Just off the Sensation. Cuts becoming more obvious

[beetle9]

Just got back from cruise 9/15 fantasy my 17 with ccl and i would agree the dinning room service has went down hill waiters are to busy to take care of everthing we had soup and one wait said they had no crackers but my dil asked the other wait and he went and got them. its not a big deal but a couple of other nights with soup we were given melba toast when ask for crackers. the rest of cruise was great and workers went out of thier way to help. My gs was also on cruise (we had 27 friends and family) gs lost a sticker someone had give him and being a kid he was upset well the cruise dir seen this and latter that night came to his room with a whole pack of stickers, the kind of touch that makes a difference. Our first cruise was 1994 and if my memory is right the waiters had time to do more they would even scrape the bread crumbs off table between courses, again no big deal but the kittle thing yo notice. We had never went on a diff line till my mil could not get coffee with her meal on a reg basis and when we said something they acted like no big deal we have went on 4 other cruise with ncl and rccl. On this cruise when i said something to cust ser the head wait came by next night to apoligize. still a great cruise but ha could be dont want to hand out crackers ha.:)

[trizzou]

Smog Monster: A few recent 'rumblings' have indicated that Carnival Sensation might be attempting to discontinue its Chef's Table offering on some sailings . . . particularly by not advertising it on embarkation day (interior Lido area by the glass elevators was the normal location for display table).

 

Did you see it advertised, or perhaps know if the CT was offered onboard Sensation during your sailing??

 

.

 

I was on the same Sensation sailing as Smogmonster.. and the one before it too (09/16). There were people walking around on the first day of both cruises holding those signs that say something like "Ask me about the Chef's Table" so it's still currently on the Sensation.

 

I can't really speak much on cutbacks because these were my first two carnival cruises. I'll try to get around to writing a review in the next day or two. I never met or saw my steward on the first leg of the back to back.. actually my room didn't get cleaned until after 6pm on the first full day out and I never got ice the whole cruise. On the second leg the steward introduced himself the first night and did an amazing job all weekend. Oh and there were little nit picky things like my tv remote didn't have a battery door, it was held together with a big piece of masking tape. There was also a towel bar in the bathroom that was sagging off the wall and held together by two big wads of epoxy on each end, lol. Having said that I had a BALL on both cruises and hope they are the first of many with Carnival.

[sharecruises]

Freedom was a super well kept ship, very clean and everything "worked" great

 

 

however...some cutbacks were really obvious

 

>> capachino and expresso now cost $$ at dinner

 

>> wait staff clearly stretched and overworked

 

>> they did have the shrimp cocktail on "everyday" menu all nights and for the first 4 nights it was great..the old tiger tail shrimps with sauce, yummy

 

then...it changed ...to small tiny "salad" shrimp, obviously defrosted, with no tails...

 

a nice change for better were some "light bites" by the disco late night...olives cheeses, cookies...and a little cup of shrimp and avocado salad. The shrimps there looked like the small dinner shrimps

 

the rest of the cruise, the shrimps remained small and "salad" like...except on the last "elegant night" when they had the tiger tails on the nightly menu again

 

Food was mostly good until the last 2 nights but portions smaller. Salads were noticably smaller....caesar salad shrunk, the greek farmer salad was good but much smaller than before. Vegetables seemed cheaper?? Lots of carrots and sweet potatoes and potatoes.

 

By the last 2 nights the food was pretty bad...really bad cuts of meat, prime rib was gross and almost all fat, I sent it back...the side dishes for 2 nights were various combos of sweet potatoes...very bad. Snapper was dry and inedable ...some thought it was NOT snapper

[mbtdb]

I got off the Sensation 9-13....didn't have a problem with the room steward or the food...I was just happy to be on vacation..and really was not looking for problems....was an wonderful cruise!

[Zoey]

We had a great cruise. Wee Jimmy was the CD and he was awesome. We hope to get him again some time.

 

We had a little rain in Nassau and then again sailing back to PC.

 

We saw their two shows. Curves which I found boring. It is PG rated and right before it started, Wee Jimmy announced that some might be offended since their are some suggestive moves and dances and the girls would be wearing thongs. (which didnt bother me a bit!) I didnt like the show though.

 

The other one was "Far from Over". It was great. They did music from the past and their Micheal jackson "thriller" set was good.

 

For the first time, I found the food lacking. The ice tea is now instant ( i saw them make it) The flat iron steak, lobster and ribs were good. But mostly the food just seemed bland. Maybe they forgot to pack the seasoning? I found myself using salt and pepper which is rare for me.

 

Ship was clean and staff were great. Our steward was very attentive but only came in the room twice per day. Im not complaining but I think this must be a policy. On the first day he introduced himself to us and told us that we would have a steward from 6-noon and then again from 6m to 9p.

If we needed anything during the "off time" we would need to call guest services. This was different than from what i remember but I may be wrong.

 

Overall a great cruise. But i think the cuts to try to save money are becoming more evident.

 

 

OMG....Instant iced tea? Seriously????? Gee....I really need to stay off this board. Everytime I read something like that I regret booking my first Carnival cruise for December on Legend.

[MrFunInTheSun]

We were also on this cruise........we had a BLAST. This was a "guys" cruise for us....with my son' date=' who is about to go back in the Marines, by brother-in-law and 3 of our friends. Let me tell you.....6 guys without the adult supervision of our better half's leads to a lot of craziness! From the time I boarded the ship about 10:45 a.m. on Thursday until I disembarked Sunday morning there were literally only 3 hours.....between 8:00 a.m. Fri and 11:00 a.m. Fri.....when I did not have a drink in my hand. Coincidentally....those were also the only 3 hours I slept at ALL :eek: From everything I can remember the staff and service were great on the ship. Bartenders.....waiters/waitresses.....they never let us go empty :D We did not make any of the shows but were in the karaoke, piano bar and disco a lot and the entertainment staff there was great...and very accommodating! We did have a few opportunities to interact with the security staff.....and again, they were also extremely understanding and really went above and beyond to make sure our own crazy antics did not ruin our great trip. We went to Senor Frogs in Nassau and that was also a wild and crazy time. Only had dinner in the main dining room Thurs night and it was fine. The little bit of rain on Sat did not slow down our fun at all.....the pool is actually great in the rain.....and they still bring you drinks :) Met a lot of really fun people on this cruise and just enjoyed the entire trip! Memories of this trip and the great time I had with my son will last a lifetime! Second time on Sensation and would go back again any day.[/quote']

 

Now that's a great cruise BigDog!! Please thank your son for his service to our country. What better way to spend quality time with him before he heads back into service than a cruise.

[Mary49]

We had a great cruise. Wee Jimmy was the CD and he was awesome. We hope to get him again some time.

 

We had a little rain in Nassau and then again sailing back to PC.

 

We saw their two shows. Curves which I found boring. It is PG rated and right before it started, Wee Jimmy announced that some might be offended since their are some suggestive moves and dances and the girls would be wearing thongs. (which didnt bother me a bit!) I didnt like the show though.

 

The other one was "Far from Over". It was great. They did music from the past and their Micheal jackson "thriller" set was good.

 

For the first time, I found the food lacking. The ice tea is now instant ( i saw them make it) The flat iron steak, lobster and ribs were good. But mostly the food just seemed bland. Maybe they forgot to pack the seasoning? I found myself using salt and pepper which is rare for me.

 

Ship was clean and staff were great. Our steward was very attentive but only came in the room twice per day. Im not complaining but I think this must be a policy. On the first day he introduced himself to us and told us that we would have a steward from 6-noon and then again from 6m to 9p.

If we needed anything during the "off time" we would need to call guest services. This was different than from what i remember but I may be wrong.

 

Overall a great cruise. But i think the cuts to try to save money are becoming more evident.

 

Did you notice any Cover Bands in the lounges? Like "Muic ...."

[Mary49]

We had a great cruise. Wee Jimmy was the CD and he was awesome. We hope to get him again some time.

 

We had a little rain in Nassau and then again sailing back to PC.

 

We saw their two shows. Curves which I found boring. It is PG rated and right before it started, Wee Jimmy announced that some might be offended since their are some suggestive moves and dances and the girls would be wearing thongs. (which didnt bother me a bit!) I didnt like the show though.

 

The other one was "Far from Over". It was great. They did music from the past and their Micheal jackson "thriller" set was good.

 

For the first time, I found the food lacking. The ice tea is now instant ( i saw them make it) The flat iron steak, lobster and ribs were good. But mostly the food just seemed bland. Maybe they forgot to pack the seasoning? I found myself using salt and pepper which is rare for me.

 

Ship was clean and staff were great. Our steward was very attentive but only came in the room twice per day. Im not complaining but I think this must be a policy. On the first day he introduced himself to us and told us that we would have a steward from 6-noon and then again from 6m to 9p.

If we needed anything during the "off time" we would need to call guest services. This was different than from what i remember but I may be wrong.

 

Overall a great cruise. But i think the cuts to try to save money are becoming more evident.

 

Did you notice any Cover Bands in the Lounges?

[DarthGrady]

Unfortunately CCL has been locked into cutback mode for years now. So long in fact, that many newer CCL cruisers don't even realize how many former perks have vanished. Just to list a few off the top of my head:

 

The Captain's Reception once included free drinks for everyone

The (free) drink selection has been significantly reduced in the buffets (fruit punch, breakfast juices)

Past guest parties were once for ALL past guests

No more midnight gala buffets

Dinners once had full place settings with ultra attentive service to match

Cappuccino and espresso were once free at dinner

Multiple cuts to Platinum level past guest perks

The presence of live music has been drastically reduced fleet wide

 

We miss you Uncle Bob! Your successor is slowly ruining a once-great cruise line! :(

[peepaw]

We were also on this cruise........we had a BLAST. This was a "guys" cruise for us....with my son, who is about to go back in the Marines, by brother-in-law and 3 of our friends. Let me tell you.....6 guys without the adult supervision of our better half's leads to a lot of craziness! From the time I boarded the ship about 10:45 a.m. on Thursday until I disembarked Sunday morning there were literally only 3 hours.....between 8:00 a.m. Fri and 11:00 a.m. Fri.....when I did not have a drink in my hand. Coincidentally....those were also the only 3 hours I slept at ALL :eek: From everything I can remember the staff and service were great on the ship. Bartenders.....waiters/waitresses.....they never let us go empty :D We did not make any of the shows but were in the karaoke, piano bar and disco a lot and the entertainment staff there was great...and very accommodating! We did have a few opportunities to interact with the security staff.....and again, they were also extremely understanding and really went above and beyond to make sure our own crazy antics did not ruin our great trip. We went to Senor Frogs in Nassau and that was also a wild and crazy time. Only had dinner in the main dining room Thurs night and it was fine. The little bit of rain on Sat did not slow down our fun at all.....the pool is actually great in the rain.....and they still bring you drinks :) Met a lot of really fun people on this cruise and just enjoyed the entire trip! Memories of this trip and the great time I had with my son will last a lifetime! Second time on Sensation and would go back again any day.

Bless you and Thank your son for his service for me.

[sharecruises]

Unfortunately CCL has been locked into cutback mode for years now. So long in fact, that many newer CCL cruisers don't even realize how many former perks have vanished. Just to list a few off the top of my head:

 

The Captain's Reception once included free drinks for everyone

The (free) drink selection has been significantly reduced in the buffets (fruit punch, breakfast juices)

Past guest parties were once for ALL past guests

No more midnight gala buffets

Dinners once had full place settings with ultra attentive service to match

Cappuccino and espresso were once free at dinner

Multiple cuts to Platinum level past guest perks

The presence of live music has been drastically reduced fleet wide

 

We miss you Uncle Bob! Your successor is slowly ruining a once-great cruise line! :(

 

Not to mention....a real "Sommelier" with a chain and wine tasting cup around his neck...cocktail waiters in the dining room

tables were swept for crumbs

real steaks, not "flat iron"

Nightly midnight buffet, and a Gala Buffet one night

Carnival once offered a really nice Beef Wellington

There was NO steakhouse...the food in the dining room

was the quality of today's specialty restaurants IMHO

My first cruise on the Imagination had a 5 piece Reggae band on the deck

from Trinidad

plus a 5/6 piece cover band from Phillipines

lots more dancers in the shows

larger orchestra

"fly in" acts on each cruise

 

I also cruised when Princess had table side caesar salad nightly and every night a different table side "flambe" item (mushrooms one night,

then desserts...flaming cherries jubilee...bananas foster etc)

Princess at that time had a different theme each night for the midnight buffet

[Sargent_Schultz]

Seriously? A sommelier? When was the last time? Not interested in subsidizing that.

 

Uncle Bob is still on the Board of Directors of CCL - and corporate determines budgets and expected rate of return.

 

Never did care for the beef wellington.

 

The only "cutbacks" on Carnival that I have seen are cutting the fat.

[Cactuscruise]

We had a great cruise. Wee Jimmy was the CD and he was awesome. We hope to get him again some time.

 

We had a little rain in Nassau and then again sailing back to PC.

 

We saw their two shows. Curves which I found boring. It is PG rated and right before it started, Wee Jimmy announced that some might be offended since their are some suggestive moves and dances and the girls would be wearing thongs. (which didnt bother me a bit!) I didnt like the show though.

 

The other one was "Far from Over". It was great. They did music from the past and their Micheal jackson "thriller" set was good.

 

For the first time, I found the food lacking. The ice tea is now instant ( i saw them make it) The flat iron steak, lobster and ribs were good. But mostly the food just seemed bland. Maybe they forgot to pack the seasoning? I found myself using salt and pepper which is rare for me.

 

Ship was clean and staff were great. Our steward was very attentive but only came in the room twice per day. Im not complaining but I think this must be a policy. On the first day he introduced himself to us and told us that we would have a steward from 6-noon and then again from 6m to 9p.

If we needed anything during the "off time" we would need to call guest services. This was different than from what i remember but I may be wrong.

 

Overall a great cruise. But i think the cuts to try to save money are becoming more evident.

 

Wasn't the iced tea always instant? The times for the steward are the same as they have other responsibilities around the ship. They also need to get some sleep.

[Sargent_Schultz]

The tea on Lido is certainly from concentrate.

 

 

In any event, tea bags and hot water are always available. Also ice. Have a party.

[jacpan]

Unfortunately CCL has been locked into cutback mode for years now. So long in fact, that many newer CCL cruisers don't even realize how many former perks have vanished. Just to list a few off the top of my head:

 

The Captain's Reception once included free drinks for everyone

The (free) drink selection has been significantly reduced in the buffets (fruit punch, breakfast juices)

Past guest parties were once for ALL past guests

No more midnight gala buffets

Dinners once had full place settings with ultra attentive service to match

Cappuccino and espresso were once free at dinner

Multiple cuts to Platinum level past guest perks

The presence of live music has been drastically reduced fleet wide

 

We miss you Uncle Bob! Your successor is slowly ruining a once-great cruise line! :(

 

I have never cruised, but am bummed to hear of cutback. Especially since I just read that the head of the company is one of the wealthiest men in the country. I am just going to enjoy myself and not expect too much. It's January, in the Caribbean. I don't care if the iced tea is instant, if they forget my soup, if I never see my room steward. IT'S THE CARIBBEAN ...IN JANUARY!!!!!:D

[moviejunki]

OMG....Instant iced tea? Seriously????? Gee....I really need to stay off this board. Everytime I read something like that I regret booking my first Carnival cruise for December on Legend.

 

The tea has been instant on the Lido deck on every Carnival cruise I have ever been on (starting in 2003), so this is nothing new. I loathe instant tea!! I always have utilized the tea bags near the hot water dispenser if I wanted fresh brewed tea.

[loxley]

I think the op went on this cruise expecting to find cutbacks, from where I am sitting, does not seem to have found any. A change in how something is done is not always a cut back.

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

Yeah, I've been told by the steward before specifically what hours he'll be working. I've never heard of them being in the room more than twice a day...once to make up room in the a.m. and once at night for turndown. What else would they do?

Whe I was on the vaolr in Ocotber 2010 our steward came in more than twice a day. It seemed every time we left the room he somehow knew and we'd come back and everything was tidied yet again.

[okwriter]

It's January, in the Caribbean. I don't care if the iced tea is instant, if they forget my soup, if I never see my room steward. IT'S THE CARIBBEAN ...IN JANUARY!!!!!:D

 

*like* :)

[RuthlessBoss]

I think the op went on this cruise expecting to find cutbacks, from where I am sitting, does not seem to have found any. A change in how something is done is not always a cut back.

Now that I'm on CC, going on a cruise in Nov., I had better pay more attention to those things that are going to "ruin" my cruise. :D

[jsjjkelly]

We were told that by our steward on the Legend last March. BUT, my son had broken out in a rash after our beach trip in Cozumel. After a trip to the ships doctor (who thought it was some kind of mite which was WAY wrong), we were told to change out all the sheets on the bedding and wash the clothing in hot water. We called guest services (which was during the day on a sea day), and our room steward answered the phone. We were apologetic and offered to strip the beds for him. He said this happens quite a bit and it wasn't an issue. So maybe even during their off time, they have to man the phones?

 

So I'm sure even though they're off, they still provide service.... It's only right they aren't working around the clock. I wouldn't want to work those long hours

 

Shawn

[halos]

Now that I'm on CC, going on a cruise in Nov., I had better pay more attention to those things that are going to "ruin" my cruise. :D

 

If the things that have been cut aren't things you will miss, then your cruise can't be ruined...but that doesn't negate the fact that for some, these cuts have had an impact.

 

I can understand most of it...I do remember the way cruising was 20+ years ago and it was extravagant and if they kept that stuff and we had to pay for it, I would likely be cruising only once a year as opposed to 2 or 3 times per year. However, although I do not require a somelier and a crumb brush and I don't miss those, I DO miss the entertainment and live music because that is what is important to us when cruising. I can deal with the food that is of a lesser quality and the decrease in crew that caused a decrease in service but I refuse to pay for a cruise to hear wanna-be Idol passengers singing karaoke and doing Legends for my entertainment and to sit out at the pool with boxed music when there are other, better options for me that do NOT cost more.

 

 

I think the op went on this cruise expecting to find cutbacks, from where I am sitting, does not seem to have found any. A change in how something is done is not always a cut back.

I guess if you're home at your desk you wouldn't.

 

 

 

Responses like this are exactly why I refuse to post reviews anymore. The OP said they had a good cruise. Their review was not a bash...all they did was share their opinioon and this is the response they get.

 

 

 

This is a place to share opinions...if yours is different that is fine but don't make the reviewers you don't agree with out to be liars or whiners. It's childish.

[BEACHPAD04]

I was on a ship with CD WEE JIMMY a few years ago, out of 12 cruises he is the best . Would love to go with WEE JIMMY Again, going out of Charleston in a few wks for the 2nd time, that CD is not to good in my opinion, wish WEE JIMMY was there. However no cruise is a bad cruise to me.

Glad u had a great cruise;)

[RuthlessBoss]

If the things that have been cut aren't things you will miss, then your cruise can't be ruined...but that doesn't negate the fact that for some, these cuts have had an impact.

 

I can understand most of it...I do remember the way cruising was 20+ years ago and it was extravagant and if they kept that stuff and we had to pay for it, I would likely be cruising only once a year as opposed to 2 or 3 times per year. However, although I do not require a somelier and a crumb brush and I don't miss those, I DO miss the entertainment and live music because that is what is important to us when cruising. I can deal with the food that is of a lesser quality and the decrease in crew that caused a decrease in service but I refuse to pay for a cruise to hear wanna-be Idol passengers singing karaoke and doing Legends for my entertainment and to sit out at the pool with boxed music when there are other, better options for me that do NOT cost more.

 

 

 

I guess if you're home at your desk you wouldn't.

 

 

 

Responses like this are exactly why I refuse to post reviews anymore. The OP said they had a good cruise. Their review was not a bash...all they did was share their opinioon and this is the response they get.

 

 

 

This is a place to share opinions...if yours is different that is fine but don't make the reviewers you don't agree with out to be liars or whiners. It's childish.

I understand the entertainment is changed. It's important for some people to participate in kareoke, do their hopeful talent in shows etc. , take the brunt of the "not so newlywed" game, actually anything thatwill get them the coveted "ship on a stick". It's called audience participation.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

I have been cruisiing since the '80's and I know there are things that have changed. I honestly sit here and try to remember if I have had ice on any cruise. I really don't remember. I don't remember the tea, altho I drink it. I remember some things that I have liked previously are gone and I guess I miss them, but not enough to say I am done with cruising. I have found different things on all lines. I just love to cruise.

I own a business and it is tough to make things come together these days. According to statistics we have a very growing business. We are a small business but a business that has increased it's enrollment double. Have we had to cut back even tho we are growing--unfortunately yes some, the cost of business has risen--utilities, taxes,etc. Our cut backs bother some and not so much others. I really bellieve if the cut backs at our gym bother you, you should look for another product. That is why there are so many.

Cruising has gotten cheaper on terms of dollars and cents over the years--I still pay about what I paid in the '80's considering today's dollars, so therefore some cuts would have to be undertaken to stay profitable and after all that is the bottom line for a corporation.

This being said everyone has the right to their own opinion and this is a forum for the good and bad parts of a cruise. If a posters opinion is not yours --it shouldn't be--it's theirs and they own it-- Comment with your opinion and let theirs be,please. We all have our own tolerances.