Wonderful cruise on the Liberty with a disappointing ending

[NoName]

We just returned from a wonderful cruise on the Liberty.

 

My sister and I shared cabin 9264-balcony on lido and my aunt was in 9204-inside on Lido. I loved the location of our cabin-very handy. There was some hallway noise, but nothing that interfered with sleep. Surprisingly, the noise from the lido pool area was NOT heard on our balcony. I expected it would be. I would not hesitate to book a room in this location in the future.

 

I purchased Faster to the Fun and feel that this played a significant role in my positive feeling about the cruise. I loved having our cabin ready upon embarkation. We are always tired after traveling and it was awesome to be able to go right to the cabin to relax. The other significant perk was tendering-no fuss, no muss.... One benefit I didn't get to enjoy was the early luggage delivery. We were on board by 11:30. My sister's suitcase was delivered by 12:30. At 3pm, still no suitcase for me so I called guest services. They told me not to worry. If it hadn't been delivered by 6pm, then I should contact them again. I explained that I had purchased FTTF, but their answer was still the same. By 6pm I still hadn't received it so I went to guest services. I was directed to an area where there was luggage missing tags and sure enough my suitcase was there. Over all, just an annoyance, however an apology for the late luggage would have been appreciated. (At least I had a short wait in line:)

 

We ate all evening meals in the anytime dining room. While I don't really care for the physical size of the new menus,(they are over-sized and there is no place to lay them down after you have made your selection and are waiting for the staff to take your order) the food was usually good and the service was usually prompt and professional. No complaints at all. The buffet was hit and miss, but we could ALWAYS find more than enough to eat. I felt Guy's Burger joint was a nice addition. I was not a fan of the Burrito place, but many people seemed to really enjoy it. Room service was very prompt. They even agreed to make me a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, even though it is not on the menu. I appreciate having all of the different options for meals.

 

We enjoyed the comedians in the evening and several other evening shows. There were plenty of opportunities to enjoy live music.

 

I loved the Serenity Area....just wish there was something that could be done about my fellow cruisers who feel it is ok to "reserve" chairs and then not show up for hours. One day we went to Serenity early in the morning with plans to spend several hours reading. By the time we arrived, most of the prime real estate was being held with a towel. We settled in non-reserved chairs. After a couple of hours, the wind had picked up and we wanted to move closer to the inside where it was much less windy. There was a hammock that had a red scarf tied to it and it had been empty the entire time we were there (about 2 hours). I decided I was going to lay in the hammock. I no more than sat down before a man who was laying in one of the circle shaped lounge chairs sat up and informed me that the hammock was saved for his wife! Before I could even answer, my sister spoke up and informed him that saving of chairs was not allowed and we had been there for 2 hours and the hammock remained empty! I continued to lay down and a minute later the man gave up. Shortly thereafter one of the circle chairs became available and I moved. The man who protesting my sitting the hammock did later apologize.

 

The slot machines were VERY tight and very old. I do wish they would get some newer slot machines-this is not a huge deal to me, but I do enjoy the slots...but didn't so much on this cruise.

 

We had a WONDERFUL day in Belize. We booked Cave Tubing with "Butts Up". The caves were amazing and the guides were the best. The price was on 35 dollars per person and included transportation, a city tour, the cave tubing and a light lunch at the end of the adventure. You can reserve this tour on-line and the best part is that you don't pay until the end of the day. I highly recommend this adventure.

 

I enjoyed a beach day in Roatan- stayed right inside the Carnival area...very relaxing day.

 

In Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach Bar-Lovely day. Beautiful pool, gorgeous sandy beach-food and drink delivered right to your lounge chair.

 

I thought the movies under the stars was a great feature. The popcorn is a nice offering as well-however it really needs a little flavoring....(Carnival, buy some Flavocol!)

 

I loved the overall feeling of the ship. It never felt over crowded. It was easy to get from point A to point B. The staff were friendly. The ship was clean and well kept. There are multiple outdoor areas to be enjoyed for those that don't enjoy the noise/activity of the main pool area.

 

The only real downside to this vacation happened at the end of the trip and it was my own fault. After getting off the ship, while still in the terminal area, I realized I left my wallet in the safe in my cabin. This meant that ALL of my money, my debit card, my credit cards, my driver license...everything was left behind. I had a flight I needed to catch at 1100. I immediately contacted a carnival employee for assistance. To make a long story short, I was not allowed to re-board the ship to get my wallet. I had to stand outside the terminal and wait for about 1& 1/2 hrs for someone to go to our cabin to retrieve my wallet. However, I was then shocked when they then notified me that it wasn't there. I am 100% sure that my wallet was in the safe. I asked if they looked in the safe, and I wasn't given an answer. I asked them to re-check-perhaps they went into the wrong room. My request was refused. It was very frustrating to be told it wasn't there, when I knew that I had locked it in the safe the night before.

 

I then asked to speak to a Supervisor-the rep relayed my request via the radio and I was told there was only 1 supervisor and I would have to wait for a long time. I could wait no longer, or I would miss my flight,(and i had no way to purchase another flight...since I had no money and no credit card). I was then handed a business card with a phone number for customer care and instructed to call them when I get home!

 

Luckily for me, I had my passport and a family member gave me money for my journey home. I really felt that Carnival could have done much more to help me during this very upsetting situation. I know this was totally my fault. However, the Carnival employee could have at least pretended to empathize with me. I was given the impression that it was simply my problem and they had no intention of going out of their way to assist at all. (The Carnival employee spent her time shopping for shoes on her phone and visiting with a co-worker-only taking time to offer short, rude responses to departing guests who approached her with questions). She let me know that this happened "all the time", so I guess this is why she didn't feel it was that big of a deal.

 

While on my way to the airport, I phoned the number on the customer care card and was surprised to find out it is the same exact number that you call to book a cruise and unfortunately, they were not quite open.

 

I spent the day canceling my debit/credit cards in between flights. Later in the day I was able to speak to a very nice customer service rep who did help me in filing a report. I was told that if they find my wallet, they will call me, if they don't I will just get an email at the end of 30 days notifying me that my belongs did not show up and they will close the case.

 

I know they have "rules", but it seems like I could have been escorted back onto the ship to pick up my wallet. At the very least someone should have been available to communicate with me, to assure me that they did look in the safe in the correct cabin. I would think a missing wallet would warrant a few minutes of a supervisor's time. Carnival is in the travel industry- and they should realize how big a problem this creates for their guest. The difference between customer service on-board and at the terminal is night and day.

 

Overall, this was a wonderful trip and I am trying hard not to focus on the negative ending. I am certain this is a mistake I won't ever let happen again!

Edited February 16, 2014 by NoName

[tjlj]

Keep us updated when they find it.

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for your report on the Liberty. She is still my favorite ship.

 

I am so sorry though for the problem you had on debarkation day. I have left my purse containing wallet on board an aircraft once, and was not allowed to reboard to claim it, but a very nice male airline employee, went on board and retrieved it from the overhead bin, and with my purse slung over his shoulder, he happily delivered it to me very quickly. That was way back in the early 1980's, so Im not sure how it would be today.

 

But I do know that sinking feeling you get when you realize that your wallet or purse is not with you.

 

Hope they find it and can get it back to you, even though you have to cancel your cards asap as you have done.

[NoName]

Thanks for the kind words. I will report the outcome back on this thread...I am keeping my fingers crossed. I only had about $160 dollars in cash, but would be thrilled to have the wallet returned...even without the cash. There are so many things in there that I need.......

[NoName]

Unfortunately, I did not have room in the safe for my purse...so I took the wallet out for safe storage. So when I got off the ship, I had my purse with me....but not the wallet:(

[msolberg]

That's terrible. My friend realized she left her watch in her cabin after we left the ship and an employee escorted her back to get it. What a shame they didn't do the same for you.

[bplazo]

I also think that they should haves escorted you back to your room.

 

Good luck.

[DebJ14]

We were lucky when getting off the Magic in August. My DS left his Ipod on the bed. The steward found it and immediately took it to Guest Services. They flagged his card and when he tried to debark he was told to go to Guest Services for a lost and found item. He got his IPOD back and they cleared his card and he was able to get off.

 

DH and I have a system - each of us pulls out every drawer and checks every closet and the shelves in the bathroom. We also each check the safe and pull out the grey mat on the floor of the safe as things have been known to slip under there. Only after each of us has completed our checks do we get off. Thankfully, we haven't left anything behind in over 50 cruises.

[NoName]

 

 

DH and I have a system - each of us pulls out every drawer and checks every closet and the shelves in the bathroom. We also each check the safe and pull out the grey mat on the floor of the safe as things have been known to slip under there. Only after each of us has completed our checks do we get off. Thankfully, we haven't left anything behind in over 50 cruises.

 

 

That is a good system...I usually do the same. I actually did check the safe over carefully the night before...even picked up the cloth on the bottom to make sure nothing stayed behind. I then locked my wallet back in for the night as we were going out.........In the morning, I picked up my purse, checked all the drawers and walked out. I should have noticed the purse was much lighter than usual....but I was also carrying bags so didn't notice

[rccranbob]

Did you have any problem at the airport with Security?

[larkz]

Forgot to mention in my own brief recent comments about my Liberty cruise, but I also came out poorly in the FTTF luggage situation -- mine was the very last to arrive. On my cruise, I was in 9209, right around the corner from the 9204. It wasn't a huge deal, except that this was actually the latest that my luggage had ever arrived, and I was worried that it might be lost. (All of the other advantages of FTTF were well worth the price, and I was primarily focused on tendering.)

 

As for the lost wallet, it seems like Carnival could do a bit more to deal with situations like valuables left behind. People have reported success with having lost items returned, even after they had given up hope. Good luck.

Edited February 17, 2014 by larkz

[Danacat222]

Did you have any problem at the airport with Security?

 

She said she had her passport.

[mousey]

I'm not trying to be rude; not at all. But you said your luggage with in a pile with others that didn't have luggage tags on them. How is it Carnival's fault that your luggage tag fell off and they didn't know what room to deliver it to?

 

As for the lost wallet...that is a total bummer and I totally agree that you should have been escorted back onto the ship to check your cabin for your wallet. I hope it gets returned to you soon and I feel badly for all you had to go through.

[NoName]

Well, it really wasn't carnival's fault, as you said, the tag had been torn off....however, it still had the FTTF tape wrapped around the handle...in addition, my personal leather luggage tag was still attached which included my name and address and cell phone number.....it shouldn't have taken very much effort to look up my room number..or just call the phone number and I would have answered.......:)

 

Also, I wondered about the luggage handling, it must have been pretty rough as I had laminated the tags, punched holes and secured them with zip ties. The zip ties remained, but the tag was gone.

[NoName]

Forgot to mention in my own brief recent comments about my Liberty cruise, but I also came out poorly in the FTTF luggage situation -- mine was the very last to arrive. On my cruise, I was in 9209, right around the corner from the 9204. It wasn't a huge deal, except that this was actually the latest that my luggage had ever arrived, and I was worried that it might be lost. (All of the other advantages of FTTF were well worth the price, and I was primarily focused on tendering.)

 

As for the lost wallet, it seems like Carnival could do a bit more to deal with situations like valuables left behind. People have reported success with having lost items returned, even after they had given up hope. Good luck.

 

 

I agree...even with the luggage delay, it was great. I will buy it from now on........

 

I am hoping that I will get a call telling me it has been recovered.

[NoName]

Did you have any problem at the airport with Security?

 

No luckily, my passport was in another compartment in my purse. I had it handy since I knew I needed to show it at customs.

[Engineerstar]

I'll be prayin' for a wonderful ending to your cruise. Glad you had a great time!

[2 cruzen]

Well, it really wasn't carnival's fault, as you said, the tag had been torn off....however, it still had the FTTF tape wrapped around the handle...in addition, my personal leather luggage tag was still attached which included my name and address and cell phone number.....it shouldn't have taken very much effort to look up my room number..or just call the phone number and I would have answered.......:)

 

Also, I wondered about the luggage handling, it must have been pretty rough as I had laminated the tags, punched holes and secured them with zip ties. The zip ties remained, but the tag was gone.

 

Wow..DH always wraps our tags with clear tape, just like laminating, and it is TOUGH to get those off. I usually have to cut them. Seriously, what's going on when tags are getting ripped off. We have our first FTTF on Liberty. I think after having priority embarking last cruise with a jr. Suite, DH got a little spoiled

[oshunreef]

We were just on the Liberty sailing the 8th. Great cruise. How disappointing that a staff member could not take the time to escort you back to the room. If you have time, I would write a letter to the CEO of Carnival informing them of how you were treated. Even though it was a mistake on your part, it is sad that they couldn't take time to get someone to escort you or at least act like they were concerned for you. When the industry forgets to give the customer great customer service, they will begin losing them . Carnival doesn't want to lose customers. Hope you get your belongings back.

[riclop]

Glad you had a good time and sorry for your wallet being lost , i hope you get it back.

[BIG_Steve]

I'm wondering if they couldn't escort you back to the cabin because of some TSA or Customs rule? Would have been sporting to tell you that if that was the case. Good luck in recovering it.

[pianogal83]

Glad you had a great cruise!! So sorry to hear how it ended! I agree that Carnival should have been more helpful! You have a wonderful attitude about it all!:)

[sailinglisa]

Like another poster, I wonder if once you exit the ship and are "zeroed" out...if by law you are NOT allowed to reboard?

 

I know that those pax on back to back cruises need to exit the ship to "zero" out the passengers from the previous cruise. They are not allowed back on til the ship is "zeroed out".

 

It would be nice IF the law would allow you to reboard and find "lost" or "left behind items" but once you leave the ship, I think you are out of luck.

[SweetpeaOne]

Really sorry to hear about your lost wallet. Hopefully it will be found and returned to you with all the contents still inside.

[rubysmom]

I wouid have been frantic......And YES....they should have done a little more.....we are 53 and 55.....we recheck and check each other.....the safe when we have taken our cruises is always left open when we leave so we KNOW we didn't leave anything in there.....good luck....shame on them....they could have been heros.....instead they were zeros....keep us posted...