Plain & Simple, Gerry Cahill Must Go

[Sargent_Schultz]

Or just change to a better cruise line. Simple enough!

 

One would think it would be simple to change to a different cruise line.

[Wennfred]

Well, there goes that... I just asked Wendy if she wanted to Cruise Carnival in November instead of Oahu, she looked at me with a :confused::confused::confused: "Screw That" LOL

 

Thanks Gerry Carhill, you really screwed up a good thing. Wendy did say she would give RCL a go.

 

 

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

The list with 90 plus incidents issued from US Coast Guards

 

Gerry Cahill has been the Chief Executive Officer and President of Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation & Plc since July 9, 2007.

 

Take a look at that link and look at all of the damage control incidents that shot up after 2007 after he took over.

 

Its been long coming, and problems are now starting to arise, if cut backs were put in place back in 2008 to save a penny, well its going to start costing more now.

 

 

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=666f6ba3-d780-4ccf-9fca-66481436e48e

[Hendricks Clan]

First and foremost, Welcome back Fred!

The continued cutbacks and the degrading of the loyalty program is what got us to try RCCL and NCL. I never really liked the idea of "freestyle cruising," until I actually tried it and guess what? NCL is our first choice from here on out. In fact we fly to Tampa tomorrow to catch the Dawn.

Back to the original topic, CCL needs to go and find them a Kevin Sheehan. NCL, ranked at the bottom of nearly every category when he took over, and now the product and service are unparalleled when compared to the other main stream lines. I've said for the past 2 yrs he is the best in the industry right now, and CCL needs to go find them a man or woman of his caliber. The writing was on the wall when Vicki Freed, who had been with CCL for years, jumped ship to RCCL the minute Gerry was named CEO. She saw something that none of us would have ever predicted. The downgrading of the product to loyal and platinum guest like myself is utterly sad when you look at what CCL used to be...an industry leader and innovator now they are the leader in a category thats not good for the entire industry.

[Mikel1733]

Not sure we will ever know the true reason for this string of episodes with Carnival.

 

I wonder if it is an extreme run of bad luck, or does it stem from cost control under the guidance of Gerry Cahill? The cost control ultimately would be directed by Mickey Arison. Did Bob Dickinson retire rather than implement changes he knew would be detrimental? Or has Cahill taken the bull by the horn coming from the bean counter background?

 

Regardless of what is true everyone has their own opinion. And Mickey Arison can start to spend some of his cost savings on hiring a good PR firm.

 

But Mickey, a little free advice from a long time customer I would say as these problems unfold act like you care and don't let us see pictures of you living the good life with Heat while your customers vacations don't meet expectations.

[Hendricks Clan]

Not sure we will ever know the true reason for this string of episodes with Carnival.

 

I wonder if it is an extreme run of bad luck, or does it stem from cost control under the guidance of Gerry Cahill? The cost control ultimately would be directed by Mickey Arison. Did Bob Dickinson retire rather than implement changes he knew would be detrimental? Or has Cahill taken the bull by the horn coming from the bean counter background?

 

Regardless of what is true everyone has their own opinion. And Mickey Arison can start to spend some of his cost savings on hiring a good PR firm.

 

But Mickey, a little free advice from a long time customer I would say as these problems unfold act like you care and don't let us see pictures of you living the good life with Heat while your customers vacations don't meet expectations.

You nailed it right there...as soon as you mentioned the Heat. It seems he's more worried about his basketball team then his actually cruise company. I'll never forget the image on the Triumph coming into Mobile, with good ole Micky no where to be seen...oh wait he was spotted, and a photo of him exist that night, it was just he was too caught up in watching LeBron from his comfy court side seat.

[Wennfred]

First and foremost, Welcome back Fred!

 

Thanks, and thats good to hear about NCL, its been a long time since I remember the NCL Norway days. NCL has come a long ways. I too will give NCL a try as I am not too much of a fan of RCCL with their nickel and dime crap during dinner.

 

I think I saw Kevin Sheehan on one of the Cruise Undercover Boss? One of the waitresses in the MDR busted him.

 

 

Fred

[Mikel1733]

Hi Fred, good to see you posting.

 

I am ambivalent. Carnival is now way cheaper than other lines.. and thats what I expect, a cheaper cruise.

 

I had to fight with them to get early dining 2 cruises ago, after maitre d said no to me. Always been able to get on and at 1 pm go see him embarkation day. guaranteed dining time used to be a platinum perk, but they cut the perks (after saying they wouldnt).

 

There are for sure a lot of cut backs and corner cutting .. but I know that getting on. I dont expect a RCL level cruise.

 

Glad to see you back J.:)

[Mikel1733]

I think they're making the dang thinsg too big and putting too many people on them.

Just my theory...because a decade ago, this wasn't every day news.

 

In the past week 3 different ages and sizes of ships had problems for Carnival.

Sure makes you wonder about maintenance.

[Hendricks Clan]

Thanks, and thats good to hear about NCL, its been a long time since I remember the NCL Norway days. NCL has come a long ways. I too will give NCL a try as I am not too much of a fan of RCCL with their nickel and dime crap during dinner.

 

I think I saw Kevin Sheehan on one of the Cruise Undercover Boss? One of the waitresses in the MDR busted him.

 

 

Fred

 

Your exactly right, he was on the show and got busted.

[Hendricks Clan]

I too will give NCL a try as I am not too much of a fan of RCCL with their nickel and dime crap during dinner.

Fred

 

Speaking of dinner, remember the Georges Blanc menus CCL had back in their glory days? Im sure you'd be interested to know that those items have been taken off and replaced with things that you can get from your local Chinese buffet (ex. Frog legs, Shark bites, and Gator bites), as well as things that your neighborhood Sonny's BBQ serves (ex. BBQ ribs).

 

My distaste with CCL, started when they abruptly ended CVC, and those of us who truly enjoyed the program and even renewed were screwed when it transferred to Vacation Rewards.

[Wennfred]

My distaste with CCL, started when they abruptly ended CVC, and those of us who truly enjoyed the program and even renewed were screwed when it transferred to Vacation Rewards.

 

Yep, I agree ... And as you see, some of those Perks went on to the new Diamond Club.

 

 

Fred

[Sargent_Schultz]

Speaking of dinner, remember the Georges Blanc menus CCL had back in their glory days? Im sure you'd be interested to know that those items have been taken off and replaced with things that you can get from your local Chinese buffet (ex. Frog legs, Shark bites, and Gator bites), as well as things that your neighborhood Sonny's BBQ serves (ex. BBQ ribs).

 

My distaste with CCL, started when they abruptly ended CVC, and those of us who truly enjoyed the program and even renewed were screwed when it transferred to Vacation Rewards.

 

Actually there are many Georges Blanc items still ON the menu, although they have removed his name from most - Bitter and Blanc being one notable. And yes, Ribs were on the menu under Blanc.

 

Some Blanc dishes that still remain mostly intact

Pan Seared Filet of Tilapia

Vanilla Creme Brulet

Prosciutto Ruffles

Baked Stuffed White Mushrooms

Caramelized Apples on Puff Pastry

Warm Fig, Date and Cinnamon Cake

Smoked Duck and Caramelized Oranges

Bitter and Blanc

Lobster Bisque

Grilled Jumbo Shrimps

Amaretto Cake

Escargot Bourguignonne

Asparagus Vichyssoise

 

 

A couple that have gone (good riddance)

Truffled Duck Liver Parfait

Asparagus Veloute

[mitsugirly]

Just a perspective from an "outsider".

 

I am a NCL cruiser (with all of my cruises being with NCL and 1 RCL) and was getting ready to come to Carnival for the simple fact that NCL no longer offers Caribbean cruises during the summer months (at least until the Getaway comes next year and the prices for the 2 new ships are ridiculous at the moment). I try to cruise twice a year but I'm a middle aged Nursing student (yea, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up...until I grew up :D) and can only afford the "economy" lines (and I book when I can get every special possible from kids sail free to off season to OBC) when possible.

 

I have a bunch of friends that only cruise Carnival and love it. So, we started checking out the ships Carnival offered. I'm one of those that loves the bigger ships with all of it's "extras" and would love to try the Dream, Breeze or Magic. I love the layout, colors, and especially the water/pool areas. All I could say is "wow, now that looks like fun!" I guess that's why they call it the "fun ship". I thought maybe I had found a new line for us!

 

Now all of this is happening and even after the first few "instances", I was still considering it. But now, I'm not sure. All I keep hearing from family, friends and fellow cruisers is "Are you really going to risk it?" Even those that don't cruise have heard about all of the problems. That's sad. Even those of us that want to try Carnival are being pushed away. People that use to be loyal Carnival cruisers and coming to the NCL boards telling me "don't do it". They tell me about how it's not the same as it use to be. The entertainment is next to none, the food is terrible and the cuts back are ridiculous. This saddens me. :( When people like me were willing to jump ship and now we don't feel safe doing it, you know you have a problem somewhere. I just hope they turn things around. No matter what is causing the issues, the publicity is bad and it will all reflect on the "beard in charge".

 

People that respect the CEO want to cruise their line. I have met the CEO to NCL (Kevin Sheehan) and he is awesome and caring. He cruises on his ships and just "blends in" with the crowd. If you don't know who he is, you'd never guess he was the CEO. He's out on deck eating ice cream among the crowd. I have spoken to the staff and they all seem to love and respect him. That's how it should be. Do they have their problems? Yes, I'm sure they do. Can you please everyone? No you can't. But they must be doing something right. Maybe I'll have to either forgo my summer cruise for something else or I'll have to suck up the price and go to Bermuda just to stay on NCL.

 

I'm still crossing my fingers and hoping that Carnival pulls out of this rut they're in. I really wanted to try them. :(

[dclark]

CCL has gone from Funships to Slumships!

[Wennfred]

Just a perspective from an "outsider".

 

I am a NCL cruiser

 

Great Post, Hendricks Clan was a Carnival Cruiser, he jumped ship and saw the light with NCL, he even liked the Free style dining which I think is also a great thing to have. Stick with what you know and that is currently working correctly which is NCL. Watch Carnival this year 2013 and lets hope that Carnival will make some real type of changes to fix this crazy maintenance mess.

 

As for me, Im going to either Celebrity or NCL. My wife Wendy already told me she wont cruise with Carnival anymore. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Carnival, but now is not time to cruise on them until things change.

 

 

 

Fred

[mitsugirly]

Great Post, Hendricks Clan was a Carnival Cruiser, he jumped ship and saw the light with NCL, he even liked the Free style dining which I think is also a great thing to have. Stick with what you know and that is currently working correctly which is NCL. Watch Carnival this year 2013 and lets hope that Carnival will make some real type of changes to fix this crazy maintenance mess.

 

As for me, Im going to either Celebrity or NCL. My wife Wendy already told me she wont cruise with Carnival anymore.

 

Fred

 

The funny thing is, the one thing that has been holding me back from changing to any other line is the freestyle cruising. I just don't want to give it up...but I was willing to give it a shot (especially after hearing about the "my time dining"). I wouldn't have a problem sticking with what works best for me, but NCL isn't working best for me when they don't have any ships during the 2 times I can cruise while on break between classes (May and August). :( I would have never even considered finding another line.

 

It just really sucks when I had my hopes up (because the ships do look really fabulous). What sucks even more are all of the Carnival loyalist telling me not to do it. That speaks loud and clear to me. :(

[Wennfred]

What sucks even more are all of the Carnival loyalist telling me not to do it. That speaks loud and clear to me. :(

 

Thats because most of us have been cruising with Carnival way back, with me I started with Carnival Holiday. So we have seen the changes and we get pissed off. There is so much a Loyalist can take, and then we say forget it, we're out of here.

 

 

If Carnival is to survive this mess, then its Time to Re-Call this CEO and get a new one because those apologies do get old.

 

 

 

Fred

[MrPete]

I have had now 3 separate TA's this week tell me that is NOT the case; that CCL cruisers are jumping ship. It may be temporary...maybe not. At any rate, your perception may be off.

 

I had 2 TA real life friends and one FB TA friend tell me the same thing. The word they used in common was PLUMMET.

[MrPete]

Ha!

 

Young cruisers tend to be visual and it's the images of poop bags, disabled ships and folks kissing the ground that will be what they remember.

 

The Carnival beards made a major strategic mistake in turning away from Customer loyalty in favor of newbies.

 

Yup. They're the ones seeing all these images plastered all over the net. Not Grandma. Images outweigh any words.

[woodey]

I just read a thread that stated that all cruise lines have issues and that the media is mostly attacking Carnival. This is not the norm, this is happening frequently now.

 

Well, ever since CEO Gerry Cahill took over the fleet, things have changed big time. For one, many loyal and good service crew members have left for other companies, even upper staff as in officers have left since Gerry Cahill took over. With all of these loyal employees when asked why? they all stated Gerry Cahill.

 

Cut backs and Saving money by possibly getting rid of Engineering staff and keeping up with a months Pre-schedule Maintenance System (PMS) is what is killing these fairly new ships or with ships that were in dry dock for overhaul.

 

You didnt see much of this with Micky Arison or Bob Dickinson. Things ran normal and im sure that back then Maintenance and their Employees were the priority of the fleet.

 

Well guys, Flame on if you want but, I for sure will be taking a break from Cruising Carnival, we cant take a chance with spending our hard earned money with a broke ship.

 

 

Fred, San Diego Ca.

 

Hi Fred, good to see you posting.

 

I am ambivalent. Carnival is now way cheaper than other lines.. and thats what I expect, a cheaper cruise.

 

I had to fight with them to get early dining 2 cruises ago, after maitre d said no to me. Always been able to get on and at 1 pm go see him embarkation day. guaranteed dining time used to be a platinum perk, but they cut the perks (after saying they wouldnt).

 

There are for sure a lot of cut backs and corner cutting .. but I know that getting on. I dont expect a RCL level cruise.

I agree Fred Time for CCL to be accountable for the mistakes being made to there Brand....

 

Fred it is good to see you back... as well as you FireFly :)...these boards have seemed to shifted a little without you...

[cruzn buckeye]

Ha!

 

Young cruisers tend to be visual and it's the images of poop bags, disabled ships and folks kissing the ground that will be what they remember.

 

The Carnival beards made a major strategic mistake in turning away from Customer loyalty in favor of newbies.

I totally agree with you :)

[kingoftheicedragons]

Had a thread about newbies cc closed it..agree now all cruise lines have to kiss us vet cruisers butts cause newbies will not cruise !!!!!!!!!!

 

I disagree with this. Americans have an incredibly short memory. A year from now--assuming that Carnival doesn't have any more incidents--this will probably be forgotten. People don't think of the Splendor incident much anymore, unless you're already an established cruiser. Even Concordia probably doesn't come up for those people thinking of taking a cruise.

 

I do think that Carnival especially, and cruise lines in general, need to up their PR and make it clear that they do everything they can to prevent this from happening and that people's vacations will be okay if they go on a cruise.

[MrPete]

Even Concordia probably doesn't come up for those people thinking of taking a cruise.

 

 

I don't agree with this at all. WHENEVER a cruising discussion comes up with friends or family, the Concordia ALWAYS comes up.

[cruzn buckeye]

I disagree with this. Americans have an incredibly short memory. A year from now--assuming that Carnival doesn't have any more incidents--this will probably be forgotten. People don't think of the Splendor incident much anymore, unless you're already an established cruiser. Even Concordia probably doesn't come up for those people thinking of taking a cruise.

 

I do think that Carnival especially, and cruise lines in general, need to up their PR and make it clear that they do everything they can to prevent this from happening and that people's vacations will be okay if they go on a cruise.

Concordia does come up in conversations all the time, even for those not planning on cruises.