17th entry - Legend of the Seas (Part 3)

Continued from Part 2

Information dissemination
(a) Comprehensiveness (covering all essential aspects of the cruise experience, including safety, directions) - [my score:5] guests received a daily schedule of all the activities going on concurrently throughout the day, including the meal times, the locations where the activities would take place, and highlights of main activities. However, there was a lack of proper instruction given on the gratuity (tipping) for the room attendant and fine dining restaurant staff. The prepaid gratuity coupons did not arrive with the envelopes meant to put them in, and my parents and I were clueless as to what we should do with the envelopes as there was no clear mention of the acceptable methods of giving the gratuity i.e. either to give the envelopes personally to the ones deserving of it, drop them off at the Purser's Desk when settling the bill or leave them in the room.

(b) Timeliness (not just without delay but ample enough for guests' decision making) - [my score:6] the daily schedule and fact sheets for the next day would always be neatly placed on our beds a day before when the room attendant prepared the bed for nighttime.

(c) Simplicity (easy even for "intellectually challenged" persons to read/understand) - [my score:5] The text on the fact sheets and schedules were relatively easy to follow in terms of language but due to the fine print, close line spacing and blue font color I thought it was easy to miss out information unless we went through the info sheet slowly.

Guest Relations, Room Service, Housekeeping
(a) Ease of access - [my score:6] Guest relations officers who took care of most of guests' needs (including requests for information), room service and housekeeping services were available 24 hours a day and all guests needed to do was to dial a button on the phone.

(b) Speed of response - [my score:5] On the 2nd day, I asked for 2 extra pillows for my aunt and myself. After 45 minutes nothing came, so I called again and the operator apologised and assured me that it would be arriving soon. When I put down my phone and went outside, I bumped into my room attendant, "Fox" and told him I called housekeeping etc. He told me that he would get on it right away, and true enough he returned with 2 pillows faster than the Flash!

(c) Staff friendliness - [my score:6] Besides the guest relations and housekeeping staff, other staff were also smiling and ever ready to greet guests (also sometimes I would be the first to greet the staff rather than the other way around).

(d) Helpfulness and sensitivity to guests' needs - [my score:6] My room attendant, "Fox", was a very warm and courteous man who not only made sure that the room was clean and properly made up, but also arranges special patterns (e.g. swan, snowman) with the towels and puts them on the bed to surprise guests! My parents and I loved these little gestures, especially the nightly chocolate mints placed on the pillows for us. Guest relations officers were a little mechanical, but helpful nonetheless.

Accommodation
(a) Overall comfort - [my score:3] I stayed in a twin-sharing ocean view stateroom which had a porthole window. The level of comfort I experienced was comparable to a 3-star hotel. The beds were relatively small and not firm (old spring mattress), and the pillows were too soft. What I disliked most about the room was the air-conditioning - I could not feel cool when I adjusted to the lowest temperature setting, and the air temperature along the balcony was actually lower than in the room. One of the light switches were faulty. However, the bedlinen and towels were of superior quality. I liked that the TV was placed on an extendable frame that could be adjusted to turn at a 45 degree angle so you can watch it on the bed or on the sofa couch.

(b) Helpfulness and sensitivity to guests' needs (including for those with disabilities) - [my score:3] the wardrobe had ample clothing-hangers and space. The dressing table and side table had lots of drawers and cabinets to put clothing etc even though some of them needed to be lubricated because they were difficult to open. A hair-dryer was available but mine didnt seem to be working; the kettle was extremely efficient but relatively small. However, the room was small and basic toiletries (e.g. toothbrush) were not provided, and mineral water was not given free of charge (unlike in Star Cruises).

(c) Cleanliness - [my score:3] the room was acceptably clean in general but there were areas which could be improved e.g. the window ledge was dusty, and the toilet towl, sink and vanity top, shower cubicle and floor was not cleaned thoroughly. I suspect that the sheets and pillow cases were not changed daily. The cups were not washed thoroughly as well. The walls, decorative cushions (which the room attendant placed on our beds!) and sofa couch were also rather dirty.

(d) Size - [my score:2] the shower area was so small that I constantly hit my elbows against the walls when soaping myself: I got so fed-up that in the mornings I preferred to take my shower in the spacious showers at the Men's room in the spa. I had to move the coffee-table up against the wall to make space for walking. If the detachable single beds were configured to be a single queen bed, an average American person would have difficulties walking along the sides of the bed without turning sideways, his back pressing against the wall.

(e) Amenities - [my score:2] only 2 bars of soap were given for 3 nights' stay, and there was no bath foam, toothbrush/paste, shower cap, shoe-horns, slippers or bathrobes. Facial tissue paper must be taken from the bathroom. The complimentary tea and coffee were not replenished daily, and there were no welcome fruit basket etc (probably because we were not staying in a suite). The white bath, face/hair and hand towels were made of soft, good quality material but some were stained. The water from the room tasted funny even after it was boiled - twice.

Ship facilities, Shopping and Activities
(a) Variety of choices - [my score:4] you could buy a wide variety of goods in their shops - ranging from fashionable clothes to essentials like swimwear, underwear and socks; from cuddly toys to latest book titles; from beautiful jewellery and perfumes to rare wines and liquors, cigars and tobacco; from sinful chocolates to creams, medicines and vitamins. Some were even offered at great bargains. The sales service could be improved, though: the staff failed to deliver the right quantity of liquor that I bought at the shop, and the sales staff didnt provide good product information even when approached. In terms of activities, there was nearly something for everyone from the very young to the very old - rock climbing and miniature golf tournaments, line dancing sessions, table-tennis, yoga, origami, mahjong and various card and board games, electronic arcade games and bingo. I especially enjoyed the gym and spa (steam and sauna) facilities, but I felt that the jacuzzi and pools could be bigger. The large lounge/discos (Anchors Aweigh and Crown Vista) had plenty of tables and seats but these facilities were usually under-utilized. The casino was small and had relatively few tables and slot machines; the staff were also not very patient or friendly.

(b) Cleanliness and maintenance - [my score:5] Facilities on board the ship were quite well-maintained. I could see cleaning staff working tirelessly round the clock at the public-area toilets, stairways and practically everywhere, cleaning and repairing light bulbs etc. However, the "grass" carpets at its miniature golf course were quite worn-out, and the puts were rusty or damaged.

(c) Aesthetics and design - [my score:6] I liked the interior decor on board Legend of the Seas. One feature I noticed was the amazing works of art on display everywhere and the statues and potted plants placed strategically around the public areas - I felt I was in a museum or art gallery! Information about the layout of the ship could be found on all lift lobbies so directionally challenged individuals (like me) could navigate effortlessly around the ship unassisted, but staff seemed ever ready to give directions if required.

(d) Quality of Entertainment (i.e. whether enjoyable) - [my score:6] If there is one thing I enjoyed most about this trip, it would have to be the evening "live" performances. On the 1st night, the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers put together an interesting programme combining popular songs from the 50s to the 90s accommpanied by professionally choreographed dancing. Guests were treated to a magic show on the 2nd night, which was entertaining for both children and adults. The best performance was reserved for the last night, when Ilia and Valerie, the acrobatic couple (and their 4-year old son) performed a sequence of amazing acrobatic moves. Ilia, a Russian, had such a chiselled, toned, tanned and muscular figure that he appeared more like an personal trainer/model/actor than an acrobat. His wife Valerie, a French woman, was tall and beautiful like a model, graceful like a ballerina and agile (their opening act was body contortion in which Valerie was pulled out from a luggage bag). I was fortunate to be chosen by Ilia to go on stage to participate in their second act, in which Valerie changed rapidly into a series of evening gowns in front of the audience and me and pretended to "wed" me - I was told to walk out on stage with a baby doll after a brief moment backstage to the comical delight of the audience (see the youTube clip embedded below). Besides the main evening entertainment, there were live music performances all day, free Ben and Jerry's ice-cream in the afternoons. At midnight on the 3rd day, an engaging performance was put up by the Cruise Director and his staff with a rock and roll theme, in which they sang and danced with the guests at the centrium area - they ran from deck to deck to encourage shy guests to let down their hair and join in the fun.



On-Shore Excursions
(a) Speed of processing embarkation/ disembarkation - [my score:6] In spite of overwhelming demand to disembark for the Penang excursion, the crew managed to allow the guests to disembark within minutes of tendering. Re-boarding was also hassle-free and efficiently managed.

(b) Variety of choices (i.e. provision of a range of programmes to suit different needs) - [my score:3] according to the shore excursion programme sheet, about 3 package options were available for guests to choose from, but there was little flexibility for guests to customize these packages to suit their needs as they needed to adhere strictly to the itineraries. On the other hand, guests could choose to go free and easy but these were entirely at their own expense and little assistance were given.

(c) Land Transportation - [my score:1] RCL did not charter shuttle buses to ferry guests between the port and the city center or designated tourist areas. In contrast, SuperStar Virgo provided shuttle bus services and timings were also made known to guests to facilitate their own itinerary planning.

On the whole, I had a good cruising experience on board the Legend of the Seas. Normally I found cruises rather boring, but on this trip I never had a dull moment. Most of all I got time to spend with my parents, which was itself a luxury because of my busy work schedule. My aunt, my parents and I had fun playing card games and UNO while waiting for dinner, and the fine dining experience was quite enjoyable. My mum and I unexpectedly bumped into familiar faces on this cruise - she bumped into her primary schoolmate, while I ran into 2 former colleagues. My trip left me some fond memories (my first stage debut, for instance), which shall be cherished dearly.