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

[StephPS79]

20 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

👍, it is not pampering, but you know what, you actually should be pampered on a cruise, That once was the norm.

 

The norm used to be cruises were reserved for the wealthy.  As cruising becomes more accessible, the norms change.

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, pohlerbear said:

Its many (including mine) preference to have it the way it is now. I look at menus with leather or vinyl covers and see nothing but germs. No thank you. Saves the cruise line money having to reprint the menus as well. 

 

As the boomers who don't like to use their phone fade away, this will be the norm. Most gen x and below wouldn't even bat an eye at this.

To each his/her own. 
I prefer more of a finer dining experience. 

[aborgman]

12 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.

 

Norms change.

 

When my grandmother was in high school, women wearing pants was considered socially unacceptable and considered so low class it wasn't allowed in restaurants.

[aborgman]

43 minutes ago, StephPS79 said:

 

The norm used to be cruises were reserved for the wealthy.  As cruising becomes more accessible, the norms change.

 

Yep... Like when folks talk about flying in the 1950's/1960s and how fancy it was.

 

An average Boston to LA flight cost about $6000 in today's money, and you stopped 4-5 times to re-fuel making for about a 12-14 hour trip.

 

Now it's $600 and 6 hours with no stops... But people don't dress as nice and you don't get a fancy meal.

[silvercrikhix]

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. 

[teknoge3k]

I personally prefer everything on my phone. It's MUCH easier, and much more convenient. Over the years people have posted "I lock my phone in the safe" on CC and social media. Like, it's some weird accomplishment for them. Good for those that do, but they are definitely in the small minority. When papers come to our cabin, they go straight into the trash. I prefer to look at the menu on my phone when I board for the entire week and mentally plan for what/where I am eating.

 

My 87 year old grandmother also prefers to look at the menus & Fun Times on her phone as well.

[happiestvacationsLaura]

I totally agree with the OP.  I am in my forties, and I use technology every day.  I am often an early adopter of technology.  That said...

I prefer a paper menu.  I wish they automatically presented me with a menu each time I sat down. 

I don't like to waste my phone battery by using my phone as a menu.  Also, I use a very small phone and it's a hassle to view the menu in this way.

I don't mind using my phone to make reservations, but I always ask for a physical menu at restaurants that have a QR code only.  I once walked out of a restaurant that couldn't accommodate my request, as they were very rude about it.

It's not a Carnival thing, though.  It is a societal thing these days.  I even encounter this at a luxury resort I frequent in Mexico.  However, there I just ask for a physical menu once - and all other times I dine during that stay I will receive one.

 

 

[odyssyus]

3 hours ago, mfs2k said:

To each his/her own. 
I prefer more of a finer dining experience. 

Agreed.  I'm a Gen X'r and while I could easily pick up my phone and push buttons, I'm not accepting of this very lazy practice by Carnival.  Treat me like a guest with some class.  Take me when I show up and find me a table, hand my wife and I a menu in our hands properly, and don't try to take my whole food order before you've offered and delivered drinks.  I'm not at Denny's....

[aborgman]

1 hour ago, silvercrikhix said:

 You will also be old one day and unhip to the future days nuances.

 

Getting old in inevitable.

Getting unhip to the future is a choice.

 

I'm already old (older than 64% of the US population, 12 years older than median age) and I don't plan on ever stopping learning.

 

Heck - my 97 year old grandmother uses Facebook and email, and she grew up on a farm without electricity or running water during the Dust Bowl.

[aborgman]

9 minutes ago, happiestvacationsLaura said:

 I even encounter this at a luxury resort I frequent in Mexico.

 

Yep... $600 a night all inclusive in Belize with gourmet made to order food... scan the QR code.

[aborgman]

1986 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $1,390.

2024 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $1,558

 

In 2024 dollars:

1986 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $3,992

2024 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $1,558

 

Cruises literally cost HALF as much adjusted for inflation as they did in the mid 1980's. You kind of are at a Denny's.

[MsTabbyKats]

IMHO....people don't do their homework.

 

If people read CC and reviews before booking a cruise....they would know what to expect.

 

One should not book Carnival expecting Cunard.

[odyssyus]

3 minutes ago, aborgman said:

1986 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $1,390.

2024 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $1,558

 

In 2024 dollars:

1986 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $3,992

2024 Carnival 7 day cruise, 2 people, interior room: $1,558

 

Cruises literally cost HALF as much adjusted for inflation as they did in the mid 1980's. You kind of are at a Denny's.

The relevant cost of cruises in 1986 vs 2024, while interesting, isn't an excuse to dumb down proper service.  If that's your vibe, then so be it.

[Bollycats]

20 minutes ago, odyssyus said:

Agreed.  I'm a Gen X'r and while I could easily pick up my phone and push buttons, I'm not accepting of this very lazy practice by Carnival.  Treat me like a guest with some class.  Take me when I show up and find me a table, hand my wife and I a menu in our hands properly, and don't try to take my whole food order before you've offered and delivered drinks.  I'm not at Denny's....

I completely agree. I get one cruise a year (sometimes my only vacation) and I'm eating in an upscale dining room. I want service that's a little more civilized.

[silvercrikhix]

13 minutes ago, aborgman said:

 

Getting old in inevitable. No, but the alternative sucks. 

Getting unhip to the future is a choice.  It is a choice. Not wanting to read a menu on a 6 x 3 inch screen should be an ok decision for grown ups to make. 

 

I'm already old (older than 64% of the US population, 12 years older than median age) and I don't plan on ever stopping learning.  Irrelevant - your personal choice. Doesn’t make mine wrong. Is the right to choose what we learn about irrelevant as well. 

 

Heck - my 97 year old grandmother uses Facebook and email, and she grew up on a farm without electricity or running water during the Dust Bowl.  Good for grandma  She must have great tenacity and eyesight if reading that on a 6 x 3 screen!  Please buy grandma an iPad Pro already! 
 

 

[aborgman]

3 minutes ago, odyssyus said:

The relevant cost of cruises in 1986 vs 2024, while interesting, isn't an excuse to dumb down proper service.  If that's your vibe, then so be it.

 

 

Expecting to get the same level of service and quality, for half the price... is just delusional.

 

There is no "proper" service - there are just different levels of service at different price points.

 

...and it's important to remember that about 6% of your cruise fare goes for food. On average about $10-$15 per person per day total.

 

That is about $5/meal... or around half the cost of buying a value meal at McDonalds. THAT is the price point we're talking about.

[aborgman]

8 minutes ago, silvercrikhix said:

 It is a choice. Not wanting to read a menu on a 6 x 3 inch screen should be an ok decision for grown ups to make. 

 

It absolutely IS an OK decision to make - as an adult, we all get to make our decisions and suffer the consequences/benefits of those decisions.

 

Folks can choose not to read menus on phone screen - but the cost to that decision might be not eating in that restaurant, or waiting extra long for a menu.

 

It's perfectly viable choice, as long as folks are willing to accept the consequences of their choice.

 

...but in the end - the world is going to keep progressing.

[happiestvacationsLaura]

45 minutes ago, aborgman said:

 

Yep... $600 a night all inclusive in Belize with gourmet made to order food... scan the QR code.

It's true.  I go to resorts that sometimes are the price of an entire Carnival cruise for one night... they still have the QR code as default.  I wonder, though, if the recent scams that have been happening with QR codes will deter more people from scanning.  It's happening everywhere from pay-for-parking signs to menus.  And the stickers are almost undetectable, or if they are... you might assume it was just a correction made by the establishment.

[RoperDK]

Just like many other threads on this (and other) forums, some people will firmly stand on a pro or con view of a post that criticizes a policy on their chosen cruise line.  I prefer the paper Fun Times and to be handed a real menu to look at.  I cruised right after the start up and hated trying to find events on the online Fun Times.  I scanned the QR codes for the menus and didn't care much for that either.  Carnival reversed course on those 2 things because of negative feedback from cruisers and I'm glad that they did.  On the other hand, I love checking in for my table for meal service.  It gives me an idea of my wait time and I can plan accordingly.  I think that the new procedure for the muster drill is amazing.  However, I'm not a fan of the many cutbacks I've seen on Carnival along with not finding the bargain pricing now that I used to see.  BTW....I am 67 and a retired computer programmer.  My phone goes everywhere with me and I feel lost if I'm not connected to wifi onboard.           

[Sea Raven]

1 hour ago, odyssyus said:

Agreed.  I'm a Gen X'r and while I could easily pick up my phone and push buttons, I'm not accepting of this very lazy practice by Carnival.  Treat me like a guest with some class.  Take me when I show up and find me a table, hand my wife and I a menu in our hands properly, and don't try to take my whole food order before you've offered and delivered drinks.  I'm not at Denny's....

My only question about this is regarding the ordering process. I always thought that when a single menu presented multiple courses and beverages, that is has always been customary to select from each of the courses and verbalize those selections in order and in their entirety in one request. At least one from each course. The exception is when an establishment presents you with a separate dessert menu before the dessert course. Am I mistaken? 

[odyssyus]

4 minutes ago, Sea Raven said:

My only question about this is regarding the ordering process. I always thought that when a single menu presented multiple courses and beverages, that is has always been customary to select from each of the courses and verbalize those selections in order and in their entirety in one request. At least one from each course. The exception is when an establishment presents you with a separate dessert menu before the dessert course. Am I mistaken? 

@Sea Raven You are correct. It is customary to get all the courses in order and entirety.  I just get annoyed when they're trying to do that, AND get my first drink in. I prefer they get my drink order (grasshopper! or glass of wine) and then come back for the order after.  It feels so rushed and I understand they want to turn tables over, but that is really their problem not mine.  I refuse to accept a lower class of service for the sake of 'progress'.  I can take my money elsewhere 🙂

[MsTabbyKats]

6 minutes ago, odyssyus said:

@Sea Raven You are correct. It is customary to get all the courses in order and entirety.  I just get annoyed when they're trying to do that, AND get my first drink in. I prefer they get my drink order (grasshopper! or glass of wine) and then come back for the order after.  It feels so rushed and I understand they want to turn tables over, but that is really their problem not mine.  I refuse to accept a lower class of service for the sake of 'progress'.  I can take my money elsewhere 🙂

Yes..you can take your money elsewhere for sure.  But when can you get the level of service you demand....for the price you are willing to pay?

[aborgman]

16 minutes ago, odyssyus said:

@Sea Raven You are correct. It is customary to get all the courses in order and entirety.  I just get annoyed when they're trying to do that, AND get my first drink in. I prefer they get my drink order (grasshopper! or glass of wine) and then come back for the order after.  It feels so rushed and I understand they want to turn tables over, but that is really their problem not mine.  I refuse to accept a lower class of service for the sake of 'progress'.  I can take my money elsewhere 🙂

 

Let me know where you can get better service than Carnival at $5 per meal...

[babygrljaz]

Looking at the menu on my phone is best for me. I can easily zoom to read it rather than carry my glasses or have to ask someone what it says

[odyssyus]

18 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Yes..you can take your money elsewhere for sure.  But when can you get the level of service you demand....for the price you are willing to pay?

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.  Carnival has a pretty low bar 🙂  I won't argue that they are a budget line and they're trying to feed 6000 passengers in just a few hours and I've viewed the menu on my phone and checked in as well.  Its just not my style if I can help it.  To each their own.  

Edited Wednesday at 07:57 PM by odyssyus