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Bad experience on the Breeze. Worried about lack of cleanliness


dulcemariamar
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2 minutes ago, Nic6318 said:

 

 

….and...what are you going to do about it? 

 

You know there are other cruise lines. Pick the one that you think is up to your standards and stick with them, until you are not happy, then you can find someone else. 

 

There is no reason to stick with one cruise line if you are unhappy. Just be aware that funny ship smells, rusty stuff, worn furniture, carpets, happen. 

 

If I didn't I enjoyed myself, I wouldn't try to repeat the experience. If I did enjoy myself, but noticed certain things that were somewhat bothersome, I would just ignore them. It's just the way I assess things, because nobody is forcing me to pick any given cruise. It is my/your choice, if I/you make a bad choice, make it a learning experience and do it better the next time.

What am I going to do about it?

 

Well I made a post on here about it to see if I was the only who noticed that there seems to be a dip in quality and I also filled out the survey.

 

I don't understand why every post here has to be unicorns and rainbows. You can also talk about your not so great experiences. There was over 4,000 people on my cruise. I am sure that a lot of people had a lot of fun and did not have the same complaints. But as you can see in my thread, I am not the only person here who had been disappointed with their cruise. I have enjoyed Carnival in the past and I wish it would improve.(And I could care less about things like table cloths in the MDR) 

 

And I try to reply to people since they take their time out to write on the post.

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We got off the Breeze in May.  It was my most hated cruise ship and I have been nearly on all their ships (except for the Horizon and Vista) and have been on over 31 Carnival Ships maybe more.  

In February we were on the Elation, the ship was well maintained, but using the rest rooms there were times that there was no toilet paper, towels and even soap.  Happens to be we booked three weeks out and didn't have any choice of rooms, ended up with a cove balcony (which I won't go there about all the noises during the night as it was under the galley) and my room basically was next to the elevator outside the casino which is where we hung out each night, so I was fortunate to get into the elevator and use my own bathroom.  The food in the lunch buffet is a joke!  There was no meat carving after the first day boarding.  She did not have a steakhouse so we were stuck in the MDR but I have to say it wasn't as bad as the Breeze.  The drink package on the Elation was disappointing, I had trouble in every bar getting a better brand alcohol and were turned down many times for grey goose and kraken rum.

 

Breeze:

We had oceanview balconies, fortunately we did not smell anything on our deck but heard other passengers complaining of the smells.  I didn't find the ship to be full of stains and such, but I went in May and anything can happen within 3 months.  I did notice stains on the tables of the buffet which easily could be fixed, didn't look nice.  The bathrooms, I had the same issues and they really weren't cleaned well...I had to use the bathrooms as my cabin was further away from the casino.  I don't recall ever seeing anybody cleaning the bathrooms...on Royal Caribbean you always see somebody cleaning the bathrooms!

 

Our worst bacon experience was on the Breeze, they would have a server for the bacon but bring a "dish" of bacon out and the breakfast buffet line was always horrendous!!  They had like 32 pieces of bacon on the plate, served like 8-9 people and ran out of bacon and you had to wait another 15 minutes or so for bacon and this kept repeating so the lines were horrible for breakfast.  The breakfast buffet lines turned my other half off and trust me, he is a very patient person and the lunch buffets were a joke!  If your into the fast food stuff like guys burgers (which we hate and never eat) and just mediocre foods you be happy....I didn't starve at all because Carnivals cakes are the best!!  I ate two pieces of cake each day for lunch and I don't eat sweets only on holiday but there was no meat carving and no veggies so I had no choice.  

 

The steakhouse is still our most favorite specialty restaurant at sea, the Italian place was fine, but what made it very special is Chef Santosh really made sure we were taken cared of and he had a special meal for us too in both the steakhouse and the Italian restaurant, thanks to my friend Chef Santosh!!  We did eat in the MDR twice, it was what it was.....I ate didn't go hungry.  We were so turned off by the wait for late night pizza we stopped going.

 

With having these last two carnival cruises under our belt this year, my other half said he is not going on the Mardi Gras and to cancel October 16th, which means the entire family is going with a total of 9 rooms so those who want to get on this ship, there be rooms opening down the road for you.  We staying with RC and like to try Celebrity and back to Princess.  Carnival needs to really get their act together, but since they got hit with that hefty huge fine, they seem to have declined alot more.  Probably have to make up what they paid.

 

 

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When things like this happen you need to let them know!!!! Go to guest services and offer feedback and use the survey and the end of the cruise. If no one tells them how can they at least try to improve the service. I hate to be negative while on my cruise but I do make them aware of issues that are happening so that they can attempt to fix it. Some issues are ship related some are corporate related either way we as customers need to tell them or we won't create any change.

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30 minutes ago, dulcemariamar said:

What am I going to do about it?

 

Well I made a post on here about it to see if I was the only who noticed that there seems to be a dip in quality and I also filled out the survey.

 

I don't understand why every post here has to be unicorns and rainbows. You can also talk about your not so great experiences. There was over 4,000 people on my cruise. I am sure that a lot of people had a lot of fun and did not have the same complaints. But as you can see in my thread, I am not the only person here who had been disappointed with their cruise. I have enjoyed Carnival in the past and I wish it would improve.(And I could care less about things like table cloths in the MDR) 

 

And I try to reply to people since they take their time out to write on the post.

 

Hi again

 

Apart from your mentioning it here for the rest of us to understand, you are also taking note of a "dip in quality". 

 

So, similar to the way I make my assessment, I take it you are saying, the issues you experienced don't rise to a level where you would make a permanent change to your cruise line choices "yet". 

 

You have been a member of this site for a number of years, perhaps you don't review what is being said very often, so, you may not have seen that very similar comments as yours are regularly being made. The only reason I worded my comment the way I did is that since the issues you bring up are recurring, as a customer we always need to be aware that the only way to make a real statement to any company whose service we are dissatisfied with, is to choose a different option.

 

If comments on a site like this or complaints on a survey were sufficient, then the issues wouldn't be recurring. The companies have already made their business decision on the way they maintain their equipment. They aren't letting it deteriorate completely and they understand that at times some will view certain things negatively, but feel it is in their best interest to continue maintain things the way they do. 

 

hope this helps

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13 hours ago, coevan said:

True, and also we try not to sail in summer or holiday times!

 

It's only one reporters opinion, most of the reviews are nothing like Dulce experienced. you should still love the Breeze. We've heard people rip the Steakhouse, and we have never had anything less than an excellent experience. 

 

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1 hour ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

The steakhouse on all of Carnivals ships is the best and that includes all the specialty restaurants on Royal Caribbean.

 

If the Carnival ship has a steakhouse you be sure we have gone every night for dinner there, its fantastic overall.

That is a very subjective statement. I don’t even think all the steakhouses on Carnival ships are as good as each other. 

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I found the food in the steakhouse on the Pride to be much better than the food in the steakhouse on the Breeze. 

 

Also, I thought the food in Wonderland on the Anthem, Vintages on the Oasis, Ocean Blue and Le Bistro on NCL Breakaway to be better than any of the Carnival steakhouses I’ve tried. That’s why I say your statement is just your opinion not fact.

Edited by Jerseygirl1416
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8 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

This isn’t going to happen, since Carnival is moving in a different direction. I understand a lot of comments similar to yours I read online concerning changes Carnival has made. Most of these issues don’t bother me and allow Carnival to continue offering extremely competitive fares. If you are looking to be pampered on a cruise, Carnival is definitely not the cruise line for this these days. 

Well, if Carnival is content to leave their passengers with a filthy environment, and if they are content to continue failing CDC inspections, and if they are content to have their ships' furniture dirty and stained, and if they are content to lose loyal customers who have been sailing with them for decades, then more power to them.  Honestly, I am sad about this change in Carnival culture.  We used to have the best times.  It's almost like losing a long time friend.  I am personally shocked that they've lowered their standards to the depths that they have.

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6 hours ago, leela8 said:

When things like this happen you need to let them know!!!! Go to guest services and offer feedback and use the survey and the end of the cruise. If no one tells them how can they at least try to improve the service. I hate to be negative while on my cruise but I do make them aware of issues that are happening so that they can attempt to fix it. Some issues are ship related some are corporate related either way we as customers need to tell them or we won't create any change.

Oh - I've let them know, but the truth is they don't care.  They would have hired more staff.  My Pride cruise in January was not the first time I'd had to clean my own bathroom... It was about the 5th time in the course of 3 years.  It is all about reduced staffing and Carnival Does. Not. Care.

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7 hours ago, leela8 said:

When things like this happen you need to let them know!!!! Go to guest services and offer feedback and use the survey and the end of the cruise. If no one tells them how can they at least try to improve the service. I hate to be negative while on my cruise but I do make them aware of issues that are happening so that they can attempt to fix it. Some issues are ship related some are corporate related either way we as customers need to tell them or we won't create any change.

 

I did go down to Guest Service to complain the smells outside my cabin. They did send someone and they did something that fixed the issue until the last day. When they called to follow up, I said that the problem was better but that the bad smells were throughout the ship. They said they would look into it but I heard nothing back from it.

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18 minutes ago, Taters said:

Well, if Carnival is content to leave their passengers with a filthy environment, and if they are content to continue failing CDC inspections, and if they are content to have their ships' furniture dirty and stained, and if they are content to lose loyal customers who have been sailing with them for decades, then more power to them.  Honestly, I am sad about this change in Carnival culture.  We used to have the best times.  It's almost like losing a long time friend.  I am personally shocked that they've lowered their standards to the depths that they have.

 

I totally agree with this. It was surprising and disappointing. I loved sailing with Carnival and I try to give things a chance. I mean Elation wasnt in great shape but it just felt cleaner. 

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1 hour ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Taters-  I agree, I been cruising with Carnival for 40 years and it is a shame, we cancelled our upcoming Carnival cruises and staying with RC.

 

Hi

 

For those that are still frustrated and confused with Carnival, look how easy it is...now she doesn't have to be disappointed with Carnival's deteriorating product any more and we all will benefit when we read her reviews on the Royal Caribbean forum. 

 

This is what I meant when I suggested that there is no need to torture yourself. Nobody is twisting your arm, if you don't like the product you are sold, find something better. 😄 There is a product to suit everybody's needs.

 

happy sailing to everyone

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Thats right Nice6318, you can have Carnival, but if you read the last three reviews, somebody just got off the Magic and the Elation and  I forgot what other ship, they also noticed the huge deterioration of the ships and the lack of staff/help...if that is what you want great for you an your right there is a product to suit everybody's needs.  

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Taters-  I agree, I been cruising with Carnival for 40 years and it is a shame, we cancelled our upcoming Carnival cruises and staying with RC.

Yep - We are all bout HAL and would like to travel on Princess again.  Even though they are all under the same corporate umbrella, they are miles apart regarding service and cleanliness.

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19 minutes ago, coevan said:

so why do you stay on the board, to bash us who still like Carnival. sometimes you have to take reviews with a grain of salt. 

I can speak only for myself, but I still come to the Carnival boards to see if there have been improvements in the quality of the Carnival Cruise product.  I will book again when I see this!  But for now, unfortunately, the lack of staff is a sore spot and apparently is not getting better.

 

I agree that reviews must be taken with a grain of salt, but when it is the exact same problem I've experienced, I am truly hesitant to disagree with the author.

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22 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thats right Nice6318, you can have Carnival, but if you read the last three reviews, somebody just got off the Magic and the Elation and  I forgot what other ship, they also noticed the huge deterioration of the ships and the lack of staff/help...if that is what you want great for you an your right there is a product to suit everybody's needs.  

 

 

 

Hi

 

You have made your point. You will never sail with Carnival again. You have your RCCL cruise booked, now what more do you want? 

 

Are you afraid that someone else might come to the same realization you did after sailing with Carnival for 40 years? Don't keep torturing yourself. Let it go. 

 

As for myself, yes... I have choices. I can sail on Carnival, or RCCL, or HAL. What I have said is that I don't see any reason for my choices to be the same as yours, or do you feel you can or should impose the way you see things on others as if it is anything other than just your opinion.

 

have a great cruise

 

 

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On 8/24/2019 at 4:32 PM, dmdiver said:

Strange, I always notice people cleaning when I am on my cruises.  Breeze is one of my favorite ships.  I know what you mean by those smells.  I've noticed that on just about every ship I've been on.  It usually is noticed while walking down a hallway on one of the cabin decks.  I have noticed dirty windows, loose decorative mosaic tiles (on Glory) and I'm sure I've seen stained carpet on most ships.  I have not noticed stained chairs, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.  I probably just haven't been paying attention.  I think the dirty windows are a nightmare for the crew, since the ships are at sea day in & day out.  As far as the public restrooms, it seems to be hit & miss.  Some cruises they are all spotless, some not so much. I blame the passengers for being nasty & not picking up after themselves.  Never had a problem with soap missing, though.  I think it was Vista that had the station by the buffet where you stick your hands in the sink & it shoots soapy water & rinses them for you.  I liked being able to wash my hands there instead of going into the restroom.  I do like that they have the little napkins on the restroom doors for opening them on your way out.

People can be pigs.  I work in retail and I am amazed and disgusted daily on how nasty people are.  I would hate to see their houses.

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I cruised on the Magic in June and thought it was fine.  I've never had a problem on any of my Carnival cruises.  It's possible that I am overlooking some of the things that bother some people.  Thankfully, I've never had a problem with odors in the hallways or near my cabin.  That would definitely bother me. I've stayed in hotels that had a musty odor, but I haven't experienced that on any of my cruises.

I will be on the Breeze on the 7th, so it will be interesting to see if my perception is the same as others who dislike it.  I've used the public restrooms on my other Carnival cruises and they were fine.  I didn't notice stains on furniture.  There might have been some, but nothing stood out to me.  If I ever go on a cruise and find the ship to be filthy, I will definitely not cruise on that ship again.  So far that hasn't been the case.  I can understand how some people want something fancier than Carnival.  To me, a Carnival cruise is a cruise where I can go see come really good comedy shows, relax, and visit some interesting places.  The vibe is energetic and friendly.  It's not fancy though.

 I think different people have different expectations.  If they feel their expectations have not been met, they may be more likely to look for and notice negative things.  To me, that would mean it is time for a change.  I appreciate reviews the most that bring up both the pros and cons.

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7 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

I cruised on the Magic in June and thought it was fine.  I've never had a problem on any of my Carnival cruises.  It's possible that I am overlooking some of the things that bother some people.  Thankfully, I've never had a problem with odors in the hallways or near my cabin.  That would definitely bother me. I've stayed in hotels that had a musty odor, but I haven't experienced that on any of my cruises.

I will be on the Breeze on the 7th, so it will be interesting to see if my perception is the same as others who dislike it.  I've used the public restrooms on my other Carnival cruises and they were fine.  I didn't notice stains on furniture.  There might have been some, but nothing stood out to me.  If I ever go on a cruise and find the ship to be filthy, I will definitely not cruise on that ship again.  So far that hasn't been the case.  I can understand how some people want something fancier than Carnival.  To me, a Carnival cruise is a cruise where I can go see come really good comedy shows, relax, and visit some interesting places.  The vibe is energetic and friendly.  It's not fancy though.

 I think different people have different expectations.  If they feel their expectations have not been met, they may be more likely to look for and notice negative things.  To me, that would mean it is time for a change.  I appreciate reviews the most that bring up both the pros and cons.

 

Will you come back and let us know your experience on the Breeze? I hope the smells were just a fluke and that I was just unfortunately stuck onboard with people who couldn’t do the minimum to tidy up after themselves.

 

I didn’t come here to bash the Carnival product. I have enjoyed it for so many years now and I don’t need a fancy experience to have a good time. I just want the product to stay how it was. 

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11 hours ago, Taters said:

Well, if Carnival is content to leave their passengers with a filthy environment, and if they are content to continue failing CDC inspections, .....

 

 

Woah....     Lest we forget, one of Royal's Oasis-class ships failed its FIRST CDC inspection after arriving here in the States, as a brand-new ship.  

 

Also, CDC's records show that Carnival's ships have a lower incidence of norovirus than Royal.     

 

Your experience was subpar, but there's no need for all the histrionics.  Our last few cruises on Carnival have been great...and meanwhile, the hallway carpet on Independence of the Seas was so filthy, I had to get a photo of it.  (It looked like it hadn't been steam-cleaned in a decade.)  

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20 hours ago, dulcemariamar said:

I dont think it is so competitive anymore the prices. Just looking at a 7 night cruise in February, Carnival Breeze is $599 and the brand new Princess Sky is 760. That is not a huge difference in pricing.

Pricing is a huge reason why we haven’t sailed on Carnival much in the last 10 years. It’s just not as competitive as it used to be. We’ve found cheaper fares on other cruise lines almost every single time (the big exception being Disney, which was like a punch in the gut, while being kicked in the butt, while being hit in the head with a sledgehammer, but we wanted to give it a shot). 

 

But we’ve done Princess, Holland America, MSC and Royal Caribbean, all for considerably less money than Carnival and not only in the Caribbean. Our upcoming cruise in February will be on Holland America’s newest, less than a year old ship, the Niew Statendam. For a similar itinerary, Carnival is charging around $1,500 MORE than Holland America for our family of 4, and on a much older ship. 

 

For our next sailing after that, I wanted to book the Mardi Gras, go all out, and book one of the new suites. That’s until I priced out the new Norwegian Encore for the same dates, and a suite in the Haven is $1000 less than Carnival and it comes with a free drink package, free specialty dining package, and included gratuities. So no Carnival for us in the foreseeable future unless we find more competitive pricing or something truly unique. 

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