Do you think cruise lines are trying to phase out older cruisers?

[winemama]

Just came back from 2 cruises  One on NCL and the other on Princess.  We can all agree that there have been a lot of cutbacks, us seasoned cruisers have come to expect a certain level of service, but new cruises don't know what they are missing, and are happy with their drink packages, food choices, and lack of entertainment.

NCL service has been horrible, they are only doing cabins once a day, not happy, but can adjust.  What I did not like was the vacumes, linen cart, and trash bags out in the hallway 10 hours a day.  We were on a Caribbean cruise, and the pool deck had very little help, drink glasses and plates everywhere, the pool water was like artic water, no one could use the pool, and about 500 people complained asking to heat the water a bit fell on deaf ears. 

The real deal breaker is that they now shut the ice cream machines down at 9:30.  Come on!!!!!

Lets talk, am I wrong?

[klfrodo]

I won't say you're wrong, but I will say that if you expect yesteryear to always stay the same until the end of time, then your expectations are unrealistic.

The only thing constant in life is change.

[mom says]

Surely the very obvious cutbacks in service and quality affect all cruisers, both old and new. Nor to I think it is a deliberate attempt to discourage older cruisers. Poor service and low quality should discourage anyone from booking with that line, no matter what their age or cruising experience.

 

When I first read the title, I thought the thread would be about marketing, and the recent turn of some of the more premium lines towards aiming their ads to attract a younger demographic.

[horseymike]

I think older cruisers make up a considerable portion of the customer base for the cruise lines ,

Think about it , many older cruisers are retired and have more time to cruise….. that is for starters.

Good luck 🍀 and I hope the whole quality situation gets better soon 🚢

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, winemama said:

Just came back from 2 cruises  One on NCL and the other on Princess.  We can all agree that there have been a lot of cutbacks, us seasoned cruisers have come to expect a certain level of service, but new cruises don't know what they are missing, and are happy with their drink packages, food choices, and lack of entertainment.

NCL service has been horrible, they are only doing cabins once a day, not happy, but can adjust.  What I did not like was the vacumes, linen cart, and trash bags out in the hallway 10 hours a day.  We were on a Caribbean cruise, and the pool deck had very little help, drink glasses and plates everywhere, the pool water was like artic water, no one could use the pool, and about 500 people complained asking to heat the water a bit fell on deaf ears. 

The real deal breaker is that they now shut the ice cream machines down at 9:30.  Come on!!!!!

Lets talk, am I wrong?

 

The cutbacks and service reductions started as far back as the 1960's, so are not a new initiative. They are all about maintaining a price point, so they have nothing to do with a cruise line's preferred age demographic. They have been common on the mainstream mega ships for many years, but since COVID are somewhat prevalent on all cruise lines. 

[DirtyDawg]

1 hour ago, winemama said:

Just came back from 2 cruises  One on NCL and the other on Princess.  We can all agree that there have been a lot of cutbacks, us seasoned cruisers have come to expect a certain level of service, but new cruises don't know what they are missing, and are happy with their drink packages, food choices, and lack of entertainment.

NCL service has been horrible, they are only doing cabins once a day, not happy, but can adjust.  What I did not like was the vacumes, linen cart, and trash bags out in the hallway 10 hours a day.  We were on a Caribbean cruise, and the pool deck had very little help, drink glasses and plates everywhere, the pool water was like artic water, no one could use the pool, and about 500 people complained asking to heat the water a bit fell on deaf ears. 

The real deal breaker is that they now shut the ice cream machines down at 9:30.  Come on!!!!!

Lets talk, am I wrong?

How does closing the ice cream machines down at 9:30pm indicate cruise lines trying to "phase out older cruisers"? Most of us old farts are in bed by 9:30pm! If anything, closing the ice cream machines down at 9:30pm indicates cruise lines trying to phase out younger cruisers. 😁

 

Now, if the cruise lines were closing the ice cream machines down at 9:30am, we might have a concern. 🙃

[CruiserBruce]

If they are phasing out us old folks, why do we get 2 or 3 ads a week from cruise lines?

[Markanddonna]

The cutbacks issue has been seen on most ships. Older cruisers remember how it was in the past with a better experience while the younger ones don't realize the differences. It's all a matter of what we will accept in the future. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, winemama said:

Just came back from 2 cruises  One on NCL and the other on Princess.  We can all agree that there have been a lot of cutbacks, us seasoned cruisers have come to expect a certain level of service, but new cruises don't know what they are missing, and are happy with their drink packages, food choices, and lack of entertainment.

NCL service has been horrible, they are only doing cabins once a day, not happy, but can adjust.  What I did not like was the vacumes, linen cart, and trash bags out in the hallway 10 hours a day.  We were on a Caribbean cruise, and the pool deck had very little help, drink glasses and plates everywhere, the pool water was like artic water, no one could use the pool, and about 500 people complained asking to heat the water a bit fell on deaf ears. 

The real deal breaker is that they now shut the ice cream machines down at 9:30.  Come on!!!!!

Lets talk, am I wrong?

Perhaps NCL is trying to get you to move up to their partner premium/luxury lines- Oceania and Regent. Or, perhaps FDR is using the NCLH cash cow (NCL) to keep his baby, Oceania, unchanged even as it now celebrates its 20th anniversary.

[travelingman]

It's all about the money.  By only cleaning the cabins once a day they can cut back on the number cabin attendants.  Unfortunately, the remaining attendants have to work much longer hours cleaning almost the double number of cabins, with some of the cabins not being cleaned until late in the afternoon.  Your cabin attendant might show up to clean while you are taking your afternoon siesta.  This also means the cabin attendants can not go on shore because of their, now, long work hours.

Stan

[Essiesmom]

Another group they are trying to phase out is solo cruisers.  I am having a very difficult time trying to book a solo cabin in any grade on some lines.  EM

[DarrenM]

Why would anyone need or even want their cabin cleaned more than once a day?

What on earth are you doing in there that demands this?

 

I work away from home and make sure to ask that my room is never cleaned on any of my 4 nights weekly.

 

I re-use towels etc.

 

I can make my own bed on the cruise and would happily have it cleaned once every two days.

 

and weirdly I gave up eating ice cream as a child.

 

 

[sparks1093]

I think cruise lines are making adjustments based on staffing issues and supply chain issues while trying to recover from being shut down for a couple of years. 

[BruceMuzz]

There is an authority much higher than Cruise Line Executives who is phasing out older cruisers.

When I worked for Holland America Line for many years, we called ourselves "Heaven's Waiting Room".

[PORT ROYAL]

Very interesting thread.  Because the OP is correct… It’s been scheduled for some time by Executives.   About 8 years ago, had a discussion with a Cunard representative who admitted my DW and I were not going to live forever, and to replace our annual spend, Cunard would have to recruit 10/12 Millennials per year.  And as Millennials are not great repeaters, then Cunard will have to work hard to have a new stream of revenue.

Edited March 27, 2023 by PORT ROYAL

[Aquahound]

As much as people want to believe they are a ships most valuable passenger because they cruise that line so often, the fact remains that the money comes from new cruisers who spend more. All things change and what some see as a cutback, new cruisers see as wonderful. 

[sparks1093]

3 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Very interesting thread.  Because the OP is correct… It’s been scheduled for some time by Executives.   About 8 years ago, had a discussion with a Cunard representative who admitted my DW and I were not going to live forever, and to replace our annual spend, Cunard would have to recruit 10/12 Millennials per year.  And as Millennials are not great repeaters, then Cunard will have to work hard to have a new stream of revenue.

There is a difference between "attrition planning" and "trying to get rid of", and the OP's question are the cruise lines trying to actively get rid of seasoned cruisers. Any business is going to be aware that they continually need to attract new customers because no customer lasts forever.

[PORT ROYAL]

19 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

There is a difference between "attrition planning" and "trying to get rid of", and the OP's question are the cruise lines trying to actively get rid of seasoned cruisers. Any business is going to be aware that they continually need to attract new customers because no customer lasts forever.

Agreed.

Cunard have a spend ratio problem, which they are trying to address, but finding difficult.  Hence why the Anne is seen to be a potential solution (hopefully).

[cruiseryyc]

This is one of the reasons I quit cruising!  I enjoyed the "luxury" that was cruising in the late 1990's and early 2000's; and that included getting dressed up for dinner.

 

When the mega ships started and it became a floating amusement park, I quite happily settled for other types of vacations.

[9tee2Sea]

I too find it odd that the housekeeping carts are out in the halls for what seems like all day and night.  BUT, i don't mind it.  I put my drink glasses on them instead of leaving them in the room.  Sometimes it does make it harder to walk the halls, but I'm sure it saves time for the cabin steward to not have to load and drag the cart around all the time.  The only thing that will make me feel like they are trying to get rid of me as customers, is if I hear Rap music 24/7.  

[Heidi13]

15 hours ago, travelingman said:

It's all about the money.  By only cleaning the cabins once a day they can cut back on the number cabin attendants.  Unfortunately, the remaining attendants have to work much longer hours cleaning almost the double number of cabins, with some of the cabins not being cleaned until late in the afternoon.  Your cabin attendant might show up to clean while you are taking your afternoon siesta.  This also means the cabin attendants can not go on shore because of their, now, long work hours.

Stan

 

The cabin stewards will have more cabins to clean, but that doesn't translate into longer work hours, which are regulated. The change also won't affect their ability to go ashore, as this is dictated by "In Port Manning", where a percentage of the crew have always been required to remain onboard.

[lenquixote66]

18 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

How does closing the ice cream machines down at 9:30pm indicate cruise lines trying to "phase out older cruisers"? Most of us old farts are in bed by 9:30pm! If anything, closing the ice cream machines down at 9:30pm indicates cruise lines trying to phase out younger cruisers. 😁

 

Now, if the cruise lines were closing the ice cream machines down at 9:30am, we might have a concern. 🙃

I have been old for many years and when I was cruising I did not go to bed until 2AM I averaged 4 hours sleep a night.

[donaldsc]

Are you suggesting that only old people know that they are having a bad cruise experience and that younger ones don't know or don't care.

 

DON

[travelingman]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

The cabin stewards will have more cabins to clean, but that doesn't translate into longer work hours, which are regulated. The change also won't affect their ability to go ashore, as this is dictated by "In Port Manning", where a percentage of the crew have always been required to remain onboard.

I'm not an expert.  I was quoting what a cabin attendant said that is on a ship that has recently converted to the "once a day cleaning" policy.

Stan

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

The cabin stewards will have more cabins to clean, but that doesn't translate into longer work hours, which are regulated. The change also won't affect their ability to go ashore, as this is dictated by "In Port Manning", where a percentage of the crew have always been required to remain onboard.

 

If there are less cabin stewards doesn't that mean you have to work longer to get all the cabins cleaned in one day? Or do they reach the maximum hours of work and just leave the rest of the cabins not done?