How is cruising now different from 25 years ago?

[ren0312]

How is cruising now different from 25 years or 20 years ago? I remember going on board Star Cruises back in 2000, and compared to my experience with Celebrity in 2014 and HAL in 2016 in Alaska, I really did not recall anything different. Are cruises for the same company now cheaper in inflation adjusted terms that they were in 1995 or the year 2000?

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, ren0312 said:

How is cruising now different from 25 years or 20 years ago? I remember going on board Star Cruises back in 2000, and compared to my experience with Celebrity in 2014 and HAL in 2016 in Alaska, I really did not recall anything different. Are cruises for the same company now cheaper in inflation adjusted terms that they were in 1995 or the year 2000?

Prices are certainly cheaper in inflation adjusted terms - but being unable to recall anything different indicates to me that you might not be paying attention.  On HAL, for example the live music at dinner is no more; the dancing, at several venues, to live music in the evenings is gone;  the well-served, well prepared meals with many choices for five courses, using distinguishably better grade foods have been replaced with lesser staff serving fewer choices of less well prepared dishes; evening entertainment options are much narrower; simple things like fresh-squeezed OJ for breakfast and multiple choices of premium teas are no more; the fresh flowers throughout the ship have largely vanished ... the list goes on.

[drsel]

Wow Navy bank you are an encyclopaedia of info on past cruises. please go on

[Roz]

Far fewer activities and fewer staff to assist the CD.  No more formal nights, and passengers don't dress up for dinner.

[PORT ROYAL]

6 minutes ago, Roz said:

Far fewer activities and fewer staff to assist the CD.  No more formal nights, and passengers don't dress up for dinner.

Obviously, these are the items you do miss.  Have considered moving to Cunard, as it appears you could be a perfect fit.

[George C]

Ships were smaller most under 100,000 tons at least 25 years ago. 40 years ago almost all ships under 40,000 tons. 40 years ago you dressed every night suit and tie, 25 years ago there was a real dress code. 

[PORT ROYAL]

1 minute ago, George C said:

Ships were smaller most under 100,000 tons at least 25 years ago. 40 years ago almost all ships under 40,000 tons. 40 years ago you dressed every night suit and tie, 25 years ago there was a real dress code. 

 

We still follow the "old" dress code.

Casual - Trousers with Jacket or Blazer (alternate) - tie optional

Simi-Formal - Suit (3 piece) with tie

Formal - Tux

[clo]

2 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

We still follow the "old" dress code.

Casual - Trousers with Jacket or Blazer (alternate) - tie optional

Simi-Formal - Suit (3 piece) with tie

Formal - Tux

You travel on lines that actually designate casual, simi (sic) and formal? Wow. And they actually spell out what they expect? Double wow. Oh, and what lines do you usually travel on? TIA.

[George C]

5 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

We still follow the "old" dress code.

Casual - Trousers with Jacket or Blazer (alternate) - tie optional

Simi-Formal - Suit (3 piece) with tie

Formal - Tux

I ditched my tux just a couple of years ago had one for 50 or more cruises, do wish there was a dress code , but no longer want to wear a tie. 

[clo]

2 minutes ago, George C said:

I ditched my tux just a couple of years ago had one for 50 or more cruises, do wish there was a dress code , but no longer want to wear a tie. 

I would equate it to fine dining at least here in the US. Jacket and no tie IMO is quite nice.

[PORT ROYAL]

17 minutes ago, clo said:

You travel on lines that actually designate casual, simi (sic) and formal? Wow. And they actually spell out what they expect? Double wow. Oh, and what lines do you usually travel on? TIA.

 

Sorry, should have explained better.

We follow the old Cunard, Princess dress codes from the old days, with the following personal tweeks.

Semi Formal is created by us as being the night before the Formal one. with Casual (being the old Informal dress code).

Not forgetting a variety proper footware, including dress, for each occasion, not current work ones, or one pair for every event.

Regular Cunard Cruiser.

Consider dress codes as being the minimum standard.

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by PORT ROYAL
Typo

[c-boy]

beds and cabin ventilation are one he!! of alot better. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by c-boy

[iancal]

For us, the good is that prices have decreased.  And cruising is much more casual.  We never did understand that artificial dressing up business.  Ships have more dining options.  They are better designed.  Lighter, brighter.  Not dark and closed in.

 

The bad.  Food quality, food preparation, MDR service, and entertainment have all gone down hill. The mass market lines-Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, HAL, etc all seem to be in a race to the lowest common denominator.  Sometimes we can hardly tell them apart.

[navybankerteacher]

The problem with dress code/no dress code question is that there seems to be little middle ground.  Either it is quite stiff (tuxedo or dark suit) or no holds barred (tee shirts, shorts and flip-flops).   Because making some effort does, in my mind, contribute to the atmosphere, which does make the evening meal a chance for conversation/interaction rather than just belly-filling, I miss the lack of reasonably enforced moderate guidelines.

 

I do not think asking men to wear long trousers and a jacket, and telling women that shorts, yoga pants, etc.belong in the Lido is too much —- but practically speaking, the cruising public does seem to prefer the no-rules approach; and, certainly for the mass market lines (other than Cunard) the customers (at least the overwhelming majority of them) are right.

[clo]

4 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Sorry, should have explained better.

We follow the old Cunard, Princess dress codes from the old days, with the following personal tweeks.

Semi Formal is created by us as being the night before the Formal one. with Casual (being the old Informal dress code).

Regular Cunard Cruiser.

Consider dress codes as being the minimum standard.

 

Ah, so you follow a dress code that doesn't exist anymore 🙂 My husband spent most of his career at Levi Strauss. After they changed their dress code, anyone who wore a suit to work was assumed to have a job interview...with a different company 🙂 IMO overdressing isn't AS bad as underdressing but it's still incorrect.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, iancal said:

lowest common denominator

The very term I've used.

[clo]

1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said:

The problem with dress code/no dress code question is that there seems to be little middle ground.  Either it is quite stiff (tuxedo or dark suit) or no holds barred (tee shirts, shorts and flip-flops).   Because making some effort does, in my mind, contribute to the atmosphere, which does make the evening meal a chance for conversation/interaction rather than just belly-filling, I miss the lack of reasonably enforced moderate guidelines.

 

I do not think asking men to wear long trousers and a jacket, and telling women that shorts, yoga pants, etc.belong in the Lido is too much —- but practically speaking, the cruising public does seem to prefer the no-rules approach; and, certainly for the mass market lines (other than Cunard) the customers (at least the overwhelming majority of them) are right.

As I mentioned Bob worked for Levi Strauss. When they came out with the Dockers brand they actually published something for companies to help them describe "casual dress code." 🙂

[PORT ROYAL]

4 minutes ago, clo said:

Ah, so you follow a dress code that doesn't exist anymore 🙂 My husband spent most of his career at Levi Strauss. After they changed their dress code, anyone who wore a suit to work was assumed to have a job interview...with a different company 🙂 IMO overdressing isn't AS bad as underdressing but it's still incorrect.

Agree that over or under can be debated from two different starting points.

[navybankerteacher]

2 minutes ago, clo said:

Ah, so you follow a dress code that doesn't exist anymore 🙂 My husband spent most of his career at Levi Strauss. After they changed their dress code, anyone who wore a suit to work was assumed to have a job interview...with a different company 🙂 IMO overdressing isn't AS bad as underdressing but it's still incorrect.

At least there is a limit to how “over” overdressing is on ships - wearing a tuxedo when only a jacket is requested is about the limit in that direction.  But pit-hair exposing muscle shirts, yellowed toenail flashing sandals, under-wear showing low-rising jeans and see-through cropped tees do not make supper anything more than a belly-filling exercise —- but then the lines co-operate in the downgrading by cutting service and food quality — so it seems most are happy.

[Aquahound]

29 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

We still follow the "old" dress code.

Casual - Trousers with Jacket or Blazer (alternate) - tie optional

Simi-Formal - Suit (3 piece) with tie

Formal - Tux

 

Good for you. 🙂  Don't let anyone around here flame you for continuing to dress up. 

[PORT ROYAL]

3 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Good for you. 🙂  Don't let anyone around here flame you for continuing to dress up. 

Cunarder?

[Aquahound]

10 hours ago, ren0312 said:

How is cruising now different from 25 years or 20 years ago? I remember going on board Star Cruises back in 2000, and compared to my experience with Celebrity in 2014 and HAL in 2016 in Alaska, I really did not recall anything different. Are cruises for the same company now cheaper in inflation adjusted terms that they were in 1995 or the year 2000?

 

I have an example.  Back then, NCL was a really nice cruise line.  Meals were excellent, everyone dressed up not only for the formal nights, but also for the nightly theme nights.  The nickel and diming didn't exist, and the gratuities were handed over in an envelope and with a handshake.  Now, well, that line has become the Spirit Airlines of the cruise industry.  

[clo]

2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

At least there is a limit to how “over” overdressing is on ships - wearing a tuxedo when only a jacket is requested is about the limit in that direction.  But pit-hair exposing muscle shirts, yellowed toenail flashing sandals, under-wear showing low-rising jeans and see-through cropped tees do not make supper anything more than a belly-filling exercise —- but then the lines co-operate in the downgrading by cutting service and food quality — so it seems most are happy.

Oh yeah. Oceania says in so many words no jeans (and other things) in MDR and specialties but they don't enforce. When we did our second dinner at Jacques I actually carried my (very small) computer to show the maitre d' the language. He really didn't care. And to be honest with you it seemed to be older men who were the biggest offenders.

[Aquahound]

2 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Cunarder?

 

Not yet.  I want to though.  

[PORT ROYAL]

5 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Not yet.  I want to though.  

 

You'll we welcomed, and think you'll love the old school ambience.

Things to consider:

Ball Room Dancing

Live Music

Fresh Flowers

Somelliers 

Nice and interesting people

No pomposity 

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2020 by PORT ROYAL