It’s been 10 years since I cruised on Carnival. This is the change which bothered me the most

[nancy1031]

When i was on the Celebration  Oct 23, I requested a paper menu the 1st night in the dining room as I had a fixed dinner time (my choice) and no qustions wre asked and it qworked fine for me the whole cruise- not a big fan of the cell phone- still have a landline and yes a desktop pc as well-also prefer to read books physically instead of online- my parents never used a computer- mom was an excellent typist and dad retired before computers were the norm in the workplace- mom lived on a farm,had an outhouse and also lived through the depression- both of my parents had more knowledge between the 2 of them than 20 kids with masters degrees do combined!   I figure if they survived without modern technology - so can I - most likely I will not use my cell phone much on my next cruise and I will be totaly relaxed too!!

[aborgman]

22 minutes ago, odyssyus said:

True... but my local restaurant in town hands me a menu, and takes/delivers my drink order before taking my order by hand.. all for a $9 breakfast.

 

Your local restaurant in town hands you a menu, and takes/delivers your drink order before taking your order by hand.. all for only 2-3 times as much as Carnival charges per meal.

 

Carnival is using somewhere between $3-$5 of your fare per meal.

[ColeThornton]

 

Couldn't care less what Carnival allocates per meal. Irrelevant.  I look at my total costs for the cruise and I have expectations for service and quality food based on that total.

 

I have no problem spending $15 at the local diner for fast , friendly service, real menus and quality food (every single time).

[pe4all]

I am sorry the OP did not like his dining experience.  We have always asked - and gotten- paper menus in any and every CCL dining room.  And they were waiting for us on the table from then on.  I never use my phone for menus, fun times, etc.  Can't read it at my age.  There are many other cruise lines out there that will have leather or vinyl bound menus if that makes or breaks a cruise.

[Stick93]

Always funny when people say go somewhere else. Great business model - come sail with us and if you don’t like it go somewhere else. Very little effort to have menus on demand. I needed a menu a few nights on my last cruise and you would have thought I asked for a free steak dinner they way they looked at me. I guess they were really saying was  “hey you stupid paying customer…go somewhere else”! 

Edited Wednesday at 09:07 PM by Stick93

[mfs2k]

38 minutes ago, pe4all said:

I am sorry the OP did not like his dining experience.  We have always asked - and gotten- paper menus in any and every CCL dining room.  And they were waiting for us on the table from then on.  I never use my phone for menus, fun times, etc.  Can't read it at my age.  There are many other cruise lines out there that will have leather or vinyl bound menus if that makes or breaks a cruise.

First, I did not say I didn't like my dining experience.  I was clear some things were great and some not so great but this change(from expectation to exception) bothered me.

Second, I never said this issue made or broke my cruise.  It did neither.  

I was posting about a Carnival change I didn't like.  That didn't mean I didn't have a fabulous time. 

 

[mfs2k]

15 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

Always funny when people say go somewhere else. Great business model - come sail with us and if you don’t like it go somewhere else. Very little effort to have menus on demand. I needed a menu a few nights on my last cruise and you would have thought I asked for a free steak dinner they way they looked at me. I guess they were really saying was  “hey you stupid paying customer…go somewhere else”! 

 

Ive become fond of the word "disdain" since writing this post.  

[aborgman]

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Couldn't care less what Carnival allocates per meal. Irrelevant.  I look at my total costs for the cruise and I have expectations for service and quality food based on that total.

 

I have no problem spending $15 at the local diner for fast , friendly service, real menus and quality food (every single time).

 

Ok... So the proper comparison is your cruise fare to a hotel + 3 restaurant meals + entertainment.

 

...and you can't get a hotel room comparable to an interior room for much less than the cost of your fare. $150-$200 is a standard Holiday Inn rate.

[RoperDK]

4 minutes ago, Stick93 said:

Always funny when people say go somewhere else. Great business model - come sail with us and if you don’t like it go somewhere else. Very little effort to have menus on demand. I needed a menu a few nights on my last cruise and you would have thought I asked for a free steak dinner they way they looked at me. I guess they were really saying was  “hey you stupid paying customer…go somewhere else”! 

I'm sure that I will get slammed for this, but I have also received this attitude from the crew.  Cabin stewards that looked devastated to have to bring ice daily and looked disappointed to have to bring a paper copy of the Fun Times.  We request morning cabin service and have been told that they will do the cabin when they can.  Dining room waitstaff that seemed put out to bring anything extra.  This includes a refill of iced tea or heaven forbid a cup of coffee with desert. This is a fairly new experience for me that just started within the last year or so.  Now, I have still received great service from many crew members, especially those that I have more interaction with like my favorite bartenders. I'm not implying that everything is bad, but I have never had any issues before and it took me by surprise.        

[dallasdan]

On our cruise a couple of weeks ago on the Magic, a paper copy of the fun times was delivered daily to our room.  We didn't ask for it.  4 of the 6 people in our dining group were handed paper menus at every meal without any attitude from the wait staff.  

[jimbo5544]

19 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Excuse me but expecting to be handed a menu when being seated is not pampering. It is the norm in upscale restaurants as well as truck stops.

No it is not.  It is the 20 the century, not the 21st.  Which is fine.  It has zero to do with truck stops or land based restaurants.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, dallasdan said:

On our cruise a couple of weeks ago on the Magic, a paper copy of the fun times was delivered daily to our room.  We didn't ask for it.  4 of the 6 people in our dining group were handed paper menus at every meal without any attitude from the wait staff.  

We have traveled with people who always ask for paper menus, there has never been a problem

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

I'm sure that I will get slammed for this, but I have also received this attitude from the crew.  Cabin stewards that looked devastated to have to bring ice daily and looked disappointed to have to bring a paper copy of the Fun Times.  We request morning cabin service and have been told that they will do the cabin when they can.  Dining room waitstaff that seemed put out to bring anything extra.  This includes a refill of iced tea or heaven forbid a cup of coffee with desert. This is a fairly new experience for me that just started within the last year or so.  Now, I have still received great service from many crew members, especially those that I have more interaction with like my favorite bartenders. I'm not implying that everything is bad, but I have never had any issues before and it took me by surprise.        

I am shocked, you are ALWAYS so positive on Carnival.  Go figure….

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, Stick93 said:

Always funny when people say go somewhere else. Great business model - come sail with us and if you don’t like it go somewhere else. 

 

It is indeed a great business model if you aren't interested in attracting that type of customer.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  Very few, if any, businesses can profitably accommodate the preferences or requirements of everyone.

 

And for the record, it has been my experience that in many cases, a waiter will bring over a paper menu the minute he sees me fumbling with my phone.  And I am not even all that old!

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 11:01 PM by staceyglow

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, Stick93 said:

Always funny when people say go somewhere else. Great business model - come sail with us and if you don’t like it go somewhere else. Very little effort to have menus on demand. I needed a menu a few nights on my last cruise and you would have thought I asked for a free steak dinner they way they looked at me. I guess they were really saying was  “hey you stupid paying customer…go somewhere else”! 

I do not understand how what “people” says has anything to do with a business (cruise line in this case) business model.  Moving onto the 21st century has consequences, there is fallout in terms of people who cannot adapt to small changes.  Your last line speaks volumes.

[jimbo5544]

3 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

 

It is indeed a great business model if you aren't interested in attracting that type of customer.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  Very few, if any, businesses can profitably accommodate the preferences or requirements of everyone.

 

And for the record, it has been my experience that in many cases, a waiter will bring over a paper menu the minute he sees me fumbling with my phone.  And I am not even all that old!

 

 

Bingo

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Couldn't care less what Carnival allocates per meal. Irrelevant.  I look at my total costs for the cruise and I have expectations for service and quality food based on that total.

 

I have no problem spending $15 at the local diner for fast , friendly service, real menus and quality food (every single time).

Options are a good thing….every single time.  If they cannot meet your requirements, take your dead president somewhere that meets the grade.

[RoperDK]

2 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

I am shocked, you are ALWAYS so positive on Carnival.  Go figure….

Me stating my recent experiences is just a fact. I am not always negative towards Carnival, but I am not afraid to report on things both good and bad.  I doubt you can find a totally negative response that I have posted. It is true than I am disappointed in the direction that Carnival is heading and hope that the couple of upcoming cruises I am taking will prove me wrong.       

[jimbo5544]

Just now, RoperDK said:

Me stating my recent experiences is just a fact. I am not always negative towards Carnival, but I am not afraid to report on things both good and bad.  I doubt you can find a totally negative response that I have posted. It is true than I am disappointed in the direction that Carnival is heading and hope that the couple of upcoming cruises I am taking will prove me wrong.       

Hope springs eternal

[MamaFej]

7 hours ago, silvercrikhix said:

I personally don’t mind looking on my phone for menus, or requesting a table for a meal. However, I don’t like the Fun Times on my phone. It’s way too much info for a small screen and much harder to navigate then the paper Fun Times. My hubs is 10 yrs older than I am and will not use his phone for any of it.  We request paper menus for him and there has been no snarls sent his way because of that. Although, sometimes,  I now bring up the menus on his phone for him or have him look at mine.  The print is small and he needs readers to see it which is a PIA.  He has also been blind in his right eye since the age of 10. 
 

Is this the way of the future, yes, of course it will be?!  But in the meantime, the attitude of some posters is quite disturbing. Basically, you’re old and will be gone soon, so too bad; is what it reads as.  You will also be old one day and unhip to the future days nuances.  We might be older, but we’ve earned every single bit of our lives, our selves. Without expecting our parents, community or government to help us. Something most of these smart lipped posters can’t say. Us old fools built this country from nothing. A little thought and respect before you disregard our carcasses, might be ok. 

You built this 248 year-old country from nothing? I'm not sure whether to be impressed or frightened.

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, MamaFej said:

You built this 248 year-old country from nothing? I'm not sure whether to be impressed or frightened.

I’d say it’s been more evolution than revolution. (Since the revolution)

[BlerkOne]

For Funs Sake, Carnival is a mass market cruise line, not a niche player.

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, RoperDK said:

I'm sure that I will get slammed for this, but I have also received this attitude from the crew.  Cabin stewards that looked devastated to have to bring ice daily and looked disappointed to have to bring a paper copy of the Fun Times.  We request morning cabin service and have been told that they will do the cabin when they can.  Dining room waitstaff that seemed put out to bring anything extra.  This includes a refill of iced tea or heaven forbid a cup of coffee with desert. This is a fairly new experience for me that just started within the last year or so.  Now, I have still received great service from many crew members, especially those that I have more interaction with like my favorite bartenders. I'm not implying that everything is bad, but I have never had any issues before and it took me by surprise.        

I hope you give positive feedback to Carnival for those on the crew who still give great service. This helps them with things like promotions.

[sparks1093]

Kind of neutral on this one. Not a big fan of having to carry my phone onboard, but I do like having the schedule at my finger tips (including the schedule for the entire cruise), being able to flag the events I want to do without a highlighter. I do like being able to order food to my location wherever I am on the ship. I do like being able to get in line before even showing up to a venue. And having the menu for the week available allows me to choose what night, if any, we want to dine in another venue. So, I guess I'm not neutral, since the pros out weight the cons for me and mine. 

[jeblack1]

On 9/17/2024 at 6:34 PM, mfs2k said:

 

I’m 65 and am quite comfortable using a phone for doing everything. I’ve exceeded screen time guidelines since I was 5 watching tv more than I was supposed to. I know how to use my phone but I don’t like being expected to use my phone to review a menu. 
I remember the thrill of looking at the menus my parents brought home from their cruises in the 60’s. I appreciate the elegant service of being handed a fancy menu in a leather (or vinyl) menu holder and perusing my options before ordering. That feeling is gone now when I’m asked to look at my phone for the evening selections. Ugh. Just thinking about it now irritates me. I know this became necessary when Covid was raging but it’s been 4 1/2 years and this continued practice needs to become a memory in my opinion. 
I get it that 1. I can probably get a menu if I ask for it and 2. many people prefer this method. 
 

I get this....I'm 42 and my wife and I both would prefer a paper menu.  Like you mentioned, I know you can request one, but it is something I have expected as a permanent change.  It also seems the expectation is that you know what you want as soon as you sit down as the server seems immediately ready to take your order. 

I always want coffee with my dessert (prefer it immediately after finished with my meal), however it seems to arrive ½way through dessert or not at all.  I sort of blame this issue on having no menus and ordering everything up front.  Almost like they have to go get the coffee or serve the desserts that are just sitting there.