Are you considering other cruise lines

[ShakyBeef]

What are these cutbacks everyone speaks of? I know they don't have the band anymore and I do miss that but what are the others because I did not notice them last year

 

Do you really want a list? You might be sorry you asked. It will get rather long.

[1stime cruiser]

I do because it did not affect my overall experience in 2012 do want to know what they are. Is there a list somewhere?

[RRLLAL]

What are these cutbacks everyone speaks of? I know they don't have the band anymore and I do miss that but what are the others because I did not notice them last year

 

Much ado about nothing. Some people refuse to acknowledge that if you take $1 from one thing and add $1 to another, it is a change but not necessarily a cutback. Some like to point to the cut but nit the add. Now of course there may be a specific cut that a poster dies not like and the add doesn't interest them, but the reverse is true also.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64

[ShakyBeef]

I do because it did not affect my overall experience in 2012 do want to know what they are. Is there a list somewhere?

 

I don't know if anyone has actually compiled a list. And, of course, not all the cutbacks will be noticed by or matter to everyone. Some of us care about food quality, while some of us don't. Some of us were affected by the changes to the loyalty program while some of us weren't.

 

I think it might be thread hijacking to start a list of the cutbacks here. But I'll be glad to list the ones that I can think of / have noticed if someone wants to start a thread for it.

[1stime cruiser]

I will start a thread now

[bluedevil72]

To get back to the OP's question, we haven't cruised CCL since '09, but are going on the Freedom next year. Five of our nine cruises have been on CCL. We are within six hours of Galveston and eight from NOLA, so that is one big reason we have cruised them more. We cruised Princess out of Galveston last month, even though CCL went to the same ports, just to try a different line. We were a little disappointed in Princess, but would still try them again if we needed to. We've also cruised NCL twice. I like CCL, but price, departure port and ports visited will be the determining factor.

[Pookeybear1966]

I booked RCCL for summer 2014. Carnival doesn't have schedule out so I did that instead. If carnival releases the summer 2014 and they happen to have a nice southern Caribbean itinerary then ill switch to carnival. If not I have the RCCL cruise instead :)

[OCruisers]

Often people are not unhappy with their favorite cruise line to also like to cruise on other cruise lines for a change of pace. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[EZ4]

Honestly, a couple of the posters here are kinda scary in their defense of a cruise line.

[chill6x6]

Honestly, a couple of the posters here are kinda scary in their defense of a cruise line.

 

I know what you mean but it doesn't happen just HERE.. I've seen very similar "defense" on other boards as well.

[Strmwatch]

Obviously I'm a cruise newbie still. First cruise was last year, second cruise is Sept of this year.

 

With that being said...the old adage "The grass always seems greener" is perfectly applicable to this thread.

 

People keep bringing up cutbacks on Carnival, but neglect to realize all cruise lines are doing this.

 

The cruise lines cater to specific niches with their price/itinerary/experience.

 

Of course a cruise on Silversea is going to be a completely different experience than a Carnival cruise, you're also going to pay a premium (and then some) for that experience.

 

I find threads like this pointless, if you're unhappy with cruise line "A", then by all means switch to cruise line "B" or "C".

[awhcruiser]

Everybody needs a hobby!

 

Do you really want a list? You might be sorry you asked. It will get rather long.

[ShakyBeef]

Everybody needs a hobby!

 

LOL. Keeping up with Carnival's cutbacks could be a full-time job, if only one could figure out how to get paid for doing so.:rolleyes::p

[ShakyBeef]

Obviously I'm a cruise newbie still. First cruise was last year, second cruise is Sept of this year.

 

With that being said...the old adage "The grass always seems greener" is perfectly applicable to this thread.

 

People keep bringing up cutbacks on Carnival, but neglect to realize all cruise lines are doing this.

 

The cruise lines cater to specific niches with their price/itinerary/experience.

 

Of course a cruise on Silversea is going to be a completely different experience than a Carnival cruise, you're also going to pay a premium (and then some) for that experience.

 

I find threads like this pointless, if you're unhappy with cruise line "A", then by all means switch to cruise line "B" or "C".

 

How do you know what we are realizing and neglecting to realize? I think many of us realize that other cruiselines are cutting back, too. But this is the Carnival board, so it makes sense that our discussion is focused on Carnival.

[RRLLAL]

LOL. Keeping up with Carnival's cutbacks could be a full-time job, if only one could figure out how to get paid for doing so.:rolleyes::p

 

Don't forget the adds.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64

[Big_G]

Don't forget the adds.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64

 

I've seen this comment from you before so I'm just curious what 'adds' are included in the price of the cruise?

[EZ4]

Don't forget the adds.

 

Sent using my Commodore 64

 

I saw an NCL add today, for the new Breakaway. It looked stunning. I won't forget that one for a while.

[Strmwatch]

I saw an NCL add today, for the new Breakaway. It looked stunning. I won't forget that one for a while.

 

Initial reviews aren't too good, but of course it's subjective.

[ccruisequeen]

If we find a good price and the travel is convenient for us we will chose another line, but that is rare any more. So many lines have left the west coast that the selection has been cut.

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[VASOXFANN]

We haven't cruised Carnival yet, but probably will in the future. We are always on the lookout for a bargain, and CCL sails from driveable ports.

 

Price and itinerary are what we look for. If we try a line and hate it, it will take a lot (big changes, steal of a price, etc.) to get us back.

[BULLOCH12]

Yes

[mcatmcat]

Here are my timeline of cruises

Carnival

Royal

Ncl

Royal

Royal

Carnival

Royal

Royal

Royal

 

I still wonder why carnival was my first cruise but is now the one I book the least :-)

[sonicbuffalo]

We have cruised our first 4 cruises aboard Carnival. We have seen them go downhill quite a bit in that short time. I hate to see what the old timers like Firefly have seen happen in the time they have started sailing.

 

We have enjoyed all of our cruises though, but we base our choice of cruises on itinerary 1st, and then price. I booked NCL for our next cruise since it's an 11 day cruise and going to many of our favorite ports again. The price was right, even though the cruise is on an older and smaller NCL ship.

 

Our next cruise after that will probably be on the Allure since we simply have to sail on that huge ship to see what RCCL has to offer. We have sailed the newest (at the time we sailed) CCL ships, including the Dream and The Breeze...(check out my review). I must say they were all good experiences, including going on the Miracle twice. We loved the itineraries. The service has always been outstanding, and the food acceptable.

 

We only cruise once a year, usually in October, which is a great time price-wise to cruise since the kids are in school. We have loved our Carnival trips.

 

We are now on an extended land vacation out west....traveled by car to El Paso, TX to see our son before he was being deployed to Afghanistan, and then drove to the Grand Canyon (which was amazing), and Las Vegas, and on to see my brother in San Diego. We made it a round trip back to our son's home to wait for our newest grandson to be born (due any day now). Then we will drive to Memphis(Graceland), and on to Nashville to sight see the Opry stuff. That, and our NCL cruise coming up in October will satisfy our need for travel this year.

 

We will still cruise on Carnival, but not for a few more years, and they have to come up with some new itineraries, as we have cruised to all the Eastern and Southern Caribbean ports that they offer. We're not really interested in Cozumel, Cancun, or any of the western Caribbean ports. We might just save our money after the Allure, and fly to Hawaii, or travel to Europe on a land vacation. There is more to life than just cruising, but we do love to cruise.

 

You can't beat the value of a cruise when you consider you wake up on a different island each day, and get to see something new that would cost you a lot of money if you flew into each port for a vacation.

[halos]

. I booked NCL for our next cruise since it's an 11 day cruise and going to many of our favorite ports again. The price was right, even though the cruise is on an older and smaller NCL ship.

 

.

 

The Sun??

Just did that 11 day itinerary...LOVED it and the ship. I was apprehensive over sailing an older ship. It winds up that it is now my favorite!! There was so much less crowding (ship was built before they started jamming in so many cabins!!)

Loved it so much we booked it again!!

Crew on NCL is pretty awesome, although all of my 'favorites' that were on the Sun (and on other ships/sailings I have done on NCL) got moved to the Breakaway...understandably they put their best on the newest ship. I'll miss them when I sail the Sun again next year.

[Loving My Life]

Yes, I am looking at other lines. I have one more Carnival cruise booked for Jan 2014, then I want to try Celebrity...and NCL, Princess, and RCI. Personally, the cutbacks are evident and the safety record isn't that great, so trying other lines is an easy decision. I have enjoyed all of my Carnival cruises, however, so I would book with them again if the price and itinerary were right.