Have the Royal Caribbean ships finally gotten too big?
My husband and I are experienced cruisers, with a dozen or so cruises behind us (most before having our two children). We have cruised with many different cruise lines, but never on Royal Caribbean. In June, 2007, our family of 4 took a 7 night cruise on the brand new Liberty of the Seas. Big and beautiful it is, and in many areas, well run. However, there were several areas that need some serious work, including the way these big ships are designed.
Our trip was booked directly with RC, as we have issues that needed specific accommodations. My husband is fairly tall (6'4"), and we needed a stateroom that would fit him (meaning the upper and lower pull downs for the kids would not be directly over the master bed). I spoke at length with the agent, who assured me that the upper and lower berths were to the side, away from the master bed. We booked an outside room, which according to the on-line description and photos, would be appropriate, showing a room with a pull out sofa and a large (3' or more) window. Imagine our surprise when the dinky little room we were actually given had the upper and lower berths directly over the twin beds. The window in this room was only about a foot in diameter (the smallest window on the entire floor). By the end of the week we were joking that it was easy to find our room when off the ship - just look for the smallest window on that side of the ship! We talked immediately to the cruise director - too bad, so sad, you're stuck! We asked for our money back, said we would leave the ship immediately - too bad, so sad for that too, basically forcing us to stay. My husband spent the rest of the week bumping his head on the upper berth almost every time he tried to get out of bed. Additionally, the hallway to our room was very short in height, and he frequently hit his head on various signs (exit, etc), mounted from the ceiling. What really made him mad was that these issues were discussed with the RC agent before we left. Without a doubt, this was the smallest and worst room we have ever had on a cruise, even when considering some of the old ships we've sailed on. Evidently RC can make these ships larger by designing them for very short people. Other issues - we booked several shore excursions before we left. My son turned 13 during the cruise, so we booked him as an adult. A few days before we left, they cancelled my son's side trips (but no one else's). When I called RC, they told me they had rescheduled him as a child as he was 12 when the cruise departed (happy us to save money). However, as soon as he turned 13 on the cruise, they immediately recharged him as an adult. If only RC had told us upfront, it would not have been so irritating. One last issue - when you buy alcohol in port, they take it as you get on the ship, and return it just before you leave. OK - so they insist you buy their overpriced alcohol on board. However - my bottle of special reserve rum never made it back to me. After an hour of waiting/talking to the customer service, they finally gave me a smaller and lesser quality bottle of rum. With no recourse, I was forced to accept it.