First Cruise in 25 Years - Changes??!!

[RBAlbany]

My wife and I did a 7-day Western Caribbean on Carnival back in 1984 for our Honeymoon. It is now 25 years later, and we are bringing our 3 roughly 20 year old boys on a 9-day Eastern Carribbean cruise on Princess. What is important for me to know has changed? What has stayed the same? 25 years ago there was no Cruise Critic!! I have learned from reading the boards that there is no longer the midnight buffet. That's okay, my wife missed it 25 years ago anyway. I look forward to your replies.

[funny1]

Changes -- You Bet! But not all bad. Most of the new ships are much larger, so you might not get that feeling of intimacy with your fellow passengers. The food isn't quite as good -- but it's still good. There are more activities, more entertainment, larger casinos. On the downside, you have a lot more people to deal with. A lot more families travel these days, and some of those families are huge. It's not unusual to have twenty, thirty, or fifty people traveling in a group. Most are nice, but some tend to hog the areas they're fond of. The bottom line -- it's still a great vacation and a lot of fun. My biggest complaint -- I liked playing Bingo the "old-fashioned" way. Hate those machines. So, you can just imagine, my biggest complaint is a very small one. LOL

[Toto2Kansas]

I agree, in 25 years there have been a LOT of changes in cruising and ships.

The one thing you might really notice is that Princess ships offer (notice that word 'offer' which means you can take it or leave it) lots of extras for an extra fee.

Everything from soda cards, that entitle you to unlimited fountain sodas, to coffee cards, which entitle you to a limited amount of specialty coffees and unlimited brewed coffee (coffee made from a syrup concentrate is complimentary 24/7 onboard though), to specialty restaurants that charge a fee if you wish to dine there. 24 hour buffets (some actually turn into a Bistro late into the evening).

Gratutities are now charged automatically to your shipboard account in the form of $10.50 per person per day for balcony staterooms and below, and $11 per person per day for mini suites and above.

 

The best part is the ships are larger, brighter, and offer a lot more to do then the ships of 25 years ago.

 

You'll have to come back after your cruise and tell us your thoughts, I know I for one would be very interested in the comparion made by someone that has cruised 25 years ago and not cruised since. Enjoy!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Our first cruise was 27 years ago-our honeymoon on an Holland America ship. You didn't say what ship you are on-the ships are so much larger and have something for everyone. And there are so many food options now-no midnight buffet, but on Princess there is always something to eat!

[cruisemom42]

I'm guessing from your itinerary and # of days that you are on the Caribbean Princess. Some tips:

 

• Spend time exploring the ship. There are lots of small spaces that people often don't discover until the end of the cruise. For example, Skywalkers makes a great place to read or just watch the waves during the day. In your room you'll find a "map" of the ship -- good idea to carry it with you the first day or two.
  
• There are several pools (all freshwater). Unless you just "have" to be at the main pool, you can usually find a place that is conveniently near one of the pool areas to enjoy the sun.
  
• Buffet: Most ships have several buffet lines. Many people now enjoy eating breakfast and lunch at the buffet rather than in the dining rooms. If you are on Caribbean Princess, there is Cafe Caribe, a separate buffet, located behind the main buffet (Horizon Court).
  
• Photos are more expensive, bingo is more expensive, souvenir drinks are more expensive....well, you get the idea ;)
  
• Specialty restaurants: these are restaurants with an extra charge attached that offer a more "premier" dining experience. I've never tried one, but if you are interested, it pays to make reservations the first day or two so you can have your date/time of choice.
  

[Pam in CA]

My wife and I did a 7-day Western Caribbean on Carnival back in 1984 for our Honeymoon. It is now 25 years later, and we are bringing our 3 roughly 20 year old boys on a 9-day Eastern Carribbean cruise on Princess. What is important for me to know has changed? What has stayed the same? 25 years ago there was no Cruise Critic!! I have learned from reading the boards that there is no longer the midnight buffet. That's okay, my wife missed it 25 years ago anyway. I look forward to your replies.

Here are some of the biggest changes:

 

-- 24/7 buffet rather than the set dining time for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (We took a couple of cruises with my MIL in the early 80s and since she liked early dinner seating, that meant our breakfast time was 7am. Ouch! Someone had to get up to have breakfast with her and it wasn't me.)

 

-- Except for formal nights, dress is smart casual at dinner. No jackets and ties for men every single night.

 

-- Far more activities for people of all ages. More lounges and entertainment. More onboard shops.

 

-- Much faster check-in. (I can remember waiting in line for almost two hours just to check in and that was pretty standard.)

 

-- Visitors are not allowed on the ship (post 9/11) and when you first board the ship, a photo of you will be taken. This will be checked electronically every time you re-enter the ship.

 

-- A "hotel charge" (auto-tip) of $10.50/pp/day ($11 for suites and mini-suites) so you do not have to carry bills around to tip nor bring enough money to put in envelopes at the end of the cruise. This includes tips to all waitstaff, except room service but including the Maitre d', and your cabin steward. Up until the auto-tip was introduced, you would receive a "recommended tip" card in your cabin that added up to $10.00/pp/day so tipping very little more than it was 15 - 20 years ago.

 

-- A much less regimented atmosphere. Passengers are on different schedules with some wanting to eat quickly and run to something else and others enjoying a leisurely meal. You will find that it's less like having dinner at the Ritz with it's high level of service and more like having dinner in a good restaurant with efficient service.

 

-- It's much less expensive to cruise today and that's reflected in many ways, from the "extras" you pay for to the level of service.

 

What hasn't changed?

 

-- Chair hogs! OMG, I can remember fighting to find a chair even back in 1980.

[RBAlbany]

Keep the replies coming!! I do not remember the Carnival ship's name. The Princess ship is the Caribbean Princess out of NYC. We are on Cairbe deck, aft. Is that I little proch area I see at the end of the hall? It may be one of those "little spaces". My kids are really excited. They are looking forward to the food. I remember getting two appetizers every meal last time. We are doing the early seating traditional for our dinner meals.

[Pam in CA]

Keep the replies coming!! I do not remember the Carnival ship's name. The Princess ship is the Caribbean Princess out of NYC. We are on Cairbe deck, aft. Is that I little proch area I see at the end of the hall? It may be one of those "little spaces". My kids are really excited. They are looking forward to the food. I remember getting two appetizers every meal last time. We are doing the early seating traditional for our dinner meals.

You have a great cabin with a good-sized balcony. You can have two appetizers (or three), two entrees (or three), two desserts (or three) -- whatever you want.

[mickeysgal]

Our first cruise was in the late 80's...Royal Carribean's Song of Norway.

 

A lot has changed since then as many people have pointed out. What you can expect is a lot smoother ride than before because of the stablizers used. I remember sitting at dinner on the Song of Norway watching the water line/horizon fall and rise during dinner and not being able to walk a straight line down the corridors (not because of drinking :eek:) but because of the ship's movement. Oh, staterooms have gotten larger as well.

 

Yes, a lot has changed!

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[wilfros]

Keep the replies coming!!

 

I had not cruised in over 30 some years and everything had changed for us. Not better, Not worse, Just different.

 

We had the trip of our life and are already talking about our next. We also did the NY to NY on June 2nd. Fantastic cruise length, I had foound in the past that 7 days was too short. You just get into cruise mode and it's time to get off.

 

If you want to see more I invite you to visit my blog (see link in my signature).

 

We found the food to be outstanding in all respects.

 

Have fun

[RBAlbany]

I remember now they had to close the casino one night 25 years ago because of the rough seas. The casino was all the way in the bow.

 

We have inside state rooms. My three boys are in a romm iwth the "bunk" beds. How are they? My boys are all aroud 6 feet tall and 175 pounds.

 

After I asked my question about the "porch" at the end of the hall, I took a closer look at the pictures I have of the ship. It look like it is probably a closet in the pillars that support the skydeck.

[Pam in CA]

We have inside state rooms. My three boys are in a romm iwth the "bunk" beds. How are they? My boys are all aroud 6 feet tall and 175 pounds.

 

After I asked my question about the "porch" at the end of the hall, I took a closer look at the pictures I have of the ship. It look like it is probably a closet in the pillars that support the skydeck.

Ahhh... with an inside cabin, you obviously won't have a balcony cabin. :) There is not a "secret" deck outside. The cabin your boys are in will have two twin beds and another bed that either comes down from the ceiling or the wall at night, put back during the day. At 6', they should be fine. FYI, the twin beds are not full-width twin beds but are pretty narrow. :(

[Alaska05]

We have you beat. Our first cruise was in 1978 (Nordic Prince) and the next one wasn't until 2005 -- 27 years between. We loved all the changes, especially the Anytime Dining and balconies. We've cruised almost every year since 2005.

[koolforkatz]

No more skeet shooting. But lots more bells and whistles!

[Suskies]

Our first cruise was our honeymoon in 1980 on NCL. One other thing I'd add to what others have said is that there aren't as many freebie activities during the day. Back then they had a get-together for honeymooners, one for grandparents, aerobics classes, a class making crepe paper roses (believe it or not)--you get the idea. But Princess has more free activities than other cruise lines, I think.

 

Someone else mentioned that today there are a lot of extra charges. Today cruise lines are all struggling to keep things affordable, yet still provide a good experience and make a profit. So in general expect to pay extra for things that were included 25 years ago--that's how they make their money. The food is delicious but largely not made with expensive products. Other than shrimp cocktail and one lobster night, you won't see much shellfish (shrimp, scallops, etc.), for example.

 

I think the entertainment today isn't quite as good as 25 years ago. The comedians seemed funnier and the dance club musicians better. I suspect that cruise lines just can't or won't pay as much as they once did.

 

One other thing you might notice is that your cruise today will likely have more repeat cruisers. (Our honeymoon cruise was the first cruise of most of the passengers.) The only downside of this is you'll overhear more complaining from passengers about things not being perfect. But cruises are the best vacation bargain on the planet, and what you get is extraordinary for what you pay for.

 

What you will love about cruising with a family is that you don't all have to stick together 24-7. Everyone can go off and do their own thing--together or separately, whatever they like--which really increases the chances that everyone will have a great time.

[jagsfan]

Our first cruise was April 1984.

We had a metal key to lock and unlock our door with.

The toilet had a small black round seat.

The windows were always covered in the dining room to prevent seasickness.

The midnight buffet was a major happening, with a photo op at 1130pm.

Private out islands were a brand new thing, and everyone was thrilled to visit them.

There was a horse race on board with someone riding each horse while they drew

numbers to determine how far each advanced. The passengers were screaming for

their horse to win!

There was a crew show and it was the first time we ever saw "If I Were Not Upon The

Sea, A ----- I would be" We thought it was the funniest thing we ever saw.

There was a passenger costume party, and they were given all sorts of materials

to make their costumes with. Very creative.

There was a passenger talent which was wonderful. Still run into those today.

Our first cruise was in an inside cabin with upper and lower berths. We didn't want

to spend much money in case we didn't like it.

Over 40 cruises later, we've decided, yes, we liked it!

[paul929207]

Cruise ships today are generally bigger and offer more options. Note that many of the new offerings come with a price.

 

Most ships now have specialty dining for an extra charge.

 

There is a charge for sodas. You can get a soda card if you want. they are $4.25 per day plus 15% tip.

[Caribensun]

It was 12 years since we had cruised, just as relaxing then as now. We felt just small changes, some better some why. We were not prepared for the exposed balcony on the mini-suite Dolphin deck when I requested the balcony like we had had on the old Royal Princess. :eek:

[rdsqrl]

I remember now they had to close the casino one night 25 years ago because of the rough seas. The casino was all the way in the bow.

 

We have inside state rooms. My three boys are in a romm iwth the "bunk" beds. How are they? My boys are all aroud 6 feet tall and 175 pounds.

 

After I asked my question about the "porch" at the end of the hall, I took a closer look at the pictures I have of the ship. It look like it is probably a closet in the pillars that support the skydeck.

I think that space you're looking at is actually the aft crew stairwells. You'll use them during the muster drill and then they're restricted to crew use only.

Your boys will probably be fine; I've read posts from others with big guys who have made out okay on the bunk beds.

Although my first cruise wasn't as long ago as yours, one thing that is definitely different now is the plethora of alternative non-extra fee eating places. I don't recall a pool deck pizza/hamburger grill on my first cruise, and certainly nothing like the International Cafe. You absolutely must visit the IC for breakfast and/or lunch! Most everything is free during the day: pastries in the morning, and delicious sandwiches and salads (the chicken salad is a little bit o'heaven!) later on. Enjoy your cruise!

[iancal]

Please be sure that the cruise line has 2 objectives...

 

-to ensure that you have a good time and will take another cruise within the next 12 months

 

-to get as much money from you and your family as is humanly possible over the course of your cruise.

 

have a great time....hold on to your wallet.

[monalloh]

I too first cruised about 25 years ago; Carnival Empress of the Seas, I think. The ships have gotten so much larger with so many more options for food or entertainment; and the ship, as life in general, is much more casual. You may find, traveling with your three boys, not everyone wants to get dressed even to a "business casual" level for dinner. No problem! Head right up to the Cafe Caribe and enjoy a delicious buffet in shorts and sandals, if you like. I have. I'm sure both you and your boys will enjoy the lack of regimentation on the new ships. Have a wonderful cruise!

[KevintheIrishDJ]

Above are some really great replys. Only thing i can add is 25 years ago you could get a nice bottle of wine for a few bucks. Not anymore. Also, the boys will not be allowed wine unless they are 21.