Cruising after 10 years - whats changed??

Hi, I am looking at cruising after a 10 year break. I am now travelling with a man who has never cruised, has always said he is anti cruising and however much I have tried to convince him otherwise, its ony 2 of his freinds cruising and raving on about them that have made him question whather maybe he might like one?

So - Im trying to work on him for a cruise at the beginning of January to the Caribbean.

I have done Princess, RCI, Celebrity many times, over 20 cruises, but these were all over 10 years + ago, and a lot has changed since then. So before I go back armed with otions prices and info and my best smile I wanted to ask the following if you lovely people wouldnt mind helping me out?

1 - Whats the deal with anytime dining, this was first being introduced on my last cruise. I have always ben a 2nd seating girl, and I think he would probably want a table for 2 only, where as I would go for a biggie, 10 or 12, I have to ease him in to the cruising spirit gently!

2 - Im looking at NCL as well as the above previous lines I have been on, how are the new ships in comparison, and are they really all inclusive? or are there hidden extras?

3 - Does tipping still work on the same basis?

4 - Any other really important changed in the past ten years?

Thanks I know the forums are full of such helpful generous people xxx

Jo x

the ships are bigger with more bells & whistles

more dining venues that come with a fee

auto-tipping is the norm now

anytime dining usually means you show up at the MDR when you want during opening hours you can sit alone or join others different cruise lines may have different concept of anytime dining

I am sure others will have more info

enjoy

Drink packages are big now. Many times these are included as an incentive to book as a sale. I always wait for this sale. Also if you are not sailing with kids, you don’t need a ship with kid fun zones and carousel. Search out ships without them and save tons of money plus much less kids on board.

None of the mainstream lines, including NCL, are all-inclusive. A lot has changed in all aspects of life over the past 10 years, including cruising.

What specifically does your friend think he doesn't like about cruising?

Roz

There are lots of changes, some good and some not so good. In the "not so good" category...nearly all the mass market lines have implemented big cut-backs in the quality, selection and quantity of cuisine. On all but the largest mega ships there have been major cut-backs in entertainment. The string quartet has now become the solo guitarist. Live bands backing up production shows have been replaced by Karaoke-like pre-recorded music and even some voice tracks. On board nickel and diming has become the rule rather than the exception. Cruise line excursions have now become terribly overpriced.

But there is also the good, The new ships are simply amazing with their amenities and atmosphere. Alternative dining has become very common, and the variety and quality of these venues can be very good....but at an extra price. And that extra price can be in the $50 per person/meal range...on top of your cruise price. The cost of so-called tips has also increased to $12-$15 per person/day.

Hank

Excellent, balanced summary Hank - totally agree with your assessment.

Stop telling the new cruiser how wonderful it is....the more you talk it up, the less he will enjoy the reality. It's best to "discover" the wonders of cruising on your own...especially since SO much has change since YOU last cruised....it's not quite the luxurious "feel" of yesteryear anymore!

stop telling the new cruiser how wonderful it is....the more you talk it up, the less he will enjoy the reality. It's best to "discover" the wonders of cruising on your own...especially since so much has change since you last cruised....it's not quite the luxurious "feel" of yesteryear anymore!

What??? Seriously CB, have you ever even cruised before? Your answers are always "off the wall"

Attire is much less formal, even on "formal" nights not everyone is dressed formally. A number of folks take all meals at the buffet, not just breakfast and lunch. Prices have not gone up substantially, so some cutbacks are more noticeable, particularly when dining in the MDR. On some lines what was on the menu in the MDR is not served only in a sur-charge dining room. Ships are much larger and more bells and whistles. IE: Rock Climbing walls, cooking classes, water slides, etc. Drink prides used to be much less than on land, not anymore.

You mentioned that you cruised celebrity many times, you may get some perks from them or rccl , you can call them. Perks might give you discounts or free drinks etc.

Stop telling the new cruiser how wonderful it is....the more you talk it up, the less he will enjoy the reality. It's best to "discover" the wonders of cruising on your own...especially since SO much has change since YOU last cruised....it's not quite the luxurious "feel" of yesteryear anymore!

Exactly right.

Did you join loyalty program of one or more of the cruise lines that you sailed. You might be eligible for benefits.

Numerous changes. Cruising is definitely not as formal as far as dress. More packages for drinks and specialty restaurants. You can still eat at the buffet, main dining room and other locations but there are optional for a fee restaurants. More choices. Depending on the line room service may now carry a fee.

Packages for drinks or you can still pay as you go.

Gratuities are billed to your sea pass card daily. No more envelopes.

Lots of entertainment changes. RC has excellent ice shows and an aqua theater with diving and swimming shows.

You need to research the ships that you might have an interest in as well as itineraries. There can be a lot of different possibilities.

What's changed after 10 years? My liver starts prodding my brain days earlier than it used to and being awake after midnight is more difficult :D

You may find that on average the air in the ship is cleaner - fewer, and with some cruise lines no, indoor spaces that allow smoking.

We can only comment on the changes with Princess, but they are most likely reasonably consistent across most of the mainstream cruise lines. I note we stopped using Princess in 2015, after about 40 yrs.

Ship size - cruise ships have significantly increased in size, with the max passengers on the newer ships almost double what they were 10 yrs ago. New Princess ships are about 4,000 pax and the big Royal ships are over 6,000. All to do with economy of scale.

Pax/Crew Ratio - when I started in the 70's it was 2 pax per crew member, 10 yrs ago it was probably about 2.5:1, but on newer ships it is down to almost 3:1

Traditional/Anytime Dining - Princess MDR's had both, with specific DR's assigned to Traditional (early/late seating) or Anytime. For 1st sitting it used to be biased to Traditional, then for 2nd seating they opened more Anytime tables. Anytime basically is similar to any shore based restaurant.

Food Quality - dropped significantly. Menus have changed so that more premium meals are on same menu eg. lobster was on same menu as beef wellington. Quality of meats were significantly reduced on our last WC

Captains Cocktails - used to have early & late seating sessions, now only 1.

DR Staff & Cabin Stewards have additional cabins or tables to serve.

Nickle & Diming - everything is geared to removing you from your money

Smoking - probably the only improvement, in our opinion, as all cabins/balconies and most of the ships are now non-smoking.

Entertainment - about 5 years ago, the productions shows were reduced from about 45 mins to 30 mins and they performed 3 shows per night, rather than 2

Multiple Classes - although they don't refer to 1st class, 2nd class, etc the mainstream lines are reverting to multiple classes of pax - special dining rooms, lounges, etc.

Activities (not specific to Princess) - with bigger ships cruise lines are continuously adding new activities - water slides, climbing walls, ice rinks, wave riders, kids clubs, etc.

Tips - The discretionary service charge started on most lines more than 10 yrs ago, so OP should be familiar. Only difference is significant increase in daily rate. All bars, at least on Princess, add 15% tip, then try for additional tips.

 

 

1 - Whats the deal with anytime dining, this was first being introduced on my last cruise. I have always ben a 2nd seating girl, and I think he would probably want a table for 2 only, where as I would go for a biggie, 10 or 12, I have to ease him in to the cruising spirit gently!

If you choose NCL you will most likely have a table for two. You can ask if you can share but you will probably not be able to do it.

Are you planning to spend a lot for the cruise? If yes, look at NCLs Haven on their biggest ships. (If MSC can be an alternative their Yacht Club is great value for money.)

Wow!

Thanks you so much for all the replies, this is amazing.

The guy im travelling is my other half. He is quite fussy, we have been travelling to Eurpoe, Greece, Spain Italy and he likes going for a morning run. We are quite easy going through the day, a bit of sightseeing and lazing by the pool. In the evening we take a walk out and find a taverna, we love our food.

I think in his mind he sees cruising as limited and over crowded, with no choice and too many people around. I know different. I havent gone on and on though, he has actually come to me now his friends are actually saying they didnt think it wa for them and were converted.

Great point made about loyalty schemes, i was a silver crown and achor member, so I take it that still stands?

I have never been on NCL though and I think thats who I would be leaning towards with the premium all inclusive package, and any time dining, and we will squeeze in a few speciality restaurants.

Thanks again everyone!!

Jo x

[quote name=Jo_London_Mum;56789391

Great point made about loyalty schemes' date=' i was a silver crown and achor member, so I take it that still stands?

Jo x[/quote]

Royal Caribbean re-vamped it's Crown and Anchor program several years ago. Would definitely check with them to see where you currently stand. There are a lot of different benefits including free drinks, balcony discounts and much more. Also, RC owns Celebrity and there two programs although not combined are reciprocal so check with them too. You may be enrolled in Celebrity's Captains Club too if you joined when you sailed with them.

Royal Caribbean re-vamped it's Crown and Anchor program several years ago. Would definitely check with them to see where you currently stand. There are a lot of different benefits including free drinks, balcony discounts and much more. Also, RC owns Celebrity and there two programs although not combined are reciprocal so check with them too. You may be enrolled in Celebrity's Captains Club too if you joined when you sailed with them.

I will do, thanks so much for the tip!