Royal Caribbean has faced similar questions at a time when both cruise lines are making major restaurant changes.
Cruise passengers, at least those who sailed before the covid pandemic, seem to be resistant to any change to the cruise experience. That puts Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) – Get a free report and the Carnival cruise line (CCL) – Get a free report in a tough position as both cruise lines are on the front lines of bringing new people on cruises.
That forces Royal Caribbean and Carnival to balance the needs and expectations of returning passengers with what might appeal to customers who are new to cruising. Those two groups don’t always want the same things, making any change to either cruise line a major issue.
DON’T MISS: Carnival Cruise Line Makes Major Dining Change
Returning cruise passengers have also had trouble dealing with the changes forced by the covid pandemic. Some of them are positive, like the virtual meeting drills that Royal Caribbean and Carnival use. Others, such as not offering printed daily schedules (you can usually request one, but it varies by ship) have not received positive feedback.
Now, a change Carnival has made, which Royal Caribbean has mostly not made, has generated some controversy at a time when both companies have made major changes to their main dining rooms (MDRs).
Image source: Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty
Carnival makes a menu change
Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have changed some key MDR policies. Royal Caribbean made the boldest move, literally changing its late-night menus and getting rid of its “Classic” options that were available every night. That’s a major change, as it removes popular appetizers such as escargot, French onion soup, and shrimp cocktail from late-night options while removing main course options, which include a basic steak and spaghetti a the bolognese
Carnival also made a major change to the MDR by adding a $5 charge for any tickets a passenger orders after the first two. Royal Caribbean didn’t follow that, but added a fee for additional lobster tails on cruises of six nights or more that have a lobster night. Passengers who want a second lobster tail (and any after) will pay $16.99 plus an 18% tip for each one they order.
The actual changes are too many for customers to handle, but people are also getting mad at Carnival for a change that hasn’t actually become a new policy.
Carnival answers an important question about the menu
When Carnival and Royal Caribbean returned to sailing after the 16-month covid shutdown, both cruise lines enacted many new policies based on social distancing and the elimination of touch points. One of those practices was using QR codes and their respective applications to deliver menus.
Both cruise lines still use QR codes for menus, which is something Carnival’s loyalty ambassador John Heald commented on on his Facebook page (no spelling or ‘jokes’ in his post have been changed).
“These days of course we have QR codes and the menu in the App and we are not the only ones. Last week I stayed at the Mariotthyattcontinental and had dinner as usual at their restaurant. While the food is very good (the donkey eggs are excellent) there is no printed menu. This means that in very dim lighting, people like me had to increase the font size by at least 18 points. Please, if there are no printed menus, have sources. And no italics. maybe have flashlights at every FFS table,” she wrote.
Where Heald pushed back on the idea, which has been widely shared on social media, that Carnival has gotten rid of its print menus.
“Anyway, we do of course have printed menus, so please ask, really, just ask, and ignore the tube users who say no. They’re talking like crazy… you can ask Uncle Google about that one.” word,” he added.
Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean have varied in their menu policies and whether they give you a printed menu. It may vary depending on sailing or dining on board, but in all cases, both cruise lines have a printed menu available.
