OPINIONS NEEDED: Carnival fans who have tried "upgraded" lines. . . what is the advantage and is it worth it?

[Badfinger]

1 hour ago, cruizergal70 said:

Wow. A bit off base here. Have you studied psychology? My overall point is that passenger perception figures in more when it comes to service.

 

I recently read a story about a passenger on Cunard. They were having a drink at the ship's pub and wanted to go to the casino, which was about 30 feet from the pub. He went to pick up his drink, but the bartender stopped him. The bartender then called over a server, the server put the passenger's drink on a tray, and then walked the drink to the casino as the passenger walked and would only relinquish the drink once the passenger sat down at one of the gaming tables.

 

Now, some people would say "wow, that made me feel special. Like I was some big shot. That was royal treatment." Me, I would just think, "oh, they have a policy about not letting passengers carry their own drinks." Because I don't have a psychological need to have strangers make me feel "special," I see their actions for what it is. It's just training, policy, and procedures. 

 

Lastly, have you ever worked in a service or server job? I have. I can tell you that while I performed my duties as I was instructed, smiled when I was told to smile, and made pleasantries as per the employee manual, none of it was because I had any thoughts that the customers were "special." 

 

When people speak of their cruise experience, they use language that clearly shows how they interpreted the actions of the crew and does not reflect the reality that the crew just did their job as instructed. All the "good feelings" the passenger felt were all constructed in the passenger's mind.

 

Yes, there is a difference when crew are openly hissy or nasty but those times are rare. I would posit that at least 98% of crew interactions involve smiles and pleasantries. Yes, it's "friendly," but I wouldn't read more into it and I certainly wouldn't leave feeling like the experience was more than what it was.

 

Yeah I work in the "service" industry.  I tell my wife on occasion it is time for my Eddie Haskell routine.   If you are of my age, you know!

 

[KmomChicago]

7 hours ago, Badfinger said:

 

Disagree.  Most peoples golf game CAN and WOULD improve on a country club course.  The greens are consistent from hole to hole and will roll true and will be properly maintained so shots from the fairway will hold the green.  The fairways will be smooth and void of any weeds, allow for proper ball striking.   The rough will be watered and actually be grass that is cut higher than the fairway (most munis are just bare earth littered with weed patches as they choose not to water or mow to save money).   The bunkers will be full of sand (not dirt, not gravel, etc like most munis) and again be consistent to play out of.  And the chances of being stuck behind groups of drunk golfers yacking it up and blasting music across the course are pretty much zero.  So yeah, your comparison is just wrong.  But I guess we could consider Carnival the "muni" of the cruise industry.  At least based upon our cruise last month.  Worst.  Cruise. Ever.

 

So here again, though, @Tippyton and @Badfinger, from here where Kmom sits, you are both right. 

 

Obviously it stands to reason that the more expensive version of the ostensibly similar product should be higher quality. 

 

Taking your excellent golf course analogy (I love analogies to better understand logical points myself) back to the ship, I likewise realize that more expensive cruises, for the most part, should be, and thus almost certainly are, higher quality, somehow, than Carnival / RCI.

 

It's just whether those higher quality aspects are value adds for each passenger's needs and preferences.  For me personally, better food, better service, better Caribbean islands, and truly AI pricing options are non-starters. If they came with my Carnival cruise I would hardly even notice.

 

This is why I appreciate the comments and everyone being factual rather than judgy about this.  I've dabbled in golf and I was so bad that it didn't much matter if I was at a run down Par-3 (which was where my game belonged) or at Kissimmee Bay Country Club where I had a standard game with a little group and felt extremely foolish and inadequate. 

 

I don't take all this personally. My aunt's husband golfed with us at Kissimmee Bay, at near pro-am level, and he was super cool about the hopeless suckiness of some of us in the group. He also much prefers the finer things in life. I would never have said to him, hey we should go play over at Million Dollar Mulligan (IYKYK) because that does not suit his needs or preferences, even though it was perfect for me.

 

He and my aunt were, many years later, the relatives who joined us close to the 11th hour (less than a month) before our Mardi Gras cruise last summer and they stayed in the last Excel aft corner suite that was available and paid more than double for the two of them what my family of 3 paid for our Premium Interior.  I thought, oh, you are more than welcome to share our vacation, but Carnival is NOT the cruise line I would recommend for you.

 

And they did appreciate the brand new, pretty, fancy looking ship (MG second guest sailing, August 7, 2021) but spent the majority of the time in their suite ordering Carnival's spectacular room service (LOL) and were not real impressed. They also had some issue with water leaking out of the brand new shower onto the floor and found other little things here and there, though overall they did say they enjoyed it, were glad they did it, and kind of scratched their last itch for that kind of vacation.  

 

My aunt came to Chibang! one night and said it was her best meal on the ship. This is funny, of course, because most experienced Carnival cruisers said it is the worst, dumbest sit down concept they have ever tried, with a mediocre experience possibly lower than the MDR, certainly not elevated in any way.

 

I do not believe either of them had a single other meal in a sit down, full service restaurant onboard, though we invited them nightly.  Who am I to judge?

Edited July 7, 2022 by KmomChicago

[MsTabbyKats]

Love this thread....so revealing:

My story is about diners.  I love diners.  

 

I have 2 friends that won't go to diners for dinner...they don't like "the atmosphere".  I'm talking about nice modern clean diners.........

 

So I went to dinner with one of these friends a few days ago to a place she picked.  And she went on and on about "she only goes to diners for breakfast/lunch" and not for diner.  I quickly pointed out "the atmosphere" of where we were:  a bunch of loud people at the bar and an elderly woman literally falling asleep at the next table.  And I asked her...point blank....what was so good about this atmosphere?  And of course she said "I don't know.  I just like it better".   May I point out...I paid double price for my chicken meal than I did at "my diner" a few days before...and both the quality and portion size were a lot less.

[MsTabbyKats]

This thread also reminds me of one from a long long time ago...when I didn't know "thread etiquette".

 

A woman was talking about the Haven on NCL and how she felt like royalty.  I quickly pointed out that she was treated as such because she paid to be treated as such.  

 

 

[LNielsen]

We’ve been sailing on Oceania since their inaugural in 2003 when we were in our late 30’s.  Prior to that we sailed Carnival and Renaissance, we’ve sailed with NCL in the interim as well.   What we do on those 700 passenger ships is relax while onboard.   My husband’s  job is extremely stressful and he needs to have peace and quiet to do so.   Also, their itineraries are extremely port intensive so you really don’t spend that much time on the ship as it is; have breakfast, go ashore, dinner, cocktails, relax then off to bed so we’re ready for the next day.   Also, the smaller ships allow you to get into ports that the larger ships cannot sail into.   It’s certainly not for everyone, and we don’t dismiss sailing on other lines or larger ships.  The longer itineraries with few sea days, no charge specialty restaurants and the lifelong friends we’ve made onboard  are what keep calling us back.  

[LNielsen]

One more point that we love on Oceania.  Zero formal nights.  My husband last wore a suit to a wedding 20 years ago, doesn’t even own one at this point.   I don’t own a cocktail dress, I’d look ridiculous if I wore one, never mind heals.   I’d fall flat on my face.  
 

Their dress code in the evenings is “country club casual”, which equates to, for most, khakis or slacks and a collared shirt (polo, button down, what have you) for men and nice pants or capris/skirts and blouses or non-formal dresses  for women.    Some will dress more formal, which is fine, but you don’t have to.  In the evening dressier shorts with a collared shirt are allowed in the Terrace Cafe (buffet).  
 

Another thought.   Water, soda, juices and coffee (regular or specialty) are included in your fare. We choose the wine and beer with lunch and dinner as our perk and then upgrade that for $20/pp per day to include alcohol and beer/wine anytime we want it.  

Edited July 7, 2022 by LNielsen

[LNielsen]

On 7/3/2022 at 7:48 PM, UPNYGuy said:

 

I myself have mostly stopped cruising on NCL. Look up who the current CEO is (Frank Del Rio). He came over from Renaissance after his administration did a Crysta (tanked it), he resurrected it as Oceania, and oversaw Regent. He is an account that is trying to run NCL holdings (the new company created after Regent and Oceania merged with NCL) like a luxury line, but with mixed results. We are platinum on NCL so this isn't for me disliking the product. This is me disliking all the policy changes back to back, and the staff not being able to keep up. I get more "ask 3 people get 3 different answers" with NCL than any other cruise line (barring HAL, where I have been outright lied to)

Frank was no longer with Renaissance when they folded. He’d  been gone several months by then.  He didn’t resurrect Renaissance as Oceania, he simply acquired the  ships on lease from the French government until he was able  to purchase them.   

Edited July 7, 2022 by LNielsen

[purpleally]

On 7/3/2022 at 4:07 PM, KmomChicago said:

 

• This might sound stupid, but honestly I cannot quite grasp exactly what people are doing all day on luxury small ships to justify their prices. 
•  

 

 

 

 

They are avoiding screaming children, a disgusting amount of people at swimming pools and lines

[Tippyton]

22 hours ago, Badfinger said:

And the chances of being stuck behind groups of drunk golfers yacking it up and blasting music across the course are pretty much zero.

Aaaaaaannnndddddd my point was made.

[Hoosierpop]

With other lines, no rust on ships, no unruly passengers or kids, 100% staffed areas where they bring you a drink before you even knew you needed one. They clean your room every hour. The food in every venue would Beat Bobby Flay every time. Loungers are open by the pool at all hours of the day. Pizza lines are under a minute. And Covid is destroyed within seconds of being exposed to the rarified air on the ship.

Edited July 8, 2022 by Hoosierpop

[Tippyton]

14 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Taking your excellent golf course analogy

I've played golf before myself.  Not a golfer at all - work related mostly and only a handful of times.  Not my thing, primarily due to the types of people on the course.  Better experience was with friends and family on public courses.  I don't care for mouthy frat-boy types, drunks, and snobs.  Like I said before....fine lines.  But to each his own and I don't begrudge anybody for what they like or enjoy - I can control only me.

[UPNYGuy]

On 7/6/2022 at 12:17 PM, ldubs said:

 

So what alternative do you recommend?  To keep it "real", should we treat each other in an unfriendly manner?  Should we not care about other people?   Most understand a friendly attitude is not fake.  Most like to avoid negative atmospheres.   Of course cruise staff are there to keep customers happy.  Why be critical because they work hard to do that.   Sadly, if they treated nasty passengers as deserved, I'm sure those passengers would run to guest services in a minute.   

 

this is part of the thing I LOVE about MSC. The staff will be blunt with guests being idiots. I have seen it repeatedly. On Divina, the desk attendant answered a call from a guest that kept calling down and tried to get his cabin moved. I was in front of her to witness this. She proceeded to tell him the following: "Sir, you have called me repeatedly and the answer is still no. I can also see you are one of our black members. Being you are so familiar with our ships, I suggest familiarizing yourself with our deck plans so you book a cabin you will be happy with, instead of calling down here trying to get a free upgrade".

 

They arent afraid to say it like it is.

[UPNYGuy]

19 hours ago, purpleally said:

They are avoiding screaming children, a disgusting amount of people at swimming pools and lines

 

THIS!!!!! This is why it is important for DW and I to cruise in a ship-within-a-ship on a megaship. 

[UPNYGuy]

On 7/6/2022 at 11:39 PM, Badfinger said:

But I guess we could consider Carnival the "muni" of the cruise industry.  At least based upon our cruise last month.  Worst.  Cruise. Ever.

 

 

this is how I feel about Holland America. Almost 80 days at sea with them, and have had repeated problems with them. No desire to experience any more cruises with them

[BlerkOne]

4 minutes ago, UPNYGuy said:

 

this is part of the thing I LOVE about MSC. The staff will be blunt with guests being idiots. I have seen it repeatedly. On Divina, the desk attendant answered a call from a guest that kept calling down and tried to get his cabin moved. I was in front of her to witness this. She proceeded to tell him the following: "Sir, you have called me repeatedly and the answer is still no. I can also see you are one of our black members. Being you are so familiar with our ships, I suggest familiarizing yourself with our deck plans so you book a cabin you will be happy with, instead of calling down here trying to get a free upgrade".

 

They arent afraid to say it like it is.

By black you mean the color of the card, not the color of the skin.

 

MSC will match any loyalty program and when they tried breaking into the US market again, they would match just about anything - probably including Motel 6. Herds of Carnivores and more took them up on it. MSC quickly saturated their loyalty levels and had to cut back. They got what they paid for.

[UPNYGuy]

Just now, BlerkOne said:

By black you mean the color of the card, not the color of the skin.

 

no ***** she was referring to the card. if you read the statement it was a phone call that was being quoted.

[UPNYGuy]

2 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Herds of Carnivores and more took them up on it. MSC quickly saturated their loyalty levels and had to cut back. They got what they paid for.

 

disagree here. DW and I sail on MSC frequently with *zero* problems. I have yet to figure out why anybody has issues with them.

[BlerkOne]

19 minutes ago, UPNYGuy said:

 

no ***** she was referring to the card. if you read the statement it was a phone call that was being quoted.

Of course I read it. She "saw" the color of the card so she could also "see" the picture of the person she was talking with. The response was still rude.

[UPNYGuy]

Just now, BlerkOne said:

Of course I read it. She "saw" the color of the card so she could also "see" the picture of the person she was talking with. The response was still rude.

 

I thought it was a fitting and very blunt response

[BlerkOne]

20 minutes ago, UPNYGuy said:

 

disagree here. DW and I sail on MSC frequently with *zero* problems. I have yet to figure out why anybody has issues with them.

You must not have sailed on them when they tried previously to crack the US market. The food was awful. As a privately held company, they don't have to release any numbers, but no doubt they were losing money to poach customers from other cruise lines.

[UPNYGuy]

Just now, BlerkOne said:

You must not have sailed on them when they tried previously to crack the US market. The food was awful. As a privately held company, they don't have to release any numbers, but no doubt they were losing money to poach customers from other cruise lines.

if you mean back when they had a ship sailing from FLL, no. We started sailing from them when they based Divina here.

[BlerkOne]

3 minutes ago, UPNYGuy said:

 

I thought it was a fitting and very blunt response

Rude, snobbish, customer service is reason enough for me not to sail on MSC. I hate PA announcements and that much more when in multiple languages.

[BlerkOne]

3 minutes ago, UPNYGuy said:

if you mean back when they had a ship sailing from FLL, no. We started sailing from them when they based Divina here.

I was, but the reviews on the reboot are a mixed bag. Not everyone is delighted. Rudeness is often mentioned.

[KmomChicago]

2 hours ago, UPNYGuy said:

 

THIS!!!!! This is why it is important for DW and I to cruise in a ship-within-a-ship on a megaship. 

And why it’s to everyone’s benefit that they offer it. Brilliant way to make the megas work for (some of) the small ship fans.

[BlerkOne]

2 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

And why it’s to everyone’s benefit that they offer it. Brilliant way to make the megas work for (some of) the small ship fans.

Well, there is some debate about that. Having part of the ship off limits for most of the passengers doesn't always sit well. Especially when the masses are likely subsidizing to some extent, those areas.

 

MSC also has several price points for a cabin, depending on the level of "experience" you want to pay for. You want free room service? There's a charge for that.