Sargent_Schultz

A good steak is a fantasy in itself. I do wear jeans to both MDR and steakhouse. Tee shirts, not so much.

I never associate table cloth with elegant just proper/nice. Clearly looking nice is something Carnival gave up on. I cruise Carnival so my budget could not allow for 'elegant' restaurant but I know nice looking. I would never put real plates on a table without a piece of cloth, heck sheet if necessary. Clothes made the man and cloth make the table setting. JMOP!

 

Aside, won't the spills and hot plate ruin the wood or are they going to plastic tops. I use a table pad to protect my 'formal' table plus runners and placemats for the regular one.

The tables in the steakhouses seem to do just fine.

And you got this statistic from?

One of the blatantly anti-Carnival polls some also like to quote.

http://www.jdpower.com/content/press-release/BNsKy1W/2013-cruise-line-satisfaction-report.htm

"Price (53%) and past experience with brand (39%) are the two primary reasons for selecting a cruise line."

Cold is a relative term, but then I've snorkeled in Alaska. The first sea day you'll see people in the pool - more if it is sunny. I think kids are usually first to take the plunge.

No table cloths? Will my fare be cheaper since Carnival will cheapen my dining experience? There's no table cloths in the buffet, so it doesn't really make a difference. It won't make the food taste any better that's for sure.

No, but they also aren't raising fares to cover the cost of the new tables.

There are no tablecloths in several of the steakhouses, but people still pay $35pp extra to eat there.

I don't eat tablecloths so they have no impact on the taste of my food.

That is subjective. While price is a factor for us and for most that I know, it is not the number one factor. For us it is usually a matter of when we can go, where we want to go, and then price comes into play. Sometimes there is a certain ship or type of ship and then price plays even less of a factor....but I have to say for a fact that price was never our number one factor. It was usually a deciding factor AFTER we had our choices narrowed down to a few choices that met our wants.

Statistically it is the number one factor. It doesn't mean it is the number one factor for everyone.

No Tandoor on Carnival Sunshine.

Been on the ship twice and going again in February. I have posted lots of pictures.

Enjoy your cruise!

One of the middle pools is covered and heated on Spirit class ships and open to all.

Carnival Spirit in Alaska

You must be on saturday's sailing. I saw there were 6 or 8 grand suites left and figured they would be trying to unload them. lol They must have gotten someone to take them because they are all gone except U69 (HC) now.

There are big differences between "junior" suites and grand suites on that ship.

JH just posted on FB that the Suess breakfast will be held in a private room. Not to ever interfere with the seaday (formerly comedy) brunch.

I never doubted it.

When you serve thousands of people at a meal, or perhaps millions on Royal's leviathans, it IS banquet food.

Walmart = Carnival

 

Target = RCCL / NCL.

 

Huge difference between the shoppers in both stores.

Yes. The Walmart shoppers know they get the same or better merchandise, cheaper. Who cares what the shopper space ratio of aisle 6 is? :p:D:p

Thank you again for the great photos. I enjoyed them. Did you upload any of the menu's?

You're welcome and thank you! Why yes, yes I dd. :) And the Patters, too..

Yes, and you know what is said about a good fantasy;)

actually I don't, but am pretty sure a shipload of people don't share the same one.

Food and ambiance are both subjective, however the food is real. The rest is part of an illusion/fantasy/whatever.

I have seen larger people try to move into the booths or the two people tables and they almost wiped out the tablecloth and place setting .

Have come close myself. :o

upsell fairy with pathetic offer

 

Whether $350 is worth it to you to move from an inside to a balcony is a reasonable point.

It works out to 25 per person per day .It would easily be worth it to me for a 7 day cruise.

 

What I don't get is your use of the word "pathetic". Why pathetic? This seems like an extreme word for this offer.

 

If it wasn't worth it to you, so be it but the using this word seems like an over-statement.

I agree. The OP may not have liked the deal, but hopefully others will realize it was a fair offer and not expect to be able to wheel and deal - at least not if they are interested in an inside to balcony upgrade.

Without knowing how many days this cruise is it's hard to say how good or bad it is, but if its at least 7 days, less than $600 is pretty good. Maybe not to you, but it is to some.

 

 

GO MIZZOU!!!!!!!

7 days. $350 is excellent.

I would not expect prices to vary much in a week when booking a last minute cruise. Just does not seem reasonable.

So does this mean that is one less day to have a sit down breakfast if you don't want to eat with people dressed in costumes and a bunch of toddlers? This will definitely draw more of the under 8 crowd and my kids are much older and I'm done with all of that kiddie stuff and good riddance.

 

Seriously will have to look at Princess now that they have a ship in the Caribbean in the summer.

Not at all but if you want to look at Princess, by all means do so. We have a Princess cruise booked next year, but also several Carnival cruises.

I think besides a little revenue the $5.00 charge is a way to limit participation/crowd control. If it was free, all the folks complaining on these boards would be the first to enter the dining room for their plate of Green Eggs and Ham.

and whine and complain if they couldn't use their free drink coupon at a children's event. :p

Why would other lines want to match Carnivals prices when people are willing to pay more?

 

Bill

Price is still the number one factor when searching for a cruise.

I think the counter offer was pathetic. I might have chuckled too.

Looking at our Carnival Dream cruise, the price differential between an inside and balcony cabins is over $500.

I would have gone for the balcony but would prefer a cove. $350 sounds reasonable and fair to me.

 

 

From the Grill: This is the new version of the Everyday menu. Gone are the hamburgers and Indian Vegetarian items. It does offer you a daily option of a chicken, steak, pork chop, or fish dish.

 

A hamburger has always been available from the Kid's menu, if no where else.

Some better steaks are offered on the grill menu.

Very strong points. Carnival: The Hotel Ships. You can tell from the exterior that they care not for exterior design whereas other cruise lines (not all) have truly beautiful ships. Carnivals are just decks of rooms slapped on top of each other.

 

I don't think Carnival will vanish but I do think, based off of historical events and trends, that Carnival will emerge as a true budget-online cruise line for those who need the cheapest cruise experience possible. The MDRs will slowly be phased out as will the entertainment (Oh wait...thats already happening)

One of Carnival's strong points. I know what to expect when I set foot on Carnival and with the branding, even more so.

It leads to economies of scale others can only envy, and prices impossible for others to meet or beat long term.

The demographic that Carnival is after hasn't changed, it is just that some have aged out of it.