Cut backs i noticed on breeze.

[seaman11]

10 minutes ago, thunderingherd11 said:

Whats frustrating to me is the use of the word cutback.  I work in a business.  It is our job to always look at doing things better and saving money where money can be saved.  Sometimes it isn't a cutback, its a change.  Yes, I like pizza late, but my guess is that the usage during some of these hours is not worth the extra cost.  That is good business.  A lot of people complain about things they never use.  Carnival knows who and how many use these things.  I think its crazy that they charge for room service.  And then I realize, that in 9 cruises, I have never ordered room service.  And the room service cutback started way before the pandemic.  They actually enhanced it during the return from the pandemic.  

I would consider long lines thst no customer likes due to closing station early or not opening as many as before a cutback.

Edited September 15, 2022 by seaman11

[Colorado Beach Bum]

3 hours ago, thunderingherd11 said:

Whats frustrating to me is the use of the word cutback.  I work in a business.  It is our job to always look at doing things better and saving money where money can be saved.  Sometimes it isn't a cutback, its a change.  Yes, I like pizza late, but my guess is that the usage during some of these hours is not worth the extra cost.  That is good business.  A lot of people complain about things they never use.  Carnival knows who and how many use these things.  I think its crazy that they charge for room service.  And then I realize, that in 9 cruises, I have never ordered room service.  And the room service cutback started way before the pandemic.  They actually enhanced it during the return from the pandemic.  

Well said.  These business decisions are not isolated to just Carnival.  Businesses make these types of decisions all the time both pre and post Covid.  I don’t agree with a lot of changes but I know thoughtful, difficult business decisions were made.  If I don’t agree, I find another business to support. 

 

Many times decisions are made based on customer feedback so we need to be careful what we ask for.  None of us like to be nickel and dimmed but many don’t like paying for things they don’t use.  This has been happening in every industry for years. Banking for example never had the charges they do today but consumers demanded different pricing because they didn’t use the teller line or write checks, etc.  now we pay more than ever.  How about cable tv and cord cutting?  Consumers didn’t want to pay for the 100’s of cable channels they didn’t use.  Now you have to subscribe to many different streaming services at maybe even a higher price than what you had with cable.   It seems cruise lines are going this same route.  Good thing though as there are many different lines out there to choose from that may give you the experience you expect. 

[cruisingguy007]

9 hours ago, LHARTWICK said:

Funny how they remind people that marijuana isn't allowed, but fail to enforce it.  We smelled it on open decks and balconies near us.

 

I feel they have been enforcing some changes for sure. We used to smell it in the hallways a lot and balconies but it seems they have been cracking down on that. Personally, I don't care if folks partake in the smoking areas and I doubt any efforts to curtail it entirely would be worth the trouble/hassle, however, I have noticed that folks aren't smoking flowers in the staterooms and balconies, this is appreciated and something that can be curtailed. I've noticed a big difference and there was even a family on out most recent cruise that ended up sitting next to us at dinner, who were loudly talking about Carnival fining them (or attempting to) $500 for smoking on their balcony and leaving ashes/evidence behind. Actually, I don't even care much about the balconies (I know others do), it's the blowing out the cabins and hallways that I'm glad to see they have eliminated, in my experience anyway. It seems they are also focusing on balconies as well and it's something I've noticed. Take it to the smoking section or get some edibles or a vape pen, folks don't want to smell it all over the ship, especially in the cabin areas, and by extension, the balconies.     

[sparks1093]

13 hours ago, Itried4498 said:

 

Similar comments were echoed in numerous posts that followed yours, but let’s clear something up: there’s a global jobs shortage, not a labor shortage.  Domestically, most of the vacant positions are of menial/low-wage variety.  There are numerous reasons for this – a huge drop in the birth rate in the early 2000s (yielding fewer high school/college-aged students that would traditionally work these positions), low wages that haven’t kept pace with inflation (a housewife that use to take on a PT job with Target, isn’t going to work when she makes less than what she’s spending on childcare, etc.), a conversion of skilled jobs that once paid living wages converted to low-wages (e.g. school bus drivers), new gig jobs that are low wages, but better paying and enable people to work on their own schedule (Uber driver, OnlyFans models, etc.), etc.  We could easily solve the domestic labor shortage if we did one of two things – give profits back to employees in the form of higher wages (as opposed to hiking prices, which just creates inflation) OR welcoming more legal immigrants into the country (something highly opposed).

 

Cruiselines don’t hire domestic employees – they tap into the international market, largely from undeveloped nations.  They have high standards (applicants need to be somewhat educated / speak English), but there’s still an incredibly large pool to swim in.  The notion (as repeated in this thread) that large numbers of people who worked for cruiselines prior to COVID found higher paying jobs in their home countries is ridiculous.  If you’re from Columbia, India, etc., you’d make more working for Carnival than you would most doctors in the big city.  These are coveted jobs – let’s not pretend they’re not.  The crew shortage was caused by overburdening an already overburdened bureaucracy, as the industry tried to restart at once.  But it’s mid-September, and much of the situation has resolved.

 

Reality is, it’s probable that most crew shortages today are caused by Carnival working with bare minimum crews as a cost savings measure.

A lot of theory that doesn't stand up to real world scrutiny in a lot of ways. I know a lot of immigration folks (comes from living in a state with a couple of large immigration offices I guess) and they all talk about the backlogs they are facing and their own staffing shortages. I'm not sure if it's immigration or state department that issues the worker visas but I'd be willing to bet that state is backlogged as well. Yes, some of the problem could be certainly caused by Carnival's business model (they will hire "domestic" workers, if they apply and are qualified) but there are also many other factors in play. As I said earlier, if the problem was an easy fix it would have been fixed. (And as also has been pointed out other cruise lines are facing the same staffing shortages so it isn't a Carnival only issue.)

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, seaman11 said:

I would consider long lines thst no customer likes due to closing station early or not opening as many as before a cutback.

I would consider it, for now, the reality of a short staff. I don't see it as a permanent thing (it could certainly turn into one, of course).

[ShakyBeef]

9 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

I feel they have been enforcing some changes for sure. We used to smell it in the hallways a lot and balconies but it seems they have been cracking down on that. Personally, I don't care if folks partake in the smoking areas and I doubt any efforts to curtail it entirely would be worth the trouble/hassle, however, I have noticed that folks aren't smoking flowers in the staterooms and balconies, this is appreciated and something that can be curtailed. I've noticed a big difference and there was even a family on out most recent cruise that ended up sitting next to us at dinner, who were loudly talking about Carnival fining them (or attempting to) $500 for smoking on their balcony and leaving ashes/evidence behind. Actually, I don't even care much about the balconies (I know others do), it's the blowing out the cabins and hallways that I'm glad to see they have eliminated, in my experience anyway. It seems they are also focusing on balconies as well and it's something I've noticed. Take it to the smoking section or get some edibles or a vape pen, folks don't want to smell it all over the ship, especially in the cabin areas, and by extension, the balconies.     

 

With all the balcony smoking and pot smoking onboard, just think how fast Carnival could put a dent in their debt if they actually enforced the rules and carried through with charging those fines to all who break them.😄 

[ray98]

I've been on 5 cruises since the restart.  My observation on all is Carnival is really trying to fill the ships with red and blue cards.  I really think they are trying to attract customers who have little cruise experience that won't realize what is missing from the traditional offerings. 

 

To the new cruiser this will be the way cruising always was.  You don't miss twice daily room service if you were never given the choice.  You don't miss a real steak in the MDR if you were only ever offered it at an upcharge.  You don't miss free room service if it was always offered at a cost.  You don't miss the ability to eat a late night meal if it was never open.  The list is endless even if I just go back the 15 or so years I've been cruising.

 

Lets look at the breakdown for a late June cruise on the Panorama posted by John Heald.

 

 

Total Guests 4732

Guests Under 18 974

 

Blue Card 3168

Red Card 499

Gold Card 884

Platinum Card 174

Diamond Card 7

[ray98]

14 hours ago, thunderingherd11 said:

So because you can get a pound of bacon at piggly wiggly, they should be able to to get 20,000 pound of bacon every five days.   

 

Come on.....bacon is everywhere.  No one else is having problems getting it, even their direct competitors in the cruise industry.  Heck, the Waffle House chain of diners in the south serve 17 million pounds of Smithfield bacon a year and they have no problems getting it.

Edited September 16, 2022 by ray98

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, ray98 said:

I've been on 5 cruises since the restart.  My observation on all is Carnival is really trying to fill the ships with red and blue cards.  I really think they are trying to attract customers who have little cruise experience that won't realize what is missing from the traditional offerings. 

 

To the new cruiser this will be the way cruising always was.  You don't miss twice daily room service if you were never given the choice.  You don't miss a real steak in the MDR if you were only ever offered it at an upcharge.  You don't miss free room service if it was always offered at a cost.  You don't miss the ability to eat a late night meal if it was never open.  The list is endless even if I just go back the 15 or so years I've been cruising.

 

Lets look at the breakdown for a late June cruise on the Panorama posted by John Heald.

 

 

Total Guests 4732

Guests Under 18 974

 

Blue Card 3168

Red Card 499

Gold Card 884

Platinum Card 174

Diamond Card 7

 

Yes of course they want new cruisers, not people who know how things used to be. I think really what Carnival Corp needs to be better at is encouraging their seasoned guests to "graduate" to their better lines like Princess. Carnival Cruise Line can continue being their entry-level barebones product.

[DallasGuy75219]

17 hours ago, thunderingherd11 said:

So because you can get a pound of bacon at piggly wiggly, they should be able to to get 20,000 pound of bacon every five days.

Yes.  If you've ever seen the statistics on how much food they bring on the ship on turnaround day, you're in the ballpark.  Every other cruiseline manages to be able to order end receive enough bacon so as not to fabricate an excuse about bacon shortage.

 

There's not a bacon shortage; there's a shortage of bacon at the dirt cheap prices Carnival wants to pay. 

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

I think really what Carnival Corp needs to be better at is encouraging their seasoned guests to "graduate" to their better lines like Princess. Carnival Cruise Line can continue being their entry-level barebones product.

^^This!^^

 

I can't believe no one at Carnival Corp has realized the number of higher status passengers Carnival Corp could retain if they had a loyalty program to recognize status across all Carnival Corp brands. 

 

But instead if someone leaves Carnival (the cruiseline) due to the new lows of their product and onboard experience, they might as well try one of Carnival Corp's competitors if they're going to have to start over on another line with no status regardless. 

 

 

[shof515]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

Yes of course they want new cruisers, not people who know how things used to be. I think really what Carnival Corp needs to be better at is encouraging their seasoned guests to "graduate" to their better lines like Princess. Carnival Cruise Line can continue being their entry-level barebones product.

IF they want us to graduate to other lines, then the other lines need to sail out of the same ports carnival sails more often. Princess only sails out of NYC for like 2 months vs carnival that sails out of NYC for about 3-4 months 

[ShakyBeef]

4 minutes ago, shof515 said:

IF they want us to graduate to other lines, then the other lines need to sail out of the same ports carnival sails more often. Princess only sails out of NYC for like 2 months vs carnival that sails out of NYC for about 3-4 months 

 

THIS! 

 

I sail almost exclusively out of Baltimore.  So recently, I sail Carnival and RCI.  Oh, how I miss Celebrity Mercury!😢  I was happy to recently find out that NCL is back in Baltimore, for very limited Canada/NE cruises and am seriously looking into doing one (or a B2B, since one would leave me in Quebec City, but a B2B would bring me back home again to Baltimore😁) in the not-so-distant future.  I would love to have Princess, HAL, X, and any other cruiseline that is willing and able to be homeported in Baltimore.

[mz-s]

6 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

^^This!^^

 

I can't believe no one at Carnival Corp has realized the number of higher status passengers Carnival Corp could retain if they had a loyalty program to recognize status across all Carnival Corp brands. 

 

But instead if someone leaves Carnival (the cruiseline) due to the new lows of their product and onboard experience, they might as well try one of Carnival Corp's competitors if they're going to have to start over on another line with no status regardless. 

 

 

 

Meh, the perks aren't enough to sway me one way or the other. I mean something small like if you'd at least be recognized as a past guest on Princess if you've sailed for a sister line. I don't need to be Princess's equivalent of Platinum, but I'd like to at least be Red for example. Or get Carnival guest discounts on your first Princess booking. A free soda package or upgrade from interior to outside, something like that to recognize you as a Carnival Corp cruiser.

 

6 minutes ago, shof515 said:

IF they want us to graduate to other lines, then the other lines need to sail out of the same ports carnival sails more often. Princess only sails out of NYC for like 2 months vs carnival that sails out of NYC for about 3-4 months 

 

They go where the demand is. Princess has fewer ships than Carnival and has to spread them farther - versus Carnival that is predominately a Mexican Riviera/Caribbean/Bahamas line.

 

2 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

THIS! 

 

I sail almost exclusively out of Baltimore.  So recently, I sail Carnival and RCI.  Oh, how I miss Celebrity Mercury!😢  I was happy to recently find out that NCL is back in Baltimore, for very limited Canada/NE cruises and am seriously looking into doing one (or a B2B, since one would leave me in Quebec City, but a B2B would bring me back home again to Baltimore😁) in the not-so-distant future.  I would love to have Princess, HAL, X, and any other cruiseline that is willing and able to be homeported in Baltimore.

 

Baltimore is a height-restricted port and Princess for example probably doesn't have any ships that could fit.

[DallasGuy75219]

2 minutes ago, mz-s said:

They go where the demand is. Princess has fewer ships than Carnival and has to spread them farther - versus Carnival that is predominately a Mexican Riviera/Caribbean/Bahamas line.

It's also a matter of passenger demographics.  Princess can make a whole lot more money on passengers willing to fly to an Alaska, Europe, Mediterranean, round the world, etc. cruise during high season and willing to pay Princess prices than fighting with Carnival for the year-round US homeport market to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Mexican Riviera. 

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

It's also a matter of passenger demographics.  Princess can make a whole lot more money on passengers willing to fly to an Alaska, Europe, Mediterranean, round the world, etc. cruise during high season and willing to pay Princess prices than fighting with Carnival for the year-round US homeport market to the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Mexican Riviera. 

 

Yes I am sure passenger demos have a lot to do with it. Princess has more itineraries to sell than Carnival so they have to spread their ships thinner. While they don't compete with Carnival's 3-day Miami > Nassau route, they do 5 day Cozumel etc and prices are more than Carnival but typically not double the price or anything like that.

 

[Island Dog]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Yes of course they want new cruisers, not people who know how things used to be. I think really what Carnival Corp needs to be better at is encouraging their seasoned guests to "graduate" to their better lines like Princess. Carnival Cruise Line can continue being their entry-level barebones product.

We sailed Princess in February and honestly the cutbacks were way more noticeable than Carnival's.

 

Dining room breakfast menu extremely limited, elimination of Sea Day British Pub Lunch, Lido hamburger was totally inedible (even ordered fresh!), one unfunny comedian on a 10 day cruise, etc.

 

We are booking with NCL and Royal to see how they are handling things. Carnival brands are no longer up to their usual snuff.

[mz-s]

10 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

We sailed Princess in February and honestly the cutbacks were way more noticeable than Carnival's.

 

Dining room breakfast menu extremely limited, elimination of Sea Day British Pub Lunch, Lido hamburger was totally inedible (even ordered fresh!), one unfunny comedian on a 10 day cruise, etc.

 

We are booking with NCL and Royal to see how they are handling things. Carnival brands are no longer up to their usual snuff.

 

Good feedback, sad to hear, but thanks.

[cruisingguy007]

4 hours ago, ray98 said:

 

Come on.....bacon is everywhere.  No one else is having problems getting it, even their direct competitors in the cruise industry.  Heck, the Waffle House chain of diners in the south serve 17 million pounds of Smithfield bacon a year and they have no problems getting it.

 

Plenty of bacon on the ships. There are also plenty of things I'm not buying right now either, I went to the store the other day and everything was stocked and full, everything looked great, overflowing even. I left most of it there on the shelf because it looked much better on the shelf than in my cart at the inflated prices. Some other sucker can buy it or they can dump it when it doesn't sell. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[d12j28]

21 hours ago, seaman11 said:

I would consider long lines thst no customer likes due to closing station early or not opening as many as before a cutback.

I can agree that Carnival has had a few "cutbacks" since Covid, but the lines at the buffet have always (way before Covid) been long between 9 - 10 a.m. Same with Pizza at about 11 p.m. 

[staceyglow]

3 hours ago, shof515 said:

IF they want us to graduate to other lines, then the other lines need to sail out of the same ports carnival sails more often. Princess only sails out of NYC for like 2 months vs carnival that sails out of NYC for about 3-4 months 

I don't think it's Carnival that wants us to graduate to other lines, it's the passengers themselves.

 

Those of us in flyover country don't live close to any cruise ports, so it doesn't matter where other lines port. 

[jimbo5544]

23 hours ago, ray98 said:

I've been on 5 cruises since the restart.  My observation on all is Carnival is really trying to fill the ships with red and blue cards.  I really think they are trying to attract customers who have little cruise experience that won't realize what is missing from the traditional offerings. 

 

To the new cruiser this will be the way cruising always was.  You don't miss twice daily room service if you were never given the choice.  You don't miss a real steak in the MDR if you were only ever offered it at an upcharge.  You don't miss free room service if it was always offered at a cost.  You don't miss the ability to eat a late night meal if it was never open.  The list is endless even if I just go back the 15 or so years I've been cruising.

 

Lets look at the breakdown for a late June cruise on the Panorama posted by John Heald.

 

 

Total Guests 4732

Guests Under 18 974

 

Blue Card 3168

Red Card 499

Gold Card 884

Platinum Card 174

Diamond Card 7

Not really sure how you would determine that from a particular sailing, but that said, it has. ALWAYS been Carnival’s plan to attract new cruisers.  That is why they have so many homeports.  

[jimbo5544]

19 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Yes I am sure passenger demos have a lot to do with it. Princess has more itineraries to sell than Carnival so they have to spread their ships thinner. While they don't compete with Carnival's 3-day Miami > Nassau route, they do 5 day Cozumel etc and prices are more than Carnival but typically not double the price or anything like that.

 

Life is full of options, Carnival Corp’s intent is to give you a full breadth of them to get your cruising dollars.  Carnival is their US main option for that, but it is not exclusive.  Carnival sails other places and fill the ships.  Princess and Carnival are two different products, like Carnival and HAL are or Royal and Celebrity

[Joebucks]

On 9/16/2022 at 7:15 AM, ray98 said:

I've been on 5 cruises since the restart.  My observation on all is Carnival is really trying to fill the ships with red and blue cards.  I really think they are trying to attract customers who have little cruise experience that won't realize what is missing from the traditional offerings. 

 

To the new cruiser this will be the way cruising always was.  You don't miss twice daily room service if you were never given the choice.  You don't miss a real steak in the MDR if you were only ever offered it at an upcharge.  You don't miss free room service if it was always offered at a cost.  You don't miss the ability to eat a late night meal if it was never open.  The list is endless even if I just go back the 15 or so years I've been cruising.

 

Lets look at the breakdown for a late June cruise on the Panorama posted by John Heald.

 

 

Total Guests 4732

Guests Under 18 974

 

Blue Card 3168

Red Card 499

Gold Card 884

Platinum Card 174

Diamond Card 7

 

Do you have any evidence that they are specifically targeting only red and blue? If that was the case, none of us would get any VIFP offers. There's also more gold than red. I am a gold and just got a solid deal to cruise on the Celebration. Through law of averages, Blue cards should fill a large portion of spots.

 

22 hours ago, shof515 said:

IF they want us to graduate to other lines, then the other lines need to sail out of the same ports carnival sails more often. Princess only sails out of NYC for like 2 months vs carnival that sails out of NYC for about 3-4 months 

 

I don't believe any cruise company would design a model this way. It's about where would HAL and Princess customers want to sail from. Not where a handful of Carnival cruisers who are considering HAL or Princess might want to sail from.

[Sgwscruiser]

On 9/15/2022 at 10:39 AM, seaman11 said:

Yes i noticed that. Clientele is declining. Shame they were getting ppl from other lines to come and now it seems going backwards.  I may go back to Royal next year if this keeps up. 

I have a feeling that when you return to Royal you might feel the same way about them. This is problem for the entire cruise industry that needs to fix.  Each cruise line will handle it the best way that will for that cruise line.