Say goodbye to DODs and Hurricane cups

[carncruiser1964]

Just got off the Dream, and as of this week, they no longer have the Drinks of the Day or the big plastic hurricane cups they used for them.

Instead they have a "Daily Drink Special", which is in a smaller glass, at a "sale" price of $7.55 or 7.75. No more discount for refills. Another Carnival tradition bites the dust after 35 years.

Very sad.[/quote

 

We had the same thing happen on the liberty 3 weeks ago. If carnival wants to keep up with cut backs, then they should be prepared to loose the loyal customers. Next thing that will be is that you need to wash your dishes after dinner.

[sharecruises]

Yup, there weren't ANY hurricane glasses during our Liberty sailing in November.

 

Thank you

 

That is what I thought...2.0 means NO "Hurricane" glass....they offer "yard" glasses at the Rum Bar (like Senor Frogs)

 

a lot of the "reports" here mention the whale tail/coconut head/discoball..but that is NOT what the OP said was missing on the Dream...the OP said the "hurricane" glass was not offered (the DOD glass...recently has said "Best day ever" or whatever)

 

IF you read Liberty reports/and 2.0 info...you will see that 2.0 means NO more hurricane glass. They do see the other "specialty" glasses like the whale tail.

 

My thoughts are that maybe Dream is moving to this already before the ship's 2.0 drydock. Maybe they did get thru their supply of hurricane glasses and didn't order more in anticipation of 2.0.

 

Carnival Dream

 

(Dry Dock: Sept. 8-22, 2012)

 

 

 

I am not for/against this...just trying to be logical and factual here.

As for the RCI stuff....they had few cute glasses to buy, I bought one dod

type glass and the room steward threw it out...they did give me another.

I was not impressed by their glasses. NCL has some great ones however :)

 

 

I am pretty sure that the DOD deal/glass bit the dust with 2.0...in favor of the rum bar "yard" and other offerings. Which is the next ship to get the 2.0 makeover?? It will be interesting to see if the hurricane glass is still left there....I will be on Glory in Nov after her 2.0 do-over

 

 

Any other recent Liberty cruisers care to chime in?

[dillonsmimi]

I have always been confused with the refilling of used DOD glasses.

We are urged to use the anti bacterial gel at every turn but Carnival will happily refill a vessel that has been not only touched but exposed to all the bacteria and virus "animals" living in our mouths.

No thanks.

I want a clean glass every time.

 

mimi

[MMastell]

They had them on the Liberty at the end of March.

 

I sailed on Liberty on March 3 and they no longer carried the glasses. They did have the DOD but not in souvenir glass. I was with a large group of first time cruisers and specifically asked about them.

 

Take care,

Mike

[happy cruzin]

I have always been confused with the refilling of used DOD glasses.

We are urged to use the anti bacterial gel at every turn but Carnival will happily refill a vessel that has been not only touched but exposed to all the bacteria and virus "animals" living in our mouths.

No thanks.

I want a clean glass every time.

 

mimi

 

In my experience they usually - but not always - take and keep my used glass and give me a clean one. Not new...but one that was previously collected and run through the dish washer.

[Gator Man]

richstowe, you are probably right, last time I went on another cruise line was 1998 and it was RCCL, I was shocked at how bad their food was compared to the other times I sailed with them, so I came back to Carnival because of the food and I enjoyed the people I met on Carnival better. Food on a cruise is a big deal with me and I liked a lot of the things Carnival served. They have eliminated so many things and I can't abide the Shrimp Cocktail being one of them, it makes no sense the Shrimp they served were not expensive, it saddens me because I really like Carnival. You are right their perks are lacking and always have been, the only thing I really cared for was the VIP boarding and the Ships' pin. I remember Presidents butter, good grades of beef, great fresh warm bread, fantastic desserts such as Baked Alaska on the waiters heads dancing around the dining room, tableside flambes ect. My first cruise was on the Festival, such an eye opening experience, this was circa 1988. I paid double the fare than what I pay now for a balcony and it was only a porthole on deck eleven. Personaly I would rather pay a little more than cheapen the experience, plastic glasses I could do without, its the real cuts that hurt. I don't know what my solution is because I like Carnival so much and am really mad at them now because of what I consider some really ridicilous moves on their part. I am serious though no Shrimp Cocktail is a deal breaker for me as silly as that seems, I ate it twice every night and I live in Florida where there is an abundance of shrimp, makes no sense huh.

[CBXRAY]

No worries....I got the Bar Card!!! Don't have to worry about paying for drinks!! WOOHOO:D:D

[richstowe]

Gator Man, if it makes sence to you, that's all that matters.

As I've said before, I hope to cruise enough to one day complain about how it used to be.

That's my goal.;)

[carncruiser1964]

They had them on the Liberty at the end of March.

Please don't listen to anyone saying that they had the fun ship glasses on ships with new 2.0 upgrades. We were on the Liberty on March 24th-March 31 and they were no longer available ssince the beginning of the year. We were told that they wanted customers to drink from the new bars provided. They are no longer available as this is one of the changes that carnival is doing. This is all about cutbacks and saving money. As you will notice with all of the 2.0. upgardes, the bar staff on decks has been reduced by 30%. Again save money and ask for more tips. I will not give more unless deserved.. So far not deserved. We shall see with the next 2 cruises this year

[Silverscreencruiser]

Let me see if I have this straight.

 

People can still get the same Drink of the Day in the same size for a lower price but they are upset about not having the privilege of paying a dollar extra to be served in a two-cent plastic glass that's either going to be thrown out the same day, get broken at some time during the cruise, or wind up in your home along with a bunch of other tacky souvenirs gathering dust.

 

Uh huh.

[TheTravelista]

richstowe, you are probably right, last time I went on another cruise line was 1998 and it was RCCL, I was shocked at how bad their food was compared to the other times I sailed with them, so I came back to Carnival because of the food and I enjoyed the people I met on Carnival better. Food on a cruise is a big deal with me and I liked a lot of the things Carnival served. They have eliminated so many things and I can't abide the Shrimp Cocktail being one of them, it makes no sense the Shrimp they served were not expensive, it saddens me because I really like Carnival. You are right their perks are lacking and always have been, the only thing I really cared for was the VIP boarding and the Ships' pin. I remember Presidents butter, good grades of beef, great fresh warm bread, fantastic desserts such as Baked Alaska on the waiters heads dancing around the dining room, tableside flambes ect. My first cruise was on the Festival, such an eye opening experience, this was circa 1988. I paid double the fare than what I pay now for a balcony and it was only a porthole on deck eleven. Personaly I would rather pay a little more than cheapen the experience, plastic glasses I could do without, its the real cuts that hurt. I don't know what my solution is because I like Carnival so much and am really mad at them now because of what I consider some really ridicilous moves on their part. I am serious though no Shrimp Cocktail is a deal breaker for me as silly as that seems, I ate it twice every night and I live in Florida where there is an abundance of shrimp, makes no sense huh.

 

I agree with you. And my next cruise on the Magic will determine if I break up with Carnival for good. I've really had enough.

 

I turned the other cheek when the Captain's Gala was eliminated. No more free drinks and apps. Just 1 dollar off of drinks for an hour or so. Yes I know they moved the free drinks to the last night but they managed to get rid of the delicious apps in the process. The Captain's Gala was a nice event and it was somewhat worth it to get dressed up. There were tons more evening gowns and tuxes back in those days, but now? I see why it has toned down a lot. I mean what's the point?

 

I didn't say anything when the apps at the past guest party went from peppered shrimp and quiche to cheese, grapes and chicken salad. I was in shock the first time I saw the waiters bringing these around.

 

I didn't say anything when the grill eliminated the steak sandwiches and the Lido eliminated the fruit punch.

 

I didn't say anything when the ten to twelve piece show bands dwindled down to, what...5 members?

 

I didn't say anything when Carnival touted the Comedy Club as some new amazing experience when in fact all they did was move the comedians from the main show lounge to a smaller lounge in the back and eliminate the Jazz Band that used to play back there at night.

 

I didn't say a thing about the elimination of the nightly dirt cheap shrimp cocktail.

 

I didn't say anything when I no longer had an assigned table for ALL of my meals in the MDR. This was actually fine with me, no big deal. But I do know some people loved seeing their wait staff at all meals. Definitely personalized the service.

 

Which brings me to the service. LOL. I didn't say a word when I realized that my servers now had twice as many tables and the quality of the service in the MDR started to dwindle. Same with room stewards. Wonder why so many people rarely see them or don't even know who they are? They don't have time because they now they have twice as many rooms as they have had in the past.

 

I continued to wait patiently as Carnival remained the only cruise line in the industry with no type of hot food on their room service menu. I knew it wouldn't be long before it was changed but here I am 16 years later...still waiting.

 

And don't even get me started on the circus that is the loyalty program.

 

Now the elimination of the hurricane glasses...while not a big deal, it so much represents a Carnival cruise. What beats the feeling of hearing your Sail and Sign card ding and stepping aboard the ship the first time and having a waiter hand you a Fun Ship Special in that "Officially The Best Day Ever" glass? Nothing.

 

I could go on and on but I'm tired of typing. All these "little" cuts here and there, while they don't seem to be a big deal at the time, add up to be completely annoying.

 

I have never sailed Carnival because it was cheap. Ever. I could sail any line I choose to but Carnival gave me everything I wanted. I used to be able to go toe to toe with those that cruised other lines and talked about how cheap Carnival was and how horrible it was with facts, pictures, and evidence to the contrary. Sad to say this is no longer the case. I'll be looking forward to cruising other lines in the future. At least on most other lines I have the option of upgrading my experience if I need/want to.

[arby70]

I enjoy RC too, but I seem to remember a few years back people being really disappointed when they got rid of the chocolates on the pillows at night. (Did they bring those back?)

 

We had them every night on our Allure of the Seas cruise last October. And the food we had on the Allure was the 2nd best food we had on any cruise (after the Celebrity ship). I was satisfied with the Carnival food though; we always found something we liked. It's just that Carnival's fares are much less, so I don't get up in arms about not having top of the line food.

 

Also, something that I noticed though was that although Carnival's fares are less, any of the extras are more than the other lines we've been on. A friend of mine went on the Destiny the week before we went on the Allure, and comparing drink prices and excursions it was certainly more on the Destiny. I guess they have to make money somewhere though. That way a person can choose how much they want to spend, as extras are just that.....extra.

 

Bottom line, Carnival is not my favorite cruise line, but it works fine for me. I will never be "devoted" to one cruise line. I shop around and check out the ports and the price. The only time that I went for the ship, was the Allure of the Seas. Just had to go on her once, and it was gorgeous!!!!!

[Silverscreencruiser]

I didn't say anything when Carnival touted the Comedy Club as some new amazing experience when in fact all they did was move the comedians from the main show lounge to a smaller lounge in the back and eliminate the Jazz Band that used to play back there at night.

 

You're wrong there. If you like comedy, the Comedy Club is a big upgrade over Carnival's former offerings. On most 7-day cruises, they have four comics doing a minimum of two different (PG and R) shows each, when they used to have two comedians doing at most two shows each. The last cruise my wife and I were on one of the comics did a different show each time out, which meant six separate routines (3 PG and 3 R). Most of the comics will change their shows. So you will get more different shows from more comics than you had before.

 

Having said that, I don't think the George Lopez "upgrade" is anything more than paying George to lend his name to the club.

[TheTravelista]

You're wrong there. If you like comedy, the Comedy Club is a big upgrade over Carnival's former offerings. On most 7-day cruises, they have four comics doing a minimum of two different (PG and R) shows each, when they used to have two comedians doing at most two shows each. The last cruise my wife and I were on one of the comics did a different show each time out, which meant six separate routines (3 PG and 3 R). Most of the comics will change their shows. So you will get more different shows from more comics than you had before.

 

Having said that, I don't think the George Lopez "upgrade" is anything more than paying George to lend his name to the club.

 

They added more shows and more comedians yes but they also used it to in essence eliminate ANOTHER offering which was the jazz band that many people loved by moving it to that that venue.

[Moz]

Just got off the Dream, and as of this week, they no longer have the Drinks of the Day or the big plastic hurricane cups they used for them.

Instead they have a "Daily Drink Special", which is in a smaller glass, at a "sale" price of $7.55 or 7.75. No more discount for refills. Another Carnival tradition bites the dust after 35 years.

Very sad.[/quote

 

We had the same thing happen on the liberty 3 weeks ago. If carnival wants to keep up with cut backs, then they should be prepared to loose the loyal customers. Next thing that will be is that you need to wash your dishes after dinner.

 

If you read JH facebook his"experts" are saying this is not true that what comes from this site is not accurate. Makes a person wonder. Others have said no hurricane glasses but the facebook people say that's not true.

[H82seaUgo]

 

If you read JH facebook his"experts" are saying this is not true that what comes from this site is not accurate. Makes a person wonder. Others have said no hurricane glasses but the facebook people say that's not true.

 

they will say it's not true until the brand ambassador says it's true.

 

and will attack anyone that says it until he does.

 

seems they are "un-rolling" this out slowly, by ship, or even sailing.

 

the wizard will explain.....

[zqvol]

Not a fan of cutbacks but you cannot blame Carnival for the escargot drought. This is an industry wide thing :rolleyes:

 

Shrimp cocktail....I can agree with.

 

 

Not so with escargot, spoke with a restaurant owner Friday night and he assured me that there is no problem getting them and no shortage, he did say the price is up a bit, but that is all.

 

Missing escargot is nothing more than a cost issue.

[wrigley80]

This doesn't bother me at all......cause its just a diet coke for me :rolleyes:

[teresaloves2trvl]

Come on folks, this site is suppose to be for helping fellow cruisers, not debating them. As far as the DOD glasses, in any given hour, you can find close to fifty of them sitting around where people bought them and didn't take them with them. Maybe "The Ties" saw this and figured it was a way to save money. Who knows for sure. Not worth arguing over though.

 

I did that once on another cruise line. I went home with all I wanted. Hard to understand why people pay extra for something and then discard it. Believe me I will have my eyes peeled this cruise for glasses thrown away or left behind. I'm a cheap, opportunistic collector! Lol

[cruzegurl104]

I hope it's figured out soon. Not that I cruise for the DOD glass, but still. It did add a little something to that first day, as others have said:)

[mikel24m]

Not so with escargot, spoke with a restaurant owner Friday night and he assured me that there is no problem getting them and no shortage, he did say the price is up a bit, but that is all.

 

Missing escargot is nothing more than a cost issue.

 

Im sure you can buy them if you own a restaurant(assuming very expensive),but carnival needs to buy alot to supply all the ships which makes it different and very expensive

[teresaloves2trvl]

I agree with you. And my next cruise on the Magic will determine if I break up with Carnival for good. I've really had enough.

 

I turned the other cheek when the Captain's Gala was eliminated. No more free drinks and apps. Just 1 dollar off of drinks for an hour or so. Yes I know they moved the free drinks to the last night but they managed to get rid of the delicious apps in the process. The Captain's Gala was a nice event and it was somewhat worth it to get dressed up. There were tons more evening gowns and tuxes back in those days, but now? I see why it has toned down a lot. I mean what's the point?

 

I didn't say anything when the apps at the past guest party went from peppered shrimp and quiche to cheese, grapes and chicken salad. I was in shock the first time I saw the waiters bringing these around.

 

I didn't say anything when the grill eliminated the steak sandwiches and the Lido eliminated the fruit punch.

 

I didn't say anything when the ten to twelve piece show bands dwindled down to, what...5 members?

 

I didn't say anything when Carnival touted the Comedy Club as some new amazing experience when in fact all they did was move the comedians from the main show lounge to a smaller lounge in the back and eliminate the Jazz Band that used to play back there at night.

 

I didn't say a thing about the elimination of the nightly dirt cheap shrimp cocktail.

 

I didn't say anything when I no longer had an assigned table for ALL of my meals in the MDR. This was actually fine with me, no big deal. But I do know some people loved seeing their wait staff at all meals. Definitely personalized the service.

 

Which brings me to the service. LOL. I didn't say a word when I realized that my servers now had twice as many tables and the quality of the service in the MDR started to dwindle. Same with room stewards. Wonder why so many people rarely see them or don't even know who they are? They don't have time because they now they have twice as many rooms as they have had in the past.

 

I continued to wait patiently as Carnival remained the only cruise line in the industry with no type of hot food on their room service menu. I knew it wouldn't be long before it was changed but here I am 16 years later...still waiting.

 

And don't even get me started on the circus that is the loyalty program.

 

Now the elimination of the hurricane glasses...while not a big deal, it so much represents a Carnival cruise. What beats the feeling of hearing your Sail and Sign card ding and stepping aboard the ship the first time and having a waiter hand you a Fun Ship Special in that "Officially The Best Day Ever" glass? Nothing.

 

I could go on and on but I'm tired of typing. All these "little" cuts here and there, while they don't seem to be a big deal at the time, add up to be completely annoying.

 

I have never sailed Carnival because it was cheap. Ever. I could sail any line I choose to but Carnival gave me everything I wanted. I used to be able to go toe to toe with those that cruised other lines and talked about how cheap Carnival was and how horrible it was with facts, pictures, and evidence to the contrary. Sad to say this is no longer the case. I'll be looking forward to cruising other lines in the future. At least on most other lines I have the option of upgrading my experience if I need/want to.

 

Wow. I really can't argue with that. Carnival is not the only line dropping some of the traditions. I remember my last cruise on RCCL had no Gala Midnight Buffet. I really missed it. It was quite an event. And I love silly cheap plastic souvenir glasses. I like to give them to the kids when we get home as they collect them. If they are being phased out that's too bad.

[richstowe]

I agree with you. And my next cruise on the Magic will determine if I break up with Carnival for good. I've really had enough.

 

I have never sailed Carnival because it was cheap. Ever. I could sail any line I choose to but Carnival gave me everything I wanted. I used to be able to go toe to toe with those that cruised other lines and talked about how cheap Carnival was and how horrible it was with facts, pictures, and evidence to the contrary. Sad to say this is no longer the case. I'll be looking forward to cruising other lines in the future. At least on most other lines I have the option of upgrading my experience if I need/want to.

I'm sorry to hear your (and Gator Mans) complaints. I understand that it is the constant drip drip drip of small issues

that add up to dissatisfaction with Carnival. I guess Carnival Corp wants to encourage experienced cruisers such as yourselves to

move up to their multiple other brands like Princess and Holland.

 

I would just say that things don't seem so much better at RCI and NCL. At NCL it is all a la carte if as many say, you want a quality experience.

RCL seems to want to put distance between themselves and Carnival certainly in terms of $$$'s and perhaps prestige.

They are also adding a lot more reserved seats,areas and services for those that wish to pay for them.

I don't want this for Carnival or RCI (A thread on this issue is called -Grumble????? Gripe???? Get nasty???? )

Multiple level of service are leading to a return to various classes in cruising. Steerage anyone.:rolleyes:

 

I think Carnival is trying to minimize the amount of additional fee's and premium add ons on its ships unlike its competitors.

Maybe they will prove to have been incorrect. Hope not.

 

Back to the topic, perhaps Carnival believes the tacky plactic glasses are tacky and plastic?

[IAMCRZIN]

Why don't you just bring one you have at home and pour your drink in it if it means that much to you!!! :D

[cruise_girl2002]

I for one could care less about the cups. I have more than what i actually need (about 24 at my house) and my parents have about 12. big deal. of course half the stuff i see on cruise critic, somebody asks Joh Heald about it and its never true. guess i'll find out in 2 weeks. but this minor thing isnt going to change me from going on a different line. it just means more room in my suitcase for other things