Out With The Old...In With The New

[crusinpeg]

I just recently booked a cruise after not cruising for a few years and I've been reading of several changes. Out is the fresh berries at breakfast and the free decks of cards for example...but in is lemonade instead of just iced tea and the offering of gelato for a price.

What are some ins and outs that you have noticed?

[cruiseron36]

I had fresh berries every morning at breakfast last October on the Crown. The addition of lemonade to iced tea is a good thing. I guess I don't understand the question?

[crusinpeg]

The question was simple..... what recent changes one might have noticed..what things might have been added or taken away

[gooch47]

I just recently booked a cruise after not cruising for a few years and I've been reading of several changes. Out is the fresh berries at breakfast and the free decks of cards for example...but in is lemonade instead of just iced tea and the offering of gelato for a price.

What are some ins and outs that you have noticed?

 

I think that was the question that was unclear, not the whole ins and outs part.

[paul929207]

Pizza delivery is fairly new. It comes with a $3 delivery charge.

[Iamcruzin]

I saw fresh berries at breakfast in the Horizon court but I was there very early so they may not refill them once they are gone. I also ordered fresh berries but it was at dinner (Anytime dining). I asked for some berries with my cheese cake with the intention of just getting a few on top. The waiter brought me a bowl on the side with whip cream. I never noticed lemonade but I also wasn't looking for it since I purchased the ultimate card.

Out: mailing documentation and luggage tags.

In: Printing documentation and luggage tags. I prefer this method.

 

In: They added an additional traditional first seating. So now they have early early seating and early seating.

In: Free soft serve ice cream at scoops

Out: Free so called home made ice cream at 3:30 to 4:00 in Horizon court.

you can still get the home made in the MDR at lunch or dinner. If you slected anytime dining you can just go to the dining room when it's open for lunch and dinner and just get ice cream or any other dessert.

[oratheeexplorer]

I just recently booked a cruise after not cruising for a few years and I've been reading of several changes. Out is the fresh berries at breakfast and the free decks of cards for example...but in is lemonade instead of just iced tea and the offering of gelato for a price.

What are some ins and outs that you have noticed?

 

 

Good luck getting the lemonade......most of the time when I asked for it, I never got it......and when I did, it took forever and I was done eating before it came......this was in the buffet and out by the burger grill......

[paul929207]

Good luck getting the lemonade......most of the time when I asked for it, I never got it......and when I did, it took forever and I was done eating before it came......this was in the buffet and out by the burger grill......

I guess it depends on the ship. On the Ocean Princess it is available from the buuet dispenser that serves ice tea and water and juice at breakfast.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Peg,

 

Welcome back...what ship are you on? The gelato, for instance, is available on the new larger ships with International Cafe'. And by the way if you are on a ship with an international cafe', the items available free of charge are great!!

[SwissDave]

Out - sending telegrams

In - email.

 

 

Sorry...couldn't resist.

[paul929207]

MUTS is also new

[Infi]

Fresh berries were available at breakfast on our recent Christmas cruise if you asked for them. They do get a little harder to come by towards the end of the cruise, though.

[crusinpeg]

Peg,

 

Welcome back...what ship are you on? The gelato, for instance, is available on the new larger ships with International Cafe'. And by the way if you are on a ship with an international cafe', the items available free of charge are great!!

 

We'll be on the Ruby. What are some of the items that are "free of charge?"

[paul929207]

regular coffee, tea, water, juice with breakfast, lemonade with lunch, milk.

all meals in MDR & buffet

games like trivia

[sunsetbeachgal]

Oh...all of the wonderful items at the International Cafe, with the exception of the gelato. The IC has morning fresh baked pastries, nice salads, small sandwiches and quiches at lunch and of course more pastries. And fresh cookies in the afternoon. It is a lovely place to sit in the atrium and people watch and relax. We get the coffee card for specialty coffees and that entitles you to nice fresh brewed coffee. There is sushi at Vines that does not have a charge.

[Woobstr112G]

As others have previously stated, the soft serve ice cream is now free (in). The unfortunete "out" is the fact that the ice cream bar near the pool (at least what I saw on the Ruby) no longer offers the different ice cram treat options they did when the ice cream wasn't free. Personally I didn't mind paying for the ice cream and miss the banana splits, shakes, etc.....:(:(:(

 

Bob

[A&L_Ont]

Out - sending telegrams

In - email.

 

 

Sorry...couldn't resist.

 

Very funny.:)

[G8RH8R]

Be sure to try the chicken salad at the IC; yum!:)

[Hlitner]

We have been cruising for a lot of years (more than 30) and have noticed many changes. Midnight buffets are pretty much a thing of the past having been replaced by twenty-four hour food options on most lines. Budget cutbacks in cuisine and entertainment are quite noticable. The days of being served nice big plump lobster tails (with never a problem getting seconds) is gone having been replaced by small (often overcooked) things often mixed with some shrimp of some other seafood filler to make the plate look full. On Princess, we used to get some real name entertainers (we had Petula Clark, Tony Bennett, etc) but these days you seldom get a name that is known outside cruise circles. Another big change is the emphasis on "maximizing on-board revenue." These days BINGO is actually expensive with the cruise ship skimming much of the revenue (they used to give it all back). Alternative restaurants (which cost extra) now serve cusine similar to what we used to get in the MDR as part of the cruise package. Most lines continue to serve a brownish liquid they call coffee, and if you want real coffee you will have to pay for it at special coffee bars (RCI now has Starbucks on some of their ships). Some ships even make you pay for ice cream. The days of very inexpensive drinks have been replaced by $12 Martinis (plus the mandatory 15%). Inexpensive wine has been replaced by $30 bottle of Mondavi Woodbridge (Princess still has some pretty fair wine prices). On Princess if you want a nice deck chair in a quiet area (away from the booming MUTS and screaming children) you can pay for your chair in the "Sanctuary." Of course they are giving you a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle (and noise of MUTS) that the cruise line has created (so you will pay to get away from it). We could go on and on about the "wonderful" changes but we still think cruise vacations are a great value and lots of fun.

 

Hank