1st Cruise Ever...Huge Disappointment-Carnival Liberty

[Jackie81]

I wanted to make Carnival (and others now) know of the sheer dissatisfaction of my very FIRST cruise experience EVER, via the Carnival Liberty from Galveston to Cozumel-10/27/16 to 10/31/16. I was sooo excited to celebrate my 17th year anniversary with my husband...and on a cruise for that matter! We never had the opportunity to honeymoon or vacation without the kids...so this was a HUGE deal! Okay, the trip....Thursday evening, after about an hour of leaving the Galveston port we noticed the ship turning around...an announcement was made that a guest had an accident and we were turning around to get them medical care. So, after we dropped that person off...off to sea again...The entire day Friday was spent raining and the ship majorly rocking (to the point everyone walking like they were drunk and some were vomiting in the hallways). Now I understand Carnival can't control weather, but just wanted to describe the experience thus far...We were initially scheduled to arrive at Cozumel around 9:30a Saturday morning...we arrived about 2:30pm because apparently one of the engines blew on the way, so we weren't able to travel at full speed...It was well after 3pm when we were allowed off the boat to explore the port. We had initially decided to choose an excursion upon arrival to Cozumel, but opted not to, as we were to be back on the ship at 7:00pm (less than 4 hours in Mexico). On our way back to Galveston, Sunday...more rain, more rocking...Oh and we paid for "internet service" that barely worked. Then, Sunday night, we were told because of the mechanical malfunctions of the ship, we would be late coming back on Monday. Try...we were scheduled to be back at 8:00am Monday and did not arrive back to the port until 6:00PM!!! As a bonus, they shut the AC off in our rooms before noon in hopes that we would get our luggage and wait on certain decks, so they could clean our rooms for the next herd of people scheduled for that evening...After disembarking, we finally made it to our car about 8:00PM! An entire day lost...not to mention a half day of work missed and childcare rearranging that inconvenienced several people. I felt horrible Tuesday (body aches, disoriented, headaches,etc), so decided to reach out to Carnival customer service on Wednesday. After waiting about 10 minutes, a woman came to the line, pulled up my booking and listened to my experience. I was very polite and explained that I wasn't asking for my money back, but maybe something for a future cruise...She unapologetically (was not sincere at all) said Corporate office has made the irrevocable decision that NO one from the 10/27 Liberty trip would receive ANY type of compensation...I asked if I could speak with someone else, and her snide remark was, you can speak to my Supervisor's Supervisor and it's not going to change a thing. The decision has been made and is final." I could not believe the sheer unconcern for their customers by Carnival! I had to go back to work at the time, so couldn't go round with the rep anymore and had to hang up...In a nutshell, I tried to extend the courtesy of keeping my experience between Carnival and myself (via customer service line), but since that was unsuccessful, I decided to take it to social outlets...Hopefully, others can read this and think twice before booking with Carnival. I know I am! 😪😞

 

Back in 2012, my husband and I took our first cruise for our Honeymoon/my birthday. I know when we got off the ship, we swore we would NEVER EVER cruise again, especially with Carnival, we had a horrible experience. Last year, we reluctantly booked another Carnival Cruise for August of this year. A different ship and different ports. We had the most incredible time. Within 6 weeks of being back, we booked ANOTHER Carnival Cruise for Summer 2017. We can't wait. I know you're probably discouraged, and feeling like your money could've been spent better somewhere else. I hope that once the sting of this experience wears off, you will try again. It really is an amazing time.

[Life_Traveler]

; my kids were screaming "woo Hoo" like they were cowboys and have hoped for rough seas ever since. I took a bonine out of precaution and blamed bouncing off the walls on one too many DOD! .

 

i am with your kids. i love rough seas. I dont get sick from all my time in the Navy and its like having the ship to yourself as everyone else is in there rooms. Took a Hawaii cruise and the first two days were like heaven leaving LA. Even the casino had lots of seating for me.

[AidenandCasensMommy]

I'm curious if travel insurance would have covered any of the delays you experienced?

[maldenmusic]

Not one positive thing? On our first cruise we got turned away from Mexico because of the swine flu but we still managed to have a good time and have taken 9 more Carnival cruises since then with 2 more booked.

[louanne93]

I am laughing so hard right now!

 

Sent from my VS985 4G using Forums mobile app

[ILCruzr]

If I understand your complaints, they are:

1)The ship had to turn around for a medical emergency; this can happen on any cruise, or even flight for that matter, and not Carnival's fault;

2) It was raining and rough seas; you are correct this is a mother nature issue and not a Carnival one.

3)You had a port stop shortened due to a mechanical issue; ports are missed all the time - but yes, this was a Carnival issue and I believe I read somewhere passengers received some OBC

4) As a result of the same mechanical issue, you were late getting back to port; I assume Carnival fed you, and had entertainment available during those extra hours, but didn't charge you more for your cruise?

5) You began to feel sick from an unknown cause on Tuesday and as a result, you decided to contact Carnival, about a future cruise credit.

 

Let me say as others have, you had less than the idea cruise experience. But as I noted above, medical emergencies, coast guard inspections, pier runners - all kinds of things can cause delay on a cruise ship. Likewise, having bad weather is no fun, but again, it is something that comes with cruising; one cruise returning back from Cozumel across the Gulf to Tampa we had 15-20' seas; my kids were screaming "woo Hoo" like they were cowboys and have hoped for rough seas ever since. I took a bonine out of precaution and blamed bouncing off the walls on one too many DOD! And lastly, mechanical issues can and due happen - and that can cause delayed or missed ports as well as late returns.

 

What I find interesting is that you were clearly willing to cruise Carnival again - afterall, you were seeking a future cruise credit - and only when that was denied did you decide they weren't the cruise line for you.

 

I understand having high expectations for a cruise, or an event; my first cruise I was so excited to swim with the sting rays in Grand Cayman - and seas prevented us from missing port. Yes, I was upset. But a massage, covered by the cost of the excursion I was no longer funding as well as returned port fees, made everything just peachy. And my response? I booked the same route the next year and enjoyed my sting rays then.

 

More recently, we were set to fly into Seattle the day before our Alaska cruise; we got hung in Chicago and it was looking like we weren't going to make it, we started making a back up plan. We would fly to Anchorage, rent a car and spend the week in and around Denali. Luckily, life didn't hand us the lemons, and we made the cruise, but had they been dumped in our lap, we would have made lemonade.

 

See, cruising is about an attitude. There is SO much beyond your control when you cruise from weather, to seas, to mechanics, that you simply must be able to go with the flow - no matter how much you looking forward to the trip. And you buy trip insurance to protect yourself if needed.

 

I am truly sorry that this was rough. But Carnival does, have as a general rule great customer service, and it doesn't seem to me that they did anything wrong. Perhaps cruising isn't for you and you would be better off with a more predictable vacation in the future.

 

Lucky for you, you had the money to bounce around Denali....not everyone can have the funds for that...be a bit more respectful.

 

I feel bad for the OP and they were just venting how Carnival didn't help her, which if I was in the OP's place I would be mad too. I am sweating bullets right because I am on the last sailing of the liberty before she drydocks...and if they canceled the cruise like they did to todays....we would have been stuck in Galveston. I think the point is, CCL needs to give more adequate communication to it's paying clientele. After all, we pay their paychecks by cruising with them.

 

And this is my 9th Carnival Cruise in 10 years....and I have one more booked for Feb.....I love cruising, so I am trying to be more open about this situation because this is a rare case....

[riclop]

Try another ship from other then galveston.

[Aquahound]

Try another ship from other then galveston.

 

Good advice. Although I don't think the port had a lot to do with the OP's issues, but the chaos of Galveston was the worst I have seen in 53 cruises. It's my least favorite embarkation port to date.

[mikem1977]

Lucky for you, you had the money to bounce around Denali....not everyone can have the funds for that...be a bit more respectful.

 

I feel bad for the OP and they were just venting how Carnival didn't help her, which if I was in the OP's place I would be mad too. I am sweating bullets right because I am on the last sailing of the liberty before she drydocks...and if they canceled the cruise like they did to todays....we would have been stuck in Galveston. I think the point is, CCL needs to give more adequate communication to it's paying clientele. After all, we pay their paychecks by cruising with them.

 

And this is my 9th Carnival Cruise in 10 years....and I have one more booked for Feb.....I love cruising, so I am trying to be more open about this situation because this is a rare case....

 

We are booked on this cruise also and definitely worried crazy that its going to be canceled last minute and we have five family members flying down from New york to Austin the day before just to go on this cruise with us. Might need to book a contingency vacation at the woodlands or some other resort.

[Ladydidi]

Sent from my SM-J700T using Forums mobile app

[GradUT]

If you are serious about pursuing your complaint (which I think has some validity), I suggest you contact one of the people listed on Christopher Elliott's website: http://elliott.org/company-contacts/carnival-cruise-lines/

 

(If you are not familiar with Christopher Elliott, he is a travel advocate who writes for the Washington Post and other publications. If you are not successful with your complaint to Carnival, you can contact Elliott and he often advocates for people in situations like yours.)

[poobears]

We cruised over Halloween on Triumph the weather was not ideal, it was cloudy and rainy off and on and COLD on deck, super windy too. The pool was more of a wave pool with massive waves and they had to shut them down every evening. Even with 2 blankets on the last sea day it was too cold to stay out on deck to watch the later movies for us. You know what, we still had a great time but there plenty of people complaining about the ship rocking and yes even going down to guest services demanding they do something about it. Like they could just flip a switch and make the ship stop rocking :rolleyes:

 

I was standing by one first time cruiser waiting to buy photos and she was going on and on saying she would never cruise again. That she knew she was going to be on a ship but she never expected to feel it moving all the time. I'm sure she called and tried to get her money back with all the drama she was stirring up in her group, they were all fired up. Claimed she had to stay propped up against the wall or she'd fall over and she didn't understand how other people could just walk around like nothing was happening. Well maybe it was the 4" wedges she was wearing?

 

Our internet package worked great no issue at all even with all the clouds. That surprised me, I expected it to be a bit spotty. I think people that have trouble with the internet may have trouble due to their devices. I know the few that mentioned it on the ship were using older phones with older operating systems.

 

Cruising isn't for everyone. 3 of my kids took their first cruise this time. 2 loved it and are totally hooked, the other loved the excursion but isn't sold on the cruising part. She will go again but just didn't love it like the other 2. It's probably not something she will do after she move out on her own unless she does a family one with us. It's just not for her, although that may change.

[VASOXFANN]

OP...proper punctuation is your friend!

Edited November 6, 2016 by VASOXFANN

[IPlayWithString]

On Royal, I think I paid $100 or so for 2 devices for the entire cruise. My kids were watching Youtube on the iPad, it worked that well.

 

I suppose it depends on what's expensive to you. A hundred bucks (which could go towards drinks or an excursion) is expensive to us. And if my son wants to watch Youtube..he can wait till he gets home. Youtube, Netflix and Hulu (which are pretty much all we watch at home since we don't have cable because of the expense) aren't going to go ANYWHERE in the five or seven days we are gone on vacation. We do bring cellphones and my husband's tablet for the trip down, but once we board the ship and can get to our room, those things go in the safe and don't come out until we're ready to debark.

 

If he wants to watch TV (and we try to limit that while we're on vacation anyway because again..it's JUST tv..nothing special really), then he can do so in our room in the afternoon when Hubs and I typically crash for an hour or two or at bedtime in the evening.

[ronandannette]

Looks like to me that the OP received an extra 10 hours on a cruise ship at no cost to her. Sounds like a win to me.:)

 

:rolleyes: Yeah, definitely. I "won" an extra 7 hours on the old Destiny when the propulsion conked out (which it did apparently a countless number of times) and the big POS had to be tugged part of the way back to Miami. We lost the cost of pre-paid arrangements in Miami and paid $$$ for changes to our flights (which the travel insurance company deemed to be "rearranged" at our own discretion, so not covered). No compensation from Carnival. Your flippant comment isn't very funny.

Edited November 6, 2016 by ronandannette

[jimbo5544]

:rolleyes: Yeah, definitely. I "won" an extra 7 hours on the old Destiny when the propulsion conked out (which it did apparently a countless number of times) and the big POS had to be tugged part of the way back to Miami. We lost the cost of pre-paid arrangements in Miami and paid $$$ for changes to our flights (which the travel insurance company deemed to be "rearranged" at our own discretion, so not covered). No compensation from Carnival. Your flippant comment isn't very funny.

 

 

If it happened on the Destiny, it was sometime ago. It is time to let it go.....

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[bakersdozen12]

To the OP: I'm very, very sorry that this happened to you on your first cruise. However, I don't think this should make your or anyone else give up on Carnival. This can happen to ruin a vacation no matter what type of vacation it is, whether it be a land vacation or cruise. Anyway, just don't write off cruising because they really can be lots of fun, and only in very rare cases do they get ruined like yours did.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Ahh...another reason that ultra cheap 3 or 4 day cruises are not my choice for a "cruise" vacation. Did one, once, and though we enjoyed ourselves we decided that these mini-vacations are best used for other purposes than relaxing or "getting away" from it all. Since everything is encapsulated into such a short time frame any hiccup in the schedule or planned itinerary becomes a bone of contention...there just isn't any "time" to right the ship, so to speak.

 

Of course these mini cruises are fine for their intended purposes but they do not really offer the experience that a week long or longer cruise can. They also travel such a short distance that localized weather can be a real issue, the ship doesn't have anywhere to go to outrun the weather system. And traveling during hurricane season, fall, and early winter, though financially a benefit, leaves weather and rough seas as a potential threat for almost any cruise.

 

Through trial and error we have learned that sometimes it is better to bite the bullet, pay a bit more, and do cruises that are longer, at a more weather stable time of year with ports a bit farther from embark ports. Of course mechanical issues can rear their ugly heads at any time but that is life and something you learn to live with....just like a no snow year when you've long planned a winter ski vacation.

[BenjiRodney]

Unless you spoke to someone at guest services and they opened an incident report, I doubt Carnival will do anything as it will be considered a completed cruise. So sorry you had issues but best to speak up on the ship as things happen. Getting ready for Carnival Cruise #15. #16-17-18 already booked as well.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[berrieh]

OP, I think your strategy of waiting a day and then calling because you felt sick makes no sense and this is part of where you went wrong, along with lumping things that are obviously just bad luck in with your complaint (bad weather, medical issues, etc).

 

The only complaints I can see that are really "valid" are 1) internet package, if it didn't work on your device (should report during cruise right away if it wasn't worth getting, they would've refunded likely) and 2) the late return, which inconvenienced many passengers. I'm not sure if they worked with anyone who had to actually deal with flights, etc (it sounds like that wasn't your issue), or what your being sick the next day had to do with it. If there was a complaint to be issued, you would've been better off doing so onboard, at the time. They are probably not taking after-the-fact complaints as policy, as they said. I can see the logic in that, but also in your frustration with it.

 

The Liberty had to cancel the following cruise, I believe (or one shortly after) for the same issue and gave lovely compensation (full refunds, plus 100% towards a future cruise of similar length/cost, plus $90 for expenses incurred at the port, waiting to board (they never left apparently). Two upcoming sailings were changed to Progresso and also got some compensation across the board, I believe (and people can cancel for a full refund if they want, now hearing the news). It seems Liberty desperately needs that Dec. 1 dry dock, sadly.

 

RE: internet package

 

My husband has gotten the internet package before (I couldn't care less, I bring my devices but games/movies/shows/books are all downloaded... I want no news from the world) and it worked poorly at one point on his iPad. I think it might've been the device because it worked fine on his phone but he wanted it for the iPad (worked fine on newer iPads as well, it seemed, or maybe just something with his). He went to Guest Services after about 24 hours of trying with it, showed them the issue with the iPad, and they immediately refunded and did not revoke the internet. Just complaining about this sort of thing after the fact seems like a poor strategy. They can refund then and there, and they will. (For some, they may revoke the internet when they refund, of course, but if it's working so poorly, why not do that? That's what my husband was going to do but he was very good natured so they threw him a bone when he mentioned it did work on my devices and his phone but he bought it specifically for the iPad.)

 

Though, truthfully, I don't think their internet is the greatest by far. If internet is super important to you, then that is something to consider. I've not been on other lines since they've had affordable internet so cannot really compare (been on other lines, it just wasn't recent).

[13cheermom]

And traveling during hurricane season, fall, and early winter, though financially a benefit, leaves weather and rough seas as a potential threat for almost any cruise.

 

Through trial and error we have learned that sometimes it is better to bite the bullet, pay a bit more, and do cruises that are longer, at a more weather stable time of year with ports a bit farther from embark ports. Of course mechanical issues can rear their ugly heads at any time but that is life and something you learn to live with....just like a no snow year when you've long planned a winter ski vacation.

 

THIS. . . . You make the choice of when and how to cruise, however you must accept the consequences as they happen. We tried cruising during hurricane season 2 different years and decided it was not for us due to changes in itineraries both times. We didn't complain about it just accepted it because it was after all OUR choice to cruise during this time. So tired of people complaining when THEY made the choice to begin with.

[debster11]

Yeah because it's Carnival's fault that someone broke their leg, that the weather was bad, that the engine had issues. Really? I don't normally comment on these types of posts because half the time I think it's someone just trying to cause drama, but wow! I just don't get the thinking of some people.

Edited November 6, 2016 by debster11
correct spelling of a word

[SadieN]

.............I felt horrible Tuesday (body aches, disoriented, headaches,etc), so decided to reach out to Carnival customer service on Wednesday. ........

 

 

Mal de barquement is a well known fact of cruising. Your body got used to the ocean, now it's getting used to land. I chose to ignore it, others will take some Dramamine.

[TrinaLC]

I'm no Carnival cheerleader, but OP's complaints strike me as over the top.

 

Neither the weather nor the return to port was caused by Carnival.

 

Mechanical breakdown can be attributable to the cruiseline, but these things happen, and the only consequence was a delayed return, which yes, is an inconvenience, but how can that ruin the entire trip?

 

I would suggest cruising is not the right vacation for the OP. All of the above could happen on any line, even a luxury line.

[tef43]

Suck it up,, buttercup.