Rising Costs and Decreased Services

Just off the Triumph last week. Got a low room rate but other costs have increased a good bit.

Port fee - $100 for five days

Gratuity - $195 for three

Afternoon tea - $1.95 charge for any tea other than a Lipton (which I could get on Lido)

Excursions have increased. Some that we could have gotten through an outside

agency were forbidden to compete with Carnival.

No bathrobes.

No refrigerator. Ice has to be requested.

Turn down service was confusing. Sometimes, he did morning and sometimes afternoon even though we had chosen.

Charge for a lot of room service items.

I'm only 8 sailing days from Platinum, so I will struggle on. It seemed to be very costly for 3 people this time.

Since it appears that you only sail on Carnival, you really have no point of reference as to value. Sometimes it is good to venture out and try something new. See what it costs and see what you get for the money.

Just off the Triumph last week. Got a low room rate but other costs have increased a good bit.

Port fee - $100 for five days Carnival doesn't have any control over port fees, they are dicated by the ports that you choose to cruise.

Gratuity - $195 for three Gratuities have only increased $.95 in the last year or so, but this information was readily available, so it shouldn't have been a surprise.

Afternoon tea - $1.95 charge for any tea other than a Lipton (which I could get on Lido) Again, this was discussed in detail when the change happened. I believe that the attraction for afternoon tea is the "idea" of afternoon tea, not the tea itself. Previously, those "premium" teas were also available on the Lido as well.

Excursions have increased. Some that we could have gotten through an outside

agency were forbidden to compete with Carnival. Did you take advantage of the excursion price guarantee? I received a great deal of OBC on my last cruise for that.

No bathrobes. Did you ask for them?

No refrigerator. Ice has to be requested. Not every ship has refrigerators in the cabins, and not all cabin categories. This information is readily available either on CC or by a simple Google search. Yes, you have to ask for ice, but you should only have had to ask one time.

Turn down service was confusing. Sometimes, he did morning and sometimes afternoon even though we had chosen.

Charge for a lot of room service items. The room service items that were always free are still free. They have added some "premium" items to the menu. If you don't want them, don't order them.

 

I'm only 8 sailing days from Platinum, so I will struggle on. It seemed to be very costly for 3 people this time.

It seems as though you are an experienced Carnival cruiser, but maybe you should spend a little more time on these boards or use some other means to find out a little bit more about what to expect on each ship and what changes Carnival may have made since your last cruise.

I have only cruised Carnival and been cruising with them for years. They do seem to be trying to live up to the term someone described them as before "Walmart of the Seas". The rates have stayed ok, gratuities and other things have gone up while service and quality have gone down. Things that used to make the cruise special have been stripped. I still cruise with them and will be leaving in 105 days an the Elation. If they need to raise the rates to give us what we are used to getting, raise them. For people that have never cruised, it's ok. They don't know what they are missing because they never had that great level of cruising as us.

Just off the Triumph last week. Got a low room rate but other costs have increased a good bit.

Port fee - $100 for five days

Gratuity - $195 for three

Afternoon tea - $1.95 charge for any tea other than a Lipton (which I could get on Lido)

Excursions have increased. Some that we could have gotten through an outside

agency were forbidden to compete with Carnival.

No bathrobes.

No refrigerator. Ice has to be requested.

Turn down service was confusing. Sometimes, he did morning and sometimes afternoon even though we had chosen.

Charge for a lot of room service items.

 

I'm only 8 sailing days from Platinum, so I will struggle on. It seemed to be very costly for 3 people this time.

What do you mean by a charge for teas other than Lipton? Do you mean there were upgraded fees for Earl Grey or Green?

As for the rest of it, we too have only sailed Carnival, but we have toured ships on other lines and every line has their own add-ons for which they charge. Also, port fees are not determined by Carnival, they are negotiated with the ports (governments) where they dock.

Just off the Triumph last week. Got a low room rate but other costs have increased a good bit.

Port fee - $100 for five days

Gratuity - $195 for three

Afternoon tea - $1.95 charge for any tea other than a Lipton (which I could get on Lido)

Excursions have increased. Some that we could have gotten through an outside

agency were forbidden to compete with Carnival.

No bathrobes.

No refrigerator. Ice has to be requested.

Turn down service was confusing. Sometimes, he did morning and sometimes afternoon even though we had chosen.

Charge for a lot of room service items.

 

I'm only 8 sailing days from Platinum, so I will struggle on. It seemed to be very costly for 3 people this time.

Gratuities have gone up. Yep.

Port fees - they are what they are. Ports set them, Carnival just passes it on.

You need to ask for the robes.

Not all cabins have refrigerators.

An agency that contracts with Carnival cannot offer excursions outside of their contract however Carnival cannot forbid other private companies from offering excursions.

An issue with turn down - talk to the steward and straighten it out or call GS.

Don't go to tea or bring your own preferred tea.

There is 'hot' room service for a fee. There is also a room service menu with no fees.

Requesting ice - not really an issue. Why should they bring it if you don't want or need it? Just to let it melt?

I think most things they do are an attempt to keep costs down. It is after all a for profit business.

Costs go up for most things. I would rather they slow the rising costs of the cruise itself and if they need to eliminate some fru-fru to do it, that is fine by me. It is a vacation and still one of the best values out there for a week long vacation.

I used to pay 35 cents a gallon for gas and didn't have to pump it myself.

My parents bought a 3 bedroom 3 bath house for $17,500 years ago.

My first car only cost me $3500

A twinkie used to cost me 12 cents

My first job, I started at $1.35 an hour

I have to say that I have not sailed Carnival in a few years and have been sailing on NCL and I have to say that Carnival's prices are so much less than NCL and I am excited to get back and sail on Carnival again. It is all relative though, prices do go up every year, sometimes it is noticeable and sometimes it is not.

What do you mean by a charge for teas other than Lipton? Do you mean there were upgraded fees for Earl Grey or Green?

Early Grey isn't free anymore. Only Lipton and Green Tea. At least that's the way it is on Glory. I bring my own.

Early Grey isn't free anymore. Only Lipton and Green Tea. At least that's the way it is on Glory. I bring my own.

This is true. They also have an assortment of other tea flavors available for $1.95. Easy to carry-on your own, just as you said.

One reason we are sailing Princess now half the time.

Early Grey isn't free anymore. Only Lipton and Green Tea. At least that's the way it is on Glory. I bring my own.

I'm not really a complainer since everything everywhere is always going up and up BUT charging for Earl Grey (my favorite) and Green tea seems pretty petty to me. I drink different brands of Earl Grey and 90% of them are manufactured in the same place as Lipton tea.

I'm not really a complainer since everything everywhere is always going up and up BUT charging for Earl Grey (my favorite) and Green tea seems pretty petty to me. I drink different brands of Earl Grey and 90% of them are manufactured in the same place as Lipton tea.

Green tea is still free.

Just off the Triumph last week. Got a low room rate but other costs have increased a good bit.

Port fee - $100 for five days

Gratuity - $195 for three

Afternoon tea - $1.95 charge for any tea other than a Lipton (which I could get on Lido)

Excursions have increased. Some that we could have gotten through an outside

agency were forbidden to compete with Carnival.

No bathrobes.

No refrigerator. Ice has to be requested.

Turn down service was confusing. Sometimes, he did morning and sometimes afternoon even though we had chosen.

Charge for a lot of room service items.

 

I'm only 8 sailing days from Platinum, so I will struggle on. It seemed to be very costly for 3 people this time.

I have cruised many cruise lines and recently with Carnival. First of all, I don't believe for a minute, as another poster claims, that Carnival is a "Walmart" cruise line.

As for the OP - I get somewhat of a better price, a different itinerary but the same things - Royal and Norwegiean also charge for hot items on their room service menu, port and gratuities have increased across the board on most cruise lines ( I don't mind the gratutities since they go to the crew). I don't shy away from asking anything that I am supposed to have and I have - some people just let ice melt in their room -- we use it and I had to ask my cabin steward the fist day on the last cruise - I had ice every day morning and night the rest of the cruise and a smile to go along with it.

Of the above, the only thing I really do object to is the tea -- I know that they are charging for it but I don't think they should.

If truth be told, all cruise lines except maybe for the luxury cruise lines, are in some shape or form "nickel and diming" the passengers. The new phase seems to be private adult areas for fee or cabins that only allow access to private areas at a higher cost. It is up to us whether we're willing to still cruise or or as you said still cruise with the same cruise line.

In all honestly it seems like the prices are less than I paid 20 years ago. I haven't found any changes that really bother me and don't see much difference when on the other lines of up charges.

Maybe I am different, but I could care less about turndown service. I prefer to reuse the towels to save on dumping detergent into the ocean. I could even make my own beds if needed to. Our last cruise I asked about the robe, more because I didn't want to be charged for it if was supposed to be in the room. The steward brought us fresh robes within an hour. I see people on these ships complaining about every little thing, I heard one woman at Customer Service pissed off because they didn't leave a bedtime chocalate on her pillow. All in all cruising is one of the most affordable (almost) all- inclusive vacation you can take. While I am ranting, what about the people on Facebook pleading with John Heald for some chocolate covered cherries because it's heir birthday or anniversary. It's your event, that's what the fun shops are for, quit begging. These comments are not directed at the original poster. Ultimately it's your vacation, so make th best of it.

I shop Wal-Mart and don't think that is a bad thing! They have the products I want at a price I believe is good. So, is that a bad thing?!? To me, my first Carnival cruise in 1997 was far more costly than my upcoming one in January...at least the cruise price was. granted, there were probably more "free" things back then, but I have an option to either ignore the up charge items or pay the price if I want to participate. Compare your total cost for a week long cruise to a week long stay at a beachfront property in Destin and I think the "value" will soon become obvious! :)

OMG!! the tea bandits are on the loose!!! jk!! =)

Even at Walmart prices are up and service has decreased. :D

The tea they charge for is premium tea. Lipton tea is still free. Nobody has to pay for the premium tea.

Cheapskates are on the increase which is reflected in the tips going up.

Ice and robes available on request. Reducing waste is one way to keep prices lower.

Fantasy class ships, and Destiny/Sunshine, Victory, and Triumph never did have refrigerators in most of the cabins.

Shore excursion operators under contract to Carnival are usually not allowed to let passengers book independently. This is nothing new. There are usually competing local vendors you can book with, but of course, when you book outside of the cruise line, you accept all risk.

I used to pay 35 cents a gallon for gas and didn't have to pump it myself.

My parents bought a 3 bedroom 3 bath house for $17,500 years ago.

My first car only cost me $3500

A twinkie used to cost me 12 cents

My first job, I started at $1.35 an hour

Exactly!!! Their costs are going up and IMO they still offer the best cruise deals, of course they have to make some adjustments. I'm paying roughly the same price I did 10 years ago......

One reason we are sailing Princess now half the time.

Haven't they upped the gratuities even higher recently? Or did Carnival as well?

I'm so old I can remember when a Motel Six actually cost $6 a night, or a Super Eight $8. I can remember when gas was 25 cents a gallon and a stop at the station meant that for a $3 fill-up I got my window's washed, my oil checked, and my gas pumped. I can remember bus fare to town was 5 cents, a coke was 5 cents, movies were a quarter, a paper back book was 25 cents, and hamburgers were 5 for a dollar.

My first job also paid 85 cents an hour and I earned enough over the summer to pay my college tuition, buy clothes, and have enough left over for spending money for the school year.

Economic change is inevitable...and to dwell on it like someone is purposely out to rob you every time prices increase or service goes down shows a very poor grasp with economic truism. It may be a good exercise to look at what a dollar buys in relation to a dollar earned.

Haven't they upped the gratuities even higher recently? Or did Carnival as well?

I believe Carnival did it a few months ago and about 10 days ago while on Princess cruise they announced the same via an email.

One day, one park for Disneyland last week was $95. 1995 ocean view on the Elation for 7 nights was $200 higher for the same week on the Magic last fall.

Price a 3 day weekend in San Diego or even at a river view balcony hotel in San Antonio.

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And if you are paying the same number of dollars for the cruise that you did 10 years ago, you're only paying 83%, or 20 years ago 66% of what you paid then. What else gives you the same product for 66% of what it cost before? For them to make the same profit they did then, and to pay for the same services you got back then, prices would be 50% higher than 1996. Would you be cruising at those prices?