Carnival, please control your CREW!!!!!

[halos]

I'm with you... :)

 

.

 

I don't want people to think that I believe there are no legitimate complaints. I totally believe that the things that are in Carnival's control are things that if you are displeased with, you should complain, and should get a response. Like GNO's complaint about noise that was not taken care of. It's unacceptable because this COULD have been taken care of, there was no reason for it not to be.

 

I don't think weather is in Carnival's control..whcih means that ports may be missed....but people complain when they aren't compensated enough for these ports being missed.

I don't believe like others do that Carnival is purposely lax in maintenance, and if there is a mechanical misfunction and ports again are missed, the compernsation they have given (although minimal) seems to me to be fair considering you are still aboard the ship and using the facilities. But people still piss and moan about this and I just don't see it as justified because in my opinion it was not in Carnival's control.

 

I also have a hard time when people make their own mistakes and blame the cruise line...ANY cruise line, not just Carnival. Like the people who are daring enough (or stupid enough, if you ask me) to plan a wedding at one of the ports...and then something goes wrog on the ship...or the weather goes bad and they miss that port..and POOF! No wedding.

Is this Carnival's fault?.....no, it's the fault of the crazy person who thought this would be a good idea and didn't think of all the 'possibilities'.

Jeeze! Planning an outdoor wedding is taking a huge risk...who in their right mind, when planning a wedding (which is stressful enough), would chance the location of the wedding and leave getting to the destination of the ceremony up to the whims of Mother Nature???

 

And the thread I linked above about the booking of the cabin with the upper. The poster worked with a TA who booked her this cabin but she blames Carnival....I just don't see how that is Carnival's fault. Unless you are working with a PVP, it is not Carnival's responsibility to look into what cabin is best for you...at least I consider that my own responsiblity.

 

If you thought the service was horrible, by all means complain...write Carnival...give them the names of the crew that were unprofessional. They do listen to those letters.

If the food was horrible, tell Carnival...be detailed about what you didn't like. I would think if they had enough complaints about certain foods, changes would be made if possible.

And when coming on this board and making a review, know that if you spout negativity about EVERYTHING...how serious are we supposed to take you?? Just like the fact that a cruise can't always be 100% perfect, there is not much of a chance that they are 100% horrible either...and if your experience was 100% horrible, then you might have to look closely to figure out just why that was.

[twinkletoes4445]

halos....

 

I also think that as the customer, you have to really watch out for yourself. Things happen, people make mistakes.

 

We had a deal with our airline tickets...they had the right flight numbers, but the wrong departure cities. It would have been a huge mess had I not caught it. Carnival blamed the airlines, and the airlines blamed Carnival, but mostly, I thought the TA should have caught it. In the end, I knew it was wrong because I kept on top of it.

 

As for the food...well, that's something that's highly subjective. But considering there are so many options, I think it would really be hard not to find something you like.

 

We just returned from Las Vegas....and although I loved the place we stayed, they doubled the prices (a large convention was in town). Everything was expensive...we rented a car one day, and it was $170! I couldn't believe it. We ate at the hotel buffet and it was almost $100 for three of us! Yikes! So in my mind, cruising is still a good deal for the money.

 

Cruiselines have no control over weather...they can try and control passengers, but they better control their crew. If all else fails...I'll just double up on those "kiss on the lips" drinks...Those things were yummy! :)

[halos]

halos....

 

So in my mind, cruising is still a good deal for the money.

 

 

You're not kidding!!!

We have to go to Florida for a wedding in November. Since we are flying out there we figured we'd stay the week...(the wedding is the Saturday before Thanksgiving...we'll just stay that whole next week). I didn't know what we would be doing, it was dependent upon what my BIL and his family were planning. They have 3 young children.

They decided they'd stay the week as well, so we opted to spend 5 days in Disney World (had they not stayed in FL that week, we'd have gone on a short cruise).

I have been looking at what it's going to cost. For what 5 days in a moderate Disney Hotel and park tickets will cost for the 4 of us, we could have taken a 5 day cruise and the cost on a cruise includes the meals.

 

Cruising, with all it's pitfalls, it still worth every penny.

[dlb1357]

This problem should have been addressed quickly by management on the ship. The crew does have areas for recreation etc away from cruisers cabins. It sounds like this was in one of the crew persons rooms. A letter to the cruiseline would be appropriate so that they can adress this problem with management on the ship that night. If it gave you a poor nights sleep it is going to happen to others. With the high level of competiion among cruise lines for patrons, every letter is addressed. A happy customer tells 5 people, an unhappy customer tells 20, or in this case maybe thousands.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

There is actually a crew bar on the 0 deck. This was probably where the noise came from. Drinks are cheap and it is open very late(or early am) since a lot of people don't get off until late at night.

[twinkletoes4445]

You're not kidding!!!

We have to go to Florida for a wedding in November. Since we are flying out there we figured we'd stay the week...(the wedding is the Saturday before Thanksgiving...we'll just stay that whole next week). I didn't know what we would be doing, it was dependent upon what my BIL and his family were planning. They have 3 young children.

They decided they'd stay the week as well, so we opted to spend 5 days in Disney World (had they not stayed in FL that week, we'd have gone on a short cruise).

I have been looking at what it's going to cost. For what 5 days in a moderate Disney Hotel and park tickets will cost for the 4 of us, we could have taken a 5 day cruise and the cost on a cruise includes the meals.

 

Cruising, with all it's pitfalls, it still worth every penny.

 

And I'll bet you'll spend a lot more for that land vacation than you would for a cruise. It's funny, but now I compare all of our trips to our cruise. The Las Vegas trip was crazy, but it was a business expense. We could have taken a couple of nice cruises for what we spent there that week! And the buffet was great, but not $100 great.

[BrendaB1]

I have yet to be on the PERFECT cruise but I will keep cruising until I find it. :D

[kujobie]

Ahhhh, there we are with the "Don't Let The Door Knob Hit Ya" attitude....to anyone that has a problem....

 

The OP made the statement that she will probably not cruise CArnival again and will likely stay with HAL or Celeb. I was just agreeing that that is probably a good idea. Look, this is getting ugly and I just want to say a few things. I don't want people to think I'm a meanie and that I just bash others for having opinions. My first reply to this thread was a little harsh and I'm sorry if anyone took offense. I will even agree that if I was in this situation and was trying to sleep, I probably would have been a little miffed. I think I would have handled it differrently, though. And I would NOT be losing sleep (pun intended) over it now. What have you got to gain? If you're lucky, 50% off of your next cruise on a cruiseline you don't want to sail again. Now, think about this. What would you do if your boss walked up to you tomorrow, and said "you can't have a party, attend a party, or be drunk and obnoxious at home or elsewhere, at any time as long as you are working for this company"? You'd probably tell him where he could firmly plant his lips. Yea, the customer's always right...Blah, blah, blah. There's another important, and too often overlooked, rule for running a business. And that is, happy employees translates to happy customers. You were pampered by these people for a VERY reasonable cost, for approximately 165 straight hours, and you are begrudging them 3. Not a good enough reason to file a complaint. That's just my opinion, not trying to change any minds here. I love you all. I would chalk up the experience and not book a room on deck 1 in the future and I thank you for that tip.

[BrendaB1]

What have you got to gain? If you're lucky, 50% off of your next cruise on a cruiseline you don't want to sail again.

 

Thanks for the laugh. Funniest thing I have read all day. If she's lucky....maybe a 45 day letter or nothing at all.

[Cruising89143]

There is actually no telling what this person will get as Carnival is all over the board when handling situations like this. Last year on the Fantasy, we were affected by Hurricane Francis for our three night cruise. Carnival gave us $100 per person on board credit and also 50% off a future 3,4 or 5 day cruise. This was for a weather related problem that Carnival had no control over. Now for a cruise where Carnival had mechanical problems like we have seen lately with the Glory and Imagination, they have come through with much less in many cases. There seem to be no sense of their compensation policy. I think that is what causes many customers to be upset.

[GoinCruisin]

Gordon, I agree... there is no consistency on what they do for problems... If it were more consistent, I don't think people would get so upset... doesn't make much sense.

[Girlsnightout]

The OP made the statement that she will probably not cruise CArnival again and will likely stay with HAL or Celeb. I was just agreeing that that is probably a good idea. Look, this is getting ugly and I just want to say a few things. I don't want people to think I'm a meanie and that I just bash others for having opinions. My first reply to this thread was a little harsh and I'm sorry if anyone took offense. I will even agree that if I was in this situation and was trying to sleep, I probably would have been a little miffed. I think I would have handled it differrently, though. And I would NOT be losing sleep (pun intended) over it now. What have you got to gain? If you're lucky, 50% off of your next cruise on a cruiseline you don't want to sail again. Now, think about this. What would you do if your boss walked up to you tomorrow, and said "you can't have a party, attend a party, or be drunk and obnoxious at home or elsewhere, at any time as long as you are working for this company"? You'd probably tell him where he could firmly plant his lips. Yea, the customer's always right...Blah, blah, blah. There's another important, and too often overlooked, rule for running a business. And that is, happy employees translates to happy customers. You were pampered by these people for a VERY reasonable cost, for approximately 165 straight hours, and you are begrudging them 3. Not a good enough reason to file a complaint. .

 

Nothing ventured nothing gained, I've never allowed anyone to mistreat or disrespect me and I'm not about to start now. I certainly am not going to allow employees of a company who I paid over $5,000 to for a vacation harass me for hours at a time and shrug it off. Carnival's handling of the situation was completely inadequate and unprofessional, and they know it.

 

When the situation is resolved, I know I'll be satisfied. BTW, you do realize that HAL and Princess are owned by Carnival, don't you?

[L2J]

When the situation is resolved, I know I'll be satisfied. BTW, you do realize that HAL and Princess are owned by Carnival, don't you?

 

What difference does that make?

[Girlsnightout]

I'm happy to report that I was able to resolve this with a supervisor at Carnival guest relations to my satisfaction. They apologized and extended what I believe to be a fair offer. I have ample time (over 2 years) to reconsider whether I will sail Carnival again, and if I do, will do so at a discount and onboard credit.

 

I may take them up on it and I may not, but hopefully this will illustrate to the crew that they should be more considerate of their guests, and that is what I hoped to accomplish. I wouldn't want anyone else to endure the same situation.:)

[halos]

I'm glad you were happy with the compensation.

If you do decide to sail Carnival again, I highly recommend the Miracle. The decor is loud, but the ship and it's crew were wonderful.

[funduo]

I'm glad it worked out to your satisfaction. Say what you want about Carnival but when it comes to guest relations, they usually do come through if it is reasonable. We had a terrible experience with Holland, they acknowledge in hindsight they were wrong, and yet they flatly refused to offer anything. Needless to say we will NEVER sail HAL again!!

[sgriff17]

Yay!

[voyagerfl]

Thanks for the laugh. Funniest thing I have read all day. If she's lucky....maybe a 45 day letter or nothing at all.

 

What's a "45 Day Letter" ?? :confused:

[Girlsnightout]

Thanks Halo, is the Miracle a Spirit class ship? Whatever ship or line I cruise next on, it will be smaller. I learned that those super-mega liners aren't for me, I prefer a ship with a bit more room and uncrowded areas.

 

It is nice that Carnival responded favorably, and for that I give them credit. Initially, they weren't very responsive. It wasn't until I spoke to a supervisor that I got anywhere.

 

I don't know what a 45 day letter is either. Can anyone explain?

[GoinCruisin]

Hey GNO, if you decide not to go, will you see if your mom will take me next time?? :D

 

45 day letter is a letter that Carnival sends out sometimes after a complaint/praise... nothing big, free bottle of wine, photo coupons, etc...

 

The Miracle is a Spirit class ship...

[kujobie]

What's a "45 Day Letter" ?? :confused:

 

It's a form of compensation they use when you have a complaint or a compliment. It basically says call within 45 days of your next cruise and we'll have a bottle of cheap champagne or some other token gift waiting in your room when you arrive.

[kujobie]

I'm happy to report that I was able to resolve this with a supervisor at Carnival guest relations to my satisfaction. They apologized and extended what I believe to be a fair offer. I have ample time (over 2 years) to reconsider whether I will sail Carnival again, and if I do, will do so at a discount and onboard credit.

 

I may take them up on it and I may not, but hopefully this will illustrate to the crew that they should be more considerate of their guests, and that is what I hoped to accomplish. I wouldn't want anyone else to endure the same situation.:)

 

Glad to hear it was resolved. I'm sure those crew members were punished severely. Carnival will probably dock (pun intended) their $1.60 a day salary for a few weeks. That'll teach 'em.

[Oregon D&B]

Realize that ships are not the best place in the world for sleeping. My question is how did you know it was crew members? I assume due to your room location.

 

People should try a bit to be considerate of others, but when people go on vacation, you will have a hard time getting them to agree on how to enjoy themselves. For some, it is relaxing. For many others, it is having a good time (even until 3am).

 

As for crew causing all the noise- don't know what to tell you other than the already mentioned ear plugs.

[Oregon D&B]

Okay, let me get this straight. You leave the deck area for lunch, and expect no one to sit in your chairs? Now I agree, I am not sure why anyone would lay on someone elses towel, but if someone gets up and leaves, I am sorry, your seat is fair game. I alike many will toss any towels left for hours at a time.

[twinkletoes4445]

Glad to hear it was resolved. I'm sure those crew members were punished severely. Carnival will probably dock (pun intended) their $1.60 a day salary for a few weeks. That'll teach 'em.

 

 

What their salary is is irrelevant. As employees, they should not disturb the paying passengers. Would you be tolerant of maids running the halls (in a hotel) in the middle of the night playing games on their supply cart? How about all the employess (in a restaurant) ignoring the customers while they catch their soaps on a tv in the back room?

 

Business is business. If you want to have repeat paying customrers, you can't have things like that going on.

 

If you think the employees are underpaid, you should address it with the cruiseline, not the customer. Of course if they paid a fair wage, the cruise price would rise dramatically (I personally would rather pay more). I wonder how many of them would work for a fixed amount, over tips? :)

[twinkletoes4445]

Okay, let me get this straight. You leave the deck area for lunch, and expect no one to sit in your chairs? Now I agree, I am not sure why anyone would lay on someone elses towel, but if someone gets up and leaves, I am sorry, your seat is fair game. I alike many will toss any towels left for hours at a time.

 

I'm with you. We looked for wet footprints. If it looked like someone was coming and going, we snagged a chair that had no activity. We saw chairs that had a single flip-flop on one, and the other on another chair. We also saw towels, and books. However, if no one was in sight, we moved the stuff. Not once did anyone return while we were using the chairs.

 

People need to be saved, not chairs. :)