I don't plan to cruise on Splendor anymore because....

[halos]

We just got off the Freedom on Sunday, and I agree that the food and dining room service is not the same as it used to be. But then, the prices are lower too so "you get what you pay for."

 

We have one more Carnival cruise coming up, a year from now, but after that we are thinking of trying an all-inclusive style vacation instead of a cruise.

 

Our dining room experience (we had early seating) was not as good as it used to be. The servers seemed very rushed and overwhelmed. I think they had too many tables to try and take care of all at once. The food was fine, but the service was very slow. And of course they had no time for talking, or posing for pictures that last night. I didn't have the nerve to ask them, as they were already rushing here and there and trying to keep everyone happy.

 

I asked for lemons for my water the first night and got them right away. On other cruises something I asked for the first night would automatically be on the table each night after. Not this time. I had to ask again the second night, didn't get them for a long time so asked again and finally got them. After that I stopped asking and just drank it without lemons. :(

 

The buffet wasn't as good as it used to be either. But then again I know, "you get what you pay for." Maybe going for the cheapest cruise isn't the best thing...

 

Room service was great. I enjoyed my smoked salmon and cream cheese, croissant with butter and guava jelly, and fresh fruit, with coffee and tomato juice on my balcony each morning. It always came at the specified time. That is one of my favorite things to do on a cruise, have breakfast on the balcony.

 

We didn't encounter any spoiled food. My husband took the Behind the Fun tour and they stressed how careful they are with food preparation and cleanliness, and the Freedom has gotten excellent ratings for it. I can understand your frustration with encountering that problem several times on your Splendor cruise though, I would hate that too.

 

I'm glad you were able to have fun on your cruise, but sorry you had some issues that made it less enjoyable.

 

Your sentiments are echoed daily by other cc members...yet there are still those that won't acknowledge the drastic changes and those same people consistantly ridicule anyone with a complaint.

 

One of the nicest things about traditional dining on a cruise was your waiter knowing what your likes/dislikes were after the first night. With wait staff being severly overworked/overwhelmed that special service is just more difficult to find lately...You may get lucky enough to wind up with a wait staff that still 'has it', but your chances are small these days.

Before it was rare to have a bad wait staff...now it's rare to have a fabulous one.

When you are used to better and then it's gone, it's a difficult adjustment. And the majority of negative reviews are coming from long time CCL cruisers who were used to better.

Our expectations are not being met....so we lower them, or move on.

Edited February 7, 2012 by halos

[Nanaimobound]

We were so impressed with Splendor we turned around and booked again last spring.

This ship was kept clean through and through.

I experienced no problems with wait staff, but we prefer traditional dining time where your waiter gets to know you. I have heard issues about anytime dining are taking place on other lines even.

Since my first cruise with Carnival was 2010, I can't say I have noticed the change in quality, and have so far enjoyed all the food.

Is it Princess or Celebrity? No, but I can't afford a balcony on those ships, so overall cruise experience for us is really great!

[halos]

Since my first cruise with Carnival was 2010, I can't say I have noticed the change in quality, and have so far enjoyed all the food.

!

 

That may be the difference....

[pjinaz]

Glad to see my photo and response received so many responses in turn. ;)

 

Of course by now you've all figured out my sarcastic tongue-in-cheek comment about the price "being the same".

 

My point to The Princess on 'slummy' Carnival was.. that she got what she paid for

and if she simply must have Princess-style service etc. then she'd better fork out some serious moolah to get it.

 

 

Perhaps Silversea or Yachts of Seabourn would suit Madam better

-at prices no more than maybe 5% more than a Carnival cruise. :D

.

 

 

I'm tired of hearing the get what you paid for thing. Yep, Carnival is much cheaper than Crystal, Silver Sea, etc. It's on par with the mainline cruiselines. Yes many times you can find Carnival cheaper than some of the others, but not that much cheaper. I have paid less for RCCL and Princess at times than the comparable Carnival cruise. I do feel that cruising is a good value. I am cruising in March and the cost for our family of four is just under $3,000 not including tips, drinks, excursions, etc., just cruise price. I don't feel that is super cheap, and that I should expect or accept crappy food and poor service.

 

I don't expect gourmet but I do expect edible decent tasting food and decent service. I did notice last year that the food and service had declined a bit, but not terriby, if it has declined as much as it sounds on this board, that will truly be sad.

[elcuchio24]

I'm tired of hearing the get what you paid for thing. Yep, Carnival is much cheaper than Crystal, Silver Sea, etc. It's on par with the mainline cruiselines. Yes many times you can find Carnival cheaper than some of the others, but not that much cheaper. I have paid less for RCCL and Princess at times than the comparable Carnival cruise. I do feel that cruising is a good value. I am cruising in March and the cost for our family of four is just under $3,000 not including tips, drinks, excursions, etc., just cruise price. I don't feel that is super cheap, and that I should expect or accept crappy food and poor service.

 

I don't expect gourmet but I do expect edible decent tasting food and decent service. I did notice last year that the food and service had declined a bit, but not terriby, if it has declined as much as it sounds on this board, that will truly be sad.[/quote]

 

It hasn't. Believe half of what you see, and very little of what you read on these boards:)

[kruzhappy]

Anything raw including fish is horrible for your internal organs ,you'll pay later in life, but hey maybe the us gov't will tell you what you can eat and can't eat.;) They will regulate that for you just like the car you drive, what doctor you can see and what vacation you can take

 

 

Yeah, the Japanese are just dying left and right with all their stomach ailments. There are many Japanese more than 100 years old and they ate raw fish all their lives.

 

You can't blame the raw fish when it was the saturated fat, smoking, high cholesterol and binge drinking that causes someone to 'pay later in life'.

[kruzhappy]

With regards to the coffee, I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I'm almost positive that they serve Seattle's Best on board at the coffee bar. Starbucks is far from gourmet coffee as well, lol.

 

Seattle's Best is owned by Starbucks.

 

In any case, I do believe Starbucks is good quality gourmet coffee.

 

I guess I'm just in the camp that likes Starbucks and plent of others do too. Starbucks is the largest coffee company in the world, with more than 17,000 stores in 55 countries, including over 12,500 in the United States, over 1,200 in Canada and over 700 in the United Kingdom, 54 in Russia (see wikipedia).

 

Can't argue with that.

 

What kind of coffee do you like?

[LucyR.]

Nanaimobound, Your last cruise was on 2010. I cruised on Splendor from

May 2009, until Oct. 31,2010. The food was still good and not spoiled but

I noticed the service had gone downhill after 6 cruises on the Splendor.

 

I just got off the Splendor on Feb.4, 2012. I am sorry to say that things have changed for the worse.

The activities I used to enjoy are nolonger as much fun as I used to have. The food and service is not as good as it used to be.

 

I chose to warn people about certain spoiled foods so they would be careful in selecting certain foods. Kids don't complain when they eat spoiled foods and they end up getting sick. This is why I reported this

problem. Yes, some people do eat spoiled foods and think the food is safe to eat even if it does taste different.

 

Some people say you get what you pay for. Carnival has raised the rates for us solo cruisers. I am not paying $997. that I paid for just to cruise by myself and I don't need a roomie to save money. I just expect decent food and service.

I have cruised since 1973 on 7 different cruiselines. I have choices on what ships to cruise on.

 

I want to thank Edward John Smith, Oceanbums, Yvonne, Pjinaz, and

Halos for believing that I am telling the truth of my personal experience on the Carnival Splendor.

I liked the statement that Halos made that we cruisers can lower our expectations or just move-on. I have gotten tired of lowering my expectations on the Splendor and have decided to move-on to other ships and other types of travel.

 

John Edward Smith advised me to not pay attention to the "attack dogs".

I totally agree with him but I don't plan to let you naysayers call me a liar in a roundabout manner. I will confront you if I have to do that. I will not let you flamers say whatever you please and think that you can get away with slamming me. I will answer you back! LucyR.

[Aplmac]

I find it hard to believe that other people ate rotten food with no problems ????

Oh heck, come to think of it now.. :eek: I've eaten "rotten food" on six Carnival cruises so far:

 

- one on Destiny

- four on Victory

- the last one on Glory

 

 

Lido desserts on Victory

 

 

Best darned "rotten food" I ever did eat - and it stayed down!! :D

 

.

[poolreader]

Because we live on the West Coast both the Splendor and the Inspiration are easier for us than flying. We were recently on the Inspiration for the first time (it just moved to this port). The food was not good overall. Many of the things I like to eat on Carnival ships, cold soups, Eggs Benidict, crab cakes were inedible. The flavors on many other items just seemed to be off. I found plenty to eat but felt a little let down about not being able to enjoy my favorites on Carnival (except the Mongolian Beef Salad which was delicious). I have liked the food before on the 4 day out of this same port, so it must be the chef. I will still sail, because I love to sail, and I do not go only for the food. But, my husband mainly likes to eat and he is put off cruising because of the food this time. I hope I hear of improvements on this ship, maybe the chef was on vacation. However anyone sailing for the first time will probably not be encouraged to sail again. This might make the ships less full and cheaper.

I still think cruising is a good deal for my money.

[FightOnRon]

I am going in April. I really wanted to do HAL out of Sand Diego. I have to downgrade to outside cabins for this trip. I jsut recieved the HAL brochure. Same type cabin, same itnerary,,HAL ship was 500 per person more. I know there will be a tradeoff. I know the meals will not be gourmet. You hav to make a trade off somewhere. the amount I saved will pay for all my extras for the 7 days.

[DUCHESSRN]

I heard Splendor is going to East Coast , March 2013 so we will get a new ship I hope.

[bonnie&clydecruzers]

I heard Splendor is going to East Coast , March 2013 so we will get a new ship I hope.

 

Crossing my fingers hoping that Carnival decides NOT to just have the one ship here on the west coast. Looks like soon I will have no choice but to get on a airplane just to go on a cruise. :(

[DUCHESSRN]

I feel like us West Folk people are poor step children I was so sad when Mariner left .

[vladdyfan]

I probably won't sail the Splendor again because I got tired of PINK. Other than that we had a nice cruise. But it certainly was PINK.

LOL...funny!:D

[swedish weave]

I simply cannot accept the comments saying the largest cruise line in the world would be serving rotten and inedible food.

 

All cruise lines must face government inspections and must meet certain standards with their food, or they are penalized. They are also rated by various agencies on their hygeine, cleanliness, safety, and many other facets of their operations sometimes weekly.

 

Those who post these potentially damaging remarks never say if they reported these things to the regulatory bodies that have the tools to correct the problems.

 

Therefore, I believe the posts are blatant exaggerations of minor problems.

[TTown Traveller]

With your boyfriend from Japan, then you would know the difference between sushi (partially cooked seafood) and sashimi (completely raw seafood). On the ship they serve sushi. Of course none of its going to be raw :rolleyes:

With regards to the coffee, I'm not a big coffee drinker, but I'm almost positive that they serve Seattle's Best on board at the coffee bar. Starbucks is far from gourmet coffee as well, lol.

Sushi actually means sticky rice. Sushi is any type of roll or nigiri with the rice whether it is cooked or raw, vegetable, tamago (egg), etc. This also includes handrolls of raw or cooked ingredients with rice in the handroll. Sashimi is raw fish served in pieces not attached to rice though frequently served on top of it.

[TTown Traveller]

Why would you expect anything on a ship such as sushi to be as good as you can find somewhere in Japan? My best friend is French. If she want's French food, she knows it's not going to be as good as places in France in the States or in Canada where she currently lives. Just like you probably would not find a good burger in Japan. You are comparing apples to oranges here. Any cuisine that is not made in the native country is not going to taste as good, just like what we call Mexican food here is not really Mexican food.

I'll take a burger made with Japanes Kobe beef anytime over the fatty cheap ground round available in most restaurants in the US. I believe the key to the lower quality found on Carnival is due more to budget restraints and sheer quantity. Thankfully NCL is several steps above CCL even on their larger ships. Don't the difference in their per passenger food allowance or what they pay their cooks but they certainly are doing a better job with what they have.

[reefisher]

I just got off the Carnival Splendor yesterday. It was our third cruise on this ship.

I did not see anything like you described, in fact just the opposite. We spent many a hour on the lido deck playing cards at different times of the day and night and were amazing at the thoroughness of the cleaning that goes on by the crew. Not just superficial wipe downs, but serious cleaning was the norm. The fact that there are 3000 slobs on board makes the cleanliness of the ship even more amazing.

As for the hot chocolate machine, there is no milk in the drink, it is powdered mix combined with hot water, so it is hard for spoiling of a non existent ingredient.

We had great service with You Time Dining, but that depends on your specific waitstaff.

Better luck on your next cruise ship choice!

 

I sailed on the Splendor before the fire. We had a great room that was so quiet I thought there was nobody next door. The entertainment was great. The food in the MDR was okay, service was fine too, but the Lido sucked. Especially all the large groups of card players taking up tables for the Lido. We gave up on the Lido buffet and existed to my delight on the Tandoor grill and just sat out on the outdoor deck freezing. It was a cruise in March that went to Vancouver. What I wanted to do to those card playing table hogs would have put me away for awhile. I felt that much of the general rudeness of the passengers (there were two extremely violent fights involving bling boys) Was the fact that it was an extremely inexpensive last minute change of itinerary cruise, that attracted mostly Los Angelenos. It has put me off on cruises out of LA/LB. But it was probably a fluke, and usually people sailing out of LA aren't always from there.

[RuthlessBoss]

You are right about the so much better, in fact there is no comparison, but you are wrong about the price.

Where's the sense of humor? I caught on it was a joke when you see the grin. Honestly folks, EVERYONE knows the price is not the same!!! If you want to spend thousands more to go to the same places Carnival goes, go for it. I bet there are things to be found on that line as well.

[halos]

I simply cannot accept the comments saying the largest cruise line in the world would be serving rotten and inedible food.

 

.

 

While I understand you, just because it isn't likely doesn't mean it can't happen....I also think that even if the food wasn't spoiled, if it tasted like it WAS, that's equally as disturbing.

 

 

It bothers the heck out of me when people who post anything negative on here are called liars or belittled for posting a review that isn't 100% wonderful.

How many reviews need to be posted here with complaints about people being disappointed before anyone believes that these people have legitimate gripes??

If your experiences are different, that's great...but no one should call other people liars just because they experienced things that were not positive.

 

FWIW, I don't think CCL food is inedible.

I have never experienced anything that was spoiled on any cruise ship...but I will not call this person a liar. I've been on 16 cruises...there are thousands of cruises sailing each year. For me to claim it's impossible would be utterly stupid.

Edited February 8, 2012 by halos

[tikimon]

Anything is possible, just because you didn't see it happen on your cruise doesn't mean it has never happened before.

 

Out of 18 cruises I've never seen or heard of spoiled or rotten food on any of the cruises I've been on.

But that still doesn't mean it didn't happen to someone else.

[Cruise4Music]

Anything is possible, just because you didn't see it happen on your cruise doesn't mean it has never happened before.

 

Out of 18 cruises I've never seen or heard of spoiled or rotten food on any of the cruises I've been on.

But that still doesn't mean it didn't happen to someone else.

 

But how come they always bring it to Cruise Critic.

 

The boards have become nothing but the complaint department.

[halos]

But how come they always bring it to Cruise Critic.

 

.

 

......you don't see the absolute insanity of your question?:confused:

[Aplmac]

Believe half of what you see,

and very little of what you read on these boards:)

OMG I can't tell you how true this advice is.

 

Truth is we do enjoy the groaners on these boards

although we know and understand that these are the "discerning" nit-pickers

who are basically unhappy with their lives -or their lots in this life.

 

Indirectly, their purpose is to assure to us how very normal we are

and we are glad for that assurance! :)

 

 

We are all so very lucky to be able to afford lifestyles that permit cruising

a leisure pursuit that remains unthinkable in the sweatshops of India and China

-unthinkable to easily 80% of the world's population.

 

 

Yet there are those who board a ship with utterly unrealistic expectations that they shall be 'swept off their feet'

in a surreal world of ultimate luxury and perfection

un-surpassed by what Hollywood can conjure up for the silver screen.

 

Just where they got this idea is difficult to pinpoint

but one suspects Hollywood and Television.

 

 

Me and You Ordinary Guys...we go on our cruise, glad to get away from daily chores.

That's enough for us -but not for the unhappy.

 

Be glad you're happy enough to enjoy your cruise, come what may.

It's a cruise -nothing more. It's not a quick trip to Heaven and back ;)

.