Having travelled with RCI several times before we thought we knew the standard we would be getting - how wrong we were. Gone are the frills and little 'extras' that made RCI different and hello to budget airline service standard for a high price. No free Orange Juice at lunch, now an 'extra' to be paid for!
Main Dinning
We went to the main dinning to eat on the first night. We had chosen the 2nd sitting as the alternative 1830, was way too early for us, even though 2100 was a little late. Our table was located in the poorest spot imaginable, in a corner next to the kitchen entrance and next to a 'plate' station as far away from the entrance as possible which was strange as the room was by no means full and there were empty tables all around. The noise was terrific and every so often there was the sound of breaking plates to add to the general din. The table was for 6 but only 4 people were there, as was the table nearest to us. The aircon was set too high and all there mentioned it but it made no difference.The staff were nice and I did feel a little sorry for them as they were fighting a losing battle as the food was poor both in choice and standard. We decided after day 1 that the Windjammer was the better option for the evening meal.
I read that the ship had recently undergone a refit, if that is so then they must have missed the cabin we were in as the draw fronts were falling off, the mirror in the bathroom was peeling and the cabinets had screws bursting through the sides.There was a distinct smell from the drains in there and every so often the water refused to go down in the sink. The shower was one of the smallest I have ever seen and I was glad that I never dropped the soap as I would have had to open the door to give enough room to bend to pick it up. The balcony looked like it had been missed in any upgrade and the chairs (3) were all odd ones, with one falling apart with paint flaking off it. We had been in the cabin for 5 minutes when the attendant came to introduce himself and to ask if there was anything missing, when I asked how would I know he smiled and left. On the good side there were plenty of hangers.