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My First and Worse Cruise
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- On October 3, 2015 my husband Nathan ** and I Karen ** arrived on the CARNIVAL Victory ship, which appeared to be excellent, how once we arrived to our Room 1358 that wasn't the case. We noticed that the had not been cleaned. Guest Service was notified around 2:00 p.m. They informed us that a housekeeping supervisor was on the way to inspect the room.

Once the housekeeping supervisor arrived to Room 1358 we showed her the problems along with photos. After apologizing on the behalf of Carnival Cruises, she stated that the room would be thoroughly cleaned. She also told us to go to Guest Services to have our room changed. With that being said after the safety briefing my wife and I arrived at Guest Services. We spoke to Tattiana who is a representative of guest service.

We returned at least five times before the supervisor showed us another room that also dirty with stained carpet. The supervisor's name is George. George informed us that there were no other rooms, because they were full to capacity. There was nothing he could do. We thanked him for his services and asked for his supervisor. He told us that she would call us between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. However after waking up with bite marks on my arm we went to Guest Service.

The new supervisor's name is Joan. We arrived at 9:30 a.m. and haven't spoke to anyone. It is now 10:45 a.m. It's now 10:52 a.m. The ** are meeting with Ms. ** the supervisor. Ms. ** informed us that because of Carnival Victory was full to the capacity and that six people missed the ship yesterday, therefore we were told that six inside cabins are available today, which we are now moving to. Can someone please HELP me understand? I'm asking this question because these problems could have been resolved yesterday.

The next morning October 4, 2015 my husband and I was at the medical for the doctor to look at his arm for three bites. On October 6, 2015 my husband and went on an excursion at Lifestyle Serenity VIP on Dominica. Once there we were unable to use any of the facilities listed in the brochure. We asked about the pool and someone had to take us there. We thought we going to the pool. Instead they took us on a tour of the resort.

We later found out that in order to these amenities that were listed we had to become members. When we returned to the ship we found out from the tour desk that was not part of the excursion. However no one told us that before we left. Lastly George from Guest Service said to us that “This is not one of Carnival's better cruises. It's their low budget cruise." Thanks.

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Carnival Ships Are Not Safe
By -

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- On November 11th I embarked on a cruise with my husband and our best friends on the Imagination. We are all in our 40s and it was the first cruise for my husband and myself. We booked tickets on a special of 199.00 per person. Several months later, we were informed that we had to pay port fees and taxes and that was an additional 600.00... Lesson learned.

The first night and next day were uneventful. The room was fine except it reeked of cigarette smoke. We are all smokers but the room was like a dirty ashtray. The evening we docked in the Bahamas my husband, and our friends went out to the clubs on the ship. In club Illusions, the 3 of them sat at the bar at around 11 and order drinks. Being that the club allows smoking, all of them lit a cigarette. Shortly after a group of 6-7 people came into the bar and stood behind our group.

One of the women in the group began yelling and screaming that the smoke was "offending her". She was seated next to my husband. The bar is a designated smoking bar with ashtrays out and around 50 other patrons smoking. My husband turned his back on her when she pulled out a bottle of perfume from her purse and began spraying the back of his head and shirt with it. He turned to face her and she sprayed him in the eyes and mouth.

At that point, he asked my friend (the woman) to switch places with him because he felt that would defuse the situation. The woman kept screaming and my girlfriend asked the bartender if it was OK to smoke there and she said yes. Her husband was trying to ask for a manager or security (They were actually in the club because of an earlier fight.). The woman then began spraying my friend's head and face with the perfume. The woman then reached over to her husband to grab his shirt and that's when the real assault happened.

They dragged my girlfriend off her chair and 5 girls began punching her. Her husband was scratched and punched. My husband jumped into the middle and was knocked to the floor. All were being kicked in the head by women in heels and punched by the men in the group. Security finally stepped in and escorted everyone to a questioning area. This is where Carnival goes so very very wrong.

My husband and friends were bloody and had bruises and torn clothes. None of the other group was injured because they were never hit. Statements were taken from all and my group made it very clear that they wanted to press charges. My husband wrote it on his statement in block letters. The security staff was not cooperative and gave no information other than the people would be arrested in Miami.

My husband was taken to medical and the report taken said he had 2 superficial scratches and smelled of alcohol. He has 6 punctures in his head, a concussion (we went to urgent care as soon as we left the boat), a 4 inch cut down his face, multiple bruises. The ship had given him Tylenol. My husband was insistent that he wanted them arrested and put it in his statement.

Being our first cruise, we trusted Carnival to take care of the situation. They told security officer John ** to review the video and see that they were assaulted. He lied to them and said the club had no video. The next morning (after we left Bahamas) I had to seek out the security officer John ** with my girlfriend. My girlfriend was traumatized that morning. She was covered in bruises, crying and absolutely terrified. She was looking everywhere we went, thinking she would be jumped again.

They were free to walk around and had passed us several times. I sought out ** because no one on the ship had contacted us to even inquire about our health. No care. No concern. No courtesy. My girlfriend cried all through the meeting. I asked how they would be arrested and that the ship didn't seem concerned about us. I told him she was terrified and how did they plan to protect her? He shrugged and asked me what I thought they should do. He stated he had "talked to them and they knew they were wrong and wouldn't be a problem". You reasoned with a woman spraying perfume in other people's faces?

I confronted him about lying about the video and he admitted it was a lie. He said that if they came around to call security... Do you know how improbable that is? Where are the phones to call on Lido or in a stairwell? He also told me that they (the assailants) would not be allowed on Carnival again. My friend remained locked in her room for the last day.

When we docked in Miami, we waited for the police. Imagine our shock when the Miami-Dade police came to take our statements and inform us there was nothing that they could do. The incident happened in the Bahamas and the Bahamian police should have been notified and Carnival has enough incidents that they know that. They were very sympathetic and kind, everything Carnival was not. They told us we would have to contact the Bahamian embassy to pursue charges.

The security officer ** was there but refused to give us the names of the people that attacked us based on "confidentiality of passengers". So Carnival has blocked the opportunity for justice and recovering damages. The police said that Carnival knew they should have called the Bahamian police but that they didn't because they don't like incidents on their record. One officer pulled me aside and said to pursue a case against Carnival and he would be there for us. That the handling of these incidents are poor and they have to deal with the aftermath. They stated it was clear we were wronged and would help anyway possible.

Now for the final insult. As we left the boat, my husband and my friend's husband were notified they would not be allowed on Carnival again. Policy. My husband hit no one. He is a 45 year old man. He's never been arrested or in a fight. My girlfriend stood there in a beautiful dress, covered in bruises and that was their parting concern for us. We spent over 2500 and they couldn't even say "Hey, sorry!".

I have never been treated so poorly. I'm devastated that this gift we planned for our friends was ruined by their policies and lack of care. Several witnesses (we have statements, video and info.) approached us later and said they would back us 100% in court if needed. I contacted Carnival and they wanted to know how we see any of this as their fault.

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Carnival Cruise Lines Destiny - Ghetto Cruise From Hell
By -

MIAMI -- I've contacted Gerry Cahill CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines 3 times and have never received as much as a reply. Last year my daughter Laura sent Bill and I on Carnival's Inspiration Cruise Ship. It was such a wonderfully relaxing experience, we couldn't wait to go on another one. Well we just got back from the Ghetto Cruise From Hell. Carnival's Destiny Cruise Ship was doomed from the beginning. We were literally herded like cattle for nearly 2 hours without any water just to board the ship. Once onboard the stress really began. We were given a different cabin than what we had been promised.

I went to Customer Service and explained that I was told we would have a wrap around deck. They agreed with me that yes indeed we had and we were given a different stateroom. That was the end of our discussion. The balcony was filthy from the prior cruise. I had to ask four different people for wash cloths for our cabin. The ship was overbooked with loud and uncouth people. We never ate from the Lido buffet because the lines were horrendous. We didn't feel like standing in line a half hour just to have something to eat. Don't know what we would done without the Deli. Every day I had an arugula and mozzarella sandwich while Bill had the Pastrami and corned beef.

The sandwiches were great, but we would have enjoyed having a variety of foods to choose from. Once seated in the extremely crowed dining area, we were subjected to loud, obnoxious people who thought nothing of carrying on conversations with other tables across the room. I have to say, the formal seating at dinner was much more enjoyable. The waiters were fabulous and the food delicious. The spectacular shows were awesome. The comedienne kept us in stitches. Both of these were the saving grace of our cruise. We tried relaxing pool side but that was a joke. First it was next to impossible to find a lounge chair.

If we were lucky enough to grab one, we were continuously bumped by fellow passengers who were walking by. And if we weren't being jolted, we had the luxury of having half a dozen people standing over us. Although they provided a pool for the children, I think someone forgot to mention that fact to everyone. Being a swimmer I couldn't wait to get into the water. Unfortunately for me there were nearly 55 children and adults jammed into one pool. The whirlpools would probably have been great had it not been for the 25 children and adults in there at one time. There supposedly was music playing on deck.

But the deck was so loud the music wasn't heard. We decided to give the adults only pool a whirl. In this area they absolutely refused to play music. The retractable roof was either partially or totally closed. And yes, it too was over run with unruly children. Between the two of us Bill and I have raised 6 lovely children. We adore children. But these kids had no adult supervision even when there was an adult present. I asked at the bar if they would play some music and I was told they weren't allowed to play music in this area. Being a Fun Cruise Ship I didn't believe what I was hearing. Surely there must be some mistake.

So when I spotted our maitre d' in his dress whites I thought the nothingness in the air would be changed. To my horror, the maitre d' reiterated what the bartender had just told us. Now this is SUPPOSED TO BE A CARNIVAL FUN CRUISE! I tried customer service, but again my expectations were dashed. "Sorry that was their policy" was what I was told. "The main deck is where we should be if we wanted to enjoy music while relaxing and getting wet." Trying to explain to them what the main pool area was like was an exercise in futility. They could have cared less. Fortunately for us by day two our deck had been cleaned.

So while Bill worked out in the gym I would run back and forth from our shower to our deck to try to enjoy the sun. On Carnival Inspiration they had miniature golf and a grand walking area. Carnival Destiny had a miniature walking area that was a total joke. The cleaning staff for our room was EXCELLENT! They were also the most pleasant people to be around. They were WONDERFUL! I tried on several occasions to find the cruise director but was told he was in his cabin. (I guess the noise and pandemonium was more than our cruise director could handle.) We dined nightly in the Universe Dining Room. Again, the waiters were superb.

They were friendly, on the ball and could really rock at the end of our dining experience. They either sang or stood on tables to dance. This really involved the passengers. It was a most delightful experience. Again, the dancers in the spectacular shows were incredible, as were the singers and the comedienne. We took the Ultimate Beach Break At Dolphin Cove and Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The falls were a bit disappointing since this had been the reason why we chose this particular cruise. The falls we toured were not the falls seen in National Geographic. We declined disembarking in the Grand Cayman Islands as we had done this tour the previous year.

Besides, one visit to HELL (that was the literal name of the place we had gone last year was one visit too many.) We thought with the majority of passengers going to the Grand Cayman Islands we would finally be afforded the luxury of a relaxing day around the pool. Yeah right! There were plenty of people left onboard to quickly dispel those thoughts. So much for that great idea. We were so amazed by our Carnival Inspiration Cruise we just couldn't begin to start our new adventure. The both of us had worked an entire year to save up for this. Also this past year had been a bit stressful. My husband found out he had Prostate Cancer.

He had his Prostate removed. One week later he suffered a heart attack, unrelated to the surgery. This was truly the trip and time off we had been waiting in anticipation for. All in all we spent over $2,000.00 dollars and a week's worth of vacation days for pure agony. I sincerely doubt that Carnival Cruise Lines will be on our list of priorities for any future vacations. When you wait an entire year to save up for something this disastrous (not to mention the vacation days wasted) I definitely DID NOT find this cruise to be the relaxing one that I had envisioned. It was one of the most STRESSFUL 5 days of my life. Thank God I had the wonderful company of my husband. So all wasn't lost.

After being on Inspiration last year there was no doubt in my mind that Carnival Cruise Lines was the way to spend our long anticipated vacation this year. As a post script, I had invited my sister Barb, her husband Doug, my brother Mark and his wife Jill to join us. I'm thankful they couldn't make this cruise. I don't think I would have ever been able to forgive myself had I talked them into joining us.

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Carnival Cruise/Fascination Hell
By -

I recently booked and completed a cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines. I purchased this trip to celebrate my parents' 45th anniversary, my father turning 70, my mother retiring and their Christmas present. I will never use Carnival again in this lifetime. The luggage handlers on shore basically force you to tip them to assure "safe handling" of your baggage. The exact words used were, "Would you like to make a donation for safe handling of your luggage?" What choice was there? We were stranded in the port of Miami due to a plane crash at the mouth of the port--not the cruise line's fault, but the itinerary was changed from Cozumel, Mexico to two ports in the Bahamas.

I think the fair thing to do would have been to offer the passengers a choice--did they want to continue on to Cozumel, skipping Key West, FL or go to the Bahamas. They did offer a $100 SHIPBOARD credit to all those on board, but since the Bahamas is a much cheaper cruise in price compared to the Cozumel cruise, I think a little more compensation would have been nice.

The staff was incredibly unknowledgeable and extremely rude. I made three trips to the purser's desk, once to ask a question that was met with hostility and rudeness, the other two times to issue a complaint in which I was again treated rudely and brusquely pushed aside in order to "take care of" the next customer in line. The cruise line was made aware at booking this trip was for my parents' anniversary. They were to get a special celebratory dinner in honor of this and I was told to call the line a week in advance to remind/confirm. I did this, but upon embarking on the cruise, I found not only were we scheduled at different dining times, but different dining rooms as well!

I was told to speak to the maitre'd to have this corrected. He corrected it alright--he changed the table my children and I were seated at, but we were still on different dining times/rooms than my parents! Finally the 3rd night on board, the dining situation was corrected. My parents DID NOT receive any type of 'special' anniversary anything. When I informed them they were supposed to have their anniversary acknowledged, I was basically told oh well! I purchased 5 fountain cards for unlimited fountain soda consumption while on board. My kids--ages 12 and 14--found they could not get served A SODA unless I was with them. The bar staff refused to serve them soda!!

I was informed in one of their duty free shops onboard that I was allowed to purchase so many of certain items--I purchased 2 cartons of cigarettes, but was told I could purchase 3 since I had myself and two kids in my cabin. On the last night aboard, I received the debarkation letter from the lines that stated only one carton of cigarettes was allowed through Customs, anything above that amount was subject to seizure by Customs. I also received Customs forms to fill out listing what I'd purchased.

When I called the purser's desk to ask about this, the person answering told me she didn't know if they'd seize the second carton or not--if they didn't they would probably just charge me duty on it. I asked if I had to list every purchase I'd made both on the ship and ashore--again, the purser didn't know. We were told via cabin letter we should enjoy the breakfast buffet, which would be open until prior to debarking--we no sooner sat down to eat when they announced our deck had been cleared to debark and we should go to our cabin, gather our belongings and debark.

They had two crew members standing on the Lido deck where the breakfast buffet was being served telling people it was time to leave, they had to depart immediately. It wasn't quite 8 o'clock in the a.m. I was told upon booking we would have until 11 a.m. to debark. When I went to the purser's desk to adjust the amount of the tip they had charged me for, I was told it wasn't possible. Their crew "worked very hard" to make my cruise a pleasant one and it wasn't fair to them to have a tip adjusted below the standard guidelines. Needless to say, I was furious, but fighting it did no good. I will now call my credit card company to see if I can't have them adjust the amount.

I also plan on writing a letter of complaint to each and every officer of the Carnival Corporation to complain--not that I think it will do any good. But, if Carnival chooses not to respond, I will contact the BBB in my state and the Attorney General. I did not like the rudeness and lack of knowledge from the staff. I certainly did not care for the "Oh, well, we have your money and you're stuck with us" attitude. I don't like being harassed for tips and I caution any and all of those looking to book on Carnival to look elsewhere.

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Bad customer service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- I paid $ 800 deposit for cruise in August 2020; Due to the coronavirus fear; CDC has said it is not safe to travel right now. I called to cancel the cruise; After being on hold for one hour, I was told I will not get any money back; not a penny! I was not even offered credit for future cruise. Meanwhile they are offering free cruise upgrades and onboard credits to anybody else who still want to travel;
I want my $800 back. My husband has health issues and cannot risk being exposed to the coronavirus.
Customer service has been helpless thus far. I sent an e-mail to them, no answer so far.
This would not be the first time cruising with them, but they will not get one more penny from me, I'm taking my business somewhere else and telling everyone I know how bad they treat their customers and to stay away from them .

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Very Poor Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

On November 24, 2012 we took the 7 day Exotic Eastern Caribbean Cruise. As we departed out of Miami we noticed that one engine was running hard, we knew something was wrong. Our stateroom was at the back of the ship Upper Deck 6, our bed vibrated for 3 nights, so much so that we couldn't sleep. The Captain makes the announcement that we would not be going to St Thomas. I'm sure you can imagine how upset the passengers were, the problem a broken engine the ship had very little power to move so we sailed at sea for 3 days on a vibrating ship before arriving in San Juan late in the evening.

Very little was said to the passengers which upset everyone even more. Prior to arriving in San Juan the Captain makes the announcement that he would decide if we would leave San Juan at midnight or pull out the next day. This would mean 2 ports that we would miss. The following day the Captain announces we will be in San Juan for the day, this upset passengers even more as we could not book any excursions due to the lack of communication to the passengers on a timely basis.

Crew on the Liberty tried to avoid the conversation regarding missed ports, vibrating ship and the lack of communication. Finally with a ship of upset passengers the Captain announces we will all receive a $50.00 rebate towards our sail and sign, as you can imagine this just upset passengers even more.

I do understand that things go wrong however the customer service we received was very poor not only on the ship but from customer service. I did email Carnival and received no reply, when I phoned I was told they could do nothing for us the $50.00 we received is what Carnival pays. There was no compensation for our room vibrating for 3 days, it was too bad so sad mentality. I was told a ship would never leave port if there was problems with it, however it did just that. I think Carnival needs to realize Engineers also go on Cruises and they know when something isn't right.

I would not book another Carnival Cruise, check out BBB and Consumer Reports and you'll see how many complaints they receive and what their true rating is, I wished we would have done this prior to booking. I have gone on many cruises and have never experienced such a lack of communication or lack of concern for passengers.

Carnival instantly went into protect themselves mode instead of making sure every passenger on board was communicated to and the service they say they give stays at that level. It's a shame when they forget a little customer service goes a long way, I know if I would have received good customer service I never would have written this letter.

Carnival isn't the top of the line for cruises however good customer service doesn't cost anything but it sure keeps customers coming back, word of mouth and Internet is a great way to let people know how poor or good service was, loss of business doesn't seem to concern Carnival. I was glad to find that out prior to booking our next years 2 week cruise vacation.

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Can Service and Entertainment Get Any Worse?
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MIAMI, ILLINOIS -- Just two weeks ago, I went on the Carnival Inspiration 4D Baja Mexico cruise spanning Thanksgiving with my parents and my grand-aunt. Our experience was sub-par due to an amalgamation of reasons, and I sent this review to the Carnival executive office for future improvement, but received no response for the entire week, so have no choice but to start seeking other venues to voice my dissatisfaction. This was our family's first time on Carnival Cruises, but we have been on your sister company Princess to Alaska and Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas, so have experience to contrast against.

Traveling is one of my life passions and I do so fairly extensively (about 3 times internationally a year) and hope to sustain a recent tradition of cruising annually since my mother has especially loved cruise experiences. For a Thanksgiving cruise that came at a premium for (and I even booked a suite for my parents - we were in V25 & M219), I expected all the services promised to us delivered, but they were not.

One of my parent's key fascinations with cruises stems from the variety of nightly productions and comedy shows on board, and on this specific cruise, the Fiesta Latina show was cancelled Tuesday night with nothing to replace it, and then again Wednesday night, with "Showtime" to replace it. Unfortunately, that same "Showtime" was repeated Thursday night, leaving no real value-add. This was a key letdown for us because in our minds. The 4 value foundations of a cruise are the floating hotel, the food, the service, the entertainment, and that last two were significantly lacking.

We were never told what these "circumstances beyond our control was" and I feel that a great company has a contingency plan especially on such a big holiday cruise. Even having 2 separate, less glamorous shows instead of one cancelled and another repeat would have been a huge boon, and we had never experienced such low quality on Royal or Princess.

My next 2 issues deal with safety & hygiene on-board the ship. First, I recognize that Carnival is a family-oriented cruise, but better emphasis needs to be placed on parents to take care of the children or more attentiveness from staff members need be exercised. My aunt of age 77 was knocked over by 2 youngsters on the Lido deck the first day. Fortunately, she was fine, but had she suffered an injury, Carnival would have a potential general liability claim on their hands. I am an actuary in an insurance company, so I know this risk is simply too significant to ignore.

Next, I noticed that virtually nobody on Carnival uses the hand sanitizer before meals. When we were on Royal & especially Princess, there was only 1 entrance to the buffet lines, always with a staff member there to request customers to use the sanitizer. Perhaps this is why Carnival is often on the news concerning norovirus outbreaks, as recently as May of this year. The fix in adopting models that have worked on other sister lines should not be onerous, so I strongly encourage this change on Carnival.

Service in some areas need improvement, and 3 small illustrations can highlight this well. First, when I was in line at the Fun Shops, I overheard a lady asking one of the staff members about their work schedules and environment, and she immediately groused about how they got no time off between cruises, how she worked 7 days a week with low pay, that as soon as one group disembarked, another boarded. Corporations have to maximize profit, but they can also do so in a way that their employees do not feel unsatisfied, and it was disconcerting to hear such an experience as a customer.

My time at the craps table in the Monte Carlo Casino was unsettling as well, because the young lady working my side was most inexperienced, and I caught her twice distributing incorrect winnings to me, and fear that I may have missed more. I recognize that being a craps dealer is not easy and I probably make more complex bets than many people, but the training needs to improve and again, I did not experience this at all on Royal or Princess.

Finally, and perhaps this is due to over-heightened expectations, I expected a suite booking to come with more amenities. For examples, in other lines, VIP access comes with access to private clubs, private pools (which would've been tremendous given the number of kids in the Lido ones), fresh flowers, and more attentive service, but all my parents received were priority embarkation and de-embarkation, 35 more square footage of space, and a 30 square foot balcony for nearly double the price.

I simply cannot find a compelling reason for clients to book in a Carnival suite, which is ironic because the high-end market when treated properly tends to be most high-margin as well, so a few extra courtesies could go a long way.

I want to highlight the positives as well on the cruise, so that Carnival can continue to improve its strengths. The mini golf facilities and waterworks available are great for kids and grown-ups alike, since even my parents enjoyed trying the variety of entertainment on board. Food is wonderfully crafted, although the soups were consistently too salty. Our rooms were well-serviced and the dining staff top-notch in professionalism and courtesy. The many lounges, bars, galleries provided the multifarious environments we had come to expect on cruises. Shore excursions went smoothly and we enjoyed a fun time on them.

So, what is the consequence of all this? Well, we will not be using Carnival's services again and unless Carnival addresses this issue for us, will try to let the world know of our experience so that future customers know what to avoid.

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Itinerary Change
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- I am in the same boat as many of you (pun) who I have read are upset about the itinerary changes at some Carnival port stops. I am a first-time cruiser and agonized for a year over which cruise to take my family on as our fist official big vacation in 15 years. I settled on a Bahamas cruise out of Orlando on their ship the Sensation and was thrilled to see a full 24 hr stay at Nassau, then just got the email showing the itinerary had changed and cut the day down to 8 hrs.

I called customer service as well and it was explained to me that the Bahamas were no longer allowing overnight docking. So not Carnival's fault, no ill will towards them for that, but it still is not the cruise I expected. I Wasn't looking for an upgrade, comps, or discounts which is good because I was not offered any, just an apology (Well had to call customer service twice to get an apology, the first time I called I was rudely told that I had no recourse and If I liked I could just cancel and lose a $700 deposit.).

I see Carnival's point of view on this but still wished that I had not booked this cruise since the overnight stay in Nassau was the big draw for me. I understand that the itinerary can change, no need to tell me. I understand some people think Nassau is overrated and that I am not missing anything by the loss of 16 hrs but that is a matter of perspective. I thought about just cancelling the cruise but since I booked Early Saver I would be out about $700, not too bad but I am not used to just tossing several hundred dollar bills on the ground even for the purpose of a learning experience.

So here are my revised plans thus far. I will go to Orlando with the family and do the typical touristy things (Disney, Universal, SeaWorld), then I will go on the cruise. I was thinking about leaving my family in Orlando to wait the one day or so it would take me to get back, but I figured what the Heck. Even 1 day on a cruise ship (since I did pay for it) may be worthwhile, plus the day in Freeport will add a little flavor to my vacation. You see, I plan on using Carnival's Vacation Guarantee.

As long as I inform them that I am not satisfied before we hit our first non-US stop, I will get a prorated refund plus Carnival will refund me for airline tickets to get me back to Orlando. After doing the math I see that I will still end up paying Carnival $320, will get back the bulk of my payment, get to see Freeport until our plane leaves. Bottom line cost to me will be $320, cost to Carnival will be the price of the plane tickets minus the $320 or at the cheapest air tickets I could find. Carnival will be in the hole -$1,100.

As I said above, I understand things happen, and Carnival is not to blame, nor can I not expect them to not protect their interest. With that said, same thing applies to me and my interest. To be honest a polite customer service representative may have avoided all of this, but after reading the multitude of complaints against Carnival, add my own experience, and you get a customer who just doesn't trust this company.

If this option is available to you (using the Vacation Guarantee) you will need a passport to fly back to the US from the first port your ship stops at, and this guarantee does not apply to all of Carnival's cruises. I called Carnival's reps using all 3 phone numbers they give on their website and it was verified that yes I could do this per the vacation Guarantee, but call for yourself to see if this can apply for you if you wish to pursue this route.

I was amused when the reps stated they couldn't understand how it wasn't in Carnival's best interest to either refund my cruise price, or apply the amount paid towards a credit for a future cruise, since now they will actually be losing money in paying the airfare back to Orlando. I told them I couldn't understand it either, but as the first representative told me when I first called to say how disappointed I was in the itinerary change, them's the breaks.

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Carnival Rude Workers
By -

On August 25 2011, we boarded the Carnival cruise ship sensation. I am not giving them caps because they don't deserve it. We were supposed to go to Nassau and hurricane Irene was in our way. The travel agent (AAA) told us they may change to Cozumel which is OK. AAA called Carnival and we called. They told us Nassau was OK and we were going. 15 min before we boarded, a man on his internet told us Carnival changed and we were going to the Keys. I got a passport for the Keys? They (carnival) did not tell us till last min. We have since learned that Carnival does this very often. Can't they be honest?

Upon arriving at Orlando airport, Carnival staff were rude. An old lady at transfer bus grabbed my daughter's ticket out of her hand when she was putting her luggage down and gave her a paper cut. The only nice lady was at the ticket transfer desk. Once on the bus, that's when we learned about the change, got off the bus and into ports building. Well it got worse. Some people got plastic holders to carry their room key and others didn't. That also happened in the casino. Once on board, if the girl liked you, then you got a lanyard. The ship was dirty. The workers not friendly, put charges on your tab that you didn't run up.

The food was awful. How can you make a hotdog so bad that you can't eat it? Room service took over 2 hrs to get a salad and sandwich. They automatically take out tips, we never ate at the dining room and they took out the tips. When my daughter complained, she was told "it is what it is".

There were other horror stories from mostly everyone. Ship's captain left docks earlier than we were told. We couldn't go to Nassau because of hurricane that didn't hit that part but he sailed so fast waves made most people sick. Yes, puke bags everywhere and guess where he went, to Nassau for administrative paper work? Did he think the whole ship blind? We could see Nassau was beautiful and other cruise ships were there. Waiter dropped a glass on the floor by the slides (where people walked bare feet), he never picked it up. My daughter and 2 other ladies picked up the pieces.

I traveled Carnival many times and never had this kind of poor treatment. The waiter for drinks only came around 3 times the whole trip. My daughter got our $15.00 drinks and yes, they still took out their tips. The toilet didn't flush. We were told to push the toilet paper in the hole. The complaint line was always long every day. They used to give you seasick pills free but now, they charge you 3.49 for 4 pills. Captain sails toooooo fast, makes you sick. Then they charge you after you wait at least 1 hour in line. Then, when it was finally over, you had to fill out a paper about everything you bought overseas. You HAD to fill it out, we didn't even leave the states.

Someone should tell Carnival to be a lot nicer to customers. I will never sail with Carnival again. I am planning a Alaska cruise and it won't be with them. Yes, I wrote Carnival many times and never received a reply. They took my money fast.

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You Get What You Pay For
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You get what you pay for. I realize Carnival is what it is. And you get what you pay for but I was surprised at the rudeness of the staff from the very get go. I drove from Ohio with 7 family members to celebrate the last of my children graduating from high school. Got a great last minute price from Carnival for 3 rooms all at around 3100.00 all inside cabins. My drive was so long I wanted to get straight on board the ship since we got there and were checked in around 1:30. We were told our rooms were ready and I was ready for a quick nap before the safety drill.

When trying to get onboard I bypassed the family photo thing that was set up but I was blocked from entry by a photographer. Not a good thing to do to a guy who just drove 19 hours. He stated we needed to get inline and get a family picture taken before we got onboard. I told him no thank you because we were tired and I was sure there would be lots of other opportunity onboard for other pictures. He insisted and told me I needed to have the picture taken still blocking my way. I then told him that he would need to move now.

He then had a friend come over and state "So you are just traveling not cruising" adding insult to injury. My son was getting ready to step in so I told them I didn't want any trouble. Can you believe a crew member blocking a passengers way onboard, acting aggressive and insulting a passenger?

We then proceeded to the Grand Atrium where a fight had broken out between a guy and a girl (who continued to argue and fight all over the place on the cruise). Wow and this was in my first ten minutes. Not to be negative about Carnival but you get what you pay for. I did speak to Guest Services about the incident and kudos to Ngonidzashe ** who was a real gem and set up a meeting with the photo manager with me.

The photo manager told me he had tried to get ahold of me several times. Hmmm there was no indication of those efforts. We discussed the incident. I asked him to comp one photo for me because of what happened. He refused to do so but thanked me for my comments. Okay.

I have never had an inside cabin before (I'm a balcony guy) but I can tell you it was a very nice cabin. Lots of space as well. I booked two other rooms for my two daughters and two sons plus one girlfriend and they were all nice rooms at a great price. Here was another great surprise. Ketut our room attendant was the best we have ever had and I have cruised on the Disney Dream and RC as well. Ketut was great he knew our names and used them as well as our family members.

The food was good and they did have the Chocolate Buffet at noon one day which looked nice. The food was every bit as good as RC not as good as Disney serves up though. The shows... Well the welcome onboard show consisted of some people shoving a spoon on a rope down shirts and down pants. Not a very good way to start a cruise. The last show Shout was very good and very well done with some really nice laser effects. All the dancers and singers were spot on. Again though the shows don't really don't compare to RC or even close to Disney. But again you get what you pay for.

Debarkation is Carnival's greatest asset-well organized and easy. Better than both RC and Disney. They may not be very good at getting you on the ship but they are aces at getting you off. I noticed there was no guest survey on if I was satisfied with my cruise HMMM? The ship's decoration was OK a little worn but not bad. Its typical Joe Farcus stuff plus the Water Park was pretty nice.

Carnival is the one cruise line I noticed that seems to like to say NO to guests. Was in the dining room for only one meal. My daughter didn't like the choice of desserts so I asked the waiter to please go get her a piece of cheesecake with some strawberries (I know they served this in the coffee shop). At first I was told yes. He then brought my daughter a piece of black forest cake. My daughter does not like chocolate.

I asked him again for a piece of New York style cheesecake. He told me he would not be able to get that for me. Wow. I asked for some fresh pineapple at breakfast I was told know they were not serving that until lunch. No one would get me a piece of pineapple I was told no. Wow.

My son (only his second cruise) asked if he could take the rum he purchased to his room. He was told no. Now let me pan out on this one. My son didn't know the rules which are well established but the staff member was rude in addressing him and even made fun of my son to a co-worker calling him a moron for not knowing the rules. Wow.

Are people still going to cruise Carnival? Sure they will because it's cheap. Remember though you get what you pay for what ever happened to good customer service on a cruise though? Even if it is inexpensive? Atlantis was great of course and I will go into that on my port review.

I would never cruise Carnival with just my wife and myself but again got a great deal for 7 people. Did we all have a good time? Yes pretty much. A cruise is what you make it. Plus my kids have little cruise experience to compare it to but they did notice how so many in the staff were just rude. Plus security on this ship was a joke. Kids were running wild at all hours of the night and even during the day there was a group of kids pelting guests with ice on the stairwell and nothing was done about it. The comment was made that the parents should take care of their kids.

True but what about the protection of other guests? What happens to an elderly person if they get a hard piece of ice tossed at them from two decks up? Both me and my wife and my two daughters were past guests of Carnival and there was zero recognition or zero coupon books for past guests. I think the past guest thing will be a thing of the past for my cruise dollars. Save your money and go on a better line. Remember you get what you pay for.

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