Just got off cruise 19 and noticing some changes

[jimbri]

OP Thank you for your post. It is always good to hear about someone's experience especially when stated in what seems to be a very fair way.

[Crusingdiva62]

Hmmm the thing that bothered me was not in relation to the ship,staff,service. It's passengers blatantly telling people how to get all tips removed. I was in the Taj Mahal listened to a lady mad because she was charged tips on her sail and sign and that included a 5 year old. Apparently not s reader or she would know this. So another passengers told her to list go and complain at guest services and have them remove all the tips! If people can't afford tips then cruising isn't for you. This is a change that bugs me .

 

 

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[bUU]

I haven't read all of the replies but as far as staffing goes I think that it's more that CCL has trouble hiring staff than it is that CCL has cut staff. There's a lot of competition for staff among the cruise lines. This is just one article that addresses the issue. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-8349-6871-5_11

That article doesn't specify who those 250,000 crew members that will need to be added by 2020 are. More recent articles confirm a shortage, but are much clearer that the shortage is of senior staff, including senior staff onshore, ship officer level seafarers, and chefs. If you read the industry rags long enough, you see loads of articles expressing concerns about turnover and retention of qualified seafarers and senior staff, but nothing talking specifically about difficulties filling stateroom attendant or a food server positions (except, predictably, on US-crewed ships). For a while last year I viewed dozens of vlogs created by ship crew members, many of which were about getting a job aboard cruise ships as either a stateroom attendant or a food server, and my understanding from those videos was that the jobs were very competitive because they paid so much vis a vis what else the candidates for the position could hope to earn.

 

So while there are staff shortages among those positions that require maritime expertise and experience, there's no reason to think that those shortages extend to the service workers we're talking about in this thread.

[bobsfamily]

Thanks for the info, We have 15+ cruises on Carnival plus a good many cruises on other lines. We have a cruise coming up on a Carnival ship but just did a cruise on NCL. We had never been on NCL and had been told how wonderful the cruise line was and so much superior to Carnival..... well it was a 4 night cruise on a older ship that now goes to Cuba. It was "nice" and we were told constantly while onboard how much better it was than that nasty ole Carnival cruise line. I asked several people who told us this how many times they had been on Carnival ship... OH they would NEVER step foot on a ship, they are so bad!

 

So after the 4 night cruise my wife and I compared our last cruise on an older Carnival ship (Ecstasy - Charleston port and 15 minutes from home) and decided we had more room, fun and better food on Carnival compared to the NCL ship. Not even close.

 

Will I always cruise Carnival, nope. I must admit a good price on Celebrity will steal me away every time! But we are sure looking forward to this upcoming cruise out of New Orleans! Does Carnival have some problems? Over the years (first cruise with Carnival was in 1990) many things have changed and I'm sure many more will. I've had one hot cabin and thankfully the ship was not full, we ended up with an interior we could sleep in and our balcony for during the day. Not the best but it was a 3 night cruise!

[happy cruzer]

Regarding over assigned staff, more tables = more tips(income). Same with the room stewards. They probably prefer the arrangement. However, if service suffers then the consumer will vote with their feet.

[A&Jfamily]

I think part of the reason that people respond so negatively sometimes is the way people post thing; it can often appear short sited - a few issues on one cruise does not logically equate to Carnival going down hill. I think another thing that people fail to recognize in these types of posts is that Carnival has made some great additions over the years - I doubt the comedy club existed per se they way it does not when they took their first cruise. What about the additions of Alchemy? Guys? Sportsquares? Blue Iguana? Red Rum? Tequila bar? Improved Serenity decks? Spa rooms? Jiji's? Cucina? Chef's Table? The list could go on. None of the things that I have listed existed when I first started with Carnival in 2007 and they are all fantastic additions!

 

That said, I don't disagree that the MDR experience has changed. The wait staff is obviously over worked compared to much earlier on. And I believed it began to change with the addition of ATD - a feature we now have come to enjoy for our family of 4. There have also been a myriad of other little changes - one only has to read these boards to see the complaints about no chocolates, once a day room service and removal of adult only pool just to name a few.

 

When I compare all the positives to the "negative" changes I can't say Carnival is really better or worse - just different. And I have learned by sailing Princess, that if you want a more mature, classic and elegant cruise experience without being stuffy or over the top, it is easily available. Many times you will pay more for it - and that is up to the individual.

 

We still enjoy Carnival, but we know what to expect - and adjust our expectations accordingly; after all, it is unreasonable to pay for 2-3 star service and expect 5 star. We are quite looking forward to our short getaway on Sunshine - we love that ship. But we are also to the point that we have pretty much (after our cruise out of New Orleans in December and the one out of San Juan in March) exhausted what Carnival has to offer as we chose to book Princess for the Mexican Riviera (I just have to be on the "Love Boat" to Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta!). As we get closer to retirement and the days of longer cruising, I am sure our Carnival runs will dwindle considerably and that's OK. As times change, so do we.

 

Perhaps it is time for the OP to spend a little more for the experience they are really after?

[BoDidly]

It's obvious to this cruiser that the MDR is well understaffed and that has been the problem for awhile now. Slow service ,cold food we've all experienced this. So how do we solve the problem ?

Stop going ,show Carnival that it is no longer appealing to the cruising population.

 

Of Course I don't think everyone will follow suit , but perhaps give the understaffed over worked Carnival employees a break . Perhaps dine elsewhere once or twice. Even enjoy a restaurant on one of your visiting ports for a change of scenery :cool:

[sparks1093]

That article doesn't specify who those 250,000 crew members that will need to be added by 2020 are. More recent articles confirm a shortage, but are much clearer that the shortage is of senior staff, including senior staff onshore, ship officer level seafarers, and chefs. If you read the industry rags long enough, you see loads of articles expressing concerns about turnover and retention of qualified seafarers and senior staff, but nothing talking specifically about difficulties filling stateroom attendant or a food server positions (except, predictably, on US-crewed ships). For a while last year I viewed dozens of vlogs created by ship crew members, many of which were about getting a job aboard cruise ships as either a stateroom attendant or a food server, and my understanding from those videos was that the jobs were very competitive because they paid so much vis a vis what else the candidates for the position could hope to earn.

 

So while there are staff shortages among those positions that require maritime expertise and experience, there's no reason to think that those shortages extend to the service workers we're talking about in this thread.

 

With the cruise lines adding mega ships every year it has to affect entry level staffing. Cruise lines still need to find qualified people that are willing to work at sea and are able to pass the multiple background checks required. It also must be kept in mind that Carnival undoubtedly has a reputation among potential staff just as it does for potential passengers which could make their staffing even more challenging.

[meatloafsfan]

The too warm cabin was probably thanks to other guests propping open their balcony doors.

 

I personally haven't seen the MDR servers on Carnival any busier or more harried than on other cruise lines. We prefer to do late traditional dining though so perhaps that leads to better service because there are some empty tables. Early dining tends to be slammed and every table full and of course anytime dining just plays havoc on servers trying to time things (I think when you have tables seated at different times, it makes more work for them).

[Crusingdiva62]

Just took one trip on NCL and haven't been back! Can't imagine doing that repeatedly if so many things bugged me. So maybe carnival is just not for OP with so many issues yet continued patronage just seems odd.

 

 

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[bUU]

With the cruise lines adding mega ships every year it has to affect entry level staffing.

No question, but as of yet I have seen no articles that have mentioned that the supply of candidates for stateroom attendant and food server positions, specifically, is becoming strained. There are a lot of people living in the countries that those staffers are sourced from.

 

It also must be kept in mind that Carnival undoubtedly has a reputation among potential staff just as it does for potential passengers which could make their staffing even more challenging.

I've never heard any cruise line employee from a third-world nation make such an observation, so perhaps it isn't an issue for them.

[sparks1093]

No question, but as of yet I have seen no articles that have mentioned that the supply of candidates for stateroom attendant and food server positions, specifically, is becoming strained. There are a lot of people living in the countries that those staffers are sourced from.

 

I've never heard any cruise line employee from a third-world nation make such an observation, so perhaps it isn't an issue for them.

 

Yes, there are a lot of people living in the countries that staffers are sourced from but how many are qualified (including being able to speak English well enough), can pass background checks and want to work at sea? I'm not saying that it is the main reason, just suggesting that it's a factor. And staffers have to have prejudices and preferences for which cruise line they work for, whether they express it to passengers or not (and I would also suspect that Carnival is not only an entry level cruise line for passengers but also for staff who work with Carnival long enough to qualify to work for a more upscale line). Again, just some of the other factors at work.

[bUU]

Yes, there are a lot of people living in the countries that staffers are sourced from but how many are qualified (including being able to speak English well enough), can pass background checks and want to work at sea?

It's a good question. Those who shared their experiences on YouTube indicate the number of qualified candidates is very large. Some of those countries have remarkably high populations. Indonesia, for example, has a population over 200 million. English is taught in most schools there, and although not their first language (nor second language for many) I've seen estimates that put the number of Indonesians that speak English well enough to get by at about 20%, and that's higher among the young and those living in cities.

 

I'm sure that if the crew shortage ever gets to the point where it includes stateroom attendants and food servers, we'll see it discussed in the industry magazines, as the shortage of officers is regularly discussed.

[skiingj]

Appreciate the OPs feedback.

 

I agree the MDR has gone downhill. My family of six were on the Vista in Europe in September. The service was slow most nights and a couple nights it was extremely slow. The only night it wasn’t slow was the overnight in Athens.

 

On the Vista the disco and theater are merged and I would guess the show times were set earlier so they can open the area for the disco. With the slow MDR service we never got to see a show with late time seating. Very disappointing. Could we have left dinner early, yes but a group of six (four 75+) they didn’t want to miss dinner in the MDR. The staff was great but so over worked. Asked them a couple times if we could move through dinner faster to make a show and nothing changed.

 

They also let so many people in the MDR with shorts and with no table clothes it wasn’t as good experience as we’ve had in the past. The experience was more like Denny’s as oppressed to a 4 star like experience. The maître d kept away from a few platinum and diamond guests as a few complained near us. Most felt maître d placated the complainers and avoided top tear guests as to not hear more complaints. Not certain of this but the maître d did avoid our table (Platinum) and another (Diamond) all week long.

 

The food quality in the MDR along with portion size has declined as well. That with a poor loyalty program has caused us to branch out and explorer other lines. We will still sail Carnival but not as often.

[FlaMommy75]

I am sure will receive negative comments on this, but I really don't care. It is amazing to me the rudeness displayed on the Carnival forums. Past few years have mainly followed HAL forums, as have been cruising HAL for few years now exclusively. Never saw these types of attacks on people expressing their honest views. Seems to be the norm for Carnival though. Has me worried since we are going back to Carnival next Feb after few years away. Hope this rudeness doesn't also carry over to ruin our experience on our cruise. Apparently Carnival cruisers have a tendency to this type of behavior which I have no desire to participate in. Apparently makes them feel important by bashing other people. Low life in my opinion, but apparently they feel it enhances their self esteem(which they have none of or wouldn't be posting these types of attacks on others). I fail to understand this thinking, but seems to be proliferating. Will see if this will be our last Carnival cruise of not.

 

I agree that this board can be very disheartening. However, I have seen some nasty posters on NCL and RC also. I love this site because I find so much great information and it really gets me excited for my upcoming cruises, but I can't stand when people attack others. There are people on here that are "keyboard bullies". I guess it is easy to verbally attack people when you are hiding behind a computer screen.

 

I find the majority of people I meet on cruises to be friendly, kind people. However, on the first night of my last cruise I went to Guest Services to ask a question. I went to the FTTF/Plat line because I had FTTF. The main line was very long and when the guest services rep walked over to help me a man in the crowd yelled very loudly "WHY DOES SHE GET TO GO AHEAD OF US???!!". The guest service rep shouted back "because she belongs in this line, Sir". My question only took a second and I could see the gentleman out of the corner of my eye so when I was finished I walked over to him and said as sweetly as I could "Excuse me, Sir, but did you have a problem with me?" He said nothing. I then said "Ok, just wanted to make sure. Have a wonderful evening!" and I gave him my biggest smile and walked away. I guess he didn't think we would know it was him shouting about me and he was hoping for a mob mentality outcome, but no one else in the line acknowledged him. My point is, it is easy to be mean when you are not face to face, whether you are hiding behind a computer screen or you think your a faceless person in a crowd. Fortunately, the majority of us have enough integrity and character to treat people kindly no matter if they can see us or not...:)

[brooklynfc]

I think what is a cutback to some is a not noticeable or is a perk for others. I think some of us who have cruised Carnival and others for a long time are seeing more of a "transition." They have to keep up with what is marketable and who they are marketing to. I for one, thought it was silly to attach "celebrity" names to things on the ship. Having a comedy show called "George Lopez" meant nothing to me. If the show was good, that is what mattered. Two hours is a little long for dinner, but I've had a two hour dinner in a land restaurant before, especially on a busy night. Just think of the MDR as the "place to eat" on a Friday night in your hometown, lol. For some cultures, dining is an experience and taking that amount of time to eat is customary.

 

But I think you will continue to see fluidity in what Carnival does on the ships. I think I will see the disappearance of elegant dress. You will still get the lobster, but you won't have to wear a buttoned down shirt to eat it. It's a culture shift. Everything seems to be leaning towards a more casual society, including the workplace. Carnival will go where the majority and the money is. But, if they are smart they will keep some of the more traditional cruising aspects for their other lines so they can provide that service to those who don't care for a more casual cruise. This is just me throwing a bunch of stuff out there, don't take any of it too seriously.

[spleenstomper]

Yes, there are a lot of people living in the countries that staffers are sourced from but how many are qualified (including being able to speak English well enough), can pass background checks and want to work at sea? I'm not saying that it is the main reason, just suggesting that it's a factor. And staffers have to have prejudices and preferences for which cruise line they work for, whether they express it to passengers or not (and I would also suspect that Carnival is not only an entry level cruise line for passengers but also for staff who work with Carnival long enough to qualify to work for a more upscale line). Again, just some of the other factors at work.

 

Cruise ships tend to not background check..

[bUU]

I find the majority of people I meet on cruises to be friendly, kind people. However, on the first night of my last cruise I went to Guest Services to ask a question. I went to the FTTF/Plat line because I had FTTF. The main line was very long and when the guest services rep walked over to help me a man in the crowd yelled very loudly "WHY DOES SHE GET TO GO AHEAD OF US???!!". The guest service rep shouted back "because she belongs in this line, Sir".

There's another aspect to this though: I'm glad to have FTTF for the reasons that people purchase it, but those reasons are also the cause of the very clear dissatisfaction that that man in the crowd expressed. Yes, it is true that life isn't fair, and yes, it is true that people have to learn to live with the reality of the differences between have they're treated vis a vis others, but there's a downside (for the cruise line) of making class differences within the ship so obvious. I wonder if the cruise line would have been better off if the regular queue and the priority queue were not in sight of each other.

[FlaMommy75]

There's another aspect to this though: I'm glad to have FTTF for the reasons that people purchase it, but those reasons are also the cause of the very clear dissatisfaction that that man in the crowd expressed. Yes, it is true that life isn't fair, and yes, it is true that people have to learn to live with the reality of the differences between have they're treated vis a vis others, but there's a downside (for the cruise line) of making class differences within the ship so obvious. I wonder if the cruise line would have been better off if the regular queue and the priority queue were not in sight of each other.

 

I 100% agree with this idea!! :) I will admit the rest of the week I was hesitant to even get in the FFTF/Priority Line for fear of being verbally attacked. We have always had FFTF every cruise since it has started being offered and although I have heard the occasional loud "sigh" when we are in the line and get serviced first, this was the first and only time I have been verbally attacked. I already have FFTF booked for my next two cruises and we will be Platinum after that, but would love it there was a line we could go to and not have to worry about backlash.

[First and Ten]

I 100% agree with this idea!! :) I will admit the rest of the week I was hesitant to even get in the FFTF/Priority Line for fear of being verbally attacked. We have always had FFTF every cruise since it has started being offered and although I have heard the occasional loud "sigh" when we are in the line and get serviced first, this was the first and only time I have been verbally attacked. I already have FFTF booked for my next two cruises and we will be Platinum after that, but would love it there was a line we could go to and not have to worry about backlash.

 

Thats not right....In your own words, the disgruntled person addressed (in a loud voice) the Carnival Rep. He didnt "attack" you....by asking/yelling why does she get to go to the front is not an "attack" on you. By your own words in your previous post, you seemed to be sticking the knife in a bit deeper with your "big smile" and engaging the person. Why would you do that?

[beerman2]

Sounds suspicious with 19 cruise not using the guarantee?

Maybe in OP's mind it wasn't bad enough to warrant using the guarantee.

 

The issue they had were slow service/under staffed (which by the way is the way many corporations operate now) dining room. And hot room.

 

2 things not expected , but also not worth invoking the guarantee.

[FlaMommy75]

Thats not right....In your own words, the disgruntled person addressed (in a loud voice) the Carnival Rep. He didnt "attack" you....by asking/yelling why does she get to go to the front is not an "attack" on you. By your own words in your previous post, you seemed to be sticking the knife in a bit deeper with your "big smile" and engaging the person. Why would you do that?

 

He didn't address the Carnival rep, he shouted loudly to the crowd, "WHY DOES SHE GET TO GO AHEAD OF US??!!" The Carnival rep, as well as myself and my husband, overheard him and the Carnival Rep jumped to my defense.

 

I gave him the biggest smile ever and told him to have a wonderful evening to remind him life is beautiful and we are fortunate to be alive and on an amazing vacation and that his miserable, bitter self was not going to ruin my night.:*

[bUU]

He didn't address the Carnival rep, he shouted loudly to the crowd, "WHY DOES SHE GET TO GO AHEAD OF US??!!" The Carnival rep, as well as myself and my husband, overheard him and the Carnival Rep jumped to my defense.

I see both sides of this. It surely must have felt to you as an attack on you but I also recognize that the man had no reason to harbor any ill will towards you personally and so his attacked is really best classified as an expression of frustration at best and an attack on the cruise line at worst.

 

What's important in the context of what you said is that the incident made you feel uncomfortable. That's what the cruise line needs to be concerned about.

 

 

This message may have been entered via voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[evandbob]

For those questioning why the Carnival guarantee wasn't utilized by the OP, the fine print says you have to notify Carnival within your first 24 hrs on board the ship that you are planning to use it. I don't think everything he mentioned had occurred by 2 or 3PM of his first day at sea. Secondly, the OP didn't say his cruise was ruined or he suffered greatly by the deficiencies he pointed out, but just that these irritants seem to mount up as his cruise went on. I thought his post was quietly subjective and he gave his opinion, what's wrong with that?

 

Temperature can be extremely subjective - some people like hot and some like cold, and then there are people who fluctuate, putting sweaters on and taking them off and repeating several times in the MDR or comedy lounge. Like food, we will never get to a point where everyone agrees they are comfortable with the temp setting (or food taste and selection). It's called individual choice and preference and we all got our own, thankfully.

 

I appreciate reading a variety of opinions. While I am not a Carnival cheerleader or clone, I've sailed on them 32 times with 2 more (Dream and Horizon) booked. My latest booking is for the MSC Seaside, midship balcony for about $2K for 2 people. I keep my eyes and mind open and enjoy a diversity of opinions, it makes life much easier for me. YMMV.

[SkyPiglet]

For the dining staff, stewards, and bar waitstaff, I agree that there seems to be less service, which I attribute to lower staffing numbers. I really hope that those that are doing all the work get a higher rate of gratuities due to their increased workload, than they would otherwise. As always, they still do an excellent job.

 

For temperature, I would imagine there is a lot of variation between cabins and ships. How efficient is one ship's HVAC system compared to another? How far down a duct is a particular cabin compared to another? I have only been on five cruises, but I have had one room not get cool enough, and on another cruise, it almost gets too cold. I think that would go more with the ships than cost-cutting.