Crus4US

I just booked the Epic for the Med next year. It is was a fantastic price with the 3/4 guests sailing free. I have teenagers and a family balcony will be tight, but I think since it is so port intensive it won't matter as much. Everything else was booked....first time on NCL..fingers crossed.

For our family these cutbacks are a deal breaker. We went on a cruise last Spring Break after a long hiatus from cruising. With the exception of Guy's and the Blue Iguana the food was terrible, especially the Lido deck. The Lido deck seemed to be leftovers from the main dining room. The cuts to the wait staff and cabin stewards were apparent as the prior service was outstanding, this time they are simply overwhelmed. There were virtually no waiters on the lido offering drinks and we had to fight for spots on the lido just to lounge. The getting rid of past guest celebrations, the chocolate on the pillow, the cabin steward knowing your name, the waiter remembering our preferences, even the table clothes....(my water glasses sliding all over, at least give us coasters) I miss all of that. We have to travel far and airfare is expensive so to get subpar service and food is a deal breaker. I realize this is an industry wide phenomenon but it really impacts the consumer as well as the employees who have to work a lot harder and puts their tips in jeopardy. JMHO

We were on the Glory in March and I completely agree about the food. Guys, The Blue Iguana, and the Pizza were good, but everything else was really pretty bad.

I am not foodie and honestly don't have high expectations, but we the buffet and the MDR were very subpar.

This cruise was our first in 4 years and it was so different and the cutbacks were pretty evident.

Sorry I've taken so long to get back to you - unfortunately I came back from my Breeze cruise with a REALLY BAD case of the shingles (thankfully didn't break out until the day after I returned). I've been pretty much out of commission for the last two weeks. Don't wish that on anyone!!

 

It was really sweet of you to offer to play messenger - Jordan's contract will end the week before you get onboard. It was her first contract & though she's had some ups & downs - it's been a great experience for her. Alot different than when I was onboard back in the 80's - more work, stricter rules, etc. Again, thanks for the offer - and ENJOY your cruise!!!

We were on the Glory in March and if it is the same Jordan that is on the entertainment staff, she did a great job! Hope she stays on....and did ok with the CD.

Loved Belize! We were just there for the first time last Wed. We did the cave tubing tour with lunch. It was fantastic, and honestly made me want to spend more time there.

I was on the Glory for its 2 Journey cruises B2B this Jan and Feb, , and the only bad incident was on turnover day in San Juan. The CD asked all 500 of us B2Bers to gather in the main theater at 9:15AM - we filled up all the center and right aisle seats.

 

By 11:00 and 11:30, the CD was blaming misinformation, Customs, other staff and yes, us cruisers, for the total lack of progress in getting us processed for the 2nd leg of the cruise.

 

He was rude and insulting, stressed out and hadn't thought out new policies for getting that many B2Bers new S&S cards, it was too overwhelming for his skill set. This nonsense ended by 12:30PM, an ordeal of over 3 hours.

 

Two days later, Carnival management sent a letter to all B2Bers apologizing for our frustration and the CD's ineptitude. We were invited to a make up party similar to the past guest, where the CD stood on stage and offered his personal apology for messing things up.

 

It was funny that at the start of the party, the B2Bers filled the entire theater floor, as some B2Bers who had gone into San Juan and avoided the fiasco got invited to attend as well as us folk who were truly inconvenienced.

 

That was the main hiccup on this set of cruises. I wound up being upgraded from an inside to a balcony but I certainly didn't mind that extra move. And I don't have an opinion on linens in the MDR, I accepted that eating there is not fine dining long ago.

That is terrible. How frustrating for everyone.. Happy you got an upgrade out of it.

This or next week is his last sailing on the Glory. Not sure if he's done or going to join a different ship at a later date. I had no problems with him!

He mentioned that he was on vacation after this next cruise. He was ok. I had no issues on way or another with him.

We also just returned from the Glory as well on the March 5th sailing. For us the wait staff and room steward along with all other staff were outstanding as always. As far as the new menu there was not really much of a difference and I actually thought there were more choices than before and the food was excellent. I did not miss the table cloths like I thought I would it made no difference. I like how the bread and water are on the table although my water glass was kept full at all times and I did not have to fill it myself. I think it is all perspective and what you make of it personally. I do prefer the larger ships like the Dream but has nothing to do with staff just the way the ship is set up.

As far as the table cloth thing goes, one group we saw in the MDR on our last night had a table cloth. I don't know if they brought it themselves or what. It didn't quite fit on the table properly. I should of asked...:)

Just a thought -if your last cruise seemed a "little off", perhaps, just maybe, it might be time to try a different or new cruise line.

 

I knew it was time for me when I had tried all the entrees in the MDR and I could predict what the CD was about to say.

 

After trying a few different lines, I can still appreciate Carnival, but the other cruiselines keep sailing "fresh" for me. I didn't know what I was missing until I expanded my outlook.

I agree. I think we probably will look at other lines. I appreciate Carnival too. It will be a while before we cruise again though....

We didn't eat at the Fish and Chips restaurant. I kind of forgot about it actually. It is upstairs from the buffet.

I do have to say my kids LOVED the Circle C and had a great time and made friends with a lot of kids. So that was a big plus. Jessica from Peru was the director.

Also, we miss the sushi....we always seemed to miss the tasting bar.

Our last trip was 4 years ago on the Glory and with all the changes it just seemed so different this time around. We are not giving up on Carnival by any means, but I do hope they realize the cutbacks have an adverse effect on both employees and the customers.

Just a few thoughts and comments;

This is our first cruise in 4 years and lot has changed.....

Our steward was wonderful and told us he would be making up our room 2x a day.

The American Table menu was not very good. I also noticed the buffet and dining room had some of the same dishes. I can't put my finger on it, but the dining room was off on our visits. It was strange that you order a baked potato and 10 minutes later someone comes around with sour cream and bacon. Just put some on the plate. Anyway, it has changed and not for the best. The Blue Iguana and Guy's Burgers were awesome and the Pizza was top notch They need to rethink the dining room menu though

The internet package deals were a steal. We got the top package for$99 and loved that you could log on from any device, one at a time of course. (we had to get it for work) The chat also worked wonderfully between all of us as so we didn't have to chase down our kids.

Playlist productions were ok, but honestly I had to drag my family to them..lol Not a fan of the Hasbro show it was annoying, and they did it 2x on a 7 day cruise.

Comedy room has a bad layout......but good comedians.

We still had a good time, but the whole cruise seemed a bit off to me....don't know why...

BTW- Eric the CD said that the midnight buffet will be coming back.....we shall see....

Twice a day on the Glory, we just got off today. We were not handed a card or told anything.

We just disembarked the Glory this morning. We had the $99 dollar plan for work and to stay in contact with home. I- message worked great. We also got the chat to keep up with our kids on the boat.

Thank you for this. We are there next week and we are going to do this...

I am renewing my children's passports, but if they don't arrive in time will a birth certificate copy suffice? I am kicking myself for waiting so long.

Thx. They are ages 14 and 12.

Thank you all! Just wanted to let you know that we chose the 4-port, 7-day cruise out of Miami on the Glory! Can't wait!!

Good choice! We are doing this itinerary again in March. I have been on the Freedom also, and she is great, but this is a much better itinerary..

Have you looked at the flight options out of Fort Lauderdale? You can book a shuttle for $15pp from POM to FLL. Depending upon date and time, I think the travel time is ~30-45 minutes. It might open up some additional times that will work better for you and the flights are usually cheaper from FLL to PHX than MIA to PHX.

Currently, American is cheaper then SWA. (we will have to take red eye to get there) We have flown into FLL many times and taken SAS to Miami. I keep hoping SWA prices go down, but so far it hasn't happened. I don't know why, maybe because it is around spring break?

I keep holding tickets for 24 hours on American, hoping SWA will have a sale that benefits us....lol

Thanks all. I have the tickets on hold. We can take our own luggage, that won't be a problem. We are flying in the night before, I wouldn't dare risk missing the boat. For some reason, I don't stress as much about getting home..lol

I found flights for later, I might do that, it is more, and a long layover in Houston though.....

Flying used to be so much easier:)

Just about to book airline tickets, and the cheapest option is a flight from Miami to Phx that leaves at 11:00am. The boat gets to port at 8:00am. We do have FTTF, will this give us priority in disembarking? We have cruised quite a bit, but never with FTTF, so I am hoping this will be an advantage.

Yay! Just got it for our March 2016 cruise...Thank you!!

Thank You!

Hi,

Can someone post the link that has when other ships will be in port?

TIA

We are planning a cruse for next spring, the itinerary is the same just reversed...which ship is better? We have sailed the Glory pre-update and enjoyed it very much...but it has been a few years I am a little out of the loop. Reading cruise critic to catch up... any input is appreciated. Thanks.