Carnival Destiny Propulsion Problems

[PaulMedik]

We just completed the Eastern Destiny Itinerary (10/5/09 sailing) and had no delays nor early departures. Our stops were Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. We made each port on time or early and left at the scheduled times.

We also completed the previous sailing (10/1/09) and made all ports on time or early.

We did not notice any decreased speed, vibration, or any indication of propulsion problems.

Carnival Destiny was our most smooth cruise EVER! Granted we had great weather and very calm seas, but nine days of not being able to even feel the ship move was unusual. If not for our wake, we would have wondered if we were having propulsion problems; it was that smooth.

We stayed in Miami last night and watched Destiny lead Royal CaribMalls' Liberty of the Seas , Carnival Liberty, and Norwegian Pearl out of Government Cut and she kept pace ahead of them all.

[jtm22372]

you guys are making me nervous i'm booked for jan 11 2010 eastern carribean
guess i will call pvp tomorrow and find out whats going on

[DGP1111]

Originally Posted by PaulMedik

We just completed the Eastern Destiny Itinerary (10/5/09 sailing) and had no delays nor early departures. Our stops were Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau.

Welcome back, to you both!!
I hope you had a fun time, again, in HMC . . . but it must have certainly felt different without the young dudes.

[DGP1111]

Originally Posted by jtm22372

you guys are making me nervous i'm booked for jan 11 2010 eastern carribean
guess i will call pvp tomorrow and find out whats going on

Please re-read post 21.

[Yo Eleven]

Originally Posted by cruisy-suzy

PVP = Personal Vacation Planner (your booking agent at Carnival)

Did you hear anything back from your attempt to contact Carnival for definite information on the repairs to Destiny's propulsion system?

Thanks!

Not a peep. What does that mean?

[cclimoman]

Originally Posted by cclimoman

As some of you know, Carnival Destiny experienced substantial damage to one of its two screw propulsion drive systems on its Sept 12/09 itinerary. My understanding is that this has caused the vessel to travel at about half speed of 10 to 11 knots. As such they have modified the itineraries to drop Grand Turk, and Half Moon Cay, and to add Freeport to their Eastern departures, and to drop Grand Cayman/Jamaica and add Nassua and Freeport to their Western departures. So far they have advised travellers at the Port of Miami of the changes and offered 20% off a future booking as means of compensation.

Someone stated on a board here that the ship repair required dry docking and would not be undertaken for some time. Does anyone out there have any information to share regarding future cruise dates? We cruise on Nov 16 and would like to know ahead of time what we are facing.

Please note that I just received an email from Paul Medic. He just finished a back to back on Destiny, and let me know that they were not late to any ports, the ship sailed as smooth as it ever has, and that there were no noticable propulsion problems

[cclimoman]

Just returned from our Eastern itinerary. Had some major propulsion problems and vibration.....missed Grand Turk completely and they substituted another stop in Nassau from 8AM until 1PM. I feel somewhat vindicated with all of the shots I have taken on this board about making speculative posts. Seems I was right on the money....

[jtm22372]

dgp111 please read post 27

[pokergirl34]

Thanks for the recent update cclim...

We are sailing her next summer. While I would be bummed if we missed Grand Turk, I would not be disappointed if another port was substituted. We just want to make sure we can get 3 ports in. If we do Freeport, Nassau and HMC, I would not be disappointed.

I would assume, however, that Carnival will get the problems fixed before August of next year

Good luck to those sailing her in the near future.

[mfinkfamily]

I would not count on Freeport as a substitute. They took us back to Nassau. (11/16-11/21). They did not tell us until one hour before we were to dock in Grand Turk that we would not make it there. They had made the turn to go back to Nassau a full 10 hours before. Also, those that are to go to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman on 11/21 sailing, are now going to go to Nassau and Half Moon Cay. They will not know this until they board. This comes from crew member Pip, assitant to Tina the Cruise Director on this sailing. He was kind enough to inform us while debarking that we were lucky to have made two of our scheduled ports. Think twice about Destiny.

[pokergirl34]

Originally Posted by mfinkfamily

I would not count on Freeport as a substitute. They took us back to Nassau. (11/16-11/21). They did not tell us until one hour before we were to dock in Grand Turk that we would not make it there. They had made the turn to go back to Nassau a full 10 hours before. Also, those that are to go to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman on 11/21 sailing, are now going to go to Nassau and Half Moon Cay. They will not know this until they board. This comes from crew member Pip, assitant to Tina the Cruise Director on this sailing. He was kind enough to inform us while debarking that we were lucky to have made two of our scheduled ports. Think twice about Destiny.

So are you saying you had 2 days in Nassau and a day at HMC or just a day in Nassau and a day at HMC?

Really, even if we end up with 2 days in Nassau, it would be ok...not perfect, but I think we would still have a great time. I just do not want to go on a 5 day cruise with only 2 ports.

As our cruise is 9 months away, I certainly am not going to worry about it now. Should the Destiny have more troubles as we get closer to final payment, maybe we will switch to another cruise. We are booked easy saver, so switching would cost us. If they cancel our sailing, I am sure they would get us on another ship. I will make sure our air travel occurs with enough time to accomodate a 7 day cruise. We had planned on driving to Key West for a day and also spending a day in the Everglades, but we can skip those if it is necessary to switch.

Thanks for your input!

[mfinkfamily]

We went to Nassau, then HMC then back to Nassau. I hope all goes well with your sailing. I hope they do fix the problems. The next sailing that left today has also changed its schedule. From Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman to Nassau and HMC. However,they will not know until they board.

[natsan]

Also just returned from the Eastern 11/16 sailing. I wouldn't call it 2 days in Nassau as much as a day and a half. The final day was 7-1, but by the time you get off the ship (7:30) and get back on (noon), it's really more like a half a day in a mediocre port you've already been to. I feel deceived after seeing previous accounts of propulsion trouble on this board. The staff acted completely surprised by the trouble on board, but this was obviously a farce.

The way that engine sounded near the end, I'm pretty sure it doesn't have nine months left in it, so I'm guessing you will be fine. This was my first cruise and it was okay, but I'm done with cruising.

[cclimoman]

Originally Posted by pokergirl34

So are you saying you had 2 days in Nassau and a day at HMC or just a day in Nassau and a day at HMC?

Really, even if we end up with 2 days in Nassau, it would be ok...not perfect, but I think we would still have a great time. I just do not want to go on a 5 day cruise with only 2 ports.

As our cruise is 9 months away, I certainly am not going to worry about it now. Should the Destiny have more troubles as we get closer to final payment, maybe we will switch to another cruise. We are booked easy saver, so switching would cost us. If they cancel our sailing, I am sure they would get us on another ship. I will make sure our air travel occurs with enough time to accomodate a 7 day cruise. We had planned on driving to Key West for a day and also spending a day in the Everglades, but we can skip those if it is necessary to switch.

Thanks for your input!

The problem is that Carnival wouldn't let u know that there is a problem. You, like I, could call your PVP only to be told that everything had been properly repaired. I would think that they will drydock her sometime in January or February (low census) to get it done right.

[detwings]

Our friend just got off the Destiny today (Thanksgiviing). Apparantely, there were ALOT of unhappy people on board. Their itinerary was changed due to the fact they had continuous propulsion and engine problems on this cruise. Not happy campers. So apparently Carnival has not fixed this yet. We were suppose to go in January on her, we bit the bullet, and cancelled.

[Eric2010]

Originally Posted by david08

Guys....guys, I sure hope I can put you all at ease!!

I was on the 9/17 sailing of the Destiny...Western Caribbean to Cozumel, and the ship was PERFECTLY FINE!! There was no speed problems and we didnt miss anytime in port. (Actually got to Cozumel a little early)

The fix did not require a dry dock and it was fixed while passengers boarded on the 9/12 sailing.

All is well with the Destiny, she is a GREAT ship and so far, my favorite!!

I was on the November 16th 2009 sailing. Grand Turk was cancelled, NEVER with Carnival again!! And NO people, the problem STILL has not been fully addressed, instead, they sail a shorter distance, gotta keep that HUGE revenue flowing ya know.

If you intend on sailing Destiny or Carnival, I would seriously give it some serious reconcideration.

Eric

[simpleman]

Originally Posted by Eric2010

I was on the November 16th 2009 sailing. Grand Turk was cancelled, NEVER with Carnival again!! And NO people, the problem STILL has not been fully addressed, instead, they sail a shorter distance, gotta keep that HUGE revenue flowing ya know.

If you intend on sailing Destiny or Carnival, I would seriously give it some serious reconcideration.

Eric

They are back to a full route but Eastern and Western.

[lholvo]

Just got off the 1/16/10 sailing, supposed to go to Jamaica and Grand Cayman. We were informed during dinner of the first day at sea that we would not make it to Jamaica because of a problem with the propulsion system, and that it was possible we wouldn't make Grand Cayman, either. They let us know via a letter under the door that we wouldn't make it to Grand Cayman, and that we were turning around to go to Nassau.

We were given only a $75 shipboard credit, with no option for refund or discount on future sailings.

I'd say if you're booked on Destiny, be prepared to NOT get to where you're supposed to go, and I hope you like Nassau. They obviously still have a serious problem with this ship. I suspect it's also a money-maker for Carnival, since they obviously burn much less fuel by cutting trips short and going much more slowly. Plus, they keep the passengers on board, where they can spend lots more at the casino and the bars!

[tstallard]

Just got home from Nassau on board Carnival Destiny, the only problem was that we were supposed to be going to Jamaica and the Grand Cayman! After reading these posts I am now more disappointed than i was on the boat. This boat is stealing peoples time and money. At what point do you dock the ship and figure out what is wrong with it? Quit booking trips for thousands of people when the ship isn't properly working. There were several people planning on getting married on the beaches of Jamaica! WOW!!!!

[Nicknak100]

Originally Posted by tstallard

Just got home from Nassau on board Carnival Destiny, the only problem was that we were supposed to be going to Jamaica and the Grand Cayman! After reading these posts I am now more disappointed than i was on the boat. This boat is stealing peoples time and money. At what point do you dock the ship and figure out what is wrong with it? Quit booking trips for thousands of people when the ship isn't properly working. There were several people planning on getting married on the beaches of Jamaica! WOW!!!!

I couldn't imagine planning a wedding when the fine print says the ports aren't guaranteed!