Even the biggest and grandest cruise lines, such as Carnival, have limited space on board and stringent budgets to meet.
That is why, in many cases, adding new features and onboard amenities can mean letting go of old ones.
If you’re a loyal Carnival cruiser, you may have noticed several silent changes to some perks, services, and facilities you’ve enjoyed over the years.
While some can be a great improvement to the overall quality of your vacation, there might be a few old favorites that you’ll be shocked are no longer being offered on your next trip.
In this article, we’ll discover seven things that Carnival Cruise Line has quietly taken away. So, keep reading before you set sail to avoid any unpleasant surprises!
1. A Chapel on Every Ship
Not too long ago, almost all Carnival Cruise Line ships had a beautiful onboard chapel.
The sacred space offered guests a quiet place to pray or meditate, arrange weddings and vow renewals, or take part in religious celebrations on Christmas, Easter, and Hanukkah.
Unfortunately, Carnival has silently removed most of its chapels, converting them into arcades and other recreational areas. The ships’ libraries are slowly disappearing as well.
While some cruisers don’t mind the change, many others expressed disappointment on social media.
Carnival’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, recently responded to an angry guest who posted, “You have taken away time spent with God and replaced it with games in the arcade.”
2. Internet Lounges and Business Centers
Whether it’s for work emails or Facetiming family and friends back home, internet connectivity is crucial to passengers on every cruise ship.
That’s why all Carnival ships now provide satellite internet access from bow-to-stern. Guests can purchase Wi-Fi plans for their smartphone or laptop and surf the net anywhere on the ship!
In the past, you’d have to go to the business center, where passengers could pay to borrow a computer and use the internet, usually charged on a costly per-minute basis.
There would also be printers for people who need a copy of their boarding passes and luggage tags.
Nowadays, since most people have their own devices, these spaces are being eliminated and repurposed into more onboard shopping, and new specialty dining options.
This was the comment on this change:
Perhaps we do need to have a think about this. Now I work when I am on board. I work in the dinning room or in one of the lounges or in my cabin but the allure of the bed usually means that I get sod all done there.
Perhaps we are in the mindset that people are too busy having Fun to work and that the purpose of vacation is to forget about work. Perhaps those ideas are not part of today’s world although I truly hope that is not the case.
3. Casino Program Perks
Carnival Cruise Line is famous for its enticing casino offerings, where players often earn perks like free cruises, suites, drink packages, and even transportation to and from the cruise port!
There are three different levels of casino offers to choose from: Premier, Ultra, and Elite. Each level has better perks, with Elite offering free internet and shore excursions, among others.
However, recent passengers have noticed that Carnival is offering fewer and less attractive perks for rooms and drinks under its casino offerings.
What used to be free balcony rooms or suites have become interior rooms, and perks like “drinks on us, anywhere on the ship” are limited or gone.
The cruise line released a statement, saying, “We adjusted the way Premier works earlier this year,” but didn’t discuss their downgraded perks and pulling back on their once generous offers.
4. Loyalty Program Privileges
The VIFP Club, which stands for Very Important Fun Person Club, is Carnival’s loyalty program. You earn one VIFP point for each day of your cruise—and more points means more benefits!
Carnival reserves the right to change benefits at any time, and one quiet change that upset many VIFP passengers is the removal of the popular $25 FunPlay credit for the ship’s casino.
The cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, confirmed this change on his Facebook page, saying, “Yes, the casino has decided to remove the $25.”
He also wrote, “The $25 FunPlay casino credit was one of our temporary offers to our top-tier VIFP guests.”
5. Late-Night Pizza Counters
If there was one thing Carnival passengers loved, was late-night pizza.
The cruise line used to offer freshly made pizza through its dedicated pizza counters, Pizza Pirate and Pizzeria del Capitano, up until 4 a.m., with high demand and long lines even at late hours.
Most cruisers were shocked when Carnival suddenly decided to close their two popular pizza counters at midnight while offering a completely different pizza on its newly introduced late-night buffet, which is only open until 2:30 a.m.
Instead of the fresh New York-style pizza that guests were used to, the new buffet only provides premade sheet pizzas.
Several passengers have asked to reconsider the decision, but so far, nothing seems to have changed.
6. Paper Menus and Plastic Straws
For many Carnival passengers, cruises are a time to disconnect from the digital world and spend time away from smartphones.
That’s why the cruise line’s silent decision to eliminate paper menus and replace them with QR codes for their app made a lot of guests unhappy.
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald assured passengers that while they are encouraging everyone to use their Hubb app for convenience, printed menus will still be available upon request.
Another thing that the cruise line has taken away is the use of plastic straws. While it may seem like a small change, research reveals that the average cruiser uses five straws per day, and with 420,000 people cruising at any given time, that amounts to 2 million straws used every day!
7. Cruises to Nowhere
Did you know that Carnival used to offer a “cruise to nowhere” in the not-so-distant past?
It’s a short cruise where the ship sails to international waters and returns—no stopping at other ports!
During this inexpensive but relaxing vacation, cruisers fully enjoyed the ship’s amenities and food. Sadly, these special cruises are no longer available today.
The reason? Legal hurdles. US regulations, specifically the Jones Act, now ban foreign-flagged cruise ships from operating roundtrip voyages from American ports without having at least one stop in a foreign country.
So, Carnival and other major lines had to stop offering this particular type of cruises.
I have tried several of them but these are the most durable and sturdy.
