Whatever Happened...

[Scottohiocpa]

On our first cruise back in 1987 our waiter would come around and ask if our food was EXCELLENT. If you said it was just average, he took it away and brought something else! If you ate the last bite of your main course, he automatically brought you seconds.

 

There was free champagne and caviar along with other fancy appetizers before dinner.

 

The Captain came around at dinner and greeted each guest and they took your picture with him.

[Writerfl]

Some good points have been made here. There *are* a lot more ships to choose from (although only four cruise companies dominate the North American market, counting all Carnival's 'brands' as a single company). These ships are larger and more comfortable than they used to be, and cruising *can* be less expensive. Larger ships do offer more varied public spaces as well.

 

And yet...and yet...there's something missing. It's difficult to put into words. Smaller ships with more intimate spaces and higher crew counts meant higher levels of service in general, but more than that, you felt *special*. The experience was elevated above your day-to-day life. No-one dines in four or five -star restaurants every day for a week, but you did. No one goes to Broadway style shows every night, but you did. No one has stewards and wait staff dedicated to your every whim, but you did. For that week, or 10 days, or longer, you did things you were unable to do at home and went places you could never afford to go, and you did it over and over and over.

 

Over time, the experience has been, for want of a better term, leveled. Food is better than at home, but not superb. Shows are better than sitting at home watching your big screen, but not a lot. There's plenty of sun, but finding a deck chair can be a challenge. Service is good, but somewhat impersonal. Even tipping, which used to be a mental exercise to figure out and was presented personally (and received with appreciation personally) is now automated and automatic.

 

Have I, personally, benefited from this? Sure. Carnival has made it easy and cheap for me to go cruising, so cheap that its a toss-up between cruising and staying home. I get to go places I might not have visited before, and lots of them.

 

Fancy cruising still exists, on smaller ships and boutique cruise lines. The cost to cruise at that level has skyrocketed, though, and 'old-style' cruising, if you will, is *much* more expensive than it used to be, even adjusted for inflation.

 

Where am I going with this? The original intent of the post was to promote a 'happy medium', and elevation of experience without necessarily increasing the cost by identifying older customs and practices we enjoyed that didn't necessarily carry a big price tag.

 

What I'm seeing in these posts instead is a division into two camps. Those who remember the old days are saying (and I paraphrase) "cruising today is crap" and those who don't are saying, "I'm getting what I expected and if you want more you're an elitist pig".

 

Let's get back to the original intent. What are some of the old, small things about cruising that you'd like to see reintroduced? Things that could be accomplished reasonably, given current staff levels and cost structures? Maybe even things you'd pay (a little) extra for if they were optional?

 

Please, be nice to each other. Everyone has an opinion that's based on their own personal experience and expectations, and because it's personal, it's valid.

[boogs]

On our first cruise back in 1987 our waiter would come around and ask if our food was EXCELLENT. If you said it was just average, he took it away and brought something else! If you ate the last bite of your main course, he automatically brought you seconds.

 

There was free champagne and caviar along with other fancy appetizers before dinner.

 

The Captain came around at dinner and greeted each guest and they took your picture with him.

 

And how much did you pay for that cruise? I would bet double or triple what you pay today.

Edited May 2, 2014 by boogs

[SPacificbound]

I'm happy we just started cruising so I don't have anything to "miss". :D

 

What I miss is the ship. No allergies at sea, as soon as I get home the allergies hit, so yeah, I miss the ship. :)

[alcpa1]

I miss the toga parties and the group of California cruisers tossing room keys from the grand staircase every night....and I miss real room keys too.

[sloopsailor]

On our first cruise back in 1987 our waiter would come around and ask if our food was EXCELLENT. If you said it was just average, he took it away and brought something else! If you ate the last bite of your main course, he automatically brought you seconds.

 

On my favorite cruise line, if I don't like something, I ask for something else and it is brought to me. It's called speaking up for yourself. Personally, I don't want a waiter bringing me more food than I can eat. If I want more, I will do the asking. It would be a total waste of food to have a second main course placed in front of me after I have just finished eating the first. What you describe is completely irresponsible of that waiter.

 

The Captain came around at dinner and greeted each guest and they took your picture with him.

 

As for the captain coming around and posing for pictures, sorry, but I am not starry eyed about ship officers and so have no interest in being a ship officer groupie. Just like I don't need my bus driver to come around and greet me to pose for a photo, I don't need someone who is just doing a job to waste his time pandering to me as I act like a smitten schoolgirl just because he noticed me. His job is to safely navigate the ship and not to be paraded around like a performing monkey for the amusement of the passengers.

 

And I prefer to stay seated and eat my meal rather than being interrupted for useless photos.

 

Thank heaven we are no longer being bothered by such nonsense!

Edited May 2, 2014 by sloopsailor

[dorisis]

I don't miss having to pay for deck chairs and I don't miss the "caste" system on ocean crossings.

 

I liked having a set time for all 3 meals.

[Honolulu Blue]

The Captain came around at dinner and greeted each guest and they took your picture with him.

 

That can't have been a very large ship, at least by modern standards. Assuming a brisk 10 seconds per guest and 4 hours of mealtime, I get 6 per minute, 360 per hour, for a total of 1440 guests greeted.

 

And therein lies much of the problem between then and now - the ships have become a whole lot larger. It's almost impossible to prepare food for a 1000-person dining room the way you can for one that seats only 100. And it's very tough to truly personalize service for a ship that holds 500-1000 than for one that holds six times as many. When I stop to think about it, I'm amazed the cruise lines do as well as they do.

[jjtimes2]

I miss the crumb sweeper the servers used in between courses. Something so silly but so special.

 

On a HAL cruise a number of years ago I commented to our waiter how much I liked the crumb sweeper he used and on the last night he gave it to me! Maybe that's where they all went ;)

[Warm Breezes]

On our first cruise back in 1987 our waiter would come around and ask if our food was EXCELLENT. If you said it was just average, he took it away and brought something else! If you ate the last bite of your main course, he automatically brought you seconds.

 

There was free champagne and caviar along with other fancy appetizers before dinner.

 

The Captain came around at dinner and greeted each guest and they took your picture with him.

 

I have had this on every CCL cruise I have taken. I make a point of only eating 1/2 my entree so I can eat 1/2 my dessert. They are always trying to get me to try something else because they don't think I liked the food when I don't eat it all. Haven't seen this on NCL and Princess though.

[sail7seas]

On my favorite cruise line, if I don't like something, I ask for something else and it is brought to me. It's called speaking up for yourself. Personally, I don't want a waiter bringing me more food than I can eat. If I want more, I will do the asking. It would be a total waste of food to have a second main course placed in front of me after I have just finished eating the first. What you describe is completely irresponsible of that waiter.

 

 

<snip>

 

 

 

One of the things I disliked about our last cruise on Princess and one of the things that made it our last cruise on Princess was the MDR steward who would not honor my requests. All I asked was that he bring what I ordered (directly from the menu with no special requests - just exactly what was offererd) and nothing more.

 

Each and every night he placed three or more desserts in front of me despite my clearly stating I would not be having any dessert. As he took the orders at the table, each night I would say black coffee only for me, please.

 

IMO, he was disrespectful and haughty with a superior attitude to continue to disregard my clearly stated desire.

 

It got so I would leave the table for the ladies room each evening when dessert was delivered and DH would have it removed before I returned.

 

So much for 'bring me more'...... How about respect for guest and 'bring me less'?

 

And, No, we are not shy people. We are well traveled, we know how to handle ourselves, we know how to make our desires known and spoke with a most unaccomodating and unhelpful Dining Room Manager.

 

We simply left Princess cruise line and never returned. We had sailed them at least 5-6 times previously.

Edited May 2, 2014 by sail7seas

[cadien]

One of the things I disliked about our last cruise on Princess and one of the things that made it our last cruise on Princess was the MDR steward who would not honor my requests. All I asked was that he bring what I ordered (directly from the menu with no special requests - just exactly what was offererd) and nothing more.

 

Each and every night he placed three or more desserts in front of me despite my clearly stating I would not be having any dessert. As he took the orders at the table, each night I would say black coffee only for me, please.

 

Doesn't that also mean that all those desserts were then getting thrown away? That's a horrifying waste. (On their part.)

Edited May 2, 2014 by cadien

[sail7seas]

Doesn't that also mean that all those desserts were then getting thrown away? That's a horrifying waste. (On their part.)

 

 

Yes, of course, it was wasteful.

It certainly was irritating to DH and me. What steward thinks he has any business placing unwanted food in front of a guest over and over again when specifically asked to not do so. It still irritates me when I think of it. :o

 

[AKman2495]

After five cruises in a short period this year, I've come to the realization that much has changed in the cruise industry. Some changes are completely understandable, others are more like "huh?" For example...

 

Whatever happened...to the Passenger Talent Show? This used to be a staple in the 80's and 90's and I never missed it (even participated a time or two). Some were hilarious, others grotesque, and some of the singers were amazing. The modern replacement is karaoke, which I despise.

 

They have them on Princess-occasionally. They often have a crew talent show.

 

Whatever happened...to the parade of singing waiters bringing in the Flaming Baked Alaska/Cherries Jubilee? This one's easy. I'm sure that modern fire regulations killed the dessert parade..but how dif it morph into a bunch of waiters standing on bus tables and shaking their bootys?

 

They still have them on Princess. Of course, the flames on the baked Alaska are electric, but they do parade.

 

I've also seen cherries jubilee -with flames made at table side on occasion.

 

Oh, and the crumb sweepers are still on Princess...

[YubaSutter]

After five cruises in a short period this year, I've come to the realization that much has changed in the cruise industry. Some changes are completely understandable, others are more like "huh?" For example...

 

Whatever happened...to the Passenger Talent Show? This used to be a staple in the 80's and 90's and I never missed it (even participated a time or two). Some were hilarious, others grotesque, and some of the singers were amazing. The modern replacement is karaoke, which I despise.

 

Whatever happened...to the parade of singing waiters bringing in the Flaming Baked Alaska/Cherries Jubilee? This one's easy. I'm sure that modern fire regulations killed the dessert parade..but how dif it morph into a bunch of waiters standing on bus tables and shaking their bootys?

 

There are a lot of these. What is it about the "good old days" that you most miss when cruising, and why do you think it disappeared?

I miss throwing streamers off of the ship at sail away, smacking golf balls into the ocean, and trap shooting off the back of the ship.

[papcx]

They have them on Princess-occasionally. They often have a crew talent show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They still have them on Princess. Of course, the flames on the baked Alaska are electric, but they do parade.

 

 

 

I've also seen cherries jubilee -with flames made at table side on occasion.

 

 

 

Oh, and the crumb sweepers are still on Princess...

 

 

MSC have real flame baked Alaska, and crumb sweepers.

[SantaFeFan]

I miss throwing streamers off of the ship at sail away, smacking golf balls into the ocean, and trap shooting off the back of the ship.

 

So, what you are saying is that you miss polluting the oceans you enjoy sailing on? :confused:

[papcx]

So, what you are saying is that you miss polluting the oceans you enjoy sailing on? :confused:

 

 

I'm sure there's an environmentally friendly option available nowadays.

[YubaSutter]

So, what you are saying is that you miss polluting the oceans you enjoy sailing on? :confused:

 

I wouldn't call it polluting. I would reserve that word for Exxon or British Petroleum, or the cruise lines that throw their trash in bulk into the oceans.

[boogs]

I wouldn't call it polluting. I would reserve that word for Exxon or British Petroleum, or the cruise lines that throw their trash in bulk into the oceans.

 

Every time someone throws anything other than biodegradable food into the ocean, it's called polluting - same as on land. There is so much trash in the oceans now that it is becoming a significant problem in some areas. Due to currents, much of the trash that ends up in the oceans, be it from river flows, rain runoff, to careless people throwing stuff overboard, finds it's way to huge areas where it collects. The materials break down into particles that float just under the surface, and fish mistake it for food, threatening their existence, and our seafood industries.

 

If you doubt the impact of what you might think is a relatively minor issue, read this about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a 7 million square mile sized collection of debris. There are similar collections in the Atlantic and other oceanic bodies of water:

 

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/?ar_a=1

 

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/10-the-worlds-largest-dump

 

BTW: cruise lines are banned from throwing their trash overboard, unless it is treated properly and biodegradable. I would bet that the major lines we all know adhere to this requirement. If they were to be found to be polluters, the PR would be bad, and they certainly don't need more bad PR.

Edited May 6, 2014 by boogs