I was packing up my cruise related souvenirs today, and I realized one thing. Cruising is not as glamorous as it used to be. Now, I’m going back 25 years or so. We would save for an entire year so we could enjoy “the best week of our lives”. We were amazed by the food. Awed by the service. Took tours of the different islands. Our reminders consisted of enameled pins, t shirts, photos, the usual stuff. We would be rewarded for returning to the same line with a pin, a bag, something. To this date, my favorite souvenir is a custom bobble head of me and my wife on a see-saw we ordered on an NCL voyage. We’ve redone our vows, sat for a private photo session, and had dinner with the Captain.
These days ( CoVid not withstanding ), cruise ships are crowded. Serve pedestrian food, rewards seem to have hone the way of the midnight or chocolate buffet. Incentives to book with one line are practically non existent. I can pay to get on a cruise ship by simply pulling out my credit card, knowing I can pay it off by the next bill.
They have made cruising very affordable, and though I’ve met some very nice people, I have also come across many people who are rude, abusive to the staff, and have an exaggerated sense of entitlement.
Chogs still exist.
I guess the luster has worn off, or maybe I’m jaded, but I miss the smaller ships. These mega ships, meh. I’m not impressed.
just my mind wandering I guess
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No longer the glamorous vacation
98 Answers
This new ceo isnt bob iger? Carnivals new ceo wants to raise prices???? Just look at disneyworld. Is Carnival going the way of Disney? From our cruise experiences on Carnival (30 cruises so far) we see perks go down and prices go up. We been disney addicts and when eisner and iger took control they raised prices and cut services(services you had free, now you pay for). Looks like we got a mini iger running this show. Have to get governor de santes to put a boot in carnivals tail, like he is doing disney. If this keeps up, dust off my r v and go camping till prices go up on that and iger takes over that. Be dead by then
https://cruise.blog/2022/10/nostalgic-cruise-traditions-being-phased-out
Good article! Thanks for sharing!
THAT ought to be required viewing for anyone who is a newbie from here on out...yes yes i know the dollar has eroded...I don't need a course in economics, nor the effects of inflation, or recession fears...all I know is WE (cruisers like us that is) get to pay more, way more, and get less, way less....
Well thats all well and good for "certain" demographics...(kaff kaff) meaning folks who have the time AND the $$ to do those type of cruises. Whoever they may be...heheheh...but nobody from mahogany row is ever going to sell me that bill of goods about how they're going to raise prices to attract a better type of clientele..and at the same time alienate large numbers of folks ..(That they went out of their way to attract in the first place.) They've got more and more megaships on order as I type, complete with more and more toys. For whom?
More importantly, the idea that it'll take "time" to bail themselves out...well...WHOSE time? certainly not mine. Nor any sane "investor" if I may still use that term nowadays. Those billions they borrowed at exhorbitant interest rates will still be out there many many years from now. All they manage to do is refinance periodically, as maturity dates come and go. All one needs to do is actually read their quarterly reports...dull stuff, I know...but there it is. Just take a squint at the "short interest" on any line you like..All they manage to do is kick the can down the road...An increasingly expensive road. Pay more, and they give you less....the only folks doing well are the execs and their minions, the beancounters.
You nailed it, ableman!
We've been taking shorter 4-5 day cruises over the past few years, and have noticed a significant decline in everything from MDR food to guest behavior. As others have said, the industry has sought to attract a new, large demographic by reducing prices in order to fill cabins. This past year, two people could take a 4 day cruise for less than $600 all in. I can only speak to experiences on Carnival, but they seem hesitant to enforce many of their own onboard rules. As an example, on the last cruise I saw a couple of guys were seated in the MDR wearing only "prohibited" clothing at dinner (baseball hats, sleeveless t-shirts and basketball shorts). Carnival, for one, seems to have difficulty distinguishing between bad, rude or obnoxious behavior and what they consider "people having fun".
The good news is that this may be changing over the next few years. I read the transcript of Carnival's last earnings call, and the new CEO mentioned twice that as an industry, cruises are under-priced. He wants the industry as a whole to price on parity (or above) with what all-inclusive land-based vacations cost, and I'm already seeing a significant rise in cruise fares starting next year as compared to 2019 and earlier.
While most of the glamor may be gone for good on the mainstream cruise lines, I think that the overall experience might be better on longer cruises, such as transatlantic or transpacific due to two factors: time and money. At least I'm hoping so, as we're planning on booking a 21 day cruise in Asia.
For many of the reasons you mentioned, we prefer Holland America. Not the "boutique" 300 passenger ships, but definitely not the Mega Ships w/3000+ passengers.
With that said, if you're a 20 or 30-something looking to PARTAY, HAL is likely not for you.
Now now...being at certain venues without some folks weaking speedos and bikinis who clearly absolutely shouldn't wouldn't be entertaining at all....and as an aside, been watching COLLEGE BOWL (its a game show) on TV...fractures me just how incredibly absolutely DUMB the contestants (college students) are. Soooo...if the prestigious school in question isn't showing well on certain metrics, change the metrics. Or if you need more police or fire, or teachers, just lower the qualifying standards. point is, its the beancounters who drive the bus...
Another thought. Perhaps we shouldn't point the finger solely at the lines desire/need to increase revenue. Maybe we (society) needs to look no further than a mirror to determine and accept our culpability. It cannot only be apparent to me that our society has become more coarse over the last couple of decades. You don’t have to look far. From crude song lyrics to vulgar tee shirts that people show no shame wearing in public, how can we lament the loss of glamour on a cruise ship when a growing segment of our own population appears to want to marginalize glamour.
Add to this the ever expanding litigious bent of people with agendas. Although I admit this is "out there", I can easily imagine the following position being taken by someone with no life and way too much time and money on their hands “Hey cruise lines. Your denying me entry into the MDR for dinner simply because I was wearing a Speedo and my partner was wearing a thong bikini violated our civil rights. Therefore, we are filing suit”. Frivolous? Absolutely. Legal merit? None (in my opinion). But the fact remains that the cruise lines have to pay vast sums to their legal teams to defend themselves against this nonsense. It’s easier (and cheaper) to just lower the standards, thus eroding the experience for the rest of us.
The thought occurs...reading all this, and my own .02 taken into consideration......does this ALL fall into the realm of "unintended consequences"? Keep taking amenities away, and charging more for whats left could all backfire...unfortunately, if thats even partially true, it could take years to undo it.
Yeah..................just look at Disney. More and more complaints pretty much following along the same lines. Now park attendance is dropping off because of high ticket and food prices, and people are complaining that the quality of what's still being offered has slipped. But their main lament seems to be that the "magic" (sic: glamour) is gone.