Would you pay upscale CCL cruise 80'-90's

[sparks1093]

Being that our sailing life started in 1980 I have seen much in the way of change from all the cruise lines. Back in the 80'-90's cruising gave you a more special feel. Very few people at that time ever cruised. It took a show like Love Boat to bring cruising to the masses.

 

But back then, the food was better, entertainment was better and even the cruise staff was more entertaining. Back then CCL only have 3 ships, the Carnival, Mardi Gras and Festivale. The Festival being the large ship in the fleet at a robust 35,000 tons. Bingo was affordable and Drink prices were much cheaper than back home

 

Fares were higher, but you got what you paid for. Nickle and dimeing was not the way of life during those years.

 

Just curiuos- What if Carnival took one of their ships and transformed it back to the times when cruising made you feel more important, not mass market. When your waiter would show up with the pasta course on a silver tray and ask everyone if they wanted some. Back when plates did not come out pre-assembled but the main course was on the plate and the waiter brought out the sides seperatly and you chose what you wanted. When eveyone went to the midnight buffet, not because they were hungry, but to see the different creations the chefs came up with. Would you pay a few hundred dollars more for a better experience, well maybe not better but a different type of experience.

 

I still feel crusing is a great value, but do time always have to change!

 

Nope.

[EZ4]

Oh yeah. The glory days of cruising. :p

 

 

 

[Tapi]

I don't think people really remember what it was truly like to sail on a Carnival ship 20-30 years ago. I look back at the pictures from our Tropicale 1994 sailing and all I can say is that today, that same sailing would be considered by many to be a nightmare.

 

 

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[Tapi]

But back then, entertainment was better

 

 

What entertainment was better? All I remember are some crappy shows in a single story lounge with bad lighting, views, and audio, and so small and crammed that the dancers' "Vegas" costumes would rub against the ceiling, and every time they turned, they'd slap the passengers on the front row with the costume' feathers. It was comical. I'd love to read the survey comments if that was the main entertainment on a ship today.

 

 

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Edited May 11, 2014 by Tapi

[Aplmac]

It does exist, but not on Carnival.

Crystal, Seabourn, etc are all like the old days and prices are aligned to what we all used to pay in the 80's

(back when the cheapest cabins were $1000pp for a week back in the 80's)

Carnival Corp. offers this kinda treatment, as mentioned above.

 

And here it is, docked at St.Lucia.

 

Seabourn Spirit at Castries.

 

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[worldspan]

Cruising's best days are indeed behind it. All the elegance and glamour are long gone.

 

One now has to pay 3 X the normal pricing to enjoy a Seabourn or a Crystal cruise and a taste of what once was. In the 70s you could pay a mass market price for a company like Home Lines and experience the very best. No longer!

 

Cruising one delivered me, albeit very briefly (7-14 days) from my normal mundane middle class lifestyle to a world I would not experience otherwise. Now its just the opposite!

 

Worldspan

[vols_159]

Negative it's 2014 not 1984

 

 

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[jakzak10]

I have seen very good entertainment on the Mass market cruises of the 80's-90's, The Fifth Dimension, Yakoff Smirnoff... Been sailing with James Lovell from Apollo 13 fame, who gave a great talk on what it was like on the mission. While I agree the new ships are fancier with more lights and glitz...But the old Home Line Ships, The S.S. Norway will always be the cruises I compare today's experince to.

[Writerfl]

I think this could actually be a moneymaker for Carnival. If they were to take the Fantasy- class ships and retrofit them to "Classic" level fittings with more wood paneling, period lighting fixtures, etc. and less 'glitz' they could create the environment of an older era, but on ships with modern amenities.

 

A fare structured at about 200% of current levels would allow them to upgrade the number of staff and improve food quality greatly, but still make a greater profit while still remaining affordable for most cruisers.

 

They have this kind of service and style on Seabourn now, but the smaller ships (600 guests max) have a higher cost structure and therefore higher fares. Scaling that up to the 2,000 passenger range would create the economies of scale that would allow this to be a profitable venture.

 

By calling the ships "Carnival Classic" they would be able to leverage the brand recognition for new cruisers and woo back older cruisers that moved on to Celebrity, Oceania and other boutique lines as the passenger demographic on Carnival got younger (and rowdier).

 

My 2c, anyways, and probably not worth face value as my knowledge of the industry is like Florida Bay: broad, but very, very shallow.

[jakzak10]

What I would really like to see is a Proactive Cruise Company, purchase the old SS United States, which is rusting away in the Philadelphia Harbor. You could take the ship down to Norfolk and refit her to today's standards. At the same time you would be employing US workers. Yes it wind up costing close to the amount of a new ship. but you would be refurbishing a classic and giving work to US workers. Seems like a win/win

[kybluecruiser]

What I would really like to see is a Proactive Cruise Company, purchase the old SS United States, which is rusting away in the Philadelphia Harbor. You could take the ship down to Norfolk and refit her to today's standards. At the same time you would be employing US workers. Yes it wind up costing close to the amount of a new ship. but you would be refurbishing a classic and giving work to US workers. Seems like a win/win

 

They tried that. NCL scrapped,their plans to fix the ss United States up.

[SUSIEK]

I have seen very good entertainment on the Mass market cruises of the 80's-90's, The Fifth Dimension, Yakoff Smirnoff... Been sailing with James Lovell from Apollo 13 fame, who gave a great talk on what it was like on the mission. While I agree the new ships are fancier with more lights and glitz...But the old Home Line Ships, The S.S. Norway will always be the cruises I compare today's experince to.

 

 

I sailed on the S.S. Norway in 1995. THAT was an ocean liner! BEAUTIFUL!! No comparison to the boxes they build today.

[Writerfl]

I sailed on the S.S. Norway in 1995. THAT was an ocean liner! BEAUTIFUL!! No comparison to the boxes they build today.

 

Interesting point. S.S. Norway (nee S.S. France) was an OCEAN liner, not a CRUISE liner. She was originally designed to transport people from one side of the Atlantic to the other in then-unrivaled style and comfort. She was designed and largely built when transatlantic travel was either by sea or in propeller-driven aircraft, which were noisy, uncomfortable and amazingly expensive.

 

With the arrival of jet-powered air travel, ocean travel as transport fell out of favor. The industry began to reinvent itself, repurposing ships as CRUISE ships, traveling in a liesurely fashion to exotic destinations while retaining the style and luxury of the ocean liner era.

 

This simply wasn't sustainable. Norway carried a max of 2,600 passengers, about the same number as a mid-size cruise ship today, but her age and lack of technology made her horribly expensive to operate. Today's cruise ships operate much more slowly but also much more efficiently, making the cruise industry as we know it today possible.

 

However, think about Fantasy or Ecstasy. Their gross tonnage are about the same as Norway's and they carry almost the same number of passengers. If Carnival were to refit their interiors to the same standard as Norway's, reintroduce white glove service like HALs and price their cruises halfway between the 'base' Carnival product and HAL pricing, would YOU sail on them? I know that I sure would.

[Ship's Wake]

Being that our sailing life started in 1980 I have seen much in the way of change from all the cruise lines. Back in the 80'-90's cruising gave you a more special feel. Very few people at that time ever cruised. It took a show like Love Boat to bring cruising to the masses.

 

But back then, the food was better, entertainment was better and even the cruise staff was more entertaining. Back then CCL only have 3 ships, the Carnival, Mardi Gras and Festivale. The Festival being the large ship in the fleet at a robust 35,000 tons. Bingo was affordable and Drink prices were much cheaper than back home

 

Fares were higher, but you got what you paid for. Nickle and dimeing was not the way of life during those years.

 

Just curiuos- What if Carnival took one of their ships and transformed it back to the times when cruising made you feel more important, not mass market. When your waiter would show up with the pasta course on a silver tray and ask everyone if they wanted some. Back when plates did not come out pre-assembled but the main course was on the plate and the waiter brought out the sides seperatly and you chose what you wanted. When eveyone went to the midnight buffet, not because they were hungry, but to see the different creations the chefs came up with. Would you pay a few hundred dollars more for a better experience, well maybe not better but a different type of experience.

 

I still feel crusing is a great value, but do time always have to change!

 

Interesting topic. Fun to converse about, but of course will never happen.

 

Sadly, the institutional memory of what Carnival used to offer is long gone. Those executives and employees who built the Carnival brand are no longer with Carnival.

 

The current management roster... well...that's a whole separate discussion.

[maldenmusic]

No I like to cruise because it is affordable and my daughter and I, both school teachers, can afford to go every year. We are not fancy people and enjoy things the way they are.

[FlaCruiser007]

I think its the same discussion as airline travel. "Back in the day", traveling by air was a luxury experience. Pampered service, exotic foods and drinks. Do we look wistfully back on those times when a bag of stale peanuts is a perk today? Sure we do! But I don't think we'd want to pay an extra couple hundred to go to Fresno in style. (if we do, there's still first class...)

 

And, who would want to return to flying in Yankee Clippers or DC-10s??

 

Carnival has been successful in bringing/keeping cruise prices affordable for the masses. Good for them!

[AmberTeka]

I sailed on NCL in the middle seventies. Once on the Skyward. Once on the Sunward.

 

The food was something to dream about. When we went down in the morning, a basket of baked goods was on the table. Croissants, bagels, muffins.....and that way all the rest of the day. Lunch was a huge buffet. an endless line of salads, then entrees, then desserts. Ice Carvings. Fruit. Candies. Cookies. All good.

Dinner was an entrée. Salad after the entrée. Then a server came around with sides. Choice of four. One dessert I remember....cake..three layers..toasted coconut frosting.

 

AND there were maybe three slot machines. that was the casino. Entertainment was a good show..but nothing else. Horse racing was a big thing. Something about horses on sticks. I don't even remember Bingo. Trivia. None of that. maybe they did Pool games but we did not go. We did not get bored because we were just married. Being together was quite thrilling. I am still with the same man, love him dearly, but NO WAY would I want to do that again today.

 

Our cabin was tiny, tiny. The ship did not have stabilizers. When at sea. Half of the passengers did not show for dinner. My husband and I ate our way right through it. We went to One Midnight buffet. We were so stuffed............we were not hungry. We did not go back. There is a limit as to how much food you can eat in a single day.

 

We went to Jamaica. Still beautiful. Just independent from England. No crime or very little. I cannot stand to go to Jamaica, because I remember what it was then. Haiti. Just sliding into the utter barbarism we have seen there.

 

I still one of the menus from the SKYWARD. I would not go back to those days of cruising for anything. If I want that type of dining, I will shell out the $70 for the steakhouse............actually, I think the regular food on Carnival is good. I wish they green salad each night. Lettuce..yes, iceberg lettuce with butter lettuce, romaine, etc. A few tomatoes. Some carrots. A little cucumber. Perhaps a crouton or two. A good thousand Island dressing. Other than that........I am fine.

And I think the breakfast meals served in the MDR are excellent. Their coffee has gotten better.

I do wish the shows were better. More people.but I like the ones they have now..now the electronic ones so much. Cold in some way.

Edited May 12, 2014 by AmberTeka

[Warm Breezes]

Being that our sailing life started in 1980 I have seen much in the way of change from all the cruise lines. Back in the 80'-90's cruising gave you a more special feel. Very few people at that time ever cruised. It took a show like Love Boat to bring cruising to the masses.

 

But back then, the food was better, entertainment was better and even the cruise staff was more entertaining. Back then CCL only have 3 ships, the Carnival, Mardi Gras and Festivale. The Festival being the large ship in the fleet at a robust 35,000 tons. Bingo was affordable and Drink prices were much cheaper than back home

 

Fares were higher, but you got what you paid for. Nickle and dimeing was not the way of life during those years.

 

Just curiuos- What if Carnival took one of their ships and transformed it back to the times when cruising made you feel more important, not mass market. When your waiter would show up with the pasta course on a silver tray and ask everyone if they wanted some. Back when plates did not come out pre-assembled but the main course was on the plate and the waiter brought out the sides seperatly and you chose what you wanted. When eveyone went to the midnight buffet, not because they were hungry, but to see the different creations the chefs came up with. Would you pay a few hundred dollars more for a better experience, well maybe not better but a different type of experience.

 

I still feel crusing is a great value, but do time always have to change!

 

No, I would not pay more for that type of experience....if that is what I wanted I would choose to pay more and sail less on a ship like QM2. I don't need to feel important...but having someone serve, entertain, and clean up after me like they do now still makes me feel that way anyway. I don't need a waiter to serve me dishes seperately. I never went to the midnight buffet when they had it. I personnally do not mind the change and would not pay more to go back in time.

[vamartha]

Nope, I wouldn't.

[lady_cruiser]

If people wants to go back to the golden age of cruising Carnival will have to build a ship free of mini golf, water slides, rock climbing walls, etc.

 

And if they ever do please let me know because I'll be the first one onboard.

[RWolver672]

 

 

 

Just curiuos- What if Carnival took one of their ships and transformed it back to the times when cruising made you feel more important, not mass market.

 

I can't imagine a cruise making me feel more important back then or now. My motto is "It's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice."

[Nick55]

I have been cruising since 1977 (Mardi Gras) and have also done the Norway during its early days with NCL. While i cherish the experiences, younger folks need to remember we didn't know what a Big Mac was yet. When you ate in the dining room at 21 on a cruise, everything was amazing and new. There were very few or no mexican, sushi, indian, texmex, fusion, tai, vietnamese, or fresh seafood dining experiences for most people in the 70's and early 80's. I had never had calimari, mussels, lobster, clams, or filet when i took my first cruise. Nobody knew what a latte was and bananas foster or baked alaska were for dinners at the four seasons or la fontaine.

 

We are very different now in our expectation and experiences. I think the illusion that we look for when looking back, would really be tainted by what we now expect for dining and vacation choices. Now i am looking for every meal to be a crisp new food experience, while reality says that it is impossible to find a new fresh concept for a ship with 3000 passengers. My teens ate more exotic food than burgers in high school. while i was in my mid 20's before wendys founded the square burger and pizza pizza was still a faint dream in fast food future.

 

I have sailed on a number of different cruise lines and ships and just like my daily dining and vacation experiences, i cannot justify eating at The French Laundry every night while visiting Napa Valley. I'm not afraid to over indulge, but i'm not sure that the narrow hallways, stepping over the doorway passing each water tight door, watching the curtains sway (ala the posideon adventure) while watching a movie, having most tablemates not be well enough to have dinner in modest seas, and long long lines during boarding and unboarding.

 

These old ships were great workhorses on an ocean voyage, but even the Norway couldn't keep up with the beautiful public spaces on the new cruise ships. It had great art deco history but no, large multi-station buffets, no theaters with unblocked sight lines, no wide public areas with 100 foot ceilings, no kids pool experience, chef demonstration theater, skating rink, ropes course, anytime dining, no healthy, vegan, low sodium, glutin free, or sugar free dining choices.

 

I love the thought of the old days, but i used to like egging cars too. I have moved on and honestly i love the new more casual experience more where nobody makes me wear my tux, unless i want to. (Which i do!).

 

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