Carnival = Its time to Raise the Bar

[prose]

I've stated on here before that I don't care what people wear, as long as it fits and is clean. No 'large' person wearing pants that are so small that the wedgie will never see the light of day. No shirt so small that the belly flap is exposed for all to see. No 'small' person with clothes so large I'm seeing their underwear. I also don't want to see the 'bimbo' .... only half dressed, and I don't want to see anyone walking around with the same clothes that they clean the house, garage in. I'd like to amend this statement and add pj's. No pj's in public if your over, .. say 5, and definitely none in the eating areas.

Gran, well put. My 3 1/2 year old grandson can eat breakfast in my house in his jammies....all others need to be dressed to eat.

[Cruise Organizer]

You are correct, I agree with you. When I go on vacation, I like to stay in my underwear all day. Sometimes with a shirt, sometimes without (Iam a guy, and fat) I feel it is my time to relax and I will do what I want.

 

So When we go on our next cruise, in 30 days, if I want to walk around in my sleep wear (underwear) I should be aloud, correct? After all, it is my vacation, I paid my fees and want to relax.

 

yes it is your vacation as well as everyone else on the ship.

I don't have to shower to go to the MDR - I can be sweaty and smelly, but it is my vacation and I want to relax.

I can get drunk and barf on the deck - I'm relaxing on my vacation.

I can be loud and obnoxious - my vacation

I've paid my money, so the hell with the rest of you.

great attitude

[nbsjcruiser]

To my mind there are 3 things Carnival needs to improve on before I'll cruise with them again.

 

1. The quality of the food in the MDR. It really has gone down hill. Flat iron steaks, cold food and the acceptance of anyone no matter what their dress.

 

2. The pool area on the Lido deck is an afterthought to Carnival. Its like they designed the entire ship then at the last minute before it left drydock someone said "Crap, we forgot to put a pool in". They give no thought to how the pool area looks, the size of the pool and so on. You look at RCI or NCL and the pool areas are attractive with nice sized pools. Not so on Carnival.

 

3. The quality of the buffet. This is one thing that really disappointed me on the Glory last year. Cold wet eggs, cold bacon, poor selection of food.

[fireofficer5]

Remember, they might not be laughing with you.:)

[luddite]

yes it does. it's called aesthetics. why do you think restaurants decorate their rooms?

 

hope carnival wakes up before the bar is too low to recover from.

 

There is every indication that they cannot recover from where they've gone.

[tef43]

2. Allowing a grown man in his 30's to wear Sponge Bob Square Pants Pajamas in the Dining room on formal night? Oh and i forgot his camoflauge antlers.

 

You must have sailed on a different cruise line. Carnival did away with Formal Night years ago.

[waldocruiser1]

yes it is your vacation as well as everyone else on the ship.

I don't have to shower to go to the MDR - I can be sweaty and smelly, but it is my vacation and I want to relax.

I can get drunk and barf on the deck - I'm relaxing on my vacation.

I can be loud and obnoxious - my vacation

I've paid my money, so the hell with the rest of you.

great attitude

 

As bad as people keep saying it is, can you imagine how bad it would be if everyone had this I don't care, it is my vacation attitude? Now that would be bad.

 

I was joking in my post, as I think you are as well.

 

I think if everyone tried to remember that it is EVERYONES vacation, and we are in public, so try to act like adults. Dress accordingly for the event. and try to help everyone around you have a great vacation. If everyone worked to make everyones vacation great, we would all have a GREAT vacation.

[gelo7]

All valid points...

[Wehwalt]

I would say that cruisers should take care to bathe regularly aboard so that their odor does not offend others.

 

Clothing, not so much unless you sign up for a line where there are requirements for dining. I rarely dress up aboard myself, but I would not go to the dining room on formal night then. In my view, however, the illusion stops at the dining room exit, and cruisers have no right to be offended by people going to the show without necktie (or dress, for ladies). I tend to get my breakfast in what I slept in (T shirt and shorts, no real difference between that and what some people wear during the day in warm climes. That being said, I will be wearing something different after my shower, and I tend to go to the Lido whenever it opens). There are people there in workout clothes.

 

I think smell is the big one, and to a limited extent sound (if controllable, as in earphones).

 

That being said, I've got plenty of pet peeves too. If you are walking towards me with your wife, and the way is only wide enough for two, you will have to cease walking side by side for a moment, I will not flatten myself against the wall for you, I am on vacation too. If you must converse loudly in a sleeping area late at night, at least don't stand in one place. And some control over kids would be nice. A few days ago, I was walking down stairs to my cabin, and there were junior high kids playing on the stairs. I gave them a look, and was much pleased to hear behind me "He sure reamed you out." My looks must be improving with age, unlike some! :)

[halos]

As bad as people keep saying it is, can you imagine how bad it would be if everyone had this I don't care, it is my vacation attitude? Now that would be bad.

 

I was joking in my post, as I think you are as well.

 

I think if everyone tried to remember that it is EVERYONES vacation, and we are in public, so try to act like adults. Dress accordingly for the event. and try to help everyone around you have a great vacation. If everyone worked to make everyones vacation great, we would all have a GREAT vacation.

 

On our last CCL cruise, the maitre'd was very adamant about dress code.

CCL dress code is pretty easy going. It should be difficult for NO ONE to adhere to.

I agree totally with your thoughts, but I believe that there are quite a few who don't care about everyone else's vacation, only their own.

Consideration of others isn't quite the priority it used to be, which is sad.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I would say that cruisers should take care to bathe regularly aboard so that their odor does not offend others.

 

...

 

Or those who have no sense of smell and spray themselves with half a bottle of cologne! :D

 

 

 

...

 

That being said, I've got plenty of pet peeves too. If you are walking towards me with your wife, and the way is only wide enough for two, you will have to cease walking side by side for a moment, I will not flatten myself against the wall for you, I am on vacation too.

...

 

Agreed... and I'll go one further: It's a well known thing between Cheryl and I that - and perhaps we just LOOK passive or something - but it's truly amazing how often I am the one (say 90+%) who has to walk off a path or scoot behind Cheryl so that I don't collide with oncoming people. Here I am talking about two couples approaching one another when there is only space for ~3 in the walkway. Why virtually everyone else seem to make no effort to yield their coveted space/vector is beyond me! Then again, they are probably not the kind of people who will go out of their way to hold or open a door for a stranger! :rolleyes:

 

Tom

[Cruise4Music]

As bad as people keep saying it is, can you imagine how bad it would be if everyone had this I don't care, it is my vacation attitude? Now that would be bad.

 

I was joking in my post, as I think you are as well.

 

I think if everyone tried to remember that it is EVERYONES vacation, and we are in public, so try to act like adults. Dress accordingly for the event. and try to help everyone around you have a great vacation. If everyone worked to make everyones vacation great, we would all have a GREAT vacation.

 

Guess what, I don't care, it is my vacation.

 

Thankfully from the comments on the JH blog the real Carnival cruises pretty much agree with me.

 

The 99% speak again.

[Cruise4Music]

On our last CCL cruise, the maitre'd was very adamant about dress code.

CCL dress code is pretty easy going. It should be difficult for NO ONE to adhere to.

I agree totally with your thoughts, but I believe that there are quite a few who don't care about everyone else's vacation, only their own.

Consideration of others isn't quite the priority it used to be, which is sad.

 

If my dress affects your vacation then you are the one with the problem.

 

So some good advise for many of you would be to mind your own business and quit passing judgement on everyone else.

 

Remember we the 99% may be passing judgement on you.:D

 

To quote the Fleetwood Mac song Oh Well.

 

I can't help about the shape I'm in

I can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin

But don't ask me what I think of you

I might not give the answer that you want me to

 

Oh well

[H82seaUgo]

If my dress affects your vacation then you are the one with the problem.

 

So some good advise for many of you would be to mind your own business and quit passing judgement on everyone else.

 

Remember we the 99% may be passing judgement on you.:D

 

To quote the Fleetwood Mac song Oh Well.

 

I can't help about the shape I'm in

I can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin

But don't ask me what I think of you

I might not give the answer that you want me to

 

Oh well

 

actually, when i dine, you are my backdrop. please dress accordingly.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

actually, when i dine, you are my backdrop. please dress accordingly.

 

Sometimes a little contrast will have a positive effect on photos - it might help if you two could coordinate prior to dinner.

 

Tom

[Cruise4Music]

actually, when i dine, you are my backdrop. please dress accordingly.

 

Guess what, I don't care, it is my vacation.

[mrrugby]

TO all those people who understood the point I was trying to make thank you.

 

My post was not intended to claim that someone's attire ruined my dinner....

 

As I have stated the overal decline on public behaviour in general by the mass public is not something that we cant agree has happened.

 

The issue I take is when policies and standards are set and then no one ensures compliance or adherence.

 

Take for example speeding. If you speed you know you may get caught and get a ticket. If you choose to speed then you take the risk of the penalty. The speed limit signs are posted and a conscious choice is made.

 

In society we have evolved with rules of conduct and behaviour. Should there not be a consequence of failing to meet basic expectations? At ones job can you show up wearing what you want? when you want? and expect your boss not to say something.

 

I realise with cruising were are all paying to be guests! However the line itself be it CCL, RCCL, or Others all set standards of conduct and behaviour and attire that are acceptable. I just wish that for those people who follow those expectations, that the party requesting they be met enforce them across the board. Does it not seem to be a fair expectation?

 

If you cant meet the dress standard for the MDR then eat in the buffet or other options! I just dont like it when people decide that acceptable societal norms don't apply to them. That leads us to the problems we have with the "entitlement" society we are creating.

[gogetter]

If my dress affects your vacation then you are the one with the problem.

 

Oh well

 

This is a great line.....thank you.......

 

One of the best times i enjoy is sitting on the promenade deck with a refreshment or more and watch the mirage of clothing on formal-elegant-captains dinner-----whatever you want to call the dress up night......or what cruisers think is formal

 

Clothing from all over the world to show their ethniticity. This is very educational.

Men in uniforms

Wedding dresses

Prom dresses

Clothing that would have looked good 20-50 pounds ago

And the list goes on....it is nice to see what everyone considers formal

[mrrugby]

To those who think people should mind their business about what clothes others wear.....remember, we didnt set the bar or expectation.....the cruise line you choose, bought a ticket on did! they even told you in advance the expectations and then publish them each day as a reminder! So really just who do you think you are to believe that your above the expectations being placed on everyone else?

[GRBadger]

We just got back from our second cruise with Carnival on the Freedom. We have sailed with RCI and Princess in the past. We found the service in the dining room to be outstanding. We had the same staff all week since we had a set dining time (I wonder if this makes a difference). Our water glasses were always full and we were offered bread throughout the meal.

 

I never noticed that the food was served at anything but the appropriate temperature. Overall the quality was good with the exception of mahi mahi that was a little overdone and the quality of the shrimp used in the dishes. This is not surprising given that it is really "banquet style" and not made to order. My son is a culinary student and had some minor plating observations but overall was impressed with the quality given the quantity served.

 

Also, we enjoy getting to know our staff and ask a lot of questions about their country and family life. They really seemed to have a good time serving us on both of our Carnival cruises.

[swimmom32]

And that is why Carnival is at the bottom of the rung.

 

Thats funny because if I was like my friends and paid 3100 for inside cabins for a family of 4 on another cruise line just to hear them complain, that people were rude and the way people dressed going to the MDR Id be a bit pissed off...luckly for me I will take my carnival cruise drink my pina coladas, and enjoy my vacation...On our liberty cruise for thanksgiving again everyone was dressed extremely nice and there was NO bad or Rude behavior either that we ever saw....The fact that sail with full ships, and are very profitable they would probably disagree with you about being the bottom of the rung...The fact that Millions of people now cruise, they could care less if you didn't sail on one of those ships cause I now I wouldn't want to be on one with you..and we are Not Carnival Cheerleaders, We cruise Carnival because we like the line and what it has to offer and yes we like the price because if I wanted to spend that kind of money well I would...

[luvtheships]

I agree with your points...but have to say that most of the issues you stated are probably not issues at all during a cruise that does not go over Christmas!!!

 

You have people cruising at Christmas that want to escape...and have no real business cruising anyway..or traveling further than the next town...as evidenced by the SpongeBob guy with the antlers...

 

 

The waiters are overworked on a holiday cruise...

 

There are too many pax on a holiday cruise.....

 

Any CD worth anything probably has enough senority to take a few weeks off and go home to visit family...

 

etc. etc..

 

bottom line...it was a Christmas week cruise...and IMHO a week that absolutely no one should expect a calm, serene, uncrowded cruise.....

 

issues will come up everywhere...dress code...waiter indifference...crowding...no enforcement of rules...etc. etc...

 

and remember it is CCL that you cruised....

 

If you wanted a different experience for the holiday...then maybe you should consider renting a villa or condo somewhere that is more serene and private?

 

not being snarky...just trying to figure out why anyone expects any vacation during such a busy week to run smoothly?

[halos]

The waiters are overworked on a holiday cruise...

 

There are too many pax on a holiday cruise.....

 

Any CD worth anything probably has enough senority to take a few weeks off and go home to visit family...

 

etc. etc..

 

bottom line...it was a Christmas week cruise...and IMHO a week that absolutely no one should expect a calm, serene, uncrowded cruise.....

 

issues will come up everywhere...dress code...waiter indifference...crowding...no enforcement of rules...etc. etc...

 

and remember it is CCL that you cruised....

 

If you wanted a different experience for the holiday...then maybe you should consider renting a villa or condo somewhere that is more serene and private?

 

not being snarky...just trying to figure out why anyone expects any vacation during such a busy week to run smoothly?

 

 

Ok..

You are saying that a Christmas cruise is over-crowded.

Other pom-pom wielding posters claim that CCL fills their ships all the time.

 

It seems to me that CCL does fill their ships most of the time and that the staff are overworked EVERY sailing, not just during the holidays.

Having bad service is not good, there is no excuse for it.

If it were my business there would be absolutely NO excuse for it. I can't imagine Carnival wants to make excuses for it. It's unacceptable.

 

There are less crew members than there used to be

period

Service is going to lack and not just during Christmas week.

 

Our service was OK on our last cruise...but it was NOWHERE as good as it used to be. It was just plain old acceptable.

Remember the old survey cards?? At the end of the cruise, the CD would urge you to say how CCL exceeded your expectations???

Well, they used to...ALL the time.

Now??? No way.

Funny how they don't even bother asking your opinion anymore....and how the lack of surveys coincides with the cutting back of crew.

 

I understand that if people can take a cruise with a family without busting their budget, that 'acceptable' works just fine. I have to say that if you have experienced far better than acceptable and then things slowly change until you don't even recognize your cruise line anymore, then it's hard to swallow. Especially after you sail other lines and see a big difference!!!

[cruise_girl2002]

just my point of view on the dinning dress code complaint..agreed it wont kill people to throw on a nice pair of jeans and a nice top for casual nights or a nice outfit on formal nights...however RCL had the same type of problem with people in torn jeans, swimsuits etc. in their main dinning room and didnt turn people away. I think the way the lines see it is...they turn people away because of what they are wearing and they get the "I'll never cruise this line again" blah blah blah crap

[halos]

just my point of view on the dinning dress code complaint..agreed it wont kill people to throw on a nice pair of jeans and a nice top for casual nights or a nice outfit on formal nights...however RCL had the same type of problem with people in torn jeans, swimsuits etc. in their main dinning room and didnt turn people away. I think the way the lines see it is...they turn people away because of what they are wearing and they get the "I'll never cruise this line again" blah blah blah crap

 

I think the issue with all cruise lines, not just CCL is lack of consistency. I can say with 100% certainty that the maitre'd on my last Freedom cruise would have never allowed anyone into the mdr in pajamas. I say this because I heard him tell someone to take off his baseball cap the first night of the cruise and then he proceded to explain (to the entire dining room with the microphone) the casual code and then what was expected on 'elegant night' (which was basically no shorts)