Diminishing Quality on Carnival?

Really... Funny because the first thing to offend me on my first Carnival cruise was...

For us it would have been the time we went to breakfast and were seated at a large table. Two couple who were "seasoned" cruised and two new to cruising couples, including my wife and I.

While the younger couples were excited about the trip, the "seasoned" cruisers were more than happy to tell us all of the things that were wrong with it. It was the first time I ever heard someone say that Carnival was "The Wal-Mart of the Seas" and this was in 2005!

The straw that changed our opinion on dining with strangers is when one of the "seasoned" cruisers pulled out a letter he wrote to corporate while on board to talk about how dissatisfied they were. He wanted everyone to read it! We excused ourselves shortly after the other younger couple did.

There will always be something you can find wrong, anywhere, anytime.

For us it would have been the time we went to breakfast and were seated at a large table. Two couple who were "seasoned" cruised and two new to cruising couples, including my wife and I.

 

While the younger couples were excited about the trip, the "seasoned" cruisers were more than happy to tell us all of the things that were wrong with it. It was the first time I ever heard someone say that Carnival was "The Wal-Mart of the Seas" and this was in 2005!

 

The straw that changed our opinion on dining with strangers is when one of the "seasoned" cruisers pulled out a letter he wrote to corporate while on board to talk about how dissatisfied they were. He wanted everyone to read it! We excused ourselves shortly after the other younger couple did.

 

There will always be something you can find wrong, anywhere, anytime.

You can find "grumpy cats" on any cruise! I steer clear of them.

On our last NCL cruise I could not believe how many grumpies there were on that cruise. And it was a fantastic Hawaii & transpacific cruise. It was our last time to cruise on NCL. We have been cruising with Carnival ever since then. Most of the people we encounter on Carnival are pleasant and happy to be on a cruise.

For us it would have been the time we went to breakfast and were seated at a large table. Two couple who were "seasoned" cruised and two new to cruising couples, including my wife and I.

 

While the younger couples were excited about the trip, the "seasoned" cruisers were more than happy to tell us all of the things that were wrong with it. It was the first time I ever heard someone say that Carnival was "The Wal-Mart of the Seas" and this was in 2005!

 

The straw that changed our opinion on dining with strangers is when one of the "seasoned" cruisers pulled out a letter he wrote to corporate while on board to talk about how dissatisfied they were. He wanted everyone to read it! We excused ourselves shortly after the other younger couple did.

 

There will always be something you can find wrong, anywhere, anytime.

And now all these years later, and look, you are now the seasoned cruiser, hope you enjoy many more. We tend to eat at a table for two now also, I think it's because of a couple experiences we choose not to repeat although that is not the norm.

And now all these years later, and look, you are now the seasoned cruiser, hope you enjoy many more. We tend to eat at a table for two now also, I think it's because of a couple experiences we choose not to repeat although that is not the norm.

Thanks! Well, we're certainly more seasoned. We've enjoyed all of our cruises. I guess we don't look for issues, but try to go with the flow and understand that things can happen. And, in the case of our first experience, it was easy enough to alter our plans to avoid such incidents in the future.

There are a few who are all over this, usually with little to no back up. Everyone should choose for themselves. I have seen bashing of the Sunshine and both Vista class ships from people who have never sailed on them. It appears to be the "in" thing to do.

 

 

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Yeah, Jimbo, I see them too, and I feel very sorry for these people who "would never, ever, under any circumstances, if you paid me in bars of solid gold boullion" sail on Carnival and need to pick on the low-class trash who would (btw that's 12 million passengers per year, apparently all of us the worst humanity has to offer).

I am too low-class myself to point any fingers. Maybe someday I will become a classy enough person to start throwing poisonous barbs at others for taking vacations that don't interest me. I'm working on developing that attractive trait myself.

I wonder what these discriminating posters think of people who choose to camp in tents on their vacations? Because I had to do that all the time when I was a kid and it was never one time even 1/10th as nice or comfortable as my worst day/cabin/meal on any cruise.

Yeah, Jimbo, I see them too, and I feel very sorry for these people who "would never, ever, under any circumstances, if you paid me in bars of solid gold boullion" sail on Carnival and need to pick on the low-class trash who would (btw that's 12 million passengers per year, apparently all of us the worst humanity has to offer).

 

I am too low-class myself to point any fingers. Maybe someday I will become a classy enough person to start throwing poisonous barbs at others for taking vacations that don't interest me. I'm working on developing that attractive trait myself.

 

I wonder what these discriminating posters think of people who choose to camp in tents on their vacations? Because I had to do that all the time when I was a kid and it was never one time even 1/10th as nice or comfortable as my worst day/cabin/meal on any cruise.

Lol! Precisely! Probably the same people that call most of us “deplorables”! 😂😂😂

As for camping, that was ALL we could afford to do with our 5 children when they were growing up, and we slept in 2 tents, and on the ground in sleeping bags. We cooked ALL of our meals outside, since we could not afford to take 5 children to a restaurant. Then, we washed our dishes with water we boiled. We sailed on our first cruise in 1995 for our 25th Anniversary on an old ship in a now defunct cruise line, but it was heaven. So, when I set foot on my first Carnival ship in 1999, just my hubby and me, we were sold! Now THIS was a vacation! I will never forget that ship, the Ecstasy! I only wish we had the means to share this with our children when they were growing up. We did take all 5 at one time or another since then, as adults, and with their own families. We’ve cruised Carnival, RCCL, and NCL and love them all for different reasons. Fast forward to now, as we look ahead to our future in cruising, and planning a great big family sailing for our 50th Anniversary in 2020 on the Carnival Magic. So this “deplorable” family (now of 25) will take their “crumbs” and put it towards a great Carnival Cruise! 😂😂😂😂 Happy Cruising, everyone, on no matter what line you chose, and I raise my glass to all! 🍹🍸🍷🥂🍺

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I wonder what these discriminating posters think of people who choose to camp in tents on their vacations? Because I had to do that all the time when I was a kid and it was never one time even 1/10th as nice or comfortable as my worst day/cabin/meal on any cruise.

We did a lot of camping during our marriage too, and still do with the kids every few years (although that's cabins so might not count).

We spent several summers doing tent camping as our vacation, including some where the only food was what we brought, bathrooms were port-a units (and a decent walk away), we did splurge for propane heated showers vs. cold well water though;)

I'm a pretty good cook and there are some campfire meals that I actually prefer over the cruise lines. It's hard to beat a slow roasted hot dog or marshmallow (nice and smoky and hot throughout, not just slightly warmed), but I do enjoy not having to do all the work for meals or boiling water for cleanup;)

Yeah, Jimbo, I see them too, and I feel very sorry for these people who "would never, ever, under any circumstances, if you paid me in bars of solid gold boullion" sail on Carnival and need to pick on the low-class trash who would (btw that's 12 million passengers per year, apparently all of us the worst humanity has to offer).

 

I am too low-class myself to point any fingers. Maybe someday I will become a classy enough person to start throwing poisonous barbs at others for taking vacations that don't interest me. I'm working on developing that attractive trait myself.

 

I wonder what these discriminating posters think of people who choose to camp in tents on their vacations? Because I had to do that all the time when I was a kid and it was never one time even 1/10th as nice or comfortable as my worst day/cabin/meal on any cruise.

When I went on my first Carnival Cruise last year, I was weary of the scum that I would be spending my time with, as I so frequently heard about from everyone. I got on, and it couldn't have been further from the truth. In fact, this crowd was almost preferable vs the snobby rich crowd. Over 2700 passengers on the boat, and I could count on one had how many I wish hadn't boarded. There weren't drunken bodies slewn everywhere. There wasn't kids screaming on deck. Then again I realized why I don't listen to other people's complaints.

Nice post summer sigh. No I don’t see the decline people frequently mention. After a 15 year hiatus from cruises (including Disney and Celebrity) I returned to the sea with my first Carnival cruise on the poor old beleaguered Triumph and I was amazed that the price/value ratio was better than ever.

 

Particularly this food thing gets me. Sure I guessed there were more lobsters, not that I ever got the hype anyway, but cuisine was very straightforward back in the day. In particular the buffets are enormously better than they used to be. The international variety is a lot of fun and the food compares to dining room quality.

 

I remember Disney Magic’s buffet being mostly cold cuts. In fact I hardly remember buffets at all from those 20th century cruises as everyone ate most meals in the MDR which is no longer necessary thanks to the expanded options. I was a bit of a cruise snob and worried about our first Carnival experience but we all loved it. For a budget level line it is excellent.

 

 

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Don't you know, because of "cutbacks," you don't get unlimited, record-sized, lobsters, served by your own personal butler. How dare they keep fares reasonably low. But the "nickel and dimes!". $20 if I really want a lobster. Never again!

When I went on my first Carnival Cruise last year, I was weary of the scum that I would be spending my time with, as I so frequently heard about from everyone. I got on, and it couldn't have been further from the truth. In fact, this crowd was almost preferable vs the snobby rich crowd. Over 2700 passengers on the boat, and I could count on one had how many I wish hadn't boarded. There weren't drunken bodies slewn everywhere. There wasn't kids screaming on deck. Then again I realized why I don't listen to other people's complaints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't you know, because of "cutbacks," you don't get unlimited, record-sized, lobsters, served by your own personal butler. How dare they keep fares reasonably low. But the "nickel and dimes!". $20 if I really want a lobster. Never again!

Right. The day they send a butler around to ask me what else I need help with, is the last day I cruise. I’ll get my own lobster OFF THE BUFFET if you don’t mind, okay Jeeves? Oh wait that’s shrimp. Good enough.

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Camping rocks. Still love it. Carnival rocks too. All good. :-)

Just Carnival? No absolutely not. The second time that we sailed on Royal Oasis was a tremendous disappointment. Quality of nearly everything was down, the Windjammer was very poorly managed and the ship looked way less cared for.

Nothing is the value that it once was and Carnival is no way different than anything else out there.

When I went on my first Carnival Cruise last year, I was weary of the scum that I would be spending my time with, as I so frequently heard about from everyone. I got on, and it couldn't have been further from the truth. In fact, this crowd was almost preferable vs the snobby rich crowd. Over 2700 passengers on the boat, and I could count on one had how many I wish hadn't boarded. There weren't drunken bodies slewn everywhere. There wasn't kids screaming on deck. Then again I realized why I don't listen to other people's complaints.

High five!! Lol :p That is SO TRUE. And on Carnival cruises we ALWAYS find nice people to talk to and be friends with for the entire cruise.

In November 2015, I cruised on the Carnival Splendor, and while I had an amazing time in the islands and with the friends I was with, it was almost a "last straw" situation. The food seemed to lack significantly, the ship did not seem to be maintained well, and I was really tired of waiting 45+ minutes to reboard the ship. I also started to notice more cruises with itineraries focused around cookie-cutter private island destinations, and that is not at all what I cruise for. At the time, I already had booked a December 2016 cruise on the Carnival Conquest, which I intended to be my Platinum cruise, with my August 2016 cruise intended to give me the needed nights. But, after the disappointment on Splendor, my August 2016 and August 2017 cruises went to other cruise lines just to test the waters. However, my Conquest cruise really flipped my views back to positive about Carnival, and I saw many things reversed from the Splendor in 2015.

However, I still had my alternative cruise lines booked. I enjoyed Royal, but I REALLY loved MSC, and after Divina, I immediately booked Seaview on one of my dream itineraries for July. I really loved the MSC product, the people onboard, the ship itself, the staterooms, etc. Very few complaints, it was most certainly my favorite ship to date. But, when both the Seaside and Preziosa, two ships I was considering for my December 2018 cruise, proved too expensive, I flipped back to Carnival, doing one of my favorite itineraries. So, my future consists of a ship that will be 24 days old when I board it, and a ship that will be 24 years old.

But, I have always cruised for value and destination. If Carnival continues to offer cheap cruises to islands I like to go to, I will continue to book their cruises. The onboard experience is not so bad that I would never go again, but I certainly prefer MSC over both Royal and Carnival, and that's who will win out for me.

So, as for my Platinum cruise, my Fascination cruise will be my last one before Platinum. However, I am no longer in a dire hurry to get my Platinum on Carnival like I used to be. I can now feel just as valued as a Platinum passenger on MSC as I do on Carnival.

This doesn't have anything to do with food, but Carnival went out of their way to help me in a situation, although it was MY fault.:o

We were at Roatan - Mahogany Bay. We did quite a bit of shopping before heading to the beach area. I knew I had my "driver's license" with me when I left the ship, and in that area. When we got ready to leave the area, I was looking for my Carnival pass card, and driver's license, which were together, but not this time. I looked high/low but could not find it. I didn't know what to do, so when I got back on the ship, I went to the Pursers/Help Desk. The lady told me if it was not found/turned in, I could get my passport, and they would take a picture, and I could use that for the ship and flying as well. The lady told me to check back after 6:00. I wanted to give it more time, so I thought I would check after 7:00. It wasn't within an hour, when our phone rang in our room. They ask for Brenda, and I told them it was me. She then told me she was at the Pursers/Help Desk, and someone had found my driver's license, which I was thankful to God for.:) They could have waited until I came to check and see if it was turned in, but the CALLED!!! In other words they went out of their way to do this for me, even though they are always busy.

I've only cruised on Carnival, and will be taking my 7th cruise with Carnival this summer. Although I have nothing to compare the Carnival experience to, I always look at other cruise lines and do some comparison shopping before I book. I have always chosen Carnival because the itineraries are very similar and the price of a 7 or 8 day on Carnival is significantly less than a 3 or 4 day on Disney, or a 7 day on any other line. I always eat in the dining room for breakfast and dinner, and find the food to be good. Robes are available upon request. Also, I have always enjoyed myself on Carnival. I've never really enjoyed the theater shows but i have really enjoyed the addition of the Punchliner Comedy Club. Round that out with the Seaside Theater, Sportsworks, mini-golf and Waterworks, and a couple of umbrella drinks, and I'm great. I just wave to the folks on the other ships when i see them in port and think "wow, i paid for airfare and the cruise for less than what those folks paid for their cruise alone." Best to you.

We started cruising in 2005 with NCL and took 3 cruises with them. Our last cruise with NCL was a beautiful cruise to Hawaii and transpacific. It was for our 25th wedding anniversary. The one negative that had our heads shaking was the amount of people complaining on that cruise. We couldn't understand it all. We avoided the whiners as much as possible, but there were way too many seemingly unjustified "grumpy cats".

We were already silver status with NCL, due to the length of those 3 cruises, but we decided for our next cruise we would give Carnival a chance. Well we are within 6 days of being Plat. on Carnival and we have been very happy staying with them. We meet a lot of really nice people and we enjoy the meals we have whether it's in the MDR, steakhouse, or the other restaurants. We do really like the 2.0 upgrades, but found that they are not necessary to enjoy a cruise. They are just an added bonus. My favorite class of ship is the Dream class, but after taking a cruise on the Paradise and Ecstasy this past year, I was pleasantly surprised. The only negative on that class is the small amount of balcony cabins.

I think Carnival does a great job of providing a good product at a great value. However I do shop for price and itinerary and may have to try another line for a "new" itinerary that isn't offered by Carnival.

This doesn't have anything to do with food, but Carnival went out of their way to help me in a situation, although it was MY fault.:o

 

We were at Roatan - Mahogany Bay. We did quite a bit of shopping before heading to the beach area. I knew I had my "driver's license" with me when I left the ship, and in that area. When we got ready to leave the area, I was looking for my Carnival pass card, and driver's license, which were together, but not this time. I looked high/low but could not find it. I didn't know what to do, so when I got back on the ship, I went to the Pursers/Help Desk. The lady told me if it was not found/turned in, I could get my passport, and they would take a picture, and I could use that for the ship and flying as well. The lady told me to check back after 6:00. I wanted to give it more time, so I thought I would check after 7:00. It wasn't within an hour, when our phone rang in our room. They ask for Brenda, and I told them it was me. She then told me she was at the Pursers/Help Desk, and someone had found my driver's license, which I was thankful to God for.:) They could have waited until I came to check and see if it was turned in, but the CALLED!!! In other words they went out of their way to do this for me, even though they are always busy.

You're very lucky!

I failed to mention this when I replied earlier.

It is possible that things have changed over the past few years. When I checked a few years ago, Carnival "state rooms" were a tad larger than the other ships. I compared Carnival to RCCL, NCL, Holland American and Princess. At the time I looked, the inner state room which I normally use, was a tad larger than the other cruise lines.

Camping rocks. Still love it. Carnival rocks too. All good. :-)

We camped all across the USA one summer. 6 kids and parents. We got the tent, they got the mini camper. Great times.

We camped all across the USA one summer. 6 kids and parents. We got the tent, they got the mini camper. Great times.

Occasionally you get the best of both worlds on a Carnival cruise.

We have cruised mostly yearly on Carnival since 2004 with a couple skipped years in that time frame due to family schedules. Since 2004 we have noticed the cutbacks but only one of those has moderately bothered us, and that is the nightly shows in the theater. From what I believed were truly "Vegas quality" shows with live bands back then, have turned into more of a production of a high school drama club today.

I don't know if I am mistaken, but it seems to me from 2004 until now I haven't noticed much if any of a price increase for a balcony room 7 day cruise. So I guess what I am saying is a Carnival cruise is a good bargain IMHO. If it was up to me would I be willing to pay $100 bucks a ticket more to get professional acts back and maybe a few more perks? Absolutely. But i'm guessing Carnival thought about that and thought some people may not be as agreeable. As mentioned before Carnival sees a niche in the cruise industry and they fill it very well. I'm sure we might notice improvements in food (although we have always been extremely happy with Carnivals food quality and choices) shows, and other amenities with more expensive lines, but I would be nervous that we would miss the fun laid back atmosphere/passengers on the Funships.

I went on a very luxurious cruise years ago that had:

Fresh oj in the buffet, prime rib served twice in the buffet, imported french butter for your bread, three different free cocktail parties, activity bags/helium balloons for children as they boarded the ship, full bands for the shows, three different entertainers that were flown in at ports to entertain, assigned wait staff that even at breakfast and lunch, would serve you.

This was on the CCL Elation back in '99.

My plat perks are ok, but the cruise experience I got back then was far superior.For the curious, I was on a four day sailing on the Ecstacy and was told that was the last ship in the fleet to still have assigned servers for all three meals. I use CCL only when I want a cheap cruise that goes to some ports I want to see. The RCL mega ships are awesome, but they go to the same old same old ports.

The one cruise line that offers a little more of what I like about CCL and a little less of what I don't like about CCL is Princess. I just wish they had regular summer cruises.

I keep saying I'm going to try one of the more luxurious brands but I keep booking Carnival.I guess its because I can do two cruises for the price of that one. So I just keep complaining while i'm laying in a beach chair drinking a fruity cocktail hoping a lobster tail falls in my lap. :D

At least they haven't changed the bacon yet. My last RCI it was some kind of off brand unchewable recycled piece of tire i think. There was no bacon police needed, full pan all the time.

First let me say that my wife and I are experienced cruisers and have cruised on Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal thus far. This post is not meant to bash on Carnival in any way... just looking for opinions. Does anyone else notice that it seems like Carnival is really going down hill quality wise? Food problems (quantity, variety, and temperatures), customer service issues, common area ship and stateroom cleanliness complaints, poor entertainment, etc. Is it just me or does it seem like Carnival is having problems? Our last Carnival cruise was very disappointing and we both agreed that our Carnival days were over until changes were made. Many small things like return guest perks, mints on the pillows, and complimentary toiletries in the stateroom bathrooms, to much larger issues like food, cleanliness problems, and a general feeling of a lack of concern for customer satisfaction. It also seems to me like the fleet is showing signs of age and they do not seem to be keeping pace with other lines in regard to introducing newer ships with more current features. I do understand that they try to be the "value" line and must keep costs low, but it just seems like their has been a real effort to take away the few last remaining reasons that we would choose to sail with them in the future.

I agree with most of what you said. But for me, the reason that I am teetering on the verge of looking for a new line is the absolute REFUSAL of Carnival to do ANYTHING about the out of control kids. Each cruise that I take (1 or 2 a year for the last ten years) has gotten worse. It came to a head on a recent cruise to Australia where a pack of young teenage kids were basically terrorizing the ship. They were more than just rowdy. They were verbally abusive, and physically dangerous to some smaller kids and older passengers. I saw them knock down an elderly man and just keep going. They stormed into the serenity area most nights and would verbally abuse the adults there until security came. Then they would stand on the deck above and continue the abuse.

On U.S. cruises, there are entire sections of the ship that I have to avoid now, like the main pool in the afternoon and the pizza place late at night.

The one common thread is that every single time I go to the staff, they tell me there is nothing they can do. After begging the staff for help on that Australia cruise with nothing done (the Cruise Director herself said "well what do you want me to do about it, throw them off the ship?") we departed. On the very next cruise a young kid threw a ketchup bottle from the lido down 10 decks and narrowly missed a passenger in the atrium.

It has to stop. I can put up with all the little cut backs, but Carnival clearly does not care about returning customers like me as much as they want new cruisers with 5 out of control kids.

I think it's unwise to eat this extra fatty and greecy fast food, that's twice as bad as McDonald's. My one and only Guy's Burger, had twice as much mayo as meat, and even after scraping as much off as possible, it was gross... and I felt drained for a couple hours.

I hope you have been able to move on emotionally......:rolleyes: