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

[firemanbobswife]

Based on the anecdotage evidence, this wasn't prime lunch time - this was probably after the muster drill and before dinner - Blue Iguana's was closed (it's open noon until just before the muster drill) and it doesn't appear that the buffet is open at all. The pictures that were posted were of the 3 places on Lido that are open between lunch and dinner (Guy's is open until 6pm, Deli is open until 11pm and Pizza is 24 hours).

 

 

 

At 5pm on embarkation day, the only thing open on the last Royal ship I was on was the Promenade Café - and there was a long line there as well (and I'd rather have a fresh made burger, pizza or deli sandwich over the promenade café offerings any day).

 

That is exactly what happened and I brought it up before. The OP even confirmed as far as I can remember without going back through as this was a while ago. These pictures aren’t an accurate representation of food options at embarkation.

[beerman2]

I think certain ships and certain times of the year have more line issues. I thought the Sunshine was awful but never notice it on the Pride. Other ships fall somewhere in between but those are two of the three ships I've sailed multiple times and have been consistent.

 

One thing I have noticed is that it takes longer to get a drink at the bar and specialty coffee. Are there cutbacks in those areas?

 

Also, the entire fleet needs to figure out a way to deal with the pizza lines. I'm not sure the solution but if they are going to cutback free options at night more and more every year, it is a travesty to expect people to wait more than 15 minutes for a pizza late at night!

 

One pro tip to save on lines,

People wait 15 minutes or more anytime they order a pizza on land, why would one expect different on a cruise ship?

 

On the Vista in May the line moved fairly quickly .

[LMaxwell]

People wait 15 minutes or more anytime they order a pizza on land, why would one expect different on a cruise ship?

 

On the Vista in May the line moved fairly quickly .

 

Try MSC - 8-10 pizzas ready and coming out of pizza oven all day, no waiting. Carnival should be cranking out pizzas especially late at night with a long line, not waiting for the toppings orders. Seems deliberately slow.

[LongHill44]

I just go to the front of the line, throw the server or bartender a 10 dollar bill and I am in and out baby

[J_oak717]

Assuming MDR is closed bc the staff has to help restock. The ship just unloaded 1000s of people literally a few hrs before you got on.

 

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[Lottacruises]

Try MSC - 8-10 pizzas ready and coming out of pizza oven all day, no waiting. Carnival should be cranking out pizzas especially late at night with a long line, not waiting for the toppings orders. Seems deliberately slow.

I agree, the pizza is deliberately slow.

[Lottacruises]

I just go to the front of the line, throw the server or bartender a 10 dollar bill and I am in and out baby

Up from $5.00? You're becoming more generous.

[Schoifmom]

I just go to the front of the line, throw the server or bartender a 10 dollar bill and I am in and out baby

 

Give me a break!

[evandbob]

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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If someone has only sailed Carnival, they have no way of knowing how different lines handle crowd flow. I certainly didn't, until I started branching out to Disney, Celebrity, Princess and NCL.

 

Carnival probably has the worst crowd flow in its buffet area of all the lines. As mentioned, having smaller stations allows guest dispersion over a larger area. I rarely had more then 5 people in front of me at a station, most of the times it was just 1 or 2. On Disney, we were told to just go right up to the server and request our food.

 

As for Carnival embarkation lunch, I usually sail ships that have a BBQ, and eat there before it gets "discovered". For the rest of a sailing, I try to eat breakfast in the MDR, have lunch at the Blue Iguana or Serenity, or JiJi's if available, and just generally avoid the buffet as much as I can.

[evandbob]

Added thought: Carnival may be selling a new FTTF, Faster to the Food, for those who don't want to wait on their buffet lines.

[Towel Critter]

People wait 15 minutes or more anytime they order a pizza on land, why would one expect different on a cruise ship?

 

On the Vista in May the line moved fairly quickly .

Agreed. The difference is you don't have to wait in a line for your pizza at a restaurant. It would be better if they would give you a ticket and then bring it to your table when ready. This isn't going to happen. Just saying it would be better.

[DukeASUGirl]

I do think $9.95 is a tad steep for JR though if you wanted to go with more than 2 people (notably a family with kids at $9.95/ea). But if just me and my wife, $20 is more than reasonable.

 

While I certainly do not balk at paying $9.95 or more for a good burger, I don't even choose to go to Johnny Rockets when I'm on land. So why would I pay for it on a cruise ship? When I'm on a ship, I like to try new things I can't get back on land. Not things in any old mall.

[BNBR]

While I certainly do not balk at paying $9.95 or more for a good burger, I don't even choose to go to Johnny Rockets when I'm on land. So why would I pay for it on a cruise ship? When I'm on a ship, I like to try new things I can't get back on land. Not things in any old mall.

 

Please elaborate on what you get on a cruise ship that you cant get on land.

[jimbo5544]

Added thought: Carnival may be selling a new FTTF, Faster to the Food, for those who don't want to wait on their buffet lines.

 

 

 

LOL, let’s hope it is not all that bad

 

 

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[tidecat]

Agreed. The difference is you don't have to wait in a line for your pizza at a restaurant. It would be better if they would give you a ticket and then bring it to your table when ready. This isn't going to happen. Just saying it would be better.

 

 

I would love to see Carnival adopt an approach like Blaze Pizza or Pieology and offer more topping choices.

 

 

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[LzyCruiser_NWA]

I’ve always said, carnival cruise LINE take their lines very seriously.

 

It’s never the case on celebrity, come on over :)

[Joebucks]

Please elaborate on what you get on a cruise ship that you cant get on land.

 

I believe she was talking about something like Guy's, which you can only get while on Carnival. Not necessarily any burger. I would tend to agree. It's like if they put a McDonald's on the ship, and charged for it. Why would I want that? And yes, I find Johnny Rocket's to be as bland as McDonald's. Love me some Guy's! The only way I would pay for a burger on a boat is if they had some 5-star option. I would buy that.

 

I agree, the pizza is deliberately slow.

 

Yup. Could you just imagine the level of waste if there were "hot and ready" pizzas available for everyone? Plus the quality would go way down. The pizza lines are definitely annoying. I'd probably institute a similar process if I was in charge though.

[jimbo5544]

I’ve always said, carnival cruise LINE take their lines very seriously.

 

 

 

It’s never the case on celebrity, come on over :)

 

 

 

...and yet you post HERE, interesting

 

 

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[LzyCruiser_NWA]

...and yet you post HERE, interesting

 

 

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It’s not a sin to use multiple cruise line now is it. :)

[Sizzlechest]

Yup. Could you just imagine the level of waste if there were "hot and ready" pizzas available for everyone? Plus the quality would go way down. The pizza lines are definitely annoying. I'd probably institute a similar process if I was in charge though.

 

If they made pizzas with random toppings without any consideration for what people have ordered in the past, then yes, that would be wasteful. Hopefully, they would be smarter than that. Even better, they ought to have someone ask people who are on line what kind of pizza they will order. That way they can get AHEAD of the curve. Of course, this won't work if they don't have the capacity (employees or ovens) to meet the demand. If that's the case, that's bad planning on Carnival's part.

[Wheels87]

I think this has been alluded to before, but the problem with the buffet is mostly the fact that it takes many passengers 2 minutes to scoop out 50 peas. If you've ever payed attention, you'll know what I mean. It's truly ridiculous. You've been standing in line for 10 minutes, then suddenly are stricken with the inability to decide what to eat. I always teach my children...just do the math and think about how long the process would take if everyone took the same amount of time as you. If it takes a person two minutes to go through the line and there are 1000 people doing the same thing...no one would ever get to eat!

 

 

As far as the bars and the main dining room...it does seem like a lack of bartenders/waiters are seriously affecting the guest experience. I, myself, would be willing to pay an extra $50 per person/per cruise to hire back enough people to make a difference.

 

Cheers!

[Blackjack22]

 

 

As far as the bars and the main dining room...it does seem like a lack of bartenders/waiters are seriously affecting the guest experience. I, myself, would be willing to pay an extra $50 per person/per cruise to hire back enough people to make a difference.

 

Cheers!

 

 

I totally agree but I think we are in the minority on these boards. Some believe there hasn't been a staff reduction which is laughable and others want to keep prices depressed indefinitely and continue diluting the experience. I can't think of any good or service that has kept it's nominal prices the same or actually lower over the last 30 years except cruising.

[DebJ14]

I am guessing that you have not been on RCL, when they have half of the buffet closed, very LONG lines and not many other options available at sail away (except for Oasis class ships) or on the last morning prior to disembarking (or during the cruise)!!

 

That is not true. We were just on the Liberty of the Seas. If you head to Promenade deck instead of the Windjammer you can get Sorrento's Pizza and Cafe Promenade is open. They actually open earlier than the Windjammer. Both sides of the buffet were open, as was the grill at the back, and when tables were full they gave tickets to people to sit in Giovanni's Table to eat their lunch. (Suite guests get that benefit anyway).

[Organized Chaos]

I totally agree but I think we are in the minority on these boards. Some believe there hasn't been a staff reduction which is laughable and others want to keep prices depressed indefinitely and continue diluting the experience. I can't think of any good or service that has kept it's nominal prices the same or actually lower over the last 30 years except cruising.

Not sure what threads you're reading, but a majority of people I see who discuss the topic fully acknowledge a reduction in stewards and MDR waiters. Lately, talk of reduction in bartenders and roaming bar waiters has been increasing, too. I don't think I've ever seen anyone flat-out deny that these positions have been reduced.

[Blackjack22]

Not sure what threads you're reading, but a majority of people I see who discuss the topic fully acknowledge a reduction in stewards and MDR waiters. Lately, talk of reduction in bartenders and roaming bar waiters has been increasing, too. I don't think I've ever seen anyone flat-out deny that these positions have been reduced.

 

 

My point was myself and the poster I was responding to would be comfortable with a 50-100 dollar price increase for more staff, no more cutbacks. I think we're in the minority of people who would be ok with the increase.