Does the Fantasy have Gala buffet on 5 day?

[F5Loar]

It's been a few years since our last Carnival cruise and with all the cut backs do they still do the big Gala Buffet on a 5 day cruise? This is the one where they close one of the main DR to set up and then allow 30 minutes of photo taking before they open the serve lines.

[CorvetteLady]

They don't do that anymore no matter how long the cruise is. There is usually a chocolate buffet at lunch on the last day. No midnight buffets either.

[firefly333]

Iv seen a Mexican buffet on my 5 day cruises ... but the GALA is gone.

[F5Loar]

First they take away the nightly midnight buffet, then the Formal night is now "whatever" night and now no final Gala buffet. We have to print our own tickets and luggage tags.

No more packing the checked bags with our favorite sodas. No free cocktails on Captain's night. Baked Alaska gone. What next? No Lido dinner buffet at night? Let's just cut it down to everyone order room service food. That way we can eat in our PJ's, smoke in our own face, drink until we pass out on our own beds, see the show on our TVs and not worry about what others are thinking. All they would have to do is put a few slot machines in each room to make up for that lost revenue in the casino! Think of the money Carnival would be saving with that set up.

[luckycruzer]

a lot has dissappeared in the last 4 years, not to mention the last 10

[kujobie]

a lot has dissappeared in the last 4 years, not to mention the last 10

 

Amen to that..

[astropilot]

Amen to that..

 

Yep!! Cruising isn't what it used to be:( but I still manage to give them my money at least once a year :D

[suz1450]

Did you say no baked Alaska? This is my kid's first cruise & they were all excited to try thebaked Alaska:(

[nybumpkin]

Did you say no baked Alaska? This is my kid's first cruise & they were all excited to try the baked Alaska:(

They had it on our cruise on Pride last month.

[Disneycruisers]

They had it on our cruise on Pride last month.

 

They had it on our Dream cruise last month too.

 

We've only been sailing CCL for five years, so I haven't noticed as many of the cut-backs as some of you have. Our first cruise in March 2005 DID have the Gala buffet. It was the only time we ever saw one. It was incredible! The only thing, we took pictures, but were way too full to eat anything. A lot of others were just taking pictures too. We found out on a later Carnival cruise that they did away with them, because so much food was wasted. I can see why now.

 

Oh, I meant to add, this was a midnight buffet. Wasn't sure if it's the same as a Gala buffet?

[CorvetteLady]

We did our first cruise in 2003, had an OV Gty on the Conquest, we are paying less for our balcony on the Triumph in Sept. So some things have changed, some things I miss, but it is still the best vacation value around. :D

[firefly333]

Did you say no baked Alaska? This is my kid's first cruise & they were all excited to try thebaked Alaska:(

 

We had it on our July 4th Ecstasy. I dont know where that rumor came from.

 

The OP listing things that are gone ....the Captains party was replaced with the Farewell party. So few go to the farewell party Im always overloaded with drinks.

[viaggi_per_mare]

They had it on our Dream cruise last month too.

 

We've only been sailing CCL for five years, so I haven't noticed as many of the cut-backs as some of you have. Our first cruise in March 2005 DID have the Gala buffet. It was the only time we ever saw one. It was incredible! The only thing, we took pictures, but were way too full to eat anything. A lot of others were just taking pictures too. We found out on a later Carnival cruise that they did away with them, because so much food was wasted. I can see why now.

 

Oh, I meant to add, this was a midnight buffet. Wasn't sure if it's the same as a Gala buffet?

 

Fall of 2006 was the last Gala buffet we saw. They occasionally have a midnight buffet without the fanfare on some itineraries. It amount to opening the buffet late from 11pm-1am. It is almost always a Mexican buffet on the ships we were on.

The only ship we have been on in the last 2 years that has done it more than once was the Southern out of San Juan. They have a port/day so people basically come back to the ship to sleep and wake up in a new port and do it over. On that cruise, we saw a BIG push for late night activities. (The slot tournament started at 9pm with the finals at midnight) People were eating when they returned from excursions and then were hungry at midnight if they stayed up. They had about 5 small buffets in the 11pm-1am time frame as they wanted everyone awake in the casinos and other generating venues. They amounted only to opening the regular buffet for 2 hours late at night. There was no special food presentations, carving or ice sculptures.

[dclark]

They had it on our cruise on Pride last month.

 

I don't think that is what people call "baked alaska". Baked alaska (from I remember on CCL) was served last formal night. They played music and the waiters paraded out with a baked alaska each that had burning alcohol on it- it looked pretty cool. They did the same with cherries jubilee.

They keep taking things away and cutting corners yet there are always people who will say "it is still a great value". I think they could co e out with a cruise ship that consists of a barge with pup tents and bean and franks as the only food and the cheer leaders would still say "it is a great value!". I have been sailing with CCL since '98, here is what I have seen eliminated:

1) Cherries jubilee/baked alaska

2) Rum swizzle parties

3) fresh Oj

4) imported from france President brand butter

5) quality headliner entertainers

6) captains cocktail party

7) Gala buffet

8) less crowded ships

9) good dining room service (the waiters have more tables now than in the past)

10) piggy backing off the above, no more assigned waiter for breakfast/lunch

11) Pizza has been down graded with fake cheese

12) no more steel bands on the pool decks (haven't heard one in last three cruises)

13) Down grade in shampoo/body wash stuff in shower

14) down grade in food quality

15) no blended drinks at returners party

16) no more free fruit punch

17) escalation of alcohol prices

For those who poo-poo these changes as being insignificant, what would you think if you were on a CCL cruise and they put all of these things back for your cruise? You can pick away at some of these and say that they are trivial, but cut enough corners from a cruise and it simply turns into a slow way of going from island to island. I have a literally 100's of hours of video footage from our cruises,used Hi8 up to 2003, DV up to 2005, then HDV (high def) from 2005 to present. You can see the changes in the footage in how people dressed, how the MDR changed,etc.

I am a CCL plat cruiser and cruise 2-3 years a year. We have cruised every xmas or new years since '03. This year will be our first since '03 to not do a holiday cruise. Sorry, don't see the value,there are other options that are looking better. Next summer, will probably spend a week in HI instead of cruising CCL, even though we have cruised CCL almost every summer since '98.

[serene56]

The mexican buffet is held out on the Lido deck--by the pool area.

 

You will not find food at the buffet on the lido deck after 10:30. You will find midnight bites on the promanade deck from 11:30 til 1am. (and its rolled up promptlty at 1am.

 

After 1am-- you get Pizza r room service

[cruisecrazyk]

I have cruised RCI and NCL and they have cut back on most of these things also. In order to keep prices down, things must go. I will say I cruise cheaper now than I did in 2004, so I am not complaining. I believe it is a matter of survival for the cruise lines to cut back. No more free champagne on NCL when you board and no more chocolates on your pillow. No free juice and no chocolates at RCI and the food at the buffet at RCI was not the best either. The baked Alaska show I do miss however. I still believe as far as vacations go, cruising is still the best way to go but that is just my opinion..others may not agree.

[Disneycruisers]

I don't think that is what people call "baked alaska". Baked alaska (from I remember on CCL) was served last formal night. They played music and the waiters paraded out with a baked alaska each that had burning alcohol on it- it looked pretty cool. They did the same with cherries jubilee.

They keep taking things away and cutting corners yet there are always people who will say "it is still a great value". I think they could co e out with a cruise ship that consists of a barge with pup tents and bean and franks as the only food and the cheer leaders would still say "it is a great value!". I have been sailing with CCL since '98, here is what I have seen eliminated:

1) Cherries jubilee/baked alaska

2) Rum swizzle parties

3) fresh Oj

4) imported from france President brand butter

5) quality headliner entertainers

6) captains cocktail party

7) Gala buffet

8) less crowded ships

9) good dining room service (the waiters have more tables now than in the past)

10) piggy backing off the above, no more assigned waiter for breakfast/lunch

11) Pizza has been down graded with fake cheese

12) no more steel bands on the pool decks (haven't heard one in last three cruises)

13) Down grade in shampoo/body wash stuff in shower

14) down grade in food quality

15) no blended drinks at returners party

16) no more free fruit punch

17) escalation of alcohol prices

For those who poo-poo these changes as being insignificant, what would you think if you were on a CCL cruise and they put all of these things back for your cruise? You can pick away at some of these and say that they are trivial, but cut enough corners from a cruise and it simply turns into a slow way of going from island to island. I have a literally 100's of hours of video footage from our cruises,used Hi8 up to 2003, DV up to 2005, then HDV (high def) from 2005 to present. You can see the changes in the footage in how people dressed, how the MDR changed,etc.

I am a CCL plat cruiser and cruise 2-3 years a year. We have cruised every xmas or new years since '03. This year will be our first since '03 to not do a holiday cruise. Sorry, don't see the value,there are other options that are looking better. Next summer, will probably spend a week in HI instead of cruising CCL, even though we have cruised CCL almost every summer since '98.

 

Wow! I'm glad I haven't cruised as long as you have, or I'd miss those changes too, LOL!

 

It's the same way airlines have cut back. It's getting outright ridiculous. (Though, I do admit, we're paying the same airfare to NYC and back that we did in 1985.) My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I'd be willing to pay more for an airline ticket if it meant being treated with more respect, as a passenger, and not being nickeled and dimed to death for everything. Oh, how I miss those days.

[nybumpkin]

I don't think that is what people call "baked alaska". Baked alaska (from I remember on CCL) was served last formal night. They played music and the waiters paraded out with a baked alaska each that had burning alcohol on it- it looked pretty cool. They did the same with cherries jubilee.

Unfortunately, parading around with flaming desserts violates the most recent SOLAS regulations. When we did the Chef's Table last month on Pride, the chef d'cuisine talked about the difficulty of running a galley with no open flame.