My husband and I recently took our first cruise and it was aboard Carnival Legend. We are 47 and 52

Why do the good ol days always seem so good? Let s let Sonja, a travel agent and veteran cruise traveler, explain. In a plaintive note to Sea-Mail, she eloquently lamented about cruising’s lost traditions: What ever happened to the Death by Chocolate midnight buffet, where the staff actually showed off what they could do? Or afternoon tea? Our Royal Caribbean cruise almost cured me: They were out of lobster tail on THE NIGHT. Last but not least, the best night, the Captain’s Night, has sadly changed.”
Now I’m not sure exactly what Sonja meant by “piggy in the pocket,” but you sort of get the gist, don’t you? Many of the grand traditions that cruising has long been known for are clearly fading away (though they still do exist, robustly, paris casino hotel on a handful of cruise lines).
These include old practices like personally tipping the crew members who served you (it tends to foster a better camaraderie among staffers and passengers), grand buffets paris casino hotel at midnight (or any other time, for that matter), the extravagance of all-the-lobster-tail-you-care-to-eat at the Captain’s Gala dinner and formal dress affairs that were compulsory, not voluntary. And who doesn’t miss silly pool games like hairy back competitions and belly-flop contests on aimless days at sea (wait, these still exist ).
And yet, while I understand Sonja s general concern, wouldn’t you agree that perhaps paris casino hotel it’s time to move on? After all, the new generation of cruise travelers being wooed these days prefers to pay tips anonymously via a charge on the bill and doesn t see communing with cabin stewards as integral to the experience. Same goes in the dining room; many of today’s newer cruisers prefer paris casino hotel tables-for-two and seating on demand, rather than opting for same table, same waiter options (and, yes, they prefer to tip anonymously here as well).
So why not ditch afternoon tea and abandon massively indulgent buffets that no one really needs? Maybe even “lobster night,” in an era in which the crustacean is easily and affordably available via casual chain restaurants, no longer possesses the glamour it once did. Packing black-tie garb and party dresses paris casino hotel at a time when airlines are frantically levying extra fees for checked bags seems wasteful.
But traditions, which by definition are rituals that are greater than the sum of their parts, paris casino hotel are sacred they connect us with not just our own memories of special moments but also to the lifeline of cruising. They connect us to something bigger, grander and more glamorous (okay, not that hairy back competition) than we usually experience. Thank you, Sonja, for reminding me how important cruise traditions still are.
Sonja’s asking for your help here. Which lines do the best Captain’s Gala? What’s your favorite part of it? And, oh, yes, she’s got one more thing to ask: “Please let me know if there are still some that actually offer the old-fashion party with cocktails.
These were things that made a cruise even more special. We enjoyed the meet and greet, the midnight buffet and we enjoy dressing paris casino hotel up as it states..FORMAL. If we want belly flops or hairy chest contests we can go somewhere that caters to that type of entetainment .
Great post, Carolyn. I m stuck somewhere in the middle of these two generations I m 26, so I like the convenience of the automatic tipping and anytime paris casino hotel dining. And the bigger and more sophisticated ships continue to blow me away with all their new offerings. But what makes cruising unique from all land-based vacations is the camaraderie with not just other passengers but with the crew. I ve been to some amazing resorts but never have I experienced the kind of one-on-one guest-to-crew dynamics as you do on cruise ships. I say in with the old traditions and in with the new too!
We do enjoy traditions;however, as it becomes mor expensive to reach the departure points paris casino hotel there are issues with the extra baggage. I know some may say, with their nose in the air, if you can t afford it don t do it. But the lines themselves are trying to save money. We agree that there should be more meet mingle nights with REAL Cocktails instaed of the punch and dry champaigne.
I don t consider myself old (I m 40), but I do consider myself old school when it comes to cruising. For instance, I miss when the waiters knew you and you dined in fine fashion for breakfast and lunch not just dinner. I love how we would build a relationship paris casino hotel with the servers, which meant better, more personalized service and a better experience!
paris casino hotel And dressing up nicely one or two nights during a cruise won t kill a person paris casino hotel (I even procured a tux for my 2-yr-old and gowns for my 4-yr-old for our last cruise). It adds class, a touch of elegance, and reminds you that you are experiencing a special vacation taking time out of the ordinary day-to-day life and making an extraordinary paris casino hotel memory.
But the industry goes the way of the world. Where personalization has gone the way of the dodo. Where (good) customer service is always a tad out of reach. Where taking time to enjoy the finer things gives way to mediocrity and instant gratification.
One of my biggest disappointments was boarding the Oasis and finding paris casino hotel that the promenade was not really there anymore to me there is nothing more enjoyable than a casual stroll around the WHOLE ship and watching the wake at the rear of the ship in full moonlight nothing is more romantic! I love meeting other cruisers paris casino hotel but do prefer to dine just as a couple paris casino hotel sometimes so like to be able to choose paris casino hotel between the two if possible. And dressing up for dinner is not that hard one long black skirt can be dressed up or down as need be we ve been on 2 long Mediterranean cruises and managed to pack enough clothes paris casino hotel for all occasions and still meet luggage requirements for the airlines. (I ve been known to have clothes hanging all over the cabin to dry after washing paris casino hotel them by hand!) We need a bit of civility in our lives and hope that cruise lines keep some of their time-honored traditions loved Celebrity s all-out buffet and wish that happened on all lines!
My husband paris casino hotel and I are in our 50s and cruise atleast once a year. We have been on HAL, Carnival, and Princess. I must say Princess is tops on our list. They still offer that old school cruising IF you wish.. or the new way if you prefer. Midnight paris casino hotel buffets, Captains Cocktail party, unlimited food in dining room are still offered. *Anytime* or preferred Meal Seating are your choice.Formal dress is preferred but not required at dinner but No Jeans or shorts at dinner is a rule. Every crew member we have had the pleasure of meeting have been friendly, curteous and helpful. We just sailed Carnival out of Manhattan and I must say..the environment of your ship *with a BIG emphysis on public bathrooms* have a lot to do with, your fellow passengers paris casino hotel and where you sail from!! In my experience I have noticed the cheaper cruises offer less. You get what you pay for. As goes with everything it s what you make of it
I still like many of the old traditions paris casino hotel and enjoy what I can on Princess. This past cruise we brought dressy clothes for formal nights, but, not as dressy paris casino hotel as when we could easily bring the extra suitcases. We enjoyed traditional dining where the waitstaff knew our names/preferences and they were tipped accordingly well. I hope that with time the younger generation will start cruising for more than the LAZY ME experience and enjoy
There are so many different cruise lines that cater to different clientel, so choose wisely. As for me, I love casual. It s not only the airlines extra cost for a checked bag it s also that you must lug that bag around until you can board the ship, then lug it to your cabin! (and to the ladies room ) I typically travel to warm climates and nothing is worse than formal clothes paris casino hotel when you re perspiring! It s so humid and muggy in the tropics especially when you come from Colorado. But, I agree there should be one formal night and the cruiseline paris casino hotel should ENFORCE the formal attire aspect of formal night. Those of us who d rather not take part can find other dinner arrangements for that night. By the way,(Eileen?), paris casino hotel I ve sailed Carnival several times and have NEVER been invited to a Past Guest Party please clue me in! Thanks!
My husband and I recently took our first cruise paris casino hotel and it was aboard Carnival paris casino hotel Legend. We are 47 and 52 and relished the idea of the elegant nights, so my husband brought his full tux ensemble paris casino hotel and I brought a couple of coctail paris casino hotel type ensembles and we felt perfect! Several others did as well. Not knowing what to expect, we could easily have stuck out like sore thumbs, but very glad we didn t. The tipping issue is sticky, we are still pretty old school on that because we believe the tip is reflective of the service, not merely expected. I don t mind the pre-paid gratuities and I understand that too many would stiff the service staff without that feature paris casino hotel in place. My husband paris casino hotel and I gave additional tips of cash to our room steward and our wait staff team as a token of our sincere appreciation for their service. It can be done discretely and shows sincere appreciation. We also gave an additional tip in an envelope that was provided by the cruise line, to the concierge but that was not made clear to us how it would be distributed. Captain s night was odd because it was he and his crew just standing about in the atrium while people randomly came to shake hands with him or get a picture with him On our next cruise we will do exactly as we did on our first because we felt it was all appropriate and we don t get opportunities to dress up like that very often or to be treated with impeccable service very often it was wonderful!
I agree with Janice Princess is a great cruise line although i admit they do cater to the older crowd (not as old as HAL though). Anyway paris casino hotel I went to a lovely afternoon tea on my last cruise. I do tend to skip the Captain s meet and greet and if you do happen to have a midnight buffet they are so crowded that i skip that too
i was so very disappointed when the Captain