Service and staffind levels lately

[Colorado Cruzer]

Last time we cruised was December 2022 and the service and staffing levels was noticably less, especially at the bars.  How has it been lately? 

 

• Does it take 15 - 20 minutes to get a drink at the bars? 
• Are there enough servers around the pool area?
• Are the buffets stocked so there is actually food available when you get up to it? 
• Is there one person running pizza late night still? 

 

These are all bottlenecks that made us go to other vacation destinations vs carnival these past few years.  We're booked for April 2024 so just want to set everyone's expectations correctly for what we will get.  Thanks.

[jimbo5544]

I have cruised regularly since the start up.  It was really noticeable in the beginning, but the ships were half full.  It has gotten better, but our cruise on Celebration (school break week) it was not good (bar service).  So much so, that I sent a love note to some Carnival mgt friends (which prompted calls to discuss our dissatisfaction.  We will be on her again on 8/10, I will be posting live and can give you further updates then.

[cxr133]

41 minutes ago, Colorado Cruzer said:

Last time we cruised was December 2022 and the service and staffing levels was noticably less, especially at the bars.  How has it been lately? 

 

• Does it take 15 - 20 minutes to get a drink at the bars? 
• Are there enough servers around the pool area?
• Are the buffets stocked so there is actually food available when you get up to it? 
• Is there one person running pizza late night still? 

 

These are all bottlenecks that made us go to other vacation destinations vs carnival these past few years.  We're booked for April 2024 so just want to set everyone's expectations correctly for what we will get.  Thanks.

we were on th Celebration July 6-13

Sea day brunch and MDR dinners took 2 hours.  

1. Yes it can unless your my wife  and squeezes in

2. NO,  there are 1 or 2 who i thought rarely came around

3.  Buffets i only ate one or two breakfast and seemed pretty well l stocked to me

4. sometimes 2 people but from my past experiences on cruises before Covid, it seemed they were moving realllly slow. 

Edited July 24 by cxr133

[Sillyjilly]

I have noticed that there are even less staff walking around selling drinks since more and more people have the drink package. It seems cruising prices keep going up, while service and food have come down.

Giving Carnival one last chance in October. I hope they come through.

[Elaine5715]

Other than fewer drink hawkers walking the decks, I haven't had an issue on multiple cruises.

[Colorado Cruzer]

Sounds like it's about the same.  I guess ordering a bottle of booze to your room is the way to go and provide your own bar service.  Lol

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, Colorado Cruzer said:

Sounds like it's about the same.  I guess ordering a bottle of booze to your room is the way to go and provide your own bar service.  Lol

tipping still works

[sparks1093]

We were on Mardi Gras in April and had no issues with the service. The longest wait for a drink was when a server was getting it for us, since they like to wait until their tray will be full before going to the bar. Usually I'd wait less than 10 minutes going to the bar myself. Didn't spend a lot of time around the pools but the time we spent in Serenity there were servers walking around and the number seemed adequate for the crowd. Buffet was always stocked. I don't know about the number of folks running the pizza at night because I avoid those lines by ordering food from the Hub App to wherever we are (usually the cabin). I find the small fee worth not having to wait in line. 

[pe4all]

7 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

tipping still works

Totally agree with this.  When sitting on a deck area a dollar bill added when signing for whatever beverage we are having seems to almost guarantee the server will check in with us on a regular basis.

Edited July 25 by pe4all

[ray98]

14 hours ago, Colorado Cruzer said:

Last time we cruised was December 2022 and the service and staffing levels was noticably less, especially at the bars.  How has it been lately? 

 

• Does it take 15 - 20 minutes to get a drink at the bars? 
• Are there enough servers around the pool area?
• Are the buffets stocked so there is actually food available when you get up to it? 
• Is there one person running pizza late night still? 

 

These are all bottlenecks that made us go to other vacation destinations vs carnival these past few years.  We're booked for April 2024 so just want to set everyone's expectations correctly for what we will get.  Thanks.

• Yes....they could use another bartender or two at pretty much every bar.  Our last they were running Alchemy with 2 bartenders and if you drink there you know how slow that will be given what goes into the drinks.  
• No....pretty much non-existent.  But nearly everyone has Cheers now so they aren't really selling you anything.  Before drink packages became the norm you couldn't turn around without meeting someone with a tray of drinks.
• Mostly....the buffet was pretty smooth all in all.
• Yes....pizza had huge lines every night.  Painfully slow.

Edited July 25 by ray98

[Colorado Cruzer]

9 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

tipping still works

We buy cheers and tip on every drink, a great bartender or server gets more for sure.  It's just there were very little service staff on our last cruise so it was annoying. 

Edited July 25 by Colorado Cruzer

[Honolulu Blue]

14 hours ago, Colorado Cruzer said:

Last time we cruised was December 2022 and the service and staffing levels was noticably less, especially at the bars.  How has it been lately? 

 

• Does it take 15 - 20 minutes to get a drink at the bars? 
• Are there enough servers around the pool area?
• Are the buffets stocked so there is actually food available when you get up to it? 
• Is there one person running pizza late night still? 

 

These are all bottlenecks that made us go to other vacation destinations vs carnival these past few years.  We're booked for April 2024 so just want to set everyone's expectations correctly for what we will get.  Thanks.

 

I'm sorry to point out that you missed your cruise if it was truly booked for April 2024.  😁  I assume you mean April 2025.

 

The only question I can answer is about the buffets.  I was on the Magic in November and the Dream in January.  I ate most breakfasts and dinners on both ships at the trough and found the food selection more than adequate at all times.

[hapytobehr]

Pizza is not open all night anymore.  closes around 3/4 AM

[NHNEV2003]

We were on the Magic in June--it was fine.

[CruisinArn]

The only time I recall slow bar service is when they have other events going on. The worst was the New Years party on the Sunshine. Redfrog Pub had 1 bartender working, because everyone else was pulled to hand out the free 'champagne'. But she handled it like a pro.  

[angelsfort]

I think it really depends on the ship and the time you're going to these places.

 

We were on the Liberty in May and other than our server not remembering my name (at all, the entire cruise) in the MDR we didn't have any issues with Carnivals service.  Our table mates were rude and showed up 40-50 minutes late every single night (we had the early seating for dinner) but that isn't the fault of Carnival.  I do wonder why they were still allowed in, though, with being THAT late every night.

 

We got pizza multiple times and while there was a line nearly every time, the line seemed to move fast.

The buffet also always seemed well stocked - but the food was not always hot (was never "cold" but it definitely could have been warmer on occasion)

For drinks at the bar, we found that going to the bars on the Lido deck ALWAYS took an exorbitant amount of time but if we went to the sports bar on Deck 5, there was far less people and the service was quicker.