Things we miss about cruising today....

[Dinkachu]

I'm sure there is probably a thread somewhere on this topic, but as we prepare for 2 cruises this year, we looked through photos from past cruises and it made us long for cruise features that have disappeared over the past decade.

 

Cruising, like most of life, changes and evolves. Some of those changes are necessary - such as safety measures like required life boat seats for each passenger (my great-great uncle was Captain Smith of the Titanic). Cruisers with mobility issues can now cruise more comfortably. The variety of shipboard activities is greater. You can ice skate at sea, climb rock walls, and you can even ride on a zip line.

 

I still miss some cruise traditions from the past. For example, My family loved to dress up for 'theme nights' in the dining room. We carried outfits for 50's night, Togas, Caribbean Night. On formal nights the men would even wear their tuxedos. I now people want to be comfortable, but I miss having a dress code on formal nights. Spectacular Christmas midnight buffets are also something we miss.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Dinkachu
Typing errors and grammatical errors corrected

[GlasgowGuy]

We cruise a lot out of the U.K and the majority of the things you miss are still a big part of cruising here. Our last cruises have had themes such as, 60's, black & white night, tropical etc. Formal dress is required an average of 4 nights on a 14 night cruise, lots of men wear their tuxedos and us Scots tend to wear full Highland dress on formal nights.

 

Try taking a cruise out of the U.K and you will see a difference. P&O in particular have all the things you are missing.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Spurschick]

Ship shape activities.

 

Back in the now far too distant past, when they used to do mini golf tournaments, bean bag throwing competitions etc around the ship and they gave out ship shape dollars which you could redeem for prizes, people actually turned up and participated in events. Now you are lucky if anyone turns up. Some prizes were better than others, but it made it a good fun social gathering.

 

It's a shame they stopped the horse racing as well.that used to be fun dressing up horses and seeing them go to dinner.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Spurschick

[Hotel CA]

shooting skeet off the stern-- but understandable why it is no longer available

[susancruzs]

I've been cruising since 1982, and cruising has certainly evolved! :) I still enjoy it but it is different now. I sail with RCI and Princess the most, and have fond memories of my past cruises.

 

My best RCI cruise was on Song of Norway to Alaska from LA, bringing the ship up. First ship, what a welcome, Sitka, Haines, Wrangall as well as others. It was wonderful being the only ship! I did the float plane, train ride, helicopter and a zodiac. Weather was the warmest, earliest Spring ever, I had to buy a short sleeve tee or two. If I go back, it will be a land trip, I can't see going with so many ships in port.

 

My best Princess was a Big Band cruise with Les Brown's band. I was 39, only 10 of us under 50 on a 2 week Panama Canal cruise. It was awesome, everyone dressed to the nines every night dancing up a storm, incredible on the 1st Royal Princess.

[finz2u]

I think I am going to miss the wine package (apparently discontinued in favor of the drink packages).

 

I do love to dress up, but the airlines, with their baggage charges, have put a crimper in carrying special clothes.

 

There is a TV channel that runs episodes of the "Love Boat". Now that was cruising.

[Paul65]

I miss the "Gala Midnight Buffet" a bit.

 

They had theme nights when I first started cruising, but they didn't really seem to advertise them in advance, so most people didn't pack themed clothes to be able to participate.

[Clarea]

I miss combining the shareholder benefit, C&A discount coupon, C&A balcony discount, and C&A Next Cruise OBC. I also miss getting price adjustments until 72 hours before the cruise.

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

In no particular order:

 

1. Free drink when you walk on the ship the first day.

2. Skeet Shooting

3. Chocolates on the pillows

4. Horse racing (and gambling) by the pool deck.

5. Welcome back gifts in your stateroom.

6. Fresh squeezed pineapple juice (and other juices) in the dining room at breakfast.

7. Theme nights on the ship.

8. Midnight Buffet (can we still have just one night a week please?)

9. Ship shape dollars for a free t-shirt

10. A true dining room maitre d who would visit your table multiple times a week to make sure everything was OK.

11. A wine connoisseur in the dining rooms.

12. Being able to buy a bottle of alcohol at the ships liquor store and make drinks out of your stateroom all week.

[racerxspeedy]

Wish they still at least had some fruit and ice sculptures. Flowers on the tables have dissapeared as well. I remember some daytime food demonstrations, promenade breakfasts, and late night dessert buffets...... This is making me sad....so I will stop now.

[YubaSutter]

Skeet shooting, throwing streamers off the ship, and hitting golf balls into the ocean are three that I miss.

[DonnaK]

On our first cruise (Home Lines in the 1980s), we selected pool loungers in our preferred location and they were tagged with our name on it and reserved for the entire sailing. No need for fighting off chair hogs!

Edited April 16, 2015 by DonnaK

[sail7seas]

I miss the sophistication and tastefulness of ships' experiences in the past. I liked the custom of sharing wine at dining tables. I miss stewards passing silver trays of 'sides' including at least 4-5 vegetables each evening and serving each guest their choice. I miss the dining stewards have few enough tables they could provide very fine service and had the chance to place fish knives when appropriate. I miss flaming desserts made tableside..... cherries jubilee, crepes suzette.

 

I miss most of the ships' officers out on all formal nights hosting tables.

I miss that guests who were provided the treat/honor to dine with these officers dressed appropriate for the evening and presented themselves with good manners to all they encountered during the experience.

 

I miss 'specialty' nights in the MDR with appropriate small table flags to represent the French, Italian, Dutch etc dinner we were being served.

 

I miss the abundance of huge floral arrangements all around the HAL ships. They were magnificent.

 

I miss that guests were respectful and polite (mostly :)) and interacted freely and friendly with most others.

 

[navybankerteacher]

The tendency to be courteous to shipmates, the ability to bring a reasonable supply of your own wine, the quality of MDR food and service before the introduction of specialty restaurants for superior food, the sufficiency of staff to provide superior cabin and dining room steward service ... An awful lot has been eroded away.

[Hlitner]

In no particular order:

 

1. Free drink when you walk on the ship the first day.

2. Skeet Shooting

3. Chocolates on the pillows

4. Horse racing (and gambling) by the pool deck.

5. Welcome back gifts in your stateroom.

6. Fresh squeezed pineapple juice (and other juices) in the dining room at breakfast.

7. Theme nights on the ship.

8. Midnight Buffet (can we still have just one night a week please?)

9. Ship shape dollars for a free t-shirt

10. A true dining room maitre d who would visit your table multiple times a week to make sure everything was OK.

11. A wine connoisseur in the dining rooms.

12. Being able to buy a bottle of alcohol at the ships liquor store and make drinks out of your stateroom all week.

 

Many things in your list still exist although you must be on the appropriate cruise line. Of course skeet shooting is long gone and if you now want to buy a bottle of booze for your cabin you must order it from room service and pay higher prices.

 

But free drinks are still given out when you board Celebrity, chocolates are still on the pillows of a few lines, some lines still have one late night buffet a cruise (but this seems to be disappearing due to lack of interest), wine experts still exist on some lines like HAL, maitre'd's visit tables on some lines, etc. As to gifts, you could take a HAL Grand Cruise and you will get multiple gifts (some quite nice).

 

Hank

[whogo]

I can see we have different likes and dislikes. I do not miss the visits from the maitre d' at all. They were smarmy individuals who made my skin crawl. It was galling to have to tip them for interrupting my meals.

[Husky61]

I don't miss anything from years ago, I'm happy with what I have today.:)

[OCruisers]

Skeet shooting, throwing streamers off the ship, and hitting golf balls into the ocean are three that I miss.

 

Miss them too! At least we have our FUN memories! :D

[OctoberKat]

The purser marching all about the ship playing a miniature xylophone making all aware of am imminent meal.

 

Beef broth for elevenses.

 

The hot chocolate cart serving at (yes, assigned) deck chairs.

Edited April 16, 2015 by OctoberKat

[By The Bay]

I miss sailing with a better class of passengers. In the past the cruise industry had the good sense to lock those steerage hordes down below, out of sight, sound and mind. Now those wretches can dine in the MDR with me! :mad:

 

Ah..... the good 'ol days.:D

Is this supposed to be sarcasm?:confused:

Or are you serious?:confused:

Sarcasm is so difficult to detect in text.:D

[navybankerteacher]

The purser marching all about the ship playing a miniature xylophone making all aware of am imminent meal.

 

Beef broth for elevenses.

 

The hot chocolate cart serving at (yes, assigned) deck chairs.

 

I doubt it was the purser on any ship - but whoever it is on HAL, it is still done.

[Gardeneroflove]

Wish they still at least had some fruit and ice sculptures. Flowers on the tables have dissapeared as well. I remember some daytime food demonstrations, promenade breakfasts, and late night dessert buffets...... This is making me sad....so I will stop now.

 

disney still has the food sculptures.

 

I know carnival had the other last time...I'll be disappointed if no chocolate buffet!

[calliopecruiser]

I am pleased to see the end of the midnight buffets and and food sculptures.....those things always seemed so wasteful to me.

 

Some of the things mentioned so far are actually still available on some lines - fresh squeezed juices, tableside preparation of special dishes, sommeliers in the MDR, free drinks, canapes in the lounge before dinner, afternoon tea.....

[greatam]

I am pretty well done with cruising. Other than lines like Cunard, Seaborne and sometimes Celebrity and HAL (LONGER cruises which is all I have ever been on), the experience has been reduced to almost the lowest common denominator.

 

Really used to be special-formal nights that were REALLY formal, food that was far better than AppleBe's, TGIF's or Olive Garden. People with manners who said please and thank you and were NOT cutting in line no matter what the line was. NO CELL PHONES where people are PLASTERED to their screens bumping into people because their nose is stuck reading their email or some other BS. Drinks upon boarding and stewards who showed you to your cabin. Almost all gone.

 

Last cruise I ATTEMPTED to take-Dec. 3, 2014, Sihouette from Rome to the USA. Hubby had passed away just year before. Didn't want to see all the Xmas hoopla before Xmas at home since it was always a big deal to me. I couldn't get on the ship. After watching people board in clothes that looked like they had just cleaned their yard or pool and the loud, obnoxious behavior of a lot or passengers, plus missing DH so much, I just threw away the money and few home on airline miles.

 

What was once a special environment on even the mass market ships has now been downgraded to nothing more than a week or two vacation just about like Spring Break for the college kids.

 

If I want to travel in the future (really have not much desire to-been on all 7 continents and literally around the world twice), it will be at least business class air to a 4 or 5* hotel where I really want to see something. I don't have a lot of money, so don't get me wrong. But I will STILL get the chocolates on the pillows, the concierge bending over backwards to make sure my trip is fantastic and my needs are taken care of in every way and a vacation where people act like those with a little decorum and class. SOMETHING in LIFE has to be SPECIAL.

 

It truly was very special even just 6-7 years ago. Now, just head to Disneyland, SeaWorld, SixFlags or a rented beach hotel/apt or a mountain cabin and take the zip line, ride a jet ski and show up for dinner in your shorts and flip flops. NO DIFFERENT than the lowest denominator cruise ship today!!!

Edited April 17, 2015 by greatam

[sail7seas]

I doubt it was the purser on any ship - but whoever it is on HAL, it is still done.

 

:D It was definitely not the Purser. It is the Yum Yum Guy. :) It is a lovely ritual.

 

 

WhenIsLobsterNight:

 

HAL has a late night buffet each evening in Lido. Not fancy like in years past on some cruise lines nevertheless there is more food put out around 10:30 or so.... I'm unclear exact time as we never go but it is listed in daily program.

 

HAL has pillow chocolates each night.

Every cruise, as a Mariner, you will receive a tote bag. They aren't nearly as nice as the ones they used to provide but they do give a tote each cruise.

Fresh squeezed orange juice every morning in Lido and Pinnacle. I don't know if in MDR.

A Dining Room Manager (formerly Maitre d') who visits tables. We have always found them friendly and whenever we had a 'suggestion' how things could be a little better at our table, it always happened.

 

Each HAL ship has a Cellar Master for wine assistance. I have found some to be more or less friendly...... same for helpfulness.

You can purchase a bottle of liquor either in advance of boarding in from Room service once aboard so you can drink in your cabin. You cannot bring hard liquor of your own aboard. It will be confiscated and held until end of cruise and you cannot buy your liquor in the on board duty free to drink in your cabin.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2015 by sail7seas