Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Carnival all use customer satisfaction surveys to learn about their cruisers and what they like and don’t like about the onboard experience. After our recent cruise on the Wonder of the Seas, I was invited to fill out a survey and gave them my honest feedback about our cruise. #royalcaribbean #wonderoftheseas #cruiseship
Get my NEW BOOK!
“Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship” Book Link for USA:
“Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship” Book Link for UK:
“Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship” Book Link for Canada:
“Getting Stitches on a Cruise Ship” Book Link for Australia:
Get your “Sea Day” T-Shirts and “BRB” Towels here:
https://very-unofficial-travel-guides.creator-spring.com/listing/seadaydictionary
Get exclusive videos and behind the scenes looks here:
https://www.patreon.com/veryunofficial
Amazon links to my gear, and other fun stuff I wish I had!
https://www.amazon.com/shop/veryunofficialtravelguides
Like the music? Get it here:
https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/knfmym/
Follow on:
www.facebook.com/MorgansVeryunOfficialTravelGuides
Instagram @MrMorganOBrien
Twitter: @MrMorganOBrien
Affiliate Links:
I receive a small percentage from purchases made from affiliate links that may be contained in this description. This does not affect the amount you pay in any way. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
27 Comments
WE LOVE YOU MORGAN! You're a cool ass dude for letting us into your life annndd for giving us mini vacays as we sit on the couch.
Loved the sneak peak of that cabin. Sounds like you enjoyed the entertainment. It's a shame to not have a nice experience dining in the MDR. Looking forward to your video series. EECC Travels on you-tube did a series on the Prima – https://youtu.be/SstVv6QqWbE
Harr Travel – a YouTube channel – has a full ship video walkthrough tour of the NCL Prima, as well as many other cruise ships.
I have been on two cruises ( P & O and MSC) and neither time did I get a survey, although having seen similar comments to yours I would have been very willing. I noted the names of exceptional staff in order to highlight them both times but had not opportunity. I was told that if you don't get one you should ask at customer services before leaving. I will be doing this in future. I agree there should be something about value for money and space for comments about each category as well as the number ratings. Sometimes its hard to be accurate with your feelings in number form as you described.
Good advice about pets and their costs. I am guessing your will get some negative comments about what you said but it was very true. I don't have a pet at the moment because I cant afford to keep one healthy and face the costs of operations or illness. It is not pleasant to have to let an animal go because you cant afford to give them the best effort to save them. I speak from experience. My beloved cat Mimi had one lung drained by the vet (severe chest infection) which cost a thousand pounds… we couldn't afford to have the other one drained. The vet did say it was a forlorn hope, but I wish we could have tried.
Morgan, as a Timeshare Owner, I get surveys after each weekly vacation from the Booking company that we use to book our timeshare vacation. They rate resorts (Gold Crown, Silver, Bronze) by the reviews they get from the vacationers. I'm very honest with mine, plus most of the reviews end up appearing on TripAdvisor as well. I'm sorry about Chilli, even though I've haven't had a pet since college (1981). I can't speak for Germany, but here in the U.S., there's Pet Insurance (expensive???) like we humans have medical insurance. I hear from friends that the vet expenses are outrageous (captive audience?) and have no idea if the U.S. Pet Insurance is worth it. Having a pet is very expensive, which is why we haven't gotten a dog yet (sorry, not a cat person). Interested in a comparison between Virgin Voyages (being mostly all inclusive) with another similar line like Celebrity Edge-class ships. VV has no kids (18+ only) so that may make a difference too. Again, another great Sunday Sofatime (I watch them all).
EECC has a somewhat positive review of the Prima and The Shiplife has a somewhat negative review of it. You might want to check out both.
I liked your commentary about getting ready for the end of pet's lives and didn't find it dark at all, but realistic and common sense. Did I have tears in my eyes? Yes. But so so necessary to think about. Thanks so much for your great videos.
We have cruised Carnival once and Royal Caribbean several times. Love RC especially the Oasis class, the one cruise on Carnival was more than enough.
Sorry for your loss I know how you feel and it is very hard to loose a fur baby. In the near future perhaps you will get a couple new ones, they won’t replace the one you lost but will be new loves and so many need good homes.
I just took my first cruise and it was with RCL , and I’m glad that I got yo go to Alaska , bc I didn’t like cruising like I hoped I would , the views and ports , AWSOME without a doubt , I Love the water , I Love the Ship , The service was above and beyond , but food was not to my standard , but on the plus side I did not gain weight like most people do on cruises , my bed was so uncomfortable I didn’t sleep for a week and I was exhausted, I wish I would’ve gotten one of these surveys. And I got charges on my credit card after I took care of my charges before I left the ship , I might try a Disney cruise before I give up on cruising
❤ from TX
Morgan, I just made C & A Platinum and my next cruise will be my first one at that level. I have run into people at the Diamond and Pinnacle level on my previous cruises and a lot of them seem bitter. They felt betrayed by Royal Caribbean. I don't feel that way but I don't have a lot of expectations.
Thank you Morgan for this video. I feel bad that I have never filled out these surveys and especially that I didn’t therefore ever give those staff members that that gave us especially good service. I will definitely be doing this going forward. And you are right about the Cunard fans. Loyal!!!!!
Morgan, it always seems that you get charged more for cruises on the new ships since they are "the new hotness." I find myself having to plan every aspect of my cruise ahead of time to avoid wasting money on unnecessary upcharges. I can't wait until I retire and can afford to not think of every little thing on a cruise in terms of money.
Gary Bembridge showed a picture of all the rust on the Queen Mary 2. As a former First Lieutenant of a Navy frigate (I was responsible for the hull painting and rust control), it made me cringe.
Norwegian Prima content available from eecctravels and Ben and David.
Hoping to get on board the Wonder of the Seas eventually. Loved going through the survey with you. We will be on the Allure out of Galveston soon since Royal is now building a new terminal and dock to be able to fit the Oasis class ships. So glad you were able to go on the cruise with Marcus. Hopefully it was a bit of a diversion, but certainly know you were still feeling your recent loss. Thought your sharing of the expense of how you are memorializing Chili is a good point. Our pets don't live as long as we do, and planning financially for that time is positive.
I feel you on the loss of Chili. It can take quite some time to get used to not having them around. It’s coming up to 6 years now since I lost my beloved Greebo (Ragdoll, aged 17 when he passed). Sometimes I still feel like he’ll be there snitching my dinner. And sometimes I swear he’s still around. I got him cremated and they delivered him home which was lovely but there wasn’t any paw print. I don’t recall what it cost but it was quite reasonable (and the added expense of having him get a sedative before the last injection was a blessing as it made his journey a lot easier for him). You and Markus have been in my thoughts these last few weeks. 💕
We had to put our cat down about a year ago. It was a very difficult decision, but she was 14 years old and terminally ill. We decided to honor her by getting plaster paw prints and also by burying her in our yard. We chose a spot by the bird bath because she loves to watch the birds every morning. We have a new cat now, and he’s very energetic and young while our old girl was very lazy and quiet. I like that their personalities are so different because I don’t feel like I’ve replaced her. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being reminded of her, but it gets easier as time goes by. RIP chili
Look at Mathias Morr`s Video on the NCL Prima😂
Makes me want to go on the Wonder. Ben and David just did a video of the Prima. It looks beautiful
I’m glad to see something from Wonder go up this early, because I am going on my first Oasis-class ship leaving Sunday 😀
I enjoy the room service videos!
We never got a survey for our Radiance of the Seas Alaska cruise. I don't think they wanted to hear what I had to say about their company. I was not a happy camper. Highly doubt we'll ever sail Royal Caribbean again. 1 and done
Just come back from being on Wonder Of The Seas in mid September on a Med cruise, so I watched your review with interest! Thanks for sharing
My biggest complaint would be the charging method – as they charge in US dollars, and seem to randomly add up amounts at any given point, which makes it impossible to reconcile when I see the ‘pending’ amounts on my Euro bank account (I used a debit card)
It would be great if they just did a daily total, then I could match it in my bank account
Also at the guest service desk, I was told they did not take Euro as cash against your account – but later found this wasn’t true, so I’m annoyed at that
The next thing is that whilst the food is good, I found the taste of dishes generally bland in the Windjammer, solarium and Main Dining room – for instance the MacnCheese wasn’t tasting ‘cheesy’, the southern fried chicken had no taste at all other than the breadcrumb and chicken – But it all looks well presented though! Also I would recommend microwave stations in the WJ /Solarium as food is usually luke warm. Wasn’t enamoured with the main dining room experience – did it twice, again luke warm food, and didn’t like the general ‘ambiance’ in there
Finally, the extra charges really DO add up – it was 26 a day each for WiFi (we went for the key package for the 3 of us as the difference in cost was about 2 euro a day pp, compared to the standard internet package)
We didn’t buy the drinks package as only my daughter drinks – however that usually came in at around 16-17 dollars a cocktail, soft drinks 5, the speciality dining at Mason Jar was 60 each, and that’s a flat rate in quite a few of the restaurants. PLUS, they include a service charge, even though we prepay gratuities! Excursions are expensive, so we just walked off the boat when there was stuff within walking distance to do or see, however I noted that a lot of the excursions were between 150-250 per person
Positively the ship is really spectacular, the shows are excellent (we saw all of them) – staff are really good 99% of the time, the on the hop food is great (Sorrentos was a firm favourite again)
This is my 2nd cruise with RCL (first one was with Liberty Of The Seas in 2012, which I thought was far better value at the time)
I suspect the ‘all inclusive’ is getting less so!
In order to remember names of staff on board that we want to remember, we take a photo of their name tag as well as a photo of them. That way we have everything we need when the survey arrives.
I enjoyed your overview of your recent wonder of the Seas trip. However, I found your statements about losing your pet, Chili, very touching. I have a 115 pound Lab/great Dane mix and a 6 pound cat. I am 77 yrs old and have never been without a pet. They have never been cheap to have but the joy made it all worth it. We do have a pet savings account with monthly deposits. It has saved us having to make decisions based on monetary reasons. So sorry for your loss. It will take time to stop seeing her but she is at peace now. On a happier note, you do a great job on your videos and I really enjoy them. I am curious as to if you will ever captain another saiing vessel.
Oops, wrong ship name… so sorry .
I traveled as a solo traveler for the first time back in 2018. This widower wanted a group of solo travelers to dine and party with. Only one lady and one guy in a wheelchair showed up. This was the harmony of the sea with 6000 people on board. Won’t do royal Caribbean again unless I’m traveling with a companion.