Cutback Conversation..... I'm curious

[sail7seas]

Seeing as we are (again) having a conversation about cutbacks people are reporting they have experienced on HAL ships, I am curious to hear from those who cruise other lines in addition to HAL if they have seen cutbacks on other cruise lines as well?

 

We now sail HAL exclusively and fully intend to continue doing so. I'm interested to hear from those who sail "X" and RCI and Princess and Cunard etc to report if they have seen cutback on those cruise lines.

 

It's hard for me to imagine any of them can offer prices people are willing to pay in this economy and not have changes.

 

Thanks.

[Boytjie]

Seeing as we are (again) having a conversation about cutbacks people are reporting they have experienced on HAL ships, I am curious to hear from those who cruise other lines in addition to HAL if they have seen cutbacks on other cruise lines as well?

 

We now sail HAL exclusively and fully intend to continue doing so. I'm interested to hear from those who sail "X" and RCI and Princess and Cunard etc to report if they have seen cutback on those cruise lines.

 

It's hard for me to imagine any of them can offer prices people are willing to pay in this economy and not have changes.

 

Thanks.

 

You may want to pose the question on the other cruise line therads. :)

 

On the Cunard threads there have been complaints about it.

[ANSalberg]

To be perfectly honest - I think that the companies that provide cruises are doing the best that they can to DO that, keep the quality, but turn a profit. Its a business; BUT the reviews are very subjective -one person's glorious adventure is another person's nightmare; SAME cruise/same ship/same crew/same ports....AND, of course, same food. I'm reminded of returning from a Tahiti to Hawaii cruise years ago while we were still working and this was our vacation.... OUR experience was wonderful, restful AND exciting [ I went on a shark-feed tour on Bora Bora and actually saw a shark up -fairly- close! AMAZING!] Across from us at the airport in Honolulu was a woman who complained about practically EVERYTHING on their cruise-I remember MOST her remark "That the hamburgers they had for lunch every day were TOTALLY awful/rubbery" and MY thought was "Must have been a different ship BECAUSE I didn't remember ever seeing or having hamburgers-ONLY gourmet-type adventures" You guessed it- SAME cruise/same ship -we found out. THEN my thought was "IF you didn't like the hamburgers WHY order them??????" and just then her husband showed up carrying a bag with.....hamburgers! ANY cruise is what YOU make it from the kind of room you CHOOSE to which PLACES you see[ and HOW you GET there] to what you participate in on the ship , and the friends you travel with or friends you MAKE by being congenial......This APPEARS to digress from the topic; cost/economy -but it doesn't. The complaining come from not making the RIGHT choices, not from what you pay or paid!

Anne

[Hflors]

Seeing as we are (again) having a conversation about cutbacks people are reporting they have experienced on HAL ships, I am curious to hear from those who cruise other lines in addition to HAL if they have seen cutbacks on other cruise lines as well?

 

We now sail HAL exclusively and fully intend to continue doing so. I'm interested to hear from those who sail "X" and RCI and Princess and Cunard etc to report if they have seen cutback on those cruise lines.

 

It's hard for me to imagine any of them can offer prices people are willing to pay in this economy and not have changes.

 

Thanks.

 

On our last X cruise (in Jan 09) the lobster tail was only 1/2 :( a tail. The good news was that they would give you as many as you wanted! :) I had one (1/2) Didn't need any more as I was full. DH and I aren't "real foodies" we thought all the food was great. dh loves their hot dogs! (Go figure) Anyway we didn't notice any cutback that effected our cruise. ALso didn't notice any real increase in prices. Now if you want to talk prices we had two pina Colatas in San Juan. $24.50 before tip! We thought that was expensive. After that the price of drinks on the ship was "cheap"!

[Copper10-8]

To be perfectly honest - I think that the companies that provide cruises are doing the best that they can to DO that, keep the quality, but turn a profit. Its a business; BUT the reviews are very subjective -one person's glorious adventure is another person's nightmare; SAME cruise/same ship/same crew/same ports....AND, of course, same food. I'm reminded of returning from a Tahiti to Hawaii cruise years ago while we were still working and this was our vacation.... OUR experience was wonderful, restful AND exciting [ I went on a shark-feed tour on Bora Bora and actually saw a shark up -fairly- close! AMAZING!] Across from us at the airport in Honolulu was a woman who complained about practically EVERYTHING on their cruise-I remember MOST her remark "That the hamburgers they had for lunch every day were TOTALLY awful/rubbery" and MY thought was "Must have been a different ship BECAUSE I didn't remember ever seeing or having hamburgers-ONLY gourmet-type adventures" You guessed it- SAME cruise/same ship -we found out. THEN my thought was "IF you didn't like the hamburgers WHY order them??????" and just then her husband showed up carrying a bag with.....hamburgers! ANY cruise is what YOU make it from the kind of room you CHOOSE to which PLACES you see[ and HOW you GET there] to what you participate in on the ship , and the friends you travel with or friends you MAKE by being congenial......This APPEARS to digress from the topic; cost/economy -but it doesn't. The complaining come from not making the RIGHT choices, not from what you pay or paid!

Anne

 

Excellent points! Reviews about ship's food, entertainment, even onboard activities, are purely subjective. What works for one is the 'cruise from hell' for someone else. You're never gonna change that! That feeling "where we on the same ship?" sounds very familiar, for example in cases when you hear people complaining about the available selections in, say the Lido for breakfast. Has to do with individual expectations also.

Our last non-HAL cruise was 8 1/2 years ago but HAL has definitely been cutting back, most evident in the dining room.

[birdie16]

We are currently "boycotting" RCCL because they have taken the cuts WAY too far. They are diluting the loyalty program to the point that they have turned us off (we are Diamond). RCCL has taken off bedtime chocolates (cheap move) raised prices of cocktails, food quality is WAY downhill, making way too many cuts in labor so it means the service is not as good, cutting the entertainment, charging for late night room service, no more free cocktails at the Captain's Party, every time you turn around they are charging for things that used to be free. It is very sad because I used to tell everyone that RCCL was the best! Also, a big factor for us is we can't take on our own wine...I say, if you have a problem with drunks, deal with the drunks...not everyone else. It seems to me that RCCL is spending all their money on their mega ships at the expense of the cruise experience on all the other ships in their fleet.

 

As for Carnival, we have not seen as many cuts as on RCCL. The only other line we have cruised is NCL and we were not impressed enough with them to even notice.

 

As for HAL, I have only cruised them once so I don't know what I was missing from the "old days", we loved HAL just the way they were when we cruised.

[JORAY]

We were sailing "X" -- 12 cruises 160+ nights "Elite" and were big fans --last cruise w/"X" was 9/08 and we have changed to HAL -- Have 86 nights now with HAL and another 35 booked. We are in our 70's.

 

With that background, I will make the following comments:

 

Found HAL a step better and a more friendly and better trained staff. Better service and faster and so on.

 

Food is better. Last "X" cruise was New England - Canada (9/08) and would you believe Lobster night was half a lobster and 2 shrimp and we were guest at the Captains Table! :eek: (and Lobster is cheap in this area!)

 

We found the staterooms bigger and cost the same or are less VS "X"

 

Hal ports are more interesting than "X" on many cruises and are going to ports we have not been.

 

We have found HAL ship tours are better priced and have been run very well. We are fans of private tours and normally do 80% of our tours Private, but on the last HAL cruise we went 80% w/HAL ship tours as the pricing was reasonable and not as many people on the bus/van.

 

As any experienced cruiser knows there can be problems on a cruise-- We had one with our stateroom last HAL cruise and were happily surprise by the effort to correct the problem. The correction was done in a timely matter and there were follow-up by the front desk to make sure we were happy -- This was not done on "X" (we know!!)

 

Ray

[rkacruiser]

Now I know I have had only one Carnival cruise, but I did much research for quite some time before I booked the Freedom. So, I know that I had a good idea as to what to expect. The only cutback that I saw, again based upon the research that I had done, was in the dining room. The beef quality was not as good as expected. Every steak offered in the dining room was a Flat Iron Steak. No Filets; no New York Sirloins. The Prime Rib was not "prime" and really was more like a generous slice of pot roast with gravy, not au jus, rather than a Prime Rib.

 

Other than that, my expectations were fulfilled and I really did enjoy my Carnival Freedom cruise. I plan to cruise with Carnival again.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hi all,

 

Interesting thread...we are considering HAL for an upcoming cruise and noticed this and wanted to post my thoughts....

 

We are regular Princess (Platinum level) cruisers and really see only very minor changes...smaller lobster tails comes to mind (but you can order as many as you want) and some folks complain (I know it is hard to believe that you see complaints on these boards...:)) about more "nickel and diming" on Princess. My feeling is that the fares are pretty low (we paid more for our honeymoon cruise on HAL 27 years ago than some of our recent cruises!) and that I am willing to pay for what I want (within reason). For example, I do not mind having to pay extra for a coffee card (specialty coffees, etc) or a soda card.

 

We remain very satisfied with dining room food, buffet food, service, entertainment, etc. We love cruising and hope that our health and funds allow us to continue to travel!

[tomc]

The Maasdam has cut back to just two "A"s in its name. It's now the Masdam.

[jtl513]

The Maasdam has cut back to just two "A"s in its name. It's now the Masdam.

Are they going to do this for the Zaandam too? I wonder what they're doing with the "saved" As? What is one worth on the market today? :rolleyes:

[K&RCurt]

Are they going to do this for the Zaandam too? I wonder what they're doing with the "saved" As? What is one worth on the market today? :rolleyes:

 

 

I think they need the extra "A"s for the Niew Amsterdam.

[tomc]

What is one worth on the market today?

I picked up one on ebay yesterday for $50, but I noticed they've gone up today. Reason it was so high is it's actually from the bow of the ship. They are taking them off the ship as fast as possible. It looks like MA SDAM until they weld the letters together.

[Copper10-8]

I think they need the extra "A"s for the Niew Amsterdam.

 

You left out the "u" in "Nieuw" unless you're cutting back of course!

[pipedreams62]

Across from us at the airport in Honolulu was a woman who complained about practically EVERYTHING on their cruise-I remember MOST her remark "That the hamburgers they had for lunch every day were TOTALLY awful/rubbery" and MY thought was "Must have been a different ship BECAUSE I didn't remember ever seeing or having hamburgers-ONLY gourmet-type adventures" You guessed it- SAME cruise/same ship -we found out. THEN my thought was "IF you didn't like the hamburgers WHY order them??????" and just then her husband showed up carrying a bag with.....hamburgers!

 

 

[kenevenpar]

We sail HAL, =X=, and RCCL, and prefer the lines in that order (DW would switch HAL & =X=). Here is what we have noticed:

 

Definite cut-backs in all lines. The impact of those cut-backs seems to be noticeable on individual ships, rather on the line. For example, our last Summit (X) cruise, the food in the MDR was mediocre at best, the food, experience and service in Normandie were without a doubt the best we ever had on a ship. Was the food in the MDR the result of cut-backs? I don't know. Our cabin service was OK at best (sky suite), but our butler was amazing (not sure I really need a butler:confused:, but he was amazing).

 

RCCL has always been a full notch below the other two, IMHO. We have noticed cut-backs in some areas, less staff. However, the food in the MDR was better than the last =X= cruise, and the staff everywhere was tremendous, as good as any HAL cruise. Now, we have been on many RCCL cruises, and that is not usually true (Grandeur has the reputation for a tremendous staff)

 

I have never had a significant complaint on any HAL cruise, and would book a cruise tomorrow if the price, itinerary, and dates work.

 

My point with this rambling is that we have noticed the cut-backs, but individual crews, ships and management can minimize that impact. Because I believe that to be true, I think it must be the management, starting with the Captain and Hotel Manager that make the biggest difference.

 

Ken

[sail7seas]

My point with this rambling is that we have noticed the cut-backs, but individual crews, ships and management can minimize that impact. Because I believe that to be true, I think it must be the management, starting with the Captain and Hotel Manager that make the biggest difference.

 

Ken

 

I so agree with you, Ken. Crew from Captain and Hotel Manager down to newest sailor make a huge difference. They make All the difference IMO

[themerle]

 

Where did he get that tray???????

[Copper10-8]

Where did he get that tray???????

 

WallMart in Sydney, NS;)

[tomc]

Somebody e-mailed me from onboard and said they let him take liquor aboard but took the tray "for safekeeping" and would return it at the end of the cruise.

[sail7seas]

Tom.........

 

Pssst....... I hid our tray aboard and you're welcome to use it. :D

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Tom.........

 

Pssst....... I hid our tray aboard and you're welcome to use it. :D

 

 

 

Behind the King James in the nightstand? Or in the library with the pipe wench?

[AlexandNessa]

Ok, we sail Disney and HAL. To be perfectly honest, we do prefer Disney. I know you didn't ask about Disney, but Disney had cut out their Pub Master position.

 

Maybe not important to many, but to those of us who frequent the sports bar, a noticeable (and unwelcome) change.

 

This October will be our first time back aboard HAL since 2007, so it will be interesting to see the cutbacks since then.

 

I can already say that I am disappointed by the no trays in the Lido. I am by no means a piggie and tend to eat what I take, but I do enjoy a salad with a sandwich and a drink for lunch, and I'm not looking forward to taking a few trips to do that, since I tend to grab a water and an ice tea at the same time.

[frbob]

We just returned from a 14 day cruise on the Queen Victoria (Cunard Line). The ship was spotless, service was outstanding, our cabin was terrific, entertainment was excellent and the food was wonderful. It's been some time back that HAL used to be this way. All in all it was one of the best cruise experiences we've ever had. Oh, by the way...the price was quite low. Don't tell anyone!

[Stevesan]

Seeing as we are (again) having a conversation about cutbacks people are reporting they have experienced on HAL ships, I am curious to hear from those who cruise other lines in addition to HAL if they have seen cutbacks on other cruise lines as well?

 

We now sail HAL exclusively and fully intend to continue doing so. I'm interested to hear from those who sail "X" and RCI and Princess and Cunard etc to report if they have seen cutback on those cruise lines.

 

It's hard for me to imagine any of them can offer prices people are willing to pay in this economy and not have changes.

 

Thanks.

 

I've sailed Princess often, and did a recent two week cruise on Maasdam.

 

The service on both lines is consistently good to excellent. I don't comprehend the "complaints".

 

I occasionally see a comment that a HAL steward or two were not as "friendly" as custom dictates.

These are probably people who adore being fawned upon.

I prefer a professional, polite relationship where stewards don't pretend to be your very best buddy. But to each his/her own. :p

Some folks search for something to gripe about, and they latch onto an "unfriendly" attitude? :confused:

Maybe I'm wrong. I sail for the ports, not the ship, so possibly I am blind to the diminishing service some others report.

 

If there has been a cut back it's minimal, otherwise this casual observer would have taken notice. It certainly hasn't impacted my enjoyment.

My cabin is always made up and clean every morning and the dining service is actually more prompt than I experienced ten years ago.

The food preparation on HAL is really MUCH better than then. I know that's not service related, but I have to give a cruise line props when earned.

 

A bit off topic:

I prefer HAL; however, Princess offers similar/identical itineraries on well maintained and staffed ships at (here it comes) much lower fares.

 

Even when Princess single supplement is 200%, a 145% HAL fare for comparable accomodation and ports is significantly more than Princess.