"Loyalty" in general is a thing of the past

[jimbo5544]

Yes I know that Cahill is gone, but the cost cutting hit a nice stride under his command and has continued. From the information I got, including from my TA who I am friends with, as well as others, it does in fact appear that the incidents were in fact a result of poor maintenance. I wish I had known earlier that you were a travel agent. That makes much more sense now. All this time I simply thought you were a die-hard, blind faith cheerleader--nope. You have a vested interest in not saying anything bad about them.

 

 

Lol that makes no sense at all. You are one funny guy, you crack me up. I am done here. If you find the maintenance info please post so we can forward it to the coastguard Enjoy your cruises.

[bruadhin]

Everything is business, on all cruise lines. I am a TA, I know all about Gerry Cahill. Who did they not tell? BTW, Gerry is gone, his replacement, Christine Duffy comes from heading CLIA, and shocking as it may to believe, has been a cruise advocate (not cost cutting). Neither of the highly publicized incidents were due to poor maintenance btw. Both were within normal maintenance records..... anything else?

 

A large business is rather line a cruise ship. It doesn't turn on a dime. I will take your comment at face value, it will take time for her to implement changes.

[jimbo5544]

A large business is rather line a cruise ship. It doesn't turn on a dime. I will take your comment at face value, it will take time for her to implement changes.

 

 

Trust me, she is the best person for the job (regardless of what some will say here).

[A2Mich]

Lol that makes no sense at all. You are one funny guy, you crack me up. I am done here. If you find the maintenance info please post so we can forward it to the coastguard Enjoy your cruises.

 

 

I'm simply telling you what was relayed to me. I cannot guarantee that it is factual or not-plain and simple.

[A2Mich]

Lol that makes no sense at all. You are one funny guy, you crack me up. I am done here. If you find the maintenance info please post so we can forward it to the coastguard Enjoy your cruises.

 

 

I wouldn't do that to you--you'd lose bookings if that were the case.

[applebaker]

Maybe some of the people who brought uninvited red and blue guests to the party should assume responsibility for the results of overcrowding. Not just gold but platinum and above. When a system is abused, there are always repercussions. Not just Carnival, but in the world. This also applies to alcohol smuggling and cheating on the cheers program. Just my opinion.

[jakeT]

It's just sad, sad, sad, they are changing the whole cruise experience. so charge another $30 PP and keep some of the thing that made cruising great. People will not experience a past guest party until 75'days of cruising. Will never experience an mid night buffee. Ect.ect. It seems like we are losing something, because we are losing it. Good or bad that wast it is. If Carnival wants people to do repeat cruises with them. I guest they will have to start earning it.

[eponym]

It's clearly marked in my sig line what reward level we're at on both cruiselines. If you're wondering about my remark that we aren't Carnival or Princess' best customers, is because we don't buy photos, trinkets, watered down drinks, gamble or play Bingo. Our S&S card is used most often to either open the cabin door or the safe. We do eat one evening in the specialty restaurant and order a bottle of wine and that's about it.

 

Ah, thank you. I didn't look through signatures lines.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

It's just sad, sad, sad, they are changing the whole cruise experience. so charge another $30 PP and keep some of the thing that made cruising great. People will not experience a past guest party until 75'days of cruising. Will never experience an mid night buffee. Ect.ect. It seems like we are losing something, because we are losing it. Good or bad that wast it is. If Carnival wants people to do repeat cruises with them. I guest they will have to start earning it.

 

I'm glad my cruising experiences keep changing and are evolving. The status quo only means, to me, that something is growing old and stale and that my host is never thinking outside of the box. Today's cruise isn't about boring old "parties" or the "class" system, it's not about silly trinkets or a free glass of watered down booze. It is about having fun things to do that everyone I travel with can participate in...not about being stuck in a room with lots of people who live in the past and are too old or to set in their ways to embrace what cruising is not what it was.

 

Why would I want a flashy midnight buffet when a regular buffet is offered every day, why would I want a dull old party when we have lots of places where my group can make our own parties with participants we actually want to be around. Why should my fare pay for do-dahs or "gifts" that I can buy 10 for a dollar at the store, or why should my fare pay to allow guests who are to cheap to buy their own drinks a way to turn into a sloppy drunk after 30 minutes of cheap booze.

 

Give me more food venues and choices, better ports, more balcony rooms, softer lounges, a shiny new ship, more choices like the spas, exercise facilities, outside activities like water slides and rope courses. Provide activities for kids of all ages, more efficient cabins.

 

Cruising shouldn't be about satisfying the nostalgia of a generation or buying into a "Titanic" experience of silly glitz and pomp and circumstance that doesn't really exist in our world where you don't need continual affirmation of being "top dog" for an hour to feel "special".

 

We are happy "making" our own fun, doing our thing and loosing some archaic rewards isn't going to upset our apple carts. I'm loyal because I enjoy my experience...that's the bottom line.

[lido deck larry]

I'm glad my cruising experiences keep changing and are evolving. The status quo only means, to me, that something is growing old and stale and that my host is never thinking outside of the box. Today's cruise isn't about boring old "parties" or the "class" system, it's not about silly trinkets or a free glass of watered down booze. It is about having fun things to do that everyone I travel with can participate in...not about being stuck in a room with lots of people who live in the past and are too old or to set in their ways to embrace what cruising is not what it was.

 

Why would I want a flashy midnight buffet when a regular buffet is offered every day, why would I want a dull old party when we have lots of places where my group can make our own parties with participants we actually want to be around. Why should my fare pay for do-dahs or "gifts" that I can buy 10 for a dollar at the store, or why should my fare pay to allow guests who are to cheap to buy their own drinks a way to turn into a sloppy drunk after 30 minutes of cheap booze.

 

Give me more food venues and choices, better ports, more balcony rooms, softer lounges, a shiny new ship, more choices like the spas, exercise facilities, outside activities like water slides and rope courses. Provide activities for kids of all ages, more efficient cabins.

 

Cruising shouldn't be about satisfying the nostalgia of a generation or buying into a "Titanic" experience of silly glitz and pomp and circumstance that doesn't really exist in our world where you don't need continual affirmation of being "top dog" for an hour to feel "special".

 

We are happy "making" our own fun, doing our thing and loosing some archaic rewards isn't going to upset our apple carts. I'm loyal because I enjoy my experience...that's the bottom line.

Oh wow. awesome reply, and I agree with everything you said. Couldn't have written it better myself.

[KevInPitt]

 

I'm loyal because I enjoy my experience...that's the bottom line.

 

Exactly. End of discussion.

[misterchatter]

Maybe some of the people who brought uninvited red and blue guests to the party should assume responsibility for the results of overcrowding. Not just gold but platinum and above. When a system is abused, there are always repercussions. Not just Carnival, but in the world. This also applies to alcohol smuggling and cheating on the cheers program. Just my opinion.

 

Don't blame the guests for bringing these people who were not invited, place the blame on Carnival for not enforcing their rules. If 200 are invited and 600 show up, well then they have a problem.

[ScrappinCSI]

[quote=Sweet Dutch Girl;46549222

Cruising shouldn't be about satisfying the nostalgia of a generation or buying into a "Titanic" experience of silly glitz and pomp and circumstance that doesn't really exist in our world where you don't need continual affirmation of being "top dog" for an hour to feel "special".

 

Why? because nostalgia isn't your thing.....the interests of the generation before you doesn't matter? I don't give jack about top dog as a matter of fact that nose in the air attitude is what keeps me off RCL. But there is nothing wrong with enjoying traditions nor expecting a little bit of it in your experience. I live a bicycle ride away from the beach and after 50+ years am bored stiff with sticky sand and black flies. But I don't go around the ship thinking the hordes of snowbirds flocking to their sunburned end as we dock aren't entitled to it. Why can't I also be entitled to the things I like that you think are just as stupid?

[lido deck larry]

Why? because nostalgia isn't your thing.....the interests of the generation before you doesn't matter? I don't give jack about top dog as a matter of fact that nose in the air attitude is what keeps me off RCL. But there is nothing wrong with enjoying traditions nor expecting a little bit of it in your experience. I live a bicycle ride away from the beach and after 50+ years am bored stiff with sticky sand and black flies. But I don't go around the ship thinking the hordes of snowbirds flocking to their sunburned end as we dock aren't entitled to it. Why can't I also be entitled to the things I like that you think are just as stupid?

Carnival and the major cruise lines know they can't build a business viable in the future around nostalgia, so it's rightfully being phased out. Sorry, but that's the truth.

[Havingfun2010]

I'm glad my cruising experiences keep changing and are evolving. The status quo only means, to me, that something is growing old and stale and that my host is never thinking outside of the box.

 

Outside the box? Outside the box means, coming up with new ideas to replace the old. It doesn't mean taking away the "old" and replacing it with nothing!

 

Today's cruise isn't about boring old "parties" or the "class" system, it's not about silly trinkets or a free glass of watered down booze. It is about having fun things to do that everyone I travel with can participate in...not about being stuck in a room with lots of people who live in the past and are too old or to set in their ways to embrace what cruising is not what it was.

 

DJ out on deck is not talent. Loud blaring TV on deck is not exciting. Loyalty and Class are not the same thing. If everyone eats the same "Denny's style food" in the MDR, than it is not about class. Many people that are not "old" or "old enough to live in the past" enjoy getting dressed up, and enjoying being served instead of serving oneself. I take offense to your statement. But I do enjoy classier things in life.

 

 

Why would I want a flashy midnight buffet when a regular buffet is offered every day, (Because you are still awake at midnight, and what is better, some hotdogs, hamburger or pizza at midnight or good food carefully made? why would I want a dull old party when we have lots of places where my group can make our own parties with participants we actually want to be around. (So you only want to be with a small group of people like you?) Why should my fare pay for do-dahs or "gifts" that I can buy 10 for a dollar at the store, or why should my fare pay to allow guests who are to cheap to buy their own drinks a way to turn into a sloppy drunk after 30 minutes of cheap booze. (But if you take away the expectation of a "classier" experience on a ship, you begin to train people to act another way. Take away the class and you get sloppy drunks).

 

Give me more food venues and choices, better ports, more balcony rooms, softer lounges, a shiny new ship, more choices like the spas, exercise facilities, outside activities like water slides and rope courses. Provide activities for kids of all ages, more efficient cabins.

 

Other cruise lines are doing it, but they charge more money. Carnival is keeping their prices low, so they do not offer the choices you mention.

 

Cruising shouldn't be about satisfying the nostalgia of a generation or buying into a "Titanic" experience of silly glitz and pomp and circumstance that doesn't really exist in our world where you don't need continual affirmation of being "top dog" for an hour to feel "special".

 

It does exist. It exist in my world. I do not stay at Red Rood, HJ, or Days Inn. I expect to be greeted by name. I do dress to go out to dinner and go to those places that people are expected to dress. No matter what your definition of "class" means, everyone, wants to be recognized and made to feel that they are "special".

 

We are happy "making" our own fun, doing our thing and loosing some archaic rewards isn't going to upset our apple carts. I'm loyal because I enjoy my experience...that's the bottom line.

 

Why do you want to "make" your own fun. If you pay for the experience, you should get it!

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Why do you want to "make" your own fun. If you pay for the experience, you should get it!

 

Luckily many of us travelers don't rely on a few trinkets and a party to have fun. We are much more self-sufficient and we use the things that are offered on a cruise to have fun...we don't wallow in the fact that we aren't "special" to make the experience enjoyable. And yes Carnival is keeping up with the Joneses....just board the Magic or look at what is being offered on the Vista.

 

Many of us have embraced a more casual life style...a cruise is a place where we can forego the confinement of a dress style or a life style that went out of style years ago. And, thankfully, we don't equate a style of dress with psuedo class and we don't have to get sloppy drunk to have a good time...that is stereotypical thinking in its extreme. And we also go out to really good restaurants, but to places that are more modern in their thinking and know that "clothes" don't make the person or the experience, rather good companions, good food, and good conversation.

 

People address us by name, not because they have to, but because we take the time to meet and get to know our stewards, servers, and staff. We treat them as interesting people, which they are, and they respond in kind no matter if we are blue, red, gold, or whatever. For us it is all about attitude...if ours is good then everything else falls into place.

 

I am thankful that cruises still exist at a price I can afford. I board each ship hoping I'll find something new or a little different that will enhance my current experience. I don't expect them all to be the same...don't expect to do this time what I did last time. Each new ship that comes out has something that it didn't in the past....changing and evolving as we all, hopefully, change and evolve.

[elliair]

Don't blame the guests for bringing these people who were not invited, place the blame on Carnival for not enforcing their rules. If 200 are invited and 600 show up, well then they have a problem.

 

And that's why we're having this discussion. A few taking advantage of the party and thus ruining it for everyone else. So "they" have a problem and "they" are solving the problem and "them" don't like it. You can only please the people some of the time but not all of the time. Impossible for any cruise line to meet those expectations.

[eponym]

... We are much more self-sufficient and we use the things that are offered on a cruise to have fun... And yes Carnival is keeping up with the Joneses....just board the Magic or look at what is being offered on the Vista.

 

I am trying to understand what you mean by keeping up with the Joneses on two boats of 24 or 25- Magic or the incomplete Vista.

 

Many of us have embraced a more casual life style...a cruise is a place where we can forego the confinement of a dress style... we don't equate a style of dress with psuedo class and we don't have to get sloppy drunk to have a good time...that is stereotypical thinking in its extreme.

 

Stereotypical, extreme, thinking certainly can run both ways. On the Carnival brand there are published dress codes, including elegant nights mixed with casual. Not saying they are enforced, but they are published.

 

I agree that casual has become a well accepted practice in many businesses and lifestyles, and there is nothing wrong that as an option. The fact that a vacation experience has a more casual dress code than another simply differentiates brands and overall atmosphere that ties to experience and preferences. In turn that too can help foster loyalty if the differences are noticeable, and aren't simply a defiant product of passengers abandoning the dress codes established by the carriers.

 

 

And we also go out to really good restaurants, but to places that are more modern in their thinking and know that "clothes" don't make the person or the experience, rather good companions, good food, and good conversation.

 

For us good atmosphere with good food and service are the basis for our happiness and potential business loyalty. Atmosphere is driven by many factors.

 

People address us by name, not because they have to...

 

What other options for a service industry should be used, while you are in their care other than maam, or sir? Addressing people by their names, and remembering names is a key component for customer experience and fostering loyalty in all service industries.

 

...Each new ship that comes out has something that it didn't in the pastchanging and evolving as we all, hopefully, change and evolve.

 

That is what brand hopping is all about, and then there is no loyalty in play.

Some might label a brand, an unstable brand, if it seeks to aspire to high levels of change and evolution within itself.

 

To us, every ship sailing has a type of personality based on decor, amenities, the passenger demographics that live in the area of the port it sails from, and the make up of the crew. We are not loyal to hope that things might change and evolve.

 

A ship can have awesome decor and ammenities (and preferences vary widly in customer views) but can be ugly experiences because either enough passengers or the services team have attitudes. It's the human factor among all the service components on a cruise that can either build loyalty or quickly destroy it.

 

Carnival isn't the de facto choice when it comes to innovation the past few years. They do seem to have obvious loyalty in one category - affordability. And for many cruisers affordability, or perceived affordability, is #1.

[richstowe]

Company loyalty (either direction) is a thing of the past and has been for quite a while

Thank you for a great post and noting that loyalty is dead in either direction. Many whine about a lack of loyalty but would change vendors for 50 cents.

 

As far as how much better the other cruise line's loyalty plans are , there is no such thing as a free lunch . (Yes everybody says this but few recognize it). You pay for these programs . Yes , you really do .

[Out to sea!]

Sure they have the right to do so. Doesn't mean it's the best decision or an equitable one for anyone but themselves. Also doesn't mean it won't irritate customer or that said customers won't remember it. There's a lot to be said for customer relations, whether or not Carnival chooses to believe it.

 

So you agree that they have the right to do so. Whether or not it's the best decision is immaterial (and from their point of view it most likely is the best decision). If you're unhappy with their decision, use your ability to spend your hard earned cash elsewhere but truthfully, I don't think Carnival will care.

[Out to sea!]

Don't blame the guests for bringing these people who were not invited, place the blame on Carnival for not enforcing their rules. If 200 are invited and 600 show up, well then they have a problem.

 

Don't blame the guests for breaking the rules like a 5 year old who will get away with murder if they can? That's hilarious.

[A2Mich]

I don't think they care either. Maybe if enough passengers vote with their wallets, they might care.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[misterchatter]

Don't blame the guests for breaking the rules like a 5 year old who will get away with murder if they can? That's hilarious.

Like I said, don't blame the guests, blame the parents (Carnival) for letting him (uninvited people) get away with murder. Edited May 14, 2015 by misterchatter

[A2Mich]

Like I said, don't blame the guests, blame the parents (Carnival) for letting him (uninvited people) get away with murder.

 

 

Better yet--blame both of them. The guests for showing an obvious lack of honesty and integrity, and Carnival for actually trusting people to be honest.

[Out to sea!]

Like I said, don't blame the guests, blame the parents (Carnival) for letting him (uninvited people) get away with murder.

 

Yes, don't blame conniving, scheming guests trying to pull a fast one, blame the worker that spends 18 hours a day trying to please the conniving, scheming guests. It's sad when people can't police themselves and simply do what is right. Just plain sad.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Out to sea!