Disheartened.........

[2BACRUISER]

I have lurked for quite a few years on theses boards enjoying all the posts of travels and exploits of all of those of you who cruise in hope i would one day convince my DH to go on a cruise. Well finally he says i can go book a cruise in the Med this summer, (we cant book very far ahead because of his work) i was so elated so of course i hurried to CC for inspiration but oh the postings and reviews seem to point to cruising having lost its shine and its cache.

Everywhere i read of greedy cruise lines, dreadful customer service and old tired ships and its does indeed seem that this summer the Cruise lines have a agreed a cartel of putting their old ships in the Med with Emerald from Princess, Connie & Infinity from Celebrity, Oceana from P&O and even RCI with Rhapsody, Vision and Jewel. All i read about are niggles and complaints about the shabbiness of ships, threadbare bedding and towels in cabins, lack of activities, screwing cruisers for every last penny/cent when they already paid thousands of pounds/dollars for their cruises, of poor entertainment, same night after night with no new acts and mediocre food in MDR's, general slipping of standards with unhelpful,surly, under trained, unmotivated staff. It goes on and i'm beginning to wonder if i really want to try cruising.

I realise the economic climate hasnt been great and all businesses seem to be cutting back but it really sounds like some of the lines have gone too far with cuts and the dumbing down of standards.  It sounds like crew are obviously demoralised working to tighter schedules with less time to turn round cabins and public areas in port between cruises with less staff and resources and embarassed by having to sell, sell, sell all the time. 

I really don't want to take DH on a trip (looking at Connie or Oceana by the way) which at the end of it he will say never again......................please lift my heart and inspire me and tell me different. Thanks in advance.

 

[SRF]

Realize that if 100 people do something, and 2 of them have trouble, you will hear 10 reports of the troubles and nothing from the 98 that had a great time.

 

Older ships do not mean shabby or run down.  They update and upgrade all the time.  We like sailing on Grandeur, and she is over 20 years old.   Also, smaller ships can go into ports that the larger ships cannot.  And when you are in port, there are less people off the cruise ship getting in the way.  A smaller city cannot absorb 6000 day visitors.

 

I have not had ANY complaints about the crew.

 

The food in the MDR is not 5 star, but they also serve several THOUSAND people.  But the food is not bad.  Yes, there will be the occasional bad meal, but that happens even at fine restaurants.

 

The specialty restaurants are better.  

 

As for screwing the passengers out of every cent, the base fare for cruising is the lowest it has been (in current dollars) in the last 40 years.  What has happened is, things have been unbundled.  So if you if you want something you pay for it, but it you don't you don't pay.  Realize they are a business, and someone pays.  Either everyone pays, or only those who partake or use some things pay for those things.  So if you don't drink alcohol, do you want to be paying for it?  

 

However, if you would rather not pay separately, try one of the luxury lines.  Everything is included.  Drinks, specialty meals, excursions, etc.   But be sitting down when you price those cruises.

[leaveitallbehind]

Wow.  Not sure where you are getting your information but you clearly have an opinion already well formed even though you have never set foot on a cruise ship. You seem to be extracting only the negative and ignoring much of the positive information provided.

 

Based on 27 years of cruising, IMO I will only say that you are misinformed and incorrect in your view in many of the things you characterize and would suggest the only way to confirm the reality of cruising would be to book a cruise and determine for yourself.  But do so with an open mind. 

 

Certainly cruising has changed over the years but it has not degraded to the extent you seem to think it has. But if you are convinced of your feelings, then perhaps cruising will not be right for you.

Edited February 27, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[dkjretired]

Looks like you want to only hear the bad news. These ships have been going to these locations for years.  I can comment on Celebrity, they have a new ship going to Europe and both of the older ships you mention are getting millions of dollars in upgrades. If I were you I wouldn’t bother  with a cruise, you will find everything you can to hate it.

Edited February 27, 2019 by dkjretired

[ldubs]

The OP is just repeating what many CC posters from the "half empty" crowd say routinely.  OP is asking for differing views.  Let's not be too hard on the OP. 

 

OP -- We have been on somewhere between 25 & 30 cruises over the past 18 or so years.  There are a whole lot of folks who are only happy if they are complaining about something.  I think SRF's response is dead bang on.  Things have certainly changed to keep prices down and some things are worse, IMO.  But the positives still far outweigh the negatives.  

 

I continue to like the older "smaller" ships, though they really are not small. Remember that today's "small" ship was yesterday's mega ship.  Previous comment(s) about upgrades to older ships are true. We had a wonderful cruise on Infinity last year.  It is in great shape.  We are looking forward to being on Jewel again in April.  

 

In general,  on your cruise you will have good food with lots of options, a variety of places to visit in the Med, entertainment options, free gym membership, a nice atmosphere/friendly staff, and your hotel will automatically move you from place to place . All this at a relatively low cost compared to just about any other travel option.  In fact, I don't think there is any other travel option that will give you all of these things at such a low daily cost.  

 

Enjoy your cruise!  

Edited February 27, 2019 by ldubs

[leaveitallbehind]

8 minutes ago, ldubs said:

The OP is just repeating what many CC posters from the "half full" crowd say routinely.  OP is asking for differing views.  I don't think the "love it or leave it" responses are appropriate in this case. 

 

Not suggesting that you are referring to me specifically in terms of love it or leave it, but to clarify to the OP what I am saying is that the only know if cruising is right for them is to try it for themselves.  But if they don't have an open mind in doing so and are set in their beliefs based on their preconceived notions, then cruising may not be right for them.

 

 

Edited February 27, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[ldubs]

9 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

Not suggesting that you are referring to me specifically in terms of love it or leave it, but to clarify to the OP what I am saying is that the only know if cruising is right for them is to try it for themselves.  But if they don't have an open mind in doing so and are set in their beliefs based on their preconceived notions, then cruising may not be right for them.

 

 

 

Nope and I agree with you. 

 

I'm going to try and edit out the "Love it or Leave it" if it isn't too late -- poor choice of words on my part.  

[john watson]

P&O out of Southampton is going to be good value and a decent product.  The itineraries are reasonable ond if you want a beach type holiday Canaries are ideal alternatively mix in culture and do the Med on a longer cruise.  No tips deducted after May apparently.

 

Regards John

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

I have lurked for quite a few years on theses boards enjoying all the posts of travels and exploits of all of those of you who cruise in hope i would one day convince my DH to go on a cruise. Well finally he says i can go book a cruise in the Med this summer, (we cant book very far ahead because of his work) i was so elated so of course i hurried to CC for inspiration but oh the postings and reviews seem to point to cruising having lost its shine and its cache.

Everywhere i read of greedy cruise lines, dreadful customer service and old tired ships and its does indeed seem that this summer the Cruise lines have a agreed a cartel of putting their old ships in the Med with Emerald from Princess, Connie & Infinity from Celebrity, Oceana from P&O and even RCI with Rhapsody, Vision and Jewel. All i read about are niggles and complaints about the shabbiness of ships, threadbare bedding and towels in cabins, lack of activities, screwing cruisers for every last penny/cent when they already paid thousands of pounds/dollars for their cruises, of poor entertainment, same night after night with no new acts and mediocre food in MDR's, general slipping of standards with unhelpful,surly, under trained, unmotivated staff. It goes on and i'm beginning to wonder if i really want to try cruising.

I realise the economic climate hasnt been great and all businesses seem to be cutting back but it really sounds like some of the lines have gone too far with cuts and the dumbing down of standards.  It sounds like crew are obviously demoralised working to tighter schedules with less time to turn round cabins and public areas in port between cruises with less staff and resources and embarassed by having to sell, sell, sell all the time. 

I really don't want to take DH on a trip (looking at Connie or Oceana by the way) which at the end of it he will say never again......................please lift my heart and inspire me and tell me different. Thanks in advance.

 

The cruise industry comprises mainstream lines and numerous niche offerings, so that most people will find a cruise that meets their needs and expectations. Your post outlines many of the common issues and/or concerns with the popular mainstream cruise lines that operate ever larger ships. However, from my experience, your comments are not completely accurate.

 

You indicated that the cruise lines have a cartel, placing old ships in the Meddy. Having spent 40 years in the marine industry, mostly on passenger vessels, I certainly would not consider Emerald Princess an old vessel. Yes, she is older than Royal Princess, but she is only 12 years old, not even 1/2 way through her expected lifespan. The Oceana, which was also launched this Century as Ocean Princess, is about 18 or 19 years old, again not what I would consider old tonnage. If you were referring to some of the Fred Olsen, Marella or CMV ships, that were built in the 1960's to 80's, then I would agree they are old.

 

Cruise ships are also drydocked and refurbished every 5 years, so the condition of the ship is frequently the length of time since the last drydock, rather than the vessel's actual age. To a passenger, a 25 year ship right out of drydock can appear in better condition than a 5 yr old ship heading to drydock.

 

I also recall reading that MSC has 4 new or almost new mega ships operating in the Meddy for 2019. Viking Ocean, which has 6 ships all under 4 years old will have probably 2 ships in the Meddy, so there are new ships available.

 

Standards being cut back on mainstream lines is not recent, the standards have been in decline for 25+ years. The cruise lines are providing a service that appeals to the largest segment of potential cruisers. Personally, we no longer find mainstream cruise lines acceptable, but rather than complaining, we found a segment of the industry that meets our needs.

 

In the premium/luxury segment you will find smaller ships, many newer ships (Viking), more space, quality service and no nickle and diming. However, as a previous poster noted, when these services are provided the base fare is higher.

 

If you don't anticipate being satisfied with the mainstream line services, suggest checking out the options available from the premium/luxury cruise lines.

[erby2283]

Think of this board as you would in anything else - people are more apt to complain than give compliments!

You have to realize that each person has a different expectation. Some are foodies and will complain about meals. Me, I love kraft mac n cheese that comes in a box so food quality is not all that important to me. 

 

To me cruising is what you make of it. Yes, some ships are older and don't have the bells and whistles. Maybe you should consider if you want to cruise for the ports or the ship? I am cruising the Mediterranean (first time) in August on Vision of the Seas - older ship - but I know that going in. I also know that I only have 3 sea days (out of 12) and will be in port until 7 or so at each stop so having a top notch pool, shows, etc. are not as important to me. 

 

I've never been on an Oasis Class ship and one day I'd like to - for what's on the ship more so than the ports. 

 

So my advice is to try and decide if you're the kind of person who gets upset over the less-important issues or one who goes with the flow. If you're the latter, you'll be fine. 

Edited February 27, 2019 by erby2283

[jocap]

Oceana is sister to Sea Princess, for reference for people who don't know her but may know the Princess class of ships.

We sailed on Sea Princess in 2006, and Oceana in 2018, and really I couldn't see how there was much difference- everything was bright, clean and well-fitted, especially in the cabin... the bed, linen, towels were super. The crew were excellent, although P&O crew are more reserved than on some lines, but we prefer that.

Just thinking over what we didn't like... all we can come up with was that one evening husband's shoulder of lamb was a bit fatty- but they'll change it for something else!

We took the cruise because of the charter flights from Manchester- which means you're not tipped off the ship at the end of the cruise- I think it was around 11.30am when the buses came to the ship. A very civilised way to end.

Choose your cabin carefully, though, with the deck plans open when you book- we were on a last minute guaranteed cabin and had a very small inside.

Any ship, anywhere, any time- old or new, we've loved them all!

[KmomChicago]

I can't tell if you are really just joking here, but cruise travelers are no different than any other kinds of human people. Ya got your happies and your grumblies. Cruising is a great vacation and it's even better for people who actually like vacations, and then again it's even better for happy low maintenance people, because EVERYTHING is better for those people.

 

There's only one first cruise, and there's a novelty factor that causes some people to enjoy things more when everything is a surprise.  Some of the "things are not what they used to be" could, in some cases, be related to this kind of thinking.  It may be better in their memory than it actually was. Some people are just never truly happy with anything, and somewhere in between are real things that can go wrong. It's always possible to have a bad moment with a crew member or another passenger, or a problem with a meal, or to get seasick or otherwise a bit ill, to find something annoying enough to spoil your experience.

 

I did not have a particularly good time on my Celebrity cruise many years ago, but it was a very nice cruise on a ship that was almost brand new at the time and stunningly beautiful. I was just bored with cruising at the time and dealing with some personal issues, and preferred a less pampering, more culturally in-depth and adventurous type of travel (like climbing around on the Great Wall and Machu Picchu, both of which I ventured forth and accomplished).  After many years and a couple of life changes, my little daughter, who was around 10 or 11 at the time, told me she wanted to go on a cruise, so now we've done 3 in the last two years with another coming up in August, and then, who knows? Maybe we'll do more, or maybe not.  It's a big world with lots of incredible options, and yes, we enjoy them all very much.

 

For what it's worth, my first cruises, on Premier Cruise Lines, were really very similar as far as food, entertainment quality, and add-on charges, as my much more recent Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruises.  I could split hairs and find something I liked better back then, but really there are many more things that have improved in my humble opinion.

[2BACRUISER]

I seem to have got off on the wrong foot. My comments come from reviews on the mentioned ships posted over the last ten weeks some as recent as last week. I am well travelled and have stayed in b&b to 6* luxury. I plan to choose by itinary and just need a quiet place to sleep and some decent food. DH works in a stressful job in construction on tight schedules he doesn't tolerate anything 2nd rate and hates crowds and would I think prefer the smaller older ships  hence my concerns on reading their very recent reviews. Some of you appear mortally offended that I should question or doubt the wonderful imo world of cruising that i have yearned to join the ranks of since 2009 after seeing Ruby Princess in a port on holiday she was stunning. All I wanted was for u to allay my doubts/fears. Sorry to have bothered you. I spoke to DH last evening and he says he will choose by itinary probably the eastern med.  Thank you idubs for actually reading my post. X

[crazyank]

1 hour ago, 2BACRUISER said:

I seem to have got off on the wrong foot. My comments come from reviews on the mentioned ships posted over the last ten weeks some as recent as last week. I am well travelled and have stayed in b&b to 6* luxury. I plan to choose by itinary and just need a quiet place to sleep and some decent food. DH works in a stressful job in construction on tight schedules he doesn't tolerate anything 2nd rate and hates crowds and would I think prefer the smaller older ships  hence my concerns on reading their very recent reviews. Some of you appear mortally offended that I should question or doubt the wonderful imo world of cruising that i have yearned to join the ranks of since 2009 after seeing Ruby Princess in a port on holiday she was stunning. All I wanted was for u to allay my doubts/fears. Sorry to have bothered you. I spoke to DH last evening and he says he will choose by itinary probably the eastern med.  Thank you idubs for actually reading my post. X

You didn't get off on the wrong foot.  There are some people on here who take delight in bashing/flaming others at every opportunity.  You request is legitimate.  We live in Europe and have cruised in the Med many times.  On every cruise we see people who complain from the time they step aboard until they disembark. These are the people who constantly post negative comments/reviews and claim that all is gloom and doom. The way to deal with these folks is to ignore them.  Yes, cruising has changed in the last few years. Some things have gone away, other stuff has been added.  It is still a wonderful way to vacation.

As someone else posted, go with an open mind.  Enjoy what's on offer.  Your first cruise will be unforgettable!

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

I seem to have got off on the wrong foot. My comments come from reviews on the mentioned ships posted over the last ten weeks some as recent as last week. I am well travelled and have stayed in b&b to 6* luxury. I plan to choose by itinary and just need a quiet place to sleep and some decent food. DH works in a stressful job in construction on tight schedules he doesn't tolerate anything 2nd rate and hates crowds and would I think prefer the smaller older ships  hence my concerns on reading their very recent reviews. Some of you appear mortally offended that I should question or doubt the wonderful imo world of cruising that i have yearned to join the ranks of since 2009 after seeing Ruby Princess in a port on holiday she was stunning. All I wanted was for u to allay my doubts/fears. Sorry to have bothered you. I spoke to DH last evening and he says he will choose by itinary probably the eastern med.  Thank you idubs for actually reading my post. X

 

Not offended.  Many of us are weary of the endless whining as well.  Since you know what your travel partner likes, it’s wise to let him choose. I can tolerate second or third rate travel if it’s enough of a bargain, but it’s not worth it if my companion is miserable.  I think in general people expect to get value for their investment but value is subjective and involves many tiny, very personal, details.

 

A butler sounds like a nightmare to me, and so does an alcohol package. Please leave me alone to run tap water out of my bathroom faucet, because I don’t like people in my business and I like to drink water and that’s it.  But by gosh if my husband and daughter can’t live without a uniformed servant running around sweeping up behind them, I’ll make it happen somehow.  The last thing I need is to listen to them moan all week about their butler-less epic fail of a vacation.  If 75% of the other passengers are drinking a lot, they should get the package and I’m the first to tell them so.  How are the cruise lines supposed to please everyone to the finest detail with such different demands?  I remember a crew member on Celebrity saw I looked unhappy and asked what they could do and was disheartened (your word) when I told them everything was wonderful but I had my own issues and felt cruising was just not the right fit for me, too fancy and too relaxing!  I certainly didn’t get on the internet to rant about it. I got on the internet and booked a trip to a Peru!

 

In in the end you can’t force him to enjoy it but you have done everything right in planning for success based on what you know.  You will inevitably learn more about what does and doesn’t fit perfectly with each of your cruise preferences put to the test. It’s the only way to know for sure. Have fun and as others noted, just ignore the negativity.

[SRF]

21 hours ago, ldubs said:

I continue to like the older "smaller" ships, though they really are not small. Remember that today's "small" ship was yesterday's mega ship.  Previous comment(s) about upgrades to older ships are true. We had a wonderful cruise on Infinity last year.  It is in great shape.  We are looking forward to being on Jewel again in April.  

 

Yeah, now a very small ship (for mass market lines) is 2000 passengers.

 

The Love Boat was 700 passengers. 😄

 

Again, we prefer the older, smaller ships.  We like CRUISING, not a floating amusement park. 

[SRF]

5 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

I seem to have got off on the wrong foot. My comments come from reviews on the mentioned ships posted over the last ten weeks some as recent as last week. I am well travelled and have stayed in b&b to 6* luxury. I plan to choose by itinary and just need a quiet place to sleep and some decent food. DH works in a stressful job in construction on tight schedules he doesn't tolerate anything 2nd rate and hates crowds and would I think prefer the smaller older ships  hence my concerns on reading their very recent reviews. Some of you appear mortally offended that I should question or doubt the wonderful imo world of cruising that i have yearned to join the ranks of since 2009 after seeing Ruby Princess in a port on holiday she was stunning. All I wanted was for u to allay my doubts/fears. Sorry to have bothered you. I spoke to DH last evening and he says he will choose by itinary probably the eastern med.  Thank you idubs for actually reading my post. X

 

One thing to realize, most of the Med cruises are very port intensive.  You will barely eat and sleep aboard the ship, and be off the ship every day.

 

So the mega ships, with all the bells and whistles don't make a lot of sense.

 

Plus, some ports are limited in the size of ship they will handle.

 

Also, some 26 MILLION people cruise every year.  If 99% of them had a GREAT TIME, that means 260,000 did not.  And as I mentioned before, people are more likely to take the time to complain, than to say, "HEY, we had another GREAT cruise."

 

We did a cruise in Aug 2017.  Hated it SO MUCH, we booked the same cruise, on the same ship, in the SAME CABIN, for Aug 2018.  Then booked the same ship and cabin for a cruise in about 40 days.  And another one (same ship and cabin) is already booked for July 2020.    All on an older, small, ship.

 

 

[leaveitallbehind]

5 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

I seem to have got off on the wrong foot. My comments come from reviews on the mentioned ships posted over the last ten weeks some as recent as last week. I am well travelled and have stayed in b&b to 6* luxury. I plan to choose by itinary and just need a quiet place to sleep and some decent food. DH works in a stressful job in construction on tight schedules he doesn't tolerate anything 2nd rate and hates crowds and would I think prefer the smaller older ships  hence my concerns on reading their very recent reviews. Some of you appear mortally offended that I should question or doubt the wonderful imo world of cruising that i have yearned to join the ranks of since 2009 after seeing Ruby Princess in a port on holiday she was stunning. All I wanted was for u to allay my doubts/fears. Sorry to have bothered you. I spoke to DH last evening and he says he will choose by itinary probably the eastern med.  Thank you idubs for actually reading my post. X

 

No, you didn't get off on the wrong foot, but your commentary did convey a perception that seemed to take only a rather extreme negative view towards an industry with which you have no direct experience.  You also did not offer all of the information that you just now included, which might have been helpful.  I too read your original post and in my case was offering honest feedback based on my 27 years of cruising experience with a fair recommendation on what IMO was a legitimate way to allay your concerns - as you requested.  Perhaps you should re-read my posts.

 

But to the point as to where you have developed your perception - Cruise Critic reviews. Bear in mind that globally the cruising industry is a 27+ million passenger business.  Cruise Critic membership is somewhere north of 2 million members, or in simple math less than 10% of that population.  So only a very small percentage of the cruising population are even aware of, or participate in, Cruise Critic.  Of that limited base, only a very small % of members bother to post a review.  Reviews are also typically very subjective and often motivated by someone's negative experience with some aspect(s) of their particular cruise.  While there are those that are overly favorable, there seem to be a large number who only serve to point out the negative. 

 

So in judging a given cruise line or ship based on Cruise Critic reviews IMO is more of a disservice to you then a benefit, in that it only represents an extremely small sampling of the true population and experience of the cruise industry.  It also assumes that the likes and dislikes of the reviewer are aligned with yours. IMO, as a result, reviews should be taken with large grain of salt.  Think of it this way as well - would the cruise industry have grown and continue to sustain itself to what it is today if the negative reviews were a true representation of what the product offered?

 

So go with an open mind and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

[sanger727]

Also keep in mind the adage that a happy customer tells one person and an unhappy customer tells ten. I’ve been on several cruises and typically don’t return and post a review though I will add experiences to forum posts. However, when I have a bad experience somewhere I’ll certsinly post it on the relevant website (yelp, TripAdvisor, etc). It’s simply the nature of these websites and cruisecritic to be overloaded with negative reviews and not have a proportionate number of positive reviews to actually reflect how the average person felt about the cruise. I don’t think cruising in general or any specific line has gone downhill over the last 10 weeks. 

 

All the complaints you have listed are things I have seen people griping about for years. I haven’t ever felt the same way on my cruises. Have a I been on a ship where the room was not in perfect condition? Yes; was it so run down that I was offended? No. Has anyone charged me extra for something or tried to sell me things onboard? Yes; has it ruined my vacation? No. 

 

At the end of the day it’s like anything else in life. You can focus on the overall experience and have a great time or nit pick the details and never be satisfied.

Edited March 1, 2019 by sanger727

[calliopecruiser]

On 2/27/2019 at 8:23 AM, 2BACRUISER said:

it really sounds like some of the lines have gone too far with cuts and the dumbing down of standards.  It sounds like crew are obviously demoralised working to tighter schedules with less time to turn round cabins and public areas in port between cruises with less staff and resources and embarassed by having to sell, sell, sell all the time. 

Yes, that's true, and I'm hearing it from more and more sources.   That's generally true of the mainstream lines (none are exempt), so what you want is a luxury line that treat their staff and their customers better.  Many of the mainstream lines do not care about return customers, but luxury lines rely on repeat business, and that generally means better experiences. 

Look at Crystal, Silversea, or Regent.  Viking is a new premium line (among ocean cruising) that is, I believe, adult only. 

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, calliopecruiser said:

Many of the mainstream lines do not care about return customers......

That's just not true.

[crazyank]

5 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

Many of the mainstream lines do not care about return customers,

Absolutely not true

[KmomChicago]

AND. . . this is why OP posted in the first place.  Wants to take a cruise.  Thinks it might be fun to cruise.  Disheartened because of naysayers.  If it's not the cruise you want, by all means go online and disparage not only the product, but, directly or by your judgmental tone and other hints, those consumers who enjoy that product.

 

Took only a short time for the aforementioned naysaying.  So predictable.

 

There are budget cruises and upscale cruises and premium cruises, like just about every other type of vacation, and that's because different people value different things. I really don't understand how the existence of a product you wouldn't purchase is so offensive to some people.

[cebee123]

I think you need to keep in mind also that many of the people posting here have been on many cruises. We get jaded. What is “worn down “ to someone who has been on 40 cruises will certainly NOT be considered “worn down “ on your first cruise. Cruise ships are amazing. Even “worn down “ is amazing. It is NOT a Motel 6. You won’t find holes in the bedding. Sticky carpeting. Plastic cups in the bathroom. Go. Have a wonderful time. 😁

[calliopecruiser]

9 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

That's just not true.

 

5 hours ago, crazyank said:

Absolutely not true

Yeah, really is.......they make far more money from first time cruisers than from repeat customers.  They'd rather fill their ships with new customers if they can.  Of course, they don't tell cruisers that because a) they don't want people to feel disposable and give them bad reviews and b) because they still need to fill their ships......but truthfully, new cruisers spend way more than repeat cruisers.  (New cruisers are more likely to splurge on extra-cost food and drinks, more likely to buy high-priced drinks packages, more likely to take excursions, more likely to buy photos and souvenirs, etc.)

Edited March 2, 2019 by calliopecruiser