post in order to make your post make any sense.
Thanks,
--Jean

DaFlaBear,

Your logic is that because I've had nothing but great experiences in dining
in the Main Dining Rooms of all of the RCCL ships that I've been on, that
somehow I don't "get out much"... (?) ... yeah, okay. (and you think $4 is
too much money for a cheeseburger and fries and onion rings and a dessert...
I'd guess you don't get out at all.)

btw- did you ever think to complain to the maitre'd or your waiter in the
main dining room? I've never had to, but it would seem the appropriate
thing to do... just a thought.

Cheers,
Paul


Latin phrase to live by: "Illegitimis nil carborundum"



"DaFlaBear" wrote in message
...
Paul,
You must not get out much.
I was on the Explorer (twice last year), the Brilliance (December),
Mariner (January) and going on the Radiance on 4/11.
Except for the Captain's formal night, the food is average at best in
the dining room.
We don't even bother anymore.
The so called steak is awful and the dinner rolls are ALWAYS as hard as
a rock.
We go to Windjammer, Chops, or Portifino, or JR's or the other outlet on
the Radiance class ships.
We like RCI for other reasons, but it sure is NOT the food in the dining
room.
If they were a restaurant at home we would never go there.