Staffing

[Jeff C]

Carnival cruises are significantly understaffed.  My wife and I have been on 5 cruises, on three different Carnival ships, since late last year.  We have seen significant delays, reduced service, and problems on each of these cruises due to staffing.  I "hear" Carnival in saying they are dealing with post-pandemic and red tape issues.  We are "loyal" Carnival cruisers (turn Diamond next cruise).  But really???  So, if past cruises (pre-pandemic) were 9 or above on a scale of 10, why should we deal with 5s now.  We really want to support the cruise industry and Carnival, but long lines, poor service, and mediocre entertainment??  Carnival has responded by reducing events and venues.  However, they do NOT reduce capacity.  Reducing available venues and offerings keeps capacity high, while reducing expenses.  Let me translate - less offered, more profit.

On the Carnival Dream in April, I confronted a manager on Lido.  Wait time for the deli was well over 30 minutes, and when I got to the staff, they had no fries and little else to offer.  I said to the supervisor, "what are you doing about this?'  His answer was he was focusing on cleanliness.  Admirable!  But, I have an empty plate after 30 minutes, and need to go elsewhere.

 

Yet - Carnival continues profiting on high booking rates.

[kefthecruiser]

Yep, I concur. With 4 cruises since 9/2021, 2 Carnival & 2 Princess, it's obvious that the cruise lines are currently all about maximizing profits. The food on ALL 4 cruises was poor quality, poor selection, and child size portions. I've decided to forego any more cruising until some time this Fall, when demand drops and staffing hopefully improves. On my last Carnival cruise (3/22) I was surprised to hear the cruise director publically lament the understaffing on the ship.

[DeanneB]

Carnival has addressed the staffing shortages, they mentioned they are working on t0he resolution.  I really hope they have this resolved soon, passengers are itching to cruise this year.  That is great sign though of recovery.  https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-working-on-crew-shortages/72114  

[AmyB]

On 5/30/2022 at 11:18 AM, kefthecruiser said:

Yep, I concur. With 4 cruises since 9/2021, 2 Carnival & 2 Princess, it's obvious that the cruise lines are currently all about maximizing profits. The food on ALL 4 cruises was poor quality, poor selection, and child size portions. I've decided to forego any more cruising until some time this Fall, when demand drops and staffing hopefully improves. On my last Carnival cruise (3/22) I was surprised to hear the cruise director publically lament the understaffing on the ship.

I guess we've been very fortunate, then.  I will agree that of the 4 cruises we've taken post-COVID, the first two were really hit and miss on the food (with more misses). However the last two have seen significant improvements, and in fact the Carnival Dream in April 2022 was probably the best food I've ever had on Carnival overall. Supply chain issues and staff shortages are gradually being resolved, it would seem (at least my Pollyanna fingers are crossed!).

[DeanneB]

I think we are getting there.  A bit slower than I would have wanted but surely cruises will as it were pre-covid.  I have my eyes set for 2023.  

[RoadTravelled]

On 8/28/2022 at 6:02 PM, AmyB said:

I guess we've been very fortunate, then.  I will agree that of the 4 cruises we've taken post-COVID, the first two were really hit and miss on the food (with more misses). However the last two have seen significant improvements, and in fact the Carnival Dream in April 2022 was probably the best food I've ever had on Carnival overall. Supply chain issues and staff shortages are gradually being resolved, it would seem (at least my Pollyanna fingers are crossed!).

We just finished a Carnival cruise out of NOLA that as far as I could tell was pretty sold-out.  This was our 3rd cruise post-pandemic, and we noticed a vast improvement in service times and food quality.  The waitstaff was outstanding (really up to the standards Carnival has had on previous trips) and we had really delicious food each night in the MDR.  The staff were so efficient — we were in and out in just about 1 hour.  And, each night they had different selections on the menu to choose.  The Lido deck had a lot of people but very few lines.  I don't think we waited in any line longer than about 5 minutes.  It appears they are indeed getting this labor and supply shortage pretty resolved.  I can't complain at all as we had a great cruise and saw no "bumps" in Carnival's execution.

[DeanneB]

That is amazing!  Thank you for sharing.  It is really good to know that the staffing issue is resolved and the great service is back.  I am really excited about our cruise.  I have used most of my paid leaves this year, so no cruises for now, definitely 2023 it is.

[1CruiseDreamer]

It should be expected that after covid it would take awhile to get to the in which we were used to. I feel give it some time, be happy we can cruise at all. Things can only get better. 

I last cruised last month in August. I spoke with many of the crew members about how they felt being on a ship again. Many I spoke with mentioned that they are working hard and that many crew members are still working on getting their documentation in order to return to the ships again. They also mentioned that they also have to do regular covid testing, additional training, and get all paperwork taking care of for citizenship, visas, etc. It calls for a lot travelling around and that it all takes some time. 

Workers and managers also mentioend that there will be more and more workers, new and returning, over the next two or three months. They are hiring workers like crazy I was told.

All in all, just give it time, enjoy cruising now, and look to even more improvements in the future. 

[DeanneB]

@1CruiseDreamer That is a wonderful comment.  I think we are quick to forget that the crew lost their income for a good 2 years or more.  For them to be back to work and cruise line able to hire more is a great improvement.