Will Be Two Years Since I've cruised...New Tips?

[Thank You CC Members]

Doing the Magic out of Galveston in October: Belize/Honduras/Cozumel 7 day. (9th Carnival cruise; but I know many things may have changed.)

Comments and suggestions greatly appreciated.

[jmcancruise]

Are you aware of the new faster to the fun program. For $50 you can get priority boarding and debarcation. You can access your room as soon as you board. You also get priority on tenders. Couple of other things as well I believe. Some love it and some think it is a waste of money.

[shortstop95]

With the universal statement made- that any cruise is a good cruise- if you've been away for two years- you're going to notice a difference in the quality and customer service. Margins are just tighter - so to offer the fares they do- Carnival has cut back and it shows. Must obvious areas to us- are the main dining rooms. Staff on our past couple cruises have just been spread way too thin. They try extremely hard- but it's just too many tables/guests for them to serve with a high level of customer service. When we started cruising over 20 years ago- the main dining room experience was a daily highlight. While we still enjoy it- please be prepared for noticeable difference. Same goes for buffet service on the lido for breakfast and lunch. Just fewer staff trying to still accommodate the same number of guests.

 

It's your vacation and it will be what you make of it- so if you go into it with a positive attitude like we do and don't let things out of your control bother you and remember you're on a cruise ship - you will have a great time. With that said after a two year absence you're going to notice a visible difference in service.

[Terre]

My tip would be to just enjoy yourself and your cruise. Don't worry about the cut backs, reviews or others' complaints...it's your cruise, it's what YOU make it.

[Lovefuninthesun]

There are a lot more dining options now, both free and those for a charge, which is great.

We miss live music on the Lido deck.

We have NOT noticed any changes in the service we receive in the MDR or our stateroom, despite people yammering on and on about it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Cruise Critic App

Edited July 13, 2014 by Lovefuninthesun