Never thought I would say this.....

[tree.critter]

Guess I’m the weird fish in this pond. Started cruising with Carnival when much younger, had a great couple of cruises and loved the crew so much. Went on a single RCL cruise not too long after and hated it. The ship was nice, food the same but the crew acted very much like I was a bother and never really smiled. I swore I wouldn’t go on RCL again and I haven’t. 24 additional Carnival cruises later and I just keep returning because of the crew and have never had a bad cruise with them (take that back, once took a very wrong person with me as a +1, not Carnivals fault and I just cruise solo when needed to avoid that from ever happening again. 

 

Sure enough things have changed over the years and it’s not as grand as that first cruise on the original M.S. Mardi Gras but the value and cost has virtually remained the same over the last 30 years. I was’t crazy for the new Mardi Gras and just won’t book that class again.

[notscb]

6 hours ago, Raysgirl said:

Now they are nickel and diming you with their increases for things on the ship and an extra charge if you order 3 entrees. 

 

FWIW, I think this plan is an excellent plan and will help Carnival curb food waste that cruise lines are so well known for. The up-charge if you want a third entree is only $5 for the entree itself, and you can still have as many appetizers and desserts as you want (as well as the other included options around the ship).

 

IMHO, moves like this are going to be much more common among the entire industry. Even if Carnival were to enforce it on all of its brands, it would ultimately set a precedent for other lines to do the same.

[Badfinger]

4 hours ago, Raysgirl said:

This is my own opinion.  I have numerous times decided to try something new while cruising and found it was not my cup of tea so I would order a good old standby like chicken, but when it comes it is dried out and cold, so should I be entitled to a third choice, absolutely.  The current portion sizes they serve are not even close to what you would get in a restaurant on land.  You may stuff yourself during the day, I don't.  I save my appetite for dinner.    You can also look at the additional charge for the 3rd item this way.   If I elected to eat at the buffet, which normally has the same dinner items I can load my plate up with as much as I want as many times as I want and there is no additional charge.

 No additional charge...yet.  Give them time to figure it out.

[Badfinger]

3 minutes ago, notscb said:

 

FWIW, I think this plan is an excellent plan and will help Carnival curb food waste that cruise lines are so well known for. The up-charge if you want a third entree is only $5 for the entree itself, and you can still have as many appetizers and desserts as you want (as well as the other included options around the ship).

 

IMHO, moves like this are going to be much more common among the entire industry. Even if Carnival were to enforce it on all of its brands, it would ultimately set a precedent for other lines to do the same.

 

Curb food waste on a oil burning ships that regularly dump sewage in the ocean.   Yeah...excellent.

[Badfinger]

6 hours ago, Raysgirl said:

I never thought I would say this, but after 15 Carnival cruises I am trying another cruise line.    We have been on 3 Carnival cruises since the restart and even though we enjoyed ourselves (a cruise is what you make of it) we are very disappointed with all the cut backs and poor service.   We knew there would be staffing issues when they first restarted and had to get back in the groove, but at this point things should be back to normal.  I think they are putting all their focus on the new ships and just leaving the older ones behind.  We have encountered slow bar services, slow dining room service with cold food and so so entertainment. Now they are nickel and diming you with their increases for things on the ship and an extra charge if you order 3 entrees.   I know 3 entrees sounds like a lot, but look at the portions they give you, they are not very big.  I have not totally given up on Carnival, I have 2 cruises currently booked, 1 for 2023 and 1 for 2024  (I just cancelled another one for 2023 to try the other cruise line) but I would like to see if the other cruise lines are experiencing the same issue.  Is anyone else disappointed on how things are going?

 

Agree with your post-pandemic assessment.  We are likely to not cruise again.  Now I just need to ween myself off this website.....

[notscb]

3 hours ago, Badfinger said:

Curb food waste on a oil burning ships that regularly dump sewage in the ocean.

 

I didn't really give a strict reason why they're doing it, other than my own view. There's very, very clear economic reasons for doing it as well (from the cruise lines perspective). Every decision that's made in this (and every) industry is for their bottom line- in this case, ordering less (possibly), storing less and having to throw out and process less.

[BoozinCroozin]

Well, we started off planning on RCL. Friend worked on the ship. Then bam, covid. We booked far out, but not far enough for cancelations. We were able to rebook without increases out of my pocket, but each cancelation had future cruises going up 15-50%. When they canceled the 3rd rebook, our cruise price was $3500 but all cruises in the future when we could sale were $6,000 - $8,500. Well beyond what we could afford. We went to Carnival and had a blast when cruising restarted. We got an incredible offer on NCL and tried them. It had its positives, but it also had so many more negatives that we would not cruise them again. They canceled all the shows, skipped the best port while all other 7 ships ported that day, their private port in Belize is insanely expensive. We are back to Carnival because we had so much more fun and there are more people for our daughter to hangout with and do her own thing.

[pe4all]

I just like Carnival.  Never had a bad cruise - even one time with Destiny losing engine power and limping back to Miami from PR, and another time getting diverted from our itinerary due to a hurricane, etc.  Have never, and will never go hungry on CCL.  Crew has always been fantastic on each and every ship. Plenty of fish in the sea, and cruise lines to chose from.

[grooks]

1st elegant night tonight.  Here is the menu for MDR.

 

 

[Raysgirl]

I appreciate everyone's response and opinions!  I noticed that most are focusing on the changes with the food I mentioned when actually our biggest reason to try another line is service.  I agree the staff is wonderful, always friendly, but there is not enough of them which causes service to be very slow.  The last 3 cruises we had the cheers package (only because we had a great offer) and we usually hang out at the adult pool or serenity pool depending on the ship.  If there was 1 person walking the area offering bar service that was a lot. Same was happening at the shows and casino.   If we got out of the pool ourselves to get a drink the lines at the bar was huge, taking almost a half an hour to get a drink.  We were lucky if we had 2 bartenders, but normally there was just 1.  Just wondering since so many people purchase the cheers package they feel they already got our money and gratuity so it is ok to have slow service.   Again  I have not given up on Carnival.  I have 2 future cruises booked with them,  It is just time for us to explore out cruise lines to see if they are experiencing the same issues with services or if it is just cut backs on Carnival.

[sparks1093]

26 minutes ago, Raysgirl said:

I appreciate everyone's response and opinions!  I noticed that most are focusing on the changes with the food I mentioned when actually our biggest reason to try another line is service.  I agree the staff is wonderful, always friendly, but there is not enough of them which causes service to be very slow.  The last 3 cruises we had the cheers package (only because we had a great offer) and we usually hang out at the adult pool or serenity pool depending on the ship.  If there was 1 person walking the area offering bar service that was a lot. Same was happening at the shows and casino.   If we got out of the pool ourselves to get a drink the lines at the bar was huge, taking almost a half an hour to get a drink.  We were lucky if we had 2 bartenders, but normally there was just 1.  Just wondering since so many people purchase the cheers package they feel they already got our money and gratuity so it is ok to have slow service.   Again  I have not given up on Carnival.  I have 2 future cruises booked with them,  It is just time for us to explore out cruise lines to see if they are experiencing the same issues with services or if it is just cut backs on Carnival.

Instead of spending hard earned money to find out just read the forums for the other lines. I have and will sail other lines but only if their price is as low as Carnivals, which does happen but not often. Since it can take 30 minutes at a busy club to get a drink I don't think that's an egregious wait.

Edited November 10, 2022 by sparks1093

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Try them all! We have sailed on Carnival, Royal, HAL, NCL, and will be trying Princess for the first time in March. We like them all for different reasons. It's great to try new lines and experiences and compare. 

[Island Dog]

26 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Instead of spending hard earned money to find out just read the forums for the other lines. I have and will sail other lines but only if their price is as low as Carnivals, which does happen but not often. Since it can take 30 minutes at a busy club to get a drink I don't think that's an egregious wait.

There's little to no bitching about cutbacks or service on the other boards except for the "they've changed the chicken wings!" outrage on NCL's board.

 

While you may disagree, I think it's outrageous to have to wait 30 minutes for a drink when you have a prepaid package. I don't go to busy clubs. I know, first world problems.....

[notscb]

58 minutes ago, Raysgirl said:

our biggest reason to try another line is service. 

 

I suspect you'll find similar problems with service at every line right now (which is why I suppose most people didn't pick up or comment on that*). Post-Pandemic, every corporation is trying to recover what they lost and are doing so at the expense of their own customer base. No business should be operating the way they were pre-pandemic, but you see many of them pretending like they can to appease their shareholders.

 

Not to say that you shouldn't try another line- but if service is your ultimate reason I'd do what the other commenter recommended and check out some of the other boards and live reviews on here. The service problem is not limited to CCL. 

Edited November 10, 2022 by notscb
*

[samiam0403]

OP, try another cruise line. At best you'll find a new cruise line that meets your expectations, and at worst you'll miss little things about Carnival and go back to cruising CCL with fresh eyes. I was a little burnt out on Carnival a few years ago, and tried a few new lines. After some time away, I sailed on Horizon and fell back in like with Carnival. Since COVID, I've sailed on Carnival, Oceania, and Royal - unfortunately, Carnival was the only one that I really felt the staffing shortages on. Will I still sail Carnival? Absolutely - when the itinerary and the price work for me. But I go into those cruises with my expectations managed and still have a good time. Enjoy going out and exploring new lines!

[angela12345]

I've said to hubby many times that I don't want to try other lines because I don't want to like something else better.  I love the Carnival product.  i do miss some of the "fancy" stuff from my first Carnival cruise, silly things like when they would sweep the crumbs from the table at dinner (I haven't seen that in many years).  But for the most part, the Carnival cruise has not changed much.  I love the product and love the price, love that I know what to expect and know all the tips I have learned along the way. 

 

I don't want to try a more expensive cruise and don't want to like the more expensive cruise better.  We can afford to go on more cruises if they are less expensive.  Just like when we figured out we are just as happy with a porthole or even inside rather than balcony - we can afford to go on more cruises if they are less expensive.  And when I did the balcony math for how much more $$ it was and how much we were paying per hour for the very little time we used the balcony, we decided we'd try "not balcony" once to see.  Turns out we're fine not having a balcony - the whole ship is our balcony!  So, If I already love what I have then why stray ? 
 
All that being said (haha, here it comes) ... we do have Virgin booked for this winter (friends birthday big fun group cruise that I didn't pick) BUT we are going to back-to-back it with a Carnival cruise or two (the food looks AMAZING on Virgin! especially for foodies).  And, we might go on RCCL on a free cruise offer if we can make the dates work.  And hopefully, if the stars align, we are going on a world cruise in 5 years or so.  We're currently looking at Oceania but not definite, the itineraries on the different lines of course haven't even been released yet.  But ... it does look like I'm gonna break my only Carnival streak. 

[notscb]

2 minutes ago, angela12345 said:

we do have Virgin booked for this winter

 

Genuinely excited for you  🙂

Of all of the lines I want to try, Virgin is at the top of my list (did you see those amazing hammocks everywhere, it looks like a dream).

 

 

[angela12345]

8 minutes ago, notscb said:

Genuinely excited for you  🙂

Of all of the lines I want to try, Virgin is at the top of my list (did you see those amazing hammocks everywhere, it looks like a dream).

 
Thanks !  Yeh, we're very excited too.  Their commercial is so cute/funny, it was the final nail that convinced us.  My friend sent it to me to talk us into it going on the birthday cruise with them, and now I walk around the house singing the Virgin Voyages commercial haha . . . 
 

Hammocks Tip :  There are just a few balcony cabins that do NOT have a hammock, and also have a metal railing, not glass, for the balcony.  RE: the no hammocks ... they have to be able to support 330 pounds and that part of the ship its a structural issue why they cannot have the hammock 

 

[sparks1093]

44 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

There's little to no bitching about cutbacks or service on the other boards except for the "they've changed the chicken wings!" outrage on NCL's board.

 

While you may disagree, I think it's outrageous to have to wait 30 minutes for a drink when you have a prepaid package. I don't go to busy clubs. I know, first world problems.....

We can certainly agree to disagree but I don't see the connection to the package. A 30 minute wait is a 30 minute wait whether you are paying for each drink or whether you've prepaid. (Just did a search for slow service on Cruise Critic and a quick scan of the first page of results had complaints about slow service for many ships and lines.)

Edited November 10, 2022 by sparks1093

[CruiseBro16]

I get it and I'm in a similar situation. I was on the Vista last month and the service was lacking, especially bar service. Staff that was present seemed stressed and near their breaking point. I'm so close to Platinum, but am really considering trying Royal for next cruise. 

[pc_load_letter]

I'm right there with ya.

 

Taken three CCL cruises since restart. We are branching out and taking Bliss out of San Pedro CA at the end of the month. Ship looks to have great reviews and on previous NCL cruises we've been on, we appreciate the open late O'Sheehans\The Local pub eatery.

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by pc_load_letter
Thanks IslandD, had the wrong name in there

[jsglow]

I think the next line we'll try is either MSC or Holland America.  My favorite 'special occasion' line is absolutely Windstar but we need to give Viking a try sometime.

[notscb]

18 minutes ago, angela12345 said:

they have to be able to support 330 pounds and that part of the ship its a structural issue why they cannot have the hammock 

 

That's so interesting! I wonder why they wouldn't just use a stand for it in those situations (although I imagine space on those specific balconies is also smaller or limited).

[Riles34]

16 hours ago, hard_eight said:

Lol I thought the same thing. Go read other forums and you will find the same thing, every line is struggling with product and staffing. 

[Island Dog]

21 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

We can certainly agree to disagree but I don't see the connection to the package. A 30 minute wait is a 30 minute wait whether you are paying for each drink or whether you've prepaid. (Just did a search for slow service on Cruise Critic and a quick scan of the first page of results had complaints about slow service for many ships and lines.)

Point is that if I'm plunking down 1k plus for Cheers! for two, I should be able to get my value from it. If I'm waiting 30 minutes, I'm not.