Open Letter to Carnival

[Cushing985]

I have 33 cruises on Carnival and no intention of stopping. I just wish some of the people threatening to move on would do so a little faster. I have yet to see any of my future cruises drop in price. :p

 

Never a truer word. Some of these posters are acting like children. Carnival has decided to make changes in their "loyalty" program. Cruisers can now decide if they want to move on. Above all, grow up. Carnival is making a business decision. You can take your ball and go home!

[maxamuus]

I have 33 cruises on Carnival and no intention of stopping. I just wish some of the people threatening to move on would do so a little faster. I have yet to see any of my future cruises drop in price. :p

 

No need to state the obvious. We all know Carnival can do no wrong in your opinion.

[Sargent_Schultz]

I hope you aren't a shareholder. Why would you want business to go away and prices to drop if you were?

 

 

I am and why I say it is because I don't believe any significant number will walk and that there will be more than enough new cruisers to take their place. Nobody is irreplaceable but a few people seem to think they are an exception.

 

I also know that perks cost money and I have no interest in driving up the price of cruises. I happily cruised on Carnival before there was any rewards program and if it disappeared tomorrow it would be no big deal. I don't cruise for perks. I I don't believe ice buckets are going away, either.

 

To say Carnival doesn't care is, IMO, a false statement of fact. I can believe that there are a specific few that Carnival doesn't care about.

[Sargent_Schultz]

No need to state the obvious. We all know Carnival can do no wrong in your opinion.

 

And Carnival can do no right in the opinion of a few. :p

 

Carnival is a business, and knows what they are doing.

 

Carnival can't please everyone all the time and both they and I know they shouldn't even bother. Those who don't like it are free to move on, or for that matter, start their own cruise line. Good luck with that.

[PROCRUISE]

You are correct, I was ready to book a September cruise this weekend. Then all the changes started being posted from different sources which puts some doubt in my mind even though I have 2 FCC to use by 2015. I found a very interesting Celebrity repositioning cruise today. I'm not going to wait until the end of June to get more details on the changes. We may just give Celebrity a try.

 

You will love Celebrity! :)

[mamaskittles]

There is much more to eat other than meatloaf and fried chicken. BTW, meatloaf is only offered one night, so if you like it, you better double up on it. ;)

 

Here are current menus - and food pictures

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/new_11_11/index.htm

 

Cappuccino and espresso are still free on every Carnival ship except one.

I like meatloaf... not on a cruise.

I know the menu. I have read your wonderful posts over and over thankyou :). I hope I will find out the quality of the great sounding dishes in the MDR are the same as they were the last time I cruised Carnival. I already know the mushroom risotto is gone I will miss it. There are a few other dishes like beef wellington that have disappeared.:(

I realize things change and removing certain dishes is one thing, if the quality of the remaining food is as good as it was I will gladly report it back here. When I first cruised Carnival I was amazed at the quality of their product. The food was great, the cabins spacious, the beds comfy, the staff efficient and courteous, the entertainment was fun and lively. I will see for myself what remains the same and what has improved and what has deteriorated.

BTW even the brand ambassador admitted they cappuchino and expresso will become a for fee item on most of the ships. ;)

[mamaskittles]

I have 33 cruises on Carnival and no intention of stopping. I just wish some of the people threatening to move on would do so a little faster. I have yet to see any of my future cruises drop in price. :p

Why on Earth would you want the prices to drop further. In order to make up the revenue for you and other shareholders they would have to remove reduce or recycle another Carnival sandard amenity. This time it may be something you care about. I know there is nothing on the cruise you would miss. If they offered you offal and wate,r a cot and a cubby, you would be good to go cos the price of the cruise stayed the same for 10 years.:)

[Sargent_Schultz]

I never cared much for the beef wellington, but it has been gone for a number of years. The cabins are the same size. Many food choices have been added since the demise of the beef wellington. Mongolian Wok, Tandoor are a couple. The popular Comedy shows have been expanded. Opportunities for karaoke with a live band. I still like the Carnival bedding and the pillows are amazing.

 

Carnival is not starting to charge for the old free cappuccino and espresso. They are upgrading the machines and switching to a superior coffee. It is a different, superior product and only the name is common. It is not what was complimentary for cruisers in the past.

 

Carnival has gone through Evolution of Fun on most Fantasy class ships. Seaside Theaters have been added to the Conquest class ships that didn't have them. Funship 2.0 is rolling out. Even more amazing upgrades will be done to Carnival Destiny/Sunshine. Carnival has spent and will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on product improvements.

 

Carnival has added more than they have taken away, but some people seem to focus on events going away that they never attended in the first place. It makes no sense.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Why on Earth would you want the prices to drop further. In order to make up the revenue for you and other shareholders they would have to remove reduce or recycle another Carnival sandard amenity. This time it may be something you care about. I know there is nothing on the cruise you would miss. If they offered you offal and wate,r a cot and a cubby, you would be good to go cos the price of the cruise stayed the same for 10 years.:)

 

Prices aren't going to drop because there is no mass exodus. At the end of the day Carnival is still the best value.

 

My perks went up and I am delighted. No cutback there.

 

The cabins are still the same size, no need to worry about that. Don't be silly, the food is still great.

 

I look around and prices of just about everything has increased except for houses and cruising. Pretty soon it will be cheaper to live on a cruise ship - at least a Carnival cruise ship. :p

 

Carnival smokers who migrate to Celebrity sure are going to howl when they learn they can't smoke on their balconies or in the casino. :eek:

[mamaskittles]

I never cared much for the beef wellington, but it has been gone for a number of years. The cabins are the same size. Many food choices have been added since the demise of the beef wellington. Mongolian Wok, Tandoor are a couple. The popular Comedy shows have been expanded. Opportunities for karaoke with a live band. I still like the Carnival bedding and the pillows are amazing.

 

Carnival is not starting to charge for the old free cappuccino and espresso. They are upgrading the machines and switching to a superior coffee. It is a different, superior product and only the name is common. It is not what was complimentary for cruisers in the past.

 

Carnival has gone through Evolution of Fun on most Fantasy class ships. Seaside Theaters have been added to the Conquest class ships that didn't have them. Funship 2.0 is rolling out. Even more amazing upgrades will be done to Carnival Destiny/Sunshine. Carnival has spent and will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on product improvements.

 

Carnival has added more than they have taken away, but some people seem to focus on events going away that they never attended in the first place. It makes no sense.

I liked the beef wellington, MY ship does not have the mogolian wok and for that matter the $6.95 Chinese buffet in town has a wonderful mogolian wok that may actually be staffed by mogolians. Indian food has been around on cruise ships for a long time including Canival so the tandoor is no great improvement.

For you and only for you my dear Sarge ;) I will buy a cappuchino on Thurs. ( Wed. I am eating in the steakhouse where I will get inferior cappuchino as per you ) and report whether the product is superior. I doubt it will be, but I have been wrong, and will admit it if I am.

I am so glad they did not shrink the cabins that just would have been so wrong.

I said the bedding is wonderful. They may be looking to sell it on e-bay though.

A burger joint and taco bell and macaroni grill are not upgrades in my mind. The seaside theater is a waste of deck space IMHO.

I would not spend 5k on a cruise to go to the movies. The biggest change on the Sunshine is the increase in cabins and decrease in free public spaces.

I always attended the past guest party and the Captains reception. They did not have the farewell party the last time I cruised Carnival. I loved Carnival when it was an amazing value. Now you get what you pay for and for those who appreciate that type of value Carnival has a loyal following. After this cruise i will more than likely go to a line that is more upscale.

[Sargent_Schultz]

enjoy your cruise!

 

as for this subject, I am done.

[mamaskittles]

enjoy your cruise!

 

as for this subject, I am done.

WOW don't tell me I wore you out. I haven't done that to a Sargent since the end of the first Gulf war. :D

Thanks for the good wishes I will have a great cruise.:)

[Sargent_Schultz]

WOW don't tell me I wore you out. I haven't done that to a Sargent since the end of the first Gulf war. :D

Thanks for the good wishes I will have a great cruise.:)

 

You're welcome.

 

I am not so much worn out as trying to avoid getting myself into trouble. I do think you and I are just going around in circles and I know I am right. :p

[mamaskittles]

You're welcome.

 

I am not so much worn out as trying to avoid getting myself into trouble. I do think you and I are just going around in circles and I know I am right. :p

As am I lol. Have a lovely night dear Sarge.

[Sargent_Schultz]

As am I lol. Have a lovely night dear Sarge.

 

The circle is complete. Repeat as necessary.

 

Think I will start looking for another Carnival cruise to book after a snack. Unlike on a cruise, I have to provide my own room service. No tipping required.

 

Take care.

[rcoaster809]

To me, it seems that these changes cause people to react based on how the changes affect themselves. Some people like the changes because they benefit from them. Some people are fine with the changes because they don't have any affect, and others oppose the change because it has a negative affect. What we know about the loyalty program is not yet confirmed, but people are reading between the lines and have personal beliefs on it. Is seems the farewell party change is now confirmed.

 

Some people are posting that they benefit from the propsed loyalty program changes, but it seems many more will feel a negative impact. There are some posters that say the changes don't really affect them because they are well into a certain tier or they don't use benefits that are being cut. I don't see any posts claiming that they directly benefit from the farewell party being eliminated (A few posts state they will indirectly benefit from fares that will stay constant due to the cuts or because others stop sailing Carnival due to the change).

 

I'm not going to draw a personal conclusion about the loyalty program, because that is not yet confirmed and there are many questions about grandfathering at all levels that need to be answered. The loss of the farewell party seems to have a negative affect on many people. When the change was made from the Captain's Cocktail Party to the Farewell Party, we still got our free drinks, but I found it very difficult to make the reception with the officers in the lobby while eating the early dinner. Now, there is no substitute mentioned to make up for the loss of the farewell party. If attendance was low, advertise it more. The posted Funtimes show free drinks mentioned on Wednesday when the actual party is on Saturday. The party was listed on Saturday, but no mention of the free drinks. There is clearly room for improvements in the advertising.

 

I tried to stay with facts above. Now, these changes will negatively affect me. I am currently Platinum, but will have 66 days at the end of June, so I have to wait and see how this grandfathering will work. I always attended the farewell party and the Captain's Reception before that. I am disappointed that no replacement was suggested yet. I am 26 years old and I absolutely love to cruise. I really like Carnival. I have a great PVP, I met many great cruisers on the ships, and I met many great crewmembers on the ships. I have seen some of the crewmembers on other cruises and they remember me. That level of service is outstanding! But, I don't feel like the people in the Miami offices understand how I feel when I find out I may lose perks based on loyalty program changes and a tradition of about an hour with open bar all in the same weekend.

 

Carnival has been great to me. I have never sailed another line yet. I have one NCL booked for later this year. I am sure that I will find great crewmembers and great passengers on that cruise as well. So what will keep me loyal to Carnival? In the past it was price, and past experience. I will have to wait and see how i will answer that in the future. Like I said, I am 26 years old, so I hope I have a lot of cruises ahead of me, and I will cruise with lines that are priced right and offer great service and experiences. I have been happy with Carnival, but this weekend I feel Carnival doesn't value me as much as I thought they did.

[dclark]

Carnival is not starting to charge for the old free cappuccino and espresso. They are upgrading the machines and switching to a superior coffee. It is a different, superior product and only the name is common. It is not what was complimentary for cruisers in the past.

 

Do you repeat the same tired lies because of ignorance, or are you just a compulsive liar?

As i said before (and anyone with knowledge of coffee will concur) replacing quality espresso machines, machines that use portafilters, with super auto machines makes FOR POORER QUALITY ESPRESSO!!!! THEY ARE DITCHING HIGH QUALITY MADE IN ITALY ESPRESSO MACHINES FOR FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINES!!!! SUPER AUTO MACHINES CAN'T MAKE AS GOOD A SHOT AS A MANUAL MACHINE!!!! STOP LYING, STOP LYING!!!!

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Anyone else who wishes to sign my letter feel free to post your signature

 

Isn't this all rumor and speculation? When is the last time you were on an empty ship. They're full. They will still be full. Not to be rude but you've cruised what 8 times in the past ten years? While you may be brand loyal your not a frequent cruiser. I'm not brand loyal to anyone. I book what I want and if there is a service I want I pay for it. Maybe they should change the program to be based on dollars spent so they'd really know who to cater to so that stockholders can get the most return from the company they own. Just mu opinion.

[LuckyZ]

I am a fairly new cruiser, as such I guess I would fall into the demographic of new cruisers who have no idea what they are missing. However, I have done quite a bit of reading here and everywhere, and my conclusion is this: At the end of the day Carnival is in business to make money. Period!

 

Many people who have platinum status obtained it from "cheating the system" (for lack of better words - note how I said MANY not all!) from how I read it, Carnival extended this platinum status to cruisers after a 10th cruise. What people were doing is booking back to back 2 day cruises to gain this status. I suspect Carnival extended this offer to be used so that even people who had tight budgets could benefit from the program. Instead it was exploited. So end result is the people who exploited the loop hole have ruined it for everyone else.

 

Spot on. I have 8 cruises in, all 7 days, with an 8 day next June. This means I'll be up to 9 cruises and 64 days. What's interesting to me is that there will be many that are grandfathered in for Platinum that have less days because they had the 2 or 3 Day b2b cruises to build up their resume. Also note that most of our cruises have been in a Balcony room.

 

Is this fair? No. And on top of that, I now have to go past 10 cruises to get to platinum (10 x 7 day cruises is still only 70 days).

 

What everyone is looking for is fairness in this program because it takes time for most of us that only cruise once every year or two that book more than just a 3 day cruise in an interior stateroom. Most of us are middle class and can't cruise 3 times per year, and most of us don't live near an embarkation port.

 

But what the new program will likely deliver is disappointment to basically all it's customers, which in today's business world, doesn't cultivate a spirit of loyalty to their brand, does it.

[popsec]

 

Many people who have platinum status obtained it from "cheating the system" (for lack of better words - note how I said MANY not all!) from how I read it, Carnival extended this platinum status to cruisers after a 10th cruise. What people were doing is booking back to back 2 day cruises to gain this status. I suspect Carnival extended this offer to be used so that even people who had tight budgets could benefit from the program. Instead it was exploited. So end result is the people who exploited the loop hole have ruined it for everyone else.

 

 

I have "milestone" status and I sure don't feel I cheated the system to get there. We live in Vermont so most cruises involve airfare (added expense). Usually the shorter cruises are more expensive for me. I also gamble....alot....in the ship's casino every cruise so Carnival sure makes alot of money off me. I guarantee I spend way more in their casinos than someone who buys a few drinks and photos on the ship.

 

The system will never be "fair" but when Carnival just keeps taking away perks there will be a loud outcry!

[suza12]

I think that what many are missing here is that those that are already platinum or above are going to be "grandfathered in" so, why are you all complaining? John Heald also responded that even those that were close to the old rules, would be grandfathered. If you all are so "loyal" to Carnival, then why are you all ready to "jump ship" over a free drink or laundry service? Have you also become that "entitled" that you can't just enjoy the vacation. I challenge any of those complainers to book the same vacation at the same price with all the perks on any other line and get back to me with the proof.

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

About brand loyalty....how much is it worth to you?

 

I just returned home from a week in New Zealand...I could have flown similar flights with either Qantas or Air New Zealand. I would prefer Qantas to get frequent flyer miles with American Airlines (One World)...Qantas was $1,500 RT and Air New Zealand $1,200 RT. Yes, for the luxury of flying 34 hours round trip in coach. It was actually a pretty good flight experience...but I realized that 13,000 frequent flyer miles weren't worth $300 more. Guess the point is that loyalty isn't always driven by choosing a particular brand...there are other factors.

 

If they kept the farewell party and welcome past guest party but eliminated the free drinks, would you still go? Or is it just the lack of free drinks that is the issue?

 

I think a happy medium would be for Carnival to institute the fuel program charges and keep the parties with everything free...Kidding...but does a couple free drinks or the loyalty program really dictate whether you have a nice vacation? If it does, perhaps exercise options and try something new. If you get the Garden Villa on NCL, you get LOTS of free things...unlimited everything...for $25,000/week. Keep it in perspective.

[Topo Gigio]

As mentioned plenty of other cruise lines will do your laundry and some give free drinks daily. But you pay for it in the long run. Really They go after first time cruisers and those that don't even know about perks.

 

So make a choice and move on.

 

But they are a step above Carnival too!

[nealstuber]

Show them your money has walked.

 

Book with NCL or RCL and send them this letter with your confirmation of your NCL/RCL cruise. Then and only then might they give a rats a$$ but even then i doubt it.

 

 

Agree, and don't book Princess or HAL as its pretty clear that the intent is to nudge us in to their more expensive lines.

 

Why keep customer's loyal to your least expensive product?

[nealstuber]

I think that what many are missing here is that those that are already platinum or above are going to be "grandfathered in" so, why are you all complaining? John Heald also responded that even those that were close to the old rules, would be grandfathered. If you all are so "loyal" to Carnival, then why are you all ready to "jump ship" over a free drink or laundry service? Have you also become that "entitled" that you can't just enjoy the vacation. I challenge any of those complainers to book the same vacation at the same price with all the perks on any other line and get back to me with the proof.

 

John has lost almost all Credibilty on this issue. What has been released from sources other than John does not definitively speak to who will be grandfathered.

 

We're taking our 10th Carnival cruisein August. We have VIP tags and docs - but it sure sounds like we will not enjoy the (diminished) privileges.

 

To your last point, we did Book with Celibrity last time around and we paid $100 pppd for a very nice Balcony cabin to Bermuda in June of 2010.

 

We're taking the Magic cruise because we took out the Funpoinnts Card(it was called somthing else way back when we did it) knowing that it was not the greatest deal on the planet, but we enjoyed thinking about our next Carnival Cruise every time we charged something.

 

We don't feel that way any more. We have a grand or so that could have been 5 or 6 plane tickets - so we're going to use it and have a great time.

 

For most of us its not about what we're entiled to...We still care about this line, love what it used to be when UB was around and LOATHE what Cahill is doing. At least up till now we could say they were investing in nicer newer ships (and we don't miss Farcus) - but with project Sunshine, it is clear that the penny-wise TON foolish mentality has completely permeated the Carnival Brand.