Find a better cruise line!!!!

[SMN73]

So for what things should a cruiser do research to ensure that what is stated is actually what they receive? How does one know which things might not be as they are stated on the cruise line's website? I think it's ridiculous that a person should have to verify that "sofa bed" means "sofa bed". Should they also have to verify that "bathroom" includes a shower or tub, and is not a half bath?

 

I think you are trying to split hairs. My point was that a simple search on this forum alone for the room number she booked would have shown her that there was a problem. Maybe it is naive of me to think most people on this forum do searches and research on their specific booked rooms. But in this case it would have prevented a lot of issues.

[m*u*g*]

[akcruz]

I think you are trying to split hairs. My point was that a simple search on this forum alone for the room number she booked would have shown her that there was a problem. Maybe it is naive of me to think most people on this forum do searches and research on their specific booked rooms. But in this case it would have prevented a lot of issues.

 

Agreed, everyone should not have to research each part of their cruise, however the OP themselves said they were concerned about there being a sofabed and kept asking about it each time they talked to RCI. If they were so concerned a little research on their end should have been done.

 

Should the cruise line show accurately what is in the room, absolutely. Should the cruise line reps know what is actually on the ship, absolutely. However, as anyone who has been on this site at all knows they always don't. A little due diligence on something that is important to someone goes a long way, not just asking the same people the same thing over and over.

[kevinsgirl88]

I think you had your mind made up before going on this cruise. :rolleyes:

Considering the fact that you said carnival did not have what you were looking for.

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[Artemis]

I don't have a lot of tolerance for people who don't do their homework. With that said, RCI's use of a chair for a bed is just plain odd, and RCI's website fails to make the chair vs. sofa distinction clear. So I don't fault OP for not discovering this fact on her own. She logically called RCI to be sure, apparently multiple times pre-cruise, and each rep reportedly confirmed third person bedding, but no one told her the third bed was a chair instead of a sofa. CC regulars are not surprised--the call center folks are frequently clueless or just plain wrong. And now, OP has not heard back on this complaint post-cruise. Again, CC regulars are not surprised. I am a loyal cheerleader and stockholder, so it pains me to say, RCI's shoreside operations are too-frequently embarrassingly deficient.

 

Now, I have a completely different opinion about onboard operations. We have always found the ship's personnel to be responsive and, when necessary, customer-oriented problem solvers. I lay full responsibility on OP for not getting this resolved on the ship. There are clearly many factors at work--attitude chief among them. But polite persistence with Guest Relations and Hotel Director's staff would have produced a better result, and has been pointed out, an alternate path to better bedding existed in the stateroom attendant and working up that chain.

 

 

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[S.S.Oceanlover]

Should they really have to "ask a million questions" in order to make sure that what's called a sofa bed really is a sofa bed? Why would an average cruiser even think to question that?

 

I agree. While i don't agree with the vast majority of the OP's post she did call and ask the cruise line. It is their ship and they should know.

 

If you are a new cruiser what are you supposed to do? I called the cruiseline but I bet they are wrong so i better see if there is a forum online that would know the correct answer.

 

Who thiks like that, especially someone who doesn't cruise a lot on a certain cruise line?

 

Bill

[DebJ14]

We've had the dreaded "chair bed" on the Rhapsody and on the NCL Dawn. Both times we were traveling with our teenage son. He was a football player and very broad shouldered. No way could he sleep on either chair bed. He just didn't fit.

 

My DH and I ended up taking turns sleeping in the chair bed. We had the queen bed taken down to 2 twins. No big deal as it was only for a week.

 

These days if there are 3 of us we travel in nothing less than a GS on RCCL or Carnival and a 2 bedroom family on NCL or we just get a second room.

 

No way would DH and I travel with any of our parents in the same cabin. Before he died, we took my FIL on several cruises on RCCL and Carnival and got him an inside cabin directly across the hall from our suite. Everyone had their privacy and we had the extra room in the cabin and on the balcony when he stopped by to visit. All it takes is $$$ to fix the situation.

[halos]

If I went on a cruise with my hubby and Mother in the SAME cabin and had never done that before, I would want everyone to be happy, including myself.

If I thought I had it "wired" and knew what to expect, and it did not look like

what I expected, my anxiety would have gone up immediately!

 

.

 

If I sailed with two other adults in a regular sized cabin, I'd shoot myself.

:eek:

 

:p Seriously, the OP's complaints are those of a novice cruiser. After she gets a couple more under her belt and gets the hang of it, she'll be OK.

 

I'd also like to thank the person who edited then reposted the original post because I honestly couldn't read through the original.

[DebJ14]

I agree. While i don't agree with the vast majority of the OP's post she did call and ask the cruise line. It is their ship and they should know.

 

If you are a new cruiser what are you supposed to do? I called the cruiseline but I bet they are wrong so i better see if there is a forum online that would know the correct answer.

 

Who thiks like that, especially someone who doesn't cruise a lot on a certain cruise line?

 

Bill

 

Yes, they should know. But many cruise line res agents have never set foot on a cruise ship and have no idea. They are looking at the deck plans just like the consumer and sometimes it appears they have never seen a deck plan before.

 

A CLIA certified TA comes in handy in cases like this. To get certified they have to sail on a certain number of cruises across multiple cruise lines and have to sail short as well as longer cruises to qualify and they must do ship inspections, in addition to the courses they must take. They can't use the same cruise lines they sailed on for their Certified Cruise Counselor when they get their Master Cruise Counselor So, at least you know someone with an MCC or above has experienced multiple cruises on multiple cruise lines.

[cruzeluvr]

OP,

Sorry that you had such a poor experience.

 

FWIW - I have sailed Carnival 3 times, several years apart, (gave them several chances) and have had mediocre service from all departments each time. The last time, it was so bad that I went to guest services and adjusted the tips in half. I was so annoyed by the lack of service that I wanted to eliminate all the tips, but my wife convinced me to just cut them instead of removing them in the entirety. That being said, I would still consider Carnival under certain circumstances, but I would do so with much lower expectations.

[Cruising89143]

To be fair I was with you on he bed thing and I would have been upset too.

 

Then I lost you. I fear that first incident stopped you enjoying the rest.

 

Bingo. Also the fact that some of her facts were wrong such as the charge for steak and lobster makes me think twice about some of the review. Hope she enjoys her future cruises on Carnival. Been there....done that and that ship sailed long ago.;):eek:

Edited July 9, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Deatsch]

I honestly wonder if the op has any clue what a paragraph is.

[Merion_Mom]

My take away is completely different and just a small part of the whole story. He said the solarium pool and hot tub (he said Jacuzzi, but that is a personal scratching the chalkboard issue for me :) ) was open 24 hours?

 

That is my biggest gripe with RC lately. On both of my last two cruises, Jewel and Majesty, there were 0 open hot tubs after dinner. One of my favorite things about cruising or even when I am home, is a relaxing soak in warm (101F)+ water before bed.

 

I shouldn't have that problem on Freedom, but I do remember once on Freedom we couldn't use the 4 hot tubs in the solarium because of a dance party and only one on the pool deck wasn't full of kids and above 98.6. Even on Allure in 2011 it was an adventure to find one.

 

She.

[DorothyMantooth]

OK, being a both a cruise novice and a CC newbie, I wasn't going to post, but for some reason this thread remains on my mind.

 

I guess I don't get the hostility toward the OP? (Mind you not everyone's responses are this way, but some are just so angry!)

 

The OP did not get the cabin she thought she reserved after various conversations with RCI. And then, when she tried to remedy the situation nobody could help her. On top of that, the employees on the ship couldn't even tell her about her room's features/amenities (that the chair opened to a bed). That seems like poor customer service to me.

 

The rest of the stuff - the quality of food, entertainment, etc. is just opinion. All reviews are. The stuff she hated, others would love. Whatever. To each their own.

 

The uproar over the paragraph spacing (or should I say lack thereof) is actually quite hysterical. The things people get themselves in a twist over!

Edited July 10, 2014 by DorothyMantooth

[temple1]

To the OP, I don't know what you're trying to post - good, bad, rant or praise. I looked at your post and saw a mass of words.

 

Please remember, Paragraphs are your friend. Good luck with whatever it was you were trying to express.

[truckswain]

OK, being a both a cruise novice and a CC newbie, I wasn't going to post, but for some reason this thread remains on my mind.

 

I guess I don't get the hostility toward the OP? (Mind you not everyone's responses are this way, but some are just so angry!)

 

The OP did not get the cabin she thought she reserved after various conversations with RCI. And then, when she tried to remedy the situation nobody could help her. On top of that, the employees on the ship couldn't even tell her about her room's features/amenities (that the chair opened to a bed). That seems like poor customer service to me.

 

The rest of the stuff - the quality of food, entertainment, etc. is just opinion. All reviews are. The stuff she hated, others would love. Whatever. To each their own.

 

The uproar over the paragraph spacing (or should I say lack thereof) is actually quite hysterical. The things people get themselves in a twist over!

 

I don't think anyone should be surprised when such a negative rant on a RCCL message board is met with responses that are less than sympathetic. It boggles my mind when people post "don't dare criticize Royal here as it is forbidden". Duh! what do you think will happen when the majority of readers and posters on this board are loyal to royal?

 

I have learned a great deal from people who have intelligently posted about issues they have experienced and the steps taken to resolve the issue. To the OP enjoy Carnival it is who you should cruise with.

[janetz]

I don't think anyone should be surprised when such a negative rant on a RCCL message board is met with responses that are less than sympathetic. It boggles my mind when people post "don't dare criticize Royal here as it is forbidden". Duh! what do you think will happen when the majority of readers and posters on this board are loyal to royal?

 

I have learned a great deal from people who have intelligently posted about issues they have experienced and the steps taken to resolve the issue. To the OP enjoy Carnival it is who you should cruise with.

 

 

 

Worse, try a negative rant on the Carnival board. They will chew you up over there. That board even has a "clean it up thread" at the top of the board. :)

Edited July 10, 2014 by janetz

[Tapi]

She slept on the chair bed but in the picture on the website it was a sofa not a chair. ;)

 

You do know that those are generic pictures, and if you go on the Carnival website, you'll also see generic pictures as well, so it won't be long before you are disappointed at Carnival because your cabin didn't look just like the picture. :rolleyes:

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited July 10, 2014 by Tapi

[Tapi]

Double post

Edited July 10, 2014 by Tapi

[LindaO]

OK, being a both a cruise novice and a CC newbie, I wasn't going to post, but for some reason this thread remains on my mind.

 

I guess I don't get the hostility toward the OP? (Mind you not everyone's responses are this way, but some are just so angry!)

 

The OP did not get the cabin she thought she reserved after various conversations with RCI. And then, when she tried to remedy the situation nobody could help her. On top of that, the employees on the ship couldn't even tell her about her room's features/amenities (that the chair opened to a bed). That seems like poor customer service to me.

 

The rest of the stuff - the quality of food, entertainment, etc. is just opinion. All reviews are. The stuff she hated, others would love. Whatever. To each their own.

 

The uproar over the paragraph spacing (or should I say lack thereof) is actually quite hysterical. The things people get themselves in a twist over!

 

Sometimes 'frankness' is confused with angry.

 

The OP said that guest services asked her to give them time to look into the problem. She wasn't patient. Her mom went to talk to Guest Services and received the same response. Sometimes, no matter how many times the question is asked the answer is just the same. If the OP had taken the time to really research the cabin she booked, she would have easily found that cabins sleep a certain number, but the configuration is not guaranteed. Sometimes things happen, furniture gets switched. If the OP had asked the stateroom attendant, they would have been happy to explain the chair turned into a bed. They also had the option for the pullman bed. Anytime you put three adults in a cabin you have to be willing to adjust the sleeping arrangements. They are tight. She would have been better to spend a little more up front for a larger stateroom that would have avoided all her problems.

 

And, you have to admit... reading the original post was almost nauseating...

 

If the OP came back to this thread, I'd have to ask... if the bed hadn't been an immediate problem would the other items been even mentioned?

[Big_G]

If I sailed with two other adults in a regular sized cabin, I'd shoot myself.

:eek:

 

 

Unfortunately the OP failed to recognize that was actually her first problem and not the bed. ;)

[SeagoingMom]

Wow. Just wow. It is astonishing to me how much "blaming the victim" there is on this thread!

 

Granted, the OP's post was a little intimidating structurally. We are not all writers, or even teachers.

 

I am very disturbed to know that I might unwittingly book a cabin with a sofa bed on RCI and get a sofa chair. This would indeed make me hot under the collar, as it did the OP -- especially after so many checks on RCI and assurances that the passenger would get what she was told she was getting. We never book a cabin without a sofa, and if we booked a cabin with a sofa and got a chair instead, we would have been defrauded, plain and simple. The passenger should not be required to do research to verify that what the cruise line says is actually true. Whether or not pre-booking research is helpful is not the issue -- OP did her research with the cruise line, and as concerns this issue, that should be sufficient. It was not. Boo, RCI!

[DorothyMantooth]

I don't think anyone should be surprised when such a negative rant on a RCCL message board is met with responses that are less than sympathetic. It boggles my mind when people post "don't dare criticize Royal here as it is forbidden". Duh! what do you think will happen when the majority of readers and posters on this board are loyal to royal?

 

 

Ok ... see then that's my "bad." I didn't realize that the RCI forum was essentially just a fan group of the cruise line. While I certainly expected that there would be folks out there that loved this particular line I did think this forum was a place to post reviews/observations/questions good OR bad. Duly noted. I will keep this in mind as I read and post.

 

Worse, try a negative rant on the Carnival board. They will chew you up over there. That board even has a "clean it up thread" at the top of the board. :)

 

I've never read the Carnival forum. Now I am curious ... and I'll have to check it out.

 

 

If the OP had taken the time to really research the cabin she booked, she would have easily found that cabins sleep a certain number, but the configuration is not guaranteed. Sometimes things happen, furniture gets switched.

 

And while I get what you are saying about this, we'll have to agree to disagree. I would argue that she DID take the time research this. If you contact the company directly several times, that should really be enough. They had apparently promised her something that they did not deliver.

 

But really, making my point is a losing battle here as Truckswain pointed out. So I really should just quit while I'm ahead. (I know, I know, I'm not really ahead will be the next argument, etc.)

 

 

And, you have to admit... reading the original post was almost nauseating...

 

 

Hard to read? Yes. Nauseating? No.

[maureencruiser]

If this post was about how great RC was everyone would be giving high praise for a positive report.

 

But since it is a negative report, everyone just wants to condemn her punctuation & dismiss the problems as trivial.

 

How Typical for this site. (but not everyone)

 

Mat, You can't have it both ways. You criticized someone on my Carnival review for writing one big paragraph.

 

OP, I'm sorry you didn't like RC. Sweet sailing in the future. :)

[jojoanddash]

I am sorry that you didn't enjoy your cruise on RCI.

 

Out of interest, when you didn't get a satisfactory response from the staff at guest services, did you ask to speak with a supervisor/duty manager who might have been able to deal with your complaints in a better way?

 

It would have been so much better to get resolution whilst still on the ship rather than trying to get responses now the cruise is over.

 

I hope you reconsider sailing with RCI again as the ships and crew are usually spot on :)

 

Yes I did speak to the supervisor and he knew less than the first guy lol go figure. I actually spoke with 4 different people and they all had a blank confused look on their faces and I finally had to leave before I lost my temper and was thrown off the trip. I do want to make it clear that I enjoyed my trip with the land excursions and we did our own tour from Seward to Denali the only thing ruined was my opinion of what I thought was one of the best cruise lines on water.