Just off carnival Legend,going to take a break from Cruising

We just got off the legend on Sunday. We have been on 7 cruises with Carnival and are gold members. i really noticed the cut backs this time. Our room was not made up till mid afternoon and turned down was not until like 7 or 8 PM. The food was mostly warm and in some instances cool. The only thing consistantly hot was the soup. The dining room service with the anytime dining was great. We had Elena on deck 3 most nights. The cleanup around the pool on sea days was really bad with cups and garbage laying around all afternoon. This was a geriatric cruise with only about 25 kids under 18 on this cruise. The CD said on his show its the least amount of kids on board in the Legends history. We will be taking a break from cruising with Carnival for a few years as we are tired of the same shows,food and now a DJ on the deck with no more live music up by the pool. We really like the carribean music and there was a little played but not a lot. i think what really has gotten to us is all the balcony door slammers. People going out for smokes or whatever at 1 am or 5 am and letting their balcony doors slam behind them. I told our cabin neighbours to please not slam their doors anymore and they were pretty good about it. They were newbies and did not realize it until I mentioned to them as they were out on there deck at like 6 am sitting and talking.Its amazing how many cabins down you can hear the doors slam and after 7 cruises I have had enough.

Also another concern for us was the food handling by the cooks at the burger place next to the pool. On the last port day we got back from Grand Cayman and were hungry. At 4:30 almost everything was closed so we got burgers and chicken fingers. While we were in line I notciced the cooks were handling raw hamburger meat and them touching everything else including the duns and lettuce and tomaotos for the burgers. I was really shocked to see this so later that night i seen the hotel Director and the coffee shop on deck 2 and told him about it. He was very concerned and took off right after I told him about it. So hopefully something was done about this.

We're taking a break from cruising with Carnival as well.

We were on the 1/27 sailing of the Conquest and while we did enjoy it, we did notice some of the cutbacks as well.

Had never been disappointed with cruise food until this time. The shows were a disappointment with the video "sets" and only 8 singers/dancers. We noticed tables in the buffet being left dirty for quite awhile, and as you said cups and trash by the pool not removed quickly. A lot of "little things" but they do add up and it will probably be at least a couple of years before we cruise again, and we will be trying a different line next time.

I took one too. My almost year long break ends in May. Freedom here I come! :)

After our last Legend cruise in November, we really noticed cutbacks as well. There wasn't a whole lot of entertainment on the ship at all. Every announcement promoted bingo or the casino, which we really didn't care for. Some activities that were advertised in the Fun Times, such as movies, weren't occurring when we got there either :(.

My husband and I were actually pretty bored on the cruise, good thing we had a balcony and could sit outside and read when the weather was nice. The food wasn't bad, but it didn't WOW me like it used to (then again, this could be because I live in Charleston SC, and we're pretty well known for having good food here).

This year we'll do Disney World or either take another cruise line.

Us Too!!

For pretty much the same reasons, but we've only ever cruised on Princess. We've been given platinum cards the last couple of cruises. Princess banned smoking on balconies so that pretty much was the straw that broke the camels back. So far we've spent our recent vacations on the Maine coastline, the gulf coast of Florida, and most recently (for the first time) an all-inclusive in Jamaica. I can't begin to say how much fun and relaxation we enjoyed. Not saying we'll never cruise again, but there's lots else to enjoy also.

A few years back I took a break too. But it wasn't because the service, or the food, or the entertainment went downhill .... It was merely because I had cruised twice a year for 5 years straight. Even though this was 4 different cruise lines, the routine is very similar between them. Ports all start to look alike. Activities are very similar. The days all start to run together. Anyway, I still love cruising. For me, the value you get for the money is much better than a lot of land based vacations. I also believe the more you cruise (or the more you go to any one vacation spot), you tend to start noticing more each time. Chances are that a lot of things that annoy us today, were also there before. It's just that we notice a lot more when we repeat our vacations so much.

As for Carnival, yes there have been cutbacks. But there have also been cutbacks with the other cruise lines as well. I believe it has a lot to do with the cost of fuel now as compared to 5 and 6 years ago. Anyway, no one has cutback so far that I can't still have a good time. Looking forward to my next cruise on the Fascination in 59 days!

We were on the Jan 27/13 sailing of the Legend and I have to agree with the cutbacks being noticeable. That was our first Carnival cruise since 2007 and we will be sticking with the other lines. The most noticeable thing for us was the lack of servers. They seemed really short staffed. We laughed every time before the shows in the main theater when they announced to order your drinks before the show started as we could never find a waitress to order from! In the two main bars the servers also had to deal with the dinning rooms.

We just got off the legend on Sunday. We have been on 7 cruises with Carnival and are gold members. i really noticed the cut backs this time. Our room was not made up till mid afternoon and turned down was not until like 7 or 8 PM. The food was mostly warm and in some instances cool. The only thing consistantly hot was the soup. The dining room service with the anytime dining was great. We had Elena on deck 3 most nights. The cleanup around the pool on sea days was really bad with cups and garbage laying around all afternoon. This was a geriatric cruise with only about 25 kids under 18 on this cruise. The CD said on his show its the least amount of kids on board in the Legends history. We will be taking a break from cruising with Carnival for a few years as we are tired of the same shows,food and now a DJ on the deck with no more live music up by the pool. We really like the carribean music and there was a little played but not a lot. i think what really has gotten to us is all the balcony door slammers. People going out for smokes or whatever at 1 am or 5 am and letting their balcony doors slam behind them. I told our cabin neighbours to please not slam their doors anymore and they were pretty good about it. They were newbies and did not realize it until I mentioned to them as they were out on there deck at like 6 am sitting and talking.Its amazing how many cabins down you can hear the doors slam and after 7 cruises I have had enough.

Also another concern for us was the food handling by the cooks at the burger place next to the pool. On the last port day we got back from Grand Cayman and were hungry. At 4:30 almost everything was closed so we got burgers and chicken fingers. While we were in line I notciced the cooks were handling raw hamburger meat and them touching everything else including the duns and lettuce and tomaotos for the burgers. I was really shocked to see this so later that night i seen the hotel Director and the coffee shop on deck 2 and told him about it. He was very concerned and took off right after I told him about it. So hopefully something was done about this.

I kind of feel like you do. I've never really had a bad cruise but I've tried some other curise lines and there is a difference. Maybe before you decide not to cruise again, try another line. I just sailed Carnival in December for my 10th time and my next 4 planned holidays don't include Carnival. I'm not saying I won't cruise with them again, but I'm going to try an few more lines first and then make a decision.

Cruises are great and I love them so I won't quit cruising but it's time to give Carnival a bit of a break and try something a little more "upscale"

Have you considered trying a different cruise line?

We're taking a break from cruising with Carnival as well.

. We noticed tables in the buffet being left dirty for quite awhile, and as you said cups and trash by the pool not removed quickly. A lot of "little things" but they do add up and it will probably be at least a couple of years before we cruise again, and we will be trying a different line next time.

just so u know, RCI is also slower now at clearing tables. it was not a issue in the buffet of not having enough tables, but more a issue of not having CLEAN tables.

A few years back I took a break too. But it wasn't because the service, or the food, or the entertainment went downhill .... It was merely because I had cruised twice a year for 5 years straight. Even though this was 4 different cruise lines, the routine is very similar between them. Ports all start to look alike. Activities are very similar. The days all start to run together. Anyway, I still love cruising. For me, the value you get for the money is much better than a lot of land based vacations. I also believe the more you cruise (or the more you go to any one vacation spot), you tend to start noticing more each time. Chances are that a lot of things that annoy us today, were also there before. It's just that we notice a lot more when we repeat our vacations so much.

 

As for Carnival, yes there have been cutbacks. But there have also been cutbacks with the other cruise lines as well. I believe it has a lot to do with the cost of fuel now as compared to 5 and 6 years ago. Anyway, no one has cutback so far that I can't still have a good time. Looking forward to my next cruise on the Fascination in 59 days!

Yes, good Point.

I wonder if the noticeable cutbacks are because they still have the same number of crew members, but there are a lot more dining options so that leaves more work for the same number of employees. If that is the case, then something has to be let go and it sounds like cleaning tables and cleaning the pool area are being let go.

A few years back I took a break too. But it wasn't because the service, or the food, or the entertainment went downhill .... It was merely because I had cruised twice a year for 5 years straight. Even though this was 4 different cruise lines, the routine is very similar between them. Ports all start to look alike. Activities are very similar. The days all start to run together. Anyway, I still love cruising. For me, the value you get for the money is much better than a lot of land based vacations. I also believe the more you cruise (or the more you go to any one vacation spot), you tend to start noticing more each time. Chances are that a lot of things that annoy us today, were also there before. It's just that we notice a lot more when we repeat our vacations so much.

 

As for Carnival, yes there have been cutbacks. But there have also been cutbacks with the other cruise lines as well. I believe it has a lot to do with the cost of fuel now as compared to 5 and 6 years ago. Anyway, no one has cutback so far that I can't still have a good time. Looking forward to my next cruise on the Fascination in 59 days!

Actually, I have to disagree with you, Carnival has cut back way more than any other line, and it shows tremendously. We just left a Disney cruise, and it was unbelievable, service was fast and nice, the ship was clean all the time, the employees were happy and generous with their time and most importantly the food was really good. We sailed the Carnival Dream in July last year, and it was absolutely horrendous, long lines, rude employees, slow service, food was cold or warm, and the ship was dirty all the time. I think your smart giving up on Carnival, they definitely gave up on providing a valuable service to the customer base. Try Disney or another cruise line and you will quickly notice the huge difference in level of service and quality.

I have been doing lots of travel to Asia (airlines) and have lived in the Philippines for 5 years straight, so I just have done very little cruising.

My last cruise was a 4-day Miami, Key West, Cozumel trip on the Ecstasy in 1994 (19 years ago).

My wife and I are going on the same 4-day cruise ... this time on the Victory on the end of this month.

It's going to be the same 4-day itinerary as it was in 1994 (even the same type of cabin (balcony).

Going to be interesting to see how things have changes on this cruise from what I remember from the last cruise in 1994.

What I have read is that the food is not as good as back in 1994 ... too bad

I must agree that cruising has lost its appeal with us too and it is not just with Carnival after 13 straight with them we tried other lines(6) the last 3 with Celebrity and the service has just gotten worse lots of cut backs. The last 2 yrs we have gone back to adult only all-inclusives and doing VRBO in St. Martin. I doubt very much if we will cruise anymore in the Caribbean.

I sail the Legend a lot. I've started telling the waiter the first night I've had issues with food temps and after that all the food comes out hot. Now, if I could get a cold salad...

Last 2 trips there was no sheer curtain at the balcony door. "It's out for cleaning." 2 different cabins and they just happened to be out at 2 different times? It was, for some silly reason, noticeably missing.

The DJ was so BADDDDDDDDDD!!!!!! Several were saying they wished he'd by some Caribbean music so I asked him to please do so. He answered it was. When I stopped and listened really hard, it was, but it was the worst bad rap version of Caribbean you've ever heard.

I like a few other posters would recommend trying another cruise line. I too seen a ton of "cutbacks" on our last Carnival cruise. We then did a Princess cruise and wow! What a difference they put Carnival to shame with the service, cleanliness, entertainment, food (Princess shrimp that accompanied the Lobster on elegant night was bigger than Carnivals lobster), etc. When we sailed Celebrity they also put Carnival to shame.

I will still cruise Carnival (especially since I have several drink coupons to use up LOL) but am willing to pay a bit more for a better experience. Funny though, right now the weeks I am looking at Holland America and several other cruise lines are the same price as Carnival.

Actually, I have to disagree with you, Carnival has cut back way more than any other line, and it shows tremendously. We just left a Disney cruise, and it was unbelievable, service was fast and nice, the ship was clean all the time, the employees were happy and generous with their time and most importantly the food was really good. We sailed the Carnival Dream in July last year, and it was absolutely horrendous, long lines, rude employees, slow service, food was cold or warm, and the ship was dirty all the time. I think your smart giving up on Carnival, they definitely gave up on providing a valuable service to the customer base. Try Disney or another cruise line and you will quickly notice the huge difference in level of service and quality.

NCL has dropped the farthest of any lines I've repeated. Every line has cut back but NCL: worst. Have to say I loved Princess and wish they had more east coast sailings!

When speaking with my PVP last week she mentioned trying to divert people away from the Legend. She said right now they are having lots of problems with crew members. I know we've seen a lot of general cutbacks over the last 8 years but at this point we still love to cruise. There is always going to be good and bad issues with any vacation.

Well, I can't say that I miss the calyso bands (I prefer modern "top 40" music playing or the soft background music in Serenity), but the rest of it sounds pretty bad.

CCL has got to pull out of the cost-cutting nose dive they've been in since Uncle Bob left and we got stuck with the Evil Accountant.

Keeping fares at the same level they were twenty years ago might attract more people, but the quality suffers tremendously. I'd rather pay slightly higher fares and have the better experience of yester-year.

Yep, we really noticed the cutbacks too. We were so thrilled to be sailing on the new Breeze in January and I can't tell you how let down we were. So much of what the posters above have said, were things we noticed too. The staff seem worn out, and are snappy in some situations, and I have NEVER seen that on any other cruise ship in the past. The Breeze looked like it had been in service for years with how filthy the carpets were in the lido buffet area, the way they were having to pull up some of the tile work and re-do it near the Tequila bar on the lido, and the way that some of the tables are already showing wear and tear.

To us, it looked like Carnival ordered the Breeze to be a cheaped out vessel that can hold a lot of people to recoup some money it's been losing elsewhere. The new decor didn't come across as "wow" to us, it came across as minimal and cheap. There were no internet specials and no laundry specials at all the whole week, yet there were on the Valor the week after.

Our stateroom's walls were so thin that we could hear conversations next door. I've never had that before. I've heard loud bangs of closets etc. or the odd crying baby... but this was just overhearing conversations at normal levels.

And what's up with the rocking of the Breeze? We thought that with the size of her, she would sit steady in the water. Not so. We were on the 8th floor but even when having dinner on the 4th floor, she rocked and bucked like a bronco in some bad weather we encountered. Everyone was getting sea sick and I've never experienced that kind of motion on any of the other boats we've been on, including a trip down to Fanning Island in the south pacific where we encountered 30 ft waves. We felt lots of motion even in calm seas.

The downgrading of the loyalty program seemed like a counter intuitive move if you are wanting to attract loyal customers.

I'm afraid that we also will be taking a break from Carnival. I won't say we won't be back, because I hope they learn from this. I hope John and the rest of the Beards are paying close attention to all of this. And will work towards fixing it.

Liz

Reading threads on the other lines, more and more people are ditching Carnival because of the cutbacks. Looking to try another line.

You're not alone on the break front.

I've been wanting to take a break for a while but my family got way too comfortable being Platinum on Carnival. I have personally been sick of it for awhile.

This new engine fire has finally made them decide that branching out and seeing what else is out there would be a good idea.

Variety is a good thing and skipping Carnival for a period of time and trying other lines is not a bad decision. I'll be doing the same myself. Not that Carnival has done anything necessarily wrong, but after being on quite a few Carnival cruises in short periods of time, it gets redundant and some changes (cut backs as others call them) are obvious but would never make a cruise "bad" or "horrible" as many reviews express here on CC, they are simply a different experience. I've been on 14 cruises with just Carnival and none of them were bad cruises, but all very enjoyable and great cruising experiences. I will say, that after my cruise in August 2011 (10th cruise) on the Inspiration I wasn't as WOW'd as prior cruises to that. Even though I didn't feel WOW'd, I still cruised 4 more times with Carnival before I fully came to the decision I'm cruising more in the future with other lines.

Don't get me wrong for the value of what you get for the cost you can't go wrong with most Carnival cruises, especially if you live and cruise from Florida.

Last time I was on the Legend back in 2011, there were temperature issues with food then from what I remember. I remember a member of our party mentioning something about the soup in the buffet being cold and a superior was flagged down. We saw them several times throughout the rest of the cruise always checking the temperature of the foods. I've also seen in many reviews issues with food temperature on the Legend, so it appears this is now "normal" for the Legend. I loved the Legend and cruising on her both times though.

Happy cruising!

Hopefully, you won't quit cruising completely and give another cruise line a try.

While there have been cut backs on all the mass market cruise lines, some have not done so as much as others.

LuLu

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