Carnival no longer serving Lobster on 5 day or shorter cruises!

[patrice1]

OMG, love the new menu for Elegant Night! DH & I are already planning to share more than one entree so that we can try some of the new items. And scallops for appetizer - wow! This menu sounds way better than the crawfish tail offered as lobster. I'm originally from Mass., so real lopsta has CLAWS! Never touched the stuff on a cruise because it's not real cold-water lopsta!

 

Here in the Keys, they think that the Crawfish they catch are lopsta, but we get ours from the local fish market tanks - live - and with claws. :D Years ago, when I lived in Mass. on the ocean, there was a glut of lopsta and it cost less than beef or chicken for awhile. Had it at least 3 times a week and treated all 80 of my Nursing Home patients with it, too! What fun!

Edited September 16, 2015 by patrice1

[carsastic]

Is this the first cutback that carnival actually called a cut back?

This is big news

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

I'm sure many of these cutbacks are to offset the cost of the Costa Concordia tragedy. Insurance will only pay out so much and we're going to be paying for recovery and settlement costs for years to come..

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I'm sure many of these cutbacks are to offset the cost of the Costa Concordia tragedy. Insurance will only pay out so much and we're going to be paying for recovery and settlement costs for years to come..

 

Carnival Total Assets (Quarterly): 38.61Billion dollars, May 31, 2015......

 

If Carnival needed money so badly I am sure a little garage sale would put them on the road to recovery pretty quickly. Also latest stock analysts list Carnivals control of the cruise market at 50%. I don't think the serving of farm raised lobster is about the money as it is about serving less than a satisfactory product.

[Podna's]

I'm sure many of these cutbacks are to offset the cost of the Costa Concordia tragedy. Insurance will only pay out so much and we're going to be paying for recovery and settlement costs for years to come..

 

 

Couldn't disagree more.

[sanmarcosman]

OMG, love the new menu for Elegant Night! DH & I are already planning to share more than one entree so that we can try some of the new items. And scallops for appetizer - wow! This menu sounds way better than the crawfish tail offered as lobster.

 

Stick to those 5 day and less cruises only to enjoy the new menu items! ;)

[ATL_Miami_Cruiser]

Carnival Total Assets (Quarterly): 38.61Billion dollars, May 31, 2015......

 

If Carnival needed money so badly I am sure a little garage sale would put them on the road to recovery pretty quickly. Also latest stock analysts list Carnivals control of the cruise market at 50%. I don't think the serving of farm raised lobster is about the money as it is about serving less than a satisfactory product.

 

I would agree if Carnival were Apple or Google and had billions of dollars in cash assets. But the fact is that Carnival lost a lot of money on the incident and will recoup those costs over several years. Companies don't just lose money and say oh well. They write off what they can and defer those costs over years. During this time they create a budget to recoup every dime lost which is what you're seeing with these reductions. They owe it to their shareholders.

[pusywillow]

No lox and bagels??????? Is this true? I have not read that anywhere.

 

I'd like to know about this also. Their smoked salmon is so good.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I would agree if Carnival were Apple or Google and had billions of dollars in cash assets. But the fact is that Carnival lost a lot of money on the incident and will recoup those costs over several years. Companies don't just lose money and say oh well. They write off what they can and defer those costs over years. During this time they create a budget to recoup every dime lost which is what you're seeing with these reductions. They owe it to their shareholders.

 

The cost of the lobsters are minuscule in the grand scheme of food costs and it looks as though other "specials" are being substituted that isn't exactly cheap food. Good heavens...you can get those same rubbery lobsters at "red lobster", they don't taste that good there, either.

[MCFTJCH2V]

Seems like everytime I am set to cruise which is on September 28th a 5 day one more thing gets taken away.

 

Captain party no longer free.

Past guest party cause I need to be another level.

They changed how the system went from moving up.

No locks and bagels.

 

Really they keep taking away they will keep loosing loyal customers.

 

Even the last cruise I was on there was only one sail away party. So we are paying for ???

 

Good question. And then stated to keep the cost of cruising low. Meanwhile the cost of short cruises for me is always higher for me per diem than the longer cruises, especially those old CTNs. I'll stick to the 7+ ones.

[ready2cruzagain]

Well, won't effect me since we have not sailed a 5 day cruise in years. I do always order the lobster even though it is quite puny and nothing like it should be. The last ones we had were very tiny! The shrimp we had on Princess the following week were larger than the lobster on Carnival.:eek:

 

Sad though that JH stated it was to keep the price of cruising down. I thought they did away with the chocolates on the pillows to keep the price of the cruise down...well, that must not have worked out to well for them.:rolleyes:

[MikeMA]

This is sad news. I remember when NCL did this and I swore I wouldn't book with them again, and I haven't.

My grandparents have over 50 cruises under there belt in the past 25 years and they won't sail NCL either because of this.

 

If Carnival goes this route on longer cruises I will do the same with them. The lobster night is my favorite night and people suggesting paying an upcharge to still get it are doing EXACTLY what the beards at Carnival want. Paying more money for something that has always been included.

[NoDayButToday]

I'd like to know about this also. Their smoked salmon is so good.

 

 

I asked about this on John Heald's Facebook this morning. He said that the smoked salmon is absolutely still available on lido and in the dining room on all ships, and from room service on most ships. The ships testing the new room service menu with paid options don't have room service smoked salmon anymore. I replied with my disappointment because I would order it from room service breakfast every cruise (since it is the only room service breakfast option with any significant amount of protein...) and someone else said the breakfast room service hanger should still have it on those ships too. Guess I will find out for sure in February when I sail on the Conquest since they have the room service test.

[SMSACE6]

I did not like Carnival's lobster for years, found it tough and chewy, not even close to what North Atlantic lobster should taste like. Last year I ventured to try it again, and found it quite good.

 

This cutback wont affect me personally though, as I can take it or leave it. The new menu items look interesting, but remains to be seen if the scallops are real sea scallops, or just the small bay ones. Will probably order it in October just to see how they are.

 

Feel bad for those who look forward to the lobster though. Easy enough for some to say, just book a 6 day or longer, but that is not always an option for many, due to time off constraints, price etc.

[patrice1]

Stick to those 5 day and less cruises only to enjoy the new menu items! ;)

 

I don't cruise to eat and we do various length cruises, but I have a 4 day coming up, so we'll make the best of it. Thanks for your snarky comment, tho.

[Texasl8dy]

I'm very disappointed with this change. :(

 

 

 

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[linbobky]

it won't be long until they stop serving them on all cruises!:( they are seeing all these remarks that people don't care.

[LMaxwell]

I have not seen on JH's page where it said this, otherwise I would respond to him that my wife would be disappointed.

[wanderingjew]

The cost of the lobsters are minuscule in the grand scheme of food costs and it looks as though other "specials" are being substituted that isn't exactly cheap food. Good heavens...you can get those same rubbery lobsters at "red lobster", they don't taste that good there, either.

As does the piece of shoe leather that CCL calls Prime Rib :D :D

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

it won't be long until they stop serving them on all cruises!:( they are seeing all these remarks that people don't care.

 

I think you are over-estimating the power of CC which is probably much less than 1% of active cruisers. I am sure Carnival gets much better input by way of the information they gather from their surveys.

 

As good "salt water free range lobster" becomes easier to get for many "at home" consumers (the ones at my local eatery are to die for) cruisers actually have something to compare the "mass market" lobsters available on a cruise ship. And the lobster in a Carnival dining room probably comes up wanting.

[wanderingjew]

it won't be long until they stop serving them on all cruises!:( they are seeing all these remarks that people don't care.

Exactly within 3 months Mr Bluster will post " Due to the success of the BRILLIANT no lobster on the 5 days or less cruises, we will not serve Lobster Tails for free.

 

Cheers Mate" :D

[Podna's]

I think you are over-estimating the power of CC which is probably much less than 1% of active cruisers. I am sure Carnival gets much better input by way of the information they gather from their surveys.

 

 

Very well said. I'd say .5% and that might be generous. There really are a few people here that think the opinions of CC make a difference in Carnivals decision making. Great site to help new cruisers and of course to battle it out on any changes the cruise lines make, but that's about it.

[LMaxwell]

Very well said. I'd say .5% and that might be generous. There really are a few people here that think the opinions of CC make a difference in Carnivals decision making. Great site to help new cruisers and of course to battle it out on any changes the cruise lines make' date=' but that's about it.[/quote']

 

Yes, not a large base. But the same person popping up in each thread about a cutback to say 'Well, it doesn't matter to me, and it sucked anyway, it shouldn't matter to you, they are a for profit business, yadda yadda yadda' doesn't help. If people don't care they are welcome to state their opinions, but to continually reinforce them in such a way as to downplay the opinions of others who are impacted certainly isn't going to help anything.

 

Do *I* like lobster? No. Does my wife? yes. Do we regularly go out for lobster? No. Hardly ever. It's a cruise tradition / cruise treat. Carnivals making the experience more like Motel 6. Well, at Motel 6 they leave the light on for you. I guess this is more like Motel 5.

[Podna's]

Exactly within 3 months Mr Bluster will post " Due to the success of the BRILLIANT no lobster on the 5 days or less cruises, we will not serve Lobster Tails for free.

 

Cheers Mate" :D

 

 

I doubt it. But it wouldn't be as pathetic as someone who dislikes Carnival so much it shows in his signature, but still follows the Carnival board to put down JH every chance he gets.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

But the same person popping up in each thread about a cutback to say 'Well, it doesn't matter to me, and it sucked anyway, it shouldn't matter to you, they are a for profit business, yadda yadda yadda' doesn't help. If people don't care they are welcome to state their opinions, but to continually reinforce them in such a way as to downplay the opinions of others who are impacted certainly isn't going to help anything.

 

What is someone supposed to say who disagrees with your opinion....that you are completely right? If someone has an opinion they do have a right to voice it even if you think "it doesn't help". Are these forums only out there to get Carnival to change their mind because you don't like the direction they are taking?