I hope that the difficulties Carnival had on this cruise were the result of the pandemic period, and that time will heal these issues, but this was the worst cruise I've ever been on. So many things, large and small...the ship couldn't go to to one of the scheduled ports (my favorite port) because of mechanical problems, folks we sailed with had no hot water for about a day, food was way below our previous Carnival experiences (Platinum VIFP level). Dining service was poor, VIFP perks were no longer delivered to our stateroom and had to be hunted down and asked for, and the worst thing was the Carnival Hub app! Very few paper menus on the ship, none at all at the Alchemy Bar, no more daily newspaper that was so useful, so much was pushed to this barely functional app. New flash Carnival: People don't want to be forced to bury their faces in a smart phone to access ship's services, see what the shows are, or see what's for dinner! Every night at dinner there were problems with this most basic function. Not everyone carries around an expensive, easily lost device everywhere they go. Older folks hate this and many have not succumbed to the smart phone world. I hate it and I work in IT. It's not relaxing and it constitutes a further lowering of the service standard. There have been so many over the years.

The joy of locking my keys, wallet, and CELL PHONE in the stateroom safe for the week is gone.

Again, maybe the poor food and service we encountered will improve as new crew members settle in to the routine. Our cabin steward was excellent. But forcing the use of smart phones on everyone must stop. I'll not take another Carnival cruise as long as they're doing this.