Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise lines phase out traditions going back years

Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, two of the most prominent cruise companies in the world, have started phasing out several long-standing traditions.

Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruises aren't cheap, which is why the cruise lines are constantly looking to make changes in order to keep the experience exciting for everyone.

Of course, there's only so much space on a ship, no matter how big they are. So, when something new comes along, it means old, often traditional offerings have to be removed to make room for the new.

What is unusual is for multiple changes to be made, but that's exactly what Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have started to do.

Times, they are a changin' for Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean (Getty Stock Images)

What has been changed?

If you're a regular on cruises, there are three traditional areas you may have come to know and expect on your cruise holiday, these are libraries; chapels; and internet cafes.

Some cruise lines started to restrict the use of libraries during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was largely due to the take a book, leave a book tradition found in cruise ship libraries. Of course, the companies were looking to do anything they could to reduce the chances of Covid spreading, which meant that libraries took a hit.

While many guests might enjoy getting stuck into a good book, in this digital age, it's easy enough to just download a book, sit on the deck and soak up the sun while enjoying a good read, making the library a slowly dying area in cruise ships.

However, according to reports, it would seem that they've now decided to make this a permeant change, with many cruise ship libraries making way for other amenities, such as games rooms.

Goodbye, internet cafes (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

Unless you're stuck in the 90s, removing internet cafes seems like a fair enough change.

Most cruise ships these days offer Wi-Fi, and most guests will have a laptop or mobile phone, making internet cafes a completely replaceable service that I doubt too many guest will grumble about.

The most surprising out of the changes is that some new ships are not being built with chapels. Although, over the years cruise lines had reported they were not being used enough.

A focus on the new (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Of course, while books and internet can be replaced digitally, faith cannot.

Which is why many cruise ships still have passenger-led services, as well as formal events on major holidays.

LADbible has contacted Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Carnival for comment.