Give us our perks: Carnival guests demand better cabins and equal treatment in poll on Carnival Encounter and Adventure changes

• A Cruise Passenger survey shows the changes that cruisers are hoping for as Encounter and Adventure enter dry dock.
• Encounter will enter dry dock in February, and Adventure the following year in 2027.
• Carnival is yet to reveal what changes will or won’t be made.

Carnival’s bold decision to dissolve P&O Cruises Australia and bring two ships into the Carnival fleet, now Carnival Encounter and Carnival Adventure, appears to have paid off.

The line has managed to keep prices low, attract more of the new to cruise market and a previous Cruise Passenger survey showed that 70% of passengers are enjoying the new ships. 

But an exclusive poll by Cruise Passenger on what guests want now reveals the depth of feeling about the upcoming dry-dock changes on the ships.

Over a thousand Carnival cruisers were surveyed on what changes they want to see on the ships post dry dock. It became clear that one demand lies above all else for the new ship changes, which is that the converted P&O ships change to offer all the perks that Carnival ships do.

Over half, 55% of all votes cast in the survey, were asking for more perks to be included, these include things like 24-hour pizza and soft serve, included cordial, extra drink options, other options for burritos and burgers, but also include other things, like that Carnival offers a larger range of activities that are included in the fare.

It appears that the number one desire of Aussie Carnival cruisers is that Adventure and Encounter offer everything in the fare that other Carnival ships offer around the world, which would appear to be a fair request.

Some want to see their favourite Carnival venue’s on the new ships, such as Guy’s Burgers and Carnival’s Deli.

Modernising facilities and doing overall maintenance was also a popular pick, picking up about 20% of votes. This seems to show that really cruisers’ expectations are quite simple, to get the perks they believe their fare deserves, and for a tidier and cleaner ship.

A previous Cruise Passenger review of Carnival Encounter definitely clocked that cabins were ‘showing their age’. As mentioned, these are not new ships, and it does show. The review noted a lack of modern conveniences in cabins, such as interactive TV’s, as well as cabins spotted with outdated decor. This makes sense as the cabins haven’t been renovated since 2018.

It would seem that if post dry dock, the ship’s perks are brought in line with other Carnival ships, and cabins and facilities are given a little refresh, cruisers will be more than happy.

What’s the plan for these ships?

Another question is, what is the long-term vision for these ships?

Today, they remain what are essentially P&O ships with some Carnival branding and tweaks. It’s unclear if Carnival wants to transform the ships into full-on Carnival products or keep the P&O flavour.

The dry-dock schedules of under three weeks don’t give an awful lot of time for a complete overhaul of venues, but anything is possible.

The ships aren’t exactly new; at 24 and 25 years in service respectively, they’ve been around a long time, and it probably doesn’t make much sense to give them a huge overhaul. While the other Carnival ships are newer in comparison, they’re also not exactly shiny new ships. Carnival Splendor has 18 years in service and Luminosa has 17 years in service.

The ships make sense as budget options for Australian cruising, and offer great value for those looking for it; however, some cruisers do want to make sure they’re getting all the value they deserve.

With the dry-dock not too far away for Encounter, we should find out soon enough what exactly will be done to the new ships, with anything from a slight touch-up to a complete overhaul possible. The transition of the two ships into Carnival appears to be a success so far, but any updates will undoubtedly be scrutinised for cruisers.

Carnival’s recent decision to return to home porting out of places like Auckland, Melbourne and Adelaide showed that they are keyed into what their customers are saying, and hopefully they can make as many people as possible happy as they update the new ships.

What do you think? How should Carnival refresh the older P&O ships?

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