Do you think guest behavior is linked to a particular ship?

[Drew B 58]

A lot of the early reviews of Carnival Venezia include troubling stories of rampant fighting and drug use.  As a result, I’ve seen people questioning whether the ship is right for them and considering canceling upcoming cruises.  I just wonder whether the two are related.

 

It seems to me that at the end of each cruise, all of those guests (including the problematic ones) get off the ship.  Whether or not the NEXT group of passengers will also include problematic passengers seems like a crap shoot.  The trouble-makers may sail Venezia again (assuming they haven’t been banned for life) or they may choose a different ship, whether with Carnival or with a different line.  And the next group of passengers may include troublemakers or it may not.  So whether or not the next cruise on Venezia (or the one after that or one in six months or one in a year) will ALSO have a lot of fighting and drug use seems impossible to predict…

 

If the problems noted are about the ship or the decor or the crew or the food or the crowding or the venues, I can understand making the decision that the ship is not for you.  If it is about the other passengers, though, I think it is counterintuitive to assume that they will be the same in the future.  Maybe if these reports continue long term, we can reach an assumption that for some reason, the ship in question attracts “the wrong crowd”.  With Venezia, though, I believe it is way too soon to say…

 

* I realize this thread title isn’t very good.  I had a hard time condensing what I was trying to say into one short phrase…

[mkcurran]

I don't know about the ship, but length of cruise makes a difference in the kind of guests aboard.

[JT1962]

Length of cruise, home port, holiday weekend / spring break and pricing of the cruise, have more to do with the passenger make up than the specific ship. The shorter, cheaper cruises and those around a holiday or spring break will usually have a more “rowdy” crowd. 

[Haljo1935]

Completely agree passengers come and go so their "makeup" will naturally change with each sailing.

However, as passengers find particular ships they feel comfortable with, they do tend to consider them "their" ships as may other like-minded passengers. As such, a ship might develop its own personality and attract a certain crowd.

With that said, it's definitely too early, IMO, for Venezia to have cultivated a following. But maybe not.

[lazydayz]

While I agree each cruise is different, to me, the most troubling part of the videos of the Venezia fight in the nightclub was the ineffective response of security. Guess Carnival is going to have to give security tasers or mace. 

[Elaine5715]

Many of these brawls are families.  My guess is someone else is paying for the cruise so the fighters aren't concerned about never sailing, they weren't planning to go again.  

[Haljo1935]

Who thinks giving a freshly allowed to legally drink 21yo a card w/a 15 drink daily allotment then turning them loose to go have is a good idea? Then add in any amount of hot sun and raging testosterone couple w/peer pressure... who's surprised by the end result? Granted, many involved are well over 21, but I think you get the point.

[Mr305]

I was on Conquest last weekend on a 3 Day Cruise.  Carnival’s clientele has definitely changed.  A lot of the folks on board were first timers.  Our biggest issue was weed, even with dogs at the terminal, they were lighting it up on the balcony day and night.  I’ve done about three of these cruises over the years, never seen anything like it.  Let’s just say, that was my last 3 Day Cruise, at least on Carnival.

 

I’ve also done 7 & 8 Day Cruises on Carnival, everyone is well behaved and the folks are a bit more upscale.  Lots of Gold and Platinum cruisers.  It’s a shame, all this does is destroy the product/brand.  Hopefully the upcoming price increase will eliminate some of these issues.

[klfrodo]

I'm just tickled pink nobody had cameras or access to social media when I was in my 20's. In other words, I don't think things have changed as much as we'd like to think they have. WE (those of us who grew up in the 60's, 70's, 80's etc.) just didn't get immortalized on the internet. We still did stupid crap. 🤯

Edited July 9, 2023 by klfrodo

[Drew B 58]

34 minutes ago, Mr305 said:

I was on Conquest last weekend on a 3 Day Cruise.  Carnival’s clientele has definitely changed.  A lot of the folks on board were first timers.  Our biggest issue was weed, even with dogs at the terminal, they were lighting it up on the balcony day and night.  I’ve done about three of these cruises over the years, never seen anything like it.  Let’s just say, that was my last 3 Day Cruise, at least on Carnival.

 

I’ve also done 7 & 8 Day Cruises on Carnival, everyone is well behaved and the folks are a bit more upscale.  Lots of Gold and Platinum cruisers.  It’s a shame, all this does is destroy the product/brand.  Hopefully the upcoming price increase will eliminate some of these issues.

The only time I ever had a problem with constant smell of weed on a Carnival ship was back in 2008.  And it was on a 7-day cruise.  Someone (or ones) was smoking constantly on their balcony one or two cabins down from me.  I could smell it both from my balcony and in the hall throughout the whole week.

 

I’ve done a bunch of Carnival cruises since then, ranging from 3-7 days and not had another issue.  Which is not to say that I’ve never caught a whiff on any of them — just that it has never been frequent or prevalent enough to bother me.  

I think it might just come down to random luck where your cabin happens to be rather than a recent decline in the caliber of guests or a difference between shorter and longer cruises…

[BoundForSea]

1 hour ago, Mr305 said:

I was on Conquest last weekend on a 3 Day Cruise.  Carnival’s clientele has definitely changed.  A lot of the folks on board were first timers.  Our biggest issue was weed, even with dogs at the terminal, they were lighting it up on the balcony day and night.  I’ve done about three of these cruises over the years, never seen anything like it.  Let’s just say, that was my last 3 Day Cruise, at least on Carnival.

 

I’ve also done 7 & 8 Day Cruises on Carnival, everyone is well behaved and the folks are a bit more upscale.  Lots of Gold and Platinum cruisers.  It’s a shame, all this does is destroy the product/brand.  Hopefully the upcoming price increase will eliminate some of these issues.

I’ve found consistently now post Covid, that 3-4 ni sailings are far worse than 7+. Add to that low prices (Interior for two for less than 300-500$) and the market and it’s inevitable. Prior to and during Covid we did 4ni cruises from Port Canaveral on MSC and a couple on Celebrity. No more. There are a lot of first time cruisers that truly are looking for a booze cruise. Venezia is offering 3-4ni sailings out of the NY market fkr the first time for the market, Id probably pass. Of course, YMMV. 

[caribe123]

I agree that passengers tend to come and go, so that each cruise has its own personality. I believe the cruise in question was a 5 day cruise, summer season, out of New York and pricing.

 

When  we go in November on the Venezia it will be for 11 days, which may be more than what the more unruly passengers are willing to pay, IMHO.  Being before Thanksgiving may knock out the younger crowd.  We are hoping that the makeup of the cruise passengers will lean more toward an older more mature crowd. 

[TxTeach79]

Nope. Length. 

[BobbiSox]

There's one in every crowd; more than one, usually, on short Carnival cruises. 

[JimmyTheSaint]

There's a few things in common about the latest fight on board video with a couple of similar incidents last year. They all have in common the time ( very early am hours ) the location ( nightclub) participants ( group travel) same home dock ( New York) and the same ethnicity involved. I'm not trying to provoke anyone or anything I'm just pointing out the common elements of the recent fights on board.

[crazycatlady82]

My understanding is that this cruise was 8 nights, at least according to the book of face. The video of the fight was rough…but it was interesting, because one of the commenters talked about the worse fight they saw was actually on Disney. I believe if you search the ship life on the ‘tube, there is more information. 
 

We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t seen a fight. I don’t think they happen to frequently but it cheapens the brand. We like carnival but it’s sad. I have a goal of cruising on every carnival ship before they retire but there are a few that are at the bottom of the list because of the reputation (like Conquest). 

 

[broadwaybaby123]

I think it all has to do with how Carnival handles the fights.  This problem isn't just limited to Carnival.

 

I saw the one of the Venezia from last week on YouTube, and while I certainly agree with the direction that Carnival is taking in terms of consequences, it's more or less the ineffectiveness of the security staff that has me re-thinking my cruise on the Venezia next year.  I'll be travelling with my 11 year old niece, I can't risk her safety if the crew acted like they did in that video.

 

For now, I'm not making any rash decisions and want to wait and see how Carnival addresses this (if they do) situation this coming week.

[Joebucks]

It's taboo to tell the truth anymore. Whenever you have a gathering of low-income people, the odds of a fight increase. No, that does not mean everyone with a low income will fight, nor is it exclusive to them. It is also not exclusive to Carnival. It happens all over. More so on the mass-market due to number of people and demographics. 

 

Sometimes I wonder, if the people who snub their noses at fights, have it in them that they themselves could get in one, if another passenger did something that peeved them enough. 

[havanadaydreaming]

Generally, if you get in fights on a cruise ship or all inclusive resort or airport you just might have a behavioral issue that warrants professional attention. 

 

I certainly recognize public outbursts are more common nowadays.  But despite the Venenezia video pointing to a certain demographic lets not ignore some of the hateful, divisive things said across this country by the elite.  And some elected officials.  

 

Im a lets get together and feel alright type of guy, especially on vacation. Fun is numero uno. I still havent had an altercation at sea.  

 

(Also ive hosted family cruises where my 3 twentysomething kids and their +1 have cabins and drink packages paid.  Not once have they had so much as a double take about their behavior.  But theyre the proverbial good kids, kind to others and not selfish. I got a little lucky, imho) 

[stobe1]

2 hours ago, JimmyTheSaint said:

There's a few things in common about the latest fight on board video with a couple of similar incidents last year. They all have in common the time ( very early am hours ) the location ( nightclub) participants ( group travel) same home dock ( New York) and the same ethnicity involved. I'm not trying to provoke anyone or anything I'm just pointing out the common elements of the recent fights on board.

There's nothing provocative at all about anything you said. It's an observation that you have correctly made.

[mz-s]

It's an intersection of the cost of the cruise, the home port, time of year, and length of the cruise.

 

I think we're overdue for another Christine Duffy "we take this seriously" open letter. I think we're up to 3 now..surely the 4th will fix the problem right?

[staceyglow]

2 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

 

 

I saw the one of the Venezia from last week on YouTube, and while I certainly agree with the direction that Carnival is taking in terms of consequences, it's more or less the ineffectiveness of the security staff that has me re-thinking my cruise on the Venezia next year.  I'll be travelling with my 11 year old niece, I can't risk her safety if the crew acted like they did in that video.

 

 

 

Based on what I have seen regarding where and when these fights typically take place, as long as your 11-year-old niece isn't in the nightclub at 3 a.m., she should be fine.

 

Also, I don't recall that in any of these incidents, anyone was harmed except for the people directly involved in the fights.

[mattcj89]

I think the biggest factor is homeport.
 

I used to think it mostly had to do with the length of the cruise, but I’ve been on a 3 day cruise out of Port Canaveral where people had more tact than on an 8 day out of Miami. I’ve cruised twice out of Miami (2014 - 6 day and 2023 - 8 day) and both times disembarked thinking “never again”.

 

I’ve cruised from Galveston, New Orleans, Port Canaveral, Miami and Long Beach. I’m thankful Galveston is my closest homeport, because typically it seems to attract more “go with the flow” clientele (Port Canaveral would be a close second in my experience). New Orleans has been very hit or miss with rowdy passengers and that’s coming from a mix of 7 and 5 day cruises. 
 

I think a lot can be said with these issues on Venezia out of NY. Carnival seems to have had issues with behavior regardless of the ship placed in that port or the length of the itinerary. Putting it’s nicest ship in NY was probably not the best idea IMO. Place a Spirit class ship there with fewer cabins to help drive the price up to keep the riff raff off and that’s probably the answer to keeping a ship there year round, unfortunately. 

[carol louise]

I was on the June 19 sailing out of NY on Venezia and did not know of any violence. Of course, I was never out and about at 1 am. Did see the dog strolling with his handler a couple times. I agree that length of cruise (therefore, cost) and season are more important factors than the ship. It’s summer, and Carnival has been heavily promoting Venezia for months now with tv ads. I wonder if they also offered some really good (cheap) deals?

[Sgwscruiser]

13 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Who thinks giving a freshly allowed to legally drink 21yo a card w/a 15 drink daily allotment then turning them loose to go have is a good idea? Then add in any amount of hot sun and raging testosterone couple w/peer pressure... who's surprised by the end result? Granted, many involved are well over 21, but I think you get the point.

Any adult 21 and over are limited to 15 drinks per day. The bartenders can refuse service to anyone that has over indulged.