Carnival 'Special touches' gone?

[Woody14]

i read on another post of someone feeling all the special touches that were part of their Carnival cruise experience are gone.    It made me think what special touches are gone?     To be honest I had always considered a Carnival Cruise to be a bottom of the barrel thing - likely based on my cruising experience in the 90's pulling up beside Carnival ships and the party atmosphere and neon -  but I had never been on one.    Went on my first Carnival Cruise last summer - Panorama from LA to Mexico and I must say I enjoyed things and felt it was great value, there were only 1 or 2 disappointments in the whole experience.  In fact heading this summer on my second Carnival cruise and this time going out of Galveston.   

So really I am a Carnival newbie  and don't know what is missing.  So what did they used to have that they don't have now that would warrant someone feeling that the 'special touches' are gone?

[nwcruiselover]

Twice a day service in the cabins.  Morning regular cleaning, making bed, changing out towels, etc.  Evening turndown service with mints on the pillows.  Ice bucket in every cabin with ice refreshed twice a day, without asking.

[dallasdan]

I have been cruising with carnival since 2006 and don't remember ice buckets ever being filled without asking.  I think a lot of people are making a big deal out some of the Carnival cut backs.  Some of these things are not a big deal.  Do you really need twice daily room cleaning and turn down service. Plus the other cruise lines, RCL, NCL are doing the same things.

[cacruisin]

I'll admit I miss the twice a day service and the mint on the pillow.... miss it yes...not cruise because I don't receive it no....

 

To me it's no different than the airline industry...I recall when first class had individuals playing the violin and make your own ice cream sundae buffets and little kits with toiletries even on a domestic flight etc..... now what...you get a bigger seat and a drink before takeoff..... again, I still fly but that doesn't mean I don't miss the little extra touches etc....

Edited February 16, 2023 by cacruisin

[bar1068]

6 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

I have been cruising with carnival since 2006 and don't remember ice buckets ever being filled without asking.  I think a lot of people are making a big deal out some of the Carnival cut backs.  Some of these things are not a big deal.  Do you really need twice daily room cleaning and turn down service. Plus the other cruise lines, RCL, NCL are doing the same things.

Totally agree about the big deal people make of these little things. Understand why people miss them, but the level of complaining is crazy!! One thing just to say, we've been cruising since 2008 and back then they did routinely fill the ice buckets on the first bunch of cruises we went on. For us that was a waste. But some seem to need them filled all the time...whatever floats your boat!!

[DarthGrady]

Up through the early 2010's they still had afternoon tea with pastries and other snacks (I'm sure the British have a lovely term for this), I really enjoyed it. Some of the pricier cruise lines didn't even offer it, definitely a nice touch that has been lost to the ages. 

[1girl3boys]

Do they still do the towel animals?  If so do they just do them in the morning cleaning now?  

[sallyb]

17 minutes ago, 1girl3boys said:

Do they still do the towel animals?  If so do they just do them in the morning cleaning now?  

I sure hope we still get towel animals!

What happens if you use your beach towels, and you need clean ones for the next day? 

[cacruisin]

17 minutes ago, 1girl3boys said:

Do they still do the towel animals?  If so do they just do them in the morning cleaning now?  

Yes and Yes...that is one area that has improved over the years way better towel animals and now often with accessories lol

[cacruisin]

3 minutes ago, sallyb said:

I sure hope we still get towel animals!

What happens if you use your beach towels, and you need clean ones for the next day? 

Yes, your steward will swap out your beach towels.

Edited February 16, 2023 by cacruisin

[stobe1]

2 minutes ago, cacruisin said:

Yes your stewart will swap out your beach towels

My ex brother-in-law will be there to do that?

Edited February 16, 2023 by stobe1

[marci4tony]

I assure you - Carnival is not the "bottom of the barrel" LOL

 

Your cruise will be what you make of it.  Galveston is a beautiful little city - Watch for the dolphins playing on your way out of the bay 

[mz-s]

Just since COVID:

The dinner buffet is full of dried out rice and potatoes, and they cut the chicken thighs into three pieces.

They give you half a baked potato and 3 salad-size shrimp in your shrimp cocktail in the dining room.

The breakfast buffet is absolutely disgusting.

Sea day brunch menu dramatically cut, hours cut.

24/7 pizza is no more. If you order pepperoni pizza you might get 3 pepperonis on your entire serving. Thats if your legs don't give out from standing in the 45 minute line.

No more late night snacks buffet. Instead, the pizza place that already has a tremendous line sits out a tray of Stouffer's lasagna on some nights maybe.

Ocean plaza buffet/drinks gone.

Deli menu cut, hours cut.

No more included room service, except coffee and dry danishes/cereal/milk during breakfast hours. You have to call that morning and order it. No more leaving a hanger out.

No more twice-daily cabin service. Before COVID it was unofficially gone, you could ask for it if you knew you could and they'd do it - but now it's not an option anymore.

They now serve Ore Ida fries at Guy's instead of fresh cut.

The ongoing severe bacon crisis.

No more port of call themed nights in the dining room.

 

I'm sure I'm forgetting things.

 

Now does one "need" any of these things? No. But then again, nobody "needs" to go on a cruise. We aren't talking about a pharmacy or oxygen here, we're talking about a cruise.

 

And before someone pipes up to champion it - yes, I know they brought back ketchup soup during sea day brunch.

 

I don't particularly care if you say none of these things matter to you or not - I didn't take advantage of all of these things either - but they're still cutbacks in the experience. "Special touches" gone, if you will.

 

Carnival can still be a good value and I still like their product for what it is - but people should know what they're getting. It's no longer the special vacation it once was in my opinion.

[staceyglow]

50 minutes ago, DarthGrady said:

Up through the early 2010's they still had afternoon tea with pastries and other snacks (I'm sure the British have a lovely term for this), I really enjoyed it. Some of the pricier cruise lines didn't even offer it, definitely a nice touch that has been lost to the ages. 

They still have afternoon tea. We went to one a few weeks ago. 

[Drazil65]

Seems like the majority of the complaining relates to once a day cabin service, ice buckets and food portions.  We have been cruising 20 plus years mostly on CCL and RCCL (and a couple of one offs on other lines).  Truthfully we never wanted 2x a day cabin service and would leave our privacy tag on the door knob until we left for dinner.  We still get the same service at dinner time and since I have no service at home, this is way more than enough for us.  We always just ask our cabin stew to please bring fresh ice in the evening when he does the cabin and it has not been a problem. The staff definitely has many more cabins to service than ever and less staff to do it with it seems.   

 

We have seen menu items come and go on both CCL & RCCL over the years and many that have come back, portions may be smaller but we feel we have many more venues to choose from to eat at and no one in our family has ever starved on a cruise.  Things change but after the pandemic shutdown we are happy to have the choice of cruising again.  

Edited February 16, 2023 by Drazil65

[DarthGrady]

2 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

They still have afternoon tea. We went to one a few weeks ago. 

Interesting. Did it go away for a while? I didn't see it in the Capers/Fun Times for a while and eventually just stopped looking for it. 

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, DarthGrady said:

Interesting. Did it go away for a while? I didn't see it in the Capers/Fun Times for a while and eventually just stopped looking for it. 

 

It did, yes. They ended it during the staffing crunch they had for a while. I expected it to be gone for good, but thankfully they did bring it back after a short hiatus. It is a nice event, I go as often as I can.

[nessz79]

The main dining room service isn't like it used to be. Not because the workers don't work hard- they do!! But there used to be more staff and meticulous details like scraping crumbs off between your entree and dessert.  Before anyone jumps on that, I'm not saying I need crumb-scraping back, but it's just an example of how things used to be to now.  It is more like a regular nicer restaurant now that you would find in most cities.  

[DarthGrady]

8 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

It did, yes. They ended it during the staffing crunch they had for a while. I expected it to be gone for good, but thankfully they did bring it back after a short hiatus. It is a nice event, I go as often as I can.

Good to hear, I'll look for it next time I'm on CCL. 

[scoobysnacks70]

I miss the printed Fun Times and menus.  I hate having to carry my phone around on the ship!.  I used to lock it in the safe and check it occasionally in case an emergency arose...I miss the table cloths in the dining room for sure. Once a day cleaning of the cabin is fine with me.

[nybumpkin]

Just now, scoobysnacks70 said:

I miss the printed Fun Times and menus.  I hate having to carry my phone around on the ship!.  I used to lock it in the safe and check it occasionally in case an emergency arose.

I refuse to carry my phone. I look at the Hub App in the morning before I leave the cabin and then look at the dinner menu in the afternoon. Aside from that and going ashore, the phone stays in the safe. I don't even take many pictures with my phone - that's why I have a compact point-and-shoot camera that fits in my pocket.

[mom2tcdx2]

Yes I would say some small touches are gone.  I remember my first cruise on the Holiday in 2006, I had brought my own sodas and our room steward would put them on ice for me every time he changed the ice, he did that without my asking. First night at dinner a gentleman at our table removed his cucumbers from his salad rest of the cruise the wait staff had already removed them for him.  Enjoyed staff doing little magic tricks to help keep kids entertained and us adults too (they may still do this?).  When making my daughter's bed the steward folderd her pajamas and tucked them under her pillow along with setting out her stuffed animals.  Room steward sewing a button back on a suit, dining room server who loaned me her own camera when mine broke.  Just odd little service things that happened many years ago and we don't quite see the same as much anymore.  

 

As for the chocolates on the pillows I didn't eat those, but my husband would.  We truly don't mind the once a day service, but I really want a towel animal - those would be what I would miss.  Guys burgers I almost never at the fries, personally I never really cared for them.  I preferred to get the little potato sticks on the bar and I miss the crumbled bacon.  Just bring back the bacon and all would be good.  

 

I miss paper menus, and the daily in paper form.  Really not a fan of the looking up on my phone.  

[pc_load_letter]

26 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Just since COVID:

The dinner buffet is full of dried out rice and potatoes, and they cut the chicken thighs into three pieces.

They give you half a baked potato and 3 salad-size shrimp in your shrimp cocktail in the dining room.

The breakfast buffet is absolutely disgusting.

Sea day brunch menu dramatically cut, hours cut.

24/7 pizza is no more. If you order pepperoni pizza you might get 3 pepperonis on your entire serving. Thats if your legs don't give out from standing in the 45 minute line.

No more late night snacks buffet. Instead, the pizza place that already has a tremendous line sits out a tray of Stouffer's lasagna on some nights maybe.

Ocean plaza buffet/drinks gone.

Deli menu cut, hours cut.

No more included room service, except coffee and dry danishes/cereal/milk during breakfast hours. You have to call that morning and order it. No more leaving a hanger out.

No more twice-daily cabin service. Before COVID it was unofficially gone, you could ask for it if you knew you could and they'd do it - but now it's not an option anymore.

They now serve Ore Ida fries at Guy's instead of fresh cut.

The ongoing severe bacon crisis.

No more port of call themed nights in the dining room.

 

I'm sure I'm forgetting things.

 

Now does one "need" any of these things? No. But then again, nobody "needs" to go on a cruise. We aren't talking about a pharmacy or oxygen here, we're talking about a cruise.

 

And before someone pipes up to champion it - yes, I know they brought back ketchup soup during sea day brunch.

 

I don't particularly care if you say none of these things matter to you or not - I didn't take advantage of all of these things either - but they're still cutbacks in the experience. "Special touches" gone, if you will.

 

Carnival can still be a good value and I still like their product for what it is - but people should know what they're getting. It's no longer the special vacation it once was in my opinion.

 

I am not this critical but I do wish they'd bring back some of the late night snacks.

 

Pre-covid we loved cruising on Imagination and Inspiration out of Long Beach and always knew that we could get snacks late, even if it was just hotdogs, fries and maybe some bad pasta dish and fruit.

 

I really love NCL for O'Shehans\The Local.

 

I also hate the increase in the drink package but my stock benefit takes away some of that sting.

[mz-s]

7 minutes ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

I am not this critical but I do wish they'd bring back some of the late night snacks.

 

Pre-covid we loved cruising on Imagination and Inspiration out of Long Beach and always knew that we could get snacks late, even if it was just hotdogs, fries and maybe some bad pasta dish and fruit.

 

I really love NCL for O'Shehans\The Local.

 

I also hate the increase in the drink package but my stock benefit takes away some of that sting.

 

Even Disney has a late night snacks buffet, and they roll up the sidewalks on a Disney ship by 11PM. Carnival being the fun ships, standing in a 45-minute line to get a slice of pizza after the comedy club closes isn't fun to me.

 

Yes I agree the late night snacks buffet going away is one that stings the most of all. That and losing room service altogether. Sorry, but I'm not paying $5 for a PB&J from room service - the prices of the menu now are punitive. It used to be Carnival's extra price food was cheap for the quality but that's not as true anymore.

[ninjacat123]

11 minutes ago, mom2tcdx2 said:

Yes I would say some small touches are gone.  I remember my first cruise on the Holiday in 2006, I had brought my own sodas and our room steward would put them on ice for me every time he changed the ice, he did that without my asking. First night at dinner a gentleman at our table removed his cucumbers from his salad rest of the cruise the wait staff had already removed them for him.  Enjoyed staff doing little magic tricks to help keep kids entertained and us adults too (they may still do this?).

Maybe not magic tricks, our MDR staff for our Thanksgiving 2022 cruise brought out brainteasers for our 20 & 22 yr old DDs.  It was fun watching my DDs giggle as they tried to solve the puzzles.  The MDR waitstaff were all smiles watching them.  Made me feel like we were back on a family Carnival cruise back when they were little!😃