What are you most upset about in the Cruise Industry?

[iWillSailAway]

Cruising industry is now competing on quantity instead of quality.  

[OCruisers]

No longer having the MDR open for lunch on Port Days.  

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Velvetwater said:

 

1. The environmental impact (admittedly this is something that is slowly improving)

 

2. The way they pay their crew. They should have a living wage.

 

Every other niggle in my head is tiny compared to these two.

1. Cruising still has low environmental impact when compared with people flying places - or simply driving their cars.

 

2. You are fortunate: the crew compensation model is perfectly designed for you to give the crew the compensation they deserve.   They elect to work in a performance-pay environment, and the tipping function allows the crew to keep more of what passengers pay than a straight hourly wage would.  

[lenquixote66]

23 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

Feel free to keep a collective discussion of things that upset you in the industry. Please respect each others' opinions, and value everyone!

 

What upsets me:

Prices are too high for "anticipated" ships that fail to live up to the hype upon delivery!

Not enough cruise ports in the US.

Too much unhealthy food

[Purvis1231]

14 hours ago, Aplmac said:

.

You're lucky that Carnival could keep the dollar-number much the same

but somebody somewhere is making up for that shortfall.

 

Inflation looks like this....

.

That ship has sailed!

 

[navybankerteacher]

13 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Not enough cruise ports in the US.

Too much unhealthy food

I think the food is as good or as bad as anywhere else, but I agree that there  are too few ports.    Norfolk and Baltimore are convenient to large markets, yet very few cruises originate in those ports, which are accessible without flying.  Also, New York has been abandoned to NCL and Royal Catibbean - with their cut rate mega ships.  Princess rarely sails from NY and HAL, which used to offer quality sailings, decided not to compete in the massive winter season market - which may not matter so much since they gave up their quality niche in pursuit of the mass market.

[lenquixote66]

I think there should be a port in CT ,possiblly New London and definititely more than 2 ports in NY . I would suggest Freeport,Manhattan Beach and Rockaway.

[navybankerteacher]

14 hours ago, Aplmac said:

.

You're lucky that Carnival could keep the dollar-number much the same

but somebody somewhere is making up for that shortfall.

 

Inflation looks like this....

.

It wasn’t banks who started printing money and took the US off sound currency:  it was the US government. In 1965, when they stopped exchanging an ounce of silver for a paper dollar, it cost 5 cents to mail the letter which now costs 50 cents — having spent the Social Security trust fund on other matters, the government had to come up with a way to meet obligations — printing money was the obvious easy answer.  The only way Congress (and state legislatures) can give voters what they want without making them pay for it is by stealing from the future, one way or the other.

 

 

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, OCruisers said:

No longer having the MDR open for lunch on Port Days.  

That does not bother me . A large percentage of people are off the ship most of the day and the ship would lose money .

There are enough free places to eat on ships other than the buffet.

[MicCanberra]

3 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

That does not bother me . A large percentage of people are off the ship most of the day and the ship would lose money .

There are enough free places to eat on ships other than the buffet.

It is nicer to dine than to just eat, but agree, lunch in port is just as good.

[lenquixote66]

7 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

It is nicer to dine than to just eat, but agree, lunch in port is just as good.

 

7 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

It is nicer to dine than to just eat, but agree, lunch in port is just as good.

We personally prefer lunch in port because we have the opportunity to eat authentic foods that we cannot get at a restaurant where we live.

[MicCanberra]

3 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

 

We personally prefer lunch in port because we have the opportunity to eat authentic foods that we cannot get at a restaurant where we live.

Exactly, if you can find a nice restaurant in port and sample the local cuisine.

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

I think the food is as good or as bad as anywhere else, but I agree that there  are too few ports.    Norfolk and Baltimore are convenient to large markets, yet very few cruises originate in those ports, which are accessible without flying.  Also, New York has been abandoned to NCL and Royal Catibbean - with their cut rate mega ships.  Princess rarely sails from NY and HAL, which used to offer quality sailings, decided not to compete in the massive winter season market - which may not matter so much since they gave up their quality niche in pursuit of the mass market.

And the NYC market is double the price of the Florida Market. People must not like flying!

[lenquixote66]

5 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

And the NYC market is double the price of the Florida Market. People must not like flying!

I wish I could fly but due to disabilities I have not been able to for 9 years.

[GUT2407]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I wish I could fly but due to disabilities I have not been able to for 9 years.

Yeah when flying is out options are limited.

[sverigecruiser]

 

The system with bidding for upgrades NCL, and maybe some other lines, has now. That makes the price higher for thoose (=me) who wants to book what they want without hoping for a cheap upgrade.

 

That people from some countries can cancel a cruise for free until final payment. That makes it harder for people from other countries to book the cabin they want since some people might book and later cancel.

 

Maybe it doesn't really upset me but it bother me that they say Champagne when they mean a cheap sparkling wine!

[MicCanberra]

Yes, and some cruise lines are aware of this tactic for more than just booking cruises, which is why they changed to pre purchase for shorex 's rather than just booking.

[Aplmac]

5 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

Maybe it doesn't really upset me but it bothers me that they say Champagne

when they mean a cheap sparkling wine!

.

All Champagnes I've ever sampled are utterly horrible.

I cannot think of a worse wine product!

 

A pleasant (Italian) Asti Spumante is a welcome alternative

to the snob value of a "real" Champagne.
I much prefer a cheap sparkling white wine: excellent value for money!

 

Oh and btw...Screw-tops rule!

Corks are a pain, especially when I'm thirsty

[sverigecruiser]

41 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

.

All Champagnes I've ever sampled are utterly horrible.

I cannot think of a worse wine product!

 

A pleasant (Italian) Asti Spumante is a welcome alternative

to the snob value of a "real" Champagne.
I much prefer a cheap sparkling white wine: excellent value for money!

 

Oh and btw...Screw-tops rule!

Corks are a pain, especially when I'm thirsty

 

So why do they call the cheap wines Champagne if that tastes so bad?

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

41 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

.

All Champagnes I've ever sampled are utterly horrible.

I cannot think of a worse wine product!

 

A pleasant (Italian) Asti Spumante is a welcome alternative

to the snob value of a "real" Champagne.
I much prefer a cheap sparkling white wine: excellent value for money!

 

Oh and btw...Screw-tops rule!

Corks are a pain, especially when I'm thirsty

Perhaps the reason you like Asti Spumante is because it is similar to REAL Champagne, which I am inclined to wonder if you would recognize upon presentation.

 

The better beverages which come with corks are really designed for tasting rather than thirst quenching.

[Velvetwater]

14 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

1. Cruising still has low environmental impact when compared with people flying places - or simply driving their cars.

 

2. You are fortunate: the crew compensation model is perfectly designed for you to give the crew the compensation they deserve.   They elect to work in a performance-pay environment, and the tipping function allows the crew to keep more of what passengers pay than a straight hourly wage would.  

 

I respectfully disagree and remain with my original view on both.

 

I will not debate why as I there are many of my posts on these matters and I don't want to hijack the thread.

[Velvetwater]

 

The secret is pretty much out that Champagne isn't the height of the sparkling wine world anymore and hasn't been for a long time.

 

Those that still cling to it as the best quality  are either French, old, old-fashioned, conservative or a mixture. By all means have your favourite sparkling wine whether it be Champagne, Cava, Shampanskoye or whatever as that's your taste. Sparkling wine is not my first choice of drink but if need be I will choose Cava as I generally prefer my Spanish wines.

 

 

Edited March 24, 2019 by Velvetwater

[lifes-a-beach]

Cleanliness of the staterooms.  And loud drunks.  Alcohol drink packages seem to have increased their numbers and I just have little patience with them.  And fewer quiet places without loud drunks.  

[sverigecruiser]

27 minutes ago, Velvetwater said:

 

The secret is pretty much out that Champagne isn't the height of the sparkling wine world anymore and hasn't been for a long time.

 

 

I don't know if Champagne is the height of the sparkling wine world or not but as long as it tastes better than other sparkling wines I will prefer Champagne.

[sverigecruiser]

31 minutes ago, Velvetwater said:

 

Those that still cling to it as the best quality  are either French, old, old-fashioned, conservative or a mixture. By all means have your favourite sparkling wine whether it be Champagne, Cava, Shampanskoye or whatever as that's your taste. Sparkling wine is not my first choice of drink but if need be I will choose Cava as I generally prefer my Spanish wines.

 

 

 

I prefer Champagne because I think it tastes better.

 

To stay on topic for this thread I can say that I am upset that they call a cheap sparkling wine Champagne and some people prefer that sparkling wine!