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Carnival Cruise Line - Very Poor Customer Service
Complaint
Review by redwine on 2013-02-12
Rating: 
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 bases.
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.
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 bases.
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.
Comments:
Posted by Churro on 2013-02-12:
My wife tried to talk me into a carnival cruise but after reading their contract I said ain't no way I'd enter into such a one sided agreement. Geeze, I'm pretty sure if you were on a cruise and the power went out leaving you stranded in the gulf having to sleep on the deck because the air conditioning didn't work they still wouldn't issue you a refund. Of course what are the odds of that happening.
I vowed a long time ago floating buffets are not my destiny.
I vowed a long time ago floating buffets are not my destiny.
Posted by clutzycook on 2013-02-12:
Churro, I'm guessing that you're referring to the Carnival ship currently floating out in the Gulf? From what I read, Carnival is giving everyone on board a full refund, flying them home for free, and credit towards a future cruise (although who would want to take a cruise after an incident like that is beyond me).
I've been on two Carnival cruises. They're "meh" at best. I've heard them described as the Walmart of the cruise lines. From what I've read and from what my parents have told me, Royal Caribbean is way better. But, Hubby and I decided after our honeymoon cruise that we wouldn't do it again. It's just not for us.
I've been on two Carnival cruises. They're "meh" at best. I've heard them described as the Walmart of the cruise lines. From what I've read and from what my parents have told me, Royal Caribbean is way better. But, Hubby and I decided after our honeymoon cruise that we wouldn't do it again. It's just not for us.
Posted by trmn8r on 2013-02-12:
When ships miss ports, there isn't usually compensation that overcomes the disappointment of passengers.
While a travelling engineer may have felt something was wrong with an engine, the fact remains the engine worked for three days. IMO, there isn't proof Carnival did something irresponsible.
Like clutzy, after a cruise I took back in the 80's, I decided to never to do it again. Not my cup o tea.
While a travelling engineer may have felt something was wrong with an engine, the fact remains the engine worked for three days. IMO, there isn't proof Carnival did something irresponsible.
Like clutzy, after a cruise I took back in the 80's, I decided to never to do it again. Not my cup o tea.
Posted by ok4now on 2013-02-13:
My very first cruise was with Carnival, never again. If you like lousy food this is the cruise line for you. As Clutzy commented Royal Caribbean is much better. I cruised with them twice and have no complaints. Spend the extra money and get the balcony room. Enjoy sitting out watching the sunset from your private room. Go cheap and they put you in a closet with a fake window in the bowels of the ship. Your vacation, your choice.
Posted by Alain on 2013-02-13:
I've had friends and relatives who tried Carnival and they were kind enough to warn me never to use them. You are actually quite fortunate. Your Carnival ship didn't catch on fire in the Gulf or sink on a rock in the Mediterranean (which brings up a consideration: it may be a good idea to check if Carnival owns a cruise line under a different name before you use it).
Posted by Old Timer on 2013-02-13:
Good review, it makes another case for staying far away from Carnival. We are not big on cruise lines. The few we have taken were on Princess since our first cruise was a Princess cruise and went well. We have been thru the Panama Canal and some other places that a cruise made the most sense to see the sights.
One of the biggest problems I see with cruise lines is as is the case right now, you break down at sea you are pretty much screwed till you can get back to a port. I always try to have a plan B, on a cruise ship any plan B is pretty much removed from your options.
One of the biggest problems I see with cruise lines is as is the case right now, you break down at sea you are pretty much screwed till you can get back to a port. I always try to have a plan B, on a cruise ship any plan B is pretty much removed from your options.
Posted by Dislike Carnival on 2013-02-13:
Carnival is the craps of Cruise, do not use them...each time I use them (2 time) it has full of BS and distrust with this company!!
Posted by tambo33 on 2013-02-14:
I have personally been on a total of 3 cruises 2x on Ecstacy & 1x on the Truimph. I honestly had a Great time on each cruise & the customer service was outstanding. I know everyone has their choice but to go on as to say its the worst is a little unfair. Things happen there's no certain time or not is it planned. This is exactly why they have Emergency backups as the one stated about the Truimph. Look no one has been injured and yes maybe they are living in a Nasty environment but it wasn't something done intentional. To go as far as to bash customer service is unfair, I have been following the story and they are crediting the entire cruise as they should, sail and sign on will be credited unless there are casino or gift shop credits,hotels & transportation had been lined up & they will have a free cruise the next time they decide to cruise. In my opinion that is great customer service & they are doing what they can from where they are standing. Although its unfortunate for everyone living in those conditions the last 3 days. It's totally not fair to criticize & bash the Cruise line for something they had no control of. Life's not perfect things happen its like buying a care having it for 3 weeks and there's a recall it the car breaks down nothing intentional just an unfortunate event. I personally enjoyed the cruise line & intend on exploring my next journey very soon(;
Posted by Alain on 2013-02-14:
Always good to hear a different opinion. Still, given the recent past of CCL corp. (Carnival, Holland America, Cunard, Princess and Costa): Carnival Triumph (2013), Costa Concordia (2012) and Carnival Splendor (2010) I think I'll take a pass on any Carnival cruises for the time being.
Posted by Dick on 2013-02-18:
Been on Carnival cruises in 1999 and 2000. Been through enough then to never use Carnival again. They did not maintain their equipment then nor now. They would fly a "mechanic" to the next port with duct tape and a can of three in oil and expect a miricle. Since then, look at their breakdown rate and on board fires. We have been using real cruise lines and enjoying the experiences!
Posted by Barnes on 2013-02-18:
My husband and I have been on two Carnival Cruises and have no complaints. We also cruised on the Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, Oasis of the Seas and those experiences were top class
Posted by Barbara N on 2013-02-18:
My husband and I have only been on Carnival once. Not for us. We have cruised with Royal Caribbean 3 times, but the last time was a Venice cruise. We splurged, got a suite, but unfortunately our stateroom was underneath a highly traveled, used part of the ship in the night/morning hours, complete with scraping chairs, etc. preventing us from sleeping! We complained sleepless night #1 to our stateroom attendant. She said the ship wa designed wrong...We contacted guest Relations repeatedly and were made to feel we were unreasonable but were promised contact with a supervisor. Never contacted. Finally a couple days before end of cruise, there was a vacant inside stateroom available for us (after we had purchased grand suites at over $5,000 each... Our concierge acknowledged a "continuing problem" with previous guests in our paid suite, and arranged for us to move into a family suite the night before our last day of cruise, and he suggested we take this up with Miami when we returned home. We did. We were sent two $650 certificates toward future Grand Suite reservations for the future. Lesson learned: Paying first class does not guarantee first class service...We loved exploring Venice...but were very sleep deprived. We haven't cruised since!
Posted by Cecil on 2013-02-18:
We have cruised about 15 times on many different lines (Carnival was the first). I am surprised several people liked Royal Caribbean. They are the worst and I would not cruise on Royal Caribbean if it was free. The Captain was very obnoxious and rude.
Posted by zeldaz on 2013-02-19:
Tambo33, do you work for Carnival? My 16-year old wondered why Carnival was not airlifting or somehow sending edible food and other necessities for the guests! If he could think of that, why couldn't they. As far as no on being injured, read the following reported by the LA Times - "A passenger was removed from the ship Monday for treatment in Mobile after suffering an unspecified medical problem, Thornton, Carnival vice president of planning, told a midafternoon briefing.
Thornton said he did not know whether the passenger was an adult or child, what condition the individual suffered or whether the person was hospitalized. Another passenger, a woman, had to be removed from the ship Monday for dialysis, Thornton has said." If there was no problem of disgusting conditions, I wonder if the medical problems would have occurred.
While the ship's staff were reportedly great, the cruise line's customer service from an executive standpoint was lousy. Compensation improved only when complaints were made about the initial offer. What you report was not the original compensatory offer.
Carnival, as long as I have heard about cruise lines, has had the worst reputation. It wouldn't if it didn't earn it!
Don't bash? Carnival needs a lot of bashing - enough to cause it to understand how its possible negligence affected those who worked hard for their vacation time and money. Who can find time to take another cruise in this economy? My bet is they only have a year to take the "free" cruise. (What about other fees associated with a cruise? Is Carnival paying for transportation to and from the "free" cruise"?)
If you do the research, this is not the first problem Carnival has had.
Thornton said he did not know whether the passenger was an adult or child, what condition the individual suffered or whether the person was hospitalized. Another passenger, a woman, had to be removed from the ship Monday for dialysis, Thornton has said." If there was no problem of disgusting conditions, I wonder if the medical problems would have occurred.
While the ship's staff were reportedly great, the cruise line's customer service from an executive standpoint was lousy. Compensation improved only when complaints were made about the initial offer. What you report was not the original compensatory offer.
Carnival, as long as I have heard about cruise lines, has had the worst reputation. It wouldn't if it didn't earn it!
Don't bash? Carnival needs a lot of bashing - enough to cause it to understand how its possible negligence affected those who worked hard for their vacation time and money. Who can find time to take another cruise in this economy? My bet is they only have a year to take the "free" cruise. (What about other fees associated with a cruise? Is Carnival paying for transportation to and from the "free" cruise"?)
If you do the research, this is not the first problem Carnival has had.
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