It’s been 10 years since I cruised on Carnival. This is the change which bothered me the most

[rollnoles2]

On 9/17/2024 at 10:58 PM, BlerkOne said:

"if you throw your used flatware on the floor you can teach the staff your preference"

Still chuckling over this.😄

[chill6x6]

7 hours ago, mfs2k said:

Where can I find a summary of MDR service processes for the major midlevel cruise lines serving the US market as it relates to this topic of seating and electronic vs paper menus and guest ordering?

im curious which lines are staying traditional in the main dining rooms and which lines are leaning into apps and electronics for dining.

 

 

I can only say in my experience recently...

Royal Caribbean MDR/Coastal Kitchen/majority of Specialty dining- Table cloths, changing of silverware, and real menus

NCL Haven and speciality dining- Same as above

Holland America MDR and Pinnacle Grill- Same as above

 

Editing to add....overall, you ARE going to generally more.  

 

Edited Sunday at 07:18 PM by chill6x6

[rainbowflag]

On 9/20/2024 at 4:26 AM, aborgman said:

 

I still had desert... Just when I actually got the coffee the few times it actually came, it came well after everyone at the table had finished desert.

 

Don't you hate it when desserts taste like sand from a desert?

[jimbo5544]

8 hours ago, mfs2k said:

Where can I find a summary of MDR service processes for the major midlevel cruise lines serving the US market as it relates to this topic of seating and electronic vs paper menus and guest ordering?

im curious which lines are staying traditional in the main dining rooms and which lines are leaning into apps and electronics for dining.

 

 

Celebrity uses phone.

[rainbowflag]

On 9/19/2024 at 9:45 AM, jsglow said:

Now it is true that the dining room staff has been trimmed since, say 10 years ago. I discussed the specifics with a very senior waiter some cruises back but have forgotten the details. What it basically amounted to was a certain number of seats being covered by 5 rather than 6 staff members.

You hit the nail on the head but it wasn't 10 years ago that the number of servers was changed. We noticed it only last year that instead of teams of 3 servers there are now teams of 5. We were told by the maitre d' that corporate did this to save on labor. Instead of having 2 teams of 3 serving 62 guests there is now 1 team of 5 servers serving 62 guests. This has resulted in diminished service all to save on labor by doing away with one server per 62 guests. In March of this year we were told the 5 person teams were only being used in the Your Time Dining rooms but this may have changed to include set time seating as well, I don't know. If you get poor service at YTD and notice more than 3 servers providing service at the table, and you don't see your Lead Team Server as often as you used to, you should mention this in your post cruise survey. Carnival will only return to the better 3 team member system when enough guests share their poor experiences at YTD with the new teams of 5 procedure.

Edited Sunday at 09:12 PM by rainbowflag

[jimbo5544]

5 minutes ago, rainbowflag said:

You hit the nail on the head but it wasn't 10 years ago that the number of servers was changed. We noticed it only last year that instead of teams of 3 servers there are now teams of 5. We were told by the maitre d' that corporate did this to save on labor. Instead of having 2 teams of 3 serving 62 guests there is now 1 team of 5 servers serving 62 guests. This has resulted in diminished service all to save on labor by doing away with one server per 62 guests. In March of this year we were told the 5 person teams were only being used in the Your Time Dining rooms but this may have changed to include set time seating as well, I don't know. If you get poor service at YTD and notice too servers people dropping things off at the table, and you don't see your Lead Team Server as often as you used to, you should mention this in your post cruise survey. Carnival will only return to the better 3 team member system when enough guests share their poor experiences at YTD with the new teams of 5 procedure.

It is not just YTD

[rainbowflag]

3 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

It is not just YTD

So they have gone to this poor way to save labor to all dining rooms. So sad. Do you suspect this is one way to do away with food inclusive sit down served dining to be replaced with more for fee dining and/or with an enlarged buffet so that self-service becomes the norm in the future?

Edited Sunday at 09:17 PM by rainbowflag

[BlerkOne]

I still am getting excellent service and food. Perhaps the prophets of doom get what they ask for?

[jimbo5544]

6 minutes ago, rainbowflag said:

So they have gone to this poor way to save labor to all dining rooms. So sad. Do you suspect this is one way to do away with food inclusive sit down served dining to be replaced with more for fee dining and/or with an enlarged buffet so that self-service becomes the norm in the future?

I do not.  From my viewpoint it is pure economics. For the most part the service for us has been the same, where it varied (fairly regularly) was the two cruise elegant nights (specifically on Excel class ships). I do think that MDR dining (especially on the newer ships, specifically Excel class where there are a ton of dinner options) continue to evolve.

[jimbo5544]

9 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

I still am getting excellent service and food. Perhaps the prophets of doom get what they ask for?

Prophets of doom….wasn’t that a Marvel movie…

[RoperDK]

9 hours ago, mfs2k said:

Where can I find a summary of MDR service processes for the major midlevel cruise lines serving the US market as it relates to this topic of seating and electronic vs paper menus and guest ordering?

im curious which lines are staying traditional in the main dining rooms and which lines are leaning into apps and electronics for dining.

 

 

I can only speak to Royal, but they have returned to a more traditional dining format.  There was a time during the restart where they encouraged using the app and I can't actually remember if I used a QR code.  It is standard to present a menu now along with tablecloth and full silverware.  They use a 2-person team and we have had  improving service along with better food quality in the past year or so.  They still haven't added back all of the everyday menu items (unless we eat at Coastal Kitchen), but most are available multiple times in a weeklong cruise. They still substitute lesser cuts of meat (lamb loin instead of rack of lamb) so it's not all puppies and rainbows.  Carnival service for me hasn't plummeted and I don't really care about the tablecloth and extra silverware.  I am bothered by the harried staff and not getting drink refills.  That could be remedied by hiring some more waitstaff and is a large part of my post cruise survey remarks.     

[Trueblueky]

On 9/19/2024 at 1:24 PM, jimbo5544 said:

You lost me at the thunderstorm....but maybe that is me.

The (wifi?) system couldn't handle the load during an electrical storm. 

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, Trueblueky said:

The (wifi?) system couldn't handle the load during an electrical storm. 

I doubt an electrical storm has any affect at all on wi fi load, unless it knocks the system off line.  All that happens is your phones camera reads a QR code for menu...

[firefly333]

On 9/17/2024 at 6:34 PM, mfs2k said:

My wife and I just came back from sailing 10 nights on Carnival Legend in the Mediterranean. We’re Platinum but our last Carnival cruise hasn’t been since 2013. In the last 11 years we’ve been to All-inclusive resorts and sailed on other cruise lines. Some things about this Carnival cruise were great and other things not so great but one change irked me more than others. 
I know this had been discussed on multiple occasions but I’m bringing it up again.
 I did not like the expectation of using one”s phone as a menu and as a tool for trying to get a seat for breakfast in the main dining room (We had late assigned dining time so I didn’t need to use the phone for anytime dining seating)

I’m 65 and am quite comfortable using a phone for doing everything. I’ve exceeded screen time guidelines since I was 5 watching tv more than I was supposed to. I know how to use my phone but I don’t like being expected to use my phone to review a menu. 
I remember the thrill of looking at the menus my parents brought home from their cruises in the 60’s. I appreciate the elegant service of being handed a fancy menu in a leather (or vinyl) menu holder and perusing my options before ordering. That feeling is gone now when I’m asked to look at my phone for the evening selections. Ugh. Just thinking about it now irritates me. I know this became necessary when Covid was raging but it’s been 4 1/2 years and this continued practice needs to become a memory in my opinion. 
I get it that 1. I can probably get a menu if I ask for it and 2. many people prefer this method. 
My objection is this is now the rule and not the exception. I want my dinners on a cruise to be above Olive Garden standards. I’d like to be offered a menu when I’m seated like I used to. I don’t object to having the option to say “no, thank you. I have it on my phone.”  
One day we went to MDR for breakfast and I left my phone charging in the cabin. I had no idea I was supposed to request a table on the app. The Maitre D seemed annoyed we showed up without a reservation. He was able to add me to the list and said it would be 10 minutes but I sensed the disdain in his voice that I was unaware. When I asked the server for a breakfast menu I was greeted with the same disdain. Ugh. 
Lastly, I couldn’t help notice as I walked through the dining room after dinner how virtually every guest (and an older demographic on this cruise) had their phones on the table next to their place settings. I expect this nowadays from young people but I don’t like it. It’s inelegant and feels like just bad table manners to this boomer. Sorry not sorry. 
 

I ran into a couple of times where they were quite rude about menus.

 

Vista, not my most recent, I did speciality dining 6 nights. The 7th night I meet a friend in chops who didnt have the menu on her phone. The waiter actually gave not only her but a couple seated next to us, mid 80s, a lecture on how they needed to scan the menu. She got so mad she requested another waiter. I could read the menu but my tablet I use doesnt have a scanner. I too think it's annoying cruiselines assume everyone needs to learn to scan, not just use their phone to scan.

 

Scan to get a time to get off the ship? I agree it's out of hand. Annoying how the kids who are crew act if you dont have a scanner. I dont need to be lectured. 

[Diamond-56-Plus]

5 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I ran into a couple of times where they were quite rude about menus.

 

Vista, not my most recent, I did speciality dining 6 nights. The 7th night I meet a friend in chops who didnt have the menu on her phone. The waiter actually gave not only her but a couple seated next to us, mid 80s, a lecture on how they needed to scan the menu. She got so mad she requested another waiter. I could read the menu but my tablet I use doesnt have a scanner. I too think it's annoying cruiselines assume everyone needs to learn to scan, not just use their phone to scan.

 

Scan to get a time to get off the ship? I agree it's out of hand. Annoying how the kids who are crew act if you dont have a scanner. I dont need to be lectured. 

I agree here with these comments. Things have drastically changed with the staff especially after the covid era. What use to be is no longer true.  A few of the staff seem to actually enjoy the lip lashing their offering you. Even when you drop off your luggage and you stay longer than 10 seconds someone is constantly telling you to leave the cabin.

[mfs2k]

16 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

The waiter actually gave not only her but a couple seated next to us, mid 80s, a lecture on how they needed to scan the menu. She got so mad she requested another waiter. I could read the menu but my tablet I use doesnt have a scanner. I too think it's annoying cruiselines assume everyone needs to learn to scan, not just use their phone to scan.

 

Scan to get a time to get off the ship? I agree it's out of hand. Annoying how the kids who are crew act if you dont have a scanner. I dont need to be lectured. 

I’m confused by the scanning. They only wanted to show the menu briefly ? If you didn’t scan it you’re out of luck ?  
Is it too much to want a damn menu in 2024??? 

[jimbo5544]

3 minutes ago, Diamond-56-Plus said:

I agree here with these comments. Things have drastically changed with the staff especially after the covid era. What use to be is no longer true.  A few of the staff seem to actually enjoy the lip lashing their offering you. Even when you drop off your luggage and you stay longer than 10 seconds someone is constantly telling you to leave the cabin.

Sometimes strange things happen and change when you go 38 billion in the hole from being shut down for 19 months not of your own doing.   

[BlerkOne]

The fact is, you can get a damn menu upon request.

[mfs2k]

4 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Sometimes strange things happen and change when you go 38 billion in the hole from being shut down for 19 months not of your own doing.   

In 2009 we had an expression in my business. “We’re not going to cut our way out of the recession.”

The solution for cruise lines wasn’t to cut costs which guests saw. The solution was to rebuild revenue. 
 

[mfs2k]

5 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

The fact is, you can get a damn menu upon request.

That’s amusing. 
I guess I had lousy service if I wanted a menu every night and it wasn’t offered to me by the second or third night I asked for it. They had no trouble remembering what drink I wanted. 

Edited Monday at 01:36 AM by mfs2k

[firefly333]

4 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

The fact is, you can get a damn menu upon request.

Idk if chops was out of them that night or why when asked the waiter said he coukdnt give them a menu. I'd already looked but the couple next to me wanted a menu and the kid said sorry no menus. And told them off. As well as the girl I was esring with. She said she wasnt putting up with him and got a new waiter. 

 

Sometimes it happens.

 

My journey cruise quite excellent but that vista cruise had a attitude. Chops especially. I guess they ran out of menus that night and didnt have them. 

[jimbo5544]

6 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

In 2009 we had an expression in my business. “We’re not going to cut our way out of the recession.”

The solution for cruise lines wasn’t to cut costs which guests saw. The solution was to rebuild revenue. 
 

Apples and orangutans.  This is not about a business trying to cut there was our of a recession,  This is about an industry (the only one in the America's I can think of) that was put into a situation that makes the one you are using as comparable look like a little league game compared to game 7 in the World Series.  The solution Carnival (and more or less the entire industry took was to exist).  Carnival being the biggest, had the biggest hole to get out of.  Gigantic is to small a word to describe it.  

 

that said, revenue is at a time high....guess their solution was hit out of the park....

[Diamond-56-Plus]

14 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Sometimes strange things happen and change when you go 38 billion in the hole from being shut down for 19 months not of your own doing.   

 It relates quite a bit with their training, you can tell it's not the same any longer. I've had had more repeat business over the years by treating my customers with respect and being polite. Goes a long way with the population.

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, Diamond-56-Plus said:

 It relates quite a bit with their training, you can tell it's not the same any longer. I've had had more repeat business over the years by treating my customers with respect and being polite. Goes a long way with the population.

and they do

[BlerkOne]

44 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Idk if chops was out of them that night or why when asked the waiter said he coukdnt give them a menu. I'd already looked but the couple next to me wanted a menu and the kid said sorry no menus. And told them off. As well as the girl I was esring with. She said she wasnt putting up with him and got a new waiter. 

 

Sometimes it happens.

 

My journey cruise quite excellent but that vista cruise had a attitude. Chops especially. I guess they ran out of menus that night and didnt have them. 

Chops is on Royal, so that explains it.

 

If they said no menus on Carnival, I would ask for a manager.