Independence of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,703 reviews

Independence of the Seas - independence of customer service

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Independence of the Seas
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Mike W
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jul 2008

Just returned from a 14 day tour of the Med on the Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. Having sailed in one of the giants last year (QM2) we were keen to give the latest biggest cruise ship a try. Well lets just say that biggest isn't best. Not to say that our latest adventure wasn't enjoyable - it was, and much of what we got was just as expected and of a good standard. But there are so many negatives concerning the Royal Caribbean operation. Cunard they are certainly not, they are not even on the same page. They are the nautical equivalent of a travel lodge with a few more amenities. Much of what was included in the price wasn't actually used by us, but much of what was available - was only in fact available at an additional cost. As a guest I found myself being part of the target group, with the well-honed sales team keen to make a killing on maximizing revenue. You can imagine all their team-building exercises, staff appraisals and target setting going on a daily basis behind the façade of the cruise, with lots of high-fives and hooting and hollering before making their sales pitch. To be greeted with the Disneyesque "enjoy your breakfast", "how are you today", and the stomach-churning classic "have a nice day", was not my idea of enhancing the dining experience. To make matters worse, it was usually offered by a singing welcome-host who I never saw do anything else on the entire cruise. God only knows what the position she applied for was. The fact is, such greetings usually limited my food intake in case of sudden nausea brought on by the in-your-face and over-the-top greetings that were rammed down your throat with all the sincerity of a McDonalds employee. Ugh ! I am familiar with lift music that is usually the preserve of major hotels and larger department stores. Sometimes it can be dismissed without possibly meaning to do so. Possibly a subconscious reaction. It is usually nondescript and completely forgettable background music that is unobtrusive unless you allow it to be, when in a moment of weakness you may even hum along or tap your feet, hopefully out of sight to other punters of course. Royal Caribbean have gone the extra mile and made all their lift music completely obtrusive, mirroring the antics of many of their staff. In your face, nauseating and completely pointless, but obviously appealing to the younger clientele who saw the lifts as some kind of evening entertainment facility. You can usually get an indication of a company by the way in which it deals with any complaints. Customer service usually begins with, "the customer is always right," even if they are not. Well, Royal Caribbean seem to tackle any points raised with an immediate defensive stance, or "please fill in all these forms in triplicate," so that any desire to voice concerns or see the person in charge is completely stone-walled with an intricate defense mechanism. My wife commented on some marks on her wine glass one evening, and the Assistant Waiter, the Waiter, and the Head Waiter all suggested that this is how they come out of the dishwasher. There was no "I'm sorry madam, I'll get you a clean one" - but an immediate defense response, and a slight suggestion that such trivial concerns shouldn't really be raised. Hands up who would put dish-washer stained glasses or cutlery on their dinner table. Exactly. So come on Royal Caribbean - don't defend the indefensible. Then again it is possible that perhaps my wife should have apologized for noticing the offending stains and made her point quietly on her way out of the dining room and out of earshot to other guests. It wasn't as though she was asking for a mass-suicide of the kitchen staff, she was merely pointing out that her glass was dirty. On a positive note, after this incident it would appear that they managed to repair the faulty dish-washer as there was no repeat performance.

A picture is emerging. But before more of the bad things lets look at some of the good ones. The entertainment team are very good - the resident band are superb - particularly the drummer. The standard of acts again was good, and the ice show outstanding. The food at breakfast and lunch was taken in the Windjammer area and was of good standard with plenty of choice - although the welcome host became annoying to say the least, and the plastic crockery was not in keeping with the attempted splendor. Even the coffee mugs were plastic, although you could venture all the way down to other end of the promenade and find a more appropriate receptacle for beverages. Sorry I was meant to be concentrating on the good, but seem to have wandered off again. The staterooms were excellent and the house staff were proficient in their housekeeping service, and were genuinely polite and amiable people - well done to all. The main dining room was a grand affair on three levels and the standard of service was generally good - with more appropriate crockery and fortunately the wine wasn't served in plastic cups. The onboard facilities were generally of a good standard with an attempt made to offer both fun and quiet areas for all guests. The central promenade was interesting and proved popular with the guests, although to me it was like wandering around an out-of-town shopping mall which isn't exactly everyone's cup-of-tea, but was something novel on-board The information was also very clear and of a good standard, from the daily publications to the gust service staff.

Unfortunately it's now back the bad. Royal Caribbean need to get one of their employees to be a guest on a cruise - they will certainly benefit from the experience, and they will undoubtedly hear the numerous whisperings from disgruntled guests around the ship, who then seem content to just put up with it. Royal Caribbean's bizarre defense mechanism will eventually do more them harm than good. Don't remind people that they are having a great time or inform them of the "superb entertainment". Let guests make up their own minds, but be ready to respond when necessary. It called customer service.

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