Carnival Scaled Back Too Much

[jetsfan58]

38 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Not sure what your comment about enjoying competition means. I have never had a problem meeting other people on any cruise, no matter what cruise line we were on. However, I am fairly outgoing so meeting people has never been an issue for me. My challenge is I am bad at remembering names of people I just met. 
 

I have always liked Carnival which is why my wife and I have over 30 cruises on Carnival. But Carnival has made a lot of changes over the years to the point that we now prefer sailing on RCI and Celebrity more. 

Has only to do with my family experience on RCI. Just didn't feel the "warm fuzzy neighborly excitement" that we get from every Carnival cruise. Plus I don't like spending almost "double" to cruise on another line. To me 2 for 1 is a better deal for my family and our budget.   

[PhillyFan33579]

21 minutes ago, jetsfan58 said:

Has only to do with my family experience on RCI. Just didn't feel the "warm fuzzy neighborly excitement" that we get from every Carnival cruise. Plus I don't like spending almost "double" to cruise on another line. To me 2 for 1 is a better deal for my family and our budget.   

That’s why I like that there are several cruise lines out there to meet the various needs of different people. On our last few cruises on Carnival, I never witnessed more rude behavior than I did on these cruises. People cutting in line, people being impatient at bars and some passengers literally yelling at bartenders, people jumping in front of other people to get on an elevator, seeing a fight break out during the muster drill (that was a one time occurence), people saving rows of lounge chairs at pool areas and Serenity, people loudly cursing when talking/complaining to crew members, etc.    My wife and I have enjoyed all of our cruises on Carnival, but both of us were getting tired with all the obnoxious behavior that seemed to get worse every Carnival cruise we went on. We have never witnessed anything like this on cruises on RCI and Celebrity. 

[mpdog42]

20 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

The experience on Carnival used to be significantly different in the past than it is now. I think your comment directly supports what Carnival has been focusing on more and more... new or novice cruisers. These people won’t know what they are missing because they never experienced it and therefore they don’t have previous experiences to use for comparison. 

Mic drops.....

[Moz]

Exactly the same reason we have left Carnival,

[glrounds]

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

I've found NCL better price-wise, especially because I'm retired and live by the port so I can book last minute.  Nobody likes a good sale (and sail) as much as I do.  

 

Given the same price, I'd choose NCL.  (I'm platinum on both, so I get priority boarding on both...lol)

 

But, as a former business woman, you make more money from people who have money and want to spend money than those who buy the product ONLY because it's inexpensive.

 

Yes, I used to live a half an hour from the port in Long Beach, so I benefited very often from last minute cruising. I'm not fond of flying (the cost) so much of my cruising was on the Mexican Riviera and the 3 and 4 day getaways. I must agree, Carnival doesn't make a lot of money on this "cheapie". Never take ship-sponsored excursions, drink very little (thanks to a CA judge decades ago), and never gamble where there isn't a legal entity looking over the shoulders of the house like the Nevada Gaming Commission does. If I  book early enough I can snag one of those porthole cabins at inside pricing. At nearly 81 and living on Social Security it's the only way I can cruise. And I love it. 🙂

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, jetsfan58 said:

Sounds like you really enjoy the competition. My family sailed on one RCI cruise many years ago. We found some of the passengers to be quite reserved (trying to keep in nice here. For whatever reason there were many noses in the air). For that reason we tried Carnival, saved a ton of money (were not "a la carted" to the maximum and just had a great adventure). 

 

Years later we still don't mind spending less to get more true passenger engagement.        

Many of the same people like me cruise mostly ccl and rcl. Though I have meet some loyal to royal crowd. 

 

I mostly go by price, and right now rcl is cheaper, but ccl offering obc. 4 out of 5 of my rcl bookings are inside or pr cabins vs 1A on carnival and all cheaper by up to $100 than ccl. I do have one corner aft facing balcony march of 2022 which is more. 

 

I book mostly by price but think rcl worth a little more because I like shows at night and get free drinks. As a ex music major the shows are a big draw for me on rcl. Plus I'm high enough loyalty to get free drinks at night, though i dont drink my share.

 

Solo cruisefare i have on rcl starts at 650 plus tax, and vista which is the cheapest 7 day i could find 1A is 758. ... and I could pay even less as rcl 2 ships out of Galveston have solo cabins which are even cheaper. I get double loyalty pts on rcl for booking a regular cabin .... so for me rcl is definitely cheaper right now. I am hoping the 1A as i said on vista i get a price drop. $860 including taxes and fees. But I could book solo cabins for even less than the 650 and up prices I'm booked at by booking solo cabins on rcl.

 

I get double loyalty pts or i could have booked explorer or jewel solo cabins even cheaper. Ccl has no solo cabins. True there arent many on rcl but there were plenty open when i booked. I think jewel has 5 and explorer 3 solo cabins. Such a big secret lol that I've had 3 rcl reps tell me they dont exist and had to tell them where they were on deck plans. Guess that's why they dont book up, though they are only like 100 sf, still enough for one person.

 

If ccl ever gave solos a break I'd book more with them. 

Edited August 16, 2020 by firefly333

[jakeT]

I agree

 

 CCL. Don’t have the greatest ship, food or entertainment.  Actually there ship ,food and entertainment is at least second class.  But they were the cheapest cruise line.  Best bang for the buck.  If money is more important to you, or me.   If they raise there fairs to RCCL or NCL they will lose .

They do have the most cruises out the most ports in the US.  Saying that, my Loyality is to my money.  I will equate, fair vs ship,food, entertainment casino. An  go with what is best cruise line for me,

Edited August 16, 2020 by jakeT

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

You are confusing what I do from a personal perspective to what the cruiseline should do from a business perspective.

 

I monitor prices...that's how I know what people pay.  To be honest, I'm probably the one who  pays half the price of my cabin neighbor.  But there are those who claim they hardly gamble, yet they get free cruises (as I'm losing my money).

You actually do not know what others have paid unless you monitor every TA.

 

And I'll repeat, if you are happy with the price for what you have booked, why is it important to know what someone else has paid?

[arby70]

I have been on Celebrity, RCC, NCL, Princess and Carnival.  NCL was my least favorite.  They all have their individual perks with Celebrity having the best food and service, RCC has over the top ships and good food, NCL has many dining alternatives although many cost extra, Princess has good itineraries, and Carnival has great prices.  I enjoyed all my cruises, but don't need the extras anymore and am happy to get a nice cabin, pretty good food, and entertainment is adequate for me.  I am retired and Carnival's decent product for the price allows me to see more places.  So I most likely will stay with them unless I want to go someplace where they don't cruise.

[Joe817]

1 minute ago, arby70 said:

I have been on Celebrity, RCC, NCL, Princess and Carnival.  NCL was my least favorite.  They all have their individual perks with Celebrity having the best food and service, RCC has over the top ships and good food, NCL has many dining alternatives although many cost extra, Princess has good itineraries, and Carnival has great prices.  I enjoyed all my cruises, but don't need the extras anymore and am happy to get a nice cabin, pretty good food, and entertainment is adequate for me.  I am retired and Carnival's decent product for the price allows me to see more places.  So I most likely will stay with them unless I want to go someplace where they don't cruise.

Excellent post! 👍

[Sillyjilly]

On 8/15/2020 at 3:42 PM, Je Souhaite said:

When cruising returns next year, people are going to decide which line has the best bang for their buck.

 

that used to go to Carnival.  They had the best entertainment, fun, food, etc.

 

now to show what they used to be they have to have Journey cruises.  All the things that used to be included.

 

now there’s more things excluded than included.  And they are going to want their customers to return.  Well the different lines are going to have incentives.  I WISH Carnival rolls out their journey cruises to every ship, every week, to EVERY passenger.

 

Never noticed a big difference on Journey cruises. Just get me back to sea.

[arby70]

4 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

That’s why I like that there are several cruise lines out there to meet the various needs of different people. On our last few cruises on Carnival, I never witnessed more rude behavior than I did on these cruises. People cutting in line, people being impatient at bars and some passengers literally yelling at bartenders, people jumping in front of other people to get on an elevator, seeing a fight break out during the muster drill (that was a one time occurence), people saving rows of lounge chairs at pool areas and Serenity, people loudly cursing when talking/complaining to crew members, etc.    My wife and I have enjoyed all of our cruises on Carnival, but both of us were getting tired with all the obnoxious behavior that seemed to get worse every Carnival cruise we went on. We have never witnessed anything like this on cruises on RCI and Celebrity. 

I have to agree with you on some of the behavior on the Carnival ships as well.  We were on a Carnival whale watching excursion in Cabo and one gal was holding this large tablet to record during most of the excursion.  She did not care if anyone else wanted.to see anything.  Another lady politely asked her if she could put her tablet lower so others could get some pictures.  The tablet woman jumped on her and told her to "get off her f'ing back and that she was bipolar and she'd kick her f'ing @$$."  I was totally shocked at this woman's response.  Not Carnival's fault, but all the nasty behavior I have witnessed has been on Carnival cruises.  By far, most people are very nice.

Edited August 16, 2020 by arby70

[jetsfan58]

4 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

That’s why I like that there are several cruise lines out there to meet the various needs of different people. On our last few cruises on Carnival, I never witnessed more rude behavior than I did on these cruises. People cutting in line, people being impatient at bars and some passengers literally yelling at bartenders, people jumping in front of other people to get on an elevator, seeing a fight break out during the muster drill (that was a one time occurence), people saving rows of lounge chairs at pool areas and Serenity, people loudly cursing when talking/complaining to crew members, etc.    My wife and I have enjoyed all of our cruises on Carnival, but both of us were getting tired with all the obnoxious behavior that seemed to get worse every Carnival cruise we went on. We have never witnessed anything like this on cruises on RCI and Celebrity. 

Sounds like your experiences may have been unique to you. I have been cruising Carnival for many years and from many ports and have yet to witness anything remotely close to what you are describing. Again I choose to save money, cruise frugally via inside cabins and enjoy my family outings. I have even enlisted many friends and family members to join th Carnivale    

[TNcruising02]

I've been on around 9 Carnival cruises and only recall a few rare instances of rude behavior.  I usually don't pay any attention to what other people are doing unless it's right in front of me.  On the Panorama out of California, I witnessed people cutting in line the entire cruise.  People would just walk right up to a long line of people and stand in front.  It went on during the entire cruise.  However, that was a very, very small number of people compared to the entire number of passengers.

 Other than that, I have seen people save seats for shows.  I think that's extremely rude, but I have seen that happen on other lines.  Anyway, I just haven't experienced the horrible behavior some people have seen on Carnival cruises.  Maybe it's because the ones I have cruised are mostly 7 days.  

Edited August 16, 2020 by TNcruising02

[St.Pete]

2 hours ago, arby70 said:

I have been on Celebrity, RCC, NCL, Princess and Carnival.  NCL was my least favorite.  They all have their individual perks with Celebrity having the best food and service, RCC has over the top ships and good food, NCL has many dining alternatives although many cost extra, Princess has good itineraries, and Carnival has great prices.  I enjoyed all my cruises, but don't need the extras anymore and am happy to get a nice cabin, pretty good food, and entertainment is adequate for me.  I am retired and Carnival's decent product for the price allows me to see more places.  So I most likely will stay with them unless I want to go someplace where they don't cruise.

Ditto on everything you say, except for Princess.  Have never sailed them.

[Joebucks]

I've definitely sailed with a few undesirable passengers on Carnival, but in the scheme of tens of thousands of people, only a few stick out.

 

I'm really intrigued to see what COVID will do to shift the demographics. As they pull ships, limit capacity, and cancel cruising, prices keep going up and up. If I had to guess, people up there in age and/or with a comorbidity might be a bit scared away, not to mention those with less discretionary income.

 

[ARcruisin2]

For those stating they have moved on from starting out on Carnival, to Princess or HAL.... remember they all belong to Carnival Corp. This is part of their business plan.

Carnival cruises appeal to the budget conscious, the laid-back fun loving let's celebrate vacation people, young families, etc.

Then they offer higher priced alternatives for those who when they mature into wanting a more subtle, less celebratory atmosphere. They offer far flung itineraries for retirees who now have the time & money, can see all those bucket list places around the world.

Their mistake in my opinion is not carrying over loyalty points between brands...even if a Carnival sea day only counted for 1/2 a HAL point, to retain loyalties when people want to try something different. 

 

Personal take: All of our cruises, besides 2 on Princess, have been on Carnival.

The first Princess Cruise was wonderful! Best Food, Entertainment, Service ever.

The second was boring, blandsville... The food had less flavor than what was being served at my mom's assisted living facility - not an exaggeration. The entertainment in the main theater, the one time we went was a guy with a folding card table doing card tricks. 

On deck atmosphere was a crackling fire on the jumbotron and the fellow passengers on deck were wrapped up in either towels or blankets napping. 

 

We've never tried HAL. The music options they are advertising now sound interesting...but I'm worried about the onboard atmosphere. Since they are supposed to be yet another a 'step up' ...to me that might mean more of a step back from fun. 

 

We'll stick with Carnival.... I talked DH into a 'do over cruise' a few months after the last Princess cruise.

I looked at DH, threw up my hands and yelled My People!, while  everyone in the atrium was dancing, singing and clapping for the Dr Seuss Parade.

 

As several have alluded - basically you do you. Pick what appeals to you.    I choose FUN and don't care if I ever 'mature' to the next level 😉

[xDisconnections]

13 minutes ago, ARcruisin2 said:

They offer far flung itineraries for retirees who now have the time & money, can see all those bucket list places around the world.

Their mistake in my opinion is not carrying over loyalty points between brands...even if a Carnival sea day only counted for 1/2 a HAL point, to retain loyalties when people want to try something different. 

It would be a huge mistake if they were to devalue the loyalty programs like that. The upper mid-scale cruise lines already have an overcrowding problem and many Princess cruises will have the overall majority of passengers being in the Elite tier. The most traveled passenger on every cruise generally has several thousand days sailed with the second and third most traveled not too far behind. As an example, it now takes 72 hours to have laundry returned which previously was same day due to high volume of Elites and the standard check in lines are shorter. When everyone is Elite, nobody is Elite.

 

Many passengers on these cruise lines also would hate for a further "Carnivalization" of their brand which bringing over another market segment and demographic will do. They also would be very vocal about other passengers having the same status from their $109 Carnival cruises as their $50,000 grand vacations.

Edited August 18, 2020 by xDisconnections

[St.Pete]

Just now, ARcruisin2 said:

For those stating they have moved on from starting out on Carnival, to Princess or HAL.... remember they all belong to Carnival Corp. This is part of their business plan.

Carnival cruises appeal to the budget conscious, the laid-back fun loving let's celebrate vacation people, young families, etc.

Then they offer higher priced alternatives for those who when they mature into wanting a more subtle, less celebratory atmosphere. 

I heard that for years, but was quite happy with what Carnival offered for the fares they charged.  My second cruise out, I switched lines, and came screaming back on my third.

Then I did RCCL.  I was floored by their ships, but I found I was not getting quite the same still as to what CARNIVAL OFFERED.   I kept looking for that "step up" people used to say about RCCL.  What I did find was I was sailing with others that were willing to pay extra to sail on RCCL.   

But it was just about the same time suddenly Carnival was abandoning their business model, and started copying others.  It was as if they were converting to no frills sailing.  Even the class of sailor suddenly was changing.

It wasn't till I cruised Celebrity last year, that I was reminded what cruising was all about; the service, the entertainment, the live bands, and that Celebrity food.   I had always heard how great it was, and now I know.  Unfortunately, my sophomore return to Celebrity has been put on hold.

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, xDisconnections said:

It would be a huge mistake if they were to devalue the loyalty programs like that. The upper mid-scale cruise lines already have an overcrowding problem.

I think I disagree. Many who like carnival will stick to carnival.

 

I did  celebrity and my loyalty status from rcl carried over and I was elite on celebrity. It doesnt mean I'll do celebrity a lot more. MSC will also give you status based on your rcl status.

 

You still have to fill in all those lots on celebrity to get anything extra, just means going on more celebrity doesnt do much loyalty wise, so i stick with rcl which is more convenient to texas.

 

I think the same would apply here. People who like carnival might be bored with the more staid HAL or princess. Isn't  huge crossover to celebrity from rcl, think the same might be true of carnival. 

[drsel]

ooooo.... so they're not a perfect experience either? 
imagine that?
 
And by the way, on our first Princess cruise, they gave us gold status because of our previous Carnival status... and it impacted no one else... it was just a nicety. 

Will Carnival or Princess match a high status on Costa

[Radiioman46]

On 8/15/2020 at 7:14 PM, TNcruising02 said:

  I’ve got two Carnival cruises in the books, so I like their product. Other lines have much better theater shows, but my husband and I prefer comedy. Royal’s ships are fancier. Norwegian has nice ships too. I still have a better overall time on Carnival.

I'm about the same. I love the way Carnival does the Kareoke better than any of the other cruise lines. 

[PhillyFan33579]

10 hours ago, ARcruisin2 said:

For those stating they have moved on from starting out on Carnival, to Princess or HAL.... remember they all belong to Carnival Corp. This is part of their business plan.

Good point, but there are also lots of people out there that have moved on to other cruise lines. For example, after 30 plus cruises on Carnival, our next 10 cruises we booked were on RCI and Celebrity. Prior to COVID-19, my wife and I had no plans to book any cruises on Carnival except for Mardi Gras, because we both prefer the experience on RCI and Celebrity. However, with no one really knowing what the cruise industry is going to be like when cruises resume from the US, I am keeping on open mind to all cruise lines, including ones we have never cruised on before. 

[pe4all]

17 hours ago, ARcruisin2 said:

And by the way, on our first Princess cruise, they gave us gold status because of our previous Carnival status... and it impacted no one else... it was just a nicety. 

I would love to know when they did that.   Was it a recent (as recent can be now) thing?  Did you ask, or did they automatically do that?  I would try Princess if they matched my status on Carnival.  Princess sails out of FLL, which Carnival no longer does for now.  So much easier for me than having to get to Miami!

[xDisconnections]

37 minutes ago, pe4all said:

I would love to know when they did that.   Was it a recent (as recent can be now) thing?  Did you ask, or did they automatically do that?  I would try Princess if they matched my status on Carnival.  Princess sails out of FLL, which Carnival no longer does for now.  So much easier for me than having to get to Miami!

When I first started with Princess, they allowed me to book a discounted rate which was the equivalent of the past guest rate. I still boarded with a blue card though and without perks. It was called a VIP rate (vacation interchange or something similar). Proof of my past guest status neeed to be faxed in. From Princess, I can also board as the first tier on HAL.

 

These entry level tiers are worthless though and don’t offer any benefits.