For those that left; what will it take to convince you to come back?

[LMaxwell]

:cool:Nope!! It wouldn't matter if Carnival would bring back everything you want, it wouldn't be enough!! Now it's the table cloths!! If you left you are not coming back!! So why are you here?? So go to the great RCL and have fun and leave us poor folk alone!!:D

I answered the first time you asked. Did so pretty plainly and about as nicely as can be. I guess you didn't read my response. I'll chalk it up to the exceptionally cold weather this week.

 

And I don't think that anyone that can afford to take a cruise vacation is poor by any means. We are all quite fortunate in our lives to enjoy this sort of recreation.

[sharecruises]

Actually. I am not hyping up anything. If I wanted to hype something up, I would start my own thread about live music. All I can say is let's wait a few months and visit this thread again. My guess would be they will announce AMAZING upgrades to entertainment and live music

 

Both NCL and MSC have a customer relations/PR person on the forums....clearly they are employees and open and up front about it.

Their sig line makes their official position clear

 

They step in and provide answers, info , links whatever....

and in cases of people unhappy they try to apply customer service and ask them to contact them etc

 

It would be AMAZING if Carnival could do the same.

JMO and all that

[kansas kruiser]

I answered the first time you asked. Did so pretty plainly and about as nicely as can be. I guess you didn't read my response. I'll chalk it up to the exceptionally cold weather this week.

 

And I don't think that anyone that can afford to take a cruise vacation is poor by any means. We are all quite fortunate in our lives to enjoy this sort of recreation.

:cool:I will agree!!!:) If we are on this board we are very fortunate to be able to cruise on what ever cruiseline we want!!:) And it has been cold where I'm from!!:cool:

[LMaxwell]

 

In another thread I made 2 cost effective suggestions

 

1) Bring back the Filipino Cover bands

 

2) Put the last/adult late night comedy in the main theater

stop the anxiety/line wait/crowds/and no room for you junk please

 

I really really really miss the Filipino cover bands

 

I believe I made reference to you or your posting earlier in this thread. I am in direct agreement with you. I see you and I live in the same geographic area, so you can certainly understand WHY I would WANT to take Carnival ships. I could rack up 6 3 day weekend cruises over the year and barely dent my work schedule.

 

Your ideas make great sense; the theater idea is a no brainer; just moving what they have to a more appropriate venue. More people = more booze = more $$$ for CCL. Can't see how this would cost more for them to do but would be a step in the right direction.

 

Given some of the other posts here maybe I'm better off not getting what I wish for if pax are as hostile in real life as they are on this board (never has happened before but the last few months makes me wonder)

[cruizinisthebest]

LMaxwell I would enjoy the live music on the Lido returning. Always felt a certain vacation vibe from the sound of live islands music in the background. So that's a check for me. Now as far as this entertainment thing goes, I could really care less. The last time we cruised I only went in the showroom for the muster drill. And any trip before that I thought the shows were decent. If this component has gone downhill, then yes they should be improved. But I'm not interested in Carnival morphing to be more like every other line with every aspect to please everyone that's left. If it's not for you but is for me, what's the problem? Do what makes you happy.

Edited December 13, 2013 by cruizinisthebest

[LMaxwell]

And it has been cold where I'm from!!:cool:

 

It dipped down to 70°F today and I had to put on a wind breaker. Brrrr:D

[kansas kruiser]

It dipped down to 70°F today and I had to put on a wind breaker. Brrrr:D

:cool:I knew I didn't like you!!:eek::D We did get to 45 today!! But most of the week was below 32!!:eek::eek:

[elliair]

As a reformed smoker (smoked for 15 years before I quit) and with a significant other that gets bad reactions to being around smoke I often forget about their policy. If smoking were allowed on balconies I'd still go on a CCL ship but NOT book a balcony level cabin. If there was a non-smoking policy I'd CONSIDER a balcony cabin. I'm not sure I have full faith in security to enforce their own rules. But a non-smoking policy is due, especially for a line really trying to direct its aim back towards families

 

 

I have claustrophobic issues, that's why we book a balcony. On Princess, we were informed from our cabin steward that if they smell smoke in our cabin, that an automatic $250 would show up on our S&S card. We don't smoke,. but I do think the other people with balconies believed the penalty would happen.

[Tapi]

Actually. I am not hyping up anything. If I wanted to hype something up, I would start my own thread about live music. All I can say is let's wait a few months and visit this thread again. My guess would be they will announce AMAZING upgrades to entertainment and live music

 

CarnivalBreeze319:

 

It was pretty clear with your Dr. Seuss thread that you either a) have strong ties to someone who works at Carnival or b) work for Carnival yourself. Your announcement here came almost simultaneously with the internal Employee Bulletin being disseminated.

 

Others have already said it to you, but I'll say it again: Stop overhyping what Carnival is doing and trying to be an unofficial PR person. You're really doing more damage to Carnival than helping them out. Unless you have been specifically authorized by Carnival to do what you're doing here, leave it to them to do the hyping.

 

Also, be VERY careful with the information that you post here (that may have not been released to the public yet). You're not the first person with internal information trying to be the 1st one to make it public here on Cruise Critic. In the past, when information has been leaked here, some people have lost their jobs at Carnival for trying to beat the official announcement. Believe me, there's no "anonymity" here. You could easily get yourself fired, or worse, get someone, who has trusted you, fired.

 

I get a lot of information from my colleagues and friends at Carnival almost as soon as they learn about them. But I've also learned to keep that information confidential. I would never jeopardize our friendship or their jobs to post something here.

 

Just a friendly suggestion.

[sc4125]

Enough to to cruise on NCCL next time. Or Princess. Or Celebrity.

 

 

Which I applaud you for - be willing to spend the extra money & go with a line you enjoy. Carnival is what it is - they don't pretend to be a luxury cruise line. Have there been cuts? Definitely, and when the cuts begin to affect me, I too will look elsewhere. So far, the cuts haven't bothered me, but I realize that what I"m looking for (relaxation, casino, decent food) is not what others are looking for.

 

So, while I'm satisfied with the experience, and I worked on the Carnival ships way back when - I am not a cheerleader. I just don't understand how anyone can compare Carnival with lines like Disney - talk about comparing oranges to apples!

 

I am ready to experience other lines, but not because I'm dissatisfied with Carnival - I just want to try something different. What I will not do is pay Disney rates and then come back and compare the cruise to my Carnival cruises.

 

For those of you who have booked Princess, NCL (newer ships) and Celebrity for the same rates as Carnival, please fill me in on the secret - I can never find anything even close to Carnival rates - EVER. Not questioning you - but please let me know how you do this.

[manmtnmike]

Both NCL and MSC have a customer relations/PR person on the forums....clearly they are employees and open and up front about it.

Their sig line makes their official position clear

 

They step in and provide answers, info , links whatever....

and in cases of people unhappy they try to apply customer service and ask them to contact them etc

 

It would be AMAZING if Carnival could do the same.

JMO and all that

 

Hi sharecruises- of course, I totally agree with you!!:) Manilla style, Live bands returned back in a bonafide lounge venue!!!

 

FYI: When I texted Carnival re live music, they said the exact same thing as the highlighted text below from CarnivalBreeze319:p as if she is some how privy to the PR talking points...

...both vague and with a "rah-rah" style tone.;)

 

Mike

 

Actually. I am not hyping up anything. If I wanted to hype something up, I would start my own thread about live music. All I can say is let's wait a few months and visit this thread again. My guess would be they will announce AMAZING upgrades to entertainment and live music

[Vanessa L]

Not sure how I can understand someone stating that they love everything about a cruise line but because they don't have live bands playing they refuse to cruise on that line...my wife and I have been on 13 cruises...all with Carnival, and have 3 coming up...all with Princess. We could care less about live music, etc.....we cruise for the ports and to see stuff. The ship is simply a hotel...or home base for that matter. We chose to go with Princess this time because Carnival pulled out of Europe. We can easily afford to cruise an any line we choose, but have chosen Carnival over the years simply because of the value that they provide...just kind of weird that someone would choose not to cruise a particular line just because they don't have live music.

 

Agree 100%! While having a live Caribbean band playing on deck is nice, for us, it is not a deal breaker either. Like you, we cruise for the ports and R-n-R. I could care less about rock climbing, surfing or any other activity besides laying in a chaise with a good book soaking up the sun and the leisure of not having to cook or clean for a week. We also could care less about entertainment, again nice to have but certainly not something that would keep me from cruising a certain line.

 

For years I've been saying that we could afford the more upscale lines but chose Carnival because it was a good deal for the money. Now, as we enter our 50s, we are going to break away from the norm and try Seabourn for our next cruise. We are also doing a river cruise for the first time next year. We also have plans for Windstar in Tahiti in 2015 for our 10th anniversary. While I do love Carnival and the product it provides, we too are branching out to see what's out there. As I age I'm finding my tolerance for rude crowds, loud music and partying are waning. To each his own :D

[Rochesterboatingdotcom]

We gave Carnival another try this year after cruising on NCL for the last 4 years. We won't be back. Try going on a seven day cruise with no clothes or personal items due to a porter delivering your suitcase to the wrong room, and with the people in that room TOO DUMB to realize that the suitcase they have taken into their room for SEVEN FULL DAYS is not theirs.

[arush5268d]

We gave Carnival another try this year after cruising on NCL for the last 4 years. We won't be back. Try going on a seven day cruise with no clothes or personal items due to a porter delivering your suitcase to the wrong room, and with the people in that room TOO DUMB to realize that the suitcase they have taken into their room for SEVEN FULL DAYS is not theirs.

 

1) The porters in the port don't work for CCL, they work for the port authority.

2) The porters don't take your baggage onto the ship

3) Baggage errors happen on all cruise lines. What happened to you could and surely does happen on RCCL, NCL and others.

4) Embarkation day is a mad house. Its a wonder more baggage errors don't happen - but every cruise there is always one or two people missing their luggage.

[sc4125]

No smoking on balconies. We were on a Princess cruise the past 15 days and it was so nice not smelling cigarette smoke on our balcony or drifting into our cabin. Heard a rumor on Princess that Carnival will follow suit with the nonsmoking balconies. We're looking for a cruise in January, but not on Carnival-unless they have a new smoking policy.

 

 

This is a perfect example of different strokes for different folks. Making all balconies non-smoking will bring you back - but it will keep others away. I could see having maybe one side of the ship completely smoke free, but trust me, there are many people who have switched TO Carnival because they still allow smoking on balconies - so how do they please everyone, and who's to say which person should be pleased?

[photonut4]

There actually is a sign going into the buffet saying shoes and shirt must be worn. I know I've seen it on the fantasy class ships. And so long as cruisers do that, I'm fine with it. During a summer cruise, I wouldn't expect people to shower and change out of their swimgear just to grab a bite in a buffet area that's 10 paces from the pool. And no matter the sign, people need to self govern. And that does not always happen no matter what the rules, where or when.

 

 

I agree and I wouldn't expect someone to shower and change, but it would be nice if they could put on a t-shirt or cover up.

[sc4125]

YES YES YES! Why aren't you CEO?

 

Uh, because he'd either have to REALLY increase rates, or he'd be bankrupt in months.

[CarnivalBreeze319]

CarnivalBreeze319:

 

It was pretty clear with your Dr. Seuss thread that you either a) have strong ties to someone who works at Carnival or b) work for Carnival yourself. Your announcement here came almost simultaneously with the internal Employee Bulletin being disseminated.

 

Others have already said it to you, but I'll say it again: Stop overhyping what Carnival is doing and trying to be an unofficial PR person. You're really doing more damage to Carnival than helping them out. Unless you have been specifically authorized by Carnival to do what you're doing here, leave it to them to do the hyping.

 

Also, be VERY careful with the information that you post here (that may have not been released to the public yet). You're not the first person with internal information trying to be the 1st one to make it public here on Cruise Critic. In the past, when information has been leaked here, some people have lost their jobs at Carnival for trying to beat the official announcement. Believe me, there's no "anonymity" here. You could easily get yourself fired, or worse, get someone, who has trusted you, fired.

 

I get a lot of information from my colleagues and friends at Carnival almost as soon as they learn about them. But I've also learned to keep that information confidential. I would never jeopardize our friendship or their jobs to post something here.

 

Just a friendly suggestion.

 

Thank you for the suggestion, but I must say that I have no ties to carnival, whatsoever. All of what I write here comes from cruising experience and what I have heard from John heald

[Cushing985]

Why do you keep saying this? Do you have any information?

 

Just based on previous comments made by this poster I think she is a Carnival employee or a TA specializing in Carnival products.

[Cruizinman]

Thank you for the suggestion, but I must say that I have no ties to carnival, whatsoever. All of what I write here comes from cruising experience and what I have heard from John heald

 

Obviously you didn't learn much from JH , you should make another brilliant announcement right about now to take peoples mind off the last bodacious announcement . Either that or sit back and let your fans chew them a new arise . Do you have any fans yet :D;):D

[cruizinisthebest]

Just based on previous comments made by this poster I think she is a Carnival employee or a TA specializing in Carnival products.

 

I believe this poster is a male. He has videod on YouTube.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[stevenr597]

1) The porters in the port don't work for CCL, they work for the port authority.

2) The porters don't take your baggage onto the ship

3) Baggage errors happen on all cruise lines. What happened to you could and surely does happen on RCCL, NCL and others.

4) Embarkation day is a mad house. Its a wonder more baggage errors don't happen - but every cruise there is always one or two people missing their luggage.

 

I guess losing your baggage is not a problem...unless it happens to you.

[MsTabbyKats]

There are several things that Carnival should do to attract past passengers as well as to continue to be the best cruise for the money.

 

1) Do not concentrate on having the most passengers in the least amount of space.

2) Improve the service in the MDR. Decrease the number of tables the waiter and ass't waiter have to service.

3) Increase the quality of the food in the MDR

4) Increase the variety. Bring back a real steak such as a sirloin as a daily choice

5) Improve the entertainment. Increase the number of performers as well as the length of their shows.

6) Increase Buffet hours to cut down on crowding. One line should be open 24 hours/day

7) Decrease the number of cabins the steward has to service.

8) bring back live bands instead of DJ's

9) Increase benefits for Platinum Level Cruisers

10) Carnival should stress the message that they will be the best cruise for the money. Stress quality, not price.

11) The ships should become more innovative like NCL and RCCL. On the smaller ships have more themed cruises with lecturers on various topics

 

These are a few changes that Carnival could and should make.

 

You forgot one important thing to increase....the price!

 

How do you expect Carnival to make these changes while keeping the prices low?

[DGP1111]

CarnivalBreeze319:

 

. . . Also, be VERY careful with the information that you post here (that may have not been released to the public yet). You're not the first person with internal information trying to be the 1st one to make it public here on Cruise Critic. In the past, when information has been leaked here, some people have lost their jobs at Carnival for trying to beat the official announcement. Believe me, there's no "anonymity" here. You could easily get yourself fired, or worse, get someone, who has trusted you, fired.

 

I get a lot of information from my colleagues and friends at Carnival almost as soon as they learn about them. But I've also learned to keep that information confidential. I would never jeopardize our friendship or their jobs to post something here.

 

Just a friendly suggestion.

 

In my opinion, your suggestion is perfectly worded. :)

 

.

[LMaxwell]

 

For those of you who have booked Princess, NCL (newer ships) and Celebrity for the same rates as Carnival, please fill me in on the secret - I can never find anything even close to Carnival rates - EVER. Not questioning you - but please let me know how you do this.

 

I am not trying to be coy, but Cruise Critic won't allow the posting of links here. There is a great comparison price search tool that you might find by looking for vtg cruise pricing. You can look at specific ports, times of year, itineraries, one line, all lines, etc. This will show base fares before any other eligible discounts (military, 55+, past guest, loyalty clubs, etc).

 

For a cruise in Oct 2014 I booked Freedom of the Seas for 369/Promenade View/7 days on sale; the price has since gone up (In fact, I booked at that price with the cruise line and then transferred to a TA for another $50 OBC). The alternatives for the same week were CCL were Glory 419, Liberty 449, or Breeze (admittedly 8 night not 7) for 839.