I hope Carnival Corp doesn't try this on HAL

[TAD2005]

I don't know is anyone has seen the latest "improvements" on the Carnival fleet. I mention this here on the HAL board in the hope that the bean counters at Carnival corporate don't implement this on HAL ships.

 

When you arrive in your cabin on embarkation day, you are given a card to select if you want morning, evening, or both cabin services. You can select to have your cabin cleaned in the morning, or at night when you go to dinner, or both. You can clearly see what's happening here. Carnival will monitor this process for a half year, and then discharge a good number of cabin stewards, and load additional cabins on the already overworked staff. Then, the BOTH option on the card will quietly disappear.

 

Another one.... Carnival is now implementing "American Table" on some of their ships. With that, you get NO tablecloth in the MDR. They dump a basket of rolls and a huge pitcher of water on the table, plus a stack of silverware and napkins. So, you are now eating on a bare table, that was just wiped down with a rag that wiped many other tables and chairs earlier. Your silverware sits on that bare table, your water or ice tea glass condenses puddles of water all over that bare table, and on rough days, plates start sliding on the wet, bare table. You don't have an option on this "improvement". If your ship has implemented "American Table" you are stuck with it, except on their "Elegant Nights", where they break out a tablecloth. This is another way to reduce the number of MDR wait staff and save on laundry costs, especially in Open Seating dining, where a single table may be cleaned and reused many times a night.

 

What's next on Carnival ??? Do you get a choice of lunch or dinner, but not both ? Will they start charging your account if you request some cloth napkins to put your silverware on ? Maybe you'll get a paper napkin ? Will the silverware be replaced by plastic-ware ? Maybe paper cups instead of glasses, or paper plates ? Pretty soon we will see "Golden Arches" outside of the MDR.

 

The worst part of all of these cuts is that the Carnival cheerleaders say "Wow, this is great" !! "I didn't like to have to leave my cabin for that early cleaning." Or "Who needs a towel animal anyway" at the late partial cleaning and bed turndown ? Other comments like "most restaurants I eat at on land don't use tablecloths, so it's fine with me". Or, "tablecloths and tank-tops and jeans don't go together". It's like that movie Animal House where Kevin Bacon was being wacked on the ass by his fraternity and saying "Thank you sir, may I have another". Carnival slowly keeps taking away all of the unique things that make cruising special and unique from our normal day-to-day lives, and the passengers say "Wow, that's great, take more stuff away". Let's hope that HAL stays insulated from the Carnival morons who devise these cost cutting measures.

[Truluv]

That is horrible! (I'm offended that they call that table "American Table" like Americans don't want better service.) And doesn't a "do not disturb" sign keep people from having their cabins serviced already?

 

We started cruising with Carnival (going back to Carnival's Celebration, which shows how long ago it was!). We enjoyed about 6 Carnival cruises before switching to RCL. We found that almost everything that the Carnival Cruise Directors said across their fleet was scripted, including the "spontaneous" jokes, and had memorized their menus LOL. I have wonderful memories of our Carnival cruises though, such as one of my husband (now deceased -- but a hidden Kevin Bacon/Patrick Swayze dancer at heart) breaking into dance to the rock music already playing by the pool very early one morning when the area was completely deserted by the late night party crowd. I've continued to look at their itineraries and have thought about cruising with them again, although I know I'm no longer their targeted demographic (mid-60s, solo). Sounds like I definitey won't go back.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Truluv

[DeeniEncinitas]

Carnival can go jump ship!!!

If this gets implemented on HAL we're gone!

We have done 10 cruises on our favorite HAL. 3 on Windstar, 4 on Regents. I just can't see it, but you never know. Been following WC reports here and a lot of cut backs have been happening on this cruise and we decided to do Viking Ocean for ours in 2019. Not jumping ship, but for the what you pay I expect the service. We will see. I felt guilty in a way when we booked😕 But maybe a change is good. Will see.

Denise:)

[esimon]

I'll wait to whine about this or complain till it actually happens or affects my cruise life.

[johnlcruise]

I'll wait to whine about this or complain till it actually happens or affects my cruise life.

 

Just back from a Carnival cruise. It really did not bother me. The service was great. Even with the cut backs with the crew. Food was good.

As long as I'm on ANY cruise it's better then being at home.

[idiebabe]

I don't know is anyone has seen the latest "improvements" on the Carnival fleet. I mention this here on the HAL board in the hope that the bean counters at Carnival corporate don't implement this on HAL ships.

 

When you arrive in your cabin on embarkation day, you are given a card to select if you want morning, evening, or both cabin services. You can select to have your cabin cleaned in the morning, or at night when you go to dinner, or both. You can clearly see what's happening here. Carnival will monitor this process for a half year, and then discharge a good number of cabin stewards, and load additional cabins on the already overworked staff. Then, the BOTH option on the card will quietly disappear.

 

Another one.... Carnival is now implementing "American Table" on some of their ships. With that, you get NO tablecloth in the MDR. They dump a basket of rolls and a huge pitcher of water on the table, plus a stack of silverware and napkins. So, you are now eating on a bare table, that was just wiped down with a rag that wiped many other tables and chairs earlier. Your silverware sits on that bare table, your water or ice tea glass condenses puddles of water all over that bare table, and on rough days, plates start sliding on the wet, bare table. You don't have an option on this "improvement". If your ship has implemented "American Table" you are stuck with it, except on their "Elegant Nights", where they break out a tablecloth. This is another way to reduce the number of MDR wait staff and save on laundry costs, especially in Open Seating dining, where a single table may be cleaned and reused many times a night.

 

What's next on Carnival ??? Do you get a choice of lunch or dinner, but not both ? Will they start charging your account if you request some cloth napkins to put your silverware on ? Maybe you'll get a paper napkin ? Will the silverware be replaced by plastic-ware ? Maybe paper cups instead of glasses, or paper plates ? Pretty soon we will see "Golden Arches" outside of the MDR.

 

The worst part of all of these cuts is that the Carnival cheerleaders say "Wow, this is great" !! "I didn't like to have to leave my cabin for that early cleaning." Or "Who needs a towel animal anyway" at the late partial cleaning and bed turndown ? Other comments like "most restaurants I eat at on land don't use tablecloths, so it's fine with me". Or, "tablecloths and tank-tops and jeans don't go together". It's like that movie Animal House where Kevin Bacon was being wacked on the ass by his fraternity and saying "Thank you sir, may I have another". Carnival slowly keeps taking away all of the unique things that make cruising special and unique from our normal day-to-day lives, and the passengers say "Wow, that's great, take more stuff away". Let's hope that HAL stays insulated from the Carnival morons who devise these cost cutting measures.

 

We're Diamond with Carnival and 4 Star (soon to be 5 Star) with HAL. We were told by an Officer at a Diamond event several years ago that they would be removing the Tablecloths due to cost cutting. They started with the Glory (I believe) and then rolled it out fleetwide.

 

Another thing I hope HAL doesn't follow suit with is FTTF (Faster To The Fun)! This program is where they sell the Platinum/Diamond Perks for $50 per Stateroom (no matter how many people in Stateroom). So, if it's someone's first Cruise with Carnival by paying the $50 per Stateroom they are entitled to Priority Check-in, Priority Tendering and Priority Debark, and the "special" line at Front Desk for Platinum/Diamonds to bypass lines. They claim how many they sell is based on how many Diamonds/Plats are onboard but that's not true and sell them in blocks of 15 Staterooms at a time. Once the 15 are sold they add another block of 15 and so on and so forth. They also claim that FTTF board after Suites, Diamonds, etc. but that is not true either and depends on the Port! Many times they are not separated out and Priority Check-in can be longer to get onboard the Ship than going to the regular check-in counter. We actually did this in NY a few years ago and went to the regular Check-in because it was faster than the VIP Check-in.

 

The one thing, too, with FTTF passengers is they feel more entitled and have an attitude than those who have earned the Perks because to quote many "I paid for the Perks unlike those snobs who think they are entitled to them because they've cruised alot"!

[igraf]

Sounds like the private cabanas. The passenger is charged to sit in a deck chair that used to be free, and the passenger is so happy for the opportunity to pay for a private deck chair.

 

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

[Roz]

The American Table is nothing new. Carnival has been experimenting with it for a couple of years and has tweaked it a few times. The last time I was on Carnival was in 2014 and it was not being implemented on the Miracle at that time. What you describe is not all that different than what you get at most chain restaurants in the US. If I limited myself to eating in restaurants with tablecloths, I would rarely eat out.

 

Once a day cabin service is not the end of the world for me.

 

Roz

[cruzincurt]

We had the MDR bare table probably 5 out of 7 days on the Conquest. It reminded me of eating at Denny's. Just seems out of place in a MDR.

 

Sent from my B3-A30 using Forums mobile app

[OlsSalt]

I am okay with once a day cabin service too. I never understood the night time "turn down" service, even in hotels. But at least the morning clean-up is one of my favorite cruise luxuries.

 

Agree, people today are demanding more casual dining in both dress and format. Now they are getting it, though there is no reason ships cannot offer both settings. Plus who knows what environmental regulations are in play considering the water and chemicals needed to do a full ship's laundry every day.

 

"America" did invent drive-through fast food and eating in one's car, so hard to complain that we also get credit for this dressing down of the dining experience. Too bad Cunard does not have better itineraries.

[Roz]

I think tablecloths give any restaurant a more sophisticated look, but I also understand the expense involved. One of my sisters owned a restaurant, and when it became a choice between lowering her laundry bill or lowering the quality of the ingredients she used, she got rid of the tablecloths.

 

Roz

[ski ww]

If I want bare tables I'll eat in the Lido. The MDR should have them, more cut backs. Already the crew is doing more with less, I feel sorry for the cabin stewards & waiters. Some passengers will blame the crew for poor or slow service.

Allan

[Mutumbojimbo]

We cruised on the Triumph in October. Our steward offered us service in the morning, the evening, or both. We chose both and that's what we received. The lack of table cloths bothered me more than I expected, because it is louder, but there is a coaster for the water pitcher. I know people complain about the new menu, but it seemed like most of the food was the same but there were a few more choices. As far as I can tell, all the Carnival corp. lines are pretty independent so I doubt any of this will matter for HAL.

[alwaysfrantic]

Both would be unfortunate. Either would likely encourage me to find a premium line.

[rkacruiser]

Off Carnival Liberty in January and I wondered as well what I would think of the change in the MDR. On Gala Night, a tablecloth was there with proper place settings. Even on the non-Gala Nights, there were proper place settings; silverware/plates, etc. were not just dumped on the table. I found that the lack of a tablecloth made little difference. Fine dining, no, and I would not expect to find that in a Carnival MDR. (There Steakhouse is fine dining, however.)

 

American Table Menu: really saw little difference from previous Carnival menus. Out if 3 MDR dinners, one was very good, one was OK, and one was not to my liking.

 

Diamonds Steakhouse service and ambiance was "fine steakhouse quality" and exceeded most of my PG experiences. Food quality and preparation were equal to PG.

[Tampa Girl]

Carnival can go jump ship!!!

If this gets implemented on HAL we're gone!

We have done 10 cruises on our favorite HAL. 3 on Windstar, 4 on Regents. I just can't see it, but you never know. Been following WC reports here and a lot of cut backs have been happening on this cruise and we decided to do Viking Ocean for ours in 2019. Not jumping ship, but for the what you pay I expect the service. We will see. I felt guilty in a way when we booked😕 But maybe a change is good. Will see.

Denise:)

 

How did the Viking Ocean fares for the WC compare with HAL'S?

[styles27]

If someone chooses to have their room serviced one time a day vs two will the daily gratuity be reduced?

 

 

Reason I'm asking...we just stayed at a resort in Florida. When we checked in they asked us if we wanted the daily housekeeping? I stood with my mouth open thinking "is this optional now?" We travel a lot and have never been asked this before in any hotel/resort in the US.

 

If we didn't want it they would reduce our rate by $18 a day. (We could still get clean towels every day even if we chose to opt out of the daily housekeeping)

 

So I'm not really surprised to read this.

[rkacruiser]

When I finally met my Cabin Steward on the evening of Day 2 of a 4 day cruise, I was asked about how often I wished my stateroom serviced and when. Before meeting him, it was the regular 2X a day. I told him that I wanted morning and evening service. He said OK and that service continued. Cabin service met my expectations. But, I suspect he was not the one doing it. I saw many staff in the stateroom corridors working in staterooms that wore totally different uniforms from what my "Cabin Steward" wore. (I never saw the gentleman again after that initial contact.)

[RDC1]

If someone chooses to have their room serviced one time a day vs two will the daily gratuity be reduced?

 

 

Reason I'm asking...we just stayed at a resort in Florida. When we checked in they asked us if we wanted the daily housekeeping? I stood with my mouth open thinking "is this optional now?" We travel a lot and have never been asked this before in any hotel/resort in the US.

 

If we didn't want it they would reduce our rate by $18 a day. (We could still get clean towels every day even if we chose to opt out of the daily housekeeping)

 

 

So I'm not really surprised to read this.

 

Fairly common at condo hotel based resorts.

[Tennessee Titan]

I'll wait to whine about this or complain till it actually happens or affects my cruise life.

+1 (on HAL)

[styles27]

Fairly common at condo hotel based resorts.

 

That explains it...this place did seem to have a lot of long term customers, even though we were only there for 4 nights.

[boom_boom]

As a 3-star Mariner with about 20 HAL cruises, if they make that shift on HAL esp. the dining room, I'm gone to Celebrity or Viking, but for sure not HAL. Still. I hope the company leadership doesn't go down that path. I'd rather stay.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I certainly don't like these new ideas.

Maybe the younger generation does.

We enjoy getting up early (always had to when we worked and still do now that we are retired) and going out for breakfast and coming back to our cabin made up for the day.

I don't mind the towel animals and do enjoy coming back in the evening to see the bed turned down with chocolates.

As to table cloths -- my dining room table cloths (I have to 2 tables) are changed every month -- many to go with the season/holidays. And I have matching napkins. Sure this was a lot of work when we worked -- but I still did it.

AND the restaurants we go to have table cloths and cloth napkins!!

[perditax]

I'm pretty sure both of these developments are pretty old. The cleaning frequency thing (evening/morning/both) is from last summer at the very latest.

 

I'm not questioning your right to worry, just pointing out that the time to get riled up about it was months ago.

[POA1]

Anybody fretting about adding red & blue whale tales to the ships yet? How about replacing the Dutch officers with Italians? Costa is also part of the same company?

 

Honestly, Carnival is a much more casual demographic. CCL isn't going to make all its brands identical.