Our February New Orleans cruise turned into a nightmare. The ship wasn't a traditional cruise…read morevessel; it was a dilapidated garbage barge, I believe. Tape X's were literally affixed to the windows, desperately needing replacement. There were only two dining options: the main dining room and the buffet. Notably, none of the other Royal Caribbean-included restaurants were on the ship. Consequently, we couldn't eat at a sit-down restaurant for hours throughout the day. Royal Caribbean boasts about their freestyle Coke machines with an array of flavors, but these machines were nowhere to be found on this ship. Even the soda machine in the buffet malfunctioned, and only one diet soda was available. The ship's condition was so deplorable that the comedians on board couldn't help but make fun of it. One comedian even took aim at Vacaya for allegedly ripping people off to be there.
The ship was scheduled to make three port calls: Cozumel, George Town, and Progreso in the Yucatan Peninsula. However, it skipped Progreso, claiming there was a problem there. Making it sound like a nefarious problem at the port. Naturally, everyone resorted to Google to uncover the truth. We discovered that there was no problem. When confronted, they made up another lie. The port had made a schedule mistake and had no place to dock the ship. Someone shared the schedule, revealing that the ship was indeed on the schedule, but another lie was being perpetuated by blaming the port. Despite our repeated inquiries, we never received the actual reason behind our missed port. So, we went to Cozumel again. This time, we were informed that it would be at the more unsecure downtown port instead of the tourist port. It was a blatant disregard for our safety, and the ship was a complete disrespect to our comfort. To add insult to injury, we were charged the same price as for their other cruises, which were held on actual ships with reputable cruise lines. When I expressed my dissatisfaction to a Vacaya owner, he came across as just like Trump himself, regaling me with tales of his supposed community service. Despite everyone feeling taken advantage of, he assured us that he would make some changes since we still had four days left. However, the only change he implemented was that we missed the port of Progreso, which everyone had been eagerly anticipating. To make matters worse, he even interrupted the farewell show to try and sell his next rip-off cruise. This business definitely has a strong resemblance to Trump's style. They target a community, rip them off, and then continue to claim that they're helping them. Yes, this cruise may not have been satisfactory in any way, but I'm supposedly helping everyone so much. How stuffing their pockets helps anyone but themselves is beyond me. These guys at Vacaya clearly believe that Trump will destroy the LGBTQ+ community, so they want to take advantage of it as much as possible before it's gone.
The staff was great, and the entertainment was amazing. But it's all about that ship and the way the owners at VACAYA robbed everyone out of $3000 a room. At most, it was only worth $2000, not the $5000 they charged. If they aren't MAGA Bro businessmen, I would expect them to donate that $3000 a room to the LGBTQ+ community in each person's name. Otherwise, I genuinely hope that anyone who hasn't been deceived into buying a cruise with them will quickly realize their mistake and find another LGBTQ+ cruise provider.
I should have heeded my better judgment and not booked the cruise. After reading their Trump-style disclaimer, that if the cruise were canceled for any reason, Vacaya would retain your money and book you on their next cruise, regardless of whether you could make it. This decision was made based on the community's vote, which I find puzzling considering that it's an outcome that hasn't yet occurred. In contrast, I prioritized the positive reviews. Looking back, I realize that they were probably bot-generated reviews. That's probably why they don't allow reviews on their own website.
