Cruising use to be about great cuisine and impecable service! What has happened?

[NAUdebo]

Rock-bottom prices that cater to America's middle class create this situation. As many prior posters have said, the base cost of a cruise now is much lower than it was 20-30 years ago, adjusting for inflation. Luxury lines still offer top-notch food and service to all, but for a price.

 

While I understand the frustration (and agree with some of it myself), it's nothing more than the marketplace expressing itself. You can still get a very high quality experience on a mainstream line. You'll just pay for it. Book a suite, pay $25 for specialty restaurants, get your coffee from the espresso bar, etc. This is the same thing as what the airlines have been doing over the last few years - it's a la carte pricing, where people get what they pay for. People will always complain about the "way things used to be", but cruising is now accessible to people who never could have afforded it before.

 

I think a lot of this is a good thing. Here's my example. My wife and I are taking our honeymoon cruise in a couple of weeks to Alaska. We chose to go with Holland America, a somewhat more expensive line that has a better reputation for service and the old-time cruise experience. We have upgraded to a suite for the room, the perks, and our expectation of better service than what most passengers will receive. Money is not our primary concern on this trip - it's our honeymoon, and it will only happen once. This cruise should be similar to what cruising used to be, and I'm happy to pay for the experience.

 

On the other hand, we're still regular people with middle-class jobs. There's no way we could take a trip like this upcoming one every year. With the pricing being what it is, however, we can still look for cruises next year. Of course, it would be a very different experience. Travel out of a port we can drive to, pay $500-600 pp for an inside room, and make the best of the food/service that is provided. We'd go into a trip like that with MUCH lower expectations.

 

I'm thankful that I have access to both types. There's a reason why cruising is becoming more popular in younger/family demographics, and the cost and flexibility of 21st century cruising is a large part of that change.

 

But, as long as there are still plenty of people like the OP and others on this site, there will still be cruise lines that specialize in a more inclusive style with higher service. The market has a funny way of working itself out.

[Parrot Mom]

Our first cruise was on the NCL Seaward, a brand new ship then.. white glove service, etc. etc. that was probably 54 years ago..Since then ships have gotten bigger and bigger and bigger, bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, wall cimbing.. you name it..That is what the cruise people say that the public wants..NOT ME!! Wish I could afford Crystal or Oceania or Azmara.. but I can't.. I had a bad experience with Carnival Fascination years ago...just had another one on the Pacific Princess, but for me Celebrity.. the Century, Galaxy, and the Constellation are what cruising ALMOST used to be.. Just got off Princess and the negatives would fill a page and our friend has a stinging review of o ur two week cruise where they were unable to get a table for 2 in the MDR and were offered one in the middle of huge tables..Princess missed on our two week cruise with lack of "little things" that Celebrity does although the dining room food was incredible. But plastic dishes at the buffet, no trays and nobody to help you take your dish back to a table ..if you could find a clean one. Our next cruise is going to be the NCL Gem..yes, I know it's not Celebrity..but i'm going to give it a try.. Yes. this whole conversation is depressing..of what cruising used to be..and the cruising experience which on many ships is now drinking binges..

[leia2107]

I came to the board tonight looking for a thread like this. We are currently on the Coral Princess (day 2 of the cruise portion of an 11-day cruisetour) and my husband just ordered canapés and said the quality of the prosciutto was very middle of the road. Same with our room service food last night.

 

When we were on the Zuiderdam five or six years ago appetizers/canapés were included with our suite and I remember the choices as being more diverse and most importantly - they were delivered at the time requested.

 

We requested these be delivered at 6:00 p.m. We decided to take a nap before they arrived and before getting ready for dinner at the Italian (optional) restaurant (Sabatini's?). The room service delivery (canapés) showed up at 4:45!!!

 

While we were at the Princess Lodge at Mt. McKinley my husband ordered the "special" of the night (prime rib). When it arrived I said "surely you're not going to eat that!"

 

FWIW, my husband never sends back food but this was ridiculous. He ordered it medium rare and it arrived tough/dark/about the size of a deck of cards and no au jus.

 

He ended up ordering the salmon and a few minutes later the next table's dinner arrived and the prime rib looked exactly the way it should have looked on his plate: medium rare and in an au jus broth. And it looked like the typical size of a piece of prime rib.

 

Last night we ordered prime rib (room service). Ugh. I didn't eat but about a third of it. No butter sent with the order but a bowl of sour cream as large as a bowl of cereal.

 

A word to the wise: if you decide to order room service make sure you tell them EVERYTHING you want as you're placing the order.

 

Again this morning - room service . . . rolls, croissants and an english muffin - no butter. The guy went back down to get it for us but of course our food was cold by the time he got back.

 

My husband brought up the fact that Holland delivered the little bottles of Tabasco with their room service orders. Apparently this is important to him because he remembered it (I sure didn't but I'm not a world-class consumer of hot sauce).

 

Papaya. Any order of papaya I have ever ordered in a restaurant or on a cruise has included a slice of two of lime. I asked the room service receptionist to include lime with the papaya and he was obviously mystified by such a request.

 

Since none of the canapés appealed to me I just now ordered chocolate chip cookies. Okay but kind of hard. Nothing special (which was the case with the fudge cake dessert last night).

 

Really long (and boring) story short: I don't recall either of us ever complaining about the food on the Zuiderdam BUT . . . this was five or six years ago.

 

Obviously, the cruise lines have been hit very hard with the recession . . . look at the deals out there (!) . . . so I guess sacrifices in quality are being made elsewhere.

 

It's kind of a shame because as cruise passengers we are virtually tied to their menus and the quality of their food selections.

 

The in-laws gave us a lovely 10-year anniversary gift - an 11-day cruise tour in one of the Vista suites - but it's irritating to feel like you're receiving sub-par service and selection after paying the very top dollar (no 2 for 1 specials on the Vista/Penthouse suite categories . . . $100 off = "the best they can do").

 

The result will be that we'll explore other cruise lines. Princess offered the itinerary we wanted on both the ground and the sea but who likes an $8000 mistake??

[leia2107]

If you are willing to pay...you will receive more service and better accomodations...in most cases.

 

Unfortunately, I don't believe this to be the case on Princess. I don't see what difference there is between spending $3,999 for a suite and $399 for a last minute special on an interior cabin. The level of service/quality couldn't possibly be any worse - regardless of the price paid.

 

We could have bought TEN $399 specials for what we paid for this cruise and the service is certainly not ten times better. I don't see that there's any difference other than a cup of fresh flowers and laundry service . . . oh, and free internet service - which they may regret where I'm concerned because I don't intend to be shy about this vacation.

 

And by the way . . . I've just experienced ANOTHER Princess Miscommunication (this should be a trademark) . . . the "Hotel" Sec'y (who handles suite passengers) said that canapés are only available on formal nights. LOL! Their own "special" book for suite passengers clearly states "every night between 5:00 and 10:00 . . . " - the irony being that these were delivered before 5:00!

 

A menu selection sheet was here last night for tonight's canapés . . . tonight - nada. My husband doesn't even WANT the darn things tomorrow night but I want to prove the point that the written documentation in THEIR room states that it's an every night "perk" versus yet another Princess Surprise (another line that should be trademarked).

 

Did I mention that they gave another couple our room and a room key card coded the same as ours?

 

We were sitting at the sofa getting ready to go out on an excursion and the door to the room opens and there stood another couple. A very nice couple I might add who were as dumbfounded as we were to open the door to what they thought was their room, only to find two strangers sitting on the sofa!

 

I am glad we were still there in the room because BOTH sets of key cards had to be changed! Of course, we had them come in and sit down while my husband called and initiated the conversation with the front desk (and then handed the phone over to the wife) but it made us a bit late in arriving for our excursion and it was just another example of sloppiness.

 

My words to the person I just spoke to were this: "I don't want to have to micromanage an $8000 vacation* because Princess isn't able to do so on their own."

 

Expecting a few pats of butter with a baked potato or a croissant surely isn't that much to expect.

 

Same thing with booking a land tour via the phone - only to find out it ends up on the credit card at $20 or so more than the published price in the tour book! Yep, it's just $20 but it truly is the principle of the thing!

 

Rant over (sorry about that but it's very disappointing to be in the midst of a vacation and feel like you've been playing tug of war for what should be the simplest things).

 

 

 

(We should have kept our reservation in the balcony cabin we originally reserved . . . it was a great deal and I probably wouldn't have felt as irritated about every little thing that's gone wrong or been miscommunicated).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*doesn't include shore excursions, air fare, etc.

[cmhlifestylecpl]

all of my cruises have been with either celibrity anf RCCL, and we have stayed in regular rooms and suites. The extra cost I paid to stay in the suite was not equal to the level of service received. I assumed that I was paying for the extra sq footage, and chalked it up to jsut that and have not stayed in a suite since. I would prefer 10 cruises at 399 than on at 3000 with the same service.

 

I would tell the cruise lines to serve less food and increase the quality!! I dont need to eat 24/7, also Im not aware of any human that needs too.

 

I also eat what I take.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Unfortunately, I don't believe this to be the case on Princess. I don't see what difference there is between spending $3,999 for a suite and $399 for a last minute special on an interior cabin. The level of service/quality couldn't possibly be any worse - regardless of the price paid.

...

*doesn't include shore excursions, air fare, etc.

 

HI LEIA!!!

 

That is why I said..."In most cases". Princess is a mass market line. A lot of people love it...because it is a step up from Carnival...which is the mother company of Princess. We found that the "Suite Experience" on Princess is nonexistent...just a bigger room. There are so many variables when planning a cruise...it takes a lot of experience before you can get it right. Yes the service on Celebrity is better...in most cases...but even they have cut back on quality in recent years. Not the same Celebrity as in the early years around 1990, etc.

 

Your choices, today, are pretty much confined to taking a suite on a larger ship which would mean a more mass market type of line. Or taking a smaller cabin on an upscale (smaller) ship on a premium line. In choosing the smaller ship you are giving up other things like a higher activity level and better stage productions, etc. We have pretty much honed it down to taking a suite on RCI or Celebrity. We realize that the food will not be like the premium lines nor will the service but we prefer larger ships with higher activity levels and more entertainment. We are at the point now where we actually pick the ship and not so much the itinerary. We also pick longer cruises as we find that you will have more experienced cruisers and that makes for a nice atmosphere onboard. Experienced cruisers tend to dress better and behave better and we find that the crew reacts to this in a positive manner. So you can have a so-so 7 day cruise on a large ship or a great 14 day cruise on the same ship. Choose wisely and you will see the difference. Sometimes it is a matter of tiptoeing through the tulips.

[Parrot Mom]

A woman who uses aliases on another cruise board wrote of all the perks she has received from Princess like "free laundry and free internet service" and she is 43 years old and is at the highest level..yadda, yadda,yadda.. I told her that she has her priorities fouled up.. if those items at 43 years old are so very important to her.. then she has not "lived" and when she gets to my age of just about a young 74 she will realize life is not made up of free laundry and internet service and my $$$ should pay for the same quality service and $$ same food. True the cruising experience is not what it used to be what with ice skating rings, rock climbing and bowling alleys. but I too enjoy two week trans-atlantics or repositioning cruises..I personally found on our one and only Princess the Elite group to be very filled with "self importance", Yes, I love big shows and great entertainment and you don't have to go in a megaship for this.. we have been on the Celebrity Galaxy, Constellation and Century.. I too remember white glove and french service.. and until I can afford if ever a Crystal.. well. On the other hand..my next cruise is the NCL Gem.. go figure..trans-atlantic

[Virtual Life]

I have only been on one cruise, Carnival in the Gulf of Mexico. It was very much the "cattle" syndrome. I think we paid about $1500 for both of us in 2004, one week. It was about what I expected.

 

Now I have booked our second cruise for the August 24 RCCL, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt. This time it breaks down to $143 a day per person. (still hoping to upgrade). And I expect a LITTLE better than Carnival, I do not have high expectations. Now, 8k for a cruise would bring very high expectations! But I do not believe the service issue is limited to cruising.

 

I am not a spring chicken, so I have observed a decline for the respect of others across the board in my life. Life is MUCH quicker now than my youth, and that, I believe, is the key.

 

My wife and I have frequently discussed the trend now seems to be "get it off your desk", whether or not it is done right. I (we) still believe in doing things right the first time, you know, take another minute to make sure.

This applies to having butter with your potato as well as NOT double booking the same suite. And everthing in between.

 

Ah well, get used to it, not likely to change. Knowing this, expecting it, helps to reduce the pain. And I would rather go without the butter than go without room service. Yes, agreed, should not have to, but....

[jenelizab]

 

I would tell the cruise lines to serve less food and increase the quality!! I dont need to eat 24/7, also Im not aware of any human that needs too.

 

 

Thank you!! This bugs the bejeezus out of me. Less food, more quality. I don't need pizza 24/7, especially if it tastes/looks like Little Caesars (hello, Carnival).

[Kakk]

trpschick.....GREAT THREAD, darlin!!!

 

I completly aggree with you! Just returned from the Conquest and ....WOW....just within the last year...almost to the date, you can see the difference. Not near as many selections on the dinning menu. I think they cut maybe 2-3 from each course. AND now instead of a live band in the pool area there is a HUGE tv blaring music videos....either Hannah Montana or hip-hop....no happy medium there. While waiting for Bingo to start one night (it was 45 mins late) we had to endure heavy metal, head bashing music played at speaker BOOMIng LEVEL....YIKES. AND the shows.....yada yada yada.....

 

AND BRUCE!!.....THANK YOU!!??....you said exactly what I was thinking. I would not have been surprised to see someone come aboard the ship w/ a rooster under his arm. I mean really!!!!

 

SOOOOO, that being said.....what cruise line do you go to for the best service???

 

I want answers, people, sad lil ole woman needs a decent cruise....come on!!!!

[Conte Di Savoia]

Times they are a-changin'. I have been traveling by ship for 48 years from the time I was a teenager going to Europe with my parents at the end of the ocean liner era. And wow has the experience changed from then! At that time I remember meeting folks who had traveled on board the great Atlantic liners prior to WWII and they were complaining then that the experience they were having in the 1960's wasn't anywhere near that which they had in those earlier days. Can you imagine white tie and tails onboard French Line's Normandie? Now the lines won't turn away passengers who show up in the MDR for dinner in jeans and a tee shirt.

 

When I started traveling by ship it was like being a member of an elegant private club. The waiters knew who you were from year to year and when you looked over at the table next to yours, the chances were good that the same family from last year was there again. Now the experience is more like being at a megaresort in the Bahamas. The dining room has gone from a first class restaurant to a catering hall.

 

The only way to get a product that resembles this grand style is to travel on very upscale lines such as Silversea, Regent or Seabourn. As CGTNormandie pointed out above, you get what you pay for and you can pay dearly for the experience, but hay, you only live once.

[DocF]

It is time to say this once again. Cruising has been, from the start, a comparatively cheap vacation for the middle class. Lines that started the business like Eastern Steamship could never be accused of having great cuisine and impeccable service. Costa assigned their oldest ships to cruise service out of Miami when they no longer paid in the Australian immigrant trade. Only a few of the high end lines have ever had great cuisine and impeccable service when we talk about cruising.

 

Now if we talk about Trans-Atlantic service and we talk about first class, then we are talking about exactly the topic of this thread.

 

However, 90% of so of Trans-Atlantic passengers, traveled in second or lower classes and they were given good, not great service and good, not great food. The fact that over fifty years has passed tends to color our memories, I fear.

 

In actuality, Carnival, for example, has improved in every way each year it has been in business. Better food, much better help, and quality ships instead of rat-infested old tubs pulled from the breaker's yards.

 

Doc

[SusanC67]

interesting points of view from everyone..

 

My first cruise was April 2007 with RCI.. via Majesty OTS...

The price wasn't bad at all.. and I was "blown away" so to speak.

The cabin was small but comfortable.. I was able to look out the window as I liked..

The room steward provided impeccable service.. room was always clean, beds always made, bathroom always clean..

 

I ate in the main dining room each night and the service was wonderful.. very impressive.

The quality of food was great..

and intriguingly, if one wants more than one entree or appetizer or dessert, all ya gotta do is ask for more and you can get it!!!!!!

 

My second cruise was with carnival fantasy.. I wasn't impressed necessarily with the ship.. but I still managed to have a good time.. surprisingly, the dinners were really good.. I had filet mignon and it was cooked to my specifications.. a pleasant surprise..

the desserts were all good.

 

Now, I will say that buffets are always a "hit and miss" type thing. Its not gourmet but its good enough..

 

The only thing I ever had a problem with was the pizza on the carnival ship.. (it was awful)

 

other than that, I enjoyed great service.. although I must admit that the service on the RCI ship was even better than the carnival.

 

The service I personally received on both ships was good but on the carnival, I did witness some various ship personnel not performing at their best..

 

I think its true.. one gets what one pays for...

 

as we all know,...life is something that is constantly changing and evolving...

 

My personal motto is.. adapt and improvise, go with the flow.. things might not be the way they once were but its better to have something than nothing...

 

Have a great time cruising all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Conte Di Savoia]

It is time to say this once again. Cruising has been, from the start, a comparatively cheap vacation for the middle class.

 

But cruising is no longer the bargain it used to be. The cruise lines offer great "deals" to get the passengers onboard but then the mass marketing begins. Art shows, wine tastings and price-inflated tours and the like are hawked constantly. Now they are even selling deck space in the form of sybaritic cabanas where passengers can spend the day eating bon bons on chaise lounges. This experience does not come cheaply. For some passengers who spend little of their hard earned cash, the cruise remains a bargain but if you like a cocktail or wine with your dinner, the tab will rapidly rise. When we get off a cruise the bill can be substantial...but that's the way we travel. Once the price rises that high then other land-based tours become competitive. Perhaps the lines have forgotten this. CNBC had a recent examination of the business of the cruise business. It can be seen at here if you're interested.

 

However, 90% of so of Trans-Atlantic passengers, traveled in second or lower classes and they were given good, not great service and good, not great food. The fact that over fifty years has passed tends to color our memories, I fear.

 

I often wonder if I were transported back to earlier sailings, would I enjoy them as much as my Proustian recollections would have me believe? If my memories are, in fact colored, they are in vibrant colors which I still enjoy. Like an old wine, they get better and better.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HELLO CONTE DI,

 

"Bon bons on chaise lounges"...LOL...priceless!!!...and so true...LOL. It is interesting that you can still get a very nice cruise if you shop around. Even Silversea is having discounted sales this year. I sent some friends on Azamara last January and they were delighted. My step brother and his wife cruised on QM 2 in May. They booked a Queens grill cabin and were given an upgrade all the way up to "The Windsor Suite"...a two level affair overlooking the stern of the ship. They had a super time and the level of luxury was superb. Not every cruise on Seaborn or Crystal is flawless either. They all have their ups and downs. Again...I think you have to shop and choose wisely...it takes a lot of experience and sometimes it's a matter of hitting it at the right time.

[Ga-Fl Peach]

I have nothing to complain about - other than wasting my happy life reading this thread.

[Palladium]

I have been on almost 40 cruises. We have also noticed changes.

 

I think the biggest reason alot of your concerns are happening is automatic tipping. The cruise line staff no longer has to go out of their way to please you - they are getting their money no matter what they did or did not do.

 

Cruises should remember you can still go down to the Purser's Office and adjust it accordingly - meaning clawing back some of the money. You said your room was not made up till almost time to go to bed - he is a perfect example of adjusting the tips. As well, you should have stopped him immediately - he got away with it because you let him.

 

We had a cabin steward who decided he was going to make up our room at 3;00 p.m. instead of when we were at dinner! You want to shower after the beach or before dinner - he got away with it one night!

 

We also did not have alot of children on board way back in the 1980's. Kids are fine, but kids do not like fancy food, or getting dressed up and so the rules were relaxed to make them happy. It makes a difference - because your clientele has changed.

 

Hope this helps

[Mike2131]

HELLO CONTE DI,

 

"Bon bons on chaise lounges"...LOL...priceless!!!...and so true...LOL. It is interesting that you can still get a very nice cruise if you shop around. Even Silversea is having discounted sales this year. I sent some friends on Azamara last January and they were delighted. My step brother and his wife cruised on QM 2 in May. They booked a Queens grill cabin and were given an upgrade all the way up to "The Windsor Suite"...a two level affair overlooking the stern of the ship. They had a super time and the level of luxury was superb. Not every cruise on Seaborn or Crystal is flawless either. They all have their ups and downs. Again...I think you have to shop and choose wisely...it takes a lot of experience and sometimes it's a matter of hitting it at the right time.

I'll go one step further and say that choosing wisely and hitting it right can also be a matter of how a bad situation is handled. In most buying decisions, price is seldom the top reason for a purchase decision.

 

We were on one of the Regent Navigator cruises that was cancelled due to a change in a scheduled dry-dock. For a week or more before the announcement we (and other passengers on our cruise and others affected) knew something was up (no shore excursions availble, odd things on the web site, etc.). Many (or their TAs) called and were given a variety of stories that just did not hold water. Booked passengers were being "pressured" to make final payments for cruises they already were uneasey about. At least one poster made their final only a few hours before RSSC finally admitted what they obviously had known for some time. Once announced, compensation offers were very poor (I assume here because neither I or my TA have received "official notice"!) and communication again was almost non-existent or incorrect. All in all, a total snafu.

 

The actions were indefensible and I am glad we found out about their lack of commitment to customer service before we sailed with them. The deplorable handling of this has, and will continue to, cost them business. Had they gotten out in front of the issue when it came up, the attitude would have been much different.

 

Even though the pom-pom wavers on the Regent board say "stuff happens" and we should not be so upset, I am afraid they just don't understand why.

 

Shame on Regent's management and that of any other organization (no matter the industry) that apparently values their clients so lightly. In this economy there are definite consequences to that type of attitude. Price could not lure us back to RSSC.

[davenew]

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I can't remember the Raj, or Officers club in India, but I can remember when you used to get a plated meal in economy class on sort haul aircraft flights of less than 2 hours - without paying for it on the plane!!

Alas, those days have long gone and air travel is accessible tothe masses at competitive prices - trimmed to the bare bones.

 

We have been on 3 cruises, all with Carnival, and, as a prefernce to achieve plated portions, have used the main dining room for the majority of our meals. On althe cruises, I have only had to complain once. Thiswas when I ordered oatmeal for breakfast, and the waiter "forgot it" and it was served cold. All other food has been of a veryhigh standard, with the supper clubs being excptional.

 

Here comes the rub - we have only ever paid $750 each for balcony cabins.

I suspect this is considerably LESS than it would cost 20 years ago???

 

So I believe that cruising, compared to hotel/resort vacations, represents superb value.

 

The moral is, were are all looking to pay less for everything at the risk of ruining what we already have i.e. Look how many Americans and Brits buy Chinese and Far Eastern goods at the total cost of ruining our own industries.;)

[nykaren_greg]

I'm sure I'll get flamed, but I totally agree with this thread! I've been cruising since I was 17 years old in 1986 and I can tell you that service has gone way down. Cruising use to be about personal experiences. Now it's more about having to spend extra to go to a specialty restaurant. You don't get a chance to get to know your waiter at all. He or she does not get to learn about your likes & dislikes. If you say this on these boards, you get jumped all over. This type of service use to be commonplace, but now it is scarce. Ships are bigger & better and hold huge amounts of passengers. Crew levels are kept about the same & service has to take a hit.

[Huckster1]

Cruising used to be about well dressed, well educated, well spoken, sophisticated travelers with manners who knew how to behave in public! What has happened?

 

Pompous little soul, aren't we? Can you define "well educated"? No, I did not go to college. While most of the kids I graduated with DID go to college, I spent the next 22 years in the USMC. This was well before the bennies they get now for education. We didn't have the time to go to school in Viet Nam. But I spent 22 years making sure you could and I got a MUCH better education than any school could give!

 

"Sophisticated"? Again, please define. Sticking your pinky out when drinking tea? Scoffing at those less fortunate than you? Please held me understand the meaning of the word "Sophisticated"

 

"Know how to behave in public"? I would think it would include not publicly denigrating those who do not live up to YOUR expectations.

 

What has happened is that the industry has performed EXACTLY as any free market industry would have. There are various products available for the various customers seeking the products. I drive a Hyundai. Others drive Mercedes, Lexus, etc, based on their preferences and ability to pay. I surely do not expect my Hyundai to perform as a Lexus because the two are not in the same class, pricewise. If you think Princess does not offer the service you think you "deserve" the don't sail with them. Stick with Silver Seas, etc.

 

What it seems to boil down to is that there appears to be a lot of folks out there that want to drive a Lexus at Hyundai prices.

 

"But cruising is no longer the bargain it used to be. The cruise lines offer great "deals" to get the passengers onboard but then the mass marketing begins. Art shows, wine tastings and price-inflated tours and the like are hawked constantly. Now they are even selling deck space in the form of sybaritic cabanas where passengers can spend the day eating bon bons on chaise lounges. This experience does not come cheaply. For some passengers who spend little of their hard earned cash, the cruise remains a bargain but if you like a cocktail or wine with your dinner, the tab will rapidly rise." (from another post)

 

Like, duh -- don't by the art, don't go to the wine tastings, don't take the tours (they are cheaper in port) and don't rent the deck space if you don't want to. CRUISING IS A BARGAIN - I doubt if you could stay in a nice hotel, eat the kind of meals you get on a ship, experience the same free entertainment available, visit several ports for anywhere close to the price of a cruise.

 

5 cruises and I cannot remember even ONE single disappointment. Could there have been a couple of things that didn't go exactly right? Possibly, but I will never remember them. One or two thing that were not perfect will always be totally buried beneath the millions of wonderful memories. Fret over a missing pat of butter? Sad, very sad.

[temple1]

I agree with Huckster. If you want the same cruise experience you enjoyed prior to the megaships, then you need to open your checkbook and book the smaller cruise lines. I think if you do the dollar conversion the prices will be on par with what you paid in the good ole days.

 

But to go off on a mass market cruise line because they are not providing QE2 First Class service is rather ridiculous and says a lot about the people making the comments.

[gkbiiii]

Only regrets...I'm not the age I was then...EM

 

I was a Home lines cruiser from 1975 until the Lines got into all kinds of trouble and sold their ships. Has cruising changed for me' date=' personally? Oh yes, but it hasn't stopped me from cruising. [/b']

 

Went to Costa, lovely, but not really consistent in customer service, then travelled w/Celebrity, very, very good, we used to say "almost like Home Lines", which was quite a compliment, would NEVER sail w/Carnival, until the last several years when I ventured off on a 3 day cruise to nowhere on one of the Legend and was certainly impressed and have done other, longer cruises w/them since.

 

Swore I'd never sail NCL again. Had my first "bad cruise" ever in 27 years of cruising and it was a 50th birthday cruise celebration for me and a childhood friend. There were 20 of us, some first time cruisers, and those first times swore they'd never take a nother cruise after the NCL experience and its 7 years later now and they won't even talk about cruising again. The experience was like a nightmare; each day some new horror. I always used to say one day at sea is better that any day on land, but I kinda didn't feel that way on that trip. I just could not wait to get off the damned horror ship!

 

And so much has changed in all these years. Most of the food isn't served "French style" anymore, w/huge platters of meat or vegetables or pasta being passed by white-gloved waiters and you got to choose your meat, have it place on your plate, and sometimes even cut for you. And the lobster tail was always lifted out of the shell and placed gently before on your plate with butter being offered and then poured for you onto the steamy, perfectly cooked lobster. Now you feel like you're eating on a plane, all the food plated, dropped in front of you, and you could go into the next seating waiting for a service person to offer gravy, sauce, perhaps crushed pepper or grated cheese? In 2009 you need to book a reservation in one of the specialty restaurants and pay a $30 or $40 premium fee to even approach impeccable and quality food. Are you surprised by this?

 

These are the ships that offer ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, massive video-game rooms, "specialty" shops offering nothing special at all except extraordinary high pricing and lots of mass-produced crap which you could purchase at our local dollar store. and the list goes on and on and on. Cruising has adopted the policy that one you are on the ship, you are theirs for the taking. The passengers who pay the most money for anything and everything on the ship are the passengers that receive the best treatment. The extravegant spas, the exclusive suites, the private decks w/small pools. Oh yes, you can find old fashioned cruising but there's a price to pay for quality that used to be expected and which is now only available for a price.

 

Enough! I can't go on I'm getting so terribly depressed. Suffice it to say change is good, I'm told. I don't believe a word of it. Perhaps if I was the age I was when I first started cruising I'd feel differently.

 

 

 

 

 

The large lobster on the Disney Magic Golden Mickeys dinner was de-shelled by the waiters and the large cut of Venison was how I ordered it. The Disney experience is like the ships of yesteryear, however being a luxury line you pay for it. The fare was (7 night western Caribbean) was $4,000 more than other lines. However, the dining and plate presentation was outstanding!!! The Disney rotational dining means more personal service and a higher quality of meal. Just like with the land resorts, it does not come cheap.

[marco]

I've been cruising since the 60's when I was a kid, going with my parents. My oh my...how things have changed. "Once upon a time" going on a cruise was like sailing to Europe, first class. I lot of folks talk about how things have digressed, but keep this in mind. I was digging through some boxes of old memoribilia in the attic not too long ago and I happened upon a cruise ticket from 1976. It was for an 11 day cruise. We are taking a 12 day cruise Jan '10, and the price of the cruise we're taking is LESS than what we paid in 1976, for comparable accomodations. Two huge changes, 1) they don't "give" what they used to.

2) there are many, many more ways for the lines to generate on board revenue to compensate for the lower up front cost.