CCL still charging for 3rd or more entrees?

[mz-s]

2 hours ago, skywalkr2 said:

All this trashing of the food, and honestly I never have an issue.  There is always something great available IMO.  If you don't like the steak/lobster - order one of the other 10 options.

when is the last time you have been on carnival? It is my experience that the food has seriously nose-Dived in quality over the past 12 to 18 months.

[Drew B 58]

On eleven of my twelve previous Carnival sailings, they offered unlimited entrees.  Never once did I have any desire to order a third entree.  I can count on one hand the number of times I have even ordered TWO.  I’m always pretty darned full just on one/two appetizers, an entree, and a dessert.

 

In the past, the dinners were broken down into four courses - appetizers, soup/salad, entree, dessert.  Back then, just one of each course was more than enough for me.

[Organized Chaos]

26 minutes ago, Drew B 58 said:

On eleven of my twelve previous Carnival sailings, they offered unlimited entrees.  Never once did I have any desire to order a third entree.  I can count on one hand the number of times I have even ordered TWO.  I’m always pretty darned full just on one/two appetizers, an entree, and a dessert.

 

In the past, the dinners were broken down into four courses - appetizers, soup/salad, entree, dessert.  Back then, just one of each course was more than enough for me.

 

For us, the unlimited entrees were always a good opportunity for multiple people to try new things. We'd each get the entree of our choice, then share extra entrees of things we wanted to try. One person wasn't stuffing themselves with multiple entrees. With that said, $5 for a third is reasonable, but only if I knew I liked the entree. I doubt I'd spend extra $ just to try something I may not eat.

 

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to cruise since they came back from shutdown, but even prior to covid, we felt the quality of food and overall dining experience was beginning to slip. We hope to get back to cruising soon so it's disappointing to hear that it may have gotten worse.

[skywalkr2]

39 minutes ago, mz-s said:

when is the last time you have been on carnival? It is my experience that the food has seriously nose-Dived in quality over the past 12 to 18 months.

April.  I had zero issues with the food I chose.  So much hyberbole here IMO.

[mz-s]

12 minutes ago, skywalkr2 said:

April.  I had zero issues with the food I chose.  So much hyberbole here IMO.

 

I am glad that you had a good cruise. I recognize that food is subjective but on my most recent sailing that I just got off of on Sunday - I did not hear a single good comment about the food. Not even a lady I met on her milestone cruise had a single good thing to say. The best anyone said about the food was it was mediocre.

[Chief93]

5 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Frankly given the performance of the stock over the past 5 years and Carnival's current level of service including the absolutely abysmal food I've experienced on several ships, I'd be embarrassed to admit I own the stock if I were you.

Oh?  Lemme see, at the start of the pandemic i bought 1,000 shares at $7.51.  I figured either the pandemic would end or we'd be hunting each other for meat, in which case I wouldn't need the money anyway.  Sold it for $26.51.  After I thought it had reached bottom again I bought 1,000 shares for $8.60.  Was at $15 today.  So I'm happy with it.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Chief93

[LatinaInTexas]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

when is the last time you have been on carnival? It is my experience that the food has seriously nose-Dived in quality over the past 12 to 18 months.

Sadly I agree with you and I used to eat all dinners in the MDR.  My cruise in 2021 I ate all dinners at paid venues except for the 2 elegant nights and that was 2 times too many. Just off the Celebration and didn't have any dinners in the MDR. Happy there were so many new free options to make that possible. Found the food in the new free places very good so it's really puzzling how the free food in the MDR can be so bad. On a side note the food on NCL was great in both taste and options. Since it was my first time trying them I don't know if they have suffered cutbacks also but if so they are handling the food cuts much better than Carnival.

[mz-s]

27 minutes ago, Chief93 said:

Oh?  Lemme see, at the start of the pandemic i bought 1,000 shares at $7.51.  I figured either the pandemic would end or we'd be hunting each other for meat, in which case I wouldn't need the money anyway.  Sold it for $26.51.  After I thought it had reached bottom again I bought 1,000 shares for $8.60.  Was at $15 today.  So I'm happy with it.

 

And I bet you have never lost money in a casino either, and everyone claps when you sit down in a restaurant.

[john91498]

51 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Sadly I agree with you and I used to eat all dinners in the MDR.  My cruise in 2021 I ate all dinners at paid venues except for the 2 elegant nights and that was 2 times too many. Just off the Celebration and didn't have any dinners in the MDR. Happy there were so many new free options to make that possible. Found the food in the new free places very good so it's really puzzling how the free food in the MDR can be so bad. On a side note the food on NCL was great in both taste and options. Since it was my first time trying them I don't know if they have suffered cutbacks also but if so they are handling the food cuts much better than Carnival.

 

I agree. On my last cruise, which was last month, Guys burgers, the cantina, Pig & Anchor were far superior in my opinion than anything in the MDR.

[DrSea]

1 hour ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Sadly I agree with you and I used to eat all dinners in the MDR.  My cruise in 2021 I ate all dinners at paid venues except for the 2 elegant nights and that was 2 times too many. Just off the Celebration and didn't have any dinners in the MDR. Happy there were so many new free options to make that possible. Found the food in the new free places very good so it's really puzzling how the free food in the MDR can be so bad. On a side note the food on NCL was great in both taste and options. Since it was my first time trying them I don't know if they have suffered cutbacks also but if so they are handling the food cuts much better than Carnival.

Food has improved in terms of quality and quantity on NCL in general. The buffet was inedible prior to covid but is now pretty good. 

[DrSea]

I don't think we should be telling or judging people on what or how they should eat while on vacation. Very few of us eat healthy while cruising.

 

CCL is making cruising more of a hassle with fees. They certainly aren't put there for my convenience.

 

Me personally, I only eat one meal a day while cruising (dinner). I skip breakfast and lunch. I just cruised to Iceland, Norway, and the Mediterranean. I walked on average 13 miles daily. So I sometimes have a 3rd entree, especially when I skip appetizers. It's annoying to be nickel and dimed when I'd rather pay a Lil more and get a Lil more. 

 

Today CCL isn't for me. Hopefully they make changes and I'll come around. Until then, other lines get my money. 

[mz-s]

5 minutes ago, DrSea said:

I don't think we should be telling or judging people on what or how they should eat while on vacation. Very few of us eat healthy while cruising.

 

CCL is making cruising more of a hassle with fees. They certainly aren't put there for my convenience.

 

Me personally, I only eat one meal a day while cruising (dinner). I skip breakfast and lunch. I just cruised to Iceland, Norway, and the Mediterranean. I walked on average 13 miles daily. So I sometimes have a 3rd entree, especially when I skip appetizers. It's annoying to be nickel and dimed when I'd rather pay a Lil more and get a Lil more. 

 

Today CCL isn't for me. Hopefully they make changes and I'll come around. Until then, other lines get my money. 

 

Any time CCL is criticized here people get very defensive and go on the attack, as if you have gone up and kicked their dog. A common reason for some of the ad hominem we see is the admission in post #16 of this thread - some people have a lot of their money tied up in CCL's success or failure. So I can sort of understand their defensiveness, but I never understand the need for ad hominem.

[DrSea]

9 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Any time CCL is criticized here people get very defensive and go on the attack, as if you have gone up and kicked their dog. A common reason for some of the ad hominem we see is the admission in post #16 of this thread - some people have a lot of their money tied up in CCL's success or failure. So I can sort of understand their defensiveness, but I never understand the need for ad hominem.

Sad really. Well I'll be back when the changes are made. 

 

Funny thing is ill be buying CCL stock,  for the PCL credit. So I want to see CCL do well too.

[Drew B 58]

22 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Any time CCL is criticized here people get very defensive and go on the attack, as if you have gone up and kicked their dog. A common reason for some of the ad hominem we see is the admission in post #16 of this thread - some people have a lot of their money tied up in CCL's success or failure. So I can sort of understand their defensiveness, but I never understand the need for ad hominem.

We all have different things that are priorities to us.  It’s not being “defensive” to suggest this particular issue isn’t one that matters to some of us in the slightest.  It’s a shame for the people to whom it does matter…

 

Now, there are changes Carnival could make that would cause them to lose my business forever. For example, if they banned smoking in the casino as Celebrity does, I wouldn’t sail with them.  That change would not bother many others, and a lot of them would even PREFER it.  We’re all different and have different preferences and priorities.

[consteche]

3 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

I am glad that you had a good cruise. I recognize that food is subjective but on my most recent sailing that I just got off of on Sunday - I did not hear a single good comment about the food. Not even a lady I met on her milestone cruise had a single good thing to say. The best anyone said about the food was it was mediocre.

The funny thing is we had a cruise out of Miami where everything tasted like it was previously frozen, bad, bland, etc.  Everyone we talked to said the same thing.  We then had a different cruise out of New Orleans where the food was good to very good.  Seasoned, hot, fresh tasting.  Both cruises were Carnival within 1 year of each other.  Many shared dishes and entrees like the tomato topped fish they had on the buffet.

 

It's not that food "taste" is only subjective, I think the ships and who's prepping/cooking the food matters VERY MUCH.

 

Unfortunately its a roll of the dice if the food will be good or not when you sail.  Other cruise lines I've seen are the same.  The entire industry as a whole has taken a hit from Covid.  You have to accept this risk when you book a cruise.....

Edited September 13, 2023 by consteche

[Old Fart Cruisers]

 

I was just looking at dining options for my upcoming cruise.  This picture is show in the main dining room (NOT in the steakhouse).  I don't remember ever seeing anything that looked like that in the dining room, but I know Carnival wouldn't show it if it wasn't REALLY available🤔

 

[The Nautical Nomads]

43 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

 

I was just looking at dining options for my upcoming cruise.  This picture is show in the main dining room (NOT in the steakhouse).  I don't remember ever seeing anything that looked like that in the dining room, but I know Carnival wouldn't show it if it wasn't REALLY available🤔

 

Have you ever seen a fast food commercial on TV? - LOL
I've never seen a commercial that showed my Big Mac thrown into the burger box as though it was an 'Assemble it yourself' offering with the lettuce and such off to one side and a beef patty in the opposing corner of the box.

[TiredTrucker]

3 hours ago, The Nautical Nomads said:

Have you ever seen a fast food commercial on TV? - LOL
I've never seen a commercial that showed my Big Mac thrown into the burger box as though it was an 'Assemble it yourself' offering with the lettuce and such off to one side and a beef patty in the opposing corner of the box.

 

True...but then McD's doesn't showcase food in their advertising that they don't even have on the menu.  

[Honolulu Blue]

13 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

we haven't been able to cruise since they came back from shutdown, but even prior to covid, we felt the quality of food and overall dining experience was beginning to slip. We hope to get back to cruising soon so it's disappointing to hear that it may have gotten worse.

I've cruised on several other lines since the restart, but not Carnival (long story).  I do have a Carnival cruises coming up in November and January, so I'm noting all this commentary about the food.  I'm far from a gourmand, but I know what I like.

 

13 hours ago, Chief93 said:

at the start of the pandemic i bought 1,000 shares at $7.51.  I figured either the pandemic would end or we'd be hunting each other for meat, in which case I wouldn't need the money anyway.  Sold it for $26.51.  After I thought it had reached bottom again I bought 1,000 shares for $8.60.  Was at $15 today.  So I'm happy with it.

You're an expert market timer.  I'm sure you could do wonders with my portfolio.  Here it is:  🤑.  Make me rich.  You have 10 years.  😁

11 hours ago, john91498 said:

On my last cruise, which was last month, Guys burgers, the cantina, Pig & Anchor were far superior in my opinion than anything in the MDR.

Interesting.  When I was last on Carnival, I hardly ever dined in the MDR, which I did the burger thing several times.  It's what I prefer, and if there's still good food to be had there, it's not a big deal to me if the MDR is not up to snuff.  Although there are those new menus that Emeril had a hand in updating...

[Joebucks]

Cruised on the celebration earlier this year. Did not notice any issue with the food. Except I agree the cuts of steak were not as good (except for filet mignon night which is absolutely delicious). 

 

Amazing that people are still complaining about a $5 3rd entree. Some are really reaching deep to share how much it ruined their lives.

[jsglow]

I do think that the experience of the chef makes a difference. We just spent 21 nights in the MDR.  Some nights were significantly better than others and actually above average for Carnival, such as our second lobster night. Some were a bit below par but still 'okay'. I think it had way more to do with galley preparation than it did with the actual entree that came out of the deep freezer.

 

A perfect example (not MDR) was the sandwich counter where one day pre-made hot sandwiches hadn't been properly thawed before putting them on the line. So when the cook followed her instructions and put them in the toaster oven for 1 minute, they came out seriously under-cooked; something we've all done at home in our microwave. A more experienced crew member would have recognized the situation and adjusted.  So I think it's more about inexperience in various food prep roles rather than anything. That's a staffing issue which we know is a problem everywhere.

[skywalkr2]

16 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

And I bet you have never lost money in a casino either, and everyone claps when you sit down in a restaurant.

 

Buying low has been pretty easy with CCL over the last few years.

[skywalkr2]

13 hours ago, consteche said:

The funny thing is we had a cruise out of Miami where everything tasted like it was previously frozen, bad, bland, etc.  Everyone we talked to said the same thing.  We then had a different cruise out of New Orleans where the food was good to very good.  Seasoned, hot, fresh tasting.  Both cruises were Carnival within 1 year of each other.  Many shared dishes and entrees like the tomato topped fish they had on the buffet.

 

It's not that food "taste" is only subjective, I think the ships and who's prepping/cooking the food matters VERY MUCH.

 

Unfortunately its a roll of the dice if the food will be good or not when you sail.  Other cruise lines I've seen are the same.  The entire industry as a whole has taken a hit from Covid.  You have to accept this risk when you book a cruise.....

 

Perhaps this is the correct take.  I am SURE that post COVID they have had to mature a lot of chefs that are still learning on the job.

[Cruisegoer]

On 9/11/2023 at 1:26 PM, DrSea said:

I don't eat any seafood

You need a new name then.

[DrSea]

4 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

 

Amazing that people are still complaining about a $5 3rd entree. Some are really reaching deep to share how much it ruined their lives.

I'm glad it's not an issue for you but it's still an issue for me. It's not reaching deep since it's been the same issue for over a year as there are no changes. You can look at my history.

 

It's my line in the sand. I understand if it doesn't impact the way you vacation. But it does for me. 

 

And it's more than complaining. I'm voting with my feet. I will not book CCL until these changes are reversed.