Our letter to Carnival afte the Legend Disaster

[MissKIA]

DISCLAIMER: ALL OF THE OPINIONS BELOW ARE MY OWN. IF YOU HAPPEN TO AGREE IN WHOLE OR PART, THEN GREAT. IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH MY OPINIONS, PLEASE DONT BOTHER TO WRITE AND TELL ME ABOUT IT. I COULD CARE LESS. :)

 

Dear Original Poster

 

After 735 posts, I would think that you would realize by now that if you complain about ANYTHING that happens while on your Carnival cruise vacation you will be ridiculed on this Carnival board, as well as being labeled as a crackpot and an idiot. The brown nosing and ass kissing that Carnival receives on this board never ceases to amaze me. They apparently can do no wrong. Nothing - as far as this board is concerned - is ever thier fault.

 

And yes, I leave on the Elation in less than 48 hours.

 

However, I am walking on board with very LOW expectations. I don’t expect to be wowed by the service, enjoy top notch well prepared food, see anything much better than high school level talent at the shows, or be amazed at the wonderful on board activities.

 

The bottom line is that 5 nights for under $350 a person is too good to pass up. My wife and I will relax, enjoy some “us” time, and hey, if we have a great meal at one of the dinners, really enjoy one of the shows, or have a blast playing trivia – then great … it’s icing on the cake. We approach Carnival as sort of a floating camping trip.

 

Lets call a spade a spade. Carnival is a cheap low end cruise line with a marketing plan based mainly on price. They hope you have a good time, but dont really care. Business is booming !

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure you've completely missed the point. No one is saying Carnival is perfect and did nothing wrong. What is being said that what they OP is complaining about is not even close to justifying a FULL REFUND!! It's just totally ridiculous to expect that! And it is also hard to read and way too long. Carnival cheer leading has NOTHING to do with it!

[Chas19]

You should of called ahead to Cozumel and let them know you were coming. I bet they would of taken down the boards from the windows awaiting your arrival. Wow sorry to see such small things made this a "disaster" for you. Hope you never get a flat tire on the highway.

[emmysmommy]

Perhaps the OP is skilled in the art of negotiation and aiming high with a demand for a "prompt refund"!!!! Honestly, it was really hard to get through reading the letter between the format and the eye rolls. Sorry...I'm not more sympathetic.

[donaldsc]

Too long too boring, guarantee it will be thrown in the trash JMHO.....heck I got lost after your expected gift....

 

You left out "run together paragraphs"

 

DON

[cruisenanny]

I'm betting the only reason why the OP picked up the original phone call knowing it was from Carnival since it was from "305" was because they figured it was a free upgrade to the Captains Suite since they are such loyal customers. Why else would they pick up the call that they didn't want in an inconvenient place?

 

Bingo!! Ding Ding DING!!!! That's exactly what I was thinking, & then when it wasn't they were ticked off. I mean, after all, these folks DESERVED the upgrade fairy's phone call and instead they got someone offering them travel insurance & making sure they knew how to print out their cruise docs. Carnival, how dare you!!

 

By they way OP, I LOOOVEEE "sponge cake" & rare roast beef:D

 

Embarrassed at being kicked out of the 18+ ADULT comedy show because you tried to break the rules & let your children attend?? Shame on you, you SHOULD be embarrassed that you even considered it. Plus, wasn't one of your gripes that you want Carnival to follow the rules?? Except the ones you want to break, right?

[donaldsc]

I actually read your entire letter, looking for something to grab onto and quite frankly, I don't see a single item worth being bothered about, let alone actually complain.

 

Refund???:confused::(:eek::o:rolleyes:

 

Had to laugh at that. Sorry.

 

You should get a prize and the free cruise that OP is not going to receive for managing to plow through the whole thing. I doubt if anyone else did.

[Trailhed1]

OP, I am sure you better stand outside by your mailbox, that refund check for the cruise is coming soon no doubt. Just wait right there. Oh yeah, do not answer your phone.

 

The world is really full of people like this its true. Sad.

[sheshe1]

Attitude is everything, and it appears as though you had a bad attitude before you ever boarded the ship! Take some blame for your behavior. My 1st cruise was on the Legend and I can not say enough good about my cruise, it was awesome.

[DTXCruiser]

Wait a minute.....disaster? I sailed Triumph the same time period...we were in port in Cozumel at the same time. Legend didn't leave as scheduled. We met up with Legend the next day in Progreso. Two passengers from Legend claim that they were delayed in Cozumel because a passenger was KILLED in a moped crash while there.......the ship did not sail while assisting the family in dealing with the death!

 

I will admit...I don't know this to be fact. But it seems believable, considering the ship was still at the dock when we were sailing away.

 

If there is even a bit of truth to this...then OP should be informed of this and maybe, possibly, she will put her vacation in perspective!!

[TMWTim]

I agree with the OP granted I only got as far as them answering the phone when they couldn't take a call??? Carnival should have left something nice in the cabin:mad::mad::mad:

 

 

I have the solution...

 

 

OCCUPY CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES!!!

 

 

I know we will, ever single cruise we take;)

[Pushka]

Three words:

 

• Bullet Points
  

 

Context

 

(I kept reading because I wanted to find out what had gone so horribly wrong, but I got to the end and nada!)

[Jasalth]

My biggest enjoyment out of this other than the "I WANT A FREE CRUISE!!" is complaining because the ship had to go around the storm!

 

Yes, because Carnival CONTROLS the hurricanes! They must have bought the machine that George Bush used to drive Katrina into NO (I can't remember for the life of me who said that anymore, or it's 3am one or the other! :) ).

 

But yeah... so the OP complains about a phone call, they took when they couldn't/shouldn't have taken, but takes the time to call right back or be willing to wait for a supervisor. Then doesn't get more of their ZOMG I WANT FREE STUFF!!!

 

Lost $4 in the arcade and didn't bother for who knows how long before complaining about that one...

 

And they didn't like their free food they got at the past guest party. I don't know, I am always happy with free food, no matter what it is!

 

After reading all of this, I am so happy that the OP wasn't effected by the tips increasing because that would have been the real end of the world!

[lrowe70]

lol at being mad that the instructor didn't grade all the scavenger hunt sheets! :D

 

That is not a disaster.

A disaster is what would have happened if the captain hadn't changed course and instead headed into a tropical storm.

You should be sending Carnival a thank you letter since they had your life and well-being in mind when the decision to change ports was made.

[Umbarger]

double post

[Umbarger]

After reading all of this, I am so happy that the OP wasn't effected by the tips increasing because that would have been the real end of the world!

 

After all her complaints I'm sure she probably had her tips taken off her account.

 

Honestly, I have never seen such petty complaints in all my life.

[Scrapperjill]

As I read this you wrote a novel and demand a full refund over an ill timed phone call, a missing fruit basket, an ill tempered employee (one out of 900+), and $4.00 in tokens. And this apparently ruined your entire weeks vacation. Wow, just wow.[/quote

 

Don't forget being rerouted due to the tropical storm brewing... Lmao

 

Gotta say my first two cruises I took I was rerouted to totally diffrent ports...and had two of the BEST cruises EVER!! It is what U make of it. Life is short... Enjoy it... Don't waste time sweating the small stuff

[Kidsgoneletscruise]

Wow! Just wow :rolleyes:

 

Have you ever heard of making lemonade out of lemons? I'd be damned before I let a few things like you describe ruin my vacation that I spent time and money on. ;)

[gusandgidgetsmom]

Wow!! I read this because of the tag line I thought something horrible had happened on that sailing. No, just a bunch of silly, meaningless complaints. My favorite was that she complained about not having a party and when after her incessant whining, a party was scheduled she complained.

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise.

[fishtaco]

Gerry Cahill, CEO

Carnival Cruise Lines November 2, 2011

3655 NW 87th Ave

Miami FL 33178

 

RE: Carnival Legend 10/23/11-10/30/11

 

Dear Mr. Cahill:

Please let me begin by saying this was not our first cruise, so my expectations of Carnival were reasonable, based upon previous experience. This was my husband's 8th cruise, and mine and my children's 2nd.

My family and I have just returned from a cruise aboard the Legend, out of Tampa, Florida, running from October 23 thru October 30, 2011.

Our disappointing experience actually began back before we ever left. My spouse had previously(at least 5 times) asked that notations be made on his past guest information page that he wanted "no solicitation calls, no follow up calls, no additional calls" at all. Those requests seemed to have never been honored, as we received yet another call at 4:07pm Eastern time on Friday, October 7th, 2011, from the 305 area code Carnival number in Miami. We were in an inappropriate place to receive a phone call, but nevertheless, didn't want to be rude, unlike the caller from Carnival. She proceeded to question us about travel insurance, and the proper way to print off our sailing documents. Even after I told her I had already done so, she continued to talk rudely, with pushiness, even after being told we were not in a place to discuss our vacation. After being asked for her supervisor, she hung up on us. I then placed a return call, at 4:15pm, to the toll free Carnival number, held on for quite some time, and eventually, asked for and was connected to a supervisor. I explained in detail to this supervisor the manner in which we had both been spoken to, the insistence of the Carnival staff member to solicit us for additional insurance, the rudeness and pushiness of the caller, and the way in which she hung up on us upon our request for her supervisor. The supervisor apologized, and stated that she would make certain that there was either an on-board credit applied to our booking, or that "something nice" would be in our cabin upon our arrival.

Upon our arrival, there was no credit, nor was there anything waiting for us in the cabin. We assumed the staff would keep their word, so allowed a day for something to show up, which never occurred. We visited "Guest Services (Ben)" on Monday, 10/24, explaining the above. He said he would email home office, have them look into in, and get back to us. That night, we received a voice mail from Ben, stating that I would need to provide additional info, such as dates, times, and all the names of the people to whom I had spoken. I returned to "Guest Services"(I use that term lightly), and provided the dates and times, although I did not keep the names. I personally felt that your records should indicate who called us, and who the supervisor was that I had spoken with. Once again, I was told that an email would be sent to home office, to research our "claims". After not hearing back for 3 days, I returned again to Guest Services, spoke with the manager there, who indicated there had been no response from home office, but they would continue to follow up. On Friday night, 10/28, I received another voice mail from the service desk, stating that there was no record of the above mentioned calls, and that unless I could provide proof, there would be no credit or cabin gift.

This incident alone would have been enough aggravation, but it was just the tip of the iceberg.

Also, in the week prior to leaving, I again called the toll free number, inquiring about Halloween events, as our cruise dates included the weekend before Halloween(Friday night the 28th and Saturday night, the 29th), which are normal Halloween party nights for both adults and children when Halloween falls on a Monday. I was informed there would be something called "frightening fun" and that we should bring our costumes. Your staff member stated that holidays are celebrated 10 days before and after a holiday. Imagine our surprise when upon arrival, there was not a single Halloween pumpkin or decoration. As the week went on, and no mention of any events was made, I asked at Guest Services, only to be told there would be "no Halloween events on this cruise". Why were we told otherwise, by the staff in Miami, when we called? Do they take great pleasure in disappointing your guests, and causing grief for the ship’s crew?

On Sunday evening, it became visible that there was a tropical disturbance brewing. We as guests were told Monday afternoon that due to the storm we had continued to drive toward all night, we would be completely changing our itineraries, rescheduling and cancelling ports while we dodged the storm. If our safety was truly a factor, why was the decision not made on Sunday, and we not re-routed to the Eastern Caribbean, so that we could actually enjoy a full week of vacation? On Tuesday, we visited Belize, (which was scheduled for Wednesday originally). On Wednesday, we visited Cozumel, (which was scheduled for Tuesday originally), which consisted of viewing boarded up buildings, frantic citizens, and closed/cancelled excursions. It was a waste to even stop there. On Wednesday, we went to Progreso, which was not even one of our original destinations. There is no feeling in the world that compares with being dumped into a dirty city street, with no clue as to what is around, no excursions to take, other than the overpriced "Beach Resort" type offered by Carnival, (which truly equated what you could have done if you stayed on the ship, as far as pool, booze, and food). Our remaining ports were completely cancelled (Roatan Honduras and the Caymans), and we spent the last 2 and 1/2 days swimming around in the water, being held hostage in an obvious attempt to increase alcohol and casino sales, being bored, insulted by staff, and having a horrible time.

Several incidents occurred during the trip that caused us concern:

The comedy show: We as parents felt that our children were mature enough to attend with us. After getting settled with drinks, (and as the show was beginning) the manager "Deanne" told us we had to leave. This was not only embarrassing, but costly. A staff member should have been stopping guests at the door, and if it is a Carnival policy to decide what kids can and cannot attend, acting as Big Brother, not letting the parents decide, they should have that policy in hand for guests to review, and not allow families to come in, get settled, then get thrown out. The Marriage Game, rated 18 and over, also disallowed teenagers, yet they re-broadcast it over and over on the cabin tv. How does that make sense?

Additionally, this same staff member, Deanne (Dee) was seen hassling two elderly guests using wheelchairs/walkers, who wanted to view the comedy show. Every time she was seen, she seemed very hateful, and that she was being inconvenienced by the guests. After witnessing that, we avoided any events she was involved in, if it was possible.

Later in the week, Dee ran a family scavenger hunt. Our children ran all over the ship, collecting the needed information. Upon returning the Legends, my spouse got in line for her to grade our collection of answers, at which time she stopped grading individually (she had graded 5 sheets so far), and allowed the rest of the guests to score their own. She then looked over a young man’s papers, said aloud "oh, that answer is not right but close, we will give you that one for being close"...three times, then awarded that teenager and his brothers with the awards. Mind you, it is not the issue of the plastic award, it’s the issue of following rules that Carnival set up. She follows what she states are “Carnival’s rules” regarding the comedy show, but fails to follow rules she explained when it came to the scavenger hunt she was running. I questioned her about it after the hunt was completed and people dissipated, and she stated that “if I felt my kids needed trophies, she could hunt up a couple”. The issue was why are there rules in place if your own staff decides which ones to follow and which ones to bend, and why are some kids chosen over others; is it based upon their looks, or what grade cabin they are staying in? A verbal exchange followed, to which your staff member stalked me out of Legends, thru the Casino, yelling behind me “what is your name, what is your name”. Eventually, she said “I know who you are already”. I didn’t go on vacation to feel threatened, nor waste my time and money. Therefore, my husband and I went to Guest Services, and asked to speak to the Cruise Director. We explained the situation to Wee Jimmy, who offered us 6 complimentary drink tickets (by the way, the Thirsty Frog Red beer was pretty good). He did provide two plastic ships. This again was not the issue. He explained that this was Deanne’s first cruise, and that she had been with them 6 weeks. He asked us to please not judge Carnival simply based upon her actions. During this meeting, I also asked Wee Jimmy about the lack of Halloween events. He blamed it on Corporate, saying they were not permitted to have any until Halloween. Within 24 hours, he makes an announcement about an impromptu costume party…why bother if it’s a guest who has to suggest it, and then its thrown together at the last minute…???

After several days of playing games in the game room, I called the front desk to find out where to get tokens replaced, as many of the machines took tokens and didn’t work properly (the EA Sports Golf Game, the Candy Crane game, the Paintball game, the Air Hockey machine ((no puck after putting in money)), and the Balance the ball game. I was told to go to the Casino. I did that, explained to the girl at the window, who referred me to another man who I had to explain it to again, who referred me to a 3rd man who stated he was the Casino manager, and why hadn’t I come to him sooner, and that I had to immediately follow him to the game room to point out which machines were the problem. My response was this…”No, I won’t go there with you right now, and I didn’t come right away because “Guest Services” said it was no big deal, just to drop by the Casino.” I was on vacation, and that doesn’t mean I have to jump when the casino manager says to jump! All of this over $4.00 worth of lost tokens! I had to be questioned by three people over $4.00 worth of tokens? And you call this a vacation, and that guests are supposed to be treated to the time of their lives? Instead your staff treated me like a common criminal over $4.00 worth of tokens?

Overall, the service in Truffles, during the “Your time” dining, was quite poor. It seems the servers lose track of tables when they are all at different stages. I personally feel two hours for that service is too long. One meal we waited almost an hour just for the appetizers.

The selection of food on the buffet was quite limited, more times than not. Raw roast beef, bleeding all over, is not appetizing. Several buffet lines closed while over 40 people waited in one line at the Unicorn. All I can say is “Thank goodness for the deli and the pizza bar”. Desserts that looked like wet sponges and tasted like a wet sponge smells. Totally disgusting! After excursions, hungry guests return to hot dogs and hamburgers. I can cook that at home, and that is a low cost food item, not something I expected to be given most often. The Eggs Benedict on the buffet was served on English muffins that one couldn’t cut with a knife, no less chew. Three days into the cruise, they started rationing the bacon, two slices per person.

The past guest party should included edible food. Two of the three appetizers served were on a piece of bread that we could not even bite thru. Maybe the majority of the past guests only go for the free booze. Yes, we did appreciate the free drink.

We attended one trivia event that no staff member ever showed up for, so eventually, everyone sitting around waiting left, grumbling. We attended another where the staff member left half way thru, leaving the guests to score and eliminate themselves from the competition of bean bag toss, as Deeane once again showed her lack of guest concern and customer service. She returned two rounds later. Also, why were the pools all closed at 7PM on Saturday night(except for Serenity)?

Overall, a very disappointing experience, and one I doubt we will attempt again through Carnival. It is truly a shame, as my husband has raved for years about how wonderful everything was, how great the service was, the staff, the food, etc. Our older children and their spouses were going to join us in the Spring for a family cruise, but after this experience, I find that unlikely.

If you indeed wish to retain us as customers in the future, I would expect that you remedy our unhappiness with a prompt refund. Only then would we write this off as “one bad apple” and try again on a Carnival Ship.

Please feel free to contact myself or my husband at any time, if you wish to discuss our concerns. If we fail to hear from you, we will assume you, much like the crew on the Legend, do not care about loyal customers.

I look forward to hearing from you promptly.

Lets wait and see if and when they respond! Will keep you posted!

 

 

lol I bet your husband wished it was his 8th cruise without you and the kids

 

:D:p:D:p:D

[StingRaysfan]

lol I bet your husband wished it was his 8th cruise without you and the kids

 

:D:p:D:p:D

 

hahahaha THANK YOU FOR THAT LAUGH!

 

OP- you seem the type that complains in restaurants to get a free meal on purpose. Not to say you are like that, but your letter is all GIMME GIMME GIMME.... Something free over a phone call? a free cruise because YOU chose to cruise during Hurricane season??? really??? I have a feeling that when you didn't win at stuff you were abrasive to Dee.. and it probably didn't help that you had already experienced her telling you to leave the comedy show. I don't know how old your kids are, but they are obviously young enough for you to be upset when you feel they got jipped a trophy..... Do you have any idea the types of jokes they would hear during the 18+ show???? You are comfortable with that? That says a lot about character...

 

I'm very confused about the 4 dollars in tokens... How exactly did that happen?? Did you keep a running tally of lost tokens throughout the cruise and not say anything until the end??? I would have contacted someone about losing money after the first couple tokens were lost...

I actually understand the casino guy asking why you didn't contact him before then... If you really did wait... and feed 4 dollars worth of tokens into machines before you said anything, that is on YOU. Common Sense is a wonderous thing ....

[curlydog]

Whiney A55 Baby

[sparks1093]

After reading the subject line I expected to read that the Legend had sunk:eek:. Guess not:rolleyes:.

[MsTabbyKats]

hahahaha THANK YOU FOR THAT LAUGH!

 

OP- you seem the type that complains in restaurants to get a free meal on purpose. Not to say you are like that, but your letter is all GIMME GIMME GIMME.... Something free over a phone call? a free cruise because YOU chose to cruise during Hurricane season??? really??? I have a feeling that when you didn't win at stuff you were abrasive to Dee.. and it probably didn't help that you had already experienced her telling you to leave the comedy show. I don't know how old your kids are, but they are obviously young enough for you to be upset when you feel they got jipped a trophy..... Do you have any idea the types of jokes they would hear during the 18+ show???? You are comfortable with that? That says a lot about character...

 

I'm very confused about the 4 dollars in tokens... How exactly did that happen?? Did you keep a running tally of lost tokens throughout the cruise and not say anything until the end??? I would have contacted someone about losing money after the first couple tokens were lost...

I actually understand the casino guy asking why you didn't contact him before then... If you really did wait... and feed 4 dollars worth of tokens into machines before you said anything, that is on YOU. Common Sense is a wonderous thing ....

 

From another thread (husband & wife must post under the same account)

 

Anyway, will be me ( tim ), DW ( donna ), and 2 of my boys, Jeffrey (13), and Brian (11). Havent figured out what they want to do as for excursions. This is number 8 on CCL for me, and number 2 for all of them.

[jcumming]

I'd like to read the letter written to Mother Nature complaining about the storm.

[MsTabbyKats]

I'm not saying the OP should get a free cruise...or even a free basket of fruit....

 

But....I have a feeling her 11 & 13 year olds were "complaining" about 1)not having a Halloween party 2)not being able to see the comedian 3)not going on their planned excursions (earlier posts about what they planned) 4)other kids getting the prize .....etc........

 

If I had to listen to my kid complain...perhaps non-stop...for a week...I'd think the cruise was a disaster too.

 

Do you think she complains about the teachers if the kids "fall behind"...despite their extra time off?