It seems like most people feel Carnival's food and service quality have declined...

[MikeMA]

Yes the food has declined. I echo what others have already stated. Everything from double or tripling passengers to keeping prices low etc. I must say the Wow factor of dinner is no more. I don't think the food is bad, but I think of it more as Chain restaurant type food (Olive Garden, Applebee's, etc) . Still leave full and usually happy but not leaving feeling like you were in a GREAT restaurant as you did 10 years ago. Having just experienced the American Table Menu in January, I think Carnival is doing the best they can on a limited budget. Personally I liked the old menu better.

I also think the service has gone down. The waiters have more tables and just simply cannot give you the attention they did before. I remember in the 90's and even up until about 08/09 a female entering the dining room would always have her chair pulled out for her before she sat. If we had a favorite appetizer or cheese etc by the 3rd day it was already waiting at the table. The kids would already have their drinks waiting for them(no waiting 5-10 minutes for a chocolate milk). Bread and water as discussed on this board were refilled and offered almost immediately. When taking your order the waiter would ask soup? Salad? Appetizer? Entree? Now they seem to wait for you to tell them almost hoping you won't go for the 5 course meal.

I understand these are all somewhat small things, but they add up and have made the impression of a decline in the overall dining experience.

[cruizinisthebest]

Back in 1990, I remember the midnight buffet on the Carnivale was a sight to behold. It was phenomenal both in quantity AND quality.

And the midnight buffet was a huge waste. It was quite impressive and pretty. I actually miss it. But I totally understand why they did away with it.

 

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[joeyancho]

I took my first Carnival cruise in 1996. I was impressed by the quality of all the food. It definitely has gone down hill over the years. My final Carnival cruise was 2015, the food was appalling in all venues, including the steak house. I took my family on that cruise and was embarrassed.

The level of service has remained about the same, except in the MDR. They have less staff serving. No more sommelier, no bar staff and less waiters.

We tried Princess and were pleasantly surprised. The food was much better in quality and selection. They service was fantastic. Felt like the old days.

[mapsmith]

Okay, I am going out on a limb here. I think that there have only been minor changes to the food and service over the 15 years that we have been cruising. Many have been for the better and most that people have thought are for the poorer are not. Those changes are just different.

 

On our first cruise on the Paradise, we had a three person wait team and six people in a booth. Thank goodness the booths are not company wide. The three person wait team had a total of Eight tables. We did not get constant refills of drinks. Bread was offered only once. But they were always available if you had a request. Same as today. If your waiter is not giving you service and you need something. ASK!

 

I have also noticed improvements in the menu. Now you get Maine Lobster (on the voyages of 6 or more days). It used to be the Caribbean Lobster that was smaller but easier to cook and serve. The appetizers are more creative and varied. Now you can have shrimp cocktail every night if you want. There are also Frog Legs, Calamari, duck, etc. Before it was small antipasto plates or cucumbers and tomatoes.

 

The desserts, like breakfast, are routine. There really isn't much to improve on Chocolate Melting Cake, Bitter and Blanc, Crème Brule', And that is what most people will order.

 

Oh, Yeah, you can still order as much as you want. And if something does not impress, you can reorder something else.

 

Variety. Escargot, Frog Legs, Duck, (French) Fresh Mozzarella with Cherry Tomatoes, (Italian). A full Indian Vegetarian Plate every night. (one of the best everyday options.) American Table and American Feast both have a "local" option each night. Something new to try. But if you want the same old, same old, there is always a Grilled Chicken Breast, or Grilled Salmon, or Flank Steak available every night. All cooked by world class chefs, and served to your table, and the table is cleared for you.

 

So, if you are complaining about the Food and Service going downhill, you are either Wrong or just enjoy complaining.

 

Just My Opinion (sorry it is so long. but the points needed to be made.)

Edited July 26, 2016 by mapsmith

[mlrm]

No complaints about the food from us.

[crooooze]

My observation is that the better quality food and service has shifted to the additional cost premium restaurants, like the Steakhouse.

 

More "comfort foods" have made their way to the buffet and MDR. Some people really enjoy those foods and some don't.

 

Although, we don't go on a cruise to eat pizza, there's always something we love somewhere.

Edited July 26, 2016 by crooooze

[beachseasand]

I think if the food is very important to the traveler maybe they need to upgrade to a Celebrity, Princess or HAL lines. I think the lesser lines are trying to make it more affordable and increase their numbers. That is why they have lower base rates and then charge fees. It becomes a big numbers game.

[stephlauryn]

Oh, the baked Alaska! What a show as all the waiters paraded out with the flaming dessert!

 

It has gone down. The price of the cruise has stayed a little below what we used to pay.

 

I'd like them to change up the menu more often.

 

Hi, do they still serve baked Alaska?

[sparks1093]

I have read many posts that indicate that this is a trend across the industry but I keep two things in mind- I am not cooking it and I'm not doing the dishes. The quality would have to decline quite a bit before we stopped cruising.

[Podna's]

In many cases the quality of a cruise vacation gets better with many other cruislines. You should try some others

 

 

I see your broken record continues to skip.

[Florings]

Granted, I didn't sail decades ago, back in the glory days of cruising. But since I started in 2008, I have found the food to be very well prepared and plentiful. Good selection nightly - if I can't find something in particular for an entrée, I can always have a couple of appetizers and go right for dessert.

 

Considering the cost of a Carnival cruise, the food is quite good. Now if I go on a Celebrity or Silver Seas, I would expect gourmet deliciousness every meal.

[Pyrate13]

No complaints from us about food or service. We are quite happy with our experiences. I guess we are not "most" people, but I would like to know where your research comes from.

[Havingfun2010]

I see your broken record continues to skip.

 

Been on two different cruise lines recently. Both had steak on the menu, and not a skirt steak but a real steak. Cruise lines always had a MDR, serving many, and the food is not always great, but Carnival initiated the American Table menu. It's nothing more than diner food now to save money. People that go on different lines, notice that the quality on Carnival is on the bottom. Broken record or not, it is commonly noted.

 

I encourage anyone, to try "any" cruise line that does not start with the letter C

[KevInPitt]

Been on two different cruise lines recently. Both had steak on the menu, and not a skirt steak but a real steak. Cruise lines always had a MDR, serving many, and the food is not always great, but Carnival initiated the American Table menu. It's nothing more than diner food now to save money. People that go on different lines, notice that the quality on Carnival is on the bottom. Broken record or not, it is commonly noted.

 

I encourage anyone, to try "any" cruise line that does not start with the letter C

 

So Cunard, Costa and Celebrity are out?

[sparks1093]

Been on two different cruise lines recently. Both had steak on the menu, and not a skirt steak but a real steak. Cruise lines always had a MDR, serving many, and the food is not always great, but Carnival initiated the American Table menu. It's nothing more than diner food now to save money. People that go on different lines, notice that the quality on Carnival is on the bottom. Broken record or not, it is commonly noted.

 

I encourage anyone, to try "any" cruise line that does not start with the letter C

 

For now CCL meets our needs. They don't meet yours. That's good for me and good for you.

[SMSACE6]

The food quality certainly has declined somewhat since I started cruising in 1999, but my cruises today are no more expensive than back then, and in some cases even less. I can always find decent food anywhere on the ship, MDR, lido, etc, and never go hungry or feel dissatisfied with it. I would rather have the same or similar cruise price as back then, with today's food, then pay more for better food. Times are changing too, not everyone wants the kind of food people ate back 40, 30 or even 20 years ago. I am ok with the food quality and choices on Carnival still.

[Tatka]

Granted, I didn't sail decades ago, back in the glory days of cruising. But since I started in 2008, I have found the food to be very well prepared and plentiful. Good selection nightly - if I can't find something in particular for an entrée, I can always have a couple of appetizers and go right for dessert.

 

Considering the cost of a Carnival cruise, the food is quite good. Now if I go on a Celebrity or Silver Seas, I would expect gourmet deliciousness every meal.

Celebrity is in a different league than Silver Seas, and prices are higher than Carnival's, but not as high. Food is much better.

[SMSACE6]

My parents cruise once a year on Celebrity since 1998, and they stay that while the food is still pretty good, it is no where near as good as what it used to be. I am hearing that most cruise lines now are cutting a bit here and there, even Celebrity.

[cruizinisthebest]

For now CCL meets our needs. They don't meet yours. That's good for me and good for you.

Exactly.

 

I suggest he/she/it not participate in any forums of cruise lines that start with the letter C.

 

 

 

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[Micahs Grandad]

Over the past 15 years we have cruised with Carnival find food still good but not the same quality as before.

 

Cuts of steak have certainly declined.

 

Used to have same table in DR for all three meals and waitstaff had much more time to talk to passengers than now.

[erinmarie424]

One change for the better for us is the addition of BI which we love for breakfast and lunch and Guys which we get once or twice. I miss the bitter and blanc on the shorter cruises. I miss the waiter or hostess pulling out our chairs and putting on napkins on our laps (silly, but it made it more of a special experience for me.) The new menu is fine with me, I like to get the Indian dish at least once so I'm glad they kept that. But the dining room experience is not what it was even seven years ago. Service on our last cruise was not good and we waited 30 minutes one night between finishing our appetizers and getting our entrees. My friend and I ate dinner in the buffet twice and enjoyed the food just as much as we did the nights we ate in the MDR.

[jerrymac]

My parents cruise once a year on Celebrity since 1998, and they stay that while the food is still pretty good, it is no where near as good as what it used to be. I am hearing that most cruise lines now are cutting a bit here and there, even Celebrity.

 

We did two Celebrity cruises last year and IMO the food was worse than Carnivals. Now I'm not saying Carnivals food is good either!

[Warm Breezes]

Is this true industry-wide, or is it just true for Carnival? And if so, how much would the quality have to suffer before people would stop cruising as a result of poor experiences/value?

 

I cannot say that I agree with this so I must not be "most people". We loved our Carnival Dream cruise this past May and I would even call it one of my favorite Carnival Cruises. Our room steward was awesome. He did ask us if we preferred AM/PM/Both Services and seemed to want to push Both but we had decided to ask for PM ahead of time since we were going to relax and not be morning people for 5 of our 7 days. We requested extra towels, ice bucket, and robes and he was great. He not only kept our ice bucket filled but the soft sided cooler we brought with us too with out us even asking. He also gave DS a $50 Spa gift card and a free 6x9 photo for his birthday (2 days before our sailing) and he gave DH a free 6x9 photo "just because".

 

We had anytime dining and were seated in different areas around the dining room with different servers each night. Many of whom were awesome. Yes service was slower on Elegant nights but that is to be expected and we are patient people who enjoy each others company. Food is subjective. I can't say I have ever found Carnival food to be "Excellent". But I have found it to be consistently "Great" or "Good" with the waiters immediately asking me if I want something else when they notice I only eat half of what they give me....not because of the food but because of the medication I am on making me feel full fast.

 

So no I have not noticed the food or the level of service diminishing. It is still one of the best vacation values I have found for my money. I do sail other lines. But then I am usually paying more for items the other line's ships can offer me that Carnival cannot for that vacation that is still with in my budget. I don't always get the good deals that I can Carnival but I do usually get what I paid for....it's just on Carnival I sometimes feel I am getting more than I paid for when my expectations are exceeded by reality as they were on the CCL Dream (with the exception of the CC M&M which was a disappointment and a fail on Carnivals part...but nothing that I paid for).

Edited July 26, 2016 by Warm Breezes

[Sixtytwo]

I agree with what Warm Breezes said. We first cruised in 1997 and, yes, changes have been made since then. But, we have never had a "bad" cruise. Each has been a wonderful experience, relaxing, and just what we wanted and for a price we felt was a real bargain.

 

On the service side, we have always treated every crew member we encounter with respect and appreciation and have never had marginal service.

 

We all recognize that cruise lines are not "not for profit" companies and there are stockholders who demand a return on their investment. All cruise lines are faced with the question of serving their clients expectations as well as their stockholders. It ain't easy! As a stockholder and client, I am pleased with what I get! :D

[Swampbabe]

We did two Celebrity cruises last year and IMO the food was worse than Carnivals. Now I'm not saying Carnivals food is good either!

 

 

 

And I would totally disagree with you. Food is such a subjective topic. Depends on what you like. I found the food on Celebrity to be much better, all the way around. MDR and buffet, both.