Dive-In Movie Fail

[The4Cruisers]

So am I wrong to think this is false advertising??

http://www.carnival.com/onboard/cruise-entertainment/dive-in-movies.aspx

 

Sorry, but I don't see anything here that implies false advertising.

 

Don't kids watch superhero movies or family friendly movies? I saw nothing in that picture or description that made me think that CCL would be showing cartoons and kids movies at the Dive In theatre.

 

Using your logic, if someone took a picture of my DW and I watching Toy Story, would that make it an Adult Film (because we're adults)?

Edited November 25, 2013 by The4Cruisers

[cruizinisthebest]

Sorry, but I don't see anything here that implies false advertising.

 

Don't kids watch superhero movies or family friendly movies? I saw nothing in that picture or description that made me think that CCL would be showing cartoons and kids movies at the Dive In theatre.

 

Using your logic, if someone took a picture of my DW and I watching Toy Story, would that make it an Adult Film (because we're adults)?

 

 

Me either. There are pics of people cheering in the casino too. Doesn't mean everyone that goes in there should expect to win big with a crowd around them clapping. Come on now. Get real. Besides, they could have been watching any one of those movies listed in that lineup even if they didn't watch the whole thing.

[indygirl76]

The Conquest passenger capacity is roughly 3000. If you round down to 2500 to account for unoccupied third- and fourth-berths, the 97 children on board this sailing were 4% of the ship. Not specifically catering to a customer segment that's 4% of the ship is not a "fail" in my opinion. Particularly when some of that 4% were probably either too young or too old to enjoy a "kids" movie. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think when they give "children" counts, they include everyone under 18, right? I don't picture too many 15-17 year olds clamoring for a cartoon movie on the big screen.)

[Mysticks1]

There were 97 kids on board, it was an 8 night repositioning cruise. My 10yo son was on his 15th cruise with Carnival. We enjoyed other activities, this was just one that we weren't able to enjoy this time. We didn't buy a blanket because why would we, when we didn't get the memory to go with it. They had popcorn also, not the point.

 

The picture in the ad shows a mom with her 2 kids, implying a family friendly movie.

 

I asked about the blanket and popcorn because you implied that it was false advertising and the blankets and popcorn were listed in the advertisement so the things that were listed there were provided and there were movies and shows on the big screen as advertised. In my opinion the photo doesn't imply a family friendly movie is guaranteed, that is what you assumed from the photo. The 97 kids is an extremely small number percentage wise versus the number of adults on the cruise.

 

Different people will have different ideas on what "family friendly" are. I am sure the other adults on the ship wouldn't have been happy to see Toy Story and Shrek played on the big screen at night with only a few kids onboard.

[Oppalopa]

This forum would cease to exist If every person that was disappointed over something on their cruise posted here. Sorry it didn't go as you planned but that doesn't justify trying to bring shame to Carnival and/or accuse them of false advertising.

Your right because large corporations have no shame.

[arush5268d]

Your right because large corporations have no shame.

 

 

There are large corporations out there that try to do the right thing. Do humans screw it up? Sure. But the corporation tries to make up for it and move forward.

 

Papa Johns corporate has apologized several times for what a delivery driver / cashier did. It wasn't the corporations fault but they went out of the way to apologize for it. Just an example.

 

And even if large corporations have no shame - is that an excuse for a person to have no shame? Two wrongs make a right?

[halos]

This forum would cease to exist If every person that was disappointed over something on their cruise posted here. Sorry it didn't go as you planned but that doesn't justify trying to bring shame to Carnival and/or accuse them of false advertising.

 

SERIOUSLY?????????????:rolleyes:

 

~~~~

AS for the 'family cruise line' or not question, the issue with that is that CCL doesn't know what kind of cruise line they are. They seriously don't. They are all over the place.

Edited November 25, 2013 by halos

[spacemanspiff33]

I think a lot of people don't realize that "family friendly" doesn't equal "focused on children." Carnival has programs for kids and, during times when there are lots of kids on board, has plenty of kid-oriented programming for the Dive-In Movies. Therefore, they are absolutely "family friendly." Heck, for my March cruise on the Breeze, I had to avoid the entire Lido area because they were playing a crappy Justin Bieber concert. The bottom line is that if you want to see more kid-oriented stuff, either pony up the money to cruise with a line like Disney (which is absolutely focused towards kids), cruise when more kids are out of school and on vacation, or actually entertain your kids yourself.

 

This. So many times over.

 

 

 

This.

[Big_G]

This forum would cease to exist If every person that was disappointed over something on their cruise posted here. Sorry it didn't go as you planned but that doesn't justify trying to bring shame to Carnival and/or accuse them of false advertising.

 

This is Cruise Critic...right? I mean, it's not some 'kiss your favorite corporate butt' blog is it? :rolleyes:

[arush5268d]

This is Cruise Critic...right? I mean, it's not some 'kiss your favorite corporate butt' blog is it? :rolleyes:

 

*face palm*

 

Again, I am not a Carnival Cheerleader. I point out plenty of flaws in the company and how theCarnival brand has chagned over the years. It just so happens that in this case the OP was being critical when it was not due.

[nitro2448]

SERIOUSLY?????????????:rolleyes:

 

~~~~

AS for the 'family cruise line' or not question, the issue with that is that CCL doesn't know what kind of cruise line they are. They seriously don't. They are all over the place.

 

How are they all over the place ?

 

 

GO MIZZOU!!!!!!!

[floydfamily4]

To the poster who said they can't afford, Disney:

I paid the same on DCL (3 day FABULOUS balcony room and complete WOW cruise and private island, 4 day interior coming up with private island) as I did on CCL (spa interior and no private island). ..

 

I'm not doubting your report but can you share where and how far in advance you booked because even the 4 day cruises in an interior room were almost twice what I paid for a 7-day oceanview. I would love to take my kids on DCL but I personally cannot justify the price. I would rather take a 7 day on Carnival and do 4-5 days in the WDW parks for that price but if I could find a deal like yours we might rethink it :D

[floydfamily4]

this is cruise critic...right? I mean, it's not some 'kiss your favorite corporate butt' blog is it? :rolleyes:

 

 

:d:d:d

[cruizinisthebest]

How are they all over the place ?

 

 

GO MIZZOU!!!!!!!

 

I would like to know that too.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[JustCruiseMe]

I thought the same thing but was afraid to say it. Whenever someone gets frustrated that CCL doesn't cater to families, they should remember that they are not a family cruise line. They may offer some family activities, but I absolutely loved not having to worry about language or inappropriate content on the Disney ship (and I certainly didn't miss the casino either.) We have no kids, but we choose not to cross a Pg-13 line, and we found watching JungleBook on deck while we stood in line for Aquaduck or catching a few minutes of Pirates of the Caribbean on deck all made for some nice moments. Even more so with the stage shows for offering high caliber talent without g-strings...

We are couple who enjoys Disney but I would NEVER EVER go on a Disney cruise for the same reasons you state. I couldn't stand not being able to get away from the kid themed everything. At Disney we stay in the park and enjoy the dining and the parks but we can get away. We don't hate kids, we just do prefer adult venues when we want and we don't drink or swear either, and I promise you I haven't worn a gstring EVER!

 

Everyone has their own preferences which is why there are options! It's great isn't it?

[Crusin Hogs]

I cruise mainly in the summer and there's always a great mix of concerts, sporting events, kid movies, and more "adult themed" movies. And they are all very well attended. One of my greatest experiences was skipping dinner and watching the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics on the Lido. It was great!

 

Furthest thing from a cheerleader, but I'm inclined to believe them when they say they adjust the showings to go along with the demographics on board. It makes no sense to show a cartoon when there are 20-50 kids on board vs thousands of adults.

 

Well put , Why show a cartoon for a few kids ,when the ship has over 3000 adults

[dvond]

We were on the Splendor the 1st week of November when the kids were off from school, when the roof was closed during cooler days some choices were repeated and not inspiring like the Mariah Carey and Beyonce concerts played at least 3 times during the cruise. MY 17 year old watched some late night movies but the only one my son and I watch was at 4 once day they showed Zookeeper which we enjoyed just because we had time before dinner and noting to do at that time. But they did have too much of elevator music and showing the beach on the screen and the concerts, during slow periods would have been nice to have them show a movie during late afternoons but it did not make or break my cruise

[irishnyc]

We were on the Splendor the 1st week of November when the kids were off from school, when the roof was closed during cooler days some choices were repeated and not inspiring like the Mariah Carey and Beyonce concerts played at least 3 times during the cruise. MY 17 year old watched some late night movies but the only one my son and I watch was at 4 once day they showed Zookeeper which we enjoyed just because we had time before dinner and noting to do at that time. But they did have too much of elevator music and showing the beach on the screen and the concerts, during slow periods would have been nice to have them show a movie during late afternoons but it did not make or break my cruise

 

We were on Splendor in July and not once was there a movie playing that I thought, "Oh that's perfect to go watch with my 4 year old!" Where do I sign up to complain? :rolleyes:

 

If we're going to complain about false advertising based on the pics on Carnival's website, Camp Carnival looked nothing like the pictures. More complaints from me coming up!

[jazzlover04]

I still say that ones of you who are looking for these wonderful family movies are missing the boat. Pun intended. If you and your children are lounging around the pool eating popcorn, carnival or any other company is potentially missing an opportunity to make money. Even the movies in the cabin are of poor resolution, old and not particularly "family" movies. It doesn't make good business sense to have you want to stay in your cabin. It's always about the money! Always!

[hihosilvers]

I'm not doubting your report but can you share where and how far in advance you booked because even the 4 day cruises in an interior room were almost twice what I paid for a 7-day oceanview. I would love to take my kids on DCL but I personally cannot justify the price. I would rather take a 7 day on Carnival and do 4-5 days in the WDW parks for that price but if I could find a deal like yours we might rethink it :D

 

There is simply no way you can get on Disney for the same price as Carnival. Not even close. For the price of a 7-day Carnival, you can MAYBE get a 3-day Disney. I'm with you - I could never justify the price difference.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I'm not doubting your report but can you share where and how far in advance you booked because even the 4 day cruises in an interior room were almost twice what I paid for a 7-day oceanview. I would love to take my kids on DCL but I personally cannot justify the price. I would rather take a 7 day on Carnival and do 4-5 days in the WDW parks for that price but if I could find a deal like yours we might rethink it :D

 

Hi, no problem. This is going off of adult prices (no kids here) with a note on kids' rates included in the Magic sailing.

 

We got off of the Carnival Dream the first weekend of March. It was $549pp for a spa interior room.

 

About one week after we got back, Dad sent us an email that he is surprising Mom with a Disney cruise and he wished we would come. I was like 'I just got off a cruise!' But I couldn't stand the thought of Mom & Dad going on their 45th (they took it early, that's why it was a REAL surprise to all of us) without any of their kids on board! That's like torture seeing all the families.

 

With the Chase Rewards card, you can get 6 months no interest on all Disney trips, so when I told my honey how much it meant to me and how great it would be to surprise them, he said ok book it.! Because it was only about 3-4 weeks away April 11-14, we were able to get a VGT (guaranteed Veranda sale) for $540 pp cruise fare.

 

Because everyone in our group got the same VGTs at 540pp and our dining reservations were linked, our awesome cruise vacation planner placed all of us in adjoining/connecting balcony rooms where we could open up the balconies and hang out as an entire group. We also had deluxe rooms with incredible baths (split/double set up). It is frankly THE BEST room I have ever had on a cruise ship. It was a 3 day cruise, we hit WDW the day prior and surprised our parents at the Contemporary resort restuarant (I made reservations for 'them' and they came early and got sat by themselves in the back! funny story)

 

From the point we stepped on board, we were amazed at all the details and incredible customer service. We had VERy high expectations because we have been Disney World travelers for years and everyone talks about DCL. While we didn't find the food 100% perfect, we LOVED the different style of food (much more upscale presentation and yummy root veggies and escargot etc). The entertainment and technology was a HUGE difference, as was no casino, not having bingo or photo taking shoved in your face, the on deck Captain Sparrow live stunt show that led to the fireworks, and basically for us, we we were wowed the entire 3 days. That 3 days was the BEST cruise crusie I'd ever been on. (If you are talking cruise vs ports. CCL always has had nice ports, plus I've been to Hawaii too.)

 

Anyway fastforward to May/June. We were not able to rebook onboard because after 2 cruises in 6 weeks, frankly that was ridiculous. (FYI, You can get 10% discount plus only put down 10% deposit (half) and get some onboard credit.) As it turned out, we actually GOT a 10% off voucher in the mail about 6 weeks after sailing. WAHOO! Not everyone gets them! So we all got together as a family, we picked May 5 on the newly Refurbed Magic (just got finished) and knew we wanted a sea day this time. I REALLY wanted a 7 day Fantasy but my twinkie's BIL said NO WAY JOSE. 4 is all he would do, and we are tacking on some WDW again while we are there. We booked on July 21 (the voucher had to be used before the end of July) and we got 11A (because we wanted to be accross from Mom & Dad on balcony) interior room for base rate of $580 pp and then got it down to $522 per person due to the 10% off.

 

In addition to our 522 pp, (1044 cruise fare total, not including tax and port fees, those are a given on all cruises), our deposit would have been 208, but we had $164 Disney Reward dollars to put down on it, so we only had to pay like $44 to reserve the cruise! Yippee! And we have about $300 more already, plus what we get between now and then. Applies straight against the cruise (or tickets, or onboard credit or however we want to use it really.)

 

To give you an idea, my friend booked a 10C on our 5/5 Magic cruise for her and her mom and her 8 yr old. The 10C has the split deluxe bath and can house up to 4 people in case they add another person later on. She paid $600 per adult and the 8 year old was $352pp. They didn't have a discount voucher.

 

I since have looked, and our 11A that was 580 when we booked in July is now 680. Their 10C has also gone up since October when they booked it. Disney typically has rates that increase as you get closer to the PIF date, depending on how the ship books. However, you have to check them regularly. When the government shut down happened, rates went back to what they were when we bought it (lowest level interior was 540pp 11C category) I guess since a bunch of people cancelled. We also snatched up airfare that week for 242 with taxes round trip! I check the rates on a daily basis and they fluxuate like crazy.

 

After PIF date, there is a POSSIBILITY of a *GT sale to fill the ship. These will be discounted rates that they can place you wherever they want and assign the room to you. If you have a somewhat flexible schedule (we were able to take half a week for the Thurs-Sun), you can jump on them. If you want a guaranteed room and category, than you should book at as advance as possible and stay really really far away from any summer or school holidays, since that is when Disney demand (and subsequent prices) go up.

 

So here is to sum up, I know this is long, but I love to talk about it!

 

Carnival Dream 7 Night Feb-Mar 2 '13 Interior Spa: 549 pp

Disney Dream 3 Night Apr 11 '13 Deluxe Veranda sale: 540pp

Disney Magic 4 Night May 5 '14 Interior 11A: 580 discounted to 522pp

 

I don't have any kids, so other than saying that the 8 yr is is cruising for 352, I'm not much help. I think if you have a few kids, the rates continue to go down for the 4th person, but a lot depends on the cruise time and room cateogry.

 

I hope this helps!

Edited November 26, 2013 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[arush5268d]

 

 

 

 

So here is to sum up, I know this is long, but I love to talk about it!

 

Carnival Dream 7 Night Feb-Mar 2 '13 Interior Spa: 549 pp

Disney Dream 3 Night Apr 11 '13 Deluxe Veranda sale: 540pp

Disney Magic 4 Night May 5 '14 Interior 11A: 580 discounted to 522pp

 

 

Comparing a 7 day Carnival to a 3/4 day Disney pricewise?

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

There is simply no way you can get on Disney for the same price as Carnival. Not even close. For the price of a 7-day Carnival, you can MAYBE get a 3-day Disney. I'm with you - I could never justify the price difference.

 

Just to clarify, I have always said that I paid the same for a 3/4 Day DCL as I did a 7 Day CCL.

 

However, I would do it again in a HEART beat. Its the same money (dollar for dollar), and 7 mediocre days are still Mediocre. After 4 CCLs (each less inclusive and more boring than the first, and that was on the MS Holiday of all ships! Triumph was fun too.) I am CCL'd out. I wouldn't step on one for free. I wish I would have known we were going on a the DCL because I wouldn't have spent a dime on the CCL Dream if I had known! It was just a waste of $1500 (when you add the tips and expenses) that I could have used towards the DIsney cruise!

 

Getting back to topic, I LOVED the family friendly entertainment. I just cannot wait to go back on it. And after the CCL Dream, I didn't care if I never cruised on a boat again! That's me being completely honest.

Edited November 26, 2013 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Comparing a 7 day Carnival to a 3/4 day Disney pricewise?

 

Yes, what about it? It's like comparing a few nights at a 4 star hotel verses a week at a 1 or 1.5 star hotel.

 

BTW, I should add that you can bring ANY beverage of ANY quantity of ANY kind on board with you. *eyebrows wiggle* Think of that, you cheers paying people!

Edited November 26, 2013 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[John1928]

I still say that ones of you who are looking for these wonderful family movies are missing the boat. Pun intended. If you and your children are lounging around the pool eating popcorn, carnival or any other company is potentially missing an opportunity to make money. Even the movies in the cabin are of poor resolution, old and not particularly "family" movies. It doesn't make good business sense to have you want to stay in your cabin. It's always about the money! Always!

 

Showing good movies targeted at any demographic is a better money maker than having people spending time in their cabins. The occasional kids movie probably makes sense in that rotation though it's not a deal-breaker for us.

 

On our last Glory cruise there were no movies on over half of the nights including ones without deck parties or seemingly any other conflicts. A double/triple feature seems like an easy win on at least one of those nights.

 

On one of those evenings I was on kiddie duty so the wife could have some casino time. The kids were ready to crash and would have happily let them snooze on/next to me while enjoying the weather up on deck, watching a movie and chatting quietly with my brother (also on this trip). Instead, we were back in the cabin watching Dark Knight Rises on a small iPad screen while the kids snoozed. I know Carnival lost out on at least 3 cocktail/beer sales to my brother and probably one for me during that window. If they were generating revenue in some other fashion from the lido space that might make good sense, but in this case it just seemed like a missed opportunity.