Where is Carnival Corp. Going???

[cjknox]

[B][COLOR="Red"][quote name='soccersharon']Wondering why so many see this as so negative before experiencing it.[/QUOTE]

Amen to your Amen! I find the menu interesting, and look forward to experiencing soon :)

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Amen to your amening his amen. I wish people wouldn't be so quick to jump on the judgmental bandwagon. Edited December 4, 2013 by cjknox

[dadroy]

Personally I am willing to try the new menus and see how they turn out. But I COULD judge it beforehand if I thought the food choices were bad. For example, if the dinner choices were bologna sandwich on wheat bread with mayo, salami sandwich on white bread with Siracha Chili Sauce, or Peanut butter and jelly on a hoagie style roll smothered in Marinara sauce, I could easily say :copmon, I don;'t like that." I would not have to try it first.

I don't like the serving style of family style serving. Sharing food with my family, yes, having some drunk helping himself to the shared appetizer after wiping snot off his nose is not something I want to do.

Change the menu, fine. This family style thing is not going to work.

[cjknox]

[quote name='dadroy']Personally I am willing to try the new menus and see how they turn out. But I COULD judge it beforehand if I thought the food choices were bad. For example, if the dinner choices were bologna sandwich on wheat bread with mayo, salami sandwich on white bread with Siracha Chili Sauce, or Peanut butter and jelly on a hoagie style roll smothered in Marinara sauce, I could easily say :copmon, I don;'t like that." I would not have to try it first.

[B][U]I don't like the serving style of family style serving. Sharing food with my family, yes, having some drunk helping himself to the shared appetizer after wiping snot off his nose is not something I want to do.[/U][/B]

Change the menu, fine. [B][U]This family style thing is not going to work.[/U][/B][/QUOTE]


Again. Its optional.

[idlenote]

I'll look forward to seeing how this works out, I know lately we've been eating more often off the buffet than the MDR. Change isn't always good but maybe?

[GuitarPlayer]

[quote name='Family Travel Story']For the record, my DW and I do cruise NCL quite a bit too, and the food in their MDR is so bad, that we go to the extra fee restaurants almost every night on that line.[/QUOTE]

Hmm...this got me to thinking...you are going to the "extra fee" restaurants...every night?

What incentive does NCL have to improve their food?

Sounds to me like NCL has it figured out!

GP

[aubreyc1988]

I last cruised carnival about 2 years ago on the ecstasy and before that on the triumph. I have sailed rci monarch, no longer in the fleet, and allure of the seas. And from what I remember of carnivals menu at the time, carnivals food was at very least on par with rci, if not better! And carnivals desserts far surpass rci desserts. That being said, entertainment, cost cutting, and bad ship design (all that neon drives me nuts) have pushed me away from carnival and over to rci. And really, if you know how to shop for a bargain, other cruise lines like RCI, NCL, Celebrity, etc are comparable in price to Carnival. It's really just the experience you are looking for

I will cruise with carnival again, and will cruise with other cruise lines, I just know to expect different things with each perspective line that I'm sailing with


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[clarkrock7]

[quote name='hihosilvers']If you compare similar itineraries, and length, Carnival is always cheapest.[/quote]

If you book anything well in advance this is almost always true. As you get closer to sailing, Carnival sometimes is no longer cheapest due to being full or getting close whereas other lines are trying to fill cabins.

Case in point is a 7 day Western on NCL leaving this Sunday for $249 pp for an inside guarantee.

I just got back from RCL 3 day from Canaveral that was $109 pp. I've never seen the Sensation for that cheap, maybe $149 at the very lowest.

There seem to be less last second opportunities on Carnival, which I expect has to do with being the cheapest option leading all the way up to that last second and filling up.

[pamrose228]

I live in NYC and only cruise out of NY ports. Carnival has by far the best deals for cruising. NCL Breakaway for 7 days is 5 times the cost of the Splendor cruise I am going on for 8 days. Pretty much same ports, same dates. I know the entertainment is better but when I want to see a Broadway show I go to Broadway.

[soccersharon]

[quote name='Family Travel Story']If the quality of food and the dining atmosphere is at the top of your priority list for a great cruise vacation, then Carnival is not the line for you. I would think that most people who cruise on Carnival are not cruise snobs, and do appreciate a good value.

For the record, my DW and I do cruise NCL quite a bit too, and the food in their MDR is so bad, that we go to the extra fee restaurants almost every night on that line. With that said, Carnival may be no Celebrity when it comes to dining, but the cruise on the whole is pretty "fun".[/QUOTE]


I wasn't crazy about the food in the Epic MDR. We ate in extra-pay venues a few times, but the buffet was fantastic!

[TEXASMUNK]

Carnival was stuck in cruise control....the new CEO is already making changes at the senior level, there are indications that there are changes to return some of the lost luster to the entertainment side of things, we are no seeing new menus.

For what it is worth, you can turn a rowboat around in a very quick moment, but when you are steering a cruise ship, turnarounds take a bit longer.

Instead of living with a dreadful, negative attitude, try lightening up, see what the future holds.....if you do not like it, spend your money elsewhere. If you like the changes, then, by all means, book Carnival!

I think the axe grinders have their blades plenty sharp already.

[MsTabbyKats]

[quote name='pamrose228']I live in NYC and only cruise out of NY ports. Carnival has by far the best deals for cruising. NCL Breakaway for 7 days is 5 times the cost of the Splendor cruise I am going on for 8 days. Pretty much same ports, same dates. I know the entertainment is better but when I want to see a Broadway show I go to Broadway.[/quote]

Ditto...Manhattan resident...walking distance to pier! (I won't even go to Bklyn or NJ for a cruise)

As far as I'm concerned....Carnival is "giving it away".

If I can get a better price on NCL....I grab it. But, if not, I can endure "lesser quality of food & entertainment" and have a larger "bauble budget" on Carnival.

The difference in cruise just isn't worth the difference in price.

[cjknox]

[quote name='TEXASMUNK']Carnival was stuck in cruise control....the new CEO is already making changes at the senior level, there are indications that there are changes to return some of the lost luster to the entertainment side of things, we are no seeing new menus.

For what it is worth, you can turn a rowboat around in a very quick moment, but when you are steering a cruise ship, turnarounds take a bit longer.

Instead of living with a dreadful, negative attitude, try lightening up, see what the future holds.....if you do not like it, spend your money elsewhere. If you like the changes, then, by all means, book Carnival!

I think the axe grinders have their blades plenty sharp already.[/QUOTE]


Wonderful advice.

[JeffHatfield]

[quote name='Dave85']I for one don't understand why anyone is viewing the new menus as a cheapening of the product. If anything, it looks to me like the inverse. I'm one of the first people to call Carnival out when they do something stupid or cheap but I actually really like these changes.

One small thing they're doing that I really appreciate after 29 cruises: having the waiters take drink orders. Why? Because I typically prefer to drink soda with my dinner and [I]for the life of me[/I] I can never get reliable service from the overworked MDR bar servers who prioritize serving booze and tables ordering lots of drinks (the rest of my party usually orders wine). Involving the waiter will make sure my order gets taken and input into the computer, and also the waiter will know about the order and will be more likely to follow up if it doesn't arrive.

Just my $.02.[/QUOTE]

Not sure I want the waiters doing one more thing to go along with bringing my food. Going to get even slower service with this change.

[Cruising Rules]

[quote name='hihosilvers']Carnival is trying to keep themselves at the entry-level price point for cruising. There will always be an automatic customer base for the cheapest option - and they are intent on staying there. The are making constant (I won't say cost cutting) adjustments to stay there. Simple business. If NCL and RCCL wish to improve their product, and raise prices accordingly, they can fight with each other. Carnival will still be alone at the bottom, which is not a bad thing. My family is about to sail on our 5th Carnival cruise, and if they can keep the value/$ about the same, we'll keep on going.[/QUOTE]

Your points are well taken. The only thing I might offer is that I find with a little "shopping" I can find prices for other lines that are comparable to Carnival pricing. I think the issue for Carnival is as they make these "adjustments" as you refer to them, they are creating a service gap (between themselves and their competitors) that will not match their "lower prices". These continuous adjustments are eliminating the value perception that often was associated with the Carnival product. If an individual can book on Holland, Royal or even Celebrity (at times) for a 5%-10% premium, over time, as the Carnival value quotient continues to erode, Carnival will continue to lose support. Yes all carriers have had cutbacks but in my mind it seems that Carnival is taking this to a more extreme level.

[pamrose228]

Find me a better value out of New York.

All same cat OV

Jan 12, 2014 on CCL Splendor I paid $289/pp (8 nights)
Jan 11, 2014 on NCL Gem price today is $589 pp (9 nights)
Jan 12, 2014 on RC pp NCL Explorer price today is $649 PP 9nights

I do plan on going on the Gem next year for the itinerary but for a quick winter getaway CCL hands down was a better value.

[LMaxwell]

What is obvious is that the Carnival is trying some changes in order to renew interest, reduce wastes/costs, get people talking and seriously considering their cruises again.

We will all have to adopt a wait and see approach to see if these changes cause things to go in the right direction or not.

In my local market (South Florida) they are only sometimes the cheapest, but certainly not always (and especially not if you want anything but a Fantasy-class ship). And when there is a price premium for another line it usually is more along the lines of 20-30% in base fare which is really not such a major upcharge for newer/larger ships with real entertainment, and becomes even smaller when you have to factor in other costs (travel to and from pier, parking, etc.) I can appreciate that Carnival wants to remain the cheapest. In some markets they decidedly ARE the cheapest. But in other markets when they are cheaper by a few bucks or sometimes more expensive than other I can't find many compelling reasons to take them over another line.

I've had good times on Carnival cruises. In recent years the experience has changed enough that I haven't rebooked. I pay attention to these boards because I haven't written them off. I'm looking for good reasons to try again. I like the dining changes I have read about. I think they are for the better. If they can get the entertainment options in line with other cruise line offerings and still manage to offer a modest savings or price parity even then I would sail them again. For now it's a wait and see stance. I've done Fantasy-class ships enough; I really do need "more". NCL offers much newer ships and RCI must nicer ships for the 3-4 day markets than those Fantasy-class ships.

[Dave85]

[quote name='JeffHatfield']Not sure I want the waiters doing one more thing to go along with bringing my food. Going to get even slower service with this change.[/QUOTE]

Certainly a fair point, only time will tell if they can handle the additional responsibility. I think it'll be ok since they aren't actually bringing the drinks out to you, just entering the orders into the computer. What's clear IMHO is that the current system doesn't
work too well for guests who don't order large quantities of booze at dinner (or have lots of booze orders at their table).