Carnival legend just got back carnival went downhill

[H82seaUgo]

Shhhhhhhh........ we're talking about the Legend, not your double platinum status. The "we" I was referring to was not Carnival, please pay attention so your insults will be better phrased.

 

Do you have anything of significance to add to the OP's mention that the LEGEND was a disappointment? Or were you just throwing out the Carnival-Mart comment for fun?

 

still desperately making the post about me and not the issue. nice try.

 

i have sailed the legend 3 times, and as double platinum, i would hope that ccl would not reject my vacation $$. is the picture getting any clearer? if you owned a business, would you hope there was someone that was a customer telling others to go elsewhere?

 

reread my post again, slowly. i am prodding the op to expound.

[debster11]

Of course Carnival has changed a bit. Yes there are cuts and quality of products/services have been reduced. You see that through most lines today. if anyone has been cruising for the last 10 years or so..

May I ask you to look what you paid in 2000 for a 7 day cruise and what you pay today for the same cruise on CC l today, while you are at it.. look at other products you bought thru the same time period.

You get what you pay for.. for less than 100.00 bucks a day , you can go and have a blast.

Of course they skimmed on the entertainment, the quality of food and other things.

One chooses a venue , pays a rock bottom price and then complains the it went down hill.

When I was a kid gas was like 75 cents a gallon, and they threw in steak knives and glasses.. things change. And CCL changed with it

CCL has marketed to the budget cruiser, with budget prices ( quite successfully too). It’s a great value , make the most of it or go and pay for something a bit better

Again you get what you pay for and there are plenty of choices out there ,

 

I need a Like button. Not flaming OP at all but this post is so true. CCL is still the best bang for your buck. I have been on several lines, and I am not faithful to just one but when I am traveling with a family I will choose Carnival. As a couple I may go a different line, or I may not. Choices are a good thing.

[ib4cruzn]

That's not true.

if you cruise often, it is especially not true.

 

+1. Honestly there has been a steady decline in basic services.

 

I for one would not mind paying more if it were worth it. It's looks like they're going to "nickel and dime" us anyway.

[ib4cruzn]

I need a Like button. Not flaming OP at all but this post is so true. CCL is still the best bang for your buck. .

 

 

So is the Prius.

[FIVEONTHEAVENUE]

Go into every forum on this website and you're going to find people complaining about decline in service. It isn't exclusive to any one line. A crummy economy is going to make cruise lines make changes to survive.

 

It may have just been a fluke with this person's experience. There are many servers and room stewards on one ship- when someone happens to get the person who isn't in the mood to work hard that day, week, month, etc. it reflects on the experience. Someone on the very same cruise could have the best people on the ship and therefore have a completely different experience.

 

Interested in seeing what went wrong :)

 

True that;)

[ilovetexas]

still desperately making the post about me and not the issue. nice try.

 

i have sailed the legend 3 times, and as double platinum, i would hope that ccl would not reject my vacation $$. is the picture getting any clearer? if you owned a business, would you hope there was someone that was a customer telling others to go elsewhere?

 

reread my post again, slowly. i am prodding the op to expound.

 

Not trying to make the post about you, trying to get you to quit jumping in with a one sentence, negative comment.

 

Since you have so many cruises under your belt, why don't you use that to provide substantive comments that will help your fellow cruisers? Surely you have some better info to provide than the single sentence wise-cracks you so often post.

 

I, too, would like the OP to comment further and since they haven't, perhaps we should all move on to another thread. Or perhaps someone like yourself, who has sailed on the Legend so many times, could (in the mean time) provide us with info on the good, bad and indifferent of the ship.

 

Seriously.

[H82seaUgo]

Not trying to make the post about you, trying to get you to quit jumping in with a one sentence, negative comment.

 

Since you have so many cruises under your belt, why don't you use that to provide substantive comments that will help your fellow cruisers? Surely you have some better info to provide than the single sentence wise-cracks you so often post.

 

I, too, would like the OP to comment further and since they haven't, perhaps we should all move on to another thread. Or perhaps someone like yourself, who has sailed on the Legend so many times, could (in the mean time) provide us with info on the good, bad and indifferent of the ship.

 

Seriously.

then provide the community with a question, and i will provide my infinite wisdom.

 

my experience on this ship on this thread bears nothing without knowing some of the op's facts and issues.

[ilovetexas]

then provide the community with a question, and i will provide my infinite wisdom.

 

my experience on this ship on this thread bears nothing without knowing some of the op's facts and issues.

 

Ok, I'll give you that and quit arguing with you. The OP obviously wasn't horrified enough by their cruise to come back and tell us more.

 

If I post a question out there, I want some really good info from you. :)

[H82seaUgo]

Ok, I'll give you that and quit arguing with you. The OP obviously wasn't horrified enough by their cruise to come back and tell us more.

 

If I post a question out there, I want some really good info from you. :)

 

i will try not to disappoint! :)

[Aplmac]

Uncleboo, Do the review!:p

 

Methinks that those who speak of "back in the day"

have selective memory of the good times but forget the bad.

 

 

Before going on a cruise

don't set your expectations so sky high based on fleeting glimpses of the past

or what others think are 5 star quality.

 

 

Be flexible and RELAX! It's a Vacay for God's sake:)

Every word of this post is exact and true.

 

Carnival Cruises delivers exceptional value for money and sees to it that they always will.

 

Some people think they should get Regent Seven Seas quality

for Carnival prices? -how incredibly unrealistic is that? :confused: ---it's Carnival!!

 

Please adjust your lofty expectations before boarding the fun ships.

Thank you.

.

[halos]

Some people think they should get Regent Seven Seas quality

for Carnival prices? -how incredibly unrealistic is that? :confused: ---it's Carnival!!

 

Please adjust your lofty expectations before boarding the fun ships.

Thank you.

.

 

What if my expectations are that I would expect the same quality that I got on my previous CCL cruises???

I don't believe anyone here, especially CCL veterans, are expecting Regent quality.

[ilovetexas]

What if my expectations are that I would expect the same quality that I got on my previous CCL cruises???

I don't believe anyone here, especially CCL veterans, are expecting Regent quality.

 

That's realistic, even if it comes with a price increase to cover the rising costs of goods CCL has to buy.

 

You were on two CCL cruises late last year. Did you notice any appreciable decline in service? If so, did you feel that it was due to fewer staff or the quality of the staff that was on board? Those are two major complaints I read often on these boards and are the result of two different things. Fewer staff is cost cutting by Carnival. Decline in quality of service provided by the same "quantity" is a management issue that isn't affected by the current economic problems.

[DaKarr]

I am a customer service snob. No matter what the cost of the cruise/meal I believe that there is no excuse for poor service. My "bad day" should not effect the service I give(tho freely admit that it may sometimes). When it does I will do my darndest to make it right. As far as "cutting corners" goes when talking about food, I can whip up some delicious food for a big group of people when called on for not much cash. I feel that it is less about keeping costs down and more about profit and a wee bit of uncaring on the corporate side. This happens everywhere. If we can prove to the corporate people that it is financially in there favor to change they just might. Any ideas?

[gkny]

People like to nit-pick and base their comparisons of service

with what it used to be like, back when there was Mad Money $loshing Around! :)

 

No-one wants to confront the reality that we are still "recovering" (sideways, I might add..)

from the worst financial crash since October,1929

and this necessarily affects Corporations with investors

who still expect a dividend check every now and then!

 

We thought it would go UP and stay UP...forever...didn't we?

 

Welcome to the reality of the dismal financial situation of 2008-2011

and to a permanent unemployment rate of 8% minimum

i.e. when it's all settled out and back to "Normal" in about 5 yrs. time!

 

Many of those jobs are never going to come back, despite all the sweet talk

and any diminution of service you see, anywhere,

is a reflection of the reality I speak of, that most people would rather not see. ;)

 

I totally disagree with you. We all know that there is a dismal financial situation going on now. The cruise lines shouldn't cut back in service. Thats the worst thing that they can do. The passenger pays for what the cruise lines asks. You can't bargain towards the price of the cruise. Carnival and most other cruise lines has gone down in service and food quality. They should never cut back so that they can have a repeat passenger.

[halos]

That's realistic, even if it comes with a price increase to cover the rising costs of goods CCL has to buy.

 

You were on two CCL cruises late last year. Did you notice any appreciable decline in service? If so, did you feel that it was due to fewer staff or the quality of the staff that was on board? Those are two major complaints I read often on these boards and are the result of two different things. Fewer staff is cost cutting by Carnival. Decline in quality of service provided by the same "quantity" is a management issue that isn't affected by the current economic problems.

 

 

The last CCL cruise I had that met my expectations was the Legend in 2008...I am not saying that I didn't enjoy the following CCL cruises taken, I certainly did. BUT I did notice that they just weren't the same. The two cruises on Fantasy and Triumph being my least favorite...

Even though the cruises on the Miracle and Librety were good, they were not as good as they were prior to 2008. I felt that the crew was stretched to the limit (all except the poolside bar staff which they seem to have an abundance of)...dining room waiters were nice but definitely not as 'light hearted' for lack of a better term...they seemed tired.

This wasn't enough to bother me...even the change in food didn't bother me all that much (even though I felt there was a big change there)

What bothered me enough to say, "ok, this is my limit of acceptance" is the entertainment. I sailed NCL in beween all my CCL cruises and there was no time to do everything I wanted to do on their ships.

When I cruised the Liberty in Dec, this lack of things to do was OK...the cruise was just my DH and I and relaxing, and doing nothing was what we needed for that cruise. But it was on that cruise (because only 6 weeks later we sailed NCL and had the CCL cruise fresh in our minds) that we decided NCL was now offering us more of what we want.

There was a time I thought CCL was the best.

I no longer do.

I haven't given up yet...they get one more shot to make me a believer again.

If CCL raised their rates to give me the product I used to get, I would be thrilled.

[gkny]

Being new to cruising with 5 Carnival cruises in approx 2 1/2 years, I do not have the luxury of comparing any cruises to the "good old days", but I was on the Legend 2 weeks ago...

 

We were generally impressed with our experience compared to having only been on the older Fantasy-class ships, however our biggest disappointment was in the steakhouse. Service was quite apathetic and the food was on par with quality in the main dining room.

 

The ship was clean and in good working order, but the staff didn't seem quite as friendly as we experienced on the Fantasy a couple of years ago. Everyone did their jobs whether it was food service, housekeeping, etc.-- there just wasn't the smile or "hello" in passing that we had come to enjoy on our previous cruises. (Exception: our all-female MDR waitstaff was awesome! Never had a woman headwaitress before...)

 

We would definitely go Carnival again, but the only decline I have seen in our cruises since 2008 has been in the area of genuine friendliness...

I agree with you that much of the friendliness has gone. Also with Princess, some of the Eastern Eurpoean staff were gruff at times. My favorite line right now is HAL. Their service is impecable and they really do generally seem to care and are nice. Also Holland America prices are about the same as Princess and CCL.

[Redsfan]

I agree with you that much of the friendliness has gone. Also with Princess, some of the Eastern Eurpoean staff were gruff at times. My favorite line right now is HAL. Their service is impecable and they really do generally seem to care and are nice. Also Holland America prices are about the same as Princess and CCL.

 

not sure how you come up with HCL prices being on par with CCL....love to see the itinerary where they are the same...

[Rottweiler Puppy]

I agree with you that much of the friendliness has gone. Also with Princess, some of the Eastern Eurpoean staff were gruff at times. My favorite line right now is HAL. Their service is impecable and they really do generally seem to care and are nice. Also Holland America prices are about the same as Princess and CCL.

 

Maybe it depends on teh ship?

 

I just sailed the Liberty and I was amazed at how friendly the whole staff was.

[kujobie]

Count me as another one who would be willing to pay a little more for better service and entertainment. It wasn't that long ago when you could see a very good 4 piece rock band in a bar every night and a full reggae band on lido every day, late night theme parties on deck, just lots of stuff to do. Now you're lucky to get a washed up, drunk, one man band in the casino who can't sing and can barely play guitar. I still love Carnival, and I'm hoping my upcoming Dream cruise will be different. If not, I may be trying some different lines in the future. No hard feelings or anything. I have always had good times on Carnival cruises. I just want a little more, or at least a little more like it used to be, and I am willing to pay more if need be.

[psbaldi]

I just want to read the review...

[Rottweiler Puppy]

It wasn't that long ago when you could see a very good 4 piece rock band in a bar every night and a full reggae band on lido every day, late night theme parties on deck, just lots of stuff to do. Now you're lucky to get a washed up, drunk, one man band in the casino who can't sing and can barely play guitar. I still love Carnival, and I'm hoping my upcoming Dream cruise will be different.

 

FWIW on my recent Liberty cruise there was a 4 piece band playing every night next to the casino on the Promenade. No full Reggae band but 2 fake Rastafarians out on the lido.They were ok.

 

I wonder if there is a way to find out what ships have cut back the most? Perhaps its the older ships or the shorter cruises that are getting the cut backs the most?

[ib4cruzn]

Every word of this post is exact and true.

 

Carnival Cruises delivers exceptional value for money and sees to it that they always will.

 

Some people think they should get Regent Seven Seas quality

for Carnival prices? -how incredibly unrealistic is that? :confused: ---it's Carnival!!

 

Please adjust your lofty expectations before boarding the fun ships.

Thank you.

.

 

How in the world would you know if I had "selective memory" since you have no idea of my cruise background?

 

The rest of your statement seems to confirm the Carnival stigma that seems to be the norm these days, ie: Walmart...

[ib4cruzn]

Count me as another one who would be willing to pay a little more for better service and entertainment. It wasn't that long ago when you could see a very good 4 piece rock band in a bar every night and a full reggae band on lido every day, late night theme parties on deck, just lots of stuff to do. Now you're lucky to get a washed up, drunk, one man band in the casino who can't sing and can barely play guitar. I still love Carnival, and I'm hoping my upcoming Dream cruise will be different. If not, I may be trying some different lines in the future. No hard feelings or anything. I have always had good times on Carnival cruises. I just want a little more, or at least a little more like it used to be, and I am willing to pay more if need be.

 

You're like me. I get to do this (mostly) once a year and I want to be happy with it. I don't mind the cost! That is if I get what I pay for.

 

I just can't "celebrate mediocrity" as I've mentioned before. If Carnival doesn't hear where they're slipping how are they supposed to improve? Which brings-up "customer service" which we all know sucks big time...

 

Carnival seems to have the attitude that, "We don't care if you're dissatisfied. There are others to take your place." Well, there's a finite supply of "others" out there.

 

YMMV

[Islandbear]

OK, is it just me or did we never get the review? :confused:

 

I don't want everyone to stop bashing each other. I just want to know what we are pissed about, today so I can jump in with my own "IMHO". :rolleyes:

[raylene5]

I agree with you that much of the friendliness has gone. Also with Princess, some of the Eastern Eurpoean staff were gruff at times.

 

On my March Spirit cruise, I thought the Eastern European staff was the WORST!!! They were so unfriendly and unhelpful and quiet (maybe a language thing?). This obviously could have been something specific to my cruise but I noticed it for sure. The friendliest by far were the Filipinos (specifically, the women) and also the Caribbean staff.

 

I've only been on one Carnival cruise (like I said, this past March) and I've been on one of each RCI (2006) and NCL (2007). I honestly thought they were all very similar in terms of service and food. RCI and NCL seem to have more lavish entertainment productions (have to be honest though and say that we didn't even get to see any Carnival entertainment because we were with our 4 young kids and were in bed by 9 every night). NCL Pearl was a bigger, newer ship and had more options for dining but again, food and service was the same.

 

I don't know what CCL "used to be" but I was generally very happy with everything. And it certainly wasn't a "cheap" trip by any means...between the cost of the cruise (two balconies), two excursions, one night at the Steakhouse for DH and me, two pictures and no alcohol, it was well over $8000 for our family. That's a pricey vacation in my book. But I thought it was definitely worth it and I thought Carnival was a very good value.