New Year's Glory- Disappointed

[melindda]

I just completed my 7th Carnival cruise which was on the New Year's Carnival Glory sailing, we had been on this ship before for a holiday sailing I believe in 06.

 

I have always been a Carnival fan especially when we travel with our kids who are now adults. In between times we have sampled other cruise lines and we were aware of some of the differences but again, we knew what to expect when we went on Carnival.

 

Good times, good food and good service, well I think Carnival has lost some of the things they were known for and I think they have lost us as passengers.

 

Please, I am not looking for a flaming, I am just giving you and hopefully Carnival some food for thought!

 

We beat the snow storm in the northeast by flying in a day early to Miami. We got on the ship around noon, had lunch and arrived to our room, so far things were normal.

 

Okay, here are things I along with the rest of our group who travel together noticed,

 

Good things:

 

We loved the Serentiy area on deck 12, great place to get away

 

Food in the speciality restaurant was wonderful

 

Room steward and dining room wait staff were all were great

 

New Years party was very good, champagne, seeing the ball drop on the big screen, a nice party atmosphere.

 

Enjoyed breakfast every morning in the dining room.

 

Negative things:

 

Dining room servers at dinner were so rushed and created a feeling of constantly running around, not a pleasant experience at all. Previously you actually got to have a minute or two during the week to say hello, say a few words, not now. I'm not talking in depth conversations, the servers have too many tables, they serve the food, wine and are always running. You should be able to down and enjoy your dinner not feel like you are caught up in a whirlwind.

 

Food at the deli counter and burrito bar was fair at best, servers were not very cordial as in some other areas of the ship. We felt there was a slip in overall service on the ship.

 

Crowd control was another issue, we had over a 1 1/2 hour wait to get back on the ship in Cozumel, come on Carnival, you should have had someone at the dock directing people thru the 2 entrances that were open.

 

Again crowd issues getting off in Grand Cayman, I have been to this port at least 5 times using tenders and this time was ridiculous. One part of our group had a 45 minute wait in the theatre and we had over a 1 1/2 wait, what's up with that?

 

Smoking is out of hand, some lounges, piano bar smoking is allowed, even if there was no one smoking the entire room reeked of smoked. I had to pass thru the ebony lounge to get to the internet room and the smell was so strong and the room was empty. The guy next door was constantly smoking cigars on his balcony so many times we could not use our balcony or even open the door.

 

I did not look for things to complain about, yes there are many people that spend their whole vacation looking for faults.

 

I go on vacation with a very open mind, and yes we had a good time because we wanted to have a good time. Some of things that I mentioned are dealbreakers, smoking, the lack of a nice dining experience, the feeling that Carnival is in a slipping motion rather than headed towards a more pleasant sailing experience.

 

Best wishes for a happy new year!

[firefly333]

I think its a well known fact, posted here on CC that both the waiters and your cabin steward now take care of more people. .. the alternative is what RCL is going to do, to up the tips so they get more money this way. First raise in tips in 12 years I think RCL said.

 

You cant go year after year and never give people more money so either tips have to be increase, or the workers have to do more and get more tips allocated to them.

[golfadj]

Could be your servers in the DR not very efficient. We were on the Glory in May and really got to know our head waiter and we had a table in the very back of the DR.

 

Grand Cayman needs to have docks. Too many ship to tender efficiently. I believe they are going to build some but until they do wish some ships would pull out. Not a problem for us since we are platinum but I know it can be a problem.

[bankerbabe]

I'm just curious if you had early dining or late dining.

 

In our experience, early dining felt more rushed, because they were trying to get you in and out and on your way so that they could get ready for the late diners. Late dining always felt more relaxed because they weren't in a hurry to "get rid" of you.

[H82seaUgo]

i have not been back since their service, and quality went down the tubes.

 

i hope someone wakes up soon before this ship sinks.

[beach410]

No flames here, All valid complaints, however, I think they can apply to other cruise lines as well. I read a lot of reviews and had some very similar complaints about service on the RCCL boards on recent sailings. I think its the luck of the draw that you end with poor service. While we always see the wait staff busy, they were always pleasant (if not always great) and never felt rushed, but again, I dont doubt that it cant happen to us at some point either.

 

Also, do other cruise lines prohibit smoking on the balcony? Again, it would bother me as well if I couldnt enjoy being on a balcony that I paid extra for, but it can happen anywhere.

 

I dont get the problem with the boarding either, sounds like they were a little disorganized this journey.

 

Glad you made the best of it.

[kyrisong1]

I agree with Golfadj, the server can make or break your dining experience.

We did Glory twice, the first time as first time cruisers and our waiter was awful, food lukewarm, he seemed rushed all the time. Second time we had the BEST server ever (wtg Shetti) he was amazing, food wonderful, hot and he would just tell us when something was great and what to avoid.

Smoking is such a touchy subject, I don't smoke, hubby does but not in the stateroom. I've never noticed a bad smoke area on any of the cruise ships except in the casino, however I've not been in the Piano bar.

I do know that the Ivory Lounge is or was a cigar bar, there always was the odor of cigars when walking through, but it's just an odor, I was never accosted by heavy smoke.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that every cruise experience is different, even on the same ship.

I'm really sorry you didn't have the best time ever, because we all do so look forward to our cruises.

Maybe a ship with the Spa rooms that don't allow smoking on the balcony??

Cheers, Carole

[SG81]

We were on the Glory in May and really got to know our head waiter and we had a table in the very back of the DR.

 

i was on that same cruise with you (i remember you from the roll call) and i agree. we got to know our 2 waiters very well. both great people

[dclark]

MDR service for us has been fair to poor since they got rid of assigned servers for all meals (your dinner waiter is also your lunch/breakfast waiter).

They stopped this in '03, I think.

My definition of poor service is you get there when they first open the mdr for your seating and the lights dim off and on before you get your main entre (the dimming is the signal for waiters to drop what they are doing and "dance"). Sadly, this has happen too frequently with us.

The waiters are run at full max and all kinds of things can slow them down. Some don't take orders until their whole station is full, late arrivers will delay you. Sometimes, they will have picky cruisers who eat up their time with stupid complaints. One example:

Woman says she wants coffee,assistant server brings it. She then tells waiter that she wants iced coffee, he brings it. She then complains to the assistant waiter that most of the ice is melted, she now wants an ice tea!

[H82seaUgo]

MDR service for us has been fair to poor since they got rid of assigned servers for all meals (your dinner waiter is also your lunch/breakfast waiter).

They stopped this in '03, I think.

My definition of poor service is you get there when they first open the mdr for your seating and the lights dim off and on before you get your main entre (the dimming is the signal for waiters to drop what they are doing and "dance"). Sadly, this has happen too frequently with us.

The waiters are run at full max and all kinds of things can slow them down. Some don't take orders until their whole station is full, late arrivers will delay you. Sometimes, they will have picky cruisers who eat up their time with stupid complaints. One example:

Woman says she wants coffee,assistant server brings it. She then tells waiter that she wants iced coffee, he brings it. She then complains to the assistant waiter that most of the ice is melted, she now wants an ice tea!

 

i remember the good old days when you'd get there first, you'd be served first.

 

no more, and dinner can sometimes take more than two hours.

[golfadj]

i was on that same cruise with you (i remember you from the roll call) and i agree. we got to know our 2 waiters very well. both great people

 

Sorry your name did not ring a bell. Help me out here please.

Stu

[SG81]

Sorry your name did not ring a bell. Help me out here please.

Stu

i only posted 2 or 3 times in the roll call, but i read it everyday...that's how i remember your screen name

[BlueC5Kitten]

The variety of experiences from ship to ship and cruise to cruise on the same ship are always something to consider. I sailed the Glory a year ago and found our dining room staff to be very attentive and helpful. Then again, as a previous poster mentioned, we were at the second seating, which I believe allows for a more relaxed dinner.

 

To the OP, sorry your time wasn't as much fun as you'd hoped it would be; but, I am very glad to hear that you did your best to enjoy, regardless.

[G'ma]

I find the late dinner seating to be pure joy and that's one reason I always select it. The room doesn't have to be set up again in a hurry.... The early dinner seemed always rushed -- the room needed to be cleaned and set up for the next sitting... But the late is more leisurely......I've also found the wait staff will stop a few moments to answer your questions or have a short chat....they aren't as rushed.

 

As for lines....well, there will be lines. I avoid lines by getting back on ship before the recommended time....no lines there at all. When going ashore, I wait until later in the morning, after the tours have left and after all the "wannabe first" folks are gone. Never a line..just walk right off. If you wait until the last minute to reboard..you'll join everybody else who has done the same thing. This works at disembarkation too. I find a comfortable place, have a seat and wait until most are off...somewhere around first call. I walk right off with no lines, no waiting, no grumpy folks..and my bag is easily identified - because it's one of only a few left.

 

Same for buffet dining..avoid the popular hours...wait an hour or go early..lines won't be so horrendous.

 

As for Cayman, well they've been talking about docking facilities for many, many years...I recall discussions in the late 80's... Seems to be a very controversial subject on the island with environmentalists and accountants on one side and the money-makers on the other. Here's the latest I've found online:

 

http://www.compasscayman.com/compasspoint/2010/07/22/To-berth-or-not/

[simkoreb]

We have sailed Carnival 4x, and the first 3 times had amazing waiters. The last time, we were truly disappointed in the head waiter. He was just not as friendly as our previous ones. NOthing to complain about or switch sections over, but I understand how it does affect your cruise experience in a negative way. It's so nice to have great service to end your day.

 

I think your review was great, and gave us both sides of what you experienced. I had to wait once for 1.5 hours for a tender into Belize, which I thought was ridiculous too. They really need to figure out a better way to get these tender ports to run smoothly all the time! It's so hit or miss!

[dclark]

 

As for Cayman' date=' well they've been talking about docking facilities for many, many years...I recall discussions in the late 80's... Seems to be a very controversial subject on the island with environmentalists and accountants on one side and the money-makers on the other. Here's the latest I've found online:

 

http://www.compasscayman.com/compasspoint/2010/07/22/To-berth-or-not/[/quote']

 

Grand Cayman is a barren, overpriced island. I have done the stingray city thing three times, been to the beach and at this point, think of it as a great place to go to if you want to see bank buildings.

Last summer, it took longer than normal to get on board because they were trying to get people to pose for pics on the gangway! After spending a day in Cozumel, the last thing I want is a pic of me with a lizard with "beach hair"!