Diminishing Quality on Carnival?

[stevefrisco]

Sometimes in order to make improvements you have to cut other things out. Getting rid of 2 cent mints on your pillow or a late night buffet that probably had more waste than the regular buffets doesn't seem that big of a deal.

 

 

But do those dining upgrades cost more? The point of my post was they were made possible by synergies, efficiencies and overall decreased raw costs.

[ScrappinCSI]

What is considered a cutback to one person may be an enhancement to someone else. For example, I can't stand the steel drums that used to/possibly starting to again play on the Lido deck. Sounds like nails on a blackboard to me. So while many complained of the supposed cutback I was happy as a clam at the enhancement to my vacation.

 

Really... Funny because the first thing to offend me on my first Carnival cruise was the fact that we were cruising the Caribbean and instead of mood music like steel drums, we had screaming rap music and a giant screen detailing closeups of huge shaking butts in spandex. I thought I was on a late night walmart shopping trip! I'm glad to hear that Carnival might actually think that Caribbean music might just fit a Caribbean cruise.

[Tapi]

What an elitist thing to say.

 

Respectfully, I don’t consider the remark elitist. It is natural for people’s likes and dislikes to evolve as they age, mature, gain new life experiences, and become more discerning.

 

And that’s exactly why Carnival Corp’s list of cruise lines is the way it is.They understand that people change as they age, and that with age, more disposable income hopefully becomes available. And that disposable income will allow them to sail on other cruise lines that more closely match the stage in which they are in life.

 

I truly believe that the dissatisfaction that many write about on these boards does have something to do with the fact that Carnival has changed, but an even bigger part of that dissatisfaction has to do with the fact that THEY have changed as well. I personally know that my preferences are different now than 20 years ago, and it’s not because of elitism, but simply because I’m older.

 

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[nealstuber]

Respectfully, I don’t consider the remark elitist. It is natural for people’s likes and dislikes to evolve as they age, mature, gain new life experiences, and become more discerning.

 

And that’s exactly why Carnival Corp’s list of cruise lines is the way it is.They understand that people change as they age, and that with age, more disposable income hopefully becomes available. And that disposable income will allow them to sail on other cruise lines that more closely match the stage in which they are in life.

 

I truly believe that the dissatisfaction that many write about on these boards does have something to do with the fact that Carnival has changed, but an even bigger part of that dissatisfaction has to do with the fact that THEY have changed as well. I personally know that my preferences are different now than 20 years ago, and it’s not because of elitism, but simply because I’m older.

 

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Age me be a factor, but redundancy may also play a part. More people are taking more cruises than ever before...

 

We never get tired of sunsets and sail-always and the romance of being alone together in the middle of the ocean (with 5,000 other people). But a lot of the other (Gimmicky) stuff looses its charm the 3rd or 4th time around.

 

And, of course, the more experienced you are at anything the more you notice the details. Sometimes things just fall in to place on one cruise that just can’t be duplicated - that’s what makes them special.

 

So; sure we change, the cruise lines change and that’s half the fun of it, regardless of age.

 

 

 

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[stevefrisco]

Respectfully, I don’t consider the remark elitist. It is natural for people’s likes and dislikes to evolve as they age, mature, gain new life experiences, and become more discerning.

 

And that’s exactly why Carnival Corp’s list of cruise lines is the way it is.They understand that people change as they age, and that with age, more disposable income hopefully becomes available. And that disposable income will allow them to sail on other cruise lines that more closely match the stage in which they are in life.

 

I truly believe that the dissatisfaction that many write about on these boards does have something to do with the fact that Carnival has changed, but an even bigger part of that dissatisfaction has to do with the fact that THEY have changed as well. I personally know that my preferences are different now than 20 years ago, and it’s not because of elitism, but simply because I’m older.

 

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I know exactly what you're saying and I don't disagree. I was trying to make light of a comment that bothered me and was directed at me, insinuating that I wasn't "Carnival material" when I will have taken 6 Carnival Cruises in the calendar year this May.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this place is called cruise critic for a reason. It's perfectly acceptable to point out the good, the bad, and the ugly (as well as the Great). Though I don't post on other boards much because I pretty much only cruise Carnival, I read them all frequently because let's face it, I've got an extremely easy job. I've got to say, the CCL boards seem to attract a lot more t-words that rhyme with rolls than the other lines' boards because people on here react to negative opinions with such vitriol and outrage such as saying someone isn't "Carnival material".

 

I don't think I'm out of line to hope that Carnival raises prices instead of diluting the product with cutbacks.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Respectfully, I don’t consider the remark elitist. It is natural for people’s likes and dislikes to evolve as they age, mature, gain new life experiences, and become more discerning.

 

And that’s exactly why Carnival Corp’s list of cruise lines is the way it is.They understand that people change as they age, and that with age, more disposable income hopefully becomes available. And that disposable income will allow them to sail on other cruise lines that more closely match the stage in which they are in life.

 

I truly believe that the dissatisfaction that many write about on these boards does have something to do with the fact that Carnival has changed, but an even bigger part of that dissatisfaction has to do with the fact that THEY have changed as well. I personally know that my preferences are different now than 20 years ago, and it’s not because of elitism, but simply because I’m older.

 

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I agree with this 100%. I don't dislike Carnival but simply feel we outgrew them as we aged.

 

We had 1 cruise on Celebrity in 91' and a cruise on NCL in 93' which we hated.

 

Didn't cruise again until 1998. Out of the next 11 or 12 all were Carnival except 1.

 

It got to be ho hum for us. We finally stopped cruising Carnival when they started the Playlist productions.

 

We have been on 30+ cruises and have loved them all except that NCL cruise in 93'.

 

Even our 5 day noro cruise to nowhere gives us some fond memories and a good story to tell.

 

But cruising in general has become ho hum for us lately and unless an itinerary pops up that knocks our socks off we probably won't cruise again for awhile but everything is subject to change.

 

Never say never.

 

Bill

[ScrappinCSI]

I've got to say, the CCL boards seem to attract a lot more t-words that rhyme with rolls than the other lines' boards because people on here react to negative opinions with such vitriol and outrage such as saying someone isn't "Carnival material".

 

The other day in my doctor's waiting room I became engaged in conversation with a female retiree over cruise lines removing 'do not disturb signs' as a new safety precaution. She immediately displayed a snarl, flipping her hand in arrogance and said "you must be talking about Carnival or those other little lines", "Royal and HAL would never do such things". She thought I was a downright liar when I said "Do you know HAL is owned by Carnival?" . Most if not all my friends who cruise, scoff at Carnival and tell me its to low brow for them. Then I found out they all take 4 day or less cruises to the Bahamas, Key West or Cozumel at the very most. When I tell them I don't even consider a cruise unless its at least 7 days and goes to farther reaching places than home, they don't even want to talk anymore.

[stevefrisco]

The other day in my doctor's waiting room I became engaged in conversation with a female retiree over cruise lines removing 'do not disturb signs' as a new safety precaution. She immediately displayed a snarl, flipping her hand in arrogance and said "you must be talking about Carnival or those other little lines", "Royal and HAL would never do such things". She thought I was a downright liar when I said "Do you know HAL is owned by Carnival?" . Most if not all my friends who cruise, scoff at Carnival and tell me its to low brow for them. Then I found out they all take 4 day or less cruises to the Bahamas, Key West or Cozumel at the very most. When I tell them I don't even consider a cruise unless its at least 7 days and goes to farther reaching places than home, they don't even want to talk anymore.

 

I personally cruise for the casino discounts, if other lines gave me free cruises every couple months I'd jump ship (pun clearly intended), but as it stands the only line that values my degeneracy is Carnival. Cruising as frequently as I have the past year, I am getting disappointed in the lack of entertainment and am glad my next two cruises are relatively short on sea days. Would I have that feeling if I'd only cruised once or twice in the last year? I'm not sure.

 

I believe that cruising is a middle-class endeavor, not matter what line you choose. It's delusional to think otherwise. I once heard another lady in my department put down CCL in favour of RCL and it didn't bother me, just gave me insight into her psyche that I would not have known otherwise. The 1% or probably more accurately the .1% are not taking cruise vacations (or all-inclusives for that matter), they own or charter boats or rent mansions/upscale villas/upscale non-all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean or Hawaii. If you let delusional people hurt your feelings about putting down your preferred cruise brand, you probably need to work on stepping out of yourself and situation and analyzing the bigger picture!

[declansdad]

I personally cruise for the casino discounts, if other lines gave me free cruises every couple months I'd jump ship (pun clearly intended), but as it stands the only line that values my degeneracy is Carnival. Cruising as frequently as I have the past year, I am getting disappointed in the lack of entertainment and am glad my next two cruises are relatively short on sea days. Would I have that feeling if I'd only cruised once or twice in the last year? I'm not sure.

 

 

 

Maybe it's the ships you are on. We were on the Vista 3 weeks ago and there was no lack of entertainment on our cruise. There were multiple venues with live entertainment every night.

[pacarolinagirl]

I have to agree with the OP in regards to the food. We've never had a problem with the rest that was mentioned. Last week on the Vista, by Wednesday it was like the food in the MDR took a nose dive. It wasn't as good, served lukewarm to cold at best. Don't even get me started on the Italian Restaurant. It was so bad that we don't plan to book that again. This is not enough for me to quit cruising Carnival, as we have 2 more booked, but it is just disappointing.

[ScrappinCSI]

I believe that cruising is a middle-class endeavor, not matter what line you choose. It's delusional to think otherwise.

 

If you let delusional people hurt your feelings about putting down your preferred cruise brand, you probably need to work on stepping out of yourself and situation and analyzing the bigger picture!

 

How you got that from what I said I'll never know....nor care

[Computer Nerd]

One can argue that it is relative in some cases but I think objectively there are some changes which are truly cutbacks. For instance, whether or not you like or dislike chocolates on your pillow, the absence of the chocolate is a cutback. Same with midnight buffets, sure some are too high class to eat buffets but the lack of option to eat it makes it a cutback.

 

Again, you are attempting to state your opinion as if it were a fact. It is not, at least not to all people. I'm in bed by 2300, every night, so I never saw the midnight buffet (except the one night on our first cruise when my wife dragged me to it.....took some pics and went back to bed) so it is not a cutback to me. Chocolate, I'm glad it's gone so I don't have to feel guilty about throwing it in the trash every night. I won't say there haven't been some changes that I would prefer didn't happen (no soda bottles....thanks smugglers or tablecloths but that is just a change, no loss of service there) but I can't think of a single thing that I would consider a cutback because I either never used those services or didn't like them when they were around (such as the steel band).

[Computer Nerd]

The beards can positively change the balance sheet by raising prices instead of cutting back. I hope management realizes that at some point!

 

And then they lose customers because of the raised prices. So much for that balance sheet.

[Computer Nerd]

On the Vista, they had a steel drum performer in the Red Frog Pub one evening.

 

Good thing I was up at the movies then. :eek:

[Computer Nerd]

I would call them improvements, especially Guy's. Most products and services seek continuous improvement, especially as technologies become cheaper over time. Doesn't change the fact that late night eating options have become worse over the past 5 years.

 

Try going to bed at a decent hour and you won't have to worry about it. ;)

[Computer Nerd]

What an elitist thing to say.

 

If Carnival is the bottom of the barrel as you keep trying to imply, how can anything one sails who sails the lowest of the low ever be considered elitist? ;p

 

Kind of like calling a redneck from West Virginia an elitist. :')

[Stateroom_Sailor]

The 1% or probably more accurately the .1% are not taking cruise vacations (or all-inclusives for that matter), they own or charter boats or rent mansions/upscale villas/upscale non-all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean or Hawaii. If you let delusional people hurt your feelings about putting down your preferred cruise brand, you probably need to work on stepping out of yourself and situation and analyzing the bigger picture!

 

So on a site like Cruise Critic, opinions only matter if you're the super rich? Since nobody rich would ever take a cruise (even though they're often cheap enough to shop the 99 cent store), all criticisms are therefore null and void. If you're going to lean on an ad hominem, I say go big or go home!

 

Forget cruise brands, let's go with brands in general. When you see a yelp review for your favorite gas station, or Amazon review for your favorite frozen pizza, my guess is you don't need these coping techniques, because those brands haven't become an extension of your identity. "The 1% wouldn't eat DiGiorno, so this review doesn't count, they're just delusional. Phew!"

[Mikew0805]

First let me say that my wife and I are experienced cruisers and have cruised on Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal thus far. This post is not meant to bash on Carnival in any way... just looking for opinions. Does anyone else notice that it seems like Carnival is really going down hill quality wise? Food problems (quantity, variety, and temperatures), customer service issues, common area ship and stateroom cleanliness complaints, poor entertainment, etc. Is it just me or does it seem like Carnival is having problems? Our last Carnival cruise was very disappointing and we both agreed that our Carnival days were over until changes were made. Many small things like return guest perks, mints on the pillows, and complimentary toiletries in the stateroom bathrooms, to much larger issues like food, cleanliness problems, and a general feeling of a lack of concern for customer satisfaction. It also seems to me like the fleet is showing signs of age and they do not seem to be keeping pace with other lines in regard to introducing newer ships with more current features. I do understand that they try to be the "value" line and must keep costs low, but it just seems like their has been a real effort to take away the few last remaining reasons that we would choose to sail with them in the future.

 

Yes, but so are the other lines. RCI especially.

[stevefrisco]

If Carnival is the bottom of the barrel as you keep trying to imply, how can anything one sails who sails the lowest of the low ever be considered elitist? ;p

 

Kind of like calling a redneck from West Virginia an elitist. :')

 

I really can't make out what you are getting at with the first part of this post. But to your second statement, I do take offense to being of Appalachian descent. There is nothing is wrong with the people of WV, in fact, they are some of the finest that I've ever encountered.

 

Just like cutbacks, being an elitist is all relative. I've encountered plenty "rednecks" in WV who are elitists about plenty of things, my uncle is a tobacco elitist, only chews the specialty kind his friend sells, think of him as a chewing tobacco foodie of sorts. Every one of my WV family members has strong feelings about automobile brands, that smacks of elitism.

[stevefrisco]

And then they lose customers because of the raised prices. So much for that balance sheet.

 

Alternatively, in the short run they make up for the small (or non-existent loss) with the revenue from the higher prices. In the long-run they stop losing repeat customers with a diluted product and gain more new customers from positive reviews which both help the balance sheet!

[stevefrisco]

So on a site like Cruise Critic, opinions only matter if you're the super rich? Since nobody rich would ever take a cruise (even though they're often cheap enough to shop the 99 cent store), all criticisms are therefore null and void. If you're going to lean on an ad hominem, I say go big or go home!

 

Forget cruise brands, let's go with brands in general. When you see a yelp review for your favorite gas station, or Amazon review for your favorite frozen pizza, my guess is you don't need these coping techniques, because those brands haven't become an extension of your identity. "The 1% wouldn't eat DiGiorno, so this review doesn't count, they're just delusional. Phew!"

 

 

That's not my point, my point was that anyone who tries to act like one line is super upscale compared to another is delusional! There's very little differences between the mass market cruise experience compared amongst themselves vs when compared to the vacation experiences of the mega rich. People who get really upset about Carnival bashers should channel their energies into feeling sorry for the bashers instead of trying to change their minds!

[Thorncroft]

I spend a week in Cabo, come back and y'all are still at each others throats here. LOL

[Tapi]

And then they lose customers because of the raised prices. So much for that balance sheet.

 

 

My experience bouncing around various cruise lines for the last few years is that, if a cruise line offers a product worth higher prices, passengers will gladly pay. At one point in time I just wanted the cheapest price and that made me happy. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that cheapest doesn’t make me happy anymore and I’m willing to pay more for a product more in tune with what I’m looking for.

 

Our last cruise was on Disney, and I don’t need to tell you that the price was considerably higher than any cruise we’ve ever taken on Carnival; more than 3 times more expensive. But we gladly paid the price, not because we are blinded Disney fans (which we aren’t) but because they provided the cruising experience that we were looking for, and we gladly paid extra for it.

 

 

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[Doug & Cindy Scrap Hunter]

I spend a week in Cabo, come back and y'all are still at each others throats here. LOL

 

Did you go to Cabo on a Fun Ship? :confused: If not you don't have much to add to this conversation. I sail on both Carnival and RCL and don't like all this infighting when we're all just after a nice vacation. Then we get elitists from Seaborn or wherever here to stir the pot.

[Computer Nerd]

My experience bouncing around various cruise lines for the last few years is that, if a cruise line offers a product worth higher prices, passengers will gladly pay. At one point in time I just wanted the cheapest price and that made me happy. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that cheapest doesn’t make me happy anymore and I’m willing to pay more for a product more in tune with what I’m looking for.

 

Our last cruise was on Disney, and I don’t need to tell you that the price was considerably higher than any cruise we’ve ever taken on Carnival; more than 3 times more expensive. But we gladly paid the price, not because we are blinded Disney fans (which we aren’t) but because they provided the cruising experience that we were looking for, and we gladly paid extra for it.

 

 

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IMO, if people would gladly pay it, Regent and Seabourn would have 20+ ships and Carnival would have only 5. While other lines may have better service (subjective) or better food (again subjective), the price point is so high that it is no longer a good value. Many folks simply don't have the money to pay a higher fee and many others (such as myself) don't value what is being paid extra for. Take Disney since you used that as an example. You gladly paid 3 times for a Disney cruise than a Carnival cruise (and I'm glad you enjoyed it) but I place more value on being at sea on a Carnival ship 21 nights compared to your 7 and there isn't a single thing on a Disney ship that to me justifies the extra expenditure. If people would gladly pay for the supposed better service, why doesn't Disney have 26 ships like Carnival? Or even 10? They only have 4 ships and carry only a handful of people compared to Carnival (or any other major line) so obviously people will not gladly pay exorbitant prices with out exorbitant value in return.