you hit the nail right on the head......all inclusives are getting cheaper than cruises ....sooner or later if it keeps going this way the cruise lines are going to bite themselves right in the butt
@peterasacker5948 Absolutely agree, we go to Mexico all the time. When I price out a balcony on a ship, then add in a package for drinks, wifi and gratuities, it's a lot more than a nice all-inclusive.
The last couple of Royal cruises have been letdowns for us. The service has suffered since the Covid restart. Less included, more extra charges and no real value for the extra money. Food quality has gone down drastically. Rooms are not being cleaned even with only one service a day. Staff seem more stressed out, less friendly. I understand there was a lot of debit accrued from the shutdown, but prices and profits have skyrocketed. Instead of raising out gratuities or other fees, how about the CEO’s and other upper executives take pay cuts? Or, even better, how about just going back to your pre-Covid standards and services and keep the guests happy? We are tired of being nickel and dime’d to death. Enough is enough!
Here's my RC report...never sail them again...March 2023, Adventure of the Seas, balcony cabin 6328, got in cabin dropped the bags sat in bed to find box spring only, no mattress. Called guest services, 6 people show up, feel the bed, sit on the bed and then retire to the hallway. They disappear and 20 minutes later, one...returns and puts an additional 4 bed sheets on top of the two already...then....bye!!!
I agree, the company's bent the knee to activists and bureaucrats. Now they are scrambling trying to make up the money and it's going to be at our expense? Some companies are ruining a good product. People will eventually catch on, take a look at what happens and what is happening in the car industry. All those market adjustments really pissed everybody off and I know myself and others that will avoid certain brands and dealerships as a result of that.
They are selling out. Why should they change? No, that's not sarcasm that's business. Until people walk away and take their wallets with them they won't change.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
Yes, Don, exactly. Paying more for less, standing in line, being in crowds, unable to get seats. We have a cruise planned for this year, and one for next year. That’s it. We are going to stop cruising unless we see something we just can’t overlook, like St Petersburg back as a port, etc. What I have noticed is the ships are larger because there are more cabins, but the public rooms are not increasing in size to accommodate the larger number of passengers.
I read somewhere that the Main Dining Room on these huge ships is too small & hours too short to accommodate all the passengers. About 500 seats not enough. That means they Have to visit an upcharge restaurant to get food .
My husband and I are Diamond Plus with Royal. We were taking 3-4 cruises prior to the shutdown. We were some of the first to start cruising again. Since then, prices/service/upcharges/etc. are totally out of control. On top of that, RCCL is spending money right and left on "Resorts", in Nassau, Pacific and Mexico and who know where next....ALL AN UPCHARGE TO USE!!!!!! We considered smaller ships, just to continue cruising but they are still ridiculous. We used to tell people how cruising was the BEST form of vacation you could take but NO MORE, we're telling the opposite! We are totally done and will spend our money elsewhere. I'm so sad about this but the money hungry cruiselines are making me ill just thinking about what they're doing.
Agree completely. We switched to the older, smaller ships to cut costs. We always would get a balcony. Now we get an ocean view. It still costs more than what we had paid for a balcony. It's sad.
We are Diamond on Royal Caribbean. We have always been loyal to Royal. Always encouraging friends and family to cruise Royal. Two cruises last year. No cruises this year. We are making other plans. It is sad.
Amen to that it’s like screw the loyal cruisers because they don’t have to spend as much money and time with new cruisers! The exact reason we left Holland America years ago?
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
Yeah, it shouldn't be hard for the companies to figure out. If you're gonna charge premium prices, you'd better provide a premium service. And if you're cutting service while increasing prices, that's the opposite of a premium experience. It's no surprise customer satisfaction is down.
We are on Celebrity this April and if this don’t knock our socks off we will have to go back to all inclusive hotels. Right now for next winter we can fly to DR 7 nights 8 days $1600 a person. Thats including flight. This April cruise from Nebraska $1200 just for the flight for 2. Plus the 4K plus cruise.
This is why I get irritated by the fangirls on cruise forums. You know the ones, they jump on people for saying anything less than 100% positive about the cruise lines. It means that people are less inclined to give an honest account of their cruise experience, which in turn means its less likely anything will change. The whole loyal to Royal (though it's all cruiselines, not just RCI) will not wash with me. You want my loyalty? Earn it through delivering exceptional service and not fleecing me on the process.
I also have noticed the decline. We get the drink package. Then you can't be served to receive the drinks. If you are back to soon to order. They ignore you for being to soon. Carnival is not quite as bad as Norwegian. They are ridiculously busy. We saw this one bartender wait from 10:00 until 2:00 to get a break. He needed help anyway but he finally just left the bar for a toilet break! I will not be a Norwegian customer again Once is enough but the employees are over worked. So in turn . They are rude and mean. Three times this happened. Don't charge more if I receive less.
@KathleneJohnson-t3v Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
Agree! I hope more and more of the travel agents and people who vlog about cruising will start being more vocal about the decline in services and quality. Filling out a survey doesn't do jack squat to change anything, but thse more prominent "influencers" getting word out to the public and making a big stink about it publicly is what it's going to take to get the cruise lines to make changes.
Old cruisers have a memory of how things were in the past, but new cruisers do not. Eventually, the new cruisers will be a higher percentage and think policies are fine. They will have nothing to compare. We see this in all industries; medical policies, quality of merchandise, size of food packages, etc. Older populations, who remembers when hospitality was better will slowly be replaced with a newer population.
@annmillar1481 Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with this & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
Your right 100%. The costs are up and the service and amenities are down. With what they are charging, they could bring back some staff and still make great money.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
💯 agree with you. Cruising used to be cheaper than all inclusive resorts but this is no longer the case. We are now looking into all inclusive resorts due to costs.
I sailed with Royal Caribbean in November and you described it well. Most activities are sales-related, less entertainment, and stressed out crew, all at a higher price for the cruisers. I'm now looking at resorts at destinations that I would have tried to sail to previously, and different cruise lines to see what they offer.
I'm a huge lover of cruises for years but I've been leaning towards more and more land vacations versus cruises because their prices are now comparable to similar land vacations but quality is going down vs land vacations without paying more and more once you board...
This is our first year in 30 years that we will not cruise because of the costs. We will be doing a land based all inclusive because for a 5 day will be almost 1500.00 less then the cruise would have been. Boy, I should have waited to make my post. The upselling of everything, all of a sudden the only way you can enjoy a great meal is you had to go to a paid restaurant. Then you leave the meal and go to your room and it is not turned down. So sad.
Yes, you nailed it. The cruise lines have cut down on the number of crew. The ships are sailing full. With less crew and more passengers, service is definitely declining. I’ve noticed this on the all of my cruises since covid. It sometimes takes much longer to get served in the bars and in the restaurants. This is on top of all of the “upselling” going on with the major cruise lines. Because of this declining level of service, I’m trying a more luxury cruise line next year. If I get the same level of service on that line, I will find something else to do for vacation.
I think it’s especially striking if you have been cruising for a long time & are seeing everything decline so much. Long wait lines, overworked & stressed staff, up charging you left & right, cut backs galore.
We usually do at least 2 cruises a year and we have 0 scheduled this year. Prices are just so high now. We can still afford to pay but I don’t like being taken advantage of. They will continue to charge higher prices as long as people are willing to pay them.
"Being taken advantage of..." These words sum it up perfectly! I hadn't thought of it that way, but this is exactly what cruise lines are doing. We have a Carnival cruise booked for the end of March that I booked a year ago, but after our last cruise in July I have no desire to book another. We are trying to figure out what type of vacation we want to do next and while we usually would have been anxious to book another cruise, we're actually looking at land based vacation options.
My wife and I are retired on a fixed income and go on 1-2 cruises every year. Since Covid I find myself booking older cheaper ships and paying much more than I used to for the nicer newer ones. On top of that they upgrade some of the older ships with a water slide and a few restaurants,but never refresh the tired old cabins. We’re at the point where we are thinking of doing an all inclusive or something else. Thanks for telling it like it is Don you’re the best!
I'm with you on that, if I don't get a casinos at Sea cabin then the rate is ridiculous and I won't pay it. The company's bent over backwards for the bureaucrats and shut down for several months a few years ago and we should not have to pay the price for that. They made the mistakes, and it's going to call some customers because they keep nickling diming everyone
@@NeedtoSpeak fixed income, could mean a large pension that doesn’t vary in value per month. Therefore, after their personal expenses, there is only a certain amount that can be spent. I know the use of fixed income, generally implies low income, but it really doesn’t have to.
All inclusives are great. We started doing them during the pandemic. My husband and I cruised a few months ago and had a good time but I really like the all inclusives also
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I’ve felt it and I think you’re right. We did an all inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta a few years back and the couple of cruises we’ve taken since they haven’t been as impressive as ones we took before 2020.
We have cut back on cruising because of this, and I have become less generous with my tipping. I still tipp but less because I don't feel the same about the experience as I use to.
I totally agree! When we first started cruising there was a dedicated bar waiter for a group of tables in the dining room. Now, you're lucky if someone even asks you if you'd like a cocktail! The decrease in staff definitely affects service.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
Cruising is getting more expensive and getting less and less. Anyone, that cruised back in the day, knows what true cruising was. The service, food and entertainment were the best. You were made to feel special, and it was a wonderful experience. Now, they have cut their services, the food is getting mundane, and the newer ships do not have enough seating for people. Also, you really have to search for a good itinerary. How people can afford to go on a three-day cruise to no where, is crazy.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
I agree with everything you said! We've been cruising for 25-years and all we have experienced on the major cruise lines are "cutbacks"- - in service; entertainment; & food quality. No cutbacks in the cost of cruising though! Carnival & NCL are leading the way with regards to cutbacks. RCCL is trying to catch up with them.
You have hit this on the nail. There is such a difference on all cruise lines compared back in 2010 and then later in 2019 and then now in 2024/25. It is a different industry that is solely focused on profits.
Yes I agree Don I’m about to do my survey from My holiday cruise it wasn’t at all what I got on my Alaskan cruise in 23 food was not great at all I returned more food from dining room than I ever had to on previous cruises! I also noticed the staff wasn’t as friendly, Thanks for keeping us updated
Hey Don, I totally agree with you. We were recently on a 28 day Princess cruise and noticed that the service had definitely gone down hill. For example, our bed sheets were never changed during the entire cruise!! I know this because I scratched my leg the first day of the cruise and it left a blood stain on the sheet. It was there for the entire cruise! We also only saw our room steward 6 times in 4 weeks when we passed him in the corridor. Definitely was overworked.
I believe they stopped changing sheets during your cruise ever since Covid. Noticed same thing on my last 3 cruises. Sheets never changed for the entire cruise. Only made up.
Agree. Have been traveling on cruises since the 80's. Disappointed in so many things. Quality in food, entertainment, prices, and common courtesy has really gone down. Such a shame. Quality of many passengers has also fallen.
When the world opened up after Covid, guests went on vengeance sailing while cruise lines went on vengence profiteering. Matter of demand & supply.....cruise lines think that demand is inelastic currently. They will become more reasonable when demand drops drastically. The same goes with airlines.
Well said. But I don’t expect a return to luxury. Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
We just cancelled 76 days of cruises. Princess just isn't the same. Paying more for less, too crowded, food not great, cut back of perks, not enough staff, etc. After the 30 day cruise next month, we will take a break from cruising. Edit...Also, the thing that made us fall in love with cruising was, everyone was treated the same. Nothing like the Titanic movie with "class and trash" treatment. Sadly, Princess is quickly moving back to a class system.
Totally agree with all you said, Don. I think that's a good part of why they're spending so much marketing $$ to attract new cruisers who have no experience of how cruising used to be and nothing to compare their first time with, so they don't know how much things have declined. Bottom line is: cruise lines are doing it because they can get away with it, and they'll continue to do so as long as they can. If people keep getting in line to shell out bigger $$ for less services, there's no incentive for the cruise lines to change what they're doing, right? It's all about their bottom line, after all.
Don, you are correct about the staffing cuts. I have been cruising for years and the things that I notice the most are reduced staff, reduced quality of food and upcharges. I sailed last week. The wait time for a drink at some bars was ridiculous. Sometimes the drink order never came. Attempting to flag down a waiter up on the Lido deck was next to impossible. That is was traditional cruising was based on, the high quality customer service. Every line that I have sailed on in the last few years needs to hire more staff. Sadly, this trend began before the Covid-19 shutdown.
I agree with you 100%. You get less for more. It takes for EVER to get a drink on the ships. Food is not at all what it used to be like! My food on my last cruise was horrible. I’m not planning any cruises until I start hearing some positive feedback. I have found all inclusive resorts to be my favorite vacation for awhile. We will see what happens. Thanks Don for all your information.
We made it to Diamond + with Royal Caribbean. Perks are decreasing however YES prices are going up. Agree with others that prices are out of control. Now that I am a ‘Senior’ and get free National park passes, we are looking at camping/Park visits instead of cruising.
We cruised several times.a year but have gotten disgusted with the prices and the slipping of the services. So are doing exactly that this year....an all inclusive reaort here we come.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too .
Totally agree! All the cruise lines want to be Walmart of the Seas service and silver sea prices right now and it totally feels that way. Checking into some all inclusive vacays myself.
We spent 43 nights on cruise ships last year. This year we will do a river cruise in December, but we are done with ocean cruising until the quality of the product and pricing come back into alignment.
Everything you said is true, we started sailing several years ago and we have seen a decline in the food quality as well as the service say in the buffet , our lady couple of cruises we’ve noticed that the room steward only came around once a day instead of the usual 2 that we were use to, the entertainment on board although not horrible is nothing compared to what it once was , etc etc, I’ve noticed as well that the excursions they offer don’t seem to be as good as they were either and don’t last as long , but yet the prices on those has gone up as well. We have a cruise in April of this year and I told my wife after that we will probably just do some land based vacations and hopefully the cruise proves cone down , I doubt it but we can always hope lol , there’s a cruise we want to take later this year but by the time you book that and the flights it’s just crazy expensive , by the way let talk flights to me they are way overpriced as well and all that need to be taken into consideration when booking a cruise or any kind of vacation , hopefully things will get better soon , one last thing Don, I’m still praying for you and hope all goes well for you sir
I'm glad to hear you say this. We had this exact experience in our December cruise. We had slow slow service, food quality down, people trying to sell us all kinds of things including shark glasses to drink a fruity drink (trinkets), everything an upcharge, the ship was dirty, tables in the buffet not wiped down after the staff removed dishes, shutting down half the buffet early at each meal, and so much more. We had been on that same ship a few times and we always get the same room. However, I won't go back on that ship. We also had charges on our sign and sale account that we did not purchase. In the group chat on FB, others were saying the same thing. It was disappointing. The room steward was great and we enjoyed the room, but the food and service definitely had gone down. We were so disappointed that I canceled our next cruise on that ship and moved to a bigger, newer ship, hoping to find better food and service. I hope they get control of this.
You nailed it. The quality of food was super average. I'd get better service at Applebee's and the food would be hot. That's not staff's fault. It is 100% on cruise management. I don't mind paying a little more if I am going to get more, but right now we're paying more for less. It's not going to work in the long term.
I have noticed the same sort of things on my last Princess cruise. Room drinks ordered on the app can be super fast if you are right by the bar. But super slow if you are not. Also service in the main dining room was obviously suffering from under-staffing. The wait staff were all very busy but they were stretched too thin and couldn't really addend well to their tables. The head waiters were always taking up the slack each night by filling drink glasses, etc. I mentioned this on my post-cruise survey, among other things. I still love cruising but these types of things definitely make the experience less enjoyable.
Don, well said as always!! I am new to cruising and although I have enjoyed my cruise experiences so far my usual land based holidays are equally as good and give you the opportunity to properly explore the region you are visiting. On a cruise you only get a glimpse of what's on offer!! Probably the cruise price hikes will end my at sea adventures!!
I'm seeing much of the same as you Don. With the prices getting so high, I really have to start considering my cruising. I have stopped recommending cruise to my friends
Absolutely they are charging us more and giving us less. We have been cruising dince 2000.. Much of the regular practices are gone or are now an upcharge. Servicing cabin only on ce, no minibar, no ice in cabin. Extra charges for certain food items in MDR. Sometimes no lonster night at all. Prices are absurd. Food quality has declined and everything is a major undertaking. Crowded and entertainment is very basic. Itinataries change regularly. Once they have your money you are their prisoner. No cruises for us in 2025
You’re 100% correct. We took 6 cruises in the past 2 years, and the quality has gone down, down, down. We don’t have any cruises booked for the next year. Just too costly for what you get.
We went on the Symphony of the Seas in October. We are diamond members. We usually book our next cruise on board to take advantage of the perks. This cruise we didn’t book any new cruises. The cost of the cruises, increased gratuities, also the lack of personal on the ship has made us take a second look at cruising anytime soon. We will see how cruising goes as to when and if we will ever cruise again.
They're getting greedier and greedier and the people keep paying it. People showing their lack of common sense. Keep paying and they'll keep upping prices.
You're right, Don. Hoping we can continue to cruise, but the prices and add-ons may put us out of the game. Thanks for your videos. We appreciate you! Jim & Marsha - Kokomo, IN USA
I agree. We don’t mind price going up, but they shouldn’t cut back on the service. They need to justify the value proposition with increased prices. We took Royal Caribbean last year and will never take it again. Same thing with Norwegian. Those two cruise lines we will not take. So far we will feel Holland and Princess have still kept up with service.
Totally agree with Don's assessment of reduced service. Cruise lines have been reducing services like crazy but still dare to increase daily gratuity every year. This is just like the big governments that kept increasing property taxes while reducing services.
Absolutely. I would have been mad to be bothered while eating too. NCL seemed like nothing was free recently. Wifi is almost $300 even turning in your free minutes.
Yes, Customer service and cut backs are very evident. Food quality is way down, entertainment is so-so and perks are mostly gone. We don't get a "package" since we don't drink alcohol or soda or specialty coffees. It just doesn't pay for us but we get bombarded with sales.
Our last two cruises were unusual. We take trinkets to give outstanding service people to let them know that we appreciate their efforts on top of the tips we give them. We had good service, but we didn't really have anyone that stood out. This is really unusual! I think it must be because they don't have the time to give that extra bit of special friendly service.
Don, you nailed it on the head. I’ve been cruising since the early 80’s. Cruising has certainly changed a lot. They say “more options”…I say “more complicated”! Service is down, prices are definitely up …and the nickel and dime that goes on…time for a break from cruising!
Yes. Don's summary outlines my thoughts and experiences nearly 100%... All while prices are out of sight these days, particularly on the popular dates we can get away.
You're right on point here Don! Prices are way up and service levels are going way down. What's most surprising is that despite the increase in prices, the quality of the clientele seems to continue to decline. I've never seen so many rude, inconsiderate and indifferent people on ships than I have more recently.You'd think at some point this will come back to bite the cruise lines in the butt. Disney theme parks and resorts are having issues lately because prices have gotten out of control. I can do an all-inclusive, flying business class with drinks included at the resort for about half the price now.
The last 2 years of cruising the level of service has definitely declined. I get free drinks in the casino on a casino offer, but there’s never enough servers to get drinks
Now that most people on the ship have the drink package, it doesn't make financial sense for the cruise lines to have staff actually asking people if they want a cocktail. We don't buy the drink package and buy drinks a la carte and we have noticed that now we are almost never offered a drink onboard. We have to flag down staff to order a drink or more often than not, go stand in a line at the bars. Before the pandemic and the big push on drink packages, wait staff would always be coming around to ask if we wanted a drink. I get it. The cruise lines would rather have the prepaid guaranteed revenue charged for packages at one time, in advance, before the cruise. They get more fixed profit before the cruise even starts. They don't have to count on staff selling the drinks over the entire cruise. But it's still a shame the way things are heading. The ultra luxury lines are looking more attractive as well as land based vacations where we can spend multiple days experiencing the destinations.
Service and entertainment is lacking. It’s never the staff. We are Diamond members so we have cruised a lot and the staff has always been amazing we always appreciate all they do with additional $$. I agree that cruiser have lost a lot activities are cut, entertainment is about half as much as usual, live music on the pool deck is sporadic, the whole experience has been reduced to about half of what it was.
I will say the quality of the food on Royal Caribbean has gone down. I was on Radiance in Alaska and every meal was a disappointment and we sent our meals back (something we never do). Was on Jewel in October out of Boston and the food was OK but was rarely hot, dining room service was terrible.
Don, this is exactly why I don’t cruise a lot anymore. I was a faithful Carnival cruiser at one time and then they got rid of a lot of the perks. I was going to try other cruise lines but cruises have gone up so much that I think my next vacation will be an all-inclusive. I’m still trying to figure out how people can spend $7,000 (or thereabouts) per person for a cruise, plus airfare. For $14,000-$20,000, I can think of other places I can go on vacation.
We are thinking about changing to a luxury cruise lines. Half the cruise trips but a far better experience on that one cruise. If that doesn’t work out we may just stay in the USA and drive where we want to go. It is a big country with lots of things we haven’t seen.
@@NoHandleTexas After our cruise in March on Carnival (that I booked a year ago) I think we're done with them too. We were watching ship tour videos of some Celebrity ships this morning and are considering them. I saw a woman in one video say that they haven't seen the decline on Celebrity like they've seen on some of the other lines. We may consider booking with them or just do a land based vacation next.
It is only a matter of time until people get tired of the higher prices and lesser value. We have a cruise this month and after that cruise, we won't be going on another until the prices come down considerably. Our next trip will be to an all-inclusive. Flight, transfers and beverages are included in the price. No gratuities, free wifi. It will be much cheaper for us.
Everyone needs to agree to NOT cruise this NOVEMBER to send a message we want 24 hr pizza 24 hour ice-cream 2 room cleaning per day like it was before covid 2015 standards ... you are totally correct Don we have to stand against the (highwayroddery/ price gouging)
Because of the over charging, poor service and up charges, I have stopped cruising Carnival. I'm sorry they remind me of Walmart, and I used to work for them.
I totally broke up with Carnival after my cruise in December 2024. Bad food, one piece of bread at dinner, reduced buffet hours and selections and the same type of cruise director on every ship. Boring.
My husband and I are stockholders and we're about to cut them off too. We have a Carnival cruise for the end of March that I booked a year ago, but after the pathetic quality of our two cruises in 2024 I'm just over them. I'd be fine with paying more if the quality was there, but making cutback and after cutback and having John Heald try to spin it into "positive changes" leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. I don't want bad quality on my vacation and I don't want their corporation insulting my intelligence by claiming their changes are because of "food waste". Give me a break!
I live on a fixed income, so I have to take care of what I spent on it. We are going on a cruise this April that we booked over a year ago and paid twice what we paid before. We were going to book the thermal spa after we paid the cruise off. It was $260.⁰⁰ per person for the whole cruise. We just paid off the cruise and went to book it, and it is now $359.⁹⁹ for the cruise. So we can't book it at that price when we put aside money for it at the old price. Nothing about it has improved. It is the same service. We can't afford to book another cruise at these prices where service has gotten so slow and prices are increasingly higher. We are done for awhile.
On our last cruise, we had a $0.00 balance leaving the ship. We have tremendous sales resistance and don't fill the need to pay for extras. We had a fabulous time.
Your comments are true for us also, I do miss free room service , and the ships are definitely at higher capacity, so service will be affected, but we always have a great time …. Currently we can only travel from our local San Francisco port , and travel 4 or 5 times a year 😎
I think what’s happening is that cruises will lower their standards to that of an all-inclusive resorts while charging a premium for as long as they can get away with it. The industry is transforming due to the new generation of cruisers having different expectations. And regarding upsells, all-inclusive resorts are bad for that as well.
We used to do 2-4 cruises a year. The service and value for the dollar has decreased. We are only doing one in 2025 and looking at more land vacations.
Hi Don, you are SO correct. However, this started long before COVID. In 2009, I went on Cunard's holiday cruise to the Caribbean. In 2009, we went to nine islands and the cruise was 15 days. In 2014, they had reduced the cruise to five islands in 12 days for the same price. I looked at the itinerary for 2024, and saw they were going to be at sea for five days. We were never at sea for longer than 2 days in 2009. Sad.
ABSOLUTELY! I hope it does! Because of the “nickel and dime” attitude of the cruise lines today, my family and I have zero cruises planned this year. We do however have two large land based trips planned. Although, my wife and I will always love cruising, it’s time to try something different! Thanks for the vlog Don!
I agree 100% , I tried to get help at customer service on the Ncl Breakaway on our December cruise and it went on deaf ears. The food in the complimentary dining was very unsatisfactory. The ship needs major refurbishment, I'm glad its going into dry dock at the end of this year.
Our last cruise was as you described. Our attendant appeared overworked and we didn’t see him very often. The prices have soared and I think we will look elsewhere for our vacation next time. We have been going on cruises for at least 25 years and I think those days are over.
you hit the nail right on the head......all inclusives are getting cheaper than cruises ....sooner or later if it keeps going this way the cruise lines are going to bite themselves right in the butt
@peterasacker5948 Absolutely agree, we go to Mexico all the time. When I price out a balcony on a ship, then add in a package for drinks, wifi and gratuities, it's a lot more than a nice all-inclusive.
Agreed. I've quit cruising for the most part and switching to AI. Bye!!
Cruises are sold out back to back. Customers don't mind the prices.
The last couple of Royal cruises have been letdowns for us. The service has suffered since the Covid restart. Less included, more extra charges and no real value for the extra money. Food quality has gone down drastically. Rooms are not being cleaned even with only one service a day. Staff seem more stressed out, less friendly.
I understand there was a lot of debit accrued from the shutdown, but prices and profits have skyrocketed. Instead of raising out gratuities or other fees, how about the CEO’s and other upper executives take pay cuts? Or, even better, how about just going back to your pre-Covid standards and services and keep the guests happy? We are tired of being nickel and dime’d to death. Enough is enough!
Here's my RC report...never sail them again...March 2023, Adventure of the Seas, balcony cabin 6328, got in cabin dropped the bags sat in bed to find box spring only, no mattress.
Called guest services, 6 people show up, feel the bed, sit on the bed and then retire to the hallway.
They disappear and 20 minutes later, one...returns and puts an additional 4 bed sheets on top of the two already...then....bye!!!
I agree, the company's bent the knee to activists and bureaucrats. Now they are scrambling trying to make up the money and it's going to be at our expense? Some companies are ruining a good product.
People will eventually catch on, take a look at what happens and what is happening in the car industry. All those market adjustments really pissed everybody off and I know myself and others that will avoid certain brands and dealerships as a result of that.
True everything seems to be less and the service on some of the ships is horrible.
All over CEOs and executives should take a pay cut! Your absolutely right.
They are selling out. Why should they change?
No, that's not sarcasm that's business. Until people walk away and take their wallets with them they won't change.
Thank you for pointing this out Don 'cause you nailed it. They are pushing passengers so hard almost to the point of driving them away.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
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Yes, Don, exactly. Paying more for less, standing in line, being in crowds, unable to get seats. We have a cruise planned for this year, and one for next year. That’s it. We are going to stop cruising unless we see something we just can’t overlook, like St Petersburg back as a port, etc. What I have noticed is the ships are larger because there are more cabins, but the public rooms are not increasing in size to accommodate the larger number of passengers.
I read somewhere that the Main Dining Room on these huge ships is too small & hours too short to accommodate all the passengers. About 500 seats not enough. That means they Have to visit an upcharge restaurant to get food
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My husband and I are Diamond Plus with Royal. We were taking 3-4 cruises prior to the shutdown. We were some of the first to start cruising again. Since then, prices/service/upcharges/etc. are totally out of control. On top of that, RCCL is spending money right and left on "Resorts", in Nassau, Pacific and Mexico and who know where next....ALL AN UPCHARGE TO USE!!!!!! We considered smaller ships, just to continue cruising but they are still ridiculous. We used to tell people how cruising was the BEST form of vacation you could take but NO MORE, we're telling the opposite! We are totally done and will spend our money elsewhere. I'm so sad about this but the money hungry cruiselines are making me ill just thinking about what they're doing.
Agree completely. We switched to the older, smaller ships to cut costs. We always would get a balcony. Now we get an ocean view. It still costs more than what we had paid for a balcony. It's sad.
@@DebPeterson-rq4xvsame for us
😊 ,h
We are Diamond on Royal Caribbean. We have always been loyal to Royal. Always encouraging friends and family to cruise Royal. Two cruises last year. No cruises this year. We are making other plans. It is sad.
Amen to that it’s like screw the loyal cruisers because they don’t have to spend as much money and time with new cruisers! The exact reason we left Holland America years ago?
I totally agree with this. I did 4 cruises last year with disappointment increasing with each one.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
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@ Well it works on airlines because competition is limited.
And Spirit has declared bankruptcy.
Yeah, it shouldn't be hard for the companies to figure out.
If you're gonna charge premium prices, you'd better provide a premium service. And if you're cutting service while increasing prices, that's the opposite of a premium experience.
It's no surprise customer satisfaction is down.
We are on Celebrity this April and if this don’t knock our socks off we will have to go back to all inclusive hotels. Right now for next winter we can fly to DR 7 nights 8 days $1600 a person. Thats including flight. This April cruise from Nebraska $1200 just for the flight for 2. Plus the 4K plus cruise.
This is why I get irritated by the fangirls on cruise forums. You know the ones, they jump on people for saying anything less than 100% positive about the cruise lines. It means that people are less inclined to give an honest account of their cruise experience, which in turn means its less likely anything will change. The whole loyal to Royal (though it's all cruiselines, not just RCI) will not wash with me. You want my loyalty? Earn it through delivering exceptional service and not fleecing me on the process.
Exactly!
I also have noticed the decline. We get the drink package. Then you can't be served to receive the drinks. If you are back to soon to order. They ignore you for being to soon. Carnival is not quite as bad as Norwegian. They are ridiculously busy. We saw this one bartender wait from 10:00 until 2:00 to get a break. He needed help anyway but he finally just left the bar for a toilet break! I will not be a Norwegian customer again
Once is enough but the employees are over worked. So in turn . They are rude and mean. Three times this happened. Don't charge more if I receive less.
@KathleneJohnson-t3v Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
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You hit the nail with this one
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
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Thanks Don!!!! It's about time you started speaking out for the Consumers.
Agree! I hope more and more of the travel agents and people who vlog about cruising will start being more vocal about the decline in services and quality. Filling out a survey doesn't do jack squat to change anything, but thse more prominent "influencers" getting word out to the public and making a big stink about it publicly is what it's going to take to get the cruise lines to make changes.
Old cruisers have a memory of how things were in the past, but new cruisers do not. Eventually, the new cruisers will be a higher percentage and think policies are fine. They will have nothing to compare. We see this in all industries; medical policies, quality of merchandise, size of food packages, etc. Older populations, who remembers when hospitality was better will slowly be replaced with a newer population.
Very true
@annmillar1481 Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with this & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
.
Your right 100%. The costs are up and the service and amenities are down. With what they are charging, they could bring back some staff and still make great money.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
.
💯 agree with you. Cruising used to be cheaper than all inclusive resorts but this is no longer the case. We are now looking into all inclusive resorts due to costs.
I sailed with Royal Caribbean in November and you described it well. Most activities are sales-related, less entertainment, and stressed out crew, all at a higher price for the cruisers. I'm now looking at resorts at destinations that I would have tried to sail to previously, and different cruise lines to see what they offer.
So true- they raise prices and slowly service & quality is declining
I'm a huge lover of cruises for years but I've been leaning towards more and more land vacations versus cruises because their prices are now comparable to similar land vacations but quality is going down vs land vacations without paying more and more once you board...
This is our first year in 30 years that we will not cruise because of the costs. We will be doing a land based all inclusive because for a 5 day will be almost 1500.00 less then the cruise would have been. Boy, I should have waited to make my post. The upselling of everything, all of a sudden the only way you can enjoy a great meal is you had to go to a paid restaurant. Then you leave the meal and go to your room and it is not turned down. So sad.
@katmoonspeaks YOU are very beautiful. You ought to resume posting videos
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Yes, you nailed it. The cruise lines have cut down on the number of crew. The ships are sailing full. With less crew and more passengers, service is definitely declining. I’ve noticed this on the all of my cruises since covid. It sometimes takes much longer to get served in the bars and in the restaurants. This is on top of all of the “upselling” going on with the major cruise lines. Because of this declining level of service, I’m trying a more luxury cruise line next year. If I get the same level of service on that line, I will find something else to do for vacation.
I think it’s especially striking if you have been cruising for a long time & are seeing everything decline so much. Long wait lines, overworked & stressed staff, up charging you left & right, cut backs galore.
Yes it's going down over the years, prices going up with less things and services, I am ready to call it quits now
We started doing land vacations last year. It was amazing and will be doing more in the future because cruising is so expensive now.
YES!
We usually do at least 2 cruises a year and we have 0 scheduled this year. Prices are just so high now. We can still afford to pay but I don’t like being taken advantage of. They will continue to charge higher prices as long as people are willing to pay them.
Exactly! We feel the same way. We have more cruises booked. But don’t know how much longer we can do it. The value is definitely not there anymore.
Prices are unreal. I'm all set until we can return to normalcy
"Being taken advantage of..." These words sum it up perfectly! I hadn't thought of it that way, but this is exactly what cruise lines are doing. We have a Carnival cruise booked for the end of March that I booked a year ago, but after our last cruise in July I have no desire to book another. We are trying to figure out what type of vacation we want to do next and while we usually would have been anxious to book another cruise, we're actually looking at land based vacation options.
My wife and I are retired on a fixed income and go on 1-2 cruises every year. Since Covid I find myself booking older cheaper ships and paying much more than I used to for the nicer newer ones. On top of that they upgrade some of the older ships with a water slide and a few restaurants,but never refresh the tired old cabins. We’re at the point where we are thinking of doing an all inclusive or something else. Thanks for telling it like it is Don you’re the best!
I'm with you on that, if I don't get a casinos at Sea cabin then the rate is ridiculous and I won't pay it. The company's bent over backwards for the bureaucrats and shut down for several months a few years ago and we should not have to pay the price for that. They made the mistakes, and it's going to call some customers because they keep nickling diming everyone
On a fixed income….and you go on 2 cruises a year?
Quick fix……stop going on 2 cruises.
@@NeedtoSpeak fixed income, could mean a large pension that doesn’t vary in value per month. Therefore, after their personal expenses, there is only a certain amount that can be spent. I know the use of fixed income, generally implies low income, but it really doesn’t have to.
@@NeedtoSpeak re-read their comment. That's what they're planning to do.
All inclusives are great. We started doing them during the pandemic. My husband and I cruised a few months ago and had a good time but I really like the all inclusives also
We are cruisers and we approve this message.👍🏻
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I’ve felt it and I think you’re right. We did an all inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta a few years back and the couple of cruises we’ve taken since they haven’t been as impressive as ones we took before 2020.
I agree with you, charges are getting crazy & the intrusive upsells are annoying.
We have cut back on cruising because of this, and I have become less generous with my tipping. I still tipp but less because I don't feel the same about the experience as I use to.
While pricing is going up, they're reducing loyalty benefits, entertainment, food variety and service. It's no wonder customer satisfaction is down.
I totally agree! When we first started cruising there was a dedicated bar waiter for a group of tables in the dining room. Now, you're lucky if someone even asks you if you'd like a cocktail! The decrease in staff definitely affects service.
I used to cruise three times a year. I’m down to 1 at most. The experience isn’t what it used to be.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
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Cruising is getting more expensive and getting less and less.
Anyone, that cruised back in the day, knows what true cruising was. The service, food and entertainment were the best. You were made to feel special, and it was a wonderful experience.
Now, they have cut their services, the food is getting mundane, and the newer ships do not have enough seating for people.
Also, you really have to search for a good itinerary. How people can afford to go on a three-day cruise to no where, is crazy.
Service quality is definitely down, at some point we as cruise customers need to vote with our dollars and go someplace else!
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines offers budget tickets that come with nothing. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
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Yes, we are getting less but prices are up. Even service has changed
I agree with everything you said! We've been cruising for 25-years and all we have experienced on the major cruise lines are "cutbacks"- - in service; entertainment; & food quality. No cutbacks in the cost of cruising though! Carnival & NCL are leading the way with regards to cutbacks. RCCL is trying to catch up with them.
You have hit this on the nail. There is such a difference on all cruise lines compared back in 2010 and then later in 2019 and then now in 2024/25. It is a different industry that is solely focused on profits.
I don't agree that room service charges are because of food waste. In my opinion, it's just a money maker for them.
If it was about food waste... They would limit the buffets more in favor of room or table service lol
Yes I agree Don I’m about to do my survey from My holiday cruise it wasn’t at all what I got on my Alaskan cruise in 23 food was not great at all I returned more food from dining room than I ever had to on previous cruises! I also noticed the staff wasn’t as friendly, Thanks for keeping us updated
Hey Don,
I totally agree with you. We were recently on a 28 day Princess cruise and noticed that the service had definitely gone down hill. For example, our bed sheets were never changed during the entire cruise!! I know this because I scratched my leg the first day of the cruise and it left a blood stain on the sheet. It was there for the entire cruise! We also only saw our room steward 6 times in 4 weeks when we passed him in the corridor. Definitely was overworked.
You can ways request bed changes.
I believe they stopped changing sheets during your cruise ever since Covid. Noticed same thing on my last 3 cruises. Sheets never changed for the entire cruise. Only made up.
Agree. Have been traveling on cruises since the 80's. Disappointed in so many things. Quality in food, entertainment, prices, and common courtesy has really gone down. Such a shame. Quality of many passengers has also fallen.
When the world opened up after Covid, guests went on vengeance sailing while cruise lines went on vengence profiteering. Matter of demand & supply.....cruise lines think that demand is inelastic currently. They will become more reasonable when demand drops drastically. The same goes with airlines.
Well said. But I don’t expect a return to luxury. Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
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We just cancelled 76 days of cruises. Princess just isn't the same. Paying more for less, too crowded, food not great, cut back of perks, not enough staff, etc. After the 30 day cruise next month, we will take a break from cruising. Edit...Also, the thing that made us fall in love with cruising was, everyone was treated the same. Nothing like the Titanic movie with "class and trash" treatment. Sadly, Princess is quickly moving back to a class system.
Totally agree with all you said, Don. I think that's a good part of why they're spending so much marketing $$ to attract new cruisers who have no experience of how cruising used to be and nothing to compare their first time with, so they don't know how much things have declined. Bottom line is: cruise lines are doing it because they can get away with it, and they'll continue to do so as long as they can. If people keep getting in line to shell out bigger $$ for less services, there's no incentive for the cruise lines to change what they're doing, right? It's all about their bottom line, after all.
Don, you are correct about the staffing cuts. I have been cruising for years and the things that I notice the most are reduced staff, reduced quality of food and upcharges. I sailed last week. The wait time for a drink at some bars was ridiculous. Sometimes the drink order never came. Attempting to flag down a waiter up on the Lido deck was next to impossible. That is was traditional cruising was based on, the high quality customer service. Every line that I have sailed on in the last few years needs to hire more staff. Sadly, this trend began before the Covid-19 shutdown.
I agree with you 100%. You get less for more. It takes for EVER to get a drink on the ships. Food is not at all what it used to be like! My food on my last cruise was horrible. I’m not planning any cruises until I start hearing some positive feedback. I have found all inclusive resorts to be my favorite vacation for awhile. We will see what happens. Thanks Don for all your information.
We made it to Diamond + with Royal Caribbean. Perks are decreasing however YES prices are going up. Agree with others that prices are out of control. Now that I am a ‘Senior’ and get free National park passes, we are looking at camping/Park visits instead of cruising.
We cruised several times.a year but have gotten disgusted with the prices and the slipping of the services. So are doing exactly that this year....an all inclusive reaort here we come.
Spirit & Frontier airlines make a lot of money by Not providing free services (food or drinks or carryon bag). Even American Airlines added budget tickets. Customers seem okay with no free luxury amenities & if it works on airlines then it can work with cruiselines too
.
Totally agree! All the cruise lines want to be Walmart of the Seas service and silver sea prices right now and it totally feels that way. Checking into some all inclusive vacays myself.
I like the way you deal with this Don by upgrading to the private suite area of the ship to get top service.
I agree with you Don the service has decreased on the ships and the food quality plus entertainment has declined. Have a nice day. God Bless.
We spent 43 nights on cruise ships last year. This year we will do a river cruise in December, but we are done with ocean cruising until the quality of the product and pricing come back into alignment.
Everything you said is true, we started sailing several years ago and we have seen a decline in the food quality as well as the service say in the buffet , our lady couple of cruises we’ve noticed that the room steward only came around once a day instead of the usual 2 that we were use to, the entertainment on board although not horrible is nothing compared to what it once was , etc etc, I’ve noticed as well that the excursions they offer don’t seem to be as good as they were either and don’t last as long , but yet the prices on those has gone up as well. We have a cruise in April of this year and I told my wife after that we will probably just do some land based vacations and hopefully the cruise proves cone down , I doubt it but we can always hope lol , there’s a cruise we want to take later this year but by the time you book that and the flights it’s just crazy expensive , by the way let talk flights to me they are way overpriced as well and all that need to be taken into consideration when booking a cruise or any kind of vacation , hopefully things will get better soon , one last thing Don, I’m still praying for you and hope all goes well for you sir
I'm glad to hear you say this. We had this exact experience in our December cruise. We had slow slow service, food quality down, people trying to sell us all kinds of things including shark glasses to drink a fruity drink (trinkets), everything an upcharge, the ship was dirty, tables in the buffet not wiped down after the staff removed dishes, shutting down half the buffet early at each meal, and so much more. We had been on that same ship a few times and we always get the same room. However, I won't go back on that ship. We also had charges on our sign and sale account that we did not purchase. In the group chat on FB, others were saying the same thing. It was disappointing. The room steward was great and we enjoyed the room, but the food and service definitely had gone down. We were so disappointed that I canceled our next cruise on that ship and moved to a bigger, newer ship, hoping to find better food and service. I hope they get control of this.
I agree, I'm sailing less now. Prices are sky high and they seem to be cutting any corner they can get away with.
100% agree with every word you said!!
You nailed it. The quality of food was super average. I'd get better service at Applebee's and the food would be hot. That's not staff's fault. It is 100% on cruise management. I don't mind paying a little more if I am going to get more, but right now we're paying more for less. It's not going to work in the long term.
I have noticed the same sort of things on my last Princess cruise. Room drinks ordered on the app can be super fast if you are right by the bar. But super slow if you are not. Also service in the main dining room was obviously suffering from under-staffing. The wait staff were all very busy but they were stretched too thin and couldn't really addend well to their tables. The head waiters were always taking up the slack each night by filling drink glasses, etc. I mentioned this on my post-cruise survey, among other things. I still love cruising but these types of things definitely make the experience less enjoyable.
Don, well said as always!! I am new to cruising and although I have enjoyed my cruise experiences so far my usual land based holidays are equally as good and give you the opportunity to properly explore the region you are visiting. On a cruise you only get a glimpse of what's on offer!! Probably the cruise price hikes will end my at sea adventures!!
I'm seeing much of the same as you Don. With the prices getting so high, I really have to start considering my cruising. I have stopped recommending cruise to my friends
Absolutely they are charging us more and giving us less. We have been cruising dince 2000.. Much of the regular practices are gone or are now an upcharge. Servicing cabin only on ce, no minibar, no ice in cabin. Extra charges for certain food items in MDR. Sometimes no lonster night at all. Prices are absurd. Food quality has declined and everything is a major undertaking. Crowded and entertainment is very basic. Itinataries change regularly. Once they have your money you are their prisoner. No cruises for us in 2025
You’re 100% correct. We took 6 cruises in the past 2 years, and the quality has gone down, down, down. We don’t have any cruises booked for the next year. Just too costly for what you get.
We went on the Symphony of the Seas in October. We are diamond members. We usually book our next cruise on board to take advantage of the perks. This cruise we didn’t book any new cruises. The cost of the cruises, increased gratuities, also the lack of personal on the ship has made us take a second look at cruising anytime soon. We will see how cruising goes as to when and if we will ever cruise again.
They're getting greedier and greedier and the people keep paying it. People showing their lack of common sense. Keep paying and they'll keep upping prices.
You're right, Don. Hoping we can continue to cruise, but the prices and add-ons may put us out of the game. Thanks for your videos. We appreciate you! Jim & Marsha - Kokomo, IN USA
I agree. We don’t mind price going up, but they shouldn’t cut back on the service. They need to justify the value proposition with increased prices. We took Royal Caribbean last year and will never take it again. Same thing with Norwegian. Those two cruise lines we will not take. So far we will feel Holland and Princess have still kept up with service.
Totally agree with Don's assessment of reduced service. Cruise lines have been reducing services like crazy but still dare to increase daily gratuity every year.
This is just like the big governments that kept increasing property taxes while reducing services.
Absolutely. I would have been mad to be bothered while eating too. NCL seemed like nothing was free recently. Wifi is almost $300 even turning in your free minutes.
Yes, Customer service and cut backs are very evident. Food quality is way down, entertainment is so-so and perks are mostly gone. We don't get a "package" since we don't drink alcohol or soda or specialty coffees. It just doesn't pay for us but we get bombarded with sales.
Our last two cruises were unusual. We take trinkets to give outstanding service people to let them know that we appreciate their efforts on top of the tips we give them. We had good service, but we didn't really have anyone that stood out. This is really unusual! I think it must be because they don't have the time to give that extra bit of special friendly service.
I agree 100%. The whole experience has diminished on the last few trips.
Don, you nailed it on the head. I’ve been cruising since the early 80’s. Cruising has certainly changed a lot. They say “more options”…I say “more complicated”! Service is down, prices are definitely up …and the nickel and dime that goes on…time for a break from cruising!
Yes. Don's summary outlines my thoughts and experiences nearly 100%... All
while prices are out of sight these days, particularly on the popular dates we can get away.
You're right on point here Don! Prices are way up and service levels are going way down. What's most surprising is that despite the increase in prices, the quality of the clientele seems to continue to decline. I've never seen so many rude, inconsiderate and indifferent people on ships than I have more recently.You'd think at some point this will come back to bite the cruise lines in the butt. Disney theme parks and resorts are having issues lately because prices have gotten out of control. I can do an all-inclusive, flying business class with drinks included at the resort for about half the price now.
The last 2 years of cruising the level of service has definitely declined. I get free drinks in the casino on a casino offer, but there’s never enough servers to get drinks
Now that most people on the ship have the drink package, it doesn't make financial sense for the cruise lines to have staff actually asking people if they want a cocktail. We don't buy the drink package and buy drinks a la carte and we have noticed that now we are almost never offered a drink onboard. We have to flag down staff to order a drink or more often than not, go stand in a line at the bars. Before the pandemic and the big push on drink packages, wait staff would always be coming around to ask if we wanted a drink. I get it. The cruise lines would rather have the prepaid guaranteed revenue charged for packages at one time, in advance, before the cruise. They get more fixed profit before the cruise even starts. They don't have to count on staff selling the drinks over the entire cruise. But it's still a shame the way things are heading. The ultra luxury lines are looking more attractive as well as land based vacations where we can spend multiple days experiencing the destinations.
Its definitely going to come back around to bite them. Hi Don 👋🏽
Service and entertainment is lacking. It’s never the staff. We are Diamond members so we have cruised a lot and the staff has always been amazing we always appreciate all they do with additional $$. I agree that cruiser have lost a lot activities are cut, entertainment is about half as much as usual, live music on the pool deck is sporadic, the whole experience has been reduced to about half of what it was.
I will say the quality of the food on Royal Caribbean has gone down. I was on Radiance in Alaska and every meal was a disappointment and we sent our meals back (something we never do). Was on Jewel in October out of Boston and the food was OK but was rarely hot, dining room service was terrible.
The time they take to serve the food in the mdr is getting longer and longer, totally agree with you
Don, this is exactly why I don’t cruise a lot anymore. I was a faithful Carnival cruiser at one time and then they got rid of a lot of the perks. I was going to try other cruise lines but cruises have gone up so much that I think my next vacation will be an all-inclusive. I’m still trying to figure out how people can spend $7,000 (or thereabouts) per person for a cruise, plus airfare. For $14,000-$20,000, I can think of other places I can go on vacation.
We are thinking about changing to a luxury cruise lines. Half the cruise trips but a far better experience on that one cruise. If that doesn’t work out we may just stay in the USA and drive where we want to go. It is a big country with lots of things we haven’t seen.
That’s what’s I’m doing as well. No more Carnival. Next cruise is on a brand new MSC ship and one on a brand new NCL or maybe even Celebrity.
@@NoHandleTexas After our cruise in March on Carnival (that I booked a year ago) I think we're done with them too. We were watching ship tour videos of some Celebrity ships this morning and are considering them. I saw a woman in one video say that they haven't seen the decline on Celebrity like they've seen on some of the other lines. We may consider booking with them or just do a land based vacation next.
Keep up the good work don. Wish you nothing but the best.
It is only a matter of time until people get tired of the higher prices and lesser value. We have a cruise this month and after that cruise, we won't be going on another until the prices come down considerably. Our next trip will be to an all-inclusive. Flight, transfers and beverages are included in the price. No gratuities, free wifi. It will be much cheaper for us.
I agree with you don I just come back from my Princess cruises
Everyone needs to agree to NOT cruise this NOVEMBER to send a message we want 24 hr pizza 24 hour ice-cream 2 room cleaning per day like it was before covid 2015 standards ... you are totally correct Don we have to stand against the (highwayroddery/ price gouging)
Carnival doesn't even have tablecloths in the MDR!! Even on the elegant nights!
Unfortunately, I don’t think we will be cruising. I’m one of the older cruisers that remembers how it was, and it’s just not the same.
Don I was thinking the same thing about looking at the Resorts all inclusive ! The prices are less than the cruise lines !
Because of the over charging, poor service and up charges, I have stopped cruising Carnival. I'm sorry they remind me of Walmart, and I used to work for them.
I totally broke up with Carnival after my cruise in December 2024. Bad food, one piece of bread at dinner, reduced buffet hours and selections and the same type of cruise director on every ship. Boring.
My husband and I are stockholders and we're about to cut them off too. We have a Carnival cruise for the end of March that I booked a year ago, but after the pathetic quality of our two cruises in 2024 I'm just over them.
I'd be fine with paying more if the quality was there, but making cutback and after cutback and having John Heald try to spin it into "positive changes" leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. I don't want bad quality on my vacation and I don't want their corporation insulting my intelligence by claiming their changes are because of "food waste". Give me a break!
I live on a fixed income, so I have to take care of what I spent on it. We are going on a cruise this April that we booked over a year ago and paid twice what we paid before. We were going to book the thermal spa after we paid the cruise off. It was $260.⁰⁰ per person for the whole cruise. We just paid off the cruise and went to book it, and it is now $359.⁹⁹ for the cruise. So we can't book it at that price when we put aside money for it at the old price. Nothing about it has improved. It is the same service. We can't afford to book another cruise at these prices where service has gotten so slow and prices are increasingly higher. We are done for awhile.
On our last cruise, we had a $0.00 balance leaving the ship. We have tremendous sales resistance and don't fill the need to pay for extras. We had a fabulous time.
Sale resistance is not the issue, it is haggling! Like he said, your whole meal can be ruined by someone haggling!
Your comments are true for us also, I do miss free room service , and the ships are definitely at higher capacity, so service will be affected, but we always have a great time ….
Currently we can only travel from our local San Francisco port , and travel 4 or 5 times a year 😎
I think what’s happening is that cruises will lower their standards to that of an all-inclusive resorts while charging a premium for as long as they can get away with it. The industry is transforming due to the new generation of cruisers having different expectations. And regarding upsells, all-inclusive resorts are bad for that as well.
Same. Rarely do I spend any extra on ship. Don't buy internet, dont buy drink/dining packages. Rarely buy excursions from cruise line.
You are correct Don!
My family used to love cruising, but last 2 years went to an all inclusive land vacation spot and will do the same this year! 😮
Have to agree with everything you have said. I currently don’t have a cruise booked and may just wait awhile and see if prices start to come down.
We used to do 2-4 cruises a year. The service and value for the dollar has decreased. We are only doing one in 2025 and looking at more land vacations.
Carnival is going nuts with exactly what you talked about. It's not good and I'm considering cancelling my upcoming May 2025 cruise.
Our last cruise was our first with Regent Seven Seas. Its more expensive but with everything they include and excellent service, it was worth it
Almost 200k subs. Best wishes for it soon!
Hi Don, you are SO correct. However, this started long before COVID. In 2009, I went on Cunard's holiday cruise to the Caribbean. In 2009, we went to nine islands and the cruise was 15 days. In 2014, they had reduced the cruise to five islands in 12 days for the same price. I looked at the itinerary for 2024, and saw they were going to be at sea for five days. We were never at sea for longer than 2 days in 2009. Sad.
ABSOLUTELY! I hope it does! Because of the “nickel and dime” attitude of the cruise lines today, my family and I have zero cruises planned this year. We do however have two large land based trips planned. Although, my wife and I will always love cruising, it’s time to try something different! Thanks for the vlog Don!
I agree 100% , I tried to get help at customer service on the Ncl Breakaway on our December cruise and it went on deaf ears. The food in the complimentary dining was very unsatisfactory. The ship needs major refurbishment, I'm glad its going into dry dock at the end of this year.
Our last cruise was as you described. Our attendant appeared overworked and we didn’t see him very often. The prices have soared and I think we will look elsewhere for our vacation next time. We have been going on cruises for at least 25 years and I think those days are over.