Never Again! Carnival is the single worst cruise line ever!

[Jimmy Geegitz]

That's what happens when u lose all your money in the casino.

[tonit964]

OP- It's fine if you didn't have a good cruise, you have complaints and you don't care for the cruise line but what is the purpose of telling lies.

 

Just be honest.

No need to lie about how things happened.

 

I highly doubt you're going to persuade people to start cancelling their Carnival cruises.

[NIATPAC29]

1. Sounds like you got pissed because of your embarking experience and everything else sucked for you because you already had your mind made up that it would based on that negative experience. A cognitive bias, if you will.

 

2. If your checking account was wiped clean by carnival in a week and you have no other means to even get out of the parking lot, you may want to take a look at priorities. Perhaps you were cutting it a little too close?

 

Maybe if you contact john heald and tell him how bad carnival sucks, he will hook you up with some strawberries or something.

 

Good luck with everything!

o u c h !!

[Just Another Member]

No. If you notice holds are in "Pending" status meaning they aren't in the vendor's account yet. They are just verifying that amount is available and it is set aside for a potential charge. Only when they are processed and physically deposited in their account do they start accruing interest.

 

Correct - and it can vary how frequent the company receives funds in their designated account from the card processor. Some large companies are daily, while some smaller businesses may be weekly or even monthly.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

I can't speak for every AmexCard - but the two I have do not require me to report any out of the country travel.

 

 

May not be a 'requirement' but common sense needs to play a factor. The credit card company can shut down your card if there is suspicious activity that is recorded by their fraud department. If they cannot contact you they will shut the card off. ALWAYS let you credit card company know.

[Shih-tzu]

Correct - and it can vary how frequent the company receives funds in their designated account from the card processor. Some large companies are daily, while some smaller businesses may be weekly or even monthly.

 

Makes sense. Thanks for explaining how that works.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

I was just going to post this. Amex does not require you to inform them when you leave the area or country. Never had a problem with them. Would never use a debit card. A credit card is the safest means of payment in the ports. Much better than cash. Why did Amex think you had a fraudulent charge?

 

 

If there is excessive spending somewhere other than your normal, Amex will contact you. If they don't get a confirmation they will shut your card off. I've had this happen with my Amex.

[Woodawg]

Let me know how that works out.

[CI66774]

OP - I've read your post a couple of times and still can't quite figure out what happened with the credit card. Why was it declined? Didn't you have another credit - not debit - card? If your original credit card was declined, then, read the small print, but I bet it authorizes Carnival to look to whatever other credit/debit cards you've used onboard to pay for the other charges. Call the feds? Yeah - your case is gonna big a big priority - not. Sorry you didn't like your cruise but it sounds as if your fare was quite cheap - so what do you expect?

[evandbob]

My AmEx no longer wants a call prior to international travel, they told me it's a waste of time and totally unnecessary.

 

It actually shouldn't be too hard for them to figure out where I am after I have charged flights, hotel and or cruise.

 

I have received calls from credit card companies including AmEx about what could be suspicious activity and have always had the situation resolved without losing access to credit lines.

[Just Another Member]

May not be a 'requirement' but common sense needs to play a factor. The credit card company can shut down your card if there is suspicious activity that is recorded by their fraud department. If they cannot contact you they will shut the card off. ALWAYS let you credit card company know.

 

It's not a common sense issue when it is not an option. For AmEx, no place to do it online and when I call the 800-number the representatives always say that they no longer take travel notifications. Been this way for a while now. :)

 

However, my Discover card did not work in San Juan, PR even after I reported it in advance.

[E&B]

I would never travel without a backup credit card. Once was out of town for work and was contacted by my bank about odd tiny authorizations. Turns out they weren't mine and was probably a scammer trying to see if my credit card number was valid. The bank immediately closed my account and opened a new one, but the card wouldn't arrive for at least a week. Had I not had a backup card, I would have been left with nothing.

[Jana60]

I won't sleep until Carnival goes bankrupt!

 

So you don't plan to sleep again in this lifetime? Hmmm......Let me know how that works out for you! :what:

[Jana60]

Sorry you had a bad cruise. I'm sure you will enjoy the other lines with white collar comedians more. ;)

 

Am I the only one that finds it amusing that the OP objects to blue collar comedians but has such low bank account balance and credit card limits that she's overdrawn by less than $2,000 in charges?

[Elaine5715]

Am I the only one that finds it amusing that the OP objects to blue collar comedians but has such low bank account balance and credit card limits that she's overdrawn by less than $2,000 in charges?

 

Yep, maybe someone was hoping the Powerball was a lock.

[Jana60]

I can't speak for every AmexCard - but the two I have do not require me to report any out of the country travel.

 

It is better to notify your credit card company where you're going prior to travel but if you forget you can always call them up when the card is denied and they'll ask some personal questions to confirm your identity but that being done they'll reactivate your card so that you can get home. What I really suspect is that for whatever reason his or her credit card was cancelled so he had to use his debit card to pay for something on the ship and Carnival used that card to pay his bill since no other card was active. Whether that was because he failed to pay his bill or because he was simply too stupid to call them up I do not know but I find myself less than sympathetic because of the superior way he referred to the blue collar comedian. I guess as an American I have a special fondness for blue collars! I'm a physician so as my lab coat has a white collar I guess I'm not a blue collar worker but our country was built by those blue collar workers he disparages!

Edited January 18, 2016 by Jana60

[Podna's]

This thread is not ringing true to me at all.

 

 

 

In your original post you said "it was a cold morning" and you had to wait 2 hours outside.

 

 

 

Now you're saying you arrived at your scheduled time between 1 and 3.

 

 

 

Which is it?

 

 

The only thing I'm buying is op went on a cruise where he was determined to find fault in almost everything. As for the other bs, he's all over the place. Nothing adds up. I'm feel sorry for the next cruise line he chooses.

[JVilleGal]

You call AM Ex and tell them there actions have caused you to be stranded and they will temporarily turn the card back on. You just need to make the call

[sprint180]

Sorry all this stuff happened. Is happening. I'd be a bit crabby too.

[hartwickds]

This thread is not ringing true to me at all.

 

In your original post you said "it was a cold morning" and you had to wait 2 hours outside.

 

Now you're saying you arrived at your scheduled time between 1 and 3.

 

Which is it?

 

Dude it was a cold morning... I stayed at LAX at a hotel the night before... Caught a shuttle to LAX around Noon for the shuttle.... Arrived at Long Beach at 1:45pm... What doesn't add up?

[hartwickds]

Sorry all this stuff happened. Is happening. I'd be a bit crabby too.

 

Thanks. Some people think I have a personal vendetta against carnival... I don't... However too many things went wrong...

[nednrom]

Apparently the American Express card was compromised sometime during the cruise and they couldn't get a hold of me and cancelled the card and area apparently mailing me a new card

I lost my Amex card on the rd ... a new card fedexed to me at the rental condo we were staying in the next day. They have authorization papers in every hotel room that can be completed ..Amex will authorize hotel payment. Please call them, I know what it feels like to not have your credit card avail.

[h3yitsvictoria]

You're the small group of people who will never be pleased. If you read bad reviews going into it, then how would you expect anything good?

 

I love Carnival!!!

[sunshine002]

I noticed you mentioned this was a deeply discounted cruise. I hope you get the same discounts on your preferred cruise lines.

 

I have done 18 cruises on Carnival (including the Miracle) as well as on RCL, Celebrity and Princess.

 

I have found I enjoy the food overall more on Carnival overall. Yes, not every meal is perfect but I found lot that is really good. (I did have a bad experience at the steak house, where the chef came out and apologized, but every other time the experience was outstanding.)

 

I agree standing outside in the cold for 2 hours is a drag, but I have done so for many a cruise but was inside the terminal. I know that Carnival is addressing this issue with the staggered check in.

 

I am old fashioned at heart, I just always put cash down when I register for the cruise online and then give a credit card at the terminal or at guest services.

 

I feel the issues you mentioned could of happened with any of the cruise lines.

[misslucy01]

I just returned from a 7 day cruise of the Mexicain Riviera on the Carnival a Miracle and where do I begin? By way of history I am a veteran cruiser, 9 times on Norweigan and 2 times on Celebrity. I rarely if ever complain and only do so when I am pushed to the edge. I read some pretty bad reviews about Carnival but decided to give it a try as I had been given a deeply discounted cruise through the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. I arrived the night before from Baltimore to LA in a great mood looking forward to get to the warm weather of Mexico. I booked my roundtrip transportation through the cruise line. It was reliable and uneventful. The bus dropped me off at Long Beach and I was directed to the most obscene line I have ever scene. It was a cold morning and we were made to stand outside in 40-50 degree weather for nearly 2 hours. I was advised by a supervisor that 7 people had called out sick, and as a result only 5 of 12 booths were being manned. I also came to find out that since I was on the first floor (window view) we were treated as less desirable and made to wait outside while nearly everyone else was allowed to check in the dome. By the time I got through the line 2 hours later I was miserable and numb and wanted to go home. I made it to my room and thought it was average. I didn't care for the decor. The room steward Johanna as great though. I found the food on the ship to be 2.5 out of 5. The main dining room food was a 2... I didn't once have anything outstanding. The steak house was a 3. I ate there twice as I couldn't stomach another day eating mediocre and subpar food in the main dining room. I found the entertainment to be okay, the shows good, but the comedians completely blue collar and frankly not funny.

 

The ports of call were good. The best excursion I ever have been on was in Cabo on the Luxury sail. Outstanding.

 

Disembarking was another pain... Took 25-30 minutes despite being group #2.

 

It is now the day after th cruise and I am attempting to fly back from LA to Baltimore. I went to the ATM to withdraw money only to find out that my checking account is overdrawn by $887. I say to myself ho can this be? Well good old carnival submitted my final bill. To the wrong credit card... Billed me $604 and change and $659. They never removed any of the holds, of $500, $300, $359,and $104.65. I called to address the issue and of course they are closed on Sunday. My bank is closed on Sunday. I get to a customer service representative for new bookings and after 1 1/2 hours I have been advised there is nothing that can b don!

 

Now I am stranded with no money when I should have $1800!

 

I won't sleep until Carnival goes bankrupt!

 

 

Would like to hear the other side of the story.......