Alaska cruise- horrible time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is okay to complain, OP. There are plenty of trips to beautiful places that are awful and it is super annoying to find your upgrade is still cheesy or fake fancy.

OP here, thank you. I'm merely just telling people my experience for informational purposes. Alaska itself is beautiful and definitely worth going to.

Let's not sugarcoat it as "informational purpose." You had a bad experience and blame your SIL for it. That's why you're here.

You can certainly do that, but have you paused for one second to consider your own role in the whole fiasco? You had no curiosity about the place you're visiting, thus doing no homework or research about it. You had high expectations but little to no adaptability to reality, thus the daily fight and pouting about wanting to leave. Your SIL may have done poorly in her selections for the cruise, but you come off sounding like a toddler.

No. If I had a real beef with my SIL, I would've posted about it in the family relationships thread. I'm sharing an experience and I can separate the cruise line from the place. The difference between being on a seriously top cruise line (not one that was known to be good in the past) and RC was minimal to my family and we should've done it. Everyone agreed. I'm sharing my opinion so others can look into this trip in a way I wish I had. Sorry this hit a nerve for you PP but take your moral high ground somewhere else.

Except everyone here knows that royal Caribbean is at the low low end of the quality spectrum. If they don’t, they certainly can google that in about a minute, and then absolutely can judge it by the price they paid for it.

Curious to what you paid for the trip OP. Did you think it was going to be exceptional for $150 a day per person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is okay to complain, OP. There are plenty of trips to beautiful places that are awful and it is super annoying to find your upgrade is still cheesy or fake fancy.

OP here, thank you. I'm merely just telling people my experience for informational purposes. Alaska itself is beautiful and definitely worth going to.

Let's not sugarcoat it as "informational purpose." You had a bad experience and blame your SIL for it. That's why you're here.

You can certainly do that, but have you paused for one second to consider your own role in the whole fiasco? You had no curiosity about the place you're visiting, thus doing no homework or research about it. You had high expectations but little to no adaptability to reality, thus the daily fight and pouting about wanting to leave. Your SIL may have done poorly in her selections for the cruise, but you come off sounding like a toddler.

No. If I had a real beef with my SIL, I would've posted about it in the family relationships thread. I'm sharing an experience and I can separate the cruise line from the place. The difference between being on a seriously top cruise line (not one that was known to be good in the past) and RC was minimal to my family and we should've done it. Everyone agreed. I'm sharing my opinion so others can look into this trip in a way I wish I had. Sorry this hit a nerve for you PP but take your moral high ground somewhere else.

You’re a riot, OP.😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is okay to complain, OP. There are plenty of trips to beautiful places that are awful and it is super annoying to find your upgrade is still cheesy or fake fancy.

OP here, thank you. I'm merely just telling people my experience for informational purposes. Alaska itself is beautiful and definitely worth going to.

Let's not sugarcoat it as "informational purpose." You had a bad experience and blame your SIL for it. That's why you're here.

You can certainly do that, but have you paused for one second to consider your own role in the whole fiasco? You had no curiosity about the place you're visiting, thus doing no homework or research about it. You had high expectations but little to no adaptability to reality, thus the daily fight and pouting about wanting to leave. Your SIL may have done poorly in her selections for the cruise, but you come off sounding like a toddler.

No. If I had a real beef with my SIL, I would've posted about it in the family relationships thread. I'm sharing an experience and I can separate the cruise line from the place. The difference between being on a seriously top cruise line (not one that was known to be good in the past) and RC was minimal to my family and we should've done it. Everyone agreed. I'm sharing my opinion so others can look into this trip in a way I wish I had. Sorry this hit a nerve for you PP but take your moral high ground somewhere else.

Except everyone here knows that royal Caribbean is at the low low end of the quality spectrum. If they don’t, they certainly can google that in about a minute, and then absolutely can judge it by the price they paid for it.

Curious to what you paid for the trip OP. Did you think it was going to be exceptional for $150 a day per person?

This— this is easily available information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is okay to complain, OP. There are plenty of trips to beautiful places that are awful and it is super annoying to find your upgrade is still cheesy or fake fancy.

OP here, thank you. I'm merely just telling people my experience for informational purposes. Alaska itself is beautiful and definitely worth going to.

Let's not sugarcoat it as "informational purpose." You had a bad experience and blame your SIL for it. That's why you're here.

You can certainly do that, but have you paused for one second to consider your own role in the whole fiasco? You had no curiosity about the place you're visiting, thus doing no homework or research about it. You had high expectations but little to no adaptability to reality, thus the daily fight and pouting about wanting to leave. Your SIL may have done poorly in her selections for the cruise, but you come off sounding like a toddler.

No. If I had a real beef with my SIL, I would've posted about it in the family relationships thread. I'm sharing an experience and I can separate the cruise line from the place. The difference between being on a seriously top cruise line (not one that was known to be good in the past) and RC was minimal to my family and we should've done it. Everyone agreed. I'm sharing my opinion so others can look into this trip in a way I wish I had. Sorry this hit a nerve for you PP but take your moral high ground somewhere else.

Except everyone here knows that royal Caribbean is at the low low end of the quality spectrum. If they don’t, they certainly can google that in about a minute, and then absolutely can judge it by the price they paid for it.

Curious to what you paid for the trip OP. Did you think it was going to be exceptional for $150 a day per person?

This— this is easily available information.

Not OP, but I would imagine no one expects exceptional or even "good" on a RC cruise. Or, generally speaking, for $150 a day. But RC is not just not "exceptional" ... it is very, very bad. It is get-me-off-this-ship bad.

[Anonymous]

OP I feel you. It’s exactly like the time I went to Paris and everybody told me how great the food was going to be but when I got there, the fries were soggy, the chicken nuggets were gross and the chopped steak had some kind of “special sauce “ on it that I think was just ketchup and mayonnaise! Really horrible. The only good thing was that in the box with the food was the traditional French toy, which, in this case, for some reason was a little yellow minion.

But I learned my lesson and I will never never never go to Paris again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is okay to complain, OP. There are plenty of trips to beautiful places that are awful and it is super annoying to find your upgrade is still cheesy or fake fancy.

OP here, thank you. I'm merely just telling people my experience for informational purposes. Alaska itself is beautiful and definitely worth going to.

Let's not sugarcoat it as "informational purpose." You had a bad experience and blame your SIL for it. That's why you're here.

You can certainly do that, but have you paused for one second to consider your own role in the whole fiasco? You had no curiosity about the place you're visiting, thus doing no homework or research about it. You had high expectations but little to no adaptability to reality, thus the daily fight and pouting about wanting to leave. Your SIL may have done poorly in her selections for the cruise, but you come off sounding like a toddler.

No. If I had a real beef with my SIL, I would've posted about it in the family relationships thread. I'm sharing an experience and I can separate the cruise line from the place. The difference between being on a seriously top cruise line (not one that was known to be good in the past) and RC was minimal to my family and we should've done it. Everyone agreed. I'm sharing my opinion so others can look into this trip in a way I wish I had. Sorry this hit a nerve for you PP but take your moral high ground somewhere else.

Except everyone here knows that royal Caribbean is at the low low end of the quality spectrum. If they don’t, they certainly can google that in about a minute, and then absolutely can judge it by the price they paid for it.

Curious to what you paid for the trip OP. Did you think it was going to be exceptional for $150 a day per person?

This— this is easily available information.

No not "everyone knows". There are actually people on this site who have defended RC many times OR will tell you that since Covid it's CHANGED. Point is, it's not dirt cheap and if you were on the fence about one or the other, this was a review saying going UP. But I'm glad you are such a know it all and never make any travel mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I feel you. It’s exactly like the time I went to Paris and everybody told me how great the food was going to be but when I got there, the fries were soggy, the chicken nuggets were gross and the chopped steak had some kind of “special sauce “ on it that I think was just ketchup and mayonnaise! Really horrible. The only good thing was that in the box with the food was the traditional French toy, which, in this case, for some reason was a little yellow minion.

But I learned my lesson and I will never never never go to Paris again

Agreed. There are horrible restaurants in Paris and many, many have had your same experience yet if you post about it here you will be argued by all the ones who have had a positive experience and their experience trumps yours so there's that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I feel you. It’s exactly like the time I went to Paris and everybody told me how great the food was going to be but when I got there, the fries were soggy, the chicken nuggets were gross and the chopped steak had some kind of “special sauce “ on it that I think was just ketchup and mayonnaise! Really horrible. The only good thing was that in the box with the food was the traditional French toy, which, in this case, for some reason was a little yellow minion.

But I learned my lesson and I will never never never go to Paris again

Are you sure that was in Paris? It sounds like you were dining at a world-renowned Scottish restaurant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I feel you. It’s exactly like the time I went to Paris and everybody told me how great the food was going to be but when I got there, the fries were soggy, the chicken nuggets were gross and the chopped steak had some kind of “special sauce “ on it that I think was just ketchup and mayonnaise! Really horrible. The only good thing was that in the box with the food was the traditional French toy, which, in this case, for some reason was a little yellow minion.

But I learned my lesson and I will never never never go to Paris again

Agreed. There are horrible restaurants in Paris and many, many have had your same experience yet if you post about it here you will be argued by all the ones who have had a positive experience and their experience trumps yours so there's that.

Oh, PP. The prior PP’s sarcasm flew high over your head.

Work on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"It was an argument the whole time cause all I wanted to do was leave." Where were you going to go??! I would have been livid if your incessant whining ruined my trip, especially if you were griping about upgrades someone else paid for!!

Why TF were you arguing? If you didn't like it, you should just suck it up and be gracious, no matter who's paying for it. That's what good manners are all about. You can vent privately, later.

I'd love to hear your SIL's point of view.

[Anonymous]

Which ship were you on?

There is a big difference in experience on one of RC's older/smaller ships and their newer ones. It feels like a different cruiseline.

But maybe cruising isn't for you... I don't think it is for everyone, but many do enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most people cruise to Alaska for the experience of seeing Alaska, not for the food and ship entertainment.

Except there are so many other ways to see Alaska...

Cruise is easiest way to see SE Alaska.

But SE is such a small part of Alaska and the rest of it is much less overrun with tourists. And you can still easily see some of the coast and glaciers from Seward or drive to Valdez.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think what people are responding to you your initial post where you said you were fighting every day. It’s reasonable to be disappointed in the vacation and to think the food sucked but kind of incomprehensible why you would fight about it.

It’s too bad RC has gone that far down hill since the pandemic. I hear a lot of people saying NCL is bottom of barrel or Csrnival but both of them have pretty okay upcharge restaurants. The last two cruises I did we paid for club level which did make some difference on the food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most people cruise to Alaska for the experience of seeing Alaska, not for the food and ship entertainment.

Except there are so many other ways to see Alaska...

Cruise is easiest way to see SE Alaska.

But SE is such a small part of Alaska and the rest of it is much less overrun with tourists. And you can still easily see some of the coast and glaciers from Seward or drive to Valdez.

It is such a jerk move when, after Person A says they traveled somewhere and enjoyed seeing this and that, Person B responds by demeaning what Person A saw and chiding them for not seeing so many more thises and thats that are clearly better than the lame places Person A saw.

Shame on you, PP/Person B.

Travel is not a contest. Whatever you see, wherever you see it, your life is enriched by memories that will last forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most people cruise to Alaska for the experience of seeing Alaska, not for the food and ship entertainment.

Except there are so many other ways to see Alaska...

Cruise is easiest way to see SE Alaska.

But SE is such a small part of Alaska and the rest of it is much less overrun with tourists. And you can still easily see some of the coast and glaciers from Seward or drive to Valdez.

It is such a jerk move when, after Person A says they traveled somewhere and enjoyed seeing this and that, Person B responds by demeaning what Person A saw and chiding them for not seeing so many more thises and thats that are clearly better than the lame places Person A saw.

Shame on you, PP/Person B.

Travel is not a contest. Whatever you see, wherever you see it, your life is enriched by memories that will last forever.

As a former resident of SE AK, this whole thread kinda breaks my heart. SE is only "overrun with tourists" on days the cruise ships are in dock. When I lived there, we all had the cruise ship days marked on our calendars and avoided downtown (I use the term loosely, but the area around the harbor) and any common tourist destinations around town on those days. You might see the mountains and glaciers, but you are not visiting SE AK on a cruise.

I do agree that travel through SE is not easy. The ferry system is actually called the "marine highway" because that's how people travel around. It's a great system, like Amtrak on the water. But you do have to find your own lodging and excursions in each town, so it is more work. But you'd get to see the towns on non-cruise ship days, which is a totally different experience. And of course there are a bunch of flights running up and down the coast every day.

I've never been on a cruise (no interest, in large part due to my experience with them in AK), so can't comment on RC vs others. I do appreciate OP posting a review so anyone considering it can take their experience into account. I do wonder how OP thought they would be able to leave .... I always thought that one you boarded a cruise, you were there for the duration? Seems like an odd thing to fight about when you're in the middle of it.
Although I'm not a cruiser, I've definitely found myself in situations that wouldn't be my first choice, but have always been able to chin-up and make the best of it.