What has changed since 2008?

[printingchick]

My last Carnival cruise was in 2008. What has changed since then? I know vendors have stopped providing free promotional samples. I know there is no more topless sun deck, due to views from the water slides. What else is different?

[printingchick]

Cutbacks are not unique to Carnival; they are across all cruise lines. I suspect there are no more waxy chocolates left on the pillow. Not a big deal to me. I never ate them anyway. I'm interested in other things.

 

 

• Any new activities or ship features?
  
• Any new dining areas included in the cruise price?
  
• Any new policies I should know about? (For example, Royal now allows passengers to carry on two bottles of wine at embarkation and there is no associated corkage fee.)
  

 

The honeymooners are leaning toward a 6-day on Splendor, if there is anything specific to that ship that you think they should know.

 

Thanks!

[love my grandkids]

Cutbacks are not unique to Carnival; they are across all cruise lines. I suspect there are no more waxy chocolates left on the pillow. Not a big deal to me. I never ate them anyway. I'm interested in other things.

 

 

• Any new activities or ship features?
  
• Any new dining areas included in the cruise price?
  
• Any new policies I should know about? (For example, Royal now allows passengers to carry on two bottles of wine at embarkation and there is no associated corkage fee.)
  

 

The honeymooners are leaning toward a 6-day on Splendor, if there is anything specific to that ship that you think they should know.

 

Thanks!

 

We do miss the chocolates on pillows. Used to take them home freeze them and have them to remind us of cruising.

 

they have cut lots of corners so cruising is not the elegant affair you might remember.

[TheCriuseDirector]

I'm not sure if this was pre 2008 or post 2008, but they changed their Dailies from Capers to Fun times, and their VIFP program has been "revamped". That's all that I can really note becausemy first cruise was in 2012

[MaiTaiMary]

No more chocolates on the pillow?? :( We just cruised in November and had them. So sorry to hear this. It was such a fun little touch and my kids really looked forward to it.

[printingchick]

I've cruised since 2008, just not on Carnival. I'm aware of the cutbacks. I've seen them on Royal Caribbean as well.

 

CruiseDirector - Thanks. They were still the Carnival Capers when I last cruised. I think I did read about them changing to "Fun Times". Not a big deal.

 

I should go on the website and see about the past-cruise program. As I recall, it was pretty lame back in 2008. After five cruises on Carnival, I don't think I got anything more than an invitation to the "Welcome Back" party. My daughter has cruised on Carnival twice.

 

Thanks for all the feedback.

[Havingfun2010]

My last Carnival cruise was in 2008. What has changed since then? I know vendors have stopped providing free promotional samples. I know there is no more topless sun deck, due to views from the water slides. What else is different?

 

1. Food - they changed the menu's and food to reflect a Denny's atmosphere. Shorts, flip flops and t-shirts are now acceptable attire at all the eating locations.

 

2. Entertainment - removed live bands, and replaced it with DJ's and sometimes just piped in music.

 

3. Remodel ships, to increase staterooms and decrease public areas.

 

4. Reduced passenger to staff ratio's

 

5. Reduced passenger to space ratio's

 

6. Create rules to look good such as smoking changes etc but fail to enforce them. They fail to enforce curfews too, and allow kids the run of the ship at all hours, without and form of control.

 

7. Increase the number of photographers which take up the already reduced walkways and create unnecessary lines and bottle necks.

 

8. They took away all loyalty perks, and replaced it with a $0.23 bottle of water, and brag about it.

 

9. They now promote a large party atmosphere, with loud music, and unruly guest to increase revenue with alcohol consumption.

 

Outside of that, things are about the same.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

My last Carnival cruise was in 2008. What has changed since then? I know vendors have stopped providing free promotional samples. I know there is no more topless sun deck, due to views from the water slides. What else is different?

 

Changes are all about the eyes of the beholder. Some "changes" are perceived as good and others as bad.

 

Basically cruising is the same...you get a cabin with a bed and bath for your needs, you get "free" meals at the appropriate time, you get transportation to the ports of your choice, you have use of a casino, bars, dining facilities, lounging areas, a pool, hot tubs, some specific adult areas, child care facilities and activities, exercise options and facilities. Depending on the ship you have additional fee dining, cabins that give you additional spa services, expanded outside activities like water slides, rope courses, water areas. Some buffets now have food specific areas like burgers, international cuisine.

 

Cruising is always and ebb and flow. Drinks may be a bit more expensive, casinos may not be quite so "giving", there may be more "pay for extras" offered, freebies may not be the same as they once were, food may be a bit more banquetish as more and more people need to be fed, service may be a bit more erratic as the crew may have been downsized as wages have gone up, entertainment may be a bit more sporadic in its quality as good cheap entertainment becomes harder to find.

 

More and more electronics are visible on the ship...from interactive TVs allowing you to see your daily purchases, access to internet connections, financial kiosks. Ship passengers are seemingly much more casual than they were 8 years ago, formal nights are not "formal", midnight activities are pretty minimal, sedentary activities may have given way to more active family orientated activities. Many ports and port areas are controlled by the cruiselines and visits to various ports rarely reveal the true-nature of the areas visited.

 

The changes are endless but the core of your cruise is virtually the same.

[printingchick]

Are there still formal nights? How many on a 6 day cruise?

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

1. Food - they changed the menu's and food to reflect a Denny's atmosphere. Shorts, flip flops and t-shirts are now acceptable attire at all the eating locations.

 

2. Entertainment - removed live bands, and replaced it with DJ's and sometimes just piped in music.

 

3. Remodel ships, to increase staterooms and decrease public areas.

 

4. Reduced passenger to staff ratio's

 

5. Reduced passenger to space ratio's

 

6. Create rules to look good such as smoking changes etc but fail to enforce them. They fail to enforce curfews too, and allow kids the run of the ship at all hours, without and form of control.

 

7. Increase the number of photographers which take up the already reduced walkways and create unnecessary lines and bottle necks.

 

8. They took away all loyalty perks, and replaced it with a $0.23 bottle of water, and brag about it.

 

9. They now promote a large party atmosphere, with loud music, and unruly guest to increase revenue with alcohol consumption.

 

Outside of that, things are about the same.

 

Have cruiselines done anything "new" that appeals to you or anything that may, in anyway, make your trip fun or enjoyable? If all I saw were the negatives I wouldn't be cruising unless they paid me to do. Besides, outside of a couple of items none of the changes you list impact me at all.

 

1. I have never thought of cruise food as much more than mid-range restaurant food.

2. Live entertainment can be horrible when it is done poorly and a two man "band" isn't always the best.

3. The more staterooms the more people the higher the profitability the more cruise costs for the average passenger can stay within their budget.

4. I agree, personal service isn't what it used to be but then personal service doesn't seem to exist much in the "real world" unless you have an inordinate amount of money to pay for it.

5. So much public space on a ship goes absolutely unused...bars are rarely full, reading areas are virtually empty, conference rooms aren't used very often.

6. Smoking doesn't bother me and as Carnival becomes more family friendly issues with "kids" may become more irritating for some old timers....but I remember being a kid and so I am a bit more forgiving, I guess.

7. If you don't want your picture taken just walk by...and choose a different route to get from point A to point B on the nights they line the corridors.

8. Don't even get me started on people who think that booking a few cruises on the same line is loyalty and then think of themselves as VIPs...who cares.

9. Why can't other people enjoy a cruise the way they deem fun....not all people crave the same things from any experience.

9.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Sweet Dutch Girl

[printingchick]

Have cruiselines done anything "new" that appeals to you or anything that may, in anyway, make your trip fun or enjoyable? If all I saw were the negatives I wouldn't be cruising unless they paid me to do. Besides, outside of a couple of items none of the changes you list impact me at all.

 

My last 5 cruises have been on Royal Caribbean. My daughter has cruised on both RCL and CCL, but it's been years since we were on Carnival.

 

The things we like on our RCL cruises, many of which are likely also offered on Carnival. Things such as:

 

• Formal nights. Yup...we like 'em. But we don't care if some people view khaki shorts and a golf shirt as "formal".
  
• Games. We particularly like the Quest game on Royal. I suspect they offer something similar these days on Carnival.
  
• The 70s Party. We enjoy this fun music and dance party they have on every Royal cruise. We pack retro clothes and go all out for the event.
  
• Calypso music by the pool. On Royal it's live. Piped in would be okay, so long as it's not ridiculously loud.
  
• Towel animals. Okay...I know...perhaps a little childish? But we like 'em. I have been known to tip the room steward to insure we get one every night. (On some Royal ships, they have reduced them to a few times per cruise.)
  
• Service. We like the great service provided by a crew that gets to know us. We wanna be where everyone knows our names.
  
• Adult pool area. It's nice to escape the kids from time to time.
  
• The honeymooners will LOVE the water slides. We've missed those on Royal.
  

 

 

A couple other questions:

 

• On Royal, mini-golf is available 24/7. I recall it only being opened at certain times on Carnival. Is that still true?
  
• On Royal, they clean the pools an hot tubs at different times, so there is always a pool/hot tub open - all day/all night. As I recall, Carnival used to close them, putting netting over top, at night. Is that still true?
  
• If they cruise on Splendor they will have one tender port - Grand Cayman. How does the tender process work these days?
  

Edited July 26, 2015 by printingchick

[JLee1973]

My last 5 cruises have been on Royal Caribbean. My daughter has cruised on both RCL and CCL, but it's been years since we were on Carnival.

 

The things we like on our RCL cruises, many of which are likely also offered on Carnival. Things such as:

 

• Formal nights. Yup...we like 'em. But we don't care if some people view khaki shorts and a golf shirt as "formal".
  
• Games. We particularly like the Quest game on Royal. I suspect they offer something similar these days on Carnival.
  
• The 70s Party. We enjoy this fun music and dance party they have on every Royal cruise. We pack retro clothes and go all out for the event.
  
• Calypso music by the pool. On Royal it's live. Piped in would be okay, so long as it's not ridiculously loud.
  
• Towel animals. Okay...I know...perhaps a little childish? But we like 'em. I have been known to tip the room steward to insure we get one every night. (On some Royal ships, they have reduced them to a few times per cruise.)
  
• Service. We like the great service provided by a crew that gets to know us. We wanna be where everyone knows our names.
  
• Adult pool area. It's nice to escape the kids from time to time.
  
• The honeymooners will LOVE the water slides. We've missed those on Royal.
  

 

 

A couple other questions:

 

• On Royal, mini-golf is available 24/7. I recall it only being opened at certain times on Carnival. Is that still true?
  
• On Royal, they clean the pools an hot tubs at different times, so there is always a pool/hot tub open - all day/all night. As I recall, Carnival used to close them, putting netting over top, at night. Is that still true?
  
• If they cruise on Splendor they will have one tender port - Grand Cayman. How does the tender process work these days?
  

As I recall mini golf is open 24/7 now.

 

They still close the pools and hot tubs at night by putting netting over it.

 

Never been on the Splendor but when I have been to tendered ports you are given a time you can go to a location to get a tender number.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Son of a son of a ...]

The passengers. Gone is the sense of awe and adventure. Now replaced by a sense of entitlement and unabashed gluttony and rudeness.

[love my grandkids]

No more chocolates on the pillow?? :( We just cruised in November and had them. So sorry to hear this. It was such a fun little touch and my kids really looked forward to it.

 

We were on a cruise in March and no more. They decided that many people tossed them so they went away for all.

 

Just a little bit of a cutback but we liked them.

[Honolulu Blue]

My last 5 cruises have been on Royal Caribbean. My daughter has cruised on both RCL and CCL, but it's been years since we were on Carnival.

 

The things we like on our RCL cruises, many of which are likely also offered on Carnival. Things such as:

 

• Formal nights. Yup...we like 'em. But we don't care if some people view khaki shorts and a golf shirt as "formal".
  
• Games. We particularly like the Quest game on Royal. I suspect they offer something similar these days on Carnival.
  
• The 70s Party. We enjoy this fun music and dance party they have on every Royal cruise. We pack retro clothes and go all out for the event.
  
• Calypso music by the pool. On Royal it's live. Piped in would be okay, so long as it's not ridiculously loud.
  
• Towel animals. Okay...I know...perhaps a little childish? But we like 'em. I have been known to tip the room steward to insure we get one every night. (On some Royal ships, they have reduced them to a few times per cruise.)
  
• Service. We like the great service provided by a crew that gets to know us. We wanna be where everyone knows our names.
  
• Adult pool area. It's nice to escape the kids from time to time.
  
• The honeymooners will LOVE the water slides. We've missed those on Royal.
  

 

 

A couple other questions:

 

• On Royal, mini-golf is available 24/7. I recall it only being opened at certain times on Carnival. Is that still true?
  
• On Royal, they clean the pools an hot tubs at different times, so there is always a pool/hot tub open - all day/all night. As I recall, Carnival used to close them, putting netting over top, at night. Is that still true?
  
• If they cruise on Splendor they will have one tender port - Grand Cayman. How does the tender process work these days?
  

 

Let me try to respond to some of your points from my perspective.

 

Formal nights - Carnival doesn't officially have these anymore. They have "Elegant Nights" where everyone is encouraged to dress well, but it's not absolutely required.

 

Caribbean music live - Was gone, but is now coming back ship by ship.

 

Towel animals - So far I have received them every night on every cruise.

 

Service - I have received excellent service across the board on Carnival.

 

Tendering - People with early Carnival excursions or status get priority on tenders to the island, everyone else has to wait. Eventually the wait will be minimal. Tenders back to the ship are strictly first come, first served.

[clackey]

We started cruising in 2002 and have cruised at least once a year ever since.

 

Back in the good old days we had good live bands. Now if we get two live people we are doing great. It is usually a DJ or Crappyokie.

 

I like comedians, but not every night and most of them think that vulgarity and sexual innuendos are funny. The great Red Skelton said that you didn't have to get dirty to be funny. He was right.

 

Service has fallen off and you can tell that the staff is worked way too hard.

 

The quality of food has gone down the drain. Early in our cruising I looked forward to Chateaubriand. The last time I ordered it I got something that resembled Flank steak from an old grass fed bull that had died of old age.

 

I could go on but you get drift. It is not only from the Carnival folks either. Last year we sailed RCCL and NCL along with CCL. They have all made some cutbacks.

 

If I had to rate the lines by their strong suits it would go something like this.

 

Carnival for a decent cheap cruise.

Royal for decent food.

Norwegian for entertainment.

 

JMHO.

[Podna's]

And then there are people like me and the 90k plus that continue to fill Carnival's ships every week that think they are still just fine the way they are. They've had their little cutbacks just like any other company theses days but still provide one hell of a vacation. Of course there are a couple people here that posted replies that think they can change the minds of the less than 5% of CC readers that actually cruise Carnival. They provide some pretty good entertainment on this board.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Podna's

[Seago2]

The view is still the same! So is the menu... Food quality has gone downhill but the lido buffet is holding its own pretty well.

[Green4me]

We have never sailed on the Splendor.... But are Platinum so here are a few observations

 

-You can bring a bottle of wine per adult person on board, we consume in the room so not sure about corkage fee

- The 2.0 Upgrades to the ships (not sure when they started) are a big plus to us with Guys burgers, the taco and burrito bar etc.

- We like the comedy club

- We love the Red Frog Pub (not on all ships)

-They have added your time dining, we still prefer late

-I understand you can no longer bring bottled water on board, this is new since we last cruised a year ago, they will deliver 12 packs for $2.99 pre cruise purchase to you stateroom

-The Cheers program is new since 2008 I believe, it is like $49/day for 15 drinks per day, tons of threads on this subject on here CC some like it some do not, we like it.

- They still have live entertainment on deck during the day or at various locations at least on the ships we have been on recently, Magic, Sunshine and the Breeze.

-We are not picky eaters and like the food in the main dining rom, We especially like the additions of Asian, Sushi and Italian specialty restaurants. The 555 Fahrenheit steak house is awesome.

-The taste bar is a nice touch for a snack late afternoon or early evenings

-The new Carnival Vista currently under construction looks awesome, you can check it out on the company web site

 

Hope that helps

 

Best

[love my grandkids]

There have been some improvements such as comedy club, guys burgers and burrito place.

 

quality of beef has gone down but they do a good job of tenderizing so that helps them quite a bit.

[Towel Critter]

Changes are all about the eyes of the beholder. Some "changes" are perceived as good and others as bad.

 

Basically cruising is the same...you get a cabin with a bed and bath for your needs, you get "free" meals at the appropriate time, you get transportation to the ports of your choice, you have use of a casino, bars, dining facilities, lounging areas, a pool, hot tubs, some specific adult areas, child care facilities and activities, exercise options and facilities. Depending on the ship you have additional fee dining, cabins that give you additional spa services, expanded outside activities like water slides, rope courses, water areas. Some buffets now have food specific areas like burgers, international cuisine.

 

Cruising is always and ebb and flow. Drinks may be a bit more expensive, casinos may not be quite so "giving", there may be more "pay for extras" offered, freebies may not be the same as they once were, food may be a bit more banquetish as more and more people need to be fed, service may be a bit more erratic as the crew may have been downsized as wages have gone up, entertainment may be a bit more sporadic in its quality as good cheap entertainment becomes harder to find.

 

More and more electronics are visible on the ship...from interactive TVs allowing you to see your daily purchases, access to internet connections, financial kiosks. Ship passengers are seemingly much more casual than they were 8 years ago, formal nights are not "formal", midnight activities are pretty minimal, sedentary activities may have given way to more active family orientated activities. Many ports and port areas are controlled by the cruiselines and visits to various ports rarely reveal the true-nature of the areas visited.

 

The changes are endless but the core of your cruise is virtually the same.

 

I think that's a very fair assessment of the changes. And as you said, a cruise is still a cruise. I like your observation about the cruise lines controlling the experience at some ports. I wonder how much farther this will go... I've read posts by folks who seemed to not realize there are real island nations to explore beyond the perimeter of cruise line owned shopping/partying areas.

[Mary49]

"Formal Night" is now called "Elegant Night"

 

Also there are some live music bands still left.

[printingchick]

We have never sailed on the Splendor.... But are Platinum so here are a few observations

 

-You can bring a bottle of wine per adult person on board, we consume in the room so not sure about corkage fee

- The 2.0 Upgrades to the ships (not sure when they started) are a big plus to us with Guys burgers, the taco and burrito bar etc.

- We like the comedy club

- We love the Red Frog Pub (not on all ships)

-They have added your time dining, we still prefer late

-I understand you can no longer bring bottled water on board, this is new since we last cruised a year ago, they will deliver 12 packs for $2.99 pre cruise purchase to you stateroom

-The Cheers program is new since 2008 I believe, it is like $49/day for 15 drinks per day, tons of threads on this subject on here CC some like it some do not, we like it.

- They still have live entertainment on deck during the day or at various locations at least on the ships we have been on recently, Magic, Sunshine and the Breeze.

-We are not picky eaters and like the food in the main dining rom, We especially like the additions of Asian, Sushi and Italian specialty restaurants. The 555 Fahrenheit steak house is awesome.

-The taste bar is a nice touch for a snack late afternoon or early evenings

-The new Carnival Vista currently under construction looks awesome, you can check it out on the company web site

 

Hope that helps

 

Best

 

 

Thank you (and several others). This is the kind of information I was looking for. I just wanted some specifics, as I have not cruised with Carnival for a number of years. I quite honestly did not intend to initiate a thread full of reasons why Carnival (or cruises in general) are not as good as they used to be. While I have not been on a Carnival ship for a while, I still cruise fairly regularly. Cutbacks are everywhere and some are more painful than others. To me, cruising is still a GREAT way to travel and a FANTASTIC value. If you frequent these boards, I have to assume you love cruising too. The overwhelming negativity is surprising and disappointing.