I really wanted to love Carnival.

[ccarpenter1963]

Back Saturday from our cruise on the Fantasy out of Charleston. Good things 1st.

1. We liked the ship. Easy to find our way around.

2. We LOVED the comedy club.

3. Food was good. I have noticed a lot of people complain about the coffee on here, but I had no problem with it.

4. Drinks were good and no more expensive than some of the restaurants we eat at.

5. Met some nice fellow pax.

 

I sat here for 10 minutes trying to find something good to say. Sad. What we didn't like.

 

1. I keep hearing about the great service. Frankly I didn't see much of it. I realize they all have a lot to get done, but on the Lido deck the tables didn't get cleaned very often. Same way in the buffet.

 

2. I still don't know our room stewards name. Didn't even see him until Tuesday night after boarding Monday and then he just said hi and walked away.

 

3. I keep seeing here how everyone calls you by name and how they are so friendly. I wore my sign and sail card on a lanyard all week. In the whole week, one person, (1) called me by name. I almost cried to find a friendly crew member.

 

4. Shorty the Cruise director drove us batty with stupid stuff and when it was some thing important like Debarking, they have a silent one. Really? Having us stand in the halls for an hour before we moved an inch was a bit much. It would be nice to have direction instead of listening to the cabin stewards. Her "Chow for now" is what we now use to drive each other nuts.

 

5. A good third of the crew looked unhappy. Again, I realize they have a lot to do. And a third of them looked like they would rather be flogged than be there. You smile at them and they look at you like they don't know why you would do that.

 

Maybe, I listened to to many people tell me how wonderful it was and had my expectations too high. I don't know. I don't know that I really want to cruise again. But if I do, I can guarantee you it won't be out of Charleston. What a freaking cluster that place is. If they are all like that, I know I won't cruise again.

 

While we were waiting to embark and people were leaving from the previous cruise, my daughter said something about how none of them looked happy. After we finally got out of the port we looked the same way.

 

So there you have it. Any questions just ask.

[margiandmike]

Well it sounds like all the aspects of a great cruise were there. Good ship, good food, good entertainment and reasonably priced drinks. It's too bad the service wasn't better for you, but I'd much rather have good food than a room steward that knows my name. Thanks for the feedback. Sorry it wasn't what you expected. We can't wait to get on the Fantasy this October :)

[tonit964]

Sorry your first cruise wasn't everything you imagined. It sounds like if you really wanted to like Carnival, you already decided you wouldn't.

 

Try another cruise line before you give up on cruising altogether.

 

Hoping your next one is awesome!!!:)

[YesJeffery]

I agree with you on the unhappy part. The staff looked very stressed on my last cruise. I read awhile back on how the cruise workers are underpaid and work very long hours. I still enjoyed my vacation and tipped them more because some were actually very nice, but they did look very tired

 

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[lrowe70]

People didn't call you by name so it was a bad cruise? That seems extreme. Based On what you wrote in the pros it seems you had a great time.

[DKF97]

I agree that the crew can make or break a cruise. Sounds like the crew we encountered on the Sunshine. Its not stopping us from cruising with Carnival though because that was our 3rd cruise and that crew was the opposite of what we had experienced on the other 2 ships. We have 2 booked on the Dream this year. Can't wait!

[Fitzget]

Bummer on the poor cruise. Sometimes I feel like they put new, inexperienced crew on the older ships and they tend not to be as happy. Maybe it's just me, but I've found that on my short cruises on older ships, the crew are not nearly as good or as happy.

 

I haven't been on enough cruises to know for fact, but that's been my experience.

 

 

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[fishtaco]

I agree with you on the unhappy part. The staff looked very stressed on my last cruise. I read awhile back on how the cruise workers are underpaid and work very long hours. I still enjoyed my vacation and tipped them more because some were actually very nice, but they did look very tired

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

 

General/domestic Cruise staff are not underpaid!

 

Take an Indonesian bar steward from Bali. He would earn around $100 per month in Bali working from just after Breakfast to midnight,mainland Indonesia sometimes less than half that! An Indonesian Cruise worker is earning way more than $100 a month working on a cruise ship!

 

You cannot look at a cruise workers pay and relate it to your own base wage and economy you must relate it to the workers base wage and economy in there home land. This is why cruise lines use overseas employment agencies and employees for general staff because what seems to be a very small wage to us is a good wage to them.:)

[mawmawmaw123]

3. I keep seeing here how everyone calls you by name and how they are so friendly. I wore my sign and sail card on a lanyard all week. In the whole week, one person, (1) called me by name. I almost cried to find a friendly crew member.

Not even your waiter in the Main Dining Room???

[kybluecruiser]

General/domestic Cruise staff are not underpaid!

 

Take an Indonesian bar steward from Bali. He would earn around $100 per month in Bali working from just after Breakfast to midnight,mainland Indonesia sometimes less than half that! An Indonesian Cruise worker is earning way more than $100 a month working on a cruise ship!

 

You cannot look at a cruise workers pay and relate it to your own base wage and economy you must relate it to the workers base wage and economy in there home land. This is why cruise lines use overseas employment agencies and employees for general staff because what seems to be a very small wage to us is a good wage to them.:)

 

Exactly!!!!

 

Op sorry you feel like you had a bad cruise. I have yet to have a bad experience on her. She has a very loyal following. As many of us love cruising on her.

[Tapi]

The good news is that you can only go up from the Fantasy.

 

I would've not recommended the Fantasy to anybody. She may be the sentimental favorite of many who enjoy the convenience of a smaller ship from a nearby port of embarkation, but she will not provide a first time cruiser an accurate impression of what modern cruising is all about.

 

We do like Carnival but not the older Fantasy class ships so much. Our last Carnival cruise on the Dream was very enjoyable, in big part because it was a newer, larger ship with much more to offer. But if I have any negative comments about that sailing it would be exactly the fact that the crew looked and acted tired and overworked.

 

 

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Edited April 22, 2014 by Tapi

[maywell]

If not calling you by first name leads to a bad vacation, then I must have a bad life because rarely any English speaker (and some Hispanics) can pronounce my easy to spell name. Honestly, I rather hear "Hey, you" than someone butchering my first name - I get called different names that nowhere near the sound of it like Paula or Barbara...

 

Regarding the staff looking unhappy; ever work for customer service? Hard to smile afterwhile when some of your customers are down right complainers about anything. Some complain that don't see the room steward, some complain that they seem them too much. Some complain that they smile too much, or don't smile enough, or smile is forced and not natural. Some complain that the orange juice is too pulpy or not pulpy enough, Some customers complain that it cold outside or not cold enough. Some people complain that tables aren't clean in a minute, some complain that cleaning staff should had given them a 5 minutes before cleaning the table and/or taking dirty plates away. Etc, Etc, Just can't win in customer service, there's always someone unhappy about something - even God can't please everyone, watch someone complain that their favorite sport team didn't win because of the deity....

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Back Saturday from our cruise on the Fantasy out of Charleston. Good things 1st.

1. We liked the ship. Easy to find our way around.

2. We LOVED the comedy club.

3. Food was good. I have noticed a lot of people complain about the coffee on here, but I had no problem with it.

4. Drinks were good and no more expensive than some of the restaurants we eat at.

5. Met some nice fellow pax.

 

I sat here for 10 minutes trying to find something good to say. Sad. What we didn't like.

 

Actually you came up with more positives than negatives. Here's basically what you said:

 

1. The unhappy crew didn't give stellar service.

2. The cruise director was annoying.

 

You could divide any of the first 5 positives up into subcategories too, "1. We love the atrium area.... 2. We loved the Lido deck..."

 

Maybe if you were having a better time the cruise director wouldn't be so funny to mock, and the crew would have responded better? :confused:

[jay49307]

Sorry you think the cruise sucked.

DW and I are relatively new cruisers going on our 3rd in 10 days. We have had a blast every time. I will admit that on our 1st cruise the MDR staff did not know our names but we had anytime dining and didn't have the same server the entire week. On our 2nd cruise we had anytime dining and had such a pleasant experience with our MDR staff (Fernando and his team ROCK) that we requested his section every night. We would see him and his team out on the decks during the day and they always called us by name. I can only hope they are on our next cruise.

 

Hopefully you will not give up Carnival after 1 cruise. Try a different ship and port you might actually like it. I highly recommend the Legend ship isn't new but it was a great time.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Bummer on the poor cruise. Sometimes I feel like they put new, inexperienced crew on the older ships and they tend not to be as happy. Maybe it's just me, but I've found that on my short cruises on older ships, the crew are not nearly as good or as happy.

 

I haven't been on enough cruises to know for fact, but that's been my experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

NOT true at all. I have been on the Victory and had absolutely dreadfully horrible main dining room waitstaff and have had great waitstaff on Imagination and and Ecstasy. I have had great bartenders and photo gallery staff on the Sensation and terrible guest service staff on the Liberty and Glory. It's not the size of the ship that determines how good the crew is. Like any other workplace, leadership makes a huge difference. I have talked with crewmembers on older ships and some of them have been with the company for years upon years and they actually prefer to bid trips on them instead of the bigger, newer ships. If management makes life and work on the ship for those people fun and fulfilling, the workers will be happier at their jobs. Believe me, I have worked under great leadership and terrible leadership over the years and the general attitude is passed down from the top. I don't know if crewmembers can bid contracts for certain ships based on seniority or what, or if it some other criteria. Maybe someone knows the answer to that.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Sorry you think the cruise sucked.

DW and I are relatively new cruisers going on our 3rd in 10 days. We have had a blast every time. I will admit that on our 1st cruise the MDR staff did not know our names but we had anytime dining and didn't have the same server the entire week. On our 2nd cruise we had anytime dining and had such a pleasant experience with our MDR staff (Fernando and his team ROCK) that we requested his section every night. We would see him and his team out on the decks during the day and they always called us by name. I can only hope they are on our next cruise.

 

Hopefully you will not give up Carnival after 1 cruise. Try a different ship and port you might actually like it. I highly recommend the Legend ship isn't new but it was a great time.

 

I've never had a cabin steward not remember my name during a cruise. Not even the worst steward didn't know the names and faces of everyone in our cabin after the first day. Same with mdr staff. They are so hurried and overworked that it is harder for them to give personal attention to every table but they still remember everyone's name after you tell them once or twice at the most. I often don't get called by name at bars when I am getting sodas or a dod, but that is fine with me. Those guys and girls who do those jobs are far better and more patient than I could ever be if I was in their position.

[cruizinisthebest]

I enjoy the Fantasy Class ships. Sorry you didn't. Maybe a bigger ship would have made you happier.

 

My last cruise I never met my room steward. My husband did. Didn't really care. He kept my room in good shape and did his job. Not one complaint. Sorry it bothered you that you never met him (or her).

 

The crew looking stressed.....they are stressed. But by-in-large they keep smiling. Don't know what was going on with the Fantasy staff during your sailing.

 

Its always unfortunate to see someone spend their time and money on a vacation and come back unsatisfied. However you did post some positives. Maybe the trip wasn't so bad afterall.

[ccarpenter1963]

Thanks for all the advice and comments. To the person who asked, we went to the dining room one night. The waiter was actually very nice, I actually mentioned him when I filled out my survey. And another I always saw on the Lido deck.

 

And yes, I work customer service. I have bad days, but I don't look miserable for a week at a time.

 

I never said I had a horrible time, just that I had bigger expectations. If I can talk my daughter into it, I may cruise again, but she isn't exactly keen on going either. Several people we were friendly with on board who had several cruises under their belts said not to judge cruising from that cruise. They had some issues too.

 

It is what it is. We all have our opinions. I am entitled to mine as you are entitled to yours.

 

Off topic, Tapi, you are one of the posters on this board I like to read. I know it will be a fair post and I appreciate that.

[bobsfamily]

The good news is that you can only go up from the Fantasy.

 

I would've not recommended the Fantasy to anybody. She may be the sentimental favorite of many who enjoy the convenience of a smaller ship from a nearby port of embarkation, but she will not provide a first time cruiser an accurate impression of what modern cruising is all about.

Glad you have your opinion... and glad others have theirs... I WOULD suggest the Fantasy.

[bobsfamily]

 

And yes, I work customer service. I have bad days, but I don't look miserable for a week at a time.

 

I never said I had a horrible time, just that I had bigger expectations. If I can talk my daughter into it, I may cruise again, but she isn't exactly keen on going either. Several people we were friendly with on board who had several cruises under their belts said not to judge cruising from that cruise. They had some issues too.

 

It is what it is. We all have our opinions. I am entitled to mine as you are entitled to yours.

 

Perceptions are what they are, sorry it did not work out for you. Cruising might not be for you or possibly another cruise line. Good luck next time.

[ready2cruzagain]

OP, I have to agree with you. Personally, the Fantasy is the worst ship in the fleet IMHO. We sailed on the Fantasy 5 years ago and the staff were less than stellar then. We had the worst room steward I have ever encountered.

 

The Fantasy is the oldest ship but IMHO its staff is not happy at all, at least not on our cruise and can't blame it on the fact that it is an old Fantasy ship because we sailed the Fascination and had the best staff we have ever seen.

 

You really should try a different ship than the Fantasy because if I would have based Carnival on my Fantasy sailing, I would probably not sail Carnival again either.

[janetz]

Back Saturday from our cruise on the Fantasy out of Charleston. Good things 1st.

1. We liked the ship. Easy to find our way around.

2. We LOVED the comedy club.

3. Food was good. I have noticed a lot of people complain about the coffee on here, but I had no problem with it.

4. Drinks were good and no more expensive than some of the restaurants we eat at.

5. Met some nice fellow pax.

 

I sat here for 10 minutes trying to find something good to say. Sad. What we didn't like.

 

1. I keep hearing about the great service. Frankly I didn't see much of it. I realize they all have a lot to get done, but on the Lido deck the tables didn't get cleaned very often. Same way in the buffet.

 

2. I still don't know our room stewards name. Didn't even see him until Tuesday night after boarding Monday and then he just said hi and walked away.

 

3. I keep seeing here how everyone calls you by name and how they are so friendly. I wore my sign and sail card on a lanyard all week. In the whole week, one person, (1) called me by name. I almost cried to find a friendly crew member.

 

4. Shorty the Cruise director drove us batty with stupid stuff and when it was some thing important like Debarking, they have a silent one. Really? Having us stand in the halls for an hour before we moved an inch was a bit much. It would be nice to have direction instead of listening to the cabin stewards. Her "Chow for now" is what we now use to drive each other nuts.

 

5. A good third of the crew looked unhappy. Again, I realize they have a lot to do. And a third of them looked like they would rather be flogged than be there. You smile at them and they look at you like they don't know why you would do that.

 

Maybe, I listened to to many people tell me how wonderful it was and had my expectations too high. I don't know. I don't know that I really want to cruise again. But if I do, I can guarantee you it won't be out of Charleston. What a freaking cluster that place is. If they are all like that, I know I won't cruise again.

 

While we were waiting to embark and people were leaving from the previous cruise, my daughter said something about how none of them looked happy. After we finally got out of the port we looked the same way.

 

So there you have it. Any questions just ask.

 

 

I agree with Tapi. Tapi always responds in a kind way. Was this your first cruise? If not, what made you pick this ship? I suggest trying another line. ;)

[vacruizer]

Actually you came up with more positives than negatives. Here's basically what you said:

 

1. The unhappy crew didn't give stellar service.

2. The cruise director was annoying.

 

You could divide any of the first 5 positives up into subcategories too, "1. We love the atrium area.... 2. We loved the Lido deck..."

 

Maybe if you were having a better time the cruise director wouldn't be so funny to mock, and the crew would have responded better? :confused:

 

This points to a bad hotel director. I've learned over the years that occasionally you hit a ship where the crew just seems miserable. It's not the norm... but it happens. There have been times where I went back to the same ship later and it was like a whole new ship and sure enough, checked my old funtimes/capers and the hotel director had changed. Management can set a tone for a whole ship and there are always a few bad apples in any organization. Sounds like maybe the Fantasy currently has one of them.

[IPlayWithString]

I've never had a cabin steward not remember my name during a cruise.

 

On our first cruise, the Fascination, we saw our room steward CONSTANTLY.

Her name was a long, unprounouncable string of letters but I *think* she went by "Jai" for short. She was a tiny little woman, probably didn't weigh 100 lbs dripping wet and she was SO happy and enthusiastic all the time. She knew our names and was always saying hi to us and at the end of the cruise, she gave my son a HUGE hug and said she hoped to see him again.

 

Second cruise..on the Triumph..totally different experience. We NEVER saw our room steward and nobody seemed to know who he was. I ran into him by accident on the last night of our cruise when I went back to our cabin to grab a sweat shirt because we were in the Rome lounge waiting for a show to start and I was freezing my butt off. There was a guy in the hallway and he said, "Um..are you Mrs. String?" and I said, "Yes. Can I help you?"

 

He then identified himself as our room steward and gave a very weak apology for not saying hello to us sooner. I kind of was like, "Well. Ok." because I didn't know what else to say at that point. Our room was always made up by the time we got back in the evening, but I didn't get the impression he was in and out of there all the time the way Jai had been on our first cruise.

[sjn911]

OP..I think you were fair and real when a bunch of things come together to be the less than stellar experience and it is a first time..it is a bit off. As a customer service person..you have a clear view of reality in many respects. I have a pen pal from India that took a 5 star hotel chef apprenticeship and when his job after that ended..it has been hard to replace at his level and he said cruise ships were not what he wanted..though his cruise experience is definitely a not fancy one there for vacation and Fantasy class would be a lot higher in comparison...not so for his hotel work there....I am sure he knows about our ships and maybe the structure no is harder to climb up the ranks for as far as he has come.

 

I have had 2 Carnival cruises so far and both older ships..Fantasy and Spirit class a few years apart. Oddly the same issues were going on in the Spirit dining room especially for my time dining as a solo...really affected food being warm and edible.

 

So for me the best one was the Fantasy class..then the Paradise in Long Beach..versus an older but truly favored class..Spirit class.

 

So much can click on Carnival..new or old ships but the economy and new berth explosion in mass market and some tough luck on some ships and world news going to the extreme is affecting things an Carnival, income and crew happiness I think..and some tough luck with a few ships and major mishaps all the way up to the Sister Costa line sinking due to Captain..well this takes a while to overcome. I think it will balance out and all go in cycles but I am sure even another Fantasy class where all/most went right would change your mind. The management being good on a ship is even more important now in these challenging times and some cutbacks on pretty much all levels of travel and tourism..even luxury levels report this.

 

Definitely try another cruise, it you think it may be your travel style again, you can not judge it by this experience...a newer Carnival ship..or another line with other specialties on a newly updated or new ship or one that currently has a high satisfaction rate..there are always deals...and experiences like hotels and hotel stays and all inclusive land operations are BROAD and Varied.

 

Welcome home..and thanks for your honesty and level headed sharing of your dissatisfying experience, it always eventually improves things for the next guy I think...Sarah

Edited April 22, 2014 by sjn911