Oh wow, yeah Royal Caribbean is a nightmare. We went on a cruise with them -- our first cruise -- about a year ago and they literally did not even have half and half for coffee. The first night in the dining room we waiting over an hour for our first course. The food was barely edible. And it goes on and on. Never again.

Sounds like misplaced expectations. It’s a cruise.

Too bad it spoiled your Alaskan experience, because Alaska is pretty incredible.

Yo kept fighting bc you wanted to get off the boat? How did you imagine that would work - you would just swim back to Seattle?

Said this in another cruise thread, but on the one and only cruise we did, we found the “finer” the dining, the worse the food. This isn’t to say the food was bad, but the more casual dining had better food. Maybe this is because our expectations were less?

I expect the food was actually decent, but that you unreasonably expected Michelin-star level cusine on that mass-market, relatively inexpensive cruise line.

That said, if you want cruises where food is a primary emphasis and the standards are equivalent to those of well-regarded restaurants ashore, look to cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas, Crystal, SilverSea, and Seabourn. Your expectations could reasonably be much higher there, and you'll pay fares which reflect the quality and service you'll receive.

You’re one of those people that is never happy.

Only been on one cruise and found the food just ok. Didn’t ruin the vacation since food wasn’t a priority.

We did the royal carribean cruise to Alaska in 2017 (so admittedly a while ago). I’m a huge food snob and found the food okay. I was really only in the ship two days because the port days in Alaska are so long that I was mostly off the ship. They had really good vegetarian curry in the buffet. I don’t really remember the dinners but there is a trick to ordering at places that are making large scale dinners — generally some things they do well and some things they don’t. Oddly, cruise lines almost always make a good filet mignon — they seem to have that cooking down to a science. The beauty of a cruise line is that if you mid order it’s not a big deal to just order something else or skip it. The dinners are usually 3-4 courses so if half of it is good, I’m fine with that. But I definitely would not take an Alaska cruise for the food—that’s not the draw. iME, a lot of vacations with gorgeous nature don’t have the best in food.

Sorry you didn’t have a good time. I’m sure your SIL is saying “never again!” as well.

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.

Anonymous wrote:
Just want to share- I got talked into an Alaskan cruise recently with my SIL, her husband & DH. DH & I have always been extremely wary of cruises and had never been on one before. SIL assured me we got "top of the line". I wasn't paying attention and let her plan and trusted her judgment since she often picks top restaurants and stays only at 5 star hotels. It was awful. Food was disgusting & everything was processed, entertainment was corny and bogus, rooms were ok I guess. It was an argument the whole time cause all I wanted to do was leave. It was a Royal Caribbean and she had paid for upgrades. I don't know how high end you have to go for these things but I can guarantee you I will never do a cruise to Alaska ever again.

Who told her royal was “top of the line”? It’s actually the bottom.

It can't be that bad. I've been on an Alaskan cruise and found it awe-inspiring. The calving glaciers, wildlife, panoramic views. We ate colossal red king crab and lots of incredible salmon on our excursions. The only thing I didn't like were the large blood-thirsty mosquitos. I think you should stay home and let the positive-minded people enjoy themselves.

You got to see Alaska and you were worried about the food being processed? Lame.

I believe you need to pay ridiculous prices to have a decent cruise experience, OP. Also please understand that people go to Alaska cruises for the natural wonders and not the food, so organizers plan with that in mind.

We had a totally different experience on our great cruise to Alaska this summer with a different cruise line.

Did you go on any excursions?

Just want to share- I got talked into an Alaskan cruise recently with my SIL, her husband & DH. DH & I have always been extremely wary of cruises and had never been on one before. SIL assured me we got "top of the line". I wasn't paying attention and let her plan and trusted her judgment since she often picks top restaurants and stays only at 5 star hotels. It was awful. Food was disgusting & everything was processed, entertainment was corny and bogus, rooms were ok I guess. It was an argument the whole time cause all I wanted to do was leave. It was a Royal Caribbean and she had paid for upgrades. I don't know how high end you have to go for these things but I can guarantee you I will never do a cruise to Alaska ever again.