Is there one thing you miss about cruising that they don't do anymore?

[casofilia]

The wonderful potato skins we had on the PoA.

[annmarz]

Tableside food preparation in the dining room: special pastas, cherries jubilee, bananas foster.

[xriva]

Steak in the MDR at lunch on embarkation day

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

Having an assigned two-top available at any time during all meal services waiting for you. And having the restaurant Matri D cook an entrée or flaming dessert for you tableside.

[newmexicoNita]

Horse racing out by the pool.Lots of fun!!!!

that is exactly what I was going to mention. I am wondering why they did away with it. It certainly wasn't a cost issue.

 

There really isn't much I miss, because for all that we once enjoyed we have something new to enjoy. We did enjoy the truly interesting port talks and not just the push to shop here or there.

 

Someone mentioned the champagne, ok, that was fun but it was something that was introduced and disappeared almost as fast. Most of us never got used to it. As for the lobster, someone mentioned ordering it every night. I do not remember NCL or any other line offering Lobster every night in the MDR and the Lobster they used were small and nothing as good as what you get in New England.

 

I guess, one other thing I do miss and it has been mentioned here often: the quality of service and the ratio of passengers to crew members.

[Minoushka]

I miss the seadAy big brunch

I miss ordering anything from room service and not being charged

I Miss a weekly grand buffet

I miss every day English tea time with all the trimmings ..it was such fun

I miss chocoholic buffet ....

I liked traditiona late dining ...although freestyle is nice too

Variety in lunch menu inMDR

I miss opening balcony partitions between cabins ...they refuse to do it now

Yes I miss lobster night ..yummy

[barb65]

Ordering Lobster in the MDR every night.

 

Agree about the lobster!

[KeithJenner]

It’s threads like this which remind me that, whilst cruising has obviously gone downhill for many people, for us lucky ones we are in a golden period. With a couple of exceptions, where I think “I suppose that would probably have been alright”, I really couldn’t have cared less about most of the things mentioned, and many sound like a real negative to me.

 

Maybe in years time there will be things that I will miss, but it really looks to me like cruising has changed over the years from something I would have hated to something I love.

 

 

 

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[wdsted]

I miss paying the equivalent of $5000 per person for a balcony cabin in today's currency and the $1000 bar bill at the end of the cruise. :)

[SheehanDJ]

For those missing chocolate on your pillows, bring a bag of Andes' mints with you ($3 from Walmart), give them to your steward and ask them to put one on your pillow at evening turn down.

[cheaperts]

Carrying on my diet coke.............

[SOPHIHEYY]

Never sailed norwegian, but as most cruise lines follow the same practice- I miss free room service!!!

[Hypaiceangel]

Tableside food preparation in the dining room: special pastas, cherries jubilee, bananas foster.

 

 

 

They still do it in Normandie and Luminae on Celebrity!

 

 

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[lenquixote66]

On my first cruise there was top of the line entertainment every evening .I miss that.

[MissCruiseAddict]

Table clothes... Carnival has done away with these in the dining rooms on most ships. They are going more for a casual atmosphere at dinner. It blows.

[L1211]

Table clothes... Carnival has done away with these in the dining rooms on most ships. They are going more for a casual atmosphere at dinner. It blows.

 

 

 

Going on my first carnival cruise in March. Sounds like they are going for a diner vibe??? I'm shocked at no table clothes but maybe we won't notice...

 

 

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[Tapi]

I really miss:

 

- having to sit down with a brochure at a travel agency, trying to figure out the deck plan of an older ship that didn’t have two cabins that were the same. Even in the same category, cabins would come in all imaginable sizes, layouts and orientations. And after you picked the cabin you liked, you’d sit there and watch your TA call the cruise line, who would then tell them that the cabin you wanted was not available. You’d go back and forth for an hour playing this game.

 

- No balconies, not even in suites, Even a picture window was unheard of. A tiny porthole was a luxury. Bathrooms were the size of a porta potty (yes, smaller than today’s bathrooms)

 

- bunk beds equipped with belts to prevent one from falling over in choppy waters (a testament of how rough the ride could get on smaller, older ships without good stabilizers).

 

- all meals served in the same dining room, at the same time, at the same table, for every single meal and no other choices. No food options available after hours. Buffet not available for dinner.

 

- having to trek to the ship’s radio room to make a call if I wanted to reach loved ones back home. The 3 minute call would be more expensive than my entire shipboard account expenses for an entire week today.

 

- Not being able to plug in a hair dryer in my cabin without risking blowing up a fuse and knocking out the electricity on half a deck (true story. Happened to us on Costa).

 

- the daytime entertainment highlight for the day would be the wooden horse races by the pool or in a lounge

 

- At night, only one show that consisted of the same 4 dancers in Vegas style costumes, performing in a tiny stage located in a low ceiling lounge. If you sat on the front row, you would for sure have feathers on your face every time the dancers turned.

 

- no shipboard account and no card charging. Having to pay cash for onboard expenses. Having to purchase drink coupons to then redeem at the bar. Heavens forbid that you ran out of coupons while you were having fun at the night club because you’d have to leave the club and go to guest services for more.

 

- Those weird key cards with holes

 

- Having to wear a plastic wristband all week

 

- The water sloshing wildly at the pool, every time the ship was at sea, even on fairly calm sea days.

 

- The paper sheet with news headlines that you could grab from guest services. The only way to know what was going on in the world since there were no TV’s, radios, telephones (and obviously no WiFi) in any stateroom or public area. Maybe a blessing in disguise to be so disconnected.

 

Now seriously, these are things that I miss:

 

- White glove escort to my stateroom (not just for suite passengers)

 

- smaller ships meant the ability to port into smaller, more off the beaten path destinations.

 

- on that same note, being able to explore ports (specially in the Caribbean) that were not Americanized, overly commercialized, and overrun with chain stores.

 

- overall, a more personal experience where you’d really get to know your fellow cruisers and the crew

 

In retrospect, I guess modern cruising isn’t that bad.

 

 

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[lilant]

Skeet Shooting! ;p

 

 

 

1985. RCCL Song of American. Skeet shooting off the aft deck. Totally forgot about that!

 

 

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[Deck boy Dave]

I would agree with the chocolate buffet and midnight buffet.

Not that I miss it because I never did it, but I totally forgot about the skeet shooting...lol

[Majic Chef]

We, of course, miss the Chef's Table dining experience and kitchen tour.

[fastpitchdad]

I miss when the Captain, Chief Purser, Cruise Director, Ships Doctor, and Issac the Bartender would greet every passenger when they boarded.

[megansdad1]

I miss getting the cruise docs in the mail with luggage tags. When it arrived, it was the best feeling.

 

 

I also miss that a lot of ships don't have a big atrium. I love walking onto a ship and looking up 7 or so decks and just being in awe.

[Skubi]

I really miss:

 

- having to sit down with a brochure at a travel agency, trying to figure out the deck plan of an older ship that didn’t have two cabins that were the same. Even in the same category, cabins would come in all imaginable sizes, layouts and orientations. And after you picked the cabin you liked, you’d sit there and watch your TA call the cruise line, who would then tell them that the cabin you wanted was not available. You’d go back and forth for an hour playing this game.

 

- No balconies, not even in suites, Even a picture window was unheard of. A tiny porthole was a luxury. Bathrooms were the size of a porta potty (yes, smaller than today’s bathrooms)

 

- bunk beds equipped with belts to prevent one from falling over in choppy waters (a testament of how rough the ride could get on smaller, older ships without good stabilizers).

 

- all meals served in the same dining room, at the same time, at the same table, for every single meal and no other choices. No food options available after hours. Buffet not available for dinner.

 

- having to trek to the ship’s radio room to make a call if I wanted to reach loved ones back home. The 3 minute call would be more expensive than my entire shipboard account expenses for an entire week today.

 

- Not being able to plug in a hair dryer in my cabin without risking blowing up a fuse and knocking out the electricity on half a deck (true story. Happened to us on Costa).

 

- the daytime entertainment highlight for the day would be the wooden horse races by the pool or in a lounge

 

- At night, only one show that consisted of the same 4 dancers in Vegas style costumes, performing in a tiny stage located in a low ceiling lounge. If you sat on the front row, you would for sure have feathers on your face every time the dancers turned.

 

- no shipboard account and no card charging. Having to pay cash for onboard expenses. Having to purchase drink coupons to then redeem at the bar. Heavens forbid that you ran out of coupons while you were having fun at the night club because you’d have to leave the club and go to guest services for more.

 

- Those weird key cards with holes

 

- Having to wear a plastic wristband all week

 

- The water sloshing wildly at the pool, every time the ship was at sea, even on fairly calm sea days.

 

- The paper sheet with news headlines that you could grab from guest services. The only way to know what was going on in the world since there were no TV’s, radios, telephones (and obviously no WiFi) in any stateroom or public area. Maybe a blessing in disguise to be so disconnected.

 

Now seriously, these are things that I miss:

 

- White glove escort to my stateroom (not just for suite passengers)

 

- smaller ships meant the ability to port into smaller, more off the beaten path destinations.

 

- on that same note, being able to explore ports (specially in the Caribbean) that were not Americanized, overly commercialized, and overrun with chain stores.

 

- overall, a more personal experience where you’d really get to know your fellow cruisers and the crew

 

In retrospect, I guess modern cruising isn’t that bad.

 

 

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LOL Kind of puts things in perspective. When one door closes another opens. Guess that can be said for long gone traditions and new ones introduced.

[newmexicoNita]

I really miss:

 

- having to sit down with a brochure at a travel agency, trying to figure out the deck plan of an older ship that didn’t have two cabins that were the same. Even in the same category, cabins would come in all imaginable sizes, layouts and orientations. And after you picked the cabin you liked, you’d sit there and watch your TA call the cruise line, who would then tell them that the cabin you wanted was not available. You’d go back and forth for an hour playing this game.

 

- No balconies, not even in suites, Even a picture window was unheard of. A tiny porthole was a luxury. Bathrooms were the size of a porta potty (yes, smaller than today’s bathrooms)

 

- bunk beds equipped with belts to prevent one from falling over in choppy waters (a testament of how rough the ride could get on smaller, older ships without good stabilizers).

 

- all meals served in the same dining room, at the same time, at the same table, for every single meal and no other choices. No food options available after hours. Buffet not available for dinner.

 

- having to trek to the ship’s radio room to make a call if I wanted to reach loved ones back home. The 3 minute call would be more expensive than my entire shipboard account expenses for an entire week today.

 

- Not being able to plug in a hair dryer in my cabin without risking blowing up a fuse and knocking out the electricity on half a deck (true story. Happened to us on Costa).

 

- the daytime entertainment highlight for the day would be the wooden horse races by the pool or in a lounge

 

- At night, only one show that consisted of the same 4 dancers in Vegas style costumes, performing in a tiny stage located in a low ceiling lounge. If you sat on the front row, you would for sure have feathers on your face every time the dancers turned.

 

- no shipboard account and no card charging. Having to pay cash for onboard expenses. Having to purchase drink coupons to then redeem at the bar. Heavens forbid that you ran out of coupons while you were having fun at the night club because you’d have to leave the club and go to guest services for more.

 

- Those weird key cards with holes

 

- Having to wear a plastic wristband all week

 

- The water sloshing wildly at the pool, every time the ship was at sea, even on fairly calm sea days.

 

- The paper sheet with news headlines that you could grab from guest services. The only way to know what was going on in the world since there were no TV’s, radios, telephones (and obviously no WiFi) in any stateroom or public area. Maybe a blessing in disguise to be so disconnected.

 

Now seriously, these are things that I miss:

 

- White glove escort to my stateroom (not just for suite passengers)

 

- smaller ships meant the ability to port into smaller, more off the beaten path destinations.

 

- on that same note, being able to explore ports (specially in the Caribbean) that were not Americanized, overly commercialized, and overrun with chain stores.

 

- overall, a more personal experience where you’d really get to know your fellow cruisers and the crew

 

In retrospect, I guess modern cruising isn’t that bad.

 

 

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you see it the same as I do: for all the goods things that might be gone, we have a lot more positive things now.

Yes, I remember when there were no buffets at all maybe a small area near the pool where you could order burgers or a quick breakfast, but that was it.

 

Those who didn't start cruising until the 90s have no idea what is was like many years earlier. Heck there were no TVs in cabins and we got no news from the land. We had no outside contact which, in some ways was ok. And a ship that held over 1200 guests was a mega ship.:cool:

[Tapi]

And a ship that held over 1200 guests was a mega ship.:cool:

 

 

My first cruise was on the 16,000 ton / 950 passenger Cunard Princess and I will always remember her very fondly. No ship, no matter the size or bells and whistles will ever replace her. She’s what started this crazy addiction to cruising.

 

 

 

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