NO Lobster on 5 day.

[us2swingu]

Was on a cruise with my son in Oct. for a 5 day and found out on Formal night they no longer have Lobster on the menu for 5 day cruise only. You can buy it but not offered. This is messed up, we are cruising in June with a couple that have never been on a cruise and this was one of the things they where excited about, then I had to tell them it's not offered no more. Are they really that desperate for money that they have to take a small luxury away from people that would not normally be able to afford it after all the money that people pay for the cruise. Just sayin'

[1025cruise]

Yes, this is correct and has been this way for quite some time.

[sanmarcosman]

This change happened over 3 years ago with hardly a ripple of dissent. 

[bury me at sea]

12 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

Carnival just isn't the steal of a deal it used to be. Next time, try Royal.  I think they still have the lobster.

 

While I don't have any desire to try Royal, I certainly agree the value received for dollars paid on Carnival has been declining.

 

Lack of lobster included, fewer cabin stewards, diminished number of wait staff in MDR, for pay eating options replacing formerly included in fare options, just start the list.

[jsglow]

And that hasn't happened on other cruise lines, Royal included?  smh.

[robc1972]

Book a 6 or more day cruise and get some lobster if that is what is important to you on a cruise.

[Nic6318]

hi

 

While they do not serve lobster on their 5 day itineraries, they do have a nice menu offering for their "elegant" evenings. If the ship does have a steak house, the option of going there for an evening would well be worth the additional cost. Certainly if a lobster was the main draw for a cruise, that would be the best choice because you would be able to enjoy more upscale dining venue as something special. As already mentioned, this change did come about some time ago.

 

Certainly, if RCCL or any other cruise lines offered a competitive price for a comparable cruise, why would you choose the more expensive option. As the consumer of any product, it  is your responsibility to determine the best value for yourself.

 

have a great cruise

[us2swingu]

Some people and their comments Really? I have not been on a 5 day cruise in 8 years except the last one in Oct. with my son and the one coming up in June 2019. The only reason we are doing that 5 day is because our friends couldn't afford a longer one and this will be there first cruise. I just put it out for others to see if they did not know about it. Lobster is not my concern when cruising but it is something THEY where looking forward to as I put in my starting thread.

 

[Purvis1231]

A little research before a cruise goes along way. 

[amyjoy202697]

We went on a 5 day RC cruise and they did offer lobster in the MDR at no charge.  Just keep in mind that from my research RC cruises are about $500 (average) more than Carnival cruises.

We couldn't help but compare RC vs CCL while we were on our RC cruise. In my opinion CCL wins hands down and we wont be cruising with RC again. Maybe our expectations were too high and we did go on an older RC ship but we have been on older CCL ships as well and enjoyed them.

[jsglow]

1 hour ago, fyree39 said:

Royal doesn't have lobster on 5 day cruises? Are you sure?

Honestly, I have no idea.  Frankly couldn't care.  As a previous poster explained, the typical price differential between RC and CCL is multiples the cost of a lobster more often than not.  There's a really nice one at the steakhouse or MDR available for purchase.

Edited December 26, 2018 by jsglow

[Doggielover68]

I've never really understood the hype over the lobster tail. Personally I have never ordered it, but always witness a bunch of other people shoving plate after plate of "free" lobster down their throats. Every lobster night, the MDR is a mad house and service takes longer than usual because of the demand/number of dishes being ordered. To top it off, they always do the dancing on elegant night too which makes the servers even more pressed for time. Shorter cruises bring a more party like atmosphere with heavier drinking. It makes sense to not have the lobster on those shorter cruises because people are feeding their post drinking munchies with expensive food. If it is that important to you, choose a 6+ day cruise. 

[1025cruise]

I need to agree, never saw the appeal of lobster. Of course, I live in New England, so what I think of as a lobster dinner is completely different....

[sfaaa]

The appeal is you can order as many lobsters as you want on Carnival at no extra charge. I doubt you can do that in a New England restaurant. 

[BlerkOne]

The up charge lobster on Carnival is superior to the standard MDR lobster included on Carnival cruises of 6 days or longer. The up charge lobster is also available on cruises of 6 days or more. It is absurd to try to compare the two.

[Djptcp]

On the 4 and 5 day cruises we order the lobster tails at least once from the Steakhouse Selections (only $20) and they are huge and delicious. So much better than the tiny ones you used to get free in the MDR. The Paradise doesn't have a Steakhouse, so we order the Steakhouse Selections once or twice during the shorter cruises.

[Saint Greg]

[bakersdozen12]

4 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I need to agree, never saw the appeal of lobster. Of course, I live in New England, so what I think of as a lobster dinner is completely different....

 

Exactly!!! I’m from New England as well. Carnival has lobster tail, not lobster. 

 

Now THIS is a lobster. 

 

 

[Nic6318]

5 hours ago, fyree39 said:

There are many RCCL and Carnival cruises out of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale that are similarly priced and sometimes RCCL is cheaper.  There are plenty of times Carnival isn't cheaper.  I think people simply get used to one line and stay with it no matter what. I'm very glad we branched out and now enjoy the differences with all the lines.

 

My HAL cruise was dirt cheap compared to anything Carnival has.

HI

You are absolutely right. That is why I suggested that if you find a cruise offered by any other cruise line that is comparable in your opinion, and a better price than Carnival, you should absolutely book it. 

 

As you say, many people think that Carnival is always cheaper and for that reason they don't bother to shop around. That is somewhat interesting because the reason many go to Carnival first is to save money, and by not doing their job as a consumer they lose out. For most other consumer goods, people who can't be bothered to shop around, don't typically care about the price. As a consumer, if you don't shop around you are not only hurting yourself but others as well, because a company (like Carnival) will take advantage (by raising prices). 

 

The bottom line is that while many cruises might be priced lower than a comparable Carnival cruise, most still are not. General statements that this or that cruise line are cheaper are not reliable. If you don't want to "waste" your time trying to save money, that's up to you. The one good thing, is that you won't ever likely know how much you could have saved if you had done your homework.  

[jsglow]

I agree with branching out when it makes sense.  We've sailed 4-5 lines in our days.

[Doggielover68]

4 hours ago, sfaaa said:

The appeal is you can order as many lobsters as you want on Carnival at no extra charge. I doubt you can do that in a New England restaurant. 

You can also eat as much free ice cream as you want. Doesn't mean it is good ice cream. It is worth the surcharge to upgrade to good lobster.

[Lottacruises]

19 hours ago, sfaaa said:

The appeal is you can order as many lobsters as you want on Carnival at no extra charge. I doubt you can do that in a New England restaurant. 

 

Quality over quantity....

[BoDidly]

It's been said on the Merry -Go - Round  that lobster will be removed from the MDR menu as an included / free item altogether in the future. You will have to order from the pay as you go menu . Other than the paid venues on board it will disappear. Remember where you read this.

[BoDidly]

19 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

 Merry -Go - Round   <----- What is this? Weird.

[summersigh]

20 hours ago, sfaaa said:

The appeal is you can order as many lobsters as you want on Carnival at no extra charge. I doubt you can do that in a New England restaurant. 

As the 5day change was going into effect there was a thread on here about ordering more than the one "free" lobster tail on elegant night.  It quickly became a "I can one-up you with how many "freebies" my husband/son/brother/boyfriend can eat.  Listening to folks brag about someone eating 10 or 12 or 14 tails gave a very clear insight into why Carnival took them off the menu on shorter cruises where there is more of a vibe to stuff in as much "fun" as you can on the shorter cruises. 

 

We did an 8 day on the Sunshine and 5 months later a 5 day on her.  The atmosphere with the passengers was like a totally different ship.  There was almost a frenzy to pack into 5 days everything available on an 8 day.  I'm not saying it was unpleasant ... just that it was different.

Edited December 27, 2018 by summersigh