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Bad experience on the Breeze. Worried about lack of cleanliness


dulcemariamar
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19 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

When it comes to finances, I don’t think it’s wise to make generalizations. While a $161 price difference may be insignificant to you, it could be very significant to someone else. 

 

 Very true, Philly, but it's that price point which draws the newbies and young families and necessitates the minimum staff, eventually decreasing the upkeep, cleanliness and quality of the product. And there is nothing wrong with that. That is Carnival's demographic today. The blue&gold carders buy every photo, take every tour, love $6 beer and drop a house payment in a casino that has no gaming authority overseeing it. Very successful business plan. I applaud them.

 

Of 32 Carnival cruises, my first one in the early 80s was $599. I'm booked on the new PANORAMA in January for the same price ! Identical itinerary, my favorite, I've done it a zillion times. There are no miracles.  38 years later there has to be some cutbacks of services, although volume probably picks up a lot of that.  Grumpy old fart nearly 80 years old, I can't quite Carnival. Tried Princess. Loved it, but that was a fluke of a price on the first cruise of the season of an Alaskan cruise. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. With Carnival I know what I'm going to get and there are never any surprises. And I accept that the product is going to diminish year after year. 

 

But Dulce makes some excellent points.

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On 8/25/2019 at 2:41 AM, Taters said:

Carnival really needs to step up their staffing.

 

On 8/25/2019 at 2:41 AM, Taters said:

When we hear that Carnival staffing levels are back up, we may book another one, but in the mean time, I am enjoying HAL.

When I see comments like this, I really would like to have quantitative data on "crew reductions".  Just because there have been reductions in certain front of house positions, does not mean that those crew have not been transferred to other, back of house, positions, where requirements may have changed due to changing regulations.  Can anyone show that Carnival's workforce has decreased, specifically on the ships, and what numbers, specifically.  Hearsay from crew members, without data backing it up is useless.

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3 hours ago, Pellaz said:

 

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

My husband got the norovirus while we were on the Anthem. It was a Halloween cruise packed with young kids because Royal has the kids sail free sale. This sale is the reason we’ve backed off booking on Royal. 

 

We didn’t smell anything bad on our Breeze cruise last October and I have smelled that on other cruises. We had a spa balcony cabin and the cabin was in overall good shape. There was a stain on the curtain and I wondered why they didn’t just change the curtain out but it didn’t really bother me. Our deck was very quiet and a peaceful location.

 

We spent sea days at the Tides pool and had several drink servers in the afternoon. Almost too many. We couldn’t drink as fast as they’d ask if we were ready for another. At some points the bathroom between the Tides pool and the lido buffet would get messy but eventually it would be cleaned up. That happens on every ship on the three lines I’ve sailed in the afternoons. I read the same complaints about messy ship before sailing the Anthem and some was true but they always cleaned it up. 

 

The lido buffet lines were awful for breakfast and lunch but we would eat breakfast at Blue Iguana and lunch at the Tandoori grill which we enjoyed and had no lines. We’re not big buffet people anyway. Now we’re going back on the Breeze this Christmas and the Tandoori grill is gone so we’ll have to figure a new lunch spot out. On Port days we were able to get Mongolian Wok with no lines.

 

We had dinners in the Italian restaurant, the Steakhouse and the MDR. All were great service and our favorite was the Italian. The MDR on all three lines we’ve been on (RCL, NCL, Carnival) are not what they used to be but Carnival is the closest and NCL the crappiest in my opinion. The Breakaway was also the most crowded, messy and stained up ship we’ve been on. Much more than the Breeze.

 

The fact that we’re going back on the Breeze and bringing our kids with a fiancé in three spa balconies over Christmas speaks to our satisfaction with the ship. I think everyone should sail a variety of lines that are in their budget to see what’s out there. I’ve found that all the negative stuff mentioned in this thread about Carnival can be applied to other ships on other lines so the people who say “I’m only sailing RC now” make no sense to me. Happy sailing all!

 

 

 

 

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On 8/24/2019 at 1:06 PM, jlabs03 said:

I also notice Carnival does not seem to maintain their ships as well as other cruise lines.  I am not speaking of decor (I do not care if it is out of date as long as it is clean and kept up).  I was on the Glory and yes it is an old ship but the buffet chairs were all stained (they are a Burgundy color and you could still see all the stains), this is an easy fix just change out the chairs or recover them with a better fabric. Not to mention the loose tiles, carpet, balcony door not sealing tightly, and etc.  I also sailed on the NCL Spirit, about six months after the Glory, which is older than the Glory but you would not know it.  It was  much better maintained and it is undergoing another major refurb soon.  The HOL Oosterdam, about the same age as the Glory but kept up better.  This is one of the reason why I will only sail Carnival if it is a great deal.

 

It's undeniable that Carnival does not maintain their ships to the same standards as other lines. Covered in rust and stains. Just sailed Magic a couple months back, it was an ok cruise, but the maintenance of the ship left a lot to be desired.

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Pellaz-  Just some information for you to think about, you mentioned the Independence the carpets were dirty, but what you didn't check before booking the cruise is the cruise ship dry dock reports...she went into dry dock for a lengthly refurbishment which includes the carpeting you talked about as well as things were added to that ship...obviously you went on February 1, 2018 right before her dry dock so that shouldn't be a surprise about the carpeting to you.  One reason why they go into dry dock every five years is to get updates and that includes the carpeting.  If you went after her dry dock she would of had all new carpeting.

 

Tapi-  Hi, I agree, Carnival is not being competitive in the cruise industry market (as well as other cruise lines)....as you mentioned the drink package, internet, gratuities, specialty dining are offered on NCL as well as Celebrity, MSC and Princess and it sure is a "deal", but for those who would argue the price of those cruises are "costly", put all those costs in with the price of a Carnival cruise and you see Carnivals price go way up higher than other cruise lines.  Good point Tapi!

 

Chengkp75-  Hello!  I have five good friends that work on various Carnival cruises (head Chef, Alchemy Bar as well as a couple of bartenders all work on different ships), they have told me two years ago about the cutbacks in staff...us passengers are all pretty much aware of the cutbacks of the servers in the MDR because we experienced it ourselves....on another note, the bartenders are less and the ones that are working are definitely working harder and the cabin stewards also have more cabins to clean...yes, Carnival has cut back on the personnel on each of their ships, my friends have told me this and they are the ones who work on the ships and have confirmed it to me.

 

Jerseygirl1416-  I agree totally with what you said...first, we found the Breeze to be the most crowded ship on the Carnival ship (although we have not sailed the Horizon and Vista) and the Breakaway oh by gosh, I just call that ship a huge traffic jam no matter where you go, those ships have the worst lay out!  BUT, the one thing they are doing right, is they are adding the drink package, internet and such and that attracts customers.

Yes, I have said "I am only sailing RC now", but I said that comparing to Carnival, meaning if the choice is Carnival or RC I am only going RC but honestly, I would consider Celebrity and Princess in the near future.  My other half doesn't want me to ever bring up a Carnival cruise and I have to agree!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, BandBWCsmom said:

We sail the Breeze on Saturday so time will tell if it's as dirty and disheveled in my humble opinion. I hope not!

 

I hope you have a great cruise. Come back and let us know your experience.

 

The Italian restaurant was delicious (veal Marsala 👌) The Sea Brunch was yummy. The CD did a great job and the white party was a lot of fun.

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37 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Pellaz-  Just some information for you to think about, you mentioned the Independence the carpets were dirty, but what you didn't check before booking the cruise is the cruise ship dry dock reports...she went into dry dock for a lengthly refurbishment which includes the carpeting you talked about as well as things were added to that ship...obviously you went on February 1, 2018 right before her dry dock so that shouldn't be a surprise about the carpeting to you.  One reason why they go into dry dock every five years is to get updates and that includes the carpeting.  If you went after her dry dock she would of had all new carpeting.

 

Tapi-  Hi, I agree, Carnival is not being competitive in the cruise industry market (as well as other cruise lines)....as you mentioned the drink package, internet, gratuities, specialty dining are offered on NCL as well as Celebrity, MSC and Princess and it sure is a "deal", but for those who would argue the price of those cruises are "costly", put all those costs in with the price of a Carnival cruise and you see Carnivals price go way up higher than other cruise lines.  Good point Tapi!

 

Chengkp75-  Hello!  I have five good friends that work on various Carnival cruises (head Chef, Alchemy Bar as well as a couple of bartenders all work on different ships), they have told me two years ago about the cutbacks in staff...us passengers are all pretty much aware of the cutbacks of the servers in the MDR because we experienced it ourselves....on another note, the bartenders are less and the ones that are working are definitely working harder and the cabin stewards also have more cabins to clean...yes, Carnival has cut back on the personnel on each of their ships, my friends have told me this and they are the ones who work on the ships and have confirmed it to me.

 

Jerseygirl1416-  I agree totally with what you said...first, we found the Breeze to be the most crowded ship on the Carnival ship (although we have not sailed the Horizon and Vista) and the Breakaway oh by gosh, I just call that ship a huge traffic jam no matter where you go, those ships have the worst lay out!  BUT, the one thing they are doing right, is they are adding the drink package, internet and such and that attracts customers.

Yes, I have said "I am only sailing RC now", but I said that comparing to Carnival, meaning if the choice is Carnival or RC I am only going RC but honestly, I would consider Celebrity and Princess in the near future.  My other half doesn't want me to ever bring up a Carnival cruise and I have to agree!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know if it true but the CD said that they have 30 cabins to clean. That seems like a lot but maybe now since they ask if you went them to come once or twice a day maybe it all evens out if some people only want them to come once a day.

 

We never had issues with the cabin. Just the public areas 

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13 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Nice6318- You only speak about me what I wrote....if you don't like it skip over it!!!!  I speak how I see things and how I experience things and I appreciate this board as others express their experiences both pros and cons.  Don't question what I say this is not what the boards are about, I am not on trial!!!!  Case closed with you, just skip over my posts!!

 

 

Hi

 

I never questioned anything you said. In fact I acknowledged it. However, at this point I might question how many times you need to say the same thing. Just as you suggest, if you don't like what I am saying, "just skip over my post". 

 

By the way, my name is Nic. I might be nice, but my name is Nic.

 

I hope you can find satisfaction with RCCL, they are my favorite cruise line.

 

have a great cruise 

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8 hours ago, Pellaz said:

 

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.)  

I wasn't talking about Royal Caribbean, as I haven't sailed on them in over a decade.  I was talking about Carnival.

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12 hours ago, dulcemariamar said:

 

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. 


Yes, I will come back to this thread and let you know.  I do hope the smells were a fluke.  I have a balcony on deck 10, so I will be on that deck in the cabin area and then around the ship in the public areas.  I appreciate your comments.  It's always helpful to read the pros and cons of a particular ship.  I was on the Breeze a couple of years ago and everything was nice, but things can change.

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My family and I were on the Breeze on July 27th. This was our 5th time on her with roughly a 3 year gap between this time and last. I do agree that she looks tired compared to what she looked like before the Vista and now the Horizon came into service, but I did not feel she was quit as bad as the original poster stated. Our room was always well taken care of by our Stewart, lido deck seemed like it was being well maintained during sea days as far as being picked up. Service was great by the bar tenders and I never noticed any strange smells. The ship could use some exterior painting. Thats my take.. 

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On 8/25/2019 at 2:23 PM, Nic6318 said:

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.

 

 

And then you double down on the stupid comments....

 

Soooooo let me get this straight...because someone doesn't like one or two aspects of a cruise, they should just say screw it...let's go on the more expensive cruise, and hope things are better?

 

If I don't like the fitness center on XYZ Carnival ship, should I say to hell with Carnival and go on NCL? Your red herring argument goes against what this board is about...commenting on and reviewing cruises.

 

The wife and I always have issues when on a cruise, that is across the industry. Not everyone will appreciate the same features and amenities.

 

Further, what is important to some (I could care less about kids and crowds) are not important to others.

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1 hour ago, pc_load_letter said:

 

And then you double down on the stupid comments....

 

Soooooo let me get this straight...because someone doesn't like one or two aspects of a cruise, they should just say screw it...let's go on the more expensive cruise, and hope things are better?

 

If I don't like the fitness center on XYZ Carnival ship, should I say to hell with Carnival and go on NCL? Your red herring argument goes against what this board is about...commenting on and reviewing cruises.

 

The wife and I always have issues when on a cruise, that is across the industry. Not everyone will appreciate the same features and amenities.

 

Further, what is important to some (I could care less about kids and crowds) are not important to others.

 

Hi

 

Just to throw this out. Finding something better doesn't necessarily have to cost more. 

 

As to your example, if you were to not like the fitness centers on Carnival ships, then yes, you should be looking at which cruise lines offer something more to your liking. The people that are making comments here are not just complaining about a gym, they are questioning ship cleanliness as well as the general deterioration of the quality they receive. Of course they should be looking for something better. I would, if that was the way I felt.

 

You say your have always have issues on your cruises. I guess you didn't see my previous post. I can't say that I have ever had a cruise where any issue rose to more than something that was taken care of then and there. I don't believe having issues on all your cruises is the norm. I don't know what to say about that.  

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We had the same smell on Breeze back in 2015 then aging on Glory in 2018.

 

We like RC sooo much better than Carnival  that we won’t be back. Carnival needs to stop worrying about line mascots and put the money into the ships .

this is just my opinion and we all know what they say about opinions 😜

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Hello Luv2tvlnow-  Thank you for sharing your experience on Celebrity.  That is good you booked past guest so that your able to cancel should you decide.

May I bring up something, the Breeze went into dry dock in April 2017, when you go it will be just short of going into her next dry dock, maybe something you want to consider?  Keep looking at the prices on the cruises, you may come across something else and get a great deal.

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On 8/24/2019 at 4:52 AM, chengkp75 said:

This is a classic description of a "dry trap" smell.  All drains on a ship will have an odor trap on them, much like your sink at home has a "U-trap" under it that uses trapped water to keep smells from backing up.  If a deck drain does not see a regular inflow of water, the water in the trap will be dried out by the dry AC air, and the odors will back up.  A glass of water down the drain will solve the problem almost immediately.  Similar things happen when you first open a seasonal home that has been closed up for months, with no water going into the shower and sink drains.

thank you for pointing this out. It has nothing to do with a ship that is not clean.

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1 hour ago, RRLLAL said:

Oh cool. Cruisers from other lines coming to the carnival board to bash carnival. Glad in all my carnival cruises I’ve never seen a “dirty” ship. I must be lucky.

 

I am the OP. I am a Carnival cruiser. Most of my cruises have been with Carnival. I have always enjoyed my experience with them before. 

 

Maybe be my expectations were too high. I know the Breeze is one of the most popular ships in the fleet and it is relatively new. I sailed the Elation last year. Granted, it has left the dry dock six months earlier but my expectations were lower since I knew it was one of the smaller/older ships.

 

 

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5 hours ago, dulcemariamar said:

 

I am the OP. I am a Carnival cruiser. Most of my cruises have been with Carnival. I have always enjoyed my experience with them before. 

 

Maybe be my expectations were too high. I know the Breeze is one of the most popular ships in the fleet and it is relatively new. I sailed the Elation last year. Granted, it has left the dry dock six months earlier but my expectations were lower since I knew it was one of the smaller/older ships.

 

 

 

Actually, I wasn’t so much referring to your OP. It’s the people who, whenever there is the slightest negative post made, jump in and say carnival sucks, sail NCL or carnival sucks, sail RCL. 

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6 hours ago, dulcemariamar said:

 

I am the OP. I am a Carnival cruiser. Most of my cruises have been with Carnival. I have always enjoyed my experience with them before. 

 

Maybe be my expectations were too high. I know the Breeze is one of the most popular ships in the fleet and it is relatively new. I sailed the Elation last year. Granted, it has left the dry dock six months earlier but my expectations were lower since I knew it was one of the smaller/older ships.

 

 

 

The rust and peeling paint is less of an issue to me, because its a ship constantly exposed to salt water.  We all know Carnival has adjusted staffing- if they're cutting from anywhere, that is less of a big deal to me.  But I know, its a bigger deal to others- everyone has those things that just bug them.

 

On the dirty public areas, just a thought.  Maybe because the Breeze is one of the most popular ships, and because it's summer, a lot of families sail that ship.  It could just be on your particular sailing (or maybe a lot of the summer sailings), the ship is filled to close to max capacity.  And then you've got lots of extra people running around, and more fun things to do than the older ships, so things get set down and left, or people leave their messes behind.  Obviously, this isn't right, and it shouldn't happen.  But, it could be a partial reason why you saw all of this.  

 

Ultimately, we are all home more than we're cruising, so I'm not suggesting you give it another try, if you prefer other cruise lines.  Vacations are too short to "try" things you don't really want to try. :-) 

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I'll bet if people would clean up after themselves( like I've been taught), the staff could devote MUCH more time on keeping the ship...shipshape. Now I'm sure not a suzie spotless, or overly meticulous, but I have a problem with people leaving their trash behind to leave for others to clean it up. Totally unnecessary. Why we even make up our beds no matter where we are.  At home, or at a motel, or our stateroom. When we leave our stateroom in a state of semi-readiness,  our steward doesn't have to work as hard, spending less time in our stateroom, and can go on to the next one. Just my 2 cents worth. 

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