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R Seven Update June, 2001
Back to the R-7 Dover to Stockholm Review
)
To date, I have one input regarding the update to the R7 review. These comments
also reflect comments we have heard from the general passenger population during meals, tours, etc.
Room service:
Limited but good service complete and on time. Calling to room before delivery is a nice touch.
Cabins are clean with lots of towels. Shelf space is adequate, but few drawers are available e.g.
the nightstands. Better lighting for reading in bed and elsewhere needed. Cabin temperature control
is very good, although one person thought that not being able to get her cabin below 69 degrees was
not good. Refrigerators and robes should be added to cabins, at least in balconies and above. Ice
buckets are small and no carafe of chilled water is available. TV is generally good, size and
channel content, a vcr and vcr library would be a plus. It was suggested that all cabins have a
clock installed, personally we think this is unnecessary. Self service laundry is good, but is not
publicized in brochure, and the Renaissance reservation agents do not know it exists. Check in was
fairly smooth but long bus ride to ship from Heathrow needs to be publicized. There could be
complimentary water at least on the bus after a long plane ride and Heathrow hassle. Bags should be
taken care of by "R" personnel. Many of the passengers are elderly and don't need to be
lugging their bags right up to the bus.
Cuisine
on board has been most graciously described as "banquet food" at best and
"poor" at worst. Menu is limited with low end choices abundant. No shrimp, escargots,
lobster, etc. Special dining is not so special. Menu selections are un-imaginative and service (once
obtained) is rushed or slow, depending on which day and which waiter one gets. When requesting to
dine with others, long waits for the table to fill and changes in table seating once seated were
common. Club dining is also a crap shoot, as one feels as though one is at a popular restaurant with
a no reservation policy and therefore one never knows when one will be seated. It is difficult to
plan an evening (to attend a show for example) if the dinning time is a variable.
Several passengers who have traveled on R class ships in the past noted that dining service was on
the decline. We feel that the Club dining is understaffed. The staff does the best with what they
have been dealt, but it is wearing thin on them and shows in the service. They are there from 6:30 -
after 9PM with no break and no "course schedule". It's tough on them. Meanwhile, at the
Panorama for dinner, they are overstaffed.
There needs to be some consideration to transportation from the ship to the various port towns. An
inexpensive shuttle to take passengers to TOWN, not the end of the pier. There is little information
on port town transportation and do-it-yourself transportation and tours. In fact, the tour staff
give deceptive information and in some cases lied about what the port situation is. For example, we
were told that without a visa we could not leave the ship in St. Petersburg unless we were on a
tour. Not true. We were told that the ONLY shopping opportunity would be in conjunction with a tour.
Not true. There is a nice little duty free shop in the terminal which has a limited but very nice
selection of liquor and souvenirs. The individual who mans the tour desk is indifferent and seems to
be bothered by any question asked. We were not pleased with the tour staff in general. Passenger
comments: the tour prices are very high.
The final comments come from two of the ladies from Louisiana who were traveling
together. They thought the itinerary was super and this time of year was ideal, weather wise and
crowd wise. The ship layout is good . . easy to get around. The library was superb, comfortable and
with a nice selection of books. The bar service was good, not obtrusive and bothersome. They liked
the Cabaret lounge. Service in the Italian restaurant was excellent (to us it varied with the wait
staff . .e.g. your experience on the last night; we sat next to you and noticed the slow service at
your table. We had dined using that waitress earlier and she was slooow.). Casual atmosphere is a
plus. Tours were expensive. Lots of pre-tour info live and on TV but not enough info for on-your-own
passengers.
Walt and Arlene
Back to the R-7 Dover to Stockholm Review