Christmas cruise on Freedom, A lot to process!

[sc4125]

On 12/30/2023 at 1:24 PM, jimbo5544 said:

Interesting post.  Cruising is booming, for all lines.  Cruise ship occupancy is based based in lower berths, during times like this with a significant number higher than that, something has to give.  That something could present itself in a host of ways, some of which the Op describes.  That is a not a degradation of the product but an anomaly based at least partly on the number of people on the ship.  This affects, CCL, RCCL, NCL and even the majestic Seaborne or Regent SS.  

I totally agree.  As for crowd size, that was totally on me for not realizing it would be the week before Christmas.  I love CCL (actually worked onboard back in the 80's) and am Diamond with them.  I did not see this as an issue with the ship - I would have expected the same large crowds on any ship during that week.  I have a back-to-back on Freedom in March and am totally looking forward to it.  

 

I certainly didn't have the same experience as the OP - I enjoyed the cruise but will remember to be more careful when booking near a holiday.  Still not sure how that happened - hasn't ever happened in the past - just blaming it on old brain lol.

[sailawaybellaluna]

I read this post before my cruise on Friday, and decided to chime in now that we're back home...

 

After our last couple of Carnival Cruises I said, "never again". However, I'm platinum and like to play a couple hundred bucks in the casino, so we get amazing offers and perks and I think, "why not?!" 🙂

 

We took our kids on the Celebration at Spring Break and I was like, no more. The cost cutting (to me) means that nothing feels elegant or special anymore. But I wasn't going to get a bee in my bonnet about QR code menus or a lack of tableclothes (better for the environment)!

 

However, I completely agree with the sentiment that safety onboard, fighting and public intoxication has just gotten completely out of hand. 

 

We were just on the Radiance for 3 nights. A cruise I've done many times, both with my family, friends and just my spouse. The first night there was a TERRIBLE fight in our hallway. The person wasn't just intoxicated, they were clearly on something as well. It was violent and we had four security guards in our hall all night. Things didn't calm down until 2am. 

 

The next day a fight broke out in the casino, again, the security guards came running. 

 

During the show on the second evening the woman behind me was so intoxicated she dropped her glass because she fell asleep. Once she woke up, she was trying to hold down her vomit. She was heaving and her eyes were rolled back. It's hard to enjoy the love and marriage show with a cocktail running down your chair and the fear of vomit in your hair. 

 

It's really unfortunate, because we basically had a free cabin with onboard credit and free drinks and our expectations were low. We enjoy the Latin band, the casino, the piano bar...The cabin stewards and restaurant staff are always so friendly, hard-working, and interesting people that we enjoy talking to.

 

But the negatives for me have finally outweighed the positives. The last night my husband was going to gamble a bit while I went back to the cabin to pack up. He insisted on walking me back because he said it didn't feel safe. This was my 36th cruise, I'm in my 40s and used to travel all over alone for my job. 😞

 

I'm sad because Carnival sails so close to our home, and it's always been so easy. Our kids love the arcade and activities, and the cabins have a nice layout for families. For me it wasn't the unruly kids, but the adults. The crowd and the fighting has just gotten perpetually worse every time...

 

We've been getting similar casino offers on Holland America and Princess, and have planned the rest of our sailings this year on those two lines. We sailed in the Med the past two summers on Holland America (also casino offers), and had an amazing time.  We do have a 5-night on the Firenze scheduled (that ship looks beautiful!), but we're considering cancelling...

Edited January 10 by sailawaybellaluna

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, sailawaybellaluna said:

I read this post before my cruise on Friday, and decided to chime in now that we're back home...

 

After our last couple of Carnival Cruises I said, "never again". However, I'm platinum and like to play a couple hundred bucks in the casino, so we get amazing offers and perks and I think, "why not?!" 🙂

 

We took our kids on the Celebration at Spring Break and I was like, no more. The cost cutting (to me) means that nothing feels elegant or special anymore. But I wasn't going to get a bee in my bonnet about QR code menus or a lack of tableclothes (better for the environment)!

 

However, I completely agree with the sentiment that safety onboard, fighting and public intoxication has just gotten completely out of hand. 

 

We were just on the Radiance for 3 nights. A cruise I've done many times, both with my family, friends and just my spouse. The first night there was a TERRIBLE fight in our hallway. The person wasn't just intoxicated, they were clearly on something as well. It was violent and we had four security guards in our hall all night. Things didn't calm down until 2am. 

 

The next day a fight broke out in the casino, again, the security guards came running. 

 

During the show on the second evening the woman behind me was so intoxicated she dropped her glass because she fell asleep. Once she woke up, she was trying to hold down her vomit. She was heaving and her eyes were rolled back. It's hard to enjoy the love and marriage show with a cocktail running down your chair and the fear of vomit in your hair. 

 

It's really unfortunate, because we basically had a free cabin with onboard credit and free drinks and our expectations were low. We enjoy the Latin band, the casino, the piano bar...The cabin stewards and restaurant staff are always so friendly, hard-working, and interesting people that we enjoy talking to.

 

But the negatives for me have finally outweighed the positives. The last night my husband was going to gamble a bit while I went back to the cabin to pack up. He insisted on walking me back because he said it didn't feel safe. This was my 36th cruise, I'm in my 40s and used to travel all over alone for my job. 😞

 

I'm sad because Carnival sails so close to our home, and it's always been so easy. Our kids love the arcade and activities, and the cabins have a nice layout for families. For me it wasn't the unruly kids, but the adults. The crowd and the fighting has just gotten perpetually worse every time...

 

We've been getting similar casino offers on Holland America and Princess, and have planned the rest of our sailings this year on those two lines. We sailed in the Med the past two summers on Holland America (also casino offers), and had an amazing time.  We do have a 5-night on the Firenze scheduled (that ship looks beautiful!), but we're considering cancelling...

A 3 night cruise sounds like you could have a party boat.  Thank you for the review. I hope you have better cruises in your future.

[sailawaybellaluna]

49 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

A 3 night cruise sounds like you could have a party boat.  Thank you for the review. I hope you have better cruises in your future.

Thanks! Yeah, the shorter cruises are usually the party boats. I do expect the Bachelor parties, buckets of beer, etc. I think the repeated violence is where it crosses the line for me.

[sailawaybellaluna]

5 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

A 3 night cruise sounds like you could have a party boat.  Thank you for the review. I hope you have better cruises in your future.

BTW, I'm almost done reading your Italy review and loving it! You guys take great photos! We sailed Carnival Breeze when it was new (2012) from Barcelona and the Vista (2016) from Athens and had a great experience on both!

[ninjacat123]

16 minutes ago, sailawaybellaluna said:

BTW, I'm almost done reading your Italy review and loving it! You guys take great photos! We sailed Carnival Breeze when it was new (2012) from Barcelona and the Vista (2016) from Athens and had a great experience on both!

Thanks!! It was a wonderful trip and cruise! Now I’m doing a LIVE on our upcoming cruise. We’ve never been to Fricolandia so it should be interesting!👍😁

[mz-s]

15 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

A 3 night cruise sounds like you could have a party boat.  Thank you for the review. I hope you have better cruises in your future.

 

Parties are one thing - fights and drugs are something entirely different.