Carnival - the cruise line of those who love to wait in line???

[jefffrompawpaw]

My Longest waits were on RCL. But even then, I was on vacation and standing in a line for food was better than anything I do on a normal day at work. I primarily cruise on Carnival and know when and where to eat to avoid long lines. But they are going to happen on your first day.

[Tapi]

After 30+ cruises, I’ve also learned the art of enjoying a nice, hearty lunch on land at a restaurant near the port on embarkation day. We then check in around 1:30-2:00pm. By that time, the lines at the terminal are non-existent, our stateroom is ready so we can proceed directly to it, and if we decide to have a quick snack before muster, we find no lines there as well.

 

And we do this, not only on Carnival, but pretty much on any cruise line that we sail on. Our last cruise was on Disney and we enjoyed a very relaxing lunch at Grills overlooking the cruise ships in Port Canaveral.

 

I know that a lot of people subscribe to the philosophy of getting to the port as early as possible and getting on the ship as early as possible to maximize their time onboard, but I’ve learned over the years that my way of doing things result in a much more enjoyable and leisurely embarkation day. I know it’s not for everyone, but my way of doing things may be something that the OP or anyone who hates long lines on day one would benefit from.

 

 

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[BNBR]

After 30+ cruises, I’ve also learned the art of enjoying a nice, hearty lunch on land at a restaurant near the port on embarkation day. We then check in around 1:30-2:00pm. By that time, the lines at the terminal are non-existent, our stateroom is ready so we can proceed directly to it, and if we decide to have a quick snack before muster, we find no lines there as well.

 

And we do this, not only on Carnival, but pretty much on any cruise line that we sail on. Our last cruise was on Disney and we enjoyed a very relaxing lunch at Grills overlooking the cruise ships in Port Canaveral.

 

I know that a lot of people subscribe to the philosophy of getting to the port as early as possible and getting on the ship as early as possible to maximize their time onboard, but I’ve learned over the years that my way of doing things result in a much more enjoyable and leisurely embarkation day. I know it’s not for everyone, but my way of doing things may be something that the OP or anyone who hates long lines on day one would benefit from.

 

 

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Depends on the ship. I showed up for Harmony at 10AM, walked right onto the ship as nobody was at the terminal. Enjoyed leisurely drinks in the Solarium, and when restaurants opened at 12noon, we wandered over to Park Cafe, no line at all, and enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the park.

 

I don't quite understand the "board last" people probably as much as you don't understand the board first people! We also boarded Glory with FTTF, unpacked, then went to the buffet and had no trouble at all having lunch. Lines were minimal.

 

I'm wondering if this was just a fluke with the OP? Or maybe at 12:30 or so the lines get crazy? No idea.

 

I can't imagine sitting at a restaurant outside the port waiting to board is more leisurely than this...

 

[funkidd]

I totally see why the op is p.o’d. Those lines in those pics are ridiculous. I have only been cruising for 13 years. However I can say that the staffs on the cruises seem to have dwindled. In the early 2000s when I first cruised. I fell in love with the cruise because our customer service was so great. I have seen it dwindle down to being herded around like cattle and few servers and waitstaff and the ones that are working are dead tired. I actually feel sorry for most of them. I am in the food business myself so I know how much work the servers do. I think carnival customer service has gone down in the past 10 years or so. I am actually thinking of trying another cruise line just to get some service and pampering back. After all I really think that’s what a cruise should be. Having someone wait on you all day and have customer service fall over themselves to help you. Don’t get me wrong most staff on carnival are nice and usually pleasant. But I can tell they are tired and overworked. Just not enough staff to go around I think.

 

 

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[Tapi]

Depends on the ship. I showed up for Harmony at 10AM, walked right onto the ship as nobody was at the terminal. Enjoyed leisurely drinks in the Solarium, and when restaurants opened at 12noon, we wandered over to Park Cafe, no line at all, and enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the park.

 

 

 

We sailed on the Allure (Harmony’s sister) and had a fantastic, uncrowded experience throughout the entire week. These ships are in a class of their own even before you even board the ship. From the moment you arrive at the cruise terminal, you’re directed in different directions to check in, and you board the ship using multiple gangways. Once onboard, electronic signage throughout the ship informs passengers about how full various dining venues are so that they can choose where to enjoy their meals. Contrary to Carnival ships where everybody is herded to the same area to eat on embarkation day, on these Oasis ships you have a wide selection of places to eat scattered throughout. We frequented the Park Cafe often because it always seemed to be green (uncrowded) just like your photo shows.

 

All of these innovations result in a much more relaxed and less crowded feel than on ships that are literally a fraction of their size. And as we experienced, it was not only on embarkation day, but throughout the entire week. I can certifiably say that we didn’t stand in line once during that entire cruise, not even to disembark which was one of the most efficient and fastest debarkation process that we’ve ever experienced, even with 5,900 fellow passengers getting off the ship at the same time.

 

But Oasis ships were engineered from the moment they were conceived to handle large crowds, and even the cruise terminals were designed in similar fashion. Carnival, in my humble opinion, hasn’t mastered crowds the same way. Their ships have gotten bigger and more crowed, but the general layout hasn’t changed since the Destiny was imagined. And they haven’t made considerable efforts to change their methods over the years either. So there’s a very noticeable difference between Oasis class ships and Carnival ships when it comes to crowd control.

 

 

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[BNBR]

We sailed on the Allure (Harmony’s sister) and had a fantastic, uncrowded experience throughout the entire week. These ships are in a class of their own even before you even board the ship. From the moment you arrive at the cruise terminal, you’re directed in different directions to check in, and you board the ship using multiple gangways. Once onboard, electronic signage throughout the ship informs passengers about how full various dining venues are so that they can choose where to enjoy their meals. Contrary to Carnival ships where everybody is herded to the same area to eat on embarkation day, on these Oasis ships you have a wide selection of places to eat scattered throughout. We frequented the Park Cafe often because it always seemed to be green (uncrowded) just like your photo shows.

 

All of these innovations result in a much more relaxed and less crowded feel than on ships that are literally a fraction of their size. And as we experienced, it was not only on embarkation day, but throughout the entire week. I can certifiably say that we didn’t stand in line once during that entire cruise, not even to disembark which was one of the most efficient and fastest debarkation process that we’ve ever experienced, even with 5,900 fellow passengers getting off the ship at the same time.

 

But Oasis ships were engineered from the moment they were conceived to handle large crowds, and even the cruise terminals were designed in similar fashion. Carnival, in my humble opinion, hasn’t mastered crowds the same way. Their ships have gotten bigger and more crowed, but the general layout hasn’t changed since the Destiny was imagined. And they haven’t made considerable efforts to change their methods over the years either. So there’s a very noticeable difference between Oasis class ships and Carnival ships when it comes to crowd control.

 

 

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I had similar thoughts about NCL Escape. These older layouts cannot handle the volume of passengers so imagine 5,000 guests on a ship with that layout! Oasis is truly revolutionary. It's why we rarely sail anything else, though we do have a Magic cruise next year. Carnival has a fine product, just have to know how to get around the crowds.

[DallasGuy75219]

Carnival, in my humble opinion, hasn’t mastered crowds the same way. Their ships have gotten bigger and more crowed, but the general layout hasn’t changed since the Destiny was imagined. And they haven’t made considerable efforts to change their methods over the years either. So there’s a very noticeable difference between Oasis class ships and Carnival ships when it comes to crowd control.

 

I can't speak specifically to the Oasis class, but it seems like RCCL, Princess, Celebrity, and even NCL have all done much better than Carnival in managing traffic flow, at least at the Lido buffet. RC's Windjammer has the round buffets where you can just jump in for that one thing you want. The other lines use a "station" concept or at least smaller serving lines so that every single person does not have to wait in the same line. Meanwhile, Carnival ships (at least through the Dream class) still have the same long cafeteria-style serving lines that force you to wait behind everybody else, just like their new-build ships 30+ years ago.

[funkidd]

That’s it I’m convinced. I will be taking another cruise line next year. Thanks for all the opinions and info. I think y’all are right carnival maybe had a good idea 10 years ago in ship building but basically left all the ships on the same plan and didn’t innovate and manage the larger crowds better. I’m not sure if the other cruise lines seem to have labor issues (not enough) like Carnival, however I really am tired of Carnival and I think it’s time for a change

 

 

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[nchikk]

So, first impressions are that Carnival staffs for lines. And then as a customer you wait or not, your choice. Eat or not, also your choice. Have a drink or not- again, your choice, depends on your threshold for waiting in line. Mine happens to be limited.

 

No MDR on embarkation day. So, everyone has to eat on 9 at the buffet, Guys, Pizza or the Mexican cantina. Why not have those open???

 

Line at Guys

 

 

Blue Iguanas closed right next door

 

Deli is open with a line as far as you can see

 

 

Half the buffet is closed

 

 

And half the buffet is open with a line as far as you can see...

 

Wait for it, the longest line yet, pizza!

 

Just wow. Your customers deserve more Carnival... no one vacations to wait in line!! My humble opinion. Charge little more and staff you facilities maybe???

 

 

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OP, you're entitled to your humble opinion...so am I. I would suggest you stick with your cruise line of choice, as you are obviously much happier there. Also, do not suggest a price increase unless you're willing to pay the increase for me.

[L1211]

Op is back, just pulled into Key West. While the lines weren't always like this, there were always long lines. Pizza at midnight was worse. I will not eat at the buffet this week- I won't even see the offerings! You have to queue just to approach it then to find out if you want anything! Terrible design. I'm on the Harmony of the Seas in two weeks, some of you have said they are much better engined for crowds. I welcome that. We've sailed the Away class NCL ships. We never waited in lines for food and never felt this kind of crowd. Maybe it was just an embarkation day thing but I think Dallas Guy nailed it. These ships were engineered for a time gone by. Had a fabulous time last evening btw! MDR was great - about 20 minutes wait for MTD at 8:15 and we bought seafood shack and sushi for our other food throughout the day . No lines to pay for food!!! Just a wish there were more pay venues.

 

 

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[Tapi]

RC's Windjammer has the round buffets where you can just jump in for that one thing you want. The other lines use a "station" concept or at least smaller serving lines so that every single person does not have to wait in the same line.

 

 

I agree. The stations concept is much better. It takes the cafeteria feel away from the buffet, and scatters people instead of forcing everybody to stand in one long line.

 

 

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[Tapi]

I think y’all are right carnival maybe had a good idea 10 years ago in ship building but basically left all the ships on the same plan and didn’t innovate and manage the larger crowds better. I’m not sure if the other cruise lines seem to have labor issues (not enough) like Carnival, however I really am tired of Carnival and I think it’s time for a change

 

 

It’s hard to believe, but Destiny/Sunshine was launched 24 years ago! Makes me feel old! [emoji23] I used to live in Miami and I remember going the port when she arrived for the first time and I was in awe. She was definitely revolutionary back then, but unfortunately that design is not revolutionary anymore.

 

About “labor issues” unfortunately it seems that, the bigger the ships get, the worse and less personal the customer service gets no matter which cruise line. If you read the various cruise line boards on Cruise Critic, the ongoing theme is the declining customer service. But I think that someone who sails on a specific cruise line for the first time won’t notice things the same way that someone who frequents that cruise line will. At least that’s been my experience jumping from one cruise line to the next during the last few years. The “declining” service on lines like Princess and Holland America will probably still be better than the current service offered on Carnival.

 

The only cruise line which I’ve recently sailed on that truly had consistently excellent customer service was Disney which we experienced last November. But that level of service came with a very hefty price tag (almost triple what an average Carnival cruise would cost).

 

 

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[BonnieSte]

Don't like lines? Willing to pay a little more? BUY FTTF. Beat the lines at the food venues on embarkation day. The staff that would normally be working in the MDR and some of the other closed venues are pushing wheelchairs, delivering luggage, answering questions, and all of the various other tasks that are limited to embarkation day. I think that it may be unreasonable to expect them to "staff up" to the level required to have everything open on embarkation day, when the additional staffing is only necessary for one day.

 

Very well said!

[SadieN]

That’s it I’m convinced. I will be taking another cruise line next year. Thanks for all the opinions and info. I think y’all are right carnival maybe had a good idea 10 years ago in ship building but basically left all the ships on the same plan and didn’t innovate and manage the larger crowds better. I’m not sure if the other cruise lines seem to have labor issues (not enough) like Carnival, however I really am tired of Carnival and I think it’s time for a change

 

 

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Somehow I think Carnival’s problem is with the Italian builds. The Finnish builds (Fantasy and Spirit classes) all have separate buffet stations and a much better passenger flow. I know Farcus designed the interiors but who was the naval architect? I’ve heard that Carnival is going back to Finland in a few years Hopefully that’ll help with these issues.

Biggest issue is with the cooked to order foods- Guys, Pizza etc. but we are those issues in other lines as well.

[Jerseygirl1416]

NCL Breakaway’s buffet is a long straight buffet line. Looks like a hospital cafeteria. But I do agree that a Oasis of the Seas was the least crowded feeling ship I’ve sailed.

[FSHLOT]

I guess certain ppl really hate lines, but if you have done a few cruises it is to be expected when you first get on the ship. After the first day, its all smooth sailing!!

[jordanaire]

So, first impressions are that Carnival staffs for lines. And then as a customer you wait or not, your choice. Eat or not, also your choice. Have a drink or not- again, your choice, depends on your threshold for waiting in line. Mine happens to be limited.

 

No MDR on embarkation day. So, everyone has to eat on 9 at the buffet, Guys, Pizza or the Mexican cantina. Why not have those open???

 

Line at Guys

 

Blue Iguanas closed right next door

 

Deli is open with a line as far as you can see

 

Half the buffet is closed

 

And half the buffet is open with a line as far as you can see...

 

Wait for it, the longest line yet, pizza!

 

Just wow. Your customers deserve more Carnival... no one vacations to wait in line!! My humble opinion. Charge little more and staff you facilities maybe???

 

 

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I guess that you could say the same thing about any airport you've been, any new restaurant you've been to, any new movie theatre that you've been to, any sports venue you've been to, etc. When you are aboard a ship (any ship) that has limited places to eat, you're going to have long lines. Don't get frustrated. Remember...you are on vacation! Relax! Chill! Wait until the lines get shorter then enjoy. No need to rush. A cruise is only what you make it.

 

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[declansdad]

Wow. That is not good customer service! Please send the pics directly to Carnival and JH. We purchased FTTF, so hopefully we can get our food before the lines get so bad! If not, we will eat a protein bar and wait till our steakhouse reservation.

 

 

We were on the Vista last week, had FTTF and were on board before 12 and ate by 12:30. My wife and I went to Ji Ji Asian Kitchen and there was nobody there. My son and his buddy went to Guys and were done before we were. There is always a way of avoiding lines.

 

OP - On our cruises with DCL and NCL there were lines on embarkation day everywhere. It just how it goes when you put that many people on-board with not a lot of other things going on.

[declansdad]

Exactly. You pay good money to go to Disney but once you get in, you're standing in line everywhere you go.

 

 

Not if you know what you are doing.

[skiingj]

The blowhole says they open the MDR when they reach a certain capacity, never seen it happen on all my cruises. HAL opens the MDR for lunch, has rooms ready by embarkation so if they can do it Carnival certainly can. At lunch any mass market cruise buffet gets too busy at some point. Royal's buffet on Oasis class is truly one of the best in the industry. It's designed to service people much faster with far less people standing around. Its the island concert on Royal that works so well instead of the straight line Carnival uses. Now lets see what Virgin does as they will likely give the industry a huge run for the money. VV!!

[13cheermom]

Have to agree with above posts, anywhere you go can have crowds. Especially theme parks, (why Disney created fastness, lol), you wait everywhere and it's usually in the heat also. You just need to pre-plan your timing based on crowd levels and figure it out. It amazes me how so many people can complain on here without actually thinking about the whole process?? We just avoid the crowded times and it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that one out. :confused:

[lcpagejr]

We were on the Vista last week, had FTTF and were on board before 12 and ate by 12:30. My wife and I went to Ji Ji Asian Kitchen and there was nobody there. My son and his buddy went to Guys and were done before we were. There is always a way of avoiding lines.

 

OP - On our cruises with DCL and NCL there were lines on embarkation day everywhere. It just how it goes when you put that many people on-board with not a lot of other things going on.

 

 

Exactly...I've been on 4 Carnival 7/8 day cruises in last 3 years.... during holiday and kids school vacation time, etc.... Lines weren't long at all.... The Cheerleaders from other cruiselines are jumping in...LOL You can have those over priced lines. Also...This is a 4 day cruise with lots of College kids.... What do you expect!!

[L1211]

I chuckle when i read when somebody responds "I am one of those people that hate standing in line" :')

They seem to say that like they are in the minority....I want to clue those people in....NOBODY LIKES STANDING IN LINE!!!!

In all my years on this planet, i have yet to run across someone standing in a long line with the reaction of "Oh goodie, I so love standing in a long line" :rolleyes:. If you are really that adverse to lines and crowds, why would you pick a vacation with 2000-4000 other people basically confined to a limited space? :confused:

 

Piece of advice, if lines bother you that much, next vacation rent a remote mountain cabin....No Lines!!!! :D

 

 

 

To be clear, I did not wait in any of those lines. I won't queue for buffet food and it doesn't bother me not to do so. That is my choice. I'd rather purchase a sushi roll or wonderful seafood - with no lines! I was just showing what I saw onboard and I thought it was terrible customer service. It will not ruin my trip. I do hate lines and I work to avoid them. Airports? TSA pre-check and elite airline status does the trick!

 

 

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[Tapi]

Have to agree with above posts, anywhere you go can have crowds. Especially theme parks, (why Disney created fastness, lol)

 

 

We took our first Disney theme park vacation last October with some good friends who are extreme Disney fans. For them, the vacation was “magical”. For us, not so much. It felt like we spent five days standing in line for 30-60 minutes at a time to enjoy 3 minutes of fun, intertwined with breaks walking from one place to the other and looking for a place to take cover from the blistering heat. Even catching our transportation back to the hotel at the end of the day, the wait seemed like an eternity with tired, cranky kids on the verge of tears aboard a packed monorail with sweaty people. My wife would repeatedly lean over and whisper in my ear “NEVER again!” [emoji23]

 

But like with cruising, I guess the secret is to come up with a plan to minimize how much time one spends standing in line. And not try to pack the day from sunrise to sundown with activities. If we ever go back to the Disney parks, we will do it in a different way. But after our first experience, it will probably be years before we do it again.

 

 

 

 

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[L1211]

OP, you're entitled to your humble opinion...so am I. I would suggest you stick with your cruise line of choice, as you are obviously much happier there. Also, do not suggest a price increase unless you're willing to pay the increase for me.

 

 

 

Ha! We're having a wonderful time! You mistake my observations and complaint of the cruise

Line's service as hurting my experience. I didn't wait in any of those lines and won't. I just think carnival should try harder and their customers deserve more. Again, my humble opinion.

 

 

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