moldy bathroom in suite on carn. paradise

My family and I just returned from a 5 night cruise on the carnival paradise out of Tampa, Florida. This was our first cruise and we were very concerned about the size of the rooms, so we figured we would splurge for the suite just to be safe. We paid $3,100 for the 5 of us, so we really thought we were going to get a nice room. When we boarded the ship on Saturday December 13, we were told the room would not be ready for a little while so we grabbed some food at the buffet, which we found was really not the greatest buffet we ever ate at, but with 3 young kids it would work. We then checked out the boat and finally after about an hour and half we made it to our room. When we walked in we noticed the room was freezing, so I tried to turn the vents off. Out of the three vents in the room not one of them would turn off. The cold air was blowing like a winter storm. We called guest services and they said they would have someone check it out asap, so we decided to leave the room and do a little more exploring the ship and get ready to leave the dock so they can try and fix the air vents. After about an hour we decided to go hang out in the room (hoping it was finally not freezing) and as soon as we walked in we knew they didn't fix anything. We saw our steward in the hallway and asked him to take a look. He tried his best to fix it, but he couldn't do much more than what I already tried and he offered us some more blankets. I again called guest svcs. and was told they were going to send maintenance asap. My wife decided to start unpacking and she took her toiletries into the bathroom and she immediately noticed the bathroom really didn't look like it has been taken care of for a long time. There was mold growing under the silicone behind the sink and it had a bad smell. She called me in and I started to look around and realized that there was black mold growing rampant in every corner of the bathroom. I was truly amazed by the amount of mold especially since this was supposed to be the nicest room on the boat. I called guest services Again and I was told they would send someone asap to check it out. After 20 minutes someone from guest services showed up and saw for their own eyes what the bathroom looked like. She was shocked to see the condition of the bathroom. The tub had cracks which was causing water to leak anytime the water was on and therefore the floor was growing mold and there was hard water rust stains in many places. The guest svcs. Rep told me she was going to see about getting us a new suite. She left and called us back 10 minutes later and told me they didn't have any other suites available, but they could give us 2 separate ocean view rooms. I told her that wasn't going to work since we had three kids under 7 years old and that would mean my wife and I would have to sleep in different rooms separating our family. Also the ocean view felt like my walk in closet, so we were not about to separate our family and deal with being stuck in a small room. We finally were told that they can try to clean the bathroom but there was no way they were going to be able to get all of the mold out because it was also in many places that could not be reached without breaking up the tiles and ripping the sink out. We were so disgusted we told them to do their best and we would try and deal with it. We decided that it was best to try and not spend much time in the bathroom. This meant taking super fast showers and brushing our teeth with lightening speed. I took pictures to show the company when we returned to shore. We tried to make the best of what we had, but I really felt like we were given the shaft. When we returned to port on Thursday December 18th I called carnival to complain. I spoke to a very nice agent who advised me to send an email and attach the pictures so she could show them to mngmnt. I sent what they asked for and today December 19 got a response from carnival. They apologized for the shape of the bathroom and offered me a 20 percent refund. I was really not happy and I told them that was not going to cut it. They charged me $3,100 for a room that shouldn't have even been available because of the health risks of black mold. The supervisor I spoke to told me that is the best they were going to offer and to take it or leave it. I said no thanks and now I decided to see what other course of action I could take. I did contact the Center of Disease Control Vessel Sanitation Dept. I filed a complaint and I am waiting for an inspector to get back to me, but I was curious to see if we could try and she them for trying to rent a suite that was not even safe. If there is anybody out there who can help me out with some ideas or suggestions on what to do next I would really appreciate it.

First, I doubt it was black mold... mold maybe, but not black mold. (Regular mold can look like black mold!) Did you take samples?

Second, I just find this story not believable.

Third, If YOU felt your families health was in jeopardy... YOU MOVE to another room... PERIOD, and deal with it until you can get back... NO sane person is going to stay in a room with suspected black mold with their family and young children!

Fourth, Post #1

You find it unbelievable? Here are some pictures. Do you really think they would offer me any refund at all if the bathroom was not in that condition? I have read a lot of different posts and i have realized they dont really like to refund anything at all

You find it unbelievable? Here are some pictures. Do you really think they would offer me any refund at all if the bathroom was not in that condition? I have read a lot of different posts and i have realized they dont really like to refund anything at all

Yes, they offer 20% on most complaints, and 25% on other complaints as future cruise discounts.

Not sure about the pix, but I still doubt the story. Bleach would have cleaned that in minutes, so that is one reason I doubt it....

Why did you not move?

And we did take samples, so the cdc can test it. Even if it isnt black mold, its still mold. If there is any mold in a suite on a cruise ship that is completely unacceptable!!!!! We were not going to stay in different rooms and yes we were worried about our health thats why we had them clean the room as best as they could. So before you go making comments about someone's common sense, maybe you should use your own. Im not a dummy. I was asking for help not a wise remark. But thanks anyway

And we did take samples, so the cdc can test it. Even if it isnt black mold, its still mold. If there is any mold in a suite on a cruise ship that is completely unacceptable!!!!! We were not going to stay in different rooms and yes we were worried about our health thats why we had them clean the room as best as they could. So before you go making comments about someone's common sense, maybe you should use your own. Im not a dummy. I was asking for help not a wise remark. But thanks anyway

Good luck

There was mold growing behind the sink vanity. They could not clean behind it without ripping the vanity off the wall. Im not one of those people who complain about any and everything, but when i spend that much $$ there should be not a bit of mold. I was told the ship was going to dry dock repairs on Feb 26, 2015. I guess they thought they can get away with it untill then

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

That is really disgusting - I don't know if I could have stayed in that room and bathed my child in that shower. I hope you wore flip flops in the shower! Maybe one of your local news stations would like to air a story on this? I'm not sure what it is you want out of Carnival-I don't think they will give you a full refund. Or do you just want them to take ownership of that nasty bathroom? I would have invoked their vacation guarantee and had them put me off at the first port. What did the CDC tell you? I know the USCG inspects cruise ships, so that may be another avenue to pursue. Good luck!

I completely agree with you, OP. That is total BS!!!

You paid a lot of money, for a suite, on a MUCH older ship.

Mold is unacceptable.

I hope they make it right.

Good luck and keep us posted.

It was a really hard decision we had to make about staying in the room. My wife has multiple sclerosis and I really didn't feel comfortable staying in separate rooms. Thank god they gave us a new rubber bath mat for the tub and the shower head came down so honestly we took the fastest shower possible and I washed my kids so I made sure they weren't playing with anything and they were done in about 2-3 minutes and then they were out of the room. I am really not looking for a free ride. I didn't say that we didn't have a good time, but I do not feel this trip was worth $2,500. That is what I would have paid if I accepted the 20 percent refund. The CDC is going to have an inspector call me on Monday and give me some more information , so I'm sure what they can do. I tried the health dept. In tampa florida where the ship sails from and they sent me to the cdc vessel sanitation dept. Hopefully they can see for their own eyes what is growing in that bathroom. I know that there was a bath fitter tub, which was over the old tub and there was cracks in it so there is probably mold growing under it. Also they were going to have to rip the vanity from the wall to clean the mold from behind it. So that's where I stand right now. I would honestly be happy with 50 percent refund or a really good deal on a nicer ship. I'm a very reasonable person and I would have tried to figure something out with them but they customer service supervisor I spoke to was so rude I couldn't even listen to her spotty comments or suck her teeth at me for another second. Lol. I felt I was being treated like I did something wrong. Just really bad customer service.

What about their guaranty that if you are unhappy for any reason they will fly you home from the first port? Did they offer that?

I was not offered the opportunity to fly home. And honestly if I would have chose that my children would have been heart broken. They waited so patiently for this trip and to take it away from them would have destroyed them. I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. I'm going to try and contact carnival one more time to try and get a better response, but if that doesn't work I'm going to blast this company as much as can and let the world know how they treat people when they make a mistake.

I believe you because we have had similar issues on 3 different cruise lines. We now know to contact the supervisor of housekeeping immediately and ask them to come to the cabin to evaluate the cleanliness of the bathroom. I always ask the same thing - would you allow your bathroom at home to look like this?

So far, they have all agreed with us and had the bathroom recleaned. They have lots of tools and cleaners on board to complete a deep cleaning. One of the problems is that they do not use bleach anymore so it is harder to keep the mold under control.

While I think you have pictures as proof of the unclean conditions of your bathroom I think that 20% is a fair compensation.

Think of it the way I am. Your cruise fare also paid for the beds you slept in, the food you ate, the free lemonade, ice-tea and water you drank, the entertainment you watch and probably the kids programs your children took advantage of. Not to mention the ports-of-call the ship transported you to.

Don't give up on cruising all together. Give it another try, on a different ship, so at least you have something to compare this cruise against.

Should the bathrooms contain mold (whether a suite or an oceanview or interior, etc.)? NO, of course not.

Yes that is gross and certainly not OK, but it wasn't putting your life at jeopardy as I really do highly doubt it was black mold. Certainly it was mold, but unless you have severe severe allergies I seriously doubt it was going to put you guys at risk unless you licked the walls/tiles or stuck your nose right up to it and attempted to inhale it...then maybe you'd feel a little sick.

Maybe I don't worry as much or something, but I wouldn't have made it quite as a big of a deal. I would mention it to the steward and if it still hadn't been cleaned I would have let Guest Services know. Maybe I come off strong when I confront people (although I'm always very polite!) or something, but whenever I ask for something to be taken care of it always happens. Our windows get mold along the windowsil occasionally because it can be so humid in Texas. Our house is warm inside and it's humid or cold outside and mold LOVES this. It happens but I clean it with some bleach and wa-lah, clean and NOT harmful.

I understand why you decided not to take up their offer of the two separate rooms, I wouldn't want to split up my family either...BUT, if you really did feel your family's health was at risk I think it was kind of silly you stayed where you were...if I were that concerned I would have moved despite it breaking my family up into two rooms- wouldn't I rather my family be safe and healthy?

But again, yes mold is gross and it shouldn't be there...but it's highly unlikely it was anything that would have killed you or made you ill unless you went out of your way to try and find a way for it to do so.

So no...I don't think you can sue Carnival nor do I think you should waste your time trying. :rolleyes:

While I think you have pictures as proof of the unclean conditions of your bathroom I think that 20% is a fair compensation.

 

Think of it the way I am. Your cruise fare also paid for the beds you slept in, the food you ate, the free lemonade, ice-tea and water you drank, the entertainment you watch and probably the kids programs your children took advantage of. Not to mention the ports-of-call the ship transported you to.

 

Don't give up on cruising all together. Give it another try, on a different ship, so at least you have something to compare this cruise against.

THIS!

You didn't pay $3k just for the bathroom...I imagine you ate and slept in the beds. I think they were wonderful to even offer 20%. I certainly would not have expected it just for complaining about mold. Honestly, I don't expect any compensation unless they really screw up or something terrible happens.

I would only seek more compensation if the mold actually DID cause severe health problems that cost me $$$ or put me in the hospital, etc. Looks like the OP's family was just fine.

I said the same thing to the guest svcs. Would you live somewhere with mold growing like that. They all acted suprised when they saw it, which I found to be a little unbelievable.. I can't believe the people who stayed in that room before me never complained. Or if they did that means carnival did nothing to fix it. I don't want to sound racist or anything, but most of the people I spoke with barely spoke English and I think they just didn't get it, just because of the language barrier.

I would find John Heald on facebook and post to him... https://www.facebook.com/JohnHeald?ref=br_tf

i would be pissed too and I don't think 20% is enough, I would have asked for at least 50% refund as that is unacceptable, especially if they couldn't clean it all the way. I have been on 4 Carnival cruises now and none of them have had that. OP I am sorry you had to experience that. That is wrong and John Heald needs to know about it.

Brad

I said the same thing to the guest svcs. Would you live somewhere with mold growing like that. They all acted suprised when they saw it, which I found to be a little unbelievable.. I can't believe the people who stayed in that room before me never complained. Or if they did that means carnival did nothing to fix it. I don't want to sound racist or anything, but most of the people I spoke with barely spoke English and I think they just didn't get it, just because of the language barrier.

Well yes, I think it was highly unlikely it grew overnight...it should have been noticed long ago IMO.

I still wouldn't have been as worried, but you are correct, it should not have been overlooked and it's unfortunate you got stuck in that suite with mold that shouldn't have been there.

I'm glad your family is healthy and nothing happened though.

Yes, it's true many staff there don't speak English as their first language...but they are hired from all over the world so you can't expect otherwise...English is not native to most staff, and usually housekeeping staff especially doesn't have English as a first language.

A side note to that...we learned some cool stuff from our last steward, he taught us some words in his language and we loved him and would tell him hello, goodbye, good morning and good evening in his language when we saw him!

I would have never booked that room had I known what the bathroom looked like. If there is one thing I can't stand, it's a dirty bathroom. I am a clean freak and I am usually very picky when it comes to where I sleep and eat. I don't know if anyone else replying has traveled on this ship recently, but it is in desperate need of repairs. I only wrote about the moldy bathroom. I didn't talk about all the things I wasn't satisfied with. Carnival knows damm well that this ship is not in the best shape and I can only imagine what else is going on there behind the scenes. We were very cautious about the whole place. If this was a hotel I would have walked out the door as soon as I walked in. I could have gone to Las Vegas and stayed in a real suite and had plenty of fun and ate way better food or flown to an all inclusive resort, so why would people think that a cruise was this great deal. They give ****ty and cut corners everywhere they can and it shows. I am sure I will cruise again but I will definitely make sure it's not a dump like the Paradise

I am a clean freak and I am usually very picky when it comes to where I sleep and eat.

We never would have guessed.

Yes I'm definitely a clean freak. Lol.

I think you should have taken the 20%. You may just end up with nothing. 20% would have been fair.

To be honest with you the $$ doesnt matter to much to me. Im not rich, but i think it is more of the principal for me. I cant get over the fact that a company that does billions of dollars a year in business would not be a little more concerned that they are chasing away a customer who probably spent 5 times as much as their average customer.