Has Carnival Given Up on Adults?

As a recently platinum Carnival fan, I'm starting to get concerned... What used to be a cruise line targeted mostly to young(ish) couples (like my wife and I), singles, and groups looking for good old Adult fun (sunning, soaking, socializing, drinking, gambling, exploring, you know - cruising!) seems to have been hijacked by young families with children turning the ships into daycare-at-sea.

No more adult pools, no enforcement of age limits on hot tubs, waterparks where additional pools used to be, Dr. Seuss taking over everything, My Little Pony, Transformers, IMAX theaters instead of Grand Atriums, ...etc, etc, etc.

What attention have Adults gotten lately? A very, very limited number of Havana cabins (awesome, but good luck booking one). What's happened to our favorite cruise line? Will they open up their rewards to other brands that haven't gone so kid-centric?

Before I make my point I want to state that I am a parent of a 6 year old but I TOTALLY support adult only areas/ pools on any cruise ship....

An interesting way to look at it is that this is the way our "American" world is going in general...back in the day, as a general rule of thumb (or course there are exceptions on each end) most parents did not spend all their time focusing on entertaining their children every second of every day, instead they sent us outside to play until the street lights came on and we had to entertain ourselves...same with school back in my day my parents got an update on my schooling a handful of times each year...back to school night, parent conference and 2 report cards a year...now a days the parent gets an email from the teacher within 5 minutes of an child's assignment not being turned in on time...I could give a 100 more examples but my point is that this is the world today...at least in this country we cater to our children, spoils our children and gives our children a sense of entitlement that has never been seen before...of course cruise lines follow suit...they want to keep up with the changing tides like everything else....

Being that adults pay for these vacation, I have no clue why you would suggest that Carnival has "given up" on them. Maybe it's just for dramatic effect.

There has been plenty of attention paid to adults. Most of the 2.0 upgrades are geared towards adults. The havana section of the news ships, which are limited in number for a reason. If you want to book one, you certainly can. But yes you have to do some advanced planning just like we do when we want to book certain cabins of limited availability.

New serenity decks are being added to ships, and it's not yet revealed everything new Horizon will have. The waterslides and waterparks are for everyone to enjoy and frankly I wish they would add a waterpark to every ship.

I honestly can't figure out why they made the adult aft pools on the few ships that had them kid friendly now. Not that I mind either way, but I just don't see the point unless they were being under utilized. In any case, Carnival has done things that gear to adults - journeys cruises, for example, are always offered in the off season and longer. Clearly not geared for families and that's o.k. All of the things you named are still there. The ability to drink, gamble, sun bathe, and have fun. Not every change is going to be geared to all. So these additions don't appeal to you. Others will.

I think it's about the money. It's always about the money. If they can get 3-4 or even 5 people in a cabin instead of 2, why wouldn't they cater to the families? I just hope the kids stay out of the bars and clubs and then they won't bother me.

I honestly can't figure out why they made the adult aft pools on the few ships that had them kid friendly now.

To my point. :)

As a recently platinum Carnival fan, I'm starting to get concerned... What used to be a cruise line targeted mostly to young(ish) couples (like my wife and I), singles, and groups looking for good old Adult fun (sunning, soaking, socializing, drinking, gambling, exploring, you know - cruising!) seems to have been hijacked by young families with children turning the ships into daycare-at-sea.

 

No more adult pools, no enforcement of age limits on hot tubs, waterparks where additional pools used to be, Dr. Seuss taking over everything, My Little Pony, Transformers, IMAX theaters instead of Grand Atriums, ...etc, etc, etc.

 

What attention have Adults gotten lately? A very, very limited number of Havana cabins (awesome, but good luck booking one). What's happened to our favorite cruise line? Will they open up their rewards to other brands that haven't gone so kid-centric?

Just got off the Vista, everything was great. Lol, I was not sure the comedy hour had begun. Assuming you are at least part way serious, was not sure where you are getting your facts from. I can list the points if you want, if your joking fine.

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To my point. :)

That doesn't mean they have given up on adults. But to MY point, out of curiosity I wanna know why they did it. I keep saying maybe those pools weren't being used much - hence the reason - but I don't know that for sure. Every serenity area should have a pool and hot tubs.

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I think it's about the money. It's always about the money. If they can get 3-4 or even 5 people in a cabin instead of 2, why wouldn't they cater to the families? I just hope the kids stay out of the bars and clubs and then they won't bother me.

Oh, for sure it's the money, just not liking this direction. It's OK to be family friendly, and I usually don't mind well-behaved kids having fun, I just think it's gone way too far. I actually like water slides and use them on every cruise, but really don't care for making the whole ship look like romper room, and have screaming kids diving in the only 3 hot tubs available to 4,000+ people. More adult-only (or at least teenager+) amenities are required to replace what's being converted to kiddie-ville. It's only fair, right?

So many things have changed in my lifetime. At one point men worked 10 hours per day to put food on the table for their families, leaving them little time to be a Father or to have fun with their children. Women, who didn't work outside the home to make ends meet were slaves to their homes....no dishwashers, dryers, convenience foods, rapid cooking methods. Parents had children while they were little more than children themselves...no extra money for vacations as families. Vacations were reserved to that time in adult lives when children had gone, more money was available in the kitty...so things were geared to adults.

Now, as we jump ahead 50 years...the advent of birth control allowed couples to have their families a bit later when they could, actually, afford them. Women can choose to work as they aren't slaves to full time cooking and cleaning. So, with that, has come the ability of families to vacation as families. To share activities and to give their children "time" (a precious gift).

Cruising, in today's world has become a family activity (not something reserved just for those who have reached a certain age and a certain financial position). Parents and grandparents choose to travel with their children and they want their offspring to enjoy a vacation that at one time was beyond the financial means of many. Carnival, it seems, has chosen to embrace that market and to create a life long patronage among those individuals....creating an ever growing number of passengers.

Sure its a hard pill to swallow for people who like vacations that are geared to adults...but, since their are other lines under the Carnival umbrella that do cater to the "adult" set it seems to be a business decision that is working well for Carnival. I have acquaintances, all the time, who regale me with wonderful stories of their extended family cruises and how assorted siblings and cousins can't stop talking about the fun and enjoyment they had being together as a group and loving the ship and its activities and their ports of call. All at a price that many families can afford since its cheaper than a Disney adventure complete with hotels and transportation and food and amusement park fees.

There really are many choices for adults in the cruising world, not so many affordable options for families on a tighter budget. My hat is off to Carnival for filling that niche.

Oh, for sure it's the money, just not liking this direction. It's OK to be family friendly, and I usually don't mind well-behaved kids having fun, I just think it's gone way too far. I actually like water slides and use them on every cruise, but really don't care for making the whole ship look like romper room, and have screaming kids diving in the only 3 hot tubs available to 4,000+ people. More adult-only (or at least teenager+) amenities are required to replace what's being converted to kiddie-ville. It's only fair, right?

How many ships are they doing this to (out of 25)?

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Just got off the Vista, everything was great. Lol, I was not sure the comedy hour had begun. Assuming you are at least part way serious, was not sure where you are getting your facts from. I can list the points if you want, if your joking fine.

 

 

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Us too, from February... Great trip! Actually did a back-to-back with a Havana cabin followed by regular cabin. The first week was MUCH better! :)

Just underwhelmed lately by Carnival's "innovations" on Vista and recent announcements. I feel the Vista was actually a downgrade from the Dream class, and mostly just larger to fit more people without enlarging public spaces to match. Maybe I'm just a little grumpy 'cause I'm not on a cruise right now! :D

How many ships are they doing this to (out of 25)?

 

 

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I don't even know what it is they are doing that qualifies as turning it into "kiddie-ville." So the Horizon slides will have a new decor. Big whoop. There were going to be slides and a water park anyway.

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You can't have children without adult. So I think just the opposite, carnival has not given up on adults but rather catering more to adults with kids.

How many ships are they doing this to (out of 25)?

 

 

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I think Valor and Splendor are losing a pool and hot tub to make room for bigger waterworks. Vista and Horizon (if same as Vista) pools and hot tubs are laughably small and few compared to competitors. This trend has to stop or it will effect most of the 25 ships. What's next, the almost universally hated Liquid Lounge for all ships next dry dock?

Us too, from February... Great trip! Actually did a back-to-back with a Havana cabin followed by regular cabin. The first week was MUCH better! :)

 

Just underwhelmed lately by Carnival's "innovations" on Vista and recent announcements. I feel the Vista was actually a downgrade from the Dream class, and mostly just larger to fit more people without enlarging public spaces to match. Maybe I'm just a little grumpy 'cause I'm not on a cruise right now! :D

All of that is fine, I sail Carnival a lot and think the Vista is the best yet. I do understand your point just look at a it a bit differently.

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I think Valor and Splendor are losing a pool and hot tub to make room for bigger waterworks. Vista and Horizon (if same as Vista) pools and hot tubs are laughably small and few compared to competitors. This trend has to stop or it will effect most of the 25 ships. What's next, the almost universally hated Liquid Lounge for all ships next dry dock?

I think you might be surprised on change coming on the lounge on Horizon. Pools are the same size as Oasis pools. Also, the entire Havana area is mostly (although not exclusively adults). How many Havana cabins would please you? I think they are just right, if there was more people would be complaining there were to many......

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A lot of people on this board start their posts of with "I have children but..." or " I don't hate children but..." and then they pepper their post with negative words about children like "to loud, splashing, running wild, misbehaving Ect" so they can't for the life of then understand why carnival did this and why carnival is choosing to be even more family friendly.

Well I have been on a few cruises and I have never once had negative feelings about the children on the ship. Not once have I ever felt upset that the kids where loud, or splashed me or bumped into me. I don't mind a crying baby in the MDR. Never once did I think to myself "these kids are misbehaving". I'm not at all bothered by kids. I suspect there are a lot of people like me. And those people will enjoy a carnival cruise just fine.

Really, I don't like being splashed or cannonballed by a kid so that makes me a bad person. Kids don't do any such things cause you didn't see it on the "few cruises that you've been on". Just unbelievable is all I'm going to say. Go read the poll thread all the way at the top, and your choice didn't even break 100. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Folks on here are cracking me up with the uproar about the aft pools.... I've taken 6 (which may not be a lot to some on here) cruises and never knew that the pool in the back of the ship was ADULT only. The couple of time I did venture back there I never really saw anyone back there. On some occasions I did see kids back there but never knew it was the ADULT hideaway. I have 2 kids, ages 8 and 11, and we are together all cruise long. They've been to Camp Carnival one time for about an hour the last night of the first cruise we went on so that we could pack and that's the one and only time they've been. For me this isn't a big thing, I love spending the time with my family, that's why we do it. The kids love cruising and so do the wife and I. Maybe they do not have a pool for the adults to hang out in with the Serenity area, but they do have areas for them. I've walked through them checking them out but have never used that area myself. I prefer my chair that sits right by the pool by the slide area with all the kids and drunk adults walking through all day long. I truly do not understand all this nonsense about making those pools for everybody. Sorry for the rant but just my 2 cents.

I am glad we can go an adults only all inclusive and that is probably what we will choose to do!

Really, I don't like being splashed or cannonballed by a kid

Nobody does.

But it's interesting that with all of the hundreds of Chair Hog threads where people complain that they can't get a lounger anywhere nearby any of the pools, this policy change has now everyone conveniently sitting right by the waters edge getting splashed, cannonballed and enduring Marco Polo.

I am glad we can go an adults only all inclusive and that is probably what we will choose to do!

Life is full of choices

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Nobody does.

 

 

But it's interesting that with all of the hundreds of Chair Hog threads where people complain that they can't get a lounger anywhere nearby any of the pools, this policy change has now everyone conveniently sitting right by the waters edge getting splashed, cannonballed and enduring Marco Polo.

My cannonball comment was "Really, I don't like being splashed or cannonballed by a kid so that makes me a bad person." Not sure why you only chose part of my sentence. We have a poster who thinks we're kid haters, just because people don't like to be splashed, jumped on, happy screaming, etc. Seriously that has nothing to do with chair hogging.

I am glad we can go an adults only all inclusive and that is probably what we will choose to do!

I've only done one all inclusive. It wasn't adult only, but still a nice getaway.

They are chasing older adults away.