Cutbacks you have noticed on Carnival

[Sargent_Schultz]

 

Bring back the glory of cruising, and stop the greed!!

 

 

With the glory of cruising came hefty prices. I prefer my cruises to be affordable. This is exactly why there is no first class on down to steerage class. Nobody wanted to pay for first class but they all wanted the benefits to remain.

 

If they want more, cruisers need to stop being so cheap.

 

On the casino - I deliberately left $10 on the casino account to see what would happen and lo and behold, after a few months I received a check. I know it had to cost them more than $10 to process the refund. They could have and should have just kept the $10 but didn't.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Well, I am also a shareholder(got to love the OBC).Remember, Carnival is a business,they arent trying to be our best friend. Again, ALL companies,no matter what the product are making cutbacks. The things that are listed here as cutbacks are not dealbreakers for me. They still provide a very comprehensive vacation for the money.

BTW,what is so wrong with a strong profit?

 

Actually that was about the only thing I would call a cutback. They suspended the dividend to the shareholders, or otherwise that profit would have been less.

 

The shareholders should be paid first. Bring back the dividend!

[G'ma]

People need to stop making excuses for Carnival or other cruise lines for that matter!!

 

Carnival just reported a 1 Billion Dollar profit this quarter! Yes, $1 Billion Dollars!! Just for three months!

 

Now are these cutbacks so necessary.

 

It all comes down to greed, and the customer is paying for it!!

 

 

Bring back the glory of cruising, and stop the greed!!

 

I don't think "people" are making excuses on this thread... The question was about noticing any cutbacks.

 

Some have, some haven't, some don't like the changes, others don't give a rats about them.

 

Profit, in our society, isn't greed unless the person making the profit is doing so on the backs of someone elses labor or exploiting others to enhance their bottom line.

 

Cruising isn't a mandatory activity. Nobody forces anyone to take a cruise....nobody threatens you if you don't cruise. Onboard, nobody forces anyone to spend money, play in the casino, shop in the gift areas, buy shore excursions, run up a bar bill or play bingo. It is quite possible to have an "all inclusive" cruise without spending a dime beyond the gratuities for those who wait on you hand and foot all week.

 

Those of us who love cruising will continue to cruise.... If the time comes where cost saving measures are too severe or, if Carnival starts setting up "for-fee" venues like other lines have done, many of us might rethink the whole idea...or move on to another cruise line.

 

We are all going through a bad patch right now.. All of us are cutting corners and watching our budgets carefully. That includes Carnival....but as long as the cruise I'm on offers good food, balcony cabins, the sea, a little music somewhere, I'll keep going.

 

As for the profit announcement...let me ask you a question:

 

Exxon had a 50 BILLION dollar profit last year. Did you stop buying gasoline?

 

Of course not.

[G'ma]

Absolutely nothing.

 

I think the point was that they posted a 1 billion dollar profit. Then they expect us to believe them when they cry poor mouth and cut guest benefits.

 

And, Exxon made 50 billion profit.......and gas prices are still too high.

[Sargent_Schultz]

 

Exxon had a 50 BILLION dollar profit last year. Did you stop buying gasoline?

 

 

Exxon also paid billions in taxes. People seem to forget about that, too.

[scchasgal]

Absolutely nothing.

 

I think the point was that they posted a 1 billion dollar profit. Then they expect us to believe them when they cry poor mouth and cut guest benefits.

 

Two things about this profit:

 

1) They have shareholders to report to, this is not corporate greed it is everyday individual that own shares in Carnival Corporation that expect a return on their investment

 

2) How else would they pay for the Dream and Magic?

[vacruizer]

Well, I am also a shareholder(got to love the OBC).Remember, Carnival is a business,they arent trying to be our best friend. Again, ALL companies,no matter what the product are making cutbacks. The things that are listed here as cutbacks are not dealbreakers for me. They still provide a very comprehensive vacation for the money.

BTW,what is so wrong with a strong profit?

 

I'm a shareholder, too, so I certainly understand that they are in business to make a profit. So far none of the cutbacks have been dealbreakers for me, either, but the experience isn't quite what it was a few years ago. The problem is, if you cut too much just looking at cost savings- when you get to that point where you lose or drive away customers your profit then suffers due to the cuts. Cruising relys on repeat business to a great extent - they can't afford to go too far with the cuts or risk losing the future business.

 

I am also one of those people who loves just being at sea, but I still think they are shooting themselves in the foot if they continue down the cutback road much further. If the ship becomes nothing more than a piece of metal transportation - there's nothing special to keep people coming back. Part of the allure of cruising is not just the sea but the whole package to most people - great food, pampering service, live entertainment, activities, etc. all combine to make a cruise a unique vacation so if those things start to slip too much not just Carnival but the whole industry will suffer.

[pcnsgirl]

Wait, did someone say there will be no Captain's Coctail Party and dress up night? This is important info, could save a lot of room in my suitcase. :confused:

[KAP622]

I am an avid cruiser, 12 times on Carnival and being Platinum. Just getting off the Sensation last week. The most noticeable cutback was the activites. Dont' get me wrong, I love Carnival and will always cruise with them. I hope this is temporary. Looking back at the Capers, there were very few. One a sea day, on previous cruises, there were so many activites to choose from, not this time. Has Carnival cutback all the activities on all of there cruises not matter how many days the cruise is?

 

I wonder if the lack of activities depends on the length of the cruise, ex: 3 day cruise vs 7 day cruise. What do you all think?

[vacruizer]

Wait, did someone say there will be no Captain's Coctail Party and dress up night? This is important info, could save a lot of room in my suitcase. :confused:

 

They still have the "elegant" dress code night - just not the traditional reception beforehand anymore. :(

[gaylensgigi]

I'm a shareholder, too, so I certainly understand that they are in business to make a profit. So far none of the cutbacks have been dealbreakers for me, either, but the experience isn't quite what it was a few years ago. The problem is, if you cut too much just looking at cost savings- when you get to that point where you lose or drive away customers your profit then suffers due to the cuts. Cruising relys on repeat business to a great extent - they can't afford to go too far with the cuts or risk losing the future business.

 

I am also one of those people who loves just being at sea, but I still think they are shooting themselves in the foot if they continue down the cutback road much further. If the ship becomes nothing more than a piece of metal transportation - there's nothing special to keep people coming back. Part of the allure of cruising is not just the sea but the whole package to most people - great food, pampering service, live entertainment, activities, etc. all combine to make a cruise a unique vacation so if those things start to slip too much not just Carnival but the whole industry will suffer.

 

Very valid points.Our first cruise was back when Big Red Boat did the Disney cruises. Oceanic I think. Anyway,older ship, but we did not notice.They had all of the things that have been listed in the cutbacks.We felt so pampered and special,yeah,the dancing flaming Baked Alaska was new to us and my son,then 12 was so impressed. That is when we decided cruising was the best vacation we could ever have. There have been things go by the wayside since then, but I still love it.I agree, not much more can be taken away,but the way it is now, I can still cruise and be a very happy me.

[DreadPirateRobert]

Just off the Conquest this morning and while some things have changed none of them dampened my experience one bit.

I got all the bacon I could have wanted.

I got a past guest pin.

I never ate at the midnight buffets so that didn't matter to me.

The Gala buffets were a tremendous waste of food so I'm glad to see them go.

 

Bottom line... we had a fantastic time on a great ship with a supurb crew at a good price. IMHO, anything else is nit-picking.

[babypom]

We have first time cruisers going with us on the next cruise and we had told them about the fabulous cheese, fruit and ice sculptures on the midnight buffet - I am sad we will not get the chance to show them that but I was never very hungry at that time of night anyway. At least the pizza is still there.

[MszKitty]

I agree with the OP. The activities have been cut way back (not just on Carnival, I've noticed it on other lines too). When we first started cruising in the early 80s, there were so many activities that many times it was hard to do everything I wanted to do. And sometimes they would even overlap and I'd have to make a decision on what to do. At the end we felt like we needed a vacation after our vacation...LOL

 

As far as the food and service. The food/service you get in the specialty restaurants is what I remember the food/service used to be like in the dining room. I understand the ships are bigger, therefore more people to feed and serve. But if they just added a few more waiters, at least the service would be better. (I'm not saying its bad service now, its just not quite like it used to be.)

[KAP622]

I am also glad the food and service has not been affected by the cutbacks.

[glrounds]

People need to stop making excuses for Carnival or other cruise lines for that matter!!

 

Carnival just reported a 1 Billion Dollar profit this quarter! Yes, $1 Billion Dollars!! Just for three months!

 

Now are these cutbacks so necessary.

 

Yes, if by not making cutbacks they would have only made 1/2 Billion. The dollar amount is insignificant. The ROI% (return on investment %) is what tells the story and motivates Carnival's business policies. If they can achieve a higher return on their investment in a different business then they should and would do something else (e.g., U S Steel cutting back on steelmaking and buying up convenience stores like crazy).

 

It all comes down to greed, and the customer is paying for it!!

 

Every good thing you have is the result of greed, someone wanting to provide a product or service to make AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY CAN FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR STOCKHOLDERS.

 

 

Bring back the glory of cruising, and stop the greed!!

 

In the "glory of cruising" days only those that had mastered the art of "greed", the very wealthy, were able to cruise.

No matter what your political/financial philosophy YOU are still the final arbiter. YOU,the customer, will determine if Carnival's cutbacks are a wise business decision. You can choose to cruise Carnival with its cutbacks or select another cruiseline, most of which are cutting back even more (read RCI's and NCL's boards).

[cherylcorwin]

They still have the "elegant" dress code night - just not the traditional reception beforehand anymore. :(

Captain doesn't show up for "his" party- just presents the crew on board prior to show-time. No "free" drinks for "his" party- $1 discount. There IS a "free drink" party as we're sailing back to port (making for sloppy packing, depending on the number of drinks!)

[meatball77]

Well there have been minor cutbacks on board.

 

There have also been cutbacks in prices. My cruise in April will cost less than my cruise two years ago and it goes to another port and is at a more peak time of the year.

 

If I wanted fancy fancy then I'd pay for a fancier line. As long as the food is good the service is fine, the kids programs are fun and the ship goes to great ports then I'm happy.

[shellann]

We just did any interesting comparison. We sailed a short 4 night RCI cruise Thursday to Monday with stops in Key West and Cozumel. The next week we did the exact same cruise, Thursday to Monday with Carnival (the only exception was RCI was out of Port Everglades and CCL was out of Miami). The biggest difference was that RCI did recognize their past guests with a party even on the shorter cruise but Carnival did not. Plus RCI had the traditional Captain's Party where we got to meet all the officers and had free drinks. Carnival's Captain's Night was strung out along the Promenade without any formal introduction of the officers. They kinda just walked back and forth aimlessly along the Promenade. The whole affair just felt very awkward and it was strange not "meeting" your Captain. Like someone else mentioned, Carnival did have a Farewell Party the last night but the party mood was kind of squelched by that point because you've got packing on your mind and you're well into sulking mode because your cruise is over. Maybe their plan was to cut down on the amount of free drinks consumed, I know it worked for us. Anyways, both cruises were blasts but I sure do wish Carnival would do The Quest. :D

[Kingisacruiser]

I was on the Miracle on July and received what I think are past guest pins. They were in my stateroom with an invitation to the past guests party. It was a whale tail with Carnival Miracle on it (and I didn't have to pay for it).

[oncruisecontrol]

Just got off Liberty, my biggest beef is no more past guest pins. I always liked getting one, and they didn't even have them for purchase. They have also started the new "Farewell Reception" instead of the two big Captains Galas.

 

They held the Farewell party in the smaller lounge on Promenade deck aft at 5 in the afternoon with little fanfare. It was well attended, but not anything close to the numbers you would see at the old Captain's parties.

 

Another thing is that they had no Liberty shot glasses (the ones with the little pewter plaque with the ships name on it). I don't know if this is limited to just the Liberty, but the gift shop guy said they have not seen any in over a month.

 

I hope they are not going the generic merchandise route like a lot of other places do. I'm sure it makes it cheaper and easier, but some of us collect ship specific stuff. I have heard complaints from frequent Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville patrons that they don't put the location name on the apparel anymore. Just the generic title.

 

 

Really? I just got off the Freedom last week, and I got my past guest pin.

[oncruisecontrol]

Used to be you could order salmon every night if you wanted.

 

Not anymore. Now it's on the menu one night as an entree option.

 

 

Are you sure? I just got off the Freedom last week, and there was a guy at our table who ordered the salmon almost every night. Maybe it varies slightly from ship to ship?

[cruzenagain]

I wonder if the lack of activities depends on the length of the cruise, ex: 3 day cruise vs 7 day cruise. What do you all think?

 

We were on the Legend in August and found that there were very few activities. The majority of the caper and the at a glance section that you tear off was filled with with times that shops, photograpy, coffee shop, casino, etc. opened and closed. In comparison to the other cruises we had been on the activities on our last cruise were minimal at best. Most other cruises we had to decide what we were going to miss because there was so much going on.

 

We chalked the lack of activities up to the Cruise Director that we had (we have had some CD's that keep you hopping if you wanted activities). Hopefully, this isn't an indication of things to come. We usually love sea days where we can choose to participate or just watch the world go by depending on our mood for the day. Choices sure are nice!

 

Also, we did not receive pins either time we were on the Legend this year.

[oncruisecontrol]

We just did any interesting comparison. We sailed a short 4 night RCI cruise Thursday to Monday with stops in Key West and Cozumel. The next week we did the exact same cruise, Thursday to Monday with Carnival (the only exception was RCI was out of Port Everglades and CCL was out of Miami). The biggest difference was that RCI did recognize their past guests with a party even on the shorter cruise but Carnival did not. Plus RCI had the traditional Captain's Party where we got to meet all the officers and had free drinks. Carnival's Captain's Night was strung out along the Promenade without any formal introduction of the officers. They kinda just walked back and forth aimlessly along the Promenade. The whole affair just felt very awkward and it was strange not "meeting" your Captain. Like someone else mentioned, Carnival did have a Farewell Party the last night but the party mood was kind of squelched by that point because you've got packing on your mind and you're well into sulking mode because your cruise is over. Maybe their plan was to cut down on the amount of free drinks consumed, I know it worked for us. Anyways, both cruises were blasts but I sure do wish Carnival would do The Quest. :D

 

 

What Carnival ship were you on? I was on the Freedom a week and a half ago, and they did do The Quest. It was not held on the pool deck as on past cruises; instead it was held in the International Lounge at night. I watched part of it, but then went to the piano bar. Seems like different ships are doing stuff differently. However, I was on an 8-day cruise.

[shellann]

What Carnival ship were you on? I was on the Freedom a week and a half ago, and they did do The Quest. It was not held on the pool deck as on past cruises; instead it was held in the International Lounge at night. I watched part of it, but then went to the piano bar. Seems like different ships are doing stuff differently. However, I was on an 8-day cruise.

 

Really? I was on the Carnival Destiny but I've never seen The Quest on a Carnival ship. Very cool! Was it like RCI's version? I can't imagine it being on a Pool Deck, it's definitely not for kids.