No More March Play on Carnival

[Cruisegirl6]

Luvtotravel2, they always had a single bar stand outside to make the drinks, this is where we got ours. We didn't have to go into the restaurant for it.

[evandbob]

Carnival does NOT deliver "caviar tastes on a baloney budget" as one response says. The OP states she/he has found that NCL, RCCL and Celebrity are all offering free drink packages, free dining packages and free gratuities, and can get similar cabin on those lines for less or equal to a Carnival price.

 

I've searched around and when I found those deals, I've booked them, and spent a wonderful week cruising with great food, good entertainment and great service. I am almost at diamond status with Carnival but may not get there if I continue to find better deals with other lines.

[jhamp244]

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the op thought she was being respected because they gave her a free drink.

 

But anyway, if you found a better everything with another cruiser line, why even bother with carnival anymore?

Speaking for myself, i don't need you to fall on the sword for me, i have no loyalty. When it is time to cruise, i will look around and decide who i am going with.

 

Btw, it doesn't matter to me about the drink. Water is fine.

[Bosox312]

We feel that Carnival is the Wal Mart of the seas ... we still cruise with Carnival, but we lowered our expectations when we do. We also cruise with NCL, which we feel is a step up, but more expensive. We have also cruised with RC, but the cost and demographic are not of our liking.

 

We don't feel a particular loyalty to any one cruise line ... if we don't like the service, etc, then we just go somewhere else. Loyalty only works if it flows both ways (sort of like a marriage) and right now I don't believe there is much loyalty from Carnival to me so we do't reciprocate.

 

We are booked on the Victory in May not based on loyalty, but based purely on price ... it's not personal ... just business :)

[lido deck larry]

BTW isnt this cruise critic a place to come and discuss the good and bad of cruising?

 

Why dismiss others complaints and tell them to take their business elsewhere?

I wasn't dismissing their complaints, but suggesting an appropriate course of action. If OP feels disrespected by Carnival, they need to vote with their wallet and stop booking vacations with them. Expecting changes by posting on a forum like this isn't realistic.

[Cruisegirl6]

Yes when a hotel or cruise line or airline for that matter, gives you something complimentary its showing respect and saying thank you, makes me feel good.

 

Bosox302- That is exactly how we feel....when we book Carnival its not our only cruise for the year, its our second or third cruise (although we do also take land vacations each year). Carnival seems to be our cruise line for our "casino cruise" or a last minute getaway. When I book Carnival I know I won't be eating like I am used to (Carnival to me is like eating fast food type establishments which we DON'T ever eat at home) and I know the service is a hit or miss and that cocktail beverage guy may only come by once to us in the MDR if we are lucky and there are no live bands on the lido any longer.

 

I also can't understand why people would want to carry a bottle of water with them in port which I may add has to get warm and won't stay cold, for me I just buy myself a drink when I am thirsty.

 

I also aren't loyal to any cruise line, its the "bargain" the perks that get my attention.

Edited March 1, 2015 by lyndamr

[LSUcajunmom]

I have to say that I'm excited to hear that the other cruise lines are making it more affordable to take cruises on their ships. I am loyal to Carnival because of their pricing and their ports that I am to drive to. I have $758 in OBC for my upcoming cruise because of a casino rate that I was able to get because I booked ES. My cruise cost me the taxes I paid, $129.00. Yes, I am booked in an affordable interior room. I have had very nice balcony cabins in the past, but depending on who I'm cruising w they aren't always necessary. I love the idea of a free bottle of water because I too never used my free drink coupon because of the time day it was offered for.

I understand your complaints, but it's like anything in a competitive market. If you aren't happy w one, you move on to the other.

[Cruisegirl6]

Thats the point if Carnival wants to keep its loyal passengers why aren't they competing with the other cruise lines?

 

We also are booked on a premier cruise, 8 nights and ¢1900 for balcony 8c and $950 casino cash, can't beat that deal, as long as Carnival continues offering us such cruises consider us going lol. If they don't, I take my business elsewhere which I did for next year, but if Carnival offers me a good deal, we book that too!

Edited March 1, 2015 by lyndamr

[tnf]

So I would imagine with no match plays being given out, they would not accept previous match play coupons earned? Anybody know for sure?

 

We asked if we could use ours we brought along and we were told no

[Cool_Tropical_Breeze]

We asked if we could use ours we brought along and we were told no

 

That IMO is way out of line. IF CCL is going to stop honoring anything they have already given out they should give everyone fair warning with an effective date sometime in the future not immediately.

 

Many people here, especially the stout CCL cheerleaders, would say people complain here too much on policies that CCL changes (Live music, shows, match play etc.).

 

To me it is obvious CCL is just trying to compete with other cruiselines. They cutback things because in most cases they CANNOT demand higher pricing that NCL and RCCL generally get, period.

 

As some have posted if they find an NCL or RCCL cruise similar in pricing to a CCL cruise and they offer OBC, Specialty dining etc. for free, they jump on it as do I.

 

IMO most people love CCL for the pricing and a generally decent product overall, nothing more.

[ray98]

To me it is obvious CCL is just trying to compete with other cruiselines. They cutback things because in most cases they CANNOT demand higher pricing that NCL and RCCL generally get, period.

 

Two sides to that coin. It is not a case of "cannot", you are seeing a company focusing their business model to the expectations and budgets of the biggest segment by far of the cruising customer base. They are doing quite well at it, you don't carry the most passengers yearly by chance. They get my business for that exact reason, they give me a specific product at a price I am willing to pay. If my only choice was at the price point of the other lines I would not cruise nearly as much even if the product is slightly more upscale.

 

I just came back 2 weeks ago, a similar cruise on RCCL that matched on itinerary and ship class was twice as much. Keep the drink coupon, I am glad to save the $300 per person.

Edited March 1, 2015 by ray98

[Cool_Tropical_Breeze]

Two sides to that coin. Instead of labeling it as they "cannot" they are focusing on the expectations and budgets of the biggest segment by far of the cruising customer base and they are doing quite well at it. You don't carry the most passengers yearly by chance. They get my business for that exact reason, they give me a specific product at a price I am willing to pay. If my only choice was at the price point of the other lines I would not cruise nearly as much even though their business model may be more upscale.

 

They carry the most passengers because they have the most ships and capacity. Perhaps too many especially sailing the caribbean which probably is affecting their pricing being that area is saturated with capacity.

 

It has nothing to do with with focusing on their consumers budgets. If they could demand higher prices they certainly would. This is a business and a publicly traded company with obligations to its shareholders.

 

I like CCL as they do provide the cheapest pricing in most cases and offer a decent product overall even with the cutbacks. We have branched out to other lines and prefer NCL and X as CCL has become somewhat stale for us after 30+ cruises.

 

When I find a steal I will certainly book CCL again on certain ships. We tried the Sunshine last December and probably won't do that again. Seemed very crowded and serenity was non existent on the serenity deck and had a bad issue with our cabin in which CCL offered us a 15% discount on our next cruise. However the overall cruise was not bad per se and the price we paid for a deck 11 balcony was very, very low.

[Warm Breezes]

Where did you get that price which ship and sailing now thats a bargain! But it can't be a 7 night cruise for that price and out of Miami was it?

 

We booked our 7 night on Splendor a couple of months ago for $1393 including taxes and fees out of Miami for a balcony for 2.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Warm Breezes

[BigB0882]

Taking away casino perks is not good for me because when we go on a cruise we spend a lot of time in the casino...a LOT! I never used match play so to me, no big deal. However, if it is true that Drinks on Us is next then what is after that? I have no doubt they stop offering discounted cruises and casino cash. Then we won't have any reason to book with Carnival so regularly. It will force me to check with other lines first then decide. If Carnival is still cheapest, then sure, we will sail with them but for now I don't even bother to check other lines out because of Carnival's casino perks.

 

To the person who said the gamblers should just go to Atlantic City or whatever. That is not fair. What is your favorite part of cruising? I could throw you an alternative too. We love to gamble AND cruise. This makes Carnival the BEST vacation choice for us. I hope it stays that way.

Edited March 1, 2015 by BigB0882

[DaveRRT]

Reported yesterday by a returning cruiser that Match Play has been discontinued.

Was told on the Pride last fall, no more match play, just off the Conquest and its back so take the word of a bartender with a grain of salt. It may be true, or maybe not

[Cruisegirl6]

WarmBreezes that IS a great price not to pass up for sure. What port is it out of?

 

BogBo88 same with us, you always find us either having a cocktail at the casino bar or in the casino. We don't care for shows, we do like going to comedy but after comedy we right back in the casino. Anybody who travels with us always knows where they can find us haha The loosing match play isn't a deal for me but I would give the vouchers to my daughter who would use them. I agree with you so far Carnival has the best casino deals and treats us the best with the perks that come along with it.

 

We live in Florida, for us to get a casino last minute trip we love the cruise, when we go to Vegas we have a five hour plus flight each way and living in Florida we are so close to Jax and two hours away from Pt. Canaveral and a simple 50 minute flight to FLL/MIA, its a lot easier to take a cruise for a casino trip. Atlantic City is a joke its nothing now and its in an area not nice...at times we do go to Foxwoods up in Conn but again that means connecting flights and more time to get to and from.

Edited March 1, 2015 by lyndamr

[cruizinisthebest]

Actually the OP wasn't complaining. In fact they might have been bummed about the discontinued match play but complimented casino perks in pricing. So the thread started off fine and as a FYI. It's just the irresistible temptation by some to bad mouth Carnival while still booking cruises. if you're deep into gambling on a cruise and Carnival is not meeting your perks needs, go elsewhere. Most likely, though not always, you will pay more to begin with. Just do it. I've read about some good casino offers. Would suit me just fine.

 

As far as this water business, I happened to think that cutback was whack, but truth be told I never used the brunch coupon. Most people didn't so they cut it. Oh well. I'll take the water. I will use it on excursions, which was the reason why I take water onboard to begin with. Who cares why people bring it. Their choice.

[jeniceglassman]

Watched this discussion fall into a arena of what we have lost. Since Carnival also owns Princess & Holland America I am confused as how trying a different line would imply disloyalty?

[pe4all]

Taking away casino perks is not good for me because when we go on a cruise we spend a lot of time in the casino...a LOT! I never used match play so to me, no big deal. However, if it is true that Drinks on Us is next then what is after that? I have no doubt they stop offering discounted cruises and casino cash. Then we won't have any reason to book with Carnival so regularly. It will force me to check with other lines first then decide. If Carnival is still cheapest, then sure, we will sail with them but for now I don't even bother to check other lines out because of Carnival's casino perks.

 

To the person who said the gamblers should just go to Atlantic City or whatever. That is not fair. What is your favorite part of cruising? I could throw you an alternative too. We love to gamble AND cruise. This makes Carnival the BEST vacation choice for us. I hope it stays that way.

l also enjoy gambling quite a bit while on a cruise. As a result, we do get Premier offers and casino rates - on both NCL and CCL. The reason we began cruising on NCL was because l got a free interior cabin offer from a land-based casino. lncluded was priority boarding and a free drink card for dh and myself. That cruise was on Breakaway - at that time a few months old and cruising (still is) out of NY to Bermuda. We ended up paying $1,200 to upgrade to a balcony and add dd on as a 3rd in our cabin. Can't beat that price for a cruise out of NY to Bermuda during high season. We switch between Carnival and NCL now for their casino rates. We went on Epic over Christmas for $1300 for a balcony, and they gave us a break for a second balcony for my dd's. Total combined was around $3,000 - 2 balconies over Christmas. We just booked Getaway - again, for a great price over NYE. And we have CCL booked for June out of SJ - $933 for a balcony for 3 of us. Can't beat those casino prices. l also hope they do not start cutting out other casino perks. While we don't use match play, we do make use of "Drinks on Us" cards. lf that goes, we may go to NCL more often that we do now.

[Warm Breezes]

WarmBreezes that IS a great price not to pass up for sure. What port is it out of?

 

QUOTE]

 

Miami

[DaveRRT]

can I add to my coment about the match play. Ask at the casino if this is the case, not a bartender. just a thought before we freak out. also ask them about the drinks on us card.

[getupgo]

I preferred the flat iron steak to the rib eye on Sensation. Also, you got delicious lobster. Can't imagine anything to complain about about food on Carnival. Just off NCL Sun and the only night there were chocolate desserts was Saturday. Other than that, great cruise. Not complaining...just saying.

[iwannacruznow]

I preferred the flat iron steak to the rib eye on Sensation. Also, you got delicious lobster. Can't imagine anything to complain about about food on Carnival. Just off NCL Sun and the only night there were chocolate desserts was Saturday. Other than that, great cruise. Not complaining...just saying.

I know. Somebody compared Carnival food to fast food. Really fast food. I guess I'll take a Mclobster any day.

[lido deck larry]

Carnival food is better than fast food.. It's more like golden corral served in a "fine dining" setting.

[Cruisegirl6]

WarmBreezes great bargain!!

 

I won't eat at places such as Golden Corral, apple bees, tgif, etc. to me that is fast food type establishments. Have to admit, Carnival remains to have that lobster and the baked alaska...although unfortunately I can't have gluten so no baked alaska and no chocolate desserts for me actually no desserts for me its all gluten. ugh!!

Edited March 2, 2015 by lyndamr