has CCL fallen that far?

[Sargent_Schultz]

I don't know how much of it is getting tired of the same thing. Going from a NY Strip to a flat iron steak is a downgrade in product. I look forward to my favorite dishes on a cruise. I'm one of those people that almost always orders the same thing at a restaurant. I go to Morton's 4-6 times a year & I can tell you that the creamed spinach & filet are still as delicious as they were the 1st time I had them. The thought of the steakhouse makes me salivate! I really don't think it's burnout or losing luster, as much as a downgrade in quality. We no longer have beef wellington on the menu, but we have fried chicken?

 

I never thought much of the beef wellington.

 

What today is the same price or cheaper than it was years ago? What was the price of a steak at Morton's 10 years ago compared to today? Or your doctor or health insurance?

[DGP1111]

Regarding meatload on CCL . . .

May 2009

Carnival Fascination

Meatloaf was definitely available on the Lido buffet line, and I got it on purpose. Also got two pieces of Texas toast from the bread pan, and made myself an enjoyable meatloaf sammich (with added ketchup, of course).

I e-mailed (from the ship) one of the band parents who'd brought me her own creation of that on each of the road trip those previous months. I let her know that I was thinking of her, and that even though I had enjoyed that day's lunch . . . hers was better. :)

[zqvol]

Wow. I have seen better looking food in the cafeteria at the school I work at.

 

The chicken in most fast food places looks better than that mess.

[dallas52]

we found the mdr food to be lacking. yes ncl has lots of extra pay venues that were good but cost alot extra. Carnival by far had the best mdr food compare to ncl.

[DGP1111]

What today is the same price or cheaper than it was years ago? What was the price of a steak at Morton's 10 years ago compared to today? Or your doctor or health insurance?

 

Hi, Bill

I fully get what you are making reference to and, for the most part, it's totally accurate, but you did ask the question, and got my brain to ticking. :)

Something that's cheaper now than years ago??

Most home electronics.

For what I paid for my first plasma TV, I could get way more amazing visuals now, larger and cheaper.

And I make myself feel very old when I think what I used to pay for RAM upgrade to my home PC (and that was in megabytes, not gigabytes).

Also, if I'd bought my condo last year rather than years ago when I did . . . it would have cost me less. Drat darn it! :(

Happy cruisin'!! :)

[Cruisegirl6]

Im sorry that photo of the fried chicken looked discusting, maybe from KFC? I can't see that on the dinner menu, lunch menu or buffet yes....but dinner?? What will they serve next beef a roni?

[Sargent_Schultz]

Wow. I have seen better looking food in the cafeteria at the school I work at.

 

That and other similar comments are clearly from anti-Carnival cheerleaders are appropriately ignored. :p

 

I intend to order it on every Carnival cruise from now on for the table on at least one night. I thought it was excellent.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Hi, Bill

I fully get what you are making reference to and, for the most part, it's totally accurate, but you did ask the question, and got my brain to ticking. :)

 

Something that's cheaper now than years ago??

Most home electronics.

For what I paid for my first plasma TV, I could get way more amazing visuals now, larger and cheaper.

And I make myself feel very old when I think what I used to pay for RAM upgrade to my home PC (and that was in megabytes, not gigabytes).

 

Also, if I'd bought my condo last year rather than years ago when I did . . . it would have cost me less. Drat darn it! :(

 

Happy cruisin'!! :)

 

Actually I disagree on electronics. What happens as technology becomes obsolete is you get the next generation at about the price point as you paid for the old technology when it was new. If you buy a product that ends up having no future - oops. Think 8 track and Betamax - there aren't any next generations these days.

 

Has not the technology on Carnival ships also been improved - examples include adding big screens to some ships and flat panel TVs in staterooms. You are getting more the same money. :)

 

I'm not sure housing is valid, given all the interference and manipulation by banks, governments, etc. The free market never had a chance.

[DGP1111]

Has not the technology on Carnival ships also been improved - examples include adding big screens to some ships and flat panel TVs in staterooms. You are getting more the same money. :)

 

Oh, absolutely. And the passenger experience has also been made better by technology advances in the ships lounges (i.e. Disco), some in-cabin info systems, and main theatres. No doubt. :)

 

Perhaps I'm just finding great sales, or doing far better research, but I still feel that for my home electronics over the years . . . I'm getting much more for less.

[DEBnGAB]

Regarding meatload on CCL . . .

 

. :)

 

:eek: lol!!!

 

Is that what happens after you eat the meatloaf? ;)

[CanWeGoYet?]

You're going to find people who will see nothing wrong with Carnival's food for several reasons. Some have never tried another line so they have no comparison. Also some are happy with Sizzlers, Ryans or Golden Corral types establishments for dining. If there is plenty of food to pile on their plates then their happy. Funny that most will tell you that Carnival has great 24 hour pizza and ice cream and good burgers. Is that what they cruise for? I guess if that's the case then Carnival has great food.:rolleyes: Meatloaf on a dinner menu? Are you serious?

 

Beef stew? I hear Dinty Moore makes a killer beef stew? :D

 

While I don't like everything I've tried on the carnival menu, I don't have trouble finding an entree I like in the MDR at dinner or lunch. Have not had breakfast in the MDR for a long time, so can't comment on that. I don't like everything I've tried at breakfast at the lido or room service, but usually just have fresh fruit & coffee, or lox on a bagel. If I really dislike an entree I know my waiter will be happy to bring me something different to eat.

 

When I'm in my home town I sure don't eat at Sizzler, don't eat beef or hamburgers / hot dogs ever. The food on Carnival doesn't compare to my favorite dishes at an upscale restaurant like Wild Ginger, but I wouldn't expect it to. It's rude to imply anyone who is satisfied with Carnival is just happy to pile food on their plate, must be happy with Sizzler or likes to eat food out of a can. Food tastes vary, & food quality can vary from ship to ship and even on different sailings of the same ship. It should not be necessary to put people down simply for having a different opinion than you.

[fakegrandmother]

Have cruised on RCCL, Princess and Carnival. The food on CCL has never been as elegant but we have never had a bad dining experience. We are heading out on the Dream in 2 days because the schedule, location and price worked for our group of eight. Hoping to find the food better has been posted by some.

 

But I am not worried because my motto is " the worst day on a cruise is better than the best day at work"!

[Cruisegirl6]

Morton's thats my favorite steakhouse/restaurant!!! We also go there between 5-8 times a year, wonderful food overall, fantastic steaks/the best and supberb service. All their cuts of beef are top notch quality, their creamed spinach is excellent, well everything on their menu is lol Now Im thinking of that creme brulee oh my goodness I think I need another Mortons fix. :)

[Sargent_Schultz]

Oh, absolutely. And the passenger experience has also been made better by technology advances in the ships lounges (i.e. Disco), some in-cabin info systems, and main theatres. No doubt. :)

 

Perhaps I'm just finding great sales, or doing far better research, but I still feel that for my home electronics over the years . . . I'm getting much more for less.

 

Also a bigger variety of food venues, at no extra charge.

 

No doubt you are getting better technology. Better price I think depends on timing. Similar to the difference in buying a new vehicle at the beginning of a model year vs buying just before they role next year's models out - or at least that is how it used to work. I still just keep mine until the wheels fall off. ;)

 

Cars typically obsolete themselves annually - the life cycle of consumer electronics might be weeks or months, max. There are always sales around Christmas. Cruise ships have maybe decades of life, with, of course, occasional upgrades.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Morton's thats my favorite steakhouse/restaurant!!! We also go there between 5-8 times a year, wonderful food overall, fantastic steaks/the best and supberb service. All their cuts of beef are top notch quality, their creamed spinach is excellent, well everything on their menu is lol Now Im thinking of that creme brulee oh my goodness I think I need another Mortons fix. :)

 

Morton's is seriously overpriced as are most, if not all, high end steakhouses. I prefer value and not to settle for what I overpaid for. :)

[Daddybuck]

I just got back on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on Carnival Conquest, and the food was horrible! Now im a first time cruiser and i wasnt impressed one bit! I ate at mdr for dinner twice, complete waste of time. I want to add that the staff on the ship was fantastic, super friendly and helpful.

[jessemon]

I just got back on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on Carnival Conquest, and the food was horrible! Now im a first time cruiser and i wasnt impressed one bit! I ate at mdr for dinner twice, complete waste of time. I want to add that the staff on the ship was fantastic, super friendly and helpful.

It is unfortunate that this happened....Don't let this sway you from cruising. Sometimes to a ship for some reason has an off week...

Give Canival a try again but try another line first....;)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Perhaps I'm just finding great sales, or doing far better research, but I still feel that for my home electronics over the years . . . I'm getting much more for less.

 

Agreed - much Moore!!

 

As I type on my Sony laptop with a 256GB Solid State Drive and 8GB Ram... I think back to my first "PC" (after the TRS-80 ;)). That was around 1990 - give or take a year or two.

 

That was a 386-16Mhz computer with a whopping 100MB Hard Disk Drive and 2 whole MB of RAM! So let's see - about 20 years later I have a computer that is a fraction of the size of my old "desktop". It has over 2,000 times more memory (hard disk/SSD) and 4,000 times more RAM.

 

Interestingly enough, both computers were almost identical in price. According to DollarTimes the $2,000 I spent back in 1990 is equivalent to almost $3,500 in today's dollars! So, adjusted for inflation, I spent about 40% less this year to have a much faster computer which has thousands of times the memory. In that regard, all I have to say is more, more, Moore!! ;)

 

Again, not directly pertinent to cruising -- just off on another tangent to satisfy my own curiosity! :D

 

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

It is unfortunate that this happened....Don't let this sway you from cruising. Sometimes to a ship for some reason has an off week...

Give Canival a try again but try another line first....;)

 

Yep --- what he said!!

 

Tom

[DZNYROX]

On every cruise I've been on there have been foods that I liked and foods that I didn't like. Some of the things I liked, DH didn't, and some of the things I didn't like, he did. FOOD is SUBJECTIVE. If you don't like something then ask for something else...on a cruise you can keep asking for something else until you find what you like.

 

I sail a cruiseline for many reasons: price, itinerary, embarkation port, and to sail on certain ships. I don't sail a cruiseline for the food, service, or entertainment. Why? Because all opinions in these areas are subjective and can vary from table to table, room to room, ship to ship, and cruiseline to cruiseline.

 

In the end the only person whose opinion matters is your own. If you don't like the food it's up to you to ask for something different. If you don't like the service then its up to you to make your complaints known to the proper people on the ship. And if you don't like the entertainment then it's up to you to walk out and find something else to do that you enjoy. Cruiselines can not please everyone with their food and entertainment...we all have different tastes and preferences. And yes sometimes you will catch a server or room steward with a bad day or even week...that's called being human.

 

But let me say this....I've cruised CCL, NCL, and DCL and I've never had poor service on any of these lines...In fact our best service was on our last CCL cruise last November. If I had food I didn't like (which I have had on NCL and CCL) the waiters would insist on getting me something different until I found something I did like. And as for entertainment....IMHO DCL tops all followed by NCL then CCL. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the entertainment on CCL...It's just not always to may taste and I don't expect it always to be. Other people really love it and that's what makes the world go around. In my opinion, CCL has not fallen at all. I still think it is a great value for my money. Others don't agree....that's their opinion and their entitled to it. Doesn't mean I have to agree with them.

 

I truly wish those that feel that Carnival is declining would stop trying to make the rest of us look like lower class citizens just because we don't agree with their sentiment that Carnival is evolving to a lower standard. Is Carnival changing....Yes. Is it for better or worse....That is a matter of opinion. And my opinion is based on my experience and my tastes and is just as valid as anyone elses.

 

BY FAR The best post on this subject IMHO. It is what you make it.:D

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

BY FAR The best post on this subject IMHO. It is what you make it.:D

 

Just one comment on your signature (no, not about the size of the photos - which are smaller now, LOL) - but the countdown for your sailing on the Enterprise...

 

Why does it say "sailed", when you are not scheduled to depart for over 200 years? :D

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

... this was our 22nd CCL cruise...

 

One other thing that I will mention that was really, really a disappointment to me personally.

I was NEVER, NOT ONCE greeted with "welcome back Mr. & Mrs. Link" - even after they viewed my S&S card. Now, they may not mean a lot to some; but I had just commented on a thread a couple of weeks ago about how somehow that greeting just makes me feel special.

Not by our cabin steward, not by the MDR host, not even by the Maitre'd. Just a silly little perk that wouldn't cost CCL a thing (or any other cruiser) and they could not even accomplish that......................

 

My two cents.

 

As you are Platinum, and very close to Milestone, I fully understand your point here. Do be careful though, because I have mentioned the exact same situation in reviews of a couple of recent Carnival sailings, and there were some people here who jumped on me --- saying that they didn't understand why I felt people need to "bow down to me" (odd, I know) and acknowledge my history/loyalty. :rolleyes:

 

Having said that - almost EVERY person who I handed my card to on our Valor sailing a few weeks ago commented on it - oftentimes asking how many Carnival cruises we have been on. It made for good conversation. That is a well trained group, at least in that respect. I just wonder why some ships so obviously drop the "past guest" ball other than the lame party they throw!

 

Tom

[GlendaleCruiser]

I've never had a problem finding something in the MDR for dinner. If people complain about dinner food on the Lido then they need to show up in the MDR once in awhile.

 

I wish I had tried the fried chicken. I heard it was wonderful and just like I grew up on in the South.

 

On another note, my daughter is a teacher and we will both assert that white meat chicken breasts cooked crispy is never going to be served in a school cafeteria.

 

Wasn't when I was in school, either.

[Jumbiecruiser]

While I don't like everything I've tried on the carnival menu, I don't have trouble finding an entree I like in the MDR at dinner or lunch. Have not had breakfast in the MDR for a long time, so can't comment on that. I don't like everything I've tried at breakfast at the lido or room service, but usually just have fresh fruit & coffee, or lox on a bagel. If I really dislike an entree I know my waiter will be happy to bring me something different to eat.

 

When I'm in my home town I sure don't eat at Sizzler, don't eat beef or hamburgers / hot dogs ever. The food on Carnival doesn't compare to my favorite dishes at an upscale restaurant like Wild Ginger, but I wouldn't expect it to. It's rude to imply anyone who is satisfied with Carnival is just happy to pile food on their plate, must be happy with Sizzler or likes to eat food out of a can. Food tastes vary, & food quality can vary from ship to ship and even on different sailings of the same ship. It should not be necessary to put people down simply for having a different opinion than you.

 

I really don't care if you agree with it or not but you can bet that I am more spot on than not. ;) If you took offense then I must have hit close to home with that comment.;)

[mousey]

On every cruise I've been on there have been foods that I liked and foods that I didn't like. Some of the things I liked, DH didn't, and some of the things I didn't like, he did. FOOD is SUBJECTIVE. If you don't like something then ask for something else...on a cruise you can keep asking for something else until you find what you like.

 

I sail a cruiseline for many reasons: price, itinerary, embarkation port, and to sail on certain ships. I don't sail a cruiseline for the food, service, or entertainment. Why? Because all opinions in these areas are subjective and can vary from table to table, room to room, ship to ship, and cruiseline to cruiseline.

 

In the end the only person whose opinion matters is your own. If you don't like the food it's up to you to ask for something different. If you don't like the service then its up to you to make your complaints known to the proper people on the ship. And if you don't like the entertainment then it's up to you to walk out and find something else to do that you enjoy. Cruiselines can not please everyone with their food and entertainment...we all have different tastes and preferences. And yes sometimes you will catch a server or room steward with a bad day or even week...that's called being human.

 

But let me say this....I've cruised CCL, NCL, and DCL and I've never had poor service on any of these lines...In fact our best service was on our last CCL cruise last November. If I had food I didn't like (which I have had on NCL and CCL) the waiters would insist on getting me something different until I found something I did like. And as for entertainment....IMHO DCL tops all followed by NCL then CCL. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the entertainment on CCL...It's just not always to may taste and I don't expect it always to be. Other people really love it and that's what makes the world go around. In my opinion, CCL has not fallen at all. I still think it is a great value for my money. Others don't agree....that's their opinion and their entitled to it. Doesn't mean I have to agree with them.

 

I truly wish those that feel that Carnival is declining would stop trying to make the rest of us look like lower class citizens just because we don't agree with their sentiment that Carnival is evolving to a lower standard. Is Carnival changing....Yes. Is it for better or worse....That is a matter of opinion. And my opinion is based on my experience and my tastes and is just as valid as anyone elses.

 

Very well said, and I totally agree!:D