so are these recent changes the truth?

[figdu]

It wasn't mentioned because the OP didn't add the information about it being solved quickly until much later, after it had been discussed here. It's great for the OP that it was quickly resolved after she posted the problem publicly on JH's FB page, but I would imagine that only a tiny percent of guests would know to do that. Regardless, it shows that guests are still being misinformed by stewards, even though Comfort Matters has been tested for about a half a year now. :confused:

 

1/2 a year.... They have a long way to go then. Cheers had a birthday before they got it fully deployed.

[jimbo5544]

It wasn't mentioned because the OP didn't add the information about it being solved quickly until much later, after it had been discussed here. It's great for the OP that it was quickly resolved after she posted the problem publicly on JH's FB page, but I would imagine that only a tiny percent of guests would know to do that. Regardless, it shows that guests are still being misinformed by stewards, even though Comfort Matters has been tested for about a half a year now. :confused:

I think I saw they were rolling it out on two additional ships. I can't comment on how long the process takes, it certainly takes time, I cannot argue that. I would think these are one off's (and limited to one ship for whatever that reason is). If it was still widely being done I think it would be all over here.

 

I think American Table is even on a much slower roll out plan. We were on the Breeze shortly after it have been rolled out, and they (the staff) were still struggling with it. While somewhat head scratching in nature (other than having unlearn something and then relearn it), when I asked about with our wait staff, they said it was being spoon fed to they a little at a time.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

I think I saw they were rolling it out on two additional ships. I can't comment on how long the process takes, it certainly takes time, I cannot argue that. I would think these are one off's (and limited to one ship for whatever that reason is). If it was still widely being done I think it would be all over here.

 

I think American Table is even on a much slower roll out plan. We were on the Breeze shortly after it have been rolled out, and they (the staff) were still struggling with it. While somewhat head scratching in nature (other than having unlearn something and then relearn it), when I asked about with our wait staff, they said it was being spoon fed to they a little at a time.

 

 

It's just worrisome that after this long, some stewards are still telling guests that they can only have one service, and blaming an increase in the number of cabins being serviced. It's certainly not every steward, but there are enough fairly recent reports to indicate it's still a problem.

 

After this long, wouldn't all of the stewards have been ordered not to make these statements and wouldn't the reports have been followed up on with the individual stewards who are making these false statements to guests? Is the problem a lack of interest in stopping stewards from making these statements or a management failure? And are the stewards being honest about the increase in cabins per steward?

 

Forgive me for being slightly suspicious, but we were on a cruise where the steward "forgot" to bring us chocolates (and we were too polite to complain) and then shortly after JH announced that chocolates had been discontinued because "testing" showed no one missed them.

[Thorncroft]

It's just worrisome that after this long, some stewards are still telling guests that they can only have one service, and blaming an increase in the number of cabins being serviced. It's certainly not every steward, but there are enough fairly recent reports to indicate it's still a problem.

 

After this long, wouldn't all of the stewards have been ordered not to make these statements and wouldn't the reports have been followed up on with the individual stewards who are making these false statements to guests? Is the problem a lack of interest in stopping stewards from making these statements or a management failure? And are the stewards being honest about the increase in cabins per steward?

 

Forgive me for being slightly suspicious, but we were on a cruise where the steward "forgot" to bring us chocolates (and we were too polite to complain) and then shortly after JH announced that chocolates had been discontinued because "testing" showed no one missed them.

 

I would guess that the ultimate goal is to get to once a day service only. This is all just a lot of smoke and mirrors on the journey there. If you follow the underpants ambassador on his page, you'll see him ask a question like "do you eat the chocolates left on the pillow for you? Please answer yes or no." You'll see most people clamoring that they won't miss them; they just want a cheap cruise fare. Then voila, next thing you know, chocolates are a goner. The people who say they don't miss something, or never use it, or don't care either way, they just want cheap; those are the ones who are enabling the constant cuts by the chainsaw CEO in the corner office. Once they get some pushback, they'll turn the chainsaw off.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Thorncroft

[Micahs Grandad]

I would guess that the ultimate goal is to get to once a day service only. This is all just a lot of smoke and mirrors on the journey there. If you follow the underpants ambassador on his page, you'll see him ask a question like "do you eat the chocolates left on the pillow for you? Please answer yes or no." You'll see most people clamoring that they won't miss them; they just want a cheap cruise fare. Then voila, next thing you know, chocolates are a goner. The people who say they don't miss something, or never use it, or don't care either way, they just want cheap; those are the one's who are enabling the constant cuts by the chainsaw CEO in the corner office. Once they get some pushback, they'll turn the chainsaw off.

 

You could have said it a bit nicer but you have hit the nail on the head.

 

Remember the old farewell party. It came into being when they ended the capt celebration. Unfortunately they forgot to publicize it after the first day and than held it the last afternoon and attendance was very small. Voila nobody wants it so lets cancel it. Set up to fail.

[sfaaa]

I would guess that the ultimate goal is to get to once a day service only. This is all just a lot of smoke and mirrors on the journey there. If you follow the underpants ambassador on his page, you'll see him ask a question like "do you eat the chocolates left on the pillow for you? Please answer yes or no." You'll see most people clamoring that they won't miss them; they just want a cheap cruise fare. Then voila, next thing you know, chocolates are a goner. The people who say they don't miss something, or never use it, or don't care either way, they just want cheap; those are the ones who are enabling the constant cuts by the chainsaw CEO in the corner office. Once they get some pushback, they'll turn the chainsaw off.

 

If most guests don't want or care about something currently offered, don't you think it is a prudent thing to listen and scratch it off from the program? Extra is good. Wastage, not so much.

[Micahs Grandad]

If most guests don't want or care about something currently offered, don't you think it is a prudent thing to listen and scratch it off from the program? Extra is good. Wastage, not so much.

 

The problem is they manipulate the situation or question to show "guests dont want it" and eliminate way too much.

[AguaMala]

It's just worrisome that after this long, some stewards are still telling guests that they can only have one service, and blaming an increase in the number of cabins being serviced. It's certainly not every steward, but there are enough fairly recent reports to indicate it's still a problem.

 

After this long, wouldn't all of the stewards have been ordered not to make these statements and wouldn't the reports have been followed up on with the individual stewards who are making these false statements to guests? Is the problem a lack of interest in stopping stewards from making these statements or a management failure? And are the stewards being honest about the increase in cabins per steward?

 

Forgive me for being slightly suspicious, but we were on a cruise where the steward "forgot" to bring us chocolates (and we were too polite to complain) and then shortly after JH announced that chocolates had been discontinued because "testing" showed no one missed them.

 

Exactly. And to compare something like this to the American Table is pretty much laughable.

 

The day this became an issue, one directive to 4 ships housekeeping Chief to filter down to the x number of steward could have been done in am matter of hours. But this takes the cake to still be occurring 6 months later.

[AguaMala]

The problem is they manipulate the situation or question to show "guests dont want it" and eliminate way too much.

 

This is what happens when your survey your most protective fans, who are turned on and made fun of it you go against the grain. It's like those pink flamingos.

[sjn911]

I'm a tea drinker and have 4 or 5 cups a day. Heading out to Italy to sail on Vista in 3 weeks and, yes, it will be painful to not have access to a couple of decent cups of tea in the morning with all-day excursions nearly every day. And flying to Europe for over 2 weeks with 1 bag <50 pounds and a smallish carryon, there's no room for tea bags, even though they take practically no space or weight.

 

So, yeah, it does matter to some of us. That Lipton crap makes a cup of tea that tastes like dust. Seriously. I cannot drink it. :(

 

Marshhawk - there have been a lot of threads about recent changes. You must have read some of them because you're original post referenced them. Not sure what changes you would expect since January. You know I'm not giving you a hard time, but just wondering why you think the things you've already read aren't true but the things people will post in response are true? We're all just a big bunch of lying dogs on Cruise Critic, you know. At least according to folks on some other sites. :p

 

Vista is #25 but I'm not using my Milestone OBC (because I'm sharing with 3 others to keep the cabin cost down since it's all so expensive). Once I get that, I'm probably moving on, not because of the changes (or as most insist on calling them - cutbacks) but simply because I'm ready. I'm tired of having the FUN FUN FUN shoved down my throat! I need something a little more sedate (I like to use my ship time to read, relax, or play Roulette) not run from location to location doing things. I want some interesting ports I haven't visited. I want different MDR meals. It's just time, for me, to move on. And I hope I'm not disappointed.

 

I hope you aren't disappointed when you sail in September. But managing expectations is a good thing. I recommend reading some reviews of your ship between now and the time you sail to get an idea of what others are experiencing (knowing that every person on every sailing has a different experience and you're reading a microscopic sample size of reviews).

 

I understand the tea thing...since moving back to Montana i have relearned drinking "cowboy" Foldgers type coffee and liptons. Although my mom always mixed Liptons and Bigelow for iced tea and we do at home. Most of us buy better coffee for home and city friends but we have different for country friends who prefer the other...LOL..depends on what you have had all the time and good tea is good tea..even more fine tuned than coffee i think...maybe get some when you get there...go get good tea..or have your hotel do it for you...asl what they serve..do not let that perk that keeps you going go away...happy cruising.

[Micahs Grandad]

This is what happens when your survey your most protective fans, who are turned on and made fun of it you go against the grain. It's like those pink flamingos.

 

Manipulation 101:(

[KatieCharlotte]

If most guests don't want or care about something currently offered, don't you think it is a prudent thing to listen and scratch it off from the program? Extra is good. Wastage, not so much.

 

Yes, if they are truly determining what people prefer and not merely manipulating data to justify decisions. Using the chocolates as an example of something of debatable value, it would be only prudent to get rid of them based on either (1) the majority of guests throwing away or abandoning their chocolates, or (2) the majority of guests in a representative survey stating that they don't care about chocolates. It feels like manipulation to announce that guests don't want the chocolates based on (1) seeing if people complain when they don't get chocolates, or (2) conducting a "push poll" (designed to get a certain result) on a FB page followed by fans.

[Thorncroft]

Carnival's problem is that they feel compelled to announce that they will be making a change and bring it to everyone's attention. If they just quietly made changes without fanfare, many wouldn't notice and others would just suck it up and move on. They're like the little kid telling on themselves by announcing that they didn't break the irreplaceable Ming vase, before anyone has even noticed.

[Thorncroft]

It feels like manipulation to announce that guests don't want the chocolates based on (1) seeing if people complain when they don't get chocolates, or (2) conducting a "push poll" (designed to get a certain result) on a FB page followed by fans.

 

I was amused when a month or so ago JH asked if anyone actually used the wash cloths provided in the stateroom, yes or no. I thought to myself, uh oh, the wash cloths are a goner. Pretty soon, everyone will have to be bringing their own loofah to shower with. His rapid fire questions seem to be precursors to whatever the item is, becoming history. LOL.

[skyeman27]

Forgive me for being slightly suspicious, but we were on a cruise where the steward "forgot" to bring us chocolates (and we were too polite to complain) and then shortly after JH announced that chocolates had been discontinued because "testing" showed no one missed them.

 

 

Carnivals chocolates used to be real chocolate, then they down graded them so much that when they did their surveys they got the answer they wanted...That's how we got to no chocolates...

[KatieCharlotte]

Carnivals chocolates used to be real chocolate, then they down graded them so much that when they did their surveys they got the answer they wanted...That's how we got to no chocolates...

 

I thought I remembered liking them on my first cruise.

[Itzmyn]

Just off the Dream, Sunday 4/10, had no problem checking twice a day service. Always had 4 towels, 4 hand towels and 4 wash cloths available. Ice bucket was filled and put in fridge everyday and our fridge was cold enough that there was still firm ice the next morning. Towel animals were on bed early afternoon. I had marked "anniversary" when I booked (number 10) and received a $25 wine card and plate of chocolate covered strawberries/pastries on the 4th day, nice surprise from Carnival. The room stewards have enough to do and shouldn't have to worry about cleaning up half eaten pizza crusts and melted ice cream cones off the hallway carpets, these were not on plates, but directly on the carpet in front of the door of the room across from ours. Dining room service was very slow some nights, and the head waiter did not even come back to our table on the last night after serving the main course, his assistant delivered dessert.

[jimbo5544]

I was amused when a month or so ago JH asked if anyone actually used the wash cloths provided in the stateroom, yes or no. I thought to myself, uh oh, the wash cloths are a goner. Pretty soon, everyone will have to be bringing their own loofah to shower with. His rapid fire questions seem to be precursors to whatever the item is, becoming history. LOL.

 

 

John asks a million questions on his blog. If every question he asked was a premonition of a cutback the ships would be empty. The whole premise reeks of grassy knoll, Area 51 and building 7 conspiracy stuff.

 

Maybe, just maybe he has to fill the voids of subjects to blog on every day and asks questions based upon what people write to him about. Why in the world would they need to front stuff with him on ideas for cutbacks? In the end if they want to stop doing something they will, if not BAU.

[KatieCharlotte]

John asks a million questions on his blog. If every question he asked was a premonition of a cutback the ships would be empty. The whole premise reeks of grassy knoll, Area 51 and building 7 conspiracy stuff.

 

Maybe, just maybe he has to fill the voids of subjects to blog on every day and asks questions based upon what people write to him about. Why in the world would they need to front stuff with him on ideas for cutbacks? In the end if they want to stop doing something they will, if not BAU.

 

I agree that most of what he asks isn't a premonition of a cutback. His main focus is page traffic and brand exposure. He likes to stir up discussion and sometimes he's just filling the page. But, his page is also used to justify and give a positive spin to changes that experienced cruisers might not like. He does conduct "push polls," i.e. polls focused more on influencing people than gathering accurate data.

[Micahs Grandad]

I agree that most of what he asks isn't a premonition of a cutback. His main focus is page traffic and brand exposure. He likes to stir up discussion and sometimes he's just filling the page. But, his page is also used to justify and give a positive spin to changes that experienced cruisers might not like. He does conduct "push polls," i.e. polls focused more on influencing people than gathering accurate data.

 

very true but do think that often his questions are phrased to an audience that will give them the answers they want to justify removing something.

[Micahs Grandad]

Carnivals chocolates used to be real chocolate, then they down graded them so much that when they did their surveys they got the answer they wanted...That's how we got to no chocolates...

 

Very true, they used to be worth bringing home after our cruise to enjoy while waiting for our next one.

[tigercat]

Funny thing about the washcloths. When we went to England, France and Israel the hotels there didn't have wash cloths. It seems that they don't provide them or use them over there. We ended up in England at a dollar store buying some as my husband uses them all the time.

tigercat

[mzloolue]

You mean a company that burns millions of gallons of diesel fuel a year and dumps sewage into the ocean is worried about a little detergent being bad for the environment and not eco friendly?

 

LOL!

 

 

I think they hired some folk from Disney.

10-12 years ago WDW started doing many of the same things I am seeing Carnival do in the last few years.

A very similiar card about towels is in WDW rooms.

 

WDW started really eliminating ways that people in the know could save money and noticably extreme penny pinching about 12 years ago.

Plus eliminating traditionally "slow" times.

Carnival seems to be following the same model.

 

And the cutsie "Hi there" sort of mail and email was done first by Disney too.

 

Disney used to be wonderfully uncrowded right after Christmas, for example, and then they started a Disney World Marathon.

Instead of a marathon Carnival has Journey cruises and concert cruises.

 

At one time Disney had secret passholder lounges and such for Annual Passholders, but all that was eliminated much like the way Carnival has done with Platinum.

 

Just something I have been observing.

[mzloolue]

You could have said it a bit nicer but you have hit the nail on the head.

 

Remember the old farewell party. It came into being when they ended the capt celebration. Unfortunately they forgot to publicize it after the first day and than held it the last afternoon and attendance was very small. Voila nobody wants it so lets cancel it. Set up to fail.

 

True.

 

The Captain's Cocktail Party became the Fun Farewell Party because too many people came to the Captain's party.

 

Then the Fun Farewell became a free drink coupon because not enough people came to the semi-secret Fun Farewell.

 

The free drink coupon became a bottle of water because, it was said, most people would rather have a dollar bottle of water than a $10 drink.

 

And that is how a cocktail party became a drink of water.

 

The Fun Farewell was my favorite event.

Edited April 13, 2016 by mzloolue

[mondello]

Not to justify downgrading the tea to Lipton, but I do recall PAX helping themselves to handfuls of the premium tea.