Remember when Carnival used to

[PINEVIEW01]

I still have my first glass Carnival glasses from '94. I bought many drinks before I realized we got to keep them. If you didn't want the drink you could get them cheaper in other classes:(

[silverfoxcruiser]

1. Soft drinks and sodas were free

2. DOD was $1.00

3. Beer was $1.00

4. Alcoholic beverages ran from $.75 each to about $2.50

5. Bingo cards were 3/$1.00 and only cash prizes were given out. It was a progressive bingo for the week. The last night of the cruise' date=' it wasn't unusual for the jackpot to be in the 3000-4000 range. The bingo cards were the cardboard ones with the red plastic covers for the numbers.

6. You could bring your own booze....and blender if you wanted.....

7. All purchases were paid for in CASH.

8. Very few, if anyone, stiffed the crew, so tipping was left to each persons own discretion with "recommended guidelines" for those who couldn't figure it out.

9. It was very, very rare to see anyone under 18 on a ship....

10. At least one person on every cruise had a guitar or ukulele and would play it on deck.

11. REAL steel bands played on the Lido around the pool in the afternoons.

12. They had REAL island entertainment. The entertainers would board at one island, give a show or two or more and get off the next day or at the next island.

13. No televisions in the rooms at all.

14. There was 1 movie theater onboard and first run movies were shown several times a day.

15. Topless bathing was all over the place.....and nobody cared.

16. Free "Welcome Drinks" greeted you by uniformed waiters as soon as you boarded.

17. A member of the crew escorted each party to their cabin upon boarding.

18. The Captain and Officers could be found in the lounges and discos mingling with the passengers on a regular basis.

19. Several Officers would eat in the main dining room at tables with the passengers.......a different table each night.

20. There were $.50 tables in the casino.

 

So much has changed. By the way.....these things were all in place in the mid-1970's through the early 80's.[/quote']

On the Costa Riviera (old one) in 1986, there was only one seating for each meal, and you HAD better be on time!! Silver

[Chigirlcruzin]

I was 18 on my first cruise in 1995, and you only had to be 18 to sail on your own - I sailed with my 2 best friends from high school. You could also drink on board at 18, not 21.

 

Souvenir glasses were glass, as others have mentioned. I have a collection of glass hurricane glasses, beer mugs, and brandy glasses.

 

They actually did a baked Alaska parade in the dining room as well as flaming cherries jubilee.

 

The only options for dinner were room service or dining room. Tips were handed out on the last night, and the dining room was empty.

 

There was a midnight buffet every night, with the gala buffet one night.

 

I remember the belly flop contest, knobby knees, etc.

[Luluwa]

:eek:The average age of Carnival's cruisers are now 49 years old. Surprising huh. :eek:

 

Not true today.That kind of mindset is why the "frat house party boat" reputation does not die off.Todays Carnival has raised itself far above that.

[Junebug1]

I sailed on the Mardi Gras in 1981. Our cabin steward used to turn the beds down every night, then fold our night gowns in a different patterned display. Kind of creepy now that I think about it.

[mek]

I remember...

 

Theme nights - Country and Western, Caribbean, etc. and people actually wore clothing in the dining room at night to match the theme.

 

When the pursers desk was only open during business hours.

 

There was not only a midnight buffet every night but also a late night buffet at 1:30 am.

 

When everyone paid the full brochure rate.

 

Cabin doors having keys and little slips of paper getting us back on the ship.

[Nezmo]

...They actually did a baked Alaska parade in the dining room as well as flaming cherries jubilee.

...

I remember that too. I have photos of the bus boys balancing baked alaska on their heads with small pots alight on the top - just inches from the ceiling! That always made me wonder.

[dclark]

I didn't sail CL until '98, on the then new Elation.

1)They had assigned breakfast and lunch seating. I got that on the Ecstacy in '02 and was told that they were the last to offer it and were about to go open seating.

2) President butter, last seen by me on the 12/04 Victory sailing

3) baked alaska and cherry jubilees flame parade

4)Rum swizzle parties

5) Fresh orange juice. Ok, this one was cool, they had it on the '99 sailing of the Elation I was on as well. In the lido buffet, they had a basket of oranges next to a large juice machine. You fed oranges in it and juice came out- nice.

6) More show room entertainers. Now, they have one or two headliners tops. Back then they had at least three, plus shows. There was a good reason to go to the show room every night.

[Nutnhuni4193]

I remember assigned seating for breakfast. They would have 2 separate times for early and late seating and times could change depending on when we got into port. We had that in 1997 on our honeymoon and in 1999. Then we didn't cruise until 2005 and I was so surprised when breakfast was open seating. I like that because you get to sit with other people. I still like traditional dining for dinner. I hated NCL open seating--really didn't get to meet other people. I went to breakfast by myself and that is how they sat me--by myself--so I stopped going to the dining room for breakfast.

 

I noticed you were on Victory in 12/06 and on Freedom 12/08 I am too my sail dates were week of my anniversary in 06 on the Victory week of 10th of Dec. this time on Freedom 12/6 wouldn't that be weird if I have been on carnival twice and you were on both cruises?

[krystalkruzer]

Well I said in COMPARISON to the other lines, yes, Carnival DOES have a more wild crowd. For the most part this is 100% true. I've been on 18 cruises on all the different lines, I think I would be able to see this. :rolleyes:

 

Did not mean to upset anybody,just my observation based on my past 3 cruises :)

[krystalkruzer]

I do remember that Carnival line was the only line, that stacked the deck chairs away at night. And put them out every morning...They did this so the kids (big and little) wouldn't throw them overboard.

 

Sandy

 

They still do.

[cruisecastle]

skeet shooting was huge on the carnivale in the 80's

[NorseFarmer]

Indoor movie theaters and no TV's. Now we have TV's and outdoor theaters.

[YooperGale]

And are you oneof the drunks and partiers?

Gale[

 

 

quote=BalconyBumz;17024184]Oh come on, Carnival still has the most drunks and party people of any line. They attract the youngest and wildest crowds still in general.

[G'ma]

On the Costa Riviera (old one) in 1986, there was only one seating for each meal, and you HAD better be on time!! Silver

 

True!!!! You had a 15 minute window to be there. After that, the doors were closed and no one was admitted. And, there weren't any dining options....... Chips and soda was about it...... Or, you could wait until the fabulous midnight buffet......

[G'ma]

And are you oneof the drunks and partiers?

Gale[

 

 

quote=BalconyBumz;17024184]Oh come on, Carnival still has the most drunks and party people of any line. They attract the youngest and wildest crowds still in general.

 

Hate to break it to you....but....

 

While Carnival has a much more lively group of passengers who are outgoing, fun, love to dance and party -- the average age of the typical Carnival passenger is 44-49 years old.

 

How long has it been since you've cruised one of their ships.?

[AdAstra99]

It's too bad that everyone didn't get to cruise with Captain Streubing. That guy knew how to party. Gopher could be a little whiny and annoying, but spending the evening with Isaac made everything better!

[slpgolden1]

I was on the original carnival ship in Aug 1979 for my honeymoon and I tell you we had a blast. On that cruise we had broken the record for the most honeymooners and if the ship was not rocking enough with that we were also in hurricane david. Yes there were many on deck activities beer drinking contest, pool side frog racing, pillow fights, mens night gown contest, costume party, the waiter and bus boy did tricks at your tables, you ate with the same people breakfast, lunch and dinner. The room steward found the ladies nighty and made different designs on the beds each night. On the ledo deck a steel drum band usually four member band played each day. There was no sail and sign card, you went to a reg movie theatre to see a movie. There was no internet service. You had a midnight buffet and a late night buffet. The formal night dinners were like going to a new years eve party with hat's and lei's and noise makers. When you paid for your cruise air fare was included, and everyone paid the brochure price with the only difference was the deck and in-season and out of season.

Those were the good old days....:D

[jetwet1]

A basket of warm roll's on the dinner table every night, oh how I miss them :o

[GTVCRUISER]

My first cruise 1980 , no security check you just walked on board , friends could party in your cabin before ship leaves , you paid cash for your drinks, meals only in dining room, midnight buffet every night ,no TV in Cabins , tour of the bridge.

[pcvtmom]

I remember all that and in fact still use some DOD glasses I brought home on a daily basis. They were the mason jar type they had. Then switched to plastic but still had the varity of glasses. I hate these hurricane type they have now, I wish they would go back to the mason glass, much easier to handle and some guys hate the hurricane shap since it really is kind of girly lol. I remember when dinner was FINE dining. You would have all the forks and spoons, they would remove the crumbs from the table, the napkin placed on your lap, waiters were different then. Ahhhhhhhh to the days of being pampered in the dining room.

Gosh, I feel special. I've cruised regularly with Carnival the past 9 years (I'm currently booked for #12 and #13.). I've always had the forks, spoons, crumb removal, and napkin placed in my lap. I guess I've been lucky with the wait staff each cruise. I love the pampering in the dining room!

[travel girl23]

I, too, remember sitting at our assigned table in the dining room for breakfast and lunch, stuff the oranges in the bikini contests, the Maitre'd playing the chimes over the loud speaker announcing dinner, and winning a cruise at bingo. In all our 10 cruises, I guess we have been lucky. Have yet to see drunks strumbling around or wild frat party crowds. In general, the cruisers we have seen are more in their 50s except when we have cruised holidays and then there are more children on board. Hope our luck holds out. :eek:

[dclark]

I noticed you were on Victory in 12/06 and on Freedom 12/08 I am too my sail dates were week of my anniversary in 06 on the Victory week of 10th of Dec. this time on Freedom 12/6 wouldn't that be weird if I have been on carnival twice and you were on both cruises?

 

I might just be that obnoxious drunk that you see on every cruise!:p

[Creepella]

I

2) President butter, last seen by me on the 12/04 Victory sailing

 

What, please, is president butter?

[kgm0612]

Reading all the posts on this thread has brought back a lot of memories from my first cruise in 1988 on Carnival's Celebration.

 

We paid about $1200 each for an inside cabin, including airfare, and left out of Miami, visiting the ports of Puerto Rico, St. Thomas & St. Martin. DOD's were served in glass. We participated in mostly all of the activities on deck.........pillow fighting, frog race, hairy leg contest, etc. I'm pretty sure there was a Midnight Buffet every night? My husband enjoyed skeet shooting off the back of the ship.

 

Oh...........anyone remember when they used to throw the trash overboard at the end of the night?

 

Karen