Diminishing Quality on Carnival?

I think it does come down to expectations...if you cruise Carnival and expect a Carnival equivalent experience you won't be disappointed..but if you cruise Carnival and anticipate Cunard service you are sure to be disappointed...we cruised RCCL last year and will cruise Carnival on Saturday....I actually don't see much difference between the two lines expect minor details and personally am looking more forward to Carnival due to a more fun / party atmosphere....last year on the RCCL the boat was totally dead by midnight and we were bored....but last Carnival cruise we partied our pants off and ended most evenings in the wee hours of the morning....but I am always realistic in my expectations and therefore don't get my panties in a bundle over chocolates or table clothes...I accept that I get what I pay for.....and if chocolates and table clothes are that important to me, I will choice to pay more for those types of things etc....

First let me say that my wife and I are experienced cruisers and have cruised on Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal thus far. This post is not meant to bash on Carnival in any way... just looking for opinions. Does anyone else notice that it seems like Carnival is really going down hill quality wise? Food problems (quantity, variety, and temperatures), customer service issues, common area ship and stateroom cleanliness complaints, poor entertainment, etc. Is it just me or does it seem like Carnival is having problems? Our last Carnival cruise was very disappointing and we both agreed that our Carnival days were over until changes were made. Many small things like return guest perks, mints on the pillows, and complimentary toiletries in the stateroom bathrooms, to much larger issues like food, cleanliness problems, and a general feeling of a lack of concern for customer satisfaction. It also seems to me like the fleet is showing signs of age and they do not seem to be keeping pace with other lines in regard to introducing newer ships with more current features. I do understand that they try to be the "value" line and must keep costs low, but it just seems like their has been a real effort to take away the few last remaining reasons that we would choose to sail with them in the future.

I have seen the decline in most all the cruise lines. I still find it an excellent deal for a vacation. So I guess I'm willing to suffer through some of the bad stuff, ie.crowds. I've always been very happy with the food and entertainment, such as it is. It's a trade off, I think. You can't offer the prices that the lines do without taking some things away.

After sailing the last few trips on NCL, I finally did a 7 day on the Carnival Dream last July. My big disappointment was no lobster night but that is the same deal on NCL. However, the addition of Guys Burgers and the Pig and Anchor was a nice perk. Carnival seems to have more free food choices then the other lines.

 

 

 

I miss the tablecloths although some people do not. The table cloths make me feel like I'm at a really nice restaurant and not a coffee shop. I don't miss the mints on the pillows and I didn't notice that our cabin was only cleaned once a day.

 

 

 

Overall, I think that the cruise lines (Carnival, NCL, RCCL) are more similar then different. They all know what the other ones are doing and eventually its monkey see monkey do.

I think you are mistaken about no Lobster night or that it was 7 days. I’ve done several 7 night cruises on Carnival and each one has always had a lobster night. Even on the Dream in 2016.

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Ongoing theme across all lines is a decline in food, service, etc. Theme is consistent across all boards - just go read Royal, NCL, etc. I guess the question is does someone feel that the service and food on the other lines is better than Carnival or whether or not their decline still makes them equal. Personally I found food to be better on Carnival in past years, especially in some of the extra venues.

Carnival is turning into New Coke. Some of us like Carnival Classic, say from the mid 2000's and prior. Unlike the cruising industry, soda drinkers made their voices heard, rather than accepting whatever formula was put in their can, forcing the corporation to alter course. Don't you think that Carnival could keep up their standards, AND buy a cheaper brand such as Celebration Cruise line, and offer both? That's what Coke did.

Remember, both Carnival Classic and New Carnival fans could essentially be cheerleaders, while completely disagreeing. As long as you keep buying New Coke, this is what you're missing out on:

I will say that our cruise last year on RCCL, we thought that service and food on the Adventure had noticeably improved from the same cruise the year before ... but they don't have a free hamburger joint or free Mexican, both right by the pool on Fascination. I am looking forward to our Carnival cruise.

The answer is yes but I believe all the major cruise lines have loss quality of service as the market has grown and the ships got bigger. The more main stream cruises become the more they more from being something special.

 

Like Airlines I remember when I was a young child and travel in the 1960's with my family. You dressed to fly, the service was very good, drinks and snacks serviced, free items to remember the flight. Now airplanes have become flying buses. I see the same thing happening overall with cruises.

 

You still have a very few high line cruise companies but even those seem to have slipped.

Wierd, I typed a nearly identical post last night and never hit submit. I 100% agree!

As others have said, all lines have changed over the years.

I have been on Carnival many times, along with Celebrity and Princess. I just got off the Carnival Splendor this past January and it was nice. As expected.

Some don't like when I say this, but Carnival is like Walmart. Maybe not the best experience, but you got what you wanted and most likely at a great price.

That said, I have a balcony booked for Jan. 2019 on the Celebrity Equinox. I am paying the same rate with the perks from Celebrity as I did for my inside room on Carnival.

I have been on over 35 cruises using all of the Cruise Lines.

I was on the Conquest last month.

I rate Carnival No 1 of the 8 Cruise lines I have been on for food quality, variety of food items.

Above normal for crew and maintenance of the ship.

Above normal for the scheduled

Below normal for Entertainment.

I rate a failure of Carnival for getting rid of all TV news channels except for CNN-24/7 talking about Trump and with NO news. We were left in the dark about NEWS and weather.

Above normal for the value of the cruise

First let me say that my wife and I are experienced cruisers and have cruised on Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal thus far. This post is not meant to bash on Carnival in any way... just looking for opinions. Does anyone else notice that it seems like Carnival is really going down hill quality wise? Food problems (quantity, variety, and temperatures), customer service issues, common area ship and stateroom cleanliness complaints, poor entertainment, etc. Is it just me or does it seem like Carnival is having problems? Our last Carnival cruise was very disappointing and we both agreed that our Carnival days were over until changes were made. Many small things like return guest perks, mints on the pillows, and complimentary toiletries in the stateroom bathrooms, to much larger issues like food, cleanliness problems, and a general feeling of a lack of concern for customer satisfaction. It also seems to me like the fleet is showing signs of age and they do not seem to be keeping pace with other lines in regard to introducing newer ships with more current features. I do understand that they try to be the "value" line and must keep costs low, but it just seems like their has been a real effort to take away the few last remaining reasons that we would choose to sail with them in the future.

This was 100% our experience last week on the Vista. It seemed like they had half the staff trying to do the same amount of work. Cabin service is cut in half. Dining room service slow as heck. Bartenders seemed swamped and very slow. Staff didn't seem very friendly. Etc.

Don't you think that Carnival could keep up their standards, AND buy a cheaper brand such as Celebration Cruise line, and offer both? That's what Coke did.

Why do that when Carnival Corp. has several cruise lines under their umbrella which effectively do what you’re proposing? Carnival is their entry level cruise line, and then they have several other cruise lines which offer an experience that’s a step (or several steps) above what Carnival offers.

People need to understand that as they age, and become more traveled and discerning, chances are that they’ll be ready for the next level up, and it’s OK to sail on other cruise lines. That’s why there’s Princess, and then Holland America, and then Cunard, and then Seabourn. Carnival is not going to upgrade their product in order to cater to those cruisers who have outgrown them and are ready for something more. For each person that’s fed up and decides to leave Carnival, there are many new cruisers ready to get their first taste of cruising on them.

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Quality is defined as conformance to expectations. Perhaps, as one matures, expectations increase?

That’s what I was trying to express on my last post. As people mature and become more traveled, chances are that their expectations will mature as well.

And this is not only with cruise lines, but with everything. For example, there was a time when my wife and I were perfectly happy staying at a Days Inn and similar chains. Today, there’s no way we would ever consider them.

Carnival may have changed, but so have we.

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For example, there was a time when my wife and I were perfectly happy staying at a Days Inn and similar chains. Today, there’s no way we would ever consider them.

Precisely. When I was young, we would splurge once a month on one of those "all you can eat buffet" places. It was a real treat, and I would leave so full I could barely walk.

Now, there is no way we would go in one of those places. They have not changed a bit, but we sure have!

Been cruising for 37 years now and I can most certainly say all cruise lines that I have been on are changing for the bad. If you just started cruising over the last 5,6,7 years or so have no idea how service was. Carnival is no different than the rest. O.P. has many valid points. Carnival used to have the best mattresses, now you can not even get a topper.

I don't think the OP meant to bash, but it sure came across that way.

I've got 16 or so cruises under my belt and there are no deficiencies in cleanliness, staff friendliness, room steward performance and food quality. The ships are consistently being refreshed and providing us with what we desire on a cruise line. I don't want to sail on the Amusement Park of the Seas.

Now, are the wait teams spread too thin in the MDR? Yes

Do I miss the network TV channels? I believe I do (only 1 cruise so far without them)

Do I miss the live bands performing in the showroom? Yes

But others may like these changes. CCL still offers the best value vacation to my family. I also have a preference to sail on the "lowly" Fantasy class ships too!

Oh well, we all have our opinions.

And you know this, how?

 

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See my signature.

See my signature.

I seem to remember that you said "the friendliest crew at sea"

There are, easily, approximately 40-50 active cruise lines currently "at sea." Your CC signature cites less than a handful. So, I'm still wondering how you know that Carnival crews are friendlier than any of the many crews you've never experienced?

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For the price we pay to cruise for a week, to get all meals delivered to us, not have to cook, clean, drive, work or even move from the cabin , I would say we are still getting a great value. Yes the costs have increased but so has going to Vegas , going to Disney for four days is equal or more to a seven day cruise. We still go to Vegas and Disney and pay the price and enjoy it just as we do cruising. We have never had a bad meal on a cruise, I often wonder where that comes from, we can always find an alternative to the one meal that might not be a favorite. We certainly never go hungry. The once a day cabin cleaning, I take it with a grain of salt. I enjoyed the twice a day service but it was a nice to have, can’t say I would be willing to pay extra for it. We cruise to get away and being on the ocean, the ship itself is just a means to an end. I have not been disappointed in any ships either, surprisingly the triumph with all of its problems, the older ships like the valor and conquest , freedom, have not disappointed. We even had a cruise where our AC didn’t work in our cabin, in the middle of June. It was uncomfortable, but they did what they could and got us a fan, and gave us a credit for inconvenience. I work in the service industry, food service to be exact and I know all about cutbacks and carnival has not done nearly as much as other industries as far as their value proposition. I would encourage everyone to seek that what makes you happy and if cruising some of the luxury lines for the dollar you pay is worth it, then that is the right decision for you.

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That’s what I was trying to express on my last post. As people mature and become more traveled, chances are that their expectations will mature as well.

 

And this is not only with cruise lines, but with everything. For example, there was a time when my wife and I were perfectly happy staying at a Days Inn and similar chains. Today, there’s no way we would ever consider them.

 

Carnival may have changed, but so have we.

 

 

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That's why I'm switching to Royal Caribbean, like many other folks on here. It's changed and we've changed. After Vista I'm done. You tell me which one looks better?

Amusement park of the seas or a fun ship no question. You have fun, over at nickel and dime land. Thanks for dropping by to say goodbye. Happy cruising

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This was 100% our experience last week on the Vista. It seemed like they had half the staff trying to do the same amount of work. Cabin service is cut in half. Dining room service slow as heck. Bartenders seemed swamped and very slow. Staff didn't seem very friendly. Etc.

It still seems funny how people see things differently, We were on the Vista 2 weeks ago and noticed none of that. There were a couple of nights in the Horizon dinning room that were were in and out in about an hour. The busy bars are always swamped and were no different than past cruises.

That's why I'm switching to Royal Caribbean, like many other folks on here. It's changed and we've changed. After Vista I'm done. You tell me which one looks better?

 

 

That would depend on who you are. Those commercials are aimed at two completely different groups.

This is incorrect and someone may have already posted that (ihave not read the whole thread).

From a Florida newspaper: not quite as big as Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class ships, which surpass 225,000 tons each, the two new Carnival ships are set to debut in 2020 and 2022. Carnival just debuted its newest ship this spring, Carnival Vista, which is already the line's largest, but that ship is only 133,500 tons. A sister ship to Vista, Carnival Horizon, will debut in 2018. So the two new ships are a significant bump for the line.

Thanks for correcting me on the specifics of the new ship sizes - I had not read the article myself and had received some incorrect information at the last P/D party. But my point still stands with regard to the OP. Carnival IS expanding the size of their ships to give new options, and they are constantly building new ships every year or two. They are by no means a stagnant line.

The OP however may have found as others have noted that personal cruising desires have changed over time and perhaps it is time to look for a line that caters more to expectations; we have really enjoyed Carnival but are beginning to out-grow her since we have sailed to majority of the Caribbean ports they offer within our travel time frame. We will still sail Carnival for short get-aways but as our children grow and start to lead independent lives, Princess will be our choice to sail Europe and Asia.

Having been on the Oasis, there is no doubt its a nice ship. It doesn't feel crowded and there is a lot to do and plenty of options bar wise...but it has its cons as well. The BIG one is since I was with a group of 10 for that cruise and we wanted to stick together for much of the nightly entertainment, we had to plan our and reserve our spots for shows etc for our entire week in advance. It felt like we were following a checklist each day so that we didn't miss something. Granted, that's limited to their Oasis and Quantum class I'd guess, but I have found I prefer to schedule my days on the fly (outside of port activities) when I'm on vacation.

I loved the Wine Bar and Champagne Bar on the Oasis as well, but my wife doesn't really like wine, so their limited ability to make cocktails there were a downer...since only one of us was happy. Carnival's Alchemy bar fits us both (since I also love a good cocktail), Carnival's Steakhouse is IMO better than Chops and Carnival's Piano Bar is tons of more fun than what we experienced on RCCL. Those 3 things appeal to us. Since we've not been on a Carnival Ship with the add on Italian restaurant, we loved RCCL's version and look forward to trying it on the Vista.

I want to celebrate the differences between the two biggest cruise lines....because it gives us options...since so much of the experience is more similar than different. I like having the choices we have. I wouldn't hesitate to board a RCCL ship again, its just that Carnival has fit our needs slightly better in recent years

That's why I'm switching to Royal Caribbean, like many other folks on here. It's changed and we've changed. After Vista I'm done. You tell me which one looks better?

 

 

Based on the quick viewing of the videos, there are definitely times I would choose Carnival over Royal. While I would like to try a big ship sometime, it also looked somewhat overwhelming/intimidating for a cruiser who is looking for rest and relaxation versus excitement (and the water slides looked like a very similar experience).

Better is relative, and the commercials make me more excited for our upcoming Carnival cruise. As I said, I do still want to try the large Royal ship but that doesn't mean it is better for everyone.