Pool side drink service

So last time I sailed with Carnival was prior to the inception of "cheers". Prior to Cheers there was always plenty of bar waiters walking around the pool taking orders and bringing you drinks right to your seat etc....but I was curious if that is still the same now since Cheers came into play? Are bar waiters walking around just as frequent or do you have to go up to the bar now? I was just figuring it might not be as cost effective to have them walking around as much for Carnival.....

Pool service is almost non existent, on all our recent cruises including a Med cruise all on Carnival. The bars were 4 deep with people wanting to order drinks. The bartenders seam to be overwhelmed. Just my observations lately. Tom

It seems to me that there are tons of waiters everywhere on the first day then they all disappear.

We didn't have any issue on our last cruises when we were around the pools, especially the aft pools. Although we did tip an extra couple of bucks on our first couple of drinks and that seemed to help them remember us.

Last few cruises, i never had to wait more than a minute before a server would come over to me....Now, in addition to Cheers, i do tip on every drink i get. I have found the bars on the Lido deck can get very crowded, as you said, 4 deep....Here is a little hint, the first time up there, you take care of the bartenders with cash, they will more than take care of you. Recent cruise, bar was 3 deep. The bartender sees me, knows what i am drinking and points to the end of the bar where my cocktails are waiting. Its good to have friends in high places. Take care of the servers & bartenders and they will take care of you.

Our MO as well, works every time!;);)

what's an MO?

I have seen other post where people complain waiters are harassing them.

Tons of servers were in the serenity area on my last two cruises

what's an MO?

MO= modus operandi, meaning a way of doing things.

My experience has been only on the smaller ships but I’ve had zero issues with bar service on the lido deck. They are constantly coming around and the drink comes back fast too.

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So last time I sailed with Carnival was prior to the inception of "cheers". Prior to Cheers there was always plenty of bar waiters walking around the pool taking orders and bringing you drinks right to your seat etc....but I was curious if that is still the same now since Cheers came into play? Are bar waiters walking around just as frequent or do you have to go up to the bar now? I was just figuring it might not be as cost effective to have them walking around as much for Carnival.....

There are enough people walking around asking every minute.

Seems like less people than in the past and since we are not heavy drinkers that is a good thing for us

I thought most of the chairs around the pool were only occupied by towels, anyway.;p

I thought most of the chairs around the pool were only occupied by towels, anyway.;p

Some have paperback novels, while others have a single flip flop.

Funny:)

Some have paperback novels, while others have a single flip flop.

That's where my wife lost her flip flop!

That's where my wife lost her flip flop!

The roving waiters, while they seem to be at every turn on Day 1, are few and far between the rest of the cruise. They are much more visible if your good friend George (as in George Washington) accompanies every drink.

Noticeable difference in the amount of roving bar waiters now than there use to be and not just on Carnival. When we began cruising pre drink packages, I don't think I could even finish a drink before 1-2 waiters came around to see if I wanted another. I agree the first day there are often more but, after that not so many.

Just off Pride and there were plenty of waiters walking around the pool deck and very few lines at any of the bars.

Cash is KING! if you have cash and tip the bartenders and waiters hanging around the pool, they will easily seek you out and be sure you have a drink in your hand 24/7. Wouldn't doubt if it was slow that the bartender didn't find you at the pool and asked if you needed another drink. The better you tip, the more likely they will find you.

There will be 10 adults in my party, so even if some are cheap and throw the waitress a dollar but others give 2-5 dollars, that waitress or bartender could easily make 15-20 dollars a trip, 5-7 trips per day at the pool and they are looking at 75-140 bucks a day. You can bet they will find us