Carnival has changed the tradition of cruising

[Micahs Grandad]

9 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

New cruisers and old cruisers (maybe experienced is a better word) only need to be concerned with their cabin and their room service.  The rest  is smoke, mirror and what if’s.  One cabin, and the level of service they CHOOSE.  I don’t know where that dead horse is......but i will find him.

Guess this is the 412 item for us to respectfully disagree on🙂

[jimbo5544]

2 minutes ago, Micah's Grandad said:

Guess this is the 412 item for us to respectfully disagree on🙂

Lol, it cannot be over 200....

[Joebucks]

On 5/25/2019 at 12:20 PM, jimbo5544 said:

I actually gave senior management my 2 cents that they should create a higher level Carnival (on a couple of ships) where cruisers would be willing to pay some more for the “frills” of the old days.   

 

Sounds sensible to me. Not everyone wants to subsidize things that few use.

 

And then again, people would just complain this is more "nickel and diming". These options already exist. People just want to pay a price lower than they did in the past, but not miss a single thing. In the end, the poor stewards get screwed.

[moondog73]

Things change over time.   Get over it or love to a different line or vacation all together.  If you want to cruise lime you did in 1986, then by all means get in your Delorean and go back to 1986.  But then CC won't exist for all the complaining yet.

[Micahs Grandad]

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Lol, it cannot be over 200....

That was just last year

[Organized Chaos]

2 hours ago, moondog73 said:

Things change over time.   Get over it or love to a different line or vacation all together.  If you want to cruise lime you did in 1986, then by all means get in your Delorean and go back to 1986.  But then CC won't exist for all the complaining yet.

 

At first I thought it was a silly idea to suggest that they should have ships that operate under the "olden days." But then I thought about it a little more. If those folks had a couple ships to sail on in order to relive their cruising past, maybe they'd stop complaining about the current state of Carnival ad nauseam.

[Theosprey247]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

At first I thought it was a silly idea to suggest that they should have ships that operate under the "olden days." But then I thought about it a little more. If those folks had a couple ships to sail on in order to relive their cruising past, maybe they'd stop complaining about the current state of Carnival ad nauseam.

No they would just find something else to complain about. 

[livingthedream1]

17 hours ago, Florings said:

I love being on the water and so far have only cruised Carnival.  I'm careful of the time of year I cruise because I don't like kids running rampant with no real supervision.  I don't like a large spring-break, partying crowd.  If I plan my time correctly, I don't have to deal with either of these.

 

The rest of it is all ok.  I like to dress nicely for dinner, but it doesn't bother me if no one else does.  I like to read in a somewhat quiet atmosphere...I can look until I find it, either outside or in, sun or shade.  I like the burgers and the burritos and the pizza.  And the MDR.

 

I LOVE being spoiled - not having to cook or clean. Always having a fresh bucket of ice and fresh dry towels.  Not having anywhere to go, unless I want to.

 

And the sea!  And the sky!  And the clouds and sun!   Yes, it has changed over the years, but to me, it's still wonderful.

I totally agree!

[grandmarnnurse]

11 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

At first I thought it was a silly idea to suggest that they should have ships that operate under the "olden days." But then I thought about it a little more. If those folks had a couple ships to sail on in order to relive their cruising past, maybe they'd stop complaining about the current state of Carnival ad nauseam.

I started sailing back when Formal nights were truly formal, we had complimentary cocktail parties, and always table cloths on the tables. But you know what? I’m glad that cruise lines are throwing away that formality and adopting the more casual vacation experience. My hubby and I got tired of that awhile back, and moved over to NCL, where it was Freestyle and so much more casual. We loved it, but we missed the fun atmosphere of Carnival. We returned to Carnival this past March, sailing the Breeze, and are thrilled with the change! We absolutely LOVE all the grab and go options of food that were not available before, and the only night my hubby did not wear shorts in the MDR was on “elegant” night, and then he wore a pair of khakis and polo. Perfect! And now we can choose YTD, and not made to adhere to an archaic Cruising model of set dining times. Personally, I wish they’d do away with set dining, and make the whole ship YTD. Then open ALL dining rooms and YOU choose which dining room you want to eat in. Not decided by the cruise line, and you could eat in a different one on different nights. To me, YTD is the best of both worlds. You could eat at the same time every night as you always did, or go whenever you actually feel hungry! We are senior citizens, not some young kids, so not all of us old timers want a return to the stuffy formality of cruising. If people truly want that, there are cruise lines that cater to that demographic. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by grandmarnnurse

[jimbo5544]

21 minutes ago, ronbe65 said:

 

Hi Grandmarrnnurse,

How fun atmosphere on the Breeze differs from fun atmosphere on NCL Getaway?

Happy cruising!

Actually a good question.

[grandmarnnurse]

2 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

 

Hi Grandmarrnnurse,

How fun atmosphere on the Breeze differs from fun atmosphere on NCL Getaway?

Happy cruising!

Well, we sailed the Getaway twice, as we were in love with the Freestyle Cruising concept. Eating wherever and whenever you want. We returned to Carnival because we remembered all the fun we had on their ships, and thought we’d take the chance of it again (after 2 Royal and 2 NCL) because I had quite a few reward points accrued with my Carnival Mastercard. So we booked the Breeze, used $1200 worth reward points towards a statement credit after booking the cruise in its entirety to the card. With using the credits, the cruise actually ended up costing us only $769 (for a 7 day cruise in inside cabin for 2 people with prepaid gratuities and trip insurance). Pretty good, huh? So, we went, keeping an open mind, because our Royal cruises WOWED us with their ships (Independence and Oasis), and the Getaway was beautiful as well with fabulous food, and the Freestyle Cruising concept, all win-wins with us. Boy, were we surprised at Carnival! The Breeze was beautiful, staff was FAR MORE PLEASANT than NCL and DEFINITELY FAR MORE PLEASANT than Royal. The grab and go options for food choices other than their buffet were the best, as there was NOTHING like this on Royal, and at least on NCL, we had O’Sheehans Irish Pub, a 24 hour complimentary sit down food venue. Now for the fun. EVERYWHERE we went on Carnival there was something going on—-deck activities, trivia inside, music everywhere. There was none of that on Royal, and only some (trivia) that I noticed on NCL. Also, on NCL, because they have their Free at Sea offers, nearly everyone had the Ultimate Drink Package, so there were NO ROAMING WAITERS AT ALL, and if you wanted a drink, you had to wait in a roped off que line to get to bar. No fun at all. And no matter what anyone says, there were far more drunks on NCL because of that free drink package. (But if you watch their cruise prices, you will notice how they are sneaking the cost of that package in. Nothing is actually free) We loved relaxing in the Atrium, listening to music, having a cocktail on Carnival, and always something fun going on there. And what about the Dive In Movies on Carnival? We did that nearly every night! And one thing that we loved was being able to watch the comedy shows every single time we wanted to go. On NCL you have to book a reservation at the box office for any comedy show. If you don’t do that at beginning of cruise, you won’t get in. And all shows on NCL and Royal need to be booked online prior to cruise. Yes, their shows were Broadway caliber, but I liked the freedom of Carnival of making my decision for the evening that night, not three months prior! Do I need to go on? I’m sure I could think of more things, but that was it all in a nutshell. I don’t give two hoots that they are now less formal, don’t have table cloths, etc—-all pluses for this old gal that loves cruising! Oh, I just remembered—the Serenity deck! On NCL you have to pay $99 (the Vibe) to get that. They have Spice H2O that is adults only until 6pm, but it is not relaxing. It is loud and party atmosphere (once again, loaded with drunks) 

Edited June 1, 2019 by grandmarnnurse

[grandmarnnurse]

45 minutes ago, ronbe65 said:

Thank you for your detailed answer.

First of all I want to congratulate you on your ships choice.

You've been on the three best "mega mass market" ships available. I've cruised on all those ships too. 

My guess you've probably missed something on the Getaway with regard to the "fun".

As to serenity deck, it was there at the time of your cruise (has been ruined just a week ago). The Indy is a different story of course. It's an outstanding classic cruise ship (a serenity deck included) with a lot of fun things added. I do agree however, what it delivers has somewhat different shades of "fun".

It's a pleasure to read about what you really like and enjoy. This is why we cruise.

Your post encourages me to share my pictures from the Breeze that I will do. 🙂

Let your cruise fun go on.

Is Mardi Gras in your plans?

Happy cruising!

 

 

Yes, I would love to cruise the Mardi Gras, and I’d like to try the Sunrise to see the changes from the Triumph, a ship I sailed in 2007. We have the Glory booked for February out of NOLA that we are really looking forward to, as we will fly in 3 days prior. And then we have a B2B booked for April for our 50th Anniversary. After that, we only have 16 sailing days until we make Platinum, so I’d like to look for a long Journey cruise. Happy Sailing! 🛳😎🏖🌴

[Organized Chaos]

7 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

I started sailing back when Formal nights were truly formal, we had complimentary cocktail parties, and always table cloths on the tables. But you know what? I’m glad that cruise lines are throwing away that formality and adopting the more casual vacation experience. My hubby and I got tired of that awhile back, and moved over to NCL, where it was Freestyle and so much more casual. We loved it, but we missed the fun atmosphere of Carnival. We returned to Carnival this past March, sailing the Breeze, and are thrilled with the change! We absolutely LOVE all the grab and go options of food that were not available before, and the only night my hubby did not wear shorts in the MDR was on “elegant” night, and then he wore a pair of khakis and polo. Perfect! And now we can choose YTD, and not made to adhere to an archaic Cruising model of set dining times. Personally, I wish they’d do away with set dining, and make the whole ship YTD. Then open ALL dining rooms and YOU choose which dining room you want to eat in. Not decided by the cruise line, and you could eat in a different one on different nights. To me, YTD is the best of both worlds. You could eat at the same time every night as you always did, or go whenever you actually feel hungry! We are senior citizens, not some young kids, so not all of us old timers want a return to the stuffy formality of cruising. If people truly want that, there are cruise lines that cater to that demographic. 

 

We haven’t been cruising long enough to have experienced many of the things that are gone, but I’m confident that, if we had been, we wouldn’t miss some of them. There’s a restaurant not far from us that still uses tablecloths in one section. It’s not a very fancy place, so I don’t know why they do it, but we get seated there now & again. I can honestly say the absence of a tablecloth does not affect my dining experience at all. In fact, when we do get seated in the section with tablecloths, I find them to be more of a nuisance than anything. I don’t care about chocolates on pillows. If I want a chocolate, I’ll bring a pack of bite-sized candy bars. We do like  getting dressed up on occasion, but we’re not tux & evening gown folks, so the current attire of elegant nights suits us just fine. And I agree, we love YTD. We never know when we’ll want supper. Maybe we snacked or had a late lunch and aren’t hungry for an early dinner. We never know what we’ll be doing in the hours leading up to dinner and our evening plans change from day to day, so being able to go when it’s convenient for us is a must.

[sapphire_407]

I am not a hamburger person and NEVER eat fast food burgers, ever.  But I think Guy's are just delicious and I look forward to having a few on a cruise.  That doesn't mean I don't want great meals in the dining room. 

[SRQbeachgirl]

We started cruising over 25 years ago and remember the midnight buffets, tablecloths, pillow chocolates, wearing tux and formal gown, past guest cocktail parties, etc.

 

Do we miss all of that? NOPE.

 

We think all of the new things offered on the ships far outweigh anything that has gone the way of the dinosaurs. In the "good old days" of cruising, there was: no specialty restaurants, no quick food options (Guy's, Blue Iguana, Pizza, etc.), no big-screen movies under the stars, no thermal spa suite, no YTD, no balcony cabins (or very few and very expensive), no multiple comedy shows, no almost 24/7 activities...I could go on and on.

 

We prefer the casualness and "fun" of cruising these days and wouldn't trade one single new thing for all of the "good old days" things combined. 

 

 

 

 

[grandmarnnurse]

37 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

We started cruising over 25 years ago and remember the midnight buffets, tablecloths, pillow chocolates, wearing tux and formal gown, past guest cocktail parties, etc.

 

Do we miss all of that? NOPE.

 

We think all of the new things offered on the ships far outweigh anything that has gone the way of the dinosaurs. In the "good old days" of cruising, there was: no specialty restaurants, no quick food options (Guy's, Blue Iguana, Pizza, etc.), no big-screen movies under the stars, no thermal spa suite, no YTD, no balcony cabins (or very few and very expensive), no multiple comedy shows, no almost 24/7 activities...I could go on and on.

 

We prefer the casualness and "fun" of cruising these days and wouldn't trade one single new thing for all of the "good old days" things combined. 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t have said it better. Far more better things offered now. Who cares about less formality? We, too, have been sailing almost 25 years, our first cruise being in 1995 for our 25th Anniversary. As we approach our 50 year milestone, we will celebrate it on a B2B Carnival Cruise! Carnival, keep on doing what you’re doing—giving us a fabulous vacation at a reasonable cost. 

[RoperDK]

45 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

We started cruising over 25 years ago and remember the midnight buffets, tablecloths, pillow chocolates, wearing tux and formal gown, past guest cocktail parties, etc.

 

Do we miss all of that? NOPE.

 

We think all of the new things offered on the ships far outweigh anything that has gone the way of the dinosaurs. In the "good old days" of cruising, there was: no specialty restaurants, no quick food options (Guy's, Blue Iguana, Pizza, etc.), no big-screen movies under the stars, no thermal spa suite, no YTD, no balcony cabins (or very few and very expensive), no multiple comedy shows, no almost 24/7 activities...I could go on and on.

 

We prefer the casualness and "fun" of cruising these days and wouldn't trade one single new thing for all of the "good old days" things combined. 

 

 

 

 

 

I totally agree. We've cruised on Carnival (and other lines) for 20 years.  The only thing I really miss is better food quality.  That is true for all cruise lines.  I wish they could kick things up a notch.  Wouldn't want to go back to the structured, formal days to get it though.   

[kimco93]

I have looked, and can't find the answer to what I need to know.  We have 2 formal nights on our Carnival cruise.  My family has to pack light for our cruise, and I also don't want to go out and buy formal attire that we will not wear again.  I want this cruise to be fun and stressfree.  My question is if my husband and son wear khakis and button down on formal night will we be able to eat in the dining room or will we just need to go to the buffet? 

[CA_Cruzing]

7 minutes ago, kimco93 said:

I have looked, and can't find the answer to what I need to know.  We have 2 formal nights on our Carnival cruise.  My family has to pack light for our cruise, and I also don't want to go out and buy formal attire that we will not wear again.  I want this cruise to be fun and stressfree.  My question is if my husband and son wear khakis and button down on formal night will we be able to eat in the dining room or will we just need to go to the buffet? 

Your proposal is just fine with khakis and button down shirts.

[xDisconnections]

2 hours ago, kimco93 said:

I have looked, and can't find the answer to what I need to know.  We have 2 formal nights on our Carnival cruise.  My family has to pack light for our cruise, and I also don't want to go out and buy formal attire that we will not wear again.  I want this cruise to be fun and stressfree.  My question is if my husband and son wear khakis and button down on formal night will we be able to eat in the dining room or will we just need to go to the buffet? 

 

2 hours ago, CA_Cruzing said:

Your proposal is just fine with khakis and button down shirts.

This is correct. Carnival changed the tradition of cruising and now anything goes in terms of the dress code. What you want to wear is perfectly fine for elegant night when sailing on Carnival.

[jimbo5544]

7 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

 

This is correct. Carnival changed the tradition of cruising and now anything goes in terms of the dress code. What you want to wear is perfectly fine for elegant night when sailing on Carnival.

While not sure anything goes, it certainly is more casual (wish it were not so much, but JMHO).   Now this appears cross industry, not just Carnival.  

Edited June 3, 2019 by jimbo5544

[livingthedream1]

13 hours ago, RoperDK said:

 

I totally agree. We've cruised on Carnival (and other lines) for 20 years.  The only thing I really miss is better food quality.  That is true for all cruise lines.  I wish they could kick things up a notch.  Wouldn't want to go back to the structured, formal days to get it though.   

I agree been cruising Carnival since 2004 but have been cruising since the 80s some of the lines are defunct now.  

[grandmarnnurse]

12 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

While not sure anything goes, it certainly is more casual (wish it were not so much, but JMHO).   Now this appears cross industry, not just Carnival.  

Yes, it has become more common cross industry, not just Carnival, because the cruise industry recognized that people’s tastes have changed. People no longer want their vacation to be “formal”. Society as a whole has gone much more casual. Yes, there are a few dinosaurs out there that are aghast at this, but since they are the minority, their model of cruising can only be found on the luxury cruise lines. But I’d bet even those lines have eased up a bit on their dress code. And my use of the word “dinosaur” is not to indicate “elderly”, per se, as I am a senior citizen and don’t hold to the formal cruising model, but more the individuals that still hold to an archaic cruising mode. My hubby and I grew tired of lugging formal wear several years ago, and enjoyed our NCL cruises, where they are much more casual, and have Freestyle Cruising, a very casual, flexible cruise model. When we read about Carnival offering YTD, and allowing a more casual dress code, we were ecstatic, and returned. Because nobody can deny, that Carnival is just way more fun, in entertainment and atmosphere. 

[grandmarnnurse]

9 hours ago, CA_Cruzing said:

Your proposal is just fine with khakis and button down shirts.

That is EXACTLY what my hubby wears on formal night, khaki type cargo shorts every other night. And either polos or Hawaiian print shirt on all nights. He has a closet full of dress clothes that he wore every day of his 40+ years as a Director of Operations, that he no longer cares to wear anymore. I’ve half a mind to give them all to Goodwill! No formal wear for this senior couple. I wear some type of sundress, Capri set, or other casual style dress. As for stockings? Lol! This old gal, post bilateral TKR, can’t even get those suckers on anymore! It’s open toed sandals every night for me, even “Elegant” night. 

[Joebucks]

8 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

 

This is correct. Carnival changed the tradition of cruising and now anything goes in terms of the dress code. What you want to wear is perfectly fine for elegant night when sailing on Carnival.

 

You can continue to push your own narrative and ignore the world around you all you want. Whether you want to blame it on laziness, cutbacks, who knows. The world is becoming more casual. Families no longer dress up every Sunday and to go to church together (if they even go at all anymore). Heck, even workplaces have become more casual. There are many more instances of this because society has changed it "tradition".

 

You'd be surprised that many people find this setting pretentious. Being relaxed and casual is actually preferable to a lot of people vs "look at me". That is no longer "the entertainment". If you crave that, go find it elsewhere