Cruising - have the great days gone?

[techwatcher]

We have been cruising since 2003 and have been on 8 cruises, mostly with Celebrity but a few with RCCL. I remember on our early cruises being impressed with the food in the MDR and being 'wowed' by the service. I also remember complimenting Hotel Managers on their operation and mentioning specific staff by name to be recognised for their service standards.

 

Now I realise that both food and service standards are subjective, and a cruise can still be a good experience, but our recent cruises have had both food and service issues and my conversations with Hotel Managers have concerned dealing with issues as opposed to complimented them on their operation. I used to rave about cruising to friends and family and would readily recommend it; now I am more measured in my comments.

 

Thinking about this I believe this is due to cost-cutting and there are many examples where this is evident. Cruising has also become much more popular over the last few years and (most) new cruisers think cruising is great so there is no incentive for the cruise lines to improve; however the new cruisers don't realise how much better it was in the past.

 

I still think cruising offers a good holiday/vacation experience, it's just not the great one it once was...

[cb at sea]

We started cruising in the 90's...and things are TOTALLY different nowadays! Yes...it's cost-cutting...and while it's still a great way to vacation, it's not the same experience that it once was. Folks who are just beginning to cruise have no idea of how it used to be!

[jimandtoni]

We have been on over 70 cruises, ranging from Carnival to Silver Seas. We started cruising in 1984...Royal Caribbean Song of Norway...no balconies, one restaurant..one pool..one bar on the ship. Now, ships have 3 and sometimes 4 pools,dozens of bars, several restaurants, balconies galore. Have cruises gone downhill since then? I don;t know...the ships themselves are so much better. Food and service from crew members have certainly hit a lower standard, but now the ships have between 2000 and 5000 passengers as opposed to the old Song of Norway which had just over 700 passengers. 7 times more passengers! But there are not 7 times more crew members to cook for and to wait on those passengers! Plus, we paid $1500 a person for a 7 day cruise back in 1984. Twentysix years later, we will be are on the Summit in February in a Concierge class cabin for less than $1000 a person for the week and a ship board credit of $200. Tough to say definitively if cruises have gone downhill or not!!

Edited October 26, 2010 by jimandtoni

[Crazy Gramps]

Yes, it's different.

It's still fun and offers quite a lot for the money.

 

But it's not only cruises. It's changed in all parts of life.

The cruise lines simply reflect that.

 

God, I miss elegance

 

Gramps

[Denny01]

Don't think I agree with the OP. I think it has more to do with being an experienced (not jaded) cruiser. Think about those initial cruises and how most everything wowed you - well, at least me. Now I'm more selective and more critical. To me that is human nature and our habit if looking back with rose-colored glasses. There has been changes in a few things such as moving to rock lobster and it appears our waitstaff have more tables but personally I'm not bothered by that.

 

I still find the overall service to be the same (ratio appears to be the same). Enough.

 

Agree on the subjectiveness of it all and I love having so many more options.

 

Den

[KruzPrincess]

We have been on over 70 cruises, ranging from Carnival to Silver Seas. We started cruising in 1984...Royal Caribbean Song of Norway...no balconies, one restaurant..one pool..one bar on the ship. Now, ships have 3 and sometimes 4 pools,dozens of bars, several restaurants, balconies galore. Have cruises gone downhill since then? I don;t know...the ships themselves are so much better. Food and service from crew members have certainly hit a lower standard, but now the ships have between 2000 and 5000 passengers as opposed to the old Song of Norway which had just over 700 passengers. 7 times more passengers! But there are not 7 times more crew members to cook for and to wait on those passengers! Plus, we paid $1500 a person for a 7 day cruise back in 1984. Twentysix years later, we will be are on the Summit in February in a Concierge class cabin for less than $1000 a person for the week and a ship board credit of $200. Tough to say definitively if cruises have gone downhill or not!!

 

Ditto to this. I haven't been on 70 cruises, but I've been cruising for many years. Yes, things have changed, but the amenities have changed. They offer so much more and the staff is stretched thin. It used to be that you could only dine at very strict and specific times. If you didn't eat then, you waited until the next meal. No buffets when I started and when they were added they were only open at specific times. Now, they have so many balls in the air at one time that they can't just concentrate on one thing. And, my cruise on the Equinox is less money than I'd pay for a cruise years back. More passengers and more standardized service makes that possible. There are cruise lines out there who offer higher end service, but you have to pay for it. I just love cruising and I'm easy to please, so I like that I can find affordable cruising and maybe go more often.

[urbancruiser]

My first cruise was onboard Sitmar's Fairwind in 1974 with my family. It was a small ship with a small number of passengers. The crew was all Italian and the food and service were second to none.

 

I have very fond memories of my 4 Sitmar cruises and have also enjoyed the growth of the cruise industry over the years. Yes, the good old days are gone but the new ships are exciting and I eagerly await each new adventure.

 

I feel very fortunate that I was able to experience cruising in the past but I feel equally as fortunate to experience cruising today and hopefully in the future - whatever that holds for the cruise industry.

 

I just LOVE to cruise.

Edited October 26, 2010 by urbancruiser

[iancal]

Service levels have decreased, food quality has decreased, and quality of entertainment has decreased. But, price has also decreased and the quality of the cabin environments has increased.

[capecodder2]

In the "grand old days" cruising was for the wealthy - today it is open to many others (thank heaven) with many options for all of the above reasons. If you aren't "wowed" by Celebrity any longer, perhaps you want to ugrade to a more deluxe line Aren't we fortunate to be able to share in this fabulous vacation at whatever price fits our budget!

[tally10]

I, too, cruised with my family as a child and things were so different. The quality of food was totally different and it was very sumptuous. The service was just amazing (as it is for the most part today). As a teen growing up near Port Everglades, we used to pile in the car and go down to the port after school and visit the ships (not much security then). On board, you had the sense that this was the way the upper crust traveled and I used to dream about a life like that!

Cruising is still wonderful and the pricing attracts everyone. No more for the rich and famous only. People can all experience this and it is still our preferred vacation. I think for the money, it is still the best out there. It is just different from the "old days."

[jimandtoni]

Best of all, I STILL get to wear my tuxedo and my wife dresses up like a movie star twice a week! When JEANS become acceptable on FORMAL nights, I may have to reconsider cruises!!

Edited October 26, 2010 by jimandtoni

[excitedofharpenden]

I've been cruising since just before you (2002) and have taken at least one cruise a year since then and one year did three, all on Celebrity. I don't analyse things in too greater detail. All I know is I love the food and service still and really enjoy being at sea. I really like meeting people on the ship and having the odd martini. In answer to your question I am not sure what "great days of cruising" are or were. I just know I loved it when I began in 2002 and still do. Can't get enough of it. I'd do three a year every year if I could.

 

Phil

[redcupr]

We took our first cruise in 2006, so those are the good old days for us. (It's still the good old days for us).

 

I guess we're lucky, because we don't know anything other than the currnet state of the cruise industry, and we love it. :p

[Bridge Maven]

My husband and I took our first cruise during the middle seventies and my parents took cruises during the fifties and sixties without their children.

 

My parents loved their cruises during the fifties and sixties so much that it inspired my husband and I to take a cruise for our honeymoon. The food and service on that cruise during the middle seventies was much better than any cruise I have been on within the past ten years, but cruising then was also a lot more expensive than than it is today. Cruising was also a lot more special at that time because when we were in St Thomas and St Maartin we were the only ship in port those days and the Caribbean islands had more character.

 

On the other hand, a very small segment of the population could afford to cruise then while it is affordable vacation for most people today.

 

One thing that has definitely improved over the years are the quality and size of cabins.

[jt1120]

I blame NCL. Freestyle translates into half-a**ed in my book, and many of their so called innovations are being copied by other lines. Rack 'em, pack 'em and stack 'em is the new norm.

 

Also, once the great tradition of formal nights started to bite the dust, I knew that cruising would never be the same. *sigh*

[excitedofharpenden]

 

One thing that has definitely improved over the years are the quality and size of cabins.

The more affordable balconies too! I love being out there in the fresh air in my own personal space. It really is one of the highlights for me.:cool:

 

Phil

[A Sixth?]

I don't get these posts on how great cruising used to be.... :rolleyes: Been cruising for twenty years now and I think over all it's better and more affordable than ever

 

If you want the "old school" cruise line feel it's still out there and priced about what it used to priced at when inflation is accounted for. Just go Crystal or Radisson or top tier Cunard.

 

Just don't expect to pay $ 500.00 for a week though.

 

Cruising used to be anything but a "main stream" vacation. Now the bulk of cruisers are on main stream lines that leave land based resorts in the dust (wake?)

Edited October 26, 2010 by A Sixth?

[retired067]

I agree with all the comments on the above posts. When we started cruising some 20+ years ago formal night was part of it. But I believe formal night over the next number of years will disappear on the mass carrier ships, Celebrity, Carnival, RCI etc. People today treat this class cruising as somewhat of a resort vacation where dressing up is a shirt and long pants. We don't go to formal nights anymore, can't be bothered with taking the extra clothes and now there are good alternatives for dinner. Will we ever see the day when crusing becomes totally all inclusive.

Jack

[curiouscat]

I agree with A Sixth....I remember my parents cruises on the Oceania...and cruises late 70's and early 80's... yes food was premiere,the waiters Italian and charming with impeccable european service.

 

However, less to do,less amenities offered etc etc.... and things do change as we change...the S class ships are indicative of that and we love them...all in perspective:p

 

I am just fortunate that we are able to cruise more frequently than most...

 

CC

[madelinerose]

In answer to your question I am not sure what "great days of cruising" are or were. Phil

 

We took our first cruise in 2006, so those are the good old days for us. (It's still the good old days for us).

 

I don't get these posts on how great cruising used to be....

 

Amen! Our first cruise was in 2004. That was then, this is now. Life is too short to dwell on what used to be. DH and I prefer to live in the moment and this moment in cruising and in life is pretty darned good. ;)

[kitty9]

I know most of you "new cruisers", those who just started cruising in the past ten years won't agree with me, but a lot of what cruising was has declined. And since you have nothing to compare it to, it's probably difficult for you to understand what us old timers are saying. My opinion only, but with the birth of the behemoths, that's when cruising declined. I cannot understand how anyone wants to be on a ship, or should I say floating town, that carries more than 3500 passengers---that's more that live in my town. Cruisers have become somewhat spoiled/jaded and we've become a generation who cannot be happy with just being on a ship, not having to cook/clean/make beds and all that. Now, we have to have our senses inundated with every imaginable diversion. And, we've become a very different group and complain that we have to dress up for a few hours a couple of times a week. We want every cruise line to become an homogenized product of all casual, all the time. Why does every line have to be a carbon copy of every other line? Why can't one just stand out from all the others and provide a different experience of the old time cruising? I thought/hoped that Celebrity would be just that.

 

My first cruise was in 1977, and I'm just happy as a clam sitting on deck, watching the water, having good food and listening to music at night. But the guys who run cruise lines are in a giant "p'ing" contest playing the age old game of "mine is bigger than yours", all to the detriment of what cruising was meant to be. To be quite frank, I still don't understand the idea that you have to lug along an Xbox/Wii/Playstation to keep the kids happy. You're on a cruise, so why do kids still want to sit in front of a TV playing video games, stuff they do ad nauseum at home when there's so much to do on cruise ships?

 

Another thing that has changed cruises is the advent of the specialty restaurant. The food and service we enjoyed in the main dining room, at no extra charge, a decade ago is, now only available in the specialty restaurants. That's rather sad, when you think about it.

 

But I still love cruising and I don't think there's another kind of vacation that tops it. At least Celebrity hasn't caved into the demand for wave runners, bowling alleys and ice rinks and they haven't (yet) bowed to the casualites.

Edited October 26, 2010 by kitty9

[lcmslady]

I took my first cruise in 1998 and spent about as much $$ for a 7 day as I'm spending for a B2B in January.

 

Maybe I'm not that picky but I think the service is still good, the food is better than I'm going to eat at home (or most restaurants that I normally go to), all I have to do is show up and have fun.

 

If the price of cruising had gone up at the rate that everything else has, I couldn't afford to cruise like I do now.

 

Maybe it's not quite as good as it was in 'the good old days', but most things aren't!

[madelinerose]

I know most of you "new cruisers", those who just started cruising in the past ten years won't agree with me, but a lot of what cruising was has declined. And since you have nothing to compare it to, it's probably difficult for you to understand what us old timers are saying.

 

Darcie, I understand 100%. ;)

Edited October 26, 2010 by madelinerose

[jimandtoni]

I am thoroughly enjoying this thread. Everyone agrees that cruising is still great!! Yes..it has changed...some for the better, some not..but it's still TERRIFIC! The worst cruise I have ever been on was still WONDERFUL! We still take a day or two in every cruise and just sit/lay on deck watching the waves and pretending to read a book. Just like the old days. The food is not gourmet any longer, but it is still pretty damn good and we always gain 10 or more pounds on a cruise! For the most part, the waiters and crew members are usually extremely friendly and helpful. To be honest, we have never in 70 cruises encountered anything EXCEPT friendly and outgoing crew members. I am really heartened by how many people on here are defending "the old days" as well as "the new days!" The good old days were awesome. The good new days are as well. As the Carly Simon song says, these ARE the good old days.

Edited October 26, 2010 by jimandtoni

[runnerandme]

I think it is like comparing apples to oranges. ( I happen to like both).

 

A relative worked on Matson Line's Lurline. We would go to the pier to drop him off. I remember dressing in my best clothes. Going aboard and seeing all the women dressed in beautiful dresses and suits. Men in suits. Steamer trunks being pushed up the gangways by porters. The elegant atmosphere. I was awed.

We could never actually sail. We just did not have the money. Then the bong, bong, of "all ashore going ashore". We threw confetti rolls from the dock. Classic musicians played on deck. And off they sailed.

 

Now at sail away, you see jeans, shorts, flip flops, carryons with 12 packs of soda. You also see people that could never have afforded a cruise in the 50's or 60's. I still am awed. I see people with wonderment in their eyes when they see the ship, so huge sitting at the dock. THe rock music plays on. And off they sail. But now I am onboard.

 

Cruising has evolved. I can even afford the luxury lines if I chose to do so. Not the luxury many had in years past.

 

Besides capris are so much more comfortable than a stuffy suit!!!