CoW mAn

Link doesn't seem to work for me.

It sounds like you do something similar to my group, Vacation Impossible:

https://www.youtube.com/cowmanx

Would like to check out your videos, do you have a new or different link?

Our channel, Vacation Impossible, has a bit of everything...sometimes a vlog, sometimes a ProTip, sometimes a Cabin tour or just a collection of fun stuff...we've even recently started a podcast and put clips up on youtube...

https://www.youtube.com/cowmanx

The only thing I can comment on is the passport. When you board the ship they keep your passport at the front office. They need it for when customs & immigration from the different countries come on board, they check passports & stamp them.

That has never been my experience. You show your passport when you check in to board the ship the first time and when you get off the ship at the end, that's it. Some ports require Photo ID in addition to your ship card but that doesn't have to be your passport. And I'm Canadian so it's not a Canadian thing.

I've never heard of Carnival taking or storing passports, I'd be concerned if they tried to do that. Thousands of passports? That'd be a logistical nightmare. Also why would they stamp all thousands of passports at each port if many people don't even get off the ship? It just doesn't make any sense to me. Was this perhaps on a river cruise?

20...really kind sneaking up on me...I've been busy with train and road trips

I'll second the vote for the two best Coke Freestyle things.

I got Coke to express some interest in the idea on twitter awhile back...

Carnival has kiosks that do a few tasks like printing out bills and making change. They also have a system where you can book excursions on the TV. They're baby steps in the grand scheme of things.

The Vista and Sunshine also have self-service beer kiosks. Personally I'd love to see Coke Freestyle machines so I could get my Raspberry Coke and Peach Sprite on board and not have to try to get a bartender's attention just to get some value out of my Bottomless Bubbles.

I'd suggest a 4-day sailing out of Long Beach to Catalina and Ensenada with Carnival. It's short and cheap so it's a great toe-in-the-water experience to see if you'd want to invest more time and money going on longer trips.

That's what my first cruise was and it got me well hooked...

[YOUTUBE]aSdVsMw8XqU[/YOUTUBE]

Safety briefing and how the Jacksonville port handles non-Americans

[YOUTUBE]zhdwdO5vWwo[/YOUTUBE]

Is soda free in the MDR?

Nope :(

Yeah and I get over-charged from time to time at Walmart, Lowes, etc. When imperfect people (that would be all of us) are involved, mistakes are bound to happen. Just deal with it, forget about it, and move along with life.

If you're cool with being overcharged and treated badly that's fine for you. I'm not. Mistakes do happen, all the time, which is why a structure to address them needs to be in place for me to have confidence in a business.

You love the spa, that's cool. You do you. I'm not telling anyone not to use the spa. I'm actually not telling anyone to do anything. I just wanted to let people know if they, like me, didn't know these things so they can make informed decisions.

My life isn't exactly on hold over this.

I consider the mistake that may have happened on your account to be an isolated incident and not worthy of further discussion.

 

If the spa incorrectly charged you for something, you need to take it up with the spa.

If it's not worthy of further discussion why do you keep commenting on this thread? Did you seriously take the time to come here just to tell me not to talk about something?

I DID take it up with the spa, repeatedly. They did nothing, hiding behind the excuse they were a separate company. That's what this whole thread is about. Maybe you should read what someone writes before telling them what to do and telling them not to discuss something.

I sometimes keep a pdf copy of each one I agree to. Too many passengers ignore their personal accountability and try to shift all responsibility onto the cruise line.

 

The only reason the contract keeps growing/changing is the number of ambulance chasers and sue happy people who try to pick the pockets of the cruise line.

 

The customer is not always right. Hotels might have to suck up to business people, but cruise lines don't.

Well I'm sorry if I don't meet your high standards of personal accountability but I don't see how independent contractors mischarging me and insulting my travelling companions is somehow my responsibility. The contract seems to allow them to do whatever they please, if you call reversing a fraudulent charge "sucking up to business people" then I think we have very different definitions of basic customer service.

I think refusing to provide services paid for, then making false charges, insulting people, and refusing to do anything about it and then blaming your business partner (the spa blamed Carnival, Carnival blamed the spa, no one did anything) is not acceptable and hiding behind buried clauses in contracts is poor service. I think perhaps we should agree to disagree here and move on.

The only guaranteed way to not get ripped off with impunity is to not buy anything anywhere at any time.

Some organizations take accountability for their actions. For example when something goes wrong at a Hilton, they make it right.

All this talk of contracts is all fine about legal matters and not getting sued but what about customer service? What about the guest experience? If you have to cite the 12th and 13th clauses of a lengthy contract to avoid responsibility and accountability you've protected yourself well, congratulations, but you lose customers. I'm not looking to sue anyone, I'm not talking about legal liability, I'm talking about the customer experience and if that involves memorizing a lengthy contract and no one taking responsibility then that experience, frankly, sucks.

Have you ever actually read the contract? One of the requirements of cruising on Carnival is that you have read and agree with the contract.

I read it once in 2013, I'm no legal expert, and I didn't commit it to memory. Do you read every clause of the contract each time you sail?

Medical staff are also usually contractors.

Also not mentioned in the contract. It's almost as if they're not cleaning your room or serving you food then they're not Carnival.

The Spa, the Art auction, the gift shop, the casino, and the duty free shop are all typically concessions.

The contract doesn't mention casino staff...not that I ever go to the casino but some of my friends do...it would be nice if they were a bit more upfront about who you're dealing with. The fact that these folks can do whatever they want with impunity is disturbing...

It also probably explains this one time when a woman in the gift shop starting talking to me about someone on the ship she wanted to sleep with...

From the Carnival ticket contract

 

(b) Guest acknowledges that the ship’s masseuse, barber, hair dresser, manicurist, fitness or golf instructor, videographer, art auctioneer, gift shop personnel, wedding planners or other providers of personal services are employees of independent contractors and Carnival is not responsible for their actions. Guest further acknowledges that although independent contractors or their employees may use signage or clothing which contains the name “Carnival” or other related trade names or logos, the independent contractor status remains unchanged. Independent contractors, their employees and assistants are not agents, servants or employees of Carnival and have no authority to act on behalf of Carnival.

I never noticed that clause before, thanks.

So they have no authority to act on behalf of Carnival but can charge random amounts to your card at will with no accountability? Dodgy arrangement, that.

wow! Thank you all for sharing your experiences about Cloud 9. I have never had any services on any cruise. I was thinking about it for my next cruise on Sunshine since we reserved a spa cabin. I think I won't now.

I'm told the area of the spa where you just get access to it and do your own thing is pretty good - but as my travelling companion said of the services: "It's like a timeshare presentation but without the free stuff"

Steiner operates most of the spas at sea.

 

http://www.steinerleisure.com/main/Page.aspx?PageID=3011

Good to know.

There's nothing like someone wearing a Carnival nametag saying "I don't work for Carnival".

Are there any other companies operating on their ships?

Did you know that the Cloud 9 Spa is a different company? I got off the Dream a week ago and there were many problems with the spa including over and double-charging and they just kept playing the blame game. Carnival blamed Cloud 9, Cloud 9 blamed Carnival, and no one fixed anything.

Aft you feel engine vibrations, in the front you get the ship crashing into waves, so midship is the best.

Talking about motion sickness and ship stability generally I regularly balance a penny on it's end when a ship is going full speed and it stays upright just fine...

[YOUTUBE]c82ToiVTvOY[/YOUTUBE]

keep in mind it must be cans only. No plastic or glass bottles.

That sucks, especially since Crystal Pepsi only comes in bottles. Wish I'd known that in advance.

What makes a good piano bar entertainer? Adept piano skills, of course (does not have to be a virtuoso), but familiarity with a wide range of songs across genres and years, and the ability to engage the audience and get them to participate. As long as they can carry a tune, the voice is not as important, because the audience will be doing the singing.

My group did not like Piano Bar Bob at all. His "Holy Ship!" line was funny but the singing was painful. We'd hear a bit each night as we lined up for the comedy club and it never got close to decent.

A good piano bar entertainer should be funny and talented like Gustavo (currently on the Paradise) or Natalie Carboni (currently on the Vista) - if you get either of them you're in for a real treat.

I am sure I will get sh** for this. But I think it is crappy that they stopped putting chocolates on the pillows. They stated that it was because the chocolates melted. I have been cruising for over 25 years and there was never a problem before. I am sure in the mass quantities that they buy them that it wasn't a huge expense per cabin. I didn't even eat them because I don't like milk chocolate. However, it was a nice touch...lol.

I agree 100% accept I DID eat them! They were great. A sign of the line going downhill due to insane cutbacks I wonder? I never saw one melt. If it wasn't about cost they could have put them on Lido or have them come with dessert in the MDR. This is totally cost-cutting nonsense.

I feel like an idiot- and now I am starting to get a little cranky over this

You should complain to Carnival, however be prepared for them to avoid responsibility - apparently the Cloud 9 Spa is a separate company and they like to play hot potato with customer complaints. I was told by the Spa Manager that Cloud 9 does not respond to complaints so try Carnival. I don't know if they'd do anything to make it right but this business partner of theirs is damaging their reputation. Someone on my last cruise had a pre-booked treatment, they moved the time on her 3 times, didn't give her what she wanted or paid for, and the entire time was a high-pressure sales pitch. I'm still waiting to hear back from Carnival about the complaint, it's been over a week. On the ship Guest Services kept blaming Cloud 9 and Cloud 9 kept blaming Carnival. It's crazy that Cloud 9 is a different company yet wears Carnival nametags.