So Disappointed

[gr1634]

We just finish our 24th Carnival cruise. This time was on the Triumph. Our third on this ship. We have been cruising with Carnival since 2001. As a result we have had the "opportunity" to see and experience a lot of the what appears to be constant cuts.

 

I don't need to list all of them - frankly I probably couldn't. Some that just stood out a bit on this cruise were: Choices on the menu in main dining room have been severely cut. The food they did have was OK there was just far less choice. Wife insisted on hitting the buffet one night because there was nothing in the main dining room that excited either of us. Go ahead and flame away but the food on the buffet was no kidding in-eatable. It was cold and tasteless. This was not the first time we have experienced this on a Carnival buffet.

 

We are platinum so when we received our chocolate covered strawberries plate in the room - it was literally half of what they used to provide and they were stale!

 

Remember when they used to give you a copy of your receipt when you bought a beverage? Not on this trip. No that is not a big deal but a bunch of "not a big deal" issues add up after a while.

 

We have always enjoyed our Carnival cruises and I could very well have been called a Carnival cheer leader every once in a while so when I say we are disappointed in what's happening - that's exactly what I mean.

 

I truly hate to see what is happening here. New cruisers may not even notice a lot of these things because they don't know what used to be. They don't know we used to have live bands on deck, they don't know we used to have shows every nite in the theater, they don't know the platinum party used to provide free drinks and horse divers..for those of you who have been around a while you know this list could go on.

 

Add to that the fact that as of 1 Oct you can't smoke on your balcony and the fact that Carnival does not provide much in the way of accommodation for smokers - deck 10 starboard side outside in the rushing wind that apparently wasn't sufficient to keep smoke from bothering people on balconies (will never understand that). I know the non-smoker folks who pushed so hard for this change will not see this as an issue but so be it - this is not a thread for or against smoking.

 

No we did not go on the cruise looking for things to complain about - this is just an honest opinion of what we see as a steady decline in the quality of the product. We have been loyal Carnival cruisers for a long time and it is disheartening to see this.

[ShakyBeef]

I agree completely. I have only been cruising with Carnival since 2005 and have seen countless cutbacks, myself. Especially since 2009.

 

Now, when I have a cruise booked on Carnival, I visit the boards here to find out what new cutbacks to expect. This time around, among other new cutbacks, I found out that they are doing away with the eggcrate pads that made the cutback of their mattress quality and comfort at least bearable. So now I've bought my own foam mattress pad to take with me.:rolleyes: I'm having to do a lot of DIY these days to make a Carnival cruise even close to as pleasant as it used to be circa 2010.

 

I really understand and share your disappointment.:(

[Disconnections]

No we did not go on the cruise looking for things to complain about - this is just an honest opinion of what we see as a steady decline in the quality of the product. We have been loyal Carnival cruisers for a long time and it is disheartening to see this.

 

Wow. That last paragraph mimics exactly how I felt on the Carnival Miracle, without of course, the product/service failures.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Disconnections

[OCruisers]

gr1634 .... Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent Carnival cruise.

Since you have always liked Carnival and have taken many Carnival cruises, feel sure it was a big disappointment to you to find things really had changed that much! :(

Do hope you'll give another cruise line a try!

LuLu

[Jamman54]

I have been cruising with Carnival since 1985, and I can see your points. But consider this. The cost of cruising now is LESS than it was in 1985. I paid $1400 dollars for an inside cabin on a 7 day cruise on the Holiday back then. Fuel, labor, and supply costs have gone way up since then. So you have to expect cutbacks if you want the prices to remain low. All the major mass market cruise lines are cutting back where ever they can. If you want a more upscale experience now, then you will have to pay more money to sail on a more upscale line.

 

You are right that they are not giving you a receipt at the bars anymore, but if you ask for one, they will give one to you.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Jamman54

[soccersharon]

Wow. I can understand your disappointment. I know cruise lines are cutting back everywhere, but when is too much, too much?

 

I'm sailing the Breeze in a couple of weeks. Haven't been on a Carnival ship since late 2012. Wondering if I too will be disappointed - or notice the cutbacks.

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

 

Sent from my phone. Typos are inevitable.

[ShakyBeef]

Wow. I can understand your disappointment. I know cruise lines are cutting back everywhere, but when is too much, too much?

 

I'm sailing the Breeze in a couple of weeks. Haven't been on a Carnival ship since late 2012. Wondering if I too will be disappointed - or notice the cutbacks.

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

 

Sent from my phone. Typos are inevitable.

 

Oh, you'll notice!

[soccersharon]

Oh, you'll notice!

 

Ughhh...

 

Luckily, I'm not a foodie, or very hard to please, so hoping for the best!

 

Sent from my phone. Typos are inevitable.

[ShakyBeef]

I have been cruising with Carnival since 1985, and I can see your points. But consider this. The cost of cruising now is LESS than it was in 1985. I paid $1400 dollars for an inside cabin on a 7 day cruise on the Holiday back then. Fuel, labor, and supply costs have gone way up since then. So you have to expect cutbacks if you want the prices to remain low. All the major mass market cruise lines are cutting back where ever they can. If you want a more upscale experience now, then you will have to pay more money to sail on a more upscale line.

 

You are right that they are not giving you a receipt at the bars anymore, but if you ask for one, they will give one to you.

 

Some of us would prefer to get the product that we expect and enjoyed and pay what is necessary to get it. It is understandable that the price has to go up sometimes. What really bothers me is the product constantly being degraded so I never know how much worse it's going to be than the last cruise.

 

Carnival is giving us a 5-oz can of tuna at the price of the old 6-oz can. And just like those new, stupid 5-oz cans of tuna on the grocery store shelves, the new, lesser product looks deceptively similar to the old. But we know it isn't the same.

 

OK, I realize I may have lost you on that tuna metaphor. No, I'm not drunk or crazy.:p Explanation: tuna used to be sold in 6-oz cans, now it's sold (all brands) in 5-oz cans that look alllllmost the same, so some people won't even notice this cutback. But the price of these 5-oz cans is actually higher than the old 6-oz cans. Recipes in my cookbooks are for 6-oz cans. I have been miffed about this and similar deceptive grocery cutbacks for a while now. Sorry to turn this post into a double rant.:o But I just think 5 Ounce Can of Tuna every time I think of Carnival, now.:(

[ShakyBeef]

Ughhh...

 

Luckily, I'm not a foodie, or very hard to please, so hoping for the best!

 

Sent from my phone. Typos are inevitable.

 

I haven't had a bad cruise yet, just increasingly less good from Carnival.:o Good luck and happy sails.:)

[gregg204]

I'm sailing the Breeze in a couple of weeks. Haven't been on a Carnival ship since late 2012. Wondering if I too will be disappointed - or notice the cutbacks.

 

 

Sent from my phone. Typos are inevitable.

I doubt you'll be disappointed. 90k people sailed Carnival last week, 90k sailed Carnival this week and 90k will sail Carnival next week. And from what I saw on my last few cruises very few were holding blue cards. Enjoy!

[ShakyBeef]

When it's a bunch of little things that add up about a product, to me, it's about the product.:cool:

 

We've all seen the cutbacks. Some of us care more than others. Some just want to get on a ship for as cheap as possible and don't care about the quality of the experience.

 

For those of us bothered by the cutbacks, there has been or will be a final straw that breaks our backs.:( For those of you not bothered, great! Enjoy your cruises.:)

[just4steven]

 

OK, I realize I may have lost you on that tuna metaphor. No, I'm not drunk or crazy.:p Explanation: tuna used to be sold in 6-oz cans, now it's sold (all brands) in 5-oz cans that look alllllmost the same, so some people won't even notice this cutback. But the price of these 5-oz cans is actually higher than the old 6-oz cans. Recipes in my cookbooks are for 6-oz cans. I have been miffed about this and similar deceptive grocery cutbacks for a while now. Sorry to turn this post into a double rant.:o But I just think 5 Ounce Can of Tuna every time I think of Carnival, now.:(

 

This is great, have you been paying attention to things like potato chip bags and cereal boxes? It's crazy! Everything is shrinking but the cost is going up. Oh, except those cheap nasty beers I can get from my local convience store with the bars on the windows where I buy my scratch off tickets. Those things, gosh! They added an extra ounce and lowered the price! I can now get 25 ounces of the nastiest carbonated malt delicacy for 99 cents when it used to be a buck 29 for only 24 ounces. What's up with that??? :confused:

[soccersharon]

I doubt you'll be disappointed. 90k people sailed Carnival last week, 90k sailed Carnival this week and 90k will sail Carnival next week. And from what I saw on my last few cruises very few were holding blue cards. Enjoy!

 

I fully intend on having a great time :) I'm pretty good at going with the flow.

 

Sorry for hijacking your thread, OP.

 

Sent from my phone. Typos are inevitable.

[ShakyBeef]

This is great, have you been paying attention to things like potato chip bags and cereal boxes? It's crazy! Everything is shrinking but the cost is going up. Oh, except those cheap nasty beers I can get from my local convience store with the bars on the windows where I buy my scratch off tickets. Those things, gosh! They added an extra ounce and lowered the price! I can now get 25 ounces of the nastiest carbonated malt delicacy for 99 cents when it used to be a buck 29 for only 24 ounces. What's up with that??? :confused:

 

Oh, they're shrinking the packaging and the amount and often the quality of product (YES, BREYER'S "FROZEN DAIRY DESSERT"-THAT-USED-TO-BE-ICE-CREAM, THIS MEANS YOU!:mad:) all over the place, man.:cool: But I just wish they would raise the price appropriately and not treat us like idiots, trying to fool us with a crappy product in a similar package.

 

Give me back my 6 ounce can of tuna, Carnival!:( Or if you won't do that, could you at least not continue to shrink it to a 4 ounce can?:rolleyes:

 

I promise I'm not drinking.;) Just bored on a Friday night.

[irishnyc]

For all the people that hate the cutbacks and complain about them every time they cruise Carnival, why are y'all still cruising with Carnival? When a product I like changes in a way I don't care for, I don't buy it anymore.

[ShakyBeef]

For all the people that hate the cutbacks and complain about them every time they cruise Carnival, why are y'all still cruising with Carnival? When a product I like changes in a way I don't care for, I don't buy it anymore.

 

See my answer above.;)

 

Also, free cruises on Carnival are the best use of my MC FunPoints.:cool:

Edited September 6, 2014 by ShakyBeef

[Seago2]

Noooo doubt you can noticed the cuts. I mean they are staring you right in the face. 8 carnival cruises since 2005 and each one has stepped down from the last. The crew is great and I've never had a bad experience there. The ships are clean. But the food? It's in a death spiral now. The dinner buffet is the worst. I don't complain or moan or "let it ruin my vacation" but anyone can see the cutbacks. Hasbro, Playlist, beanbag toss and trivia all day, no ice buckets, four things in the buffet at dinner (not an option), limited MDR and room service menu, punchliner brunch menu vs a proper breakfast and lunch service, DJ, etc etc etc. It didn't bother me until these last two cruises. I have one more Carnival cruise in me and the youngest will be 18 and I'm done.

[Seago2]

For all the people that hate the cutbacks and complain about them every time they cruise Carnival, why are y'all still cruising with Carnival? When a product I like changes in a way I don't care for, I don't buy it anymore.

 

The quality of the kids programming and a kid who loves Club O2 (and used to love Circle C, etc). He doesn't want to go to anywhere else.

 

Also, until this summer I would have said the northeast and mid Atlantic (driveable) departure ports. Now I don't care- I'll fly or just drive longer to get a better cruise. And I will definitely pay more!

Edited September 6, 2014 by Seago2

[evandbob]

We just finish our 24th Carnival cruise. This time was on the Triumph. Our third on this ship. We have been cruising with Carnival since 2001. As a result we have had the "opportunity" to see and experience a lot of the what appears to be constant cuts.

 

I don't need to list all of them - frankly I probably couldn't. Some that just stood out a bit on this cruise were: Choices on the menu in main dining room have been severely cut. The food they did have was OK there was just far less choice. Wife insisted on hitting the buffet one night because there was nothing in the main dining room that excited either of us. Go ahead and flame away but the food on the buffet was no kidding in-eatable. It was cold and tasteless. This was not the first time we have experienced this on a Carnival buffet.

 

We are platinum so when we received our chocolate covered strawberries plate in the room - it was literally half of what they used to provide and they were stale!

 

Remember when they used to give you a copy of your receipt when you bought a beverage? Not on this trip. No that is not a big deal but a bunch of "not a big deal" issues add up after a while.

 

We have always enjoyed our Carnival cruises and I could very well have been called a Carnival cheer leader every once in a while so when I say we are disappointed in what's happening - that's exactly what I mean.

 

I truly hate to see what is happening here. New cruisers may not even notice a lot of these things because they don't know what used to be. They don't know we used to have live bands on deck, they don't know we used to have shows every nite in the theater, they don't know the platinum party used to provide free drinks and horse divers..for those of you who have been around a while you know this list could go on.

 

Add to that the fact that as of 1 Oct you can't smoke on your balcony and the fact that Carnival does not provide much in the way of accommodation for smokers - deck 10 starboard side outside in the rushing wind that apparently wasn't sufficient to keep smoke from bothering people on balconies (will never understand that). I know the non-smoker folks who pushed so hard for this change will not see this as an issue but so be it - this is not a thread for or against smoking.

 

No we did not go on the cruise looking for things to complain about - this is just an honest opinion of what we see as a steady decline in the quality of the product. We have been loyal Carnival cruisers for a long time and it is disheartening to see this.

 

I agree totally with the OP, but there is a solution.

 

Try other cruise lines. Use Carnival when the price agrees with you for a discount cruise, and go on other lines to experience better food, service and overall quality.

 

No sense crying over Carnival becoming a cut rate line, that's just what they intended to do.

[ShakyBeef]

I agree totally with the OP, but there is a solution.

 

Try other cruise lines. Use Carnival when the price agrees with you for a discount cruise, and go on other lines to experience better food, service and overall quality.

 

No sense crying over Carnival becoming a cut rate line, that's just what they intended to do.

 

100% Correct.

[AdGuyMG]

 

Also, free cruises on Carnival are the best use of my MC FunPoints.:cool:

Your reasoning for stepping aboard a Carnival ship sounds like the one about the guy who walks who into a psychiatrist's office and says, " hey doc, my brother's crazy! He thinks he's a chicken."

 

Then the doc says, "why don't you turn him in?" Then the guy says, "I would but I need the eggs."

[skiwee]

For all the people that hate the cutbacks and complain about them every time they cruise Carnival, why are y'all still cruising with Carnival? When a product I like changes in a way I don't care for, I don't buy it anymore.

 

 

Agreed. We sailed just once on Carnival and will never go back. It truly was a get what you pay for ship. Also was the first cruise I was happy when it ended. Lol. Don't like the cruise line try another.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[pb19]

I'm still a newbie to the cruising industry but I have to say I really hope there are enough of us newbies to keep the cruise lines like Carnival going strong. It seems like all the older people are disappointed and have nothing but complaints about cruising. I guess things have gotten worse on cruises over the years. I've only been on two cruises, both in the past year, but the value for the buck spent was wonderful! I've been searching for a vacation for next year...checking out a bunch of options... a week at the beach, a week in the mountains, an all inclusive somewhere fun for a week...I can't find anything that can compare in price to a Carnival Cruise. Lodging for the night, and food (all you can eat) for the day just can't be beat anywhere else that I've found. Throw in the fun ports, the entertainment and time at sea and I haven't found anything that can beat the price.

So my opinion is if you can afford better and choose to spend more money on a "better" vacation then go right ahead and do it...if a Carnival cruise is more in your price range and you enjoy it then go ahead and do that...WITHOUT complaining about cutbacks. There is still a lot of bang for your buck with Carnival. Just my opinion and yes I know what my opinion is worth...LOL.

[EZ4]

I'm still a newbie to the cruising industry but I have to say I really hope there are enough of us newbies to keep the cruise lines like Carnival going strong. It seems like all the older people are disappointed and have nothing but complaints about cruising. I guess things have gotten worse on cruises over the years. I've only been on two cruises, both in the past year, but the value for the buck spent was wonderful! I've been searching for a vacation for next year...checking out a bunch of options... a week at the beach, a week in the mountains, an all inclusive somewhere fun for a week...I can't find anything that can compare in price to a Carnival Cruise. Lodging for the night, and food (all you can eat) for the day just can't be beat anywhere else that I've found. Throw in the fun ports, the entertainment and time at sea and I haven't found anything that can beat the price.

So my opinion is if you can afford better and choose to spend more money on a "better" vacation then go right ahead and do it...if a Carnival cruise is more in your price range and you enjoy it then go ahead and do that...WITHOUT complaining about cutbacks. There is still a lot of bang for your buck with Carnival. Just my opinion and yes I know what my opinion is worth...LOL.

 

What you're hearing are longtime cruisers who have loved Carnival for years and spent thousands of dollars cruising with them. They have watched as the product has devolved into a fraction of what they used to enjoy, and consequently have become disillusioned with Carnival. I see more and more of that with every passing month.