For those who say they'll never sail Carnival again:

[Cotton]

......after 28 nights, those issues got very old.

 

Well, obvioulsy, YOU chose to cruise for that length of time. That's a lotta days and a lotta nights. Too much of a good thing can sometimes be...well, too much. Perhaps on shorter cruises, you wouldn't become so tired of the same old-same old......?:D

[cathyoo]

No seriously, I am hear because even though I did not like the Carnival cruise line I enjoyed my cruise

 

I understand what the poster means with this statement. I've had a life time of vacations mostly land but 4 cruises in the mix. There are places I would never go back to... once was enough. But I never had a vacation that was completely terrible. My first cruise was on RCI and I doubt if I'll cruise that line again even though I had a wonderful time. My DH seriously disliked the size of the bathroom. But we had a good enough time to cruise again.

 

I always feel such sympathy for folks who have bad things happen on their vacation. Bad weather, lost luggage, no air conditioning, a noisy environment, bad odors, these things can put a big damper on your vacation.

 

Some of things aren't the fault of the cruise line and I don't think all posters are trying to blame Carnival. It always amazes me when "being on a ship" is enough. But some of things I previously mentioned would be unacceptable on land or sea. I thought the review was not critical of Carnival just telling it like it is or rather "was. "

[cruisecruisecruise1234567]

You have the right attitude. A cruise ship is basically like a hotel....the only difference is that it's at sea. If people go to a Hyatt or Marriott or Holiday Inn in one particular place and they have a really bad experience, will they write off the whole hotel chain? Maybe some people will, but I know I wouldn't. Just because I had a bad experience at one hotel/ship, doesn't mean the others in the fleet/chain will be bad. Like I said in my previous post.....things happen at times. Yes I know we spend lots of money on vacation. Unfortunately sometimes things don't always go perfectly and that's because we don't live in a perfect world. Although when I'm on vacation, I have the attitude that the glass is always half full. I don't look for problems and usually don't find them. :D If a person is going to waste their vacation looking for problems, then they will find them and you know what.....they should just stay home. Carnival is by no means a 5 star line but on my 2 cruises with them I had a fabulous time. The service was excellent, the food was excellent, the cabin and the ships were extremely clean. I had a load of fun....I was with my wonderful husband and I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. As a matter of fact, the cruise aboard the Miracle last month was so close to perfect and the best vacation I ever had and I have been to many places on land vacations. :D Just go in with a positive attitude and you WILL have a great time. :D:D

 

 

You are comparing apples and oranges. When I have an issue with a Holiday inn they rectify it asap or I don't pay for that part of my stay.They ask me what that part of my stay is worth.I have gotten many free nights stays. My Marriot rewards personal rep has also given me many free nights because of issues. I am not ashamed to hold them to their customer satisfaction guarantee's especially when I was staying a half dozen night at each,each month for a looooooong time.

When I had issues on board CCL, I also expect them to be fixed.I have 18 cruises with them and when an issue is wrong, they do not give me a free cruise do they? I have called them on their vacation guarantee due to a room issue. You can't fix it, then fly all 4 of us from the first port back home at their expense.Since we drive to any of the 5 ports here,its no big deal,as we don't risk losing or wasting airfare.

You have a problem, speak up or threaten to reduce their tip. It has always worked.

No CCL did not fly us home.They moved us from an inside room to an extended balcony room at no extra charge.

[Sandi149]

You are comparing apples and oranges. When I have an issue with a Holiday inn they rectify it asap or I don't pay for that part of my stay.They ask me what that part of my stay is worth.I have gotten many free nights stays. My Marriot rewards personal rep has also given me many free nights because of issues. I am not ashamed to hold them to their customer satisfaction guarantee's especially when I was staying a half dozen night at each,each month for a looooooong time.

When I had issues on board CCL, I also expect them to be fixed.I have 18 cruises with them and when an issue is wrong, they do not give me a free cruise do they? I have called them on their vacation guarantee due to a room issue. You can't fix it, then fly all 4 of us from the first port back home at their expense.Since we drive to any of the 5 ports here,its no big deal,as we don't risk losing or wasting airfare.

You have a problem, speak up or threaten to reduce their tip. It has always worked.

No CCL did not fly us home.They moved us from an inside room to an extended balcony room at no extra charge.

 

Have you had that bad of an experience on your Carnival cruise that you wanted/needed to be flown home? Could anything have been that horrible?

[NoPiratesPlease]

You have the right attitude. A cruise ship is basically like a hotel....the only difference is that it's at sea. If people go to a Hyatt or Marriott or Holiday Inn in one particular place and they have a really bad experience, will they write off the whole hotel chain? Maybe some people will, but I know I wouldn't. Just because I had a bad experience at one hotel/ship, doesn't mean the others in the fleet/chain will be bad. Like I said in my previous post.....things happen at times. Yes I know we spend lots of money on vacation. Unfortunately sometimes things don't always go perfectly and that's because we don't live in a perfect world. Although when I'm on vacation, I have the attitude that the glass is always half full. I don't look for problems and usually don't find them. :D If a person is going to waste their vacation looking for problems, then they will find them and you know what.....they should just stay home. Carnival is by no means a 5 star line but on my 2 cruises with them I had a fabulous time. The service was excellent, the food was excellent, the cabin and the ships were extremely clean. I had a load of fun....I was with my wonderful husband and I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. As a matter of fact, the cruise aboard the Miracle last month was so close to perfect and the best vacation I ever had and I have been to many places on land vacations. :D Just go in with a positive attitude and you WILL have a great time. :D:D

 

 

Of course, you are right and I am wrong. Despite the fact that the food was inedible, the room was dirty, the entertainment wasn't, the ship was cramped and ugly on the inside, and had less of the things WE like to do, we should sacrifice our next vacation on a cruise line we KNOW is better for us, just to prove YOUR point that one cruise shouldn't indict the whole line.

 

Yup. That makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But not when I'm the one paying for it.

[Sandi149]

Of course, you are right and I am wrong. Despite the fact that the food was inedible, the room was dirty, the entertainment wasn't, the ship was cramped and ugly on the inside, and had less of the things WE like to do, we should sacrifice our next vacation on a cruise line we KNOW is better for us, just to prove YOUR point that one cruise shouldn't indict the whole line.

 

Yup. That makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But not when I'm the one paying for it.

 

 

What's YOUR problem :rolleyes:.....I was agreeing with your attitude. Look at my first sentence!! "You have the right attitude."

 

And this is what you said. but through it all.. we never get down to griping and complaining about a few isolated incidents... do you people not have fun the other 100+ hours your aboard? If not, maybe it's cruising you don't like and not necessarily Carnival.

[nothomeonacruise]

:D Really, I don't recall too many threads on here the past few years that said that!

 

Hey, 'stuff' happens on every cruise. If I think back really hard, I could probably come up with a few incidents....but I have the attitude that if something happens, get over it. I won't let small things ruin my cruise, either. Life's too short, and so are cruises.:D

 

Exactly how I feel!! Oh I could use that cruise right now as a matter of fact! :)

[nothomeonacruise]

Of course, you are right and I am wrong. Despite the fact that the food was inedible, the room was dirty, the entertainment wasn't, the ship was cramped and ugly on the inside, and had less of the things WE like to do, we should sacrifice our next vacation on a cruise line we KNOW is better for us, just to prove YOUR point that one cruise shouldn't indict the whole line.

 

Yup. That makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But not when I'm the one paying for it.

 

You are entitled to your opinion. I had a different experience on a different ship. My cruise was great. I wouldn't expect you to cruise on Carnival if that's your opinion. It's your vacaton after all.

[NoPiratesPlease]

You are entitled to your opinion. I had a different experience on a different ship. My cruise was great. I wouldn't expect you to cruise on Carnival if that's your opinion. It's your vacaton after all.

 

Yup. Exactly. That was cruise #27 for us--first and last time on Carnival. We have the next 6 blocked out--none on CCL.

 

We had hoped to have an alternative to the Dawn and Spirit that docked in NYC.

 

Ah, well....

[newistcruiseaddict]

Sounds like you must have had a lousy time. I personally love to see these kind of posts, as it keeps the ships from getting too crowded, and hopefully keeps the prices low. We wouldn't want Carnival getting a swelled head like Disney and charging triple what they do now. :)

 

What I find so funny about this statement is how many people out there just KNOW they can afford a trip to disney but assume cruises are WAY out of their budget.....little do the know [insert Cruella De'ville laugh here].

 

I'm sorry Bruce...I realize you were having one incident after another but you absolutely cracked me up. I get the feeling you were having multiple "this is unbelivable-absolutely-silly" moments.

 

I hate to say a person should expect problems b/c no vacation is perfect, just like I hate it when I see people go on a vacation with expectations of perfection. The truth is there has to be some middle ground. Kudos to Bruce for taking it all in stride and with a grain of salt. Personally, my attention is usually SO focused on the bar, all those things could have happened on my last cruise for all I know.:eek: :D

[Mr. Know-It-All]

 

No seriously, I am hear because even though I did not like the Carnival cruise line

 

... and you are HERE to have your spelling corrected. :-0

[Mr. Know-It-All]

From your sig I see that you sailed one Carnival ship.....how do you know that you won't like another ship?

 

 

Hmmm. Why would anyone risk thousands of dollars on a vacation where they had pretty poor treatment?

I personally can't fault the guy for being wary of going back. If that was my first experience with Carnival, I probably would not have returned either.

[Thirsty Cruiser]

What I find so funny about this statement is how many people out there just KNOW they can afford a trip to disney but assume cruises are WAY out of their budget.....little do the know

Actually, I was referring to the Disney cruise line, which is vastly overpriced and IMHO is not worth "triple" the rates.

Guess I should be more obvious.

[The Grumpus]

Funny I ran into this thread. My one experience with CCL was on Triumph and my experience was terrible. It had nothing to do with the ship or the crew but I was an unlucky soul trapped in a cabin surrounded by a crazy wedding party of 50 or so and made the cruise miserable. I could not wait to get off that ship and given the size of the party, there wasn't much the crew could or would do.

 

I swore then I would never ever sail CCL again. Well, after joining CC and reading so many things about all the cruise lines I have realized that my one adventure with Carnival might not be the way things always are and the possibility of "bad neighbors" can happen on any cruise line. Although I'm not quite ready to try CCL again yet... my permanent ban of CCL has been lifted and will probably try them again, given what I know now about cruise lines.

 

You're right though, don't let one bad experience wreck the desire of cruising for life - if you stick to it and learn more, things may not be as bad as you think.

 

 

my .02

[dc-snoopy]

......... even though I did not like the Carnival cruise line I enjoyed my cruise.

I think this is the part I'm not understanding....:confused:

 

Well, in my case, we loved the itinerary and the ports of call. Between those and having a vacation with my whole extended family together to celebrate Mom & Dad's 50th anniversary, we had a lovely vacation.

 

However, the parts of the cruise that Carnival was responsible for were not so good. We had multiple service issues, bad attitudes from crew members, shoddy service from several teams (maintenance, pursers, on-board shops), difficult to navigate layout of the ship that complicated escorting my father who is not so mobile any longer. In addition, one problem that DW and I experienced which seems to be a problem with the "Fun ships" is that there is so much going on that it was virtually impossible to find a quiet place anywhere on-board where there wasn't someone smoking. The only places that tended to be quiet and unused were various lounges and so often we found someone working there that was smoking; and DW is allergic to smoke.

 

The service issues I blame on Carnival. The style of cruise ship of "the fun ships" means that Carnival may not be my cup of tea.

 

That said, thanks to the CC boards, I have learned that the Destiny is arguably the weakest cruise ship in the Carnival fleet. Prior to coming back and talking about my experiences on Carnival, I was ready to vow off of Carnival. Since discussing it on these boards, under the right circumstances, I would give Carnival another try. Not right away, but maybe in the future. That is the great thing about these boards.

[momanme]

You can encounter problems on any ship or cruise line, just check out the other message boards. Carnival makes it possible for a boarder base of people to enjoy the pleasure of cruising because they offer the shorter cruises. I enjoy taking a short 3 or 4 day cruise, its cheap and relaxing. :)

[Silverscreencruiser]

If I go to a restaurant for the first time and I have a bad experience, usually that's it for me. There's plenty of other places to eat in town where I've had good experiences. Maybe, just maybe, if I have some reason to believe that I just caught the restaurant on a bad night or they have taken care of their problems, I'll give them a second chance.

 

It's different if I've been to a place before and then have a bad experience. Then, I'm more likely to give them the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, there are occasions where a once-fine establishment allows itself to go downhill.

 

If I do that for a $20 meal, then I sure as heck am going to do that for a cruise that costs twenty to fifty times as much. Anyone who sails Carnival or any line for the first time and has a really bad experience has every right to write them off and I wouldn't blame them in the slightest. Cruise lines are aware of that and usually make every effort to make things right. In business, it's far easier to keep a customer than to get a new one..

 

I've had two great cruises and going on a third this September. But I fully support anyone who had a bad time and doesn't want to give Carnival any more of their money.

[Chigirlcruzin]

If I go to a restaurant for the first time and I have a bad experience, usually that's it for me. There's plenty of other places to eat in town where I've had good experiences. Maybe, just maybe, if I have some reason to believe that I just caught the restaurant on a bad night or they have taken care of their problems, I'll give them a second chance.

 

It's different if I've been to a place before and then have a bad experience. Then, I'm more likely to give them the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, there are occasions where a once-fine establishment allows itself to go downhill.

 

If I do that for a $20 meal, then I sure as heck am going to do that for a cruise that costs twenty to fifty times as much. Anyone who sails Carnival or any line for the first time and has a really bad experience has every right to write them off and I wouldn't blame them in the slightest. Cruise lines are aware of that and usually make every effort to make things right. In business, it's far easier to keep a customer than to get a new one..

 

I've had two great cruises and going on a third this September. But I fully support anyone who had a bad time and doesn't want to give Carnival any more of their money.

 

You bring up great points. We are all on this board because we like Carnival. However, some people have had bad experiences. Others may have had great experiences on the same cruise, but that really doesn't matter to the person that had a bad cruise. I agree with NoPiratesPlease. He had a bad first cruise on Carnival. He's enjoyed other lines. Why should he continue to give Carnival his money when he knows he enjoys other lines better? It just doesn't make sense. I completely disagree when people say "you're on a cruise; it's better than being at work." I happen to like my job, and I'm spending my hard-earned money on a vacation. I have many other options on where to spend my vacation dollars.

 

Now, if I have a bad Carnival cruise in the future, I will likely give them another chance because I've had 5 great cruises with Carnival. If I take a cruise on RCCL or any other line and have a bad cruise, I won't be back. The frame of reference is different. I'm just happy we have different lines to choose from so that everybody can be happy and costs can be kept low.

[Sandi149]

Hmmm. Why would anyone risk thousands of dollars on a vacation where they had pretty poor treatment?

I personally can't fault the guy for being wary of going back. If that was my first experience with Carnival, I probably would not have returned either.

 

Just because something happens on one ship, doesn't mean it will happen on another. And things can vary from sailing to sailing. And as I said in another post, things happen on EVERY line. A lot of people just like to complain....not talking about the OP, but some people complain about the stupidest things. I have been coming to this site long enough to see what people say. You are new here....so just keep reading on all the boards about all the lines and you will see what I mean.

 

Happy Sailing. :)

[dc-snoopy]

Just because something happens on one ship, doesn't mean it will happen on another. And things can vary from sailing to sailing. And as I said in another post, things happen on EVERY line. A lot of people just like to complain....not talking about the OP, but some people complain about the stupidest things. I have been coming to this site long enough to see what people say. You are new here....so just keep reading on all the boards about all the lines and you will see what I mean.

 

Happy Sailing. :)

 

Yes, but in my case, I had two delightful cruise experiences on RCI with only what I consider to be standard problems and the crew resolved them to my satisfaction. On my Carnival cruise, I had a couple of more-than-standard problems and the crew did not resolve them and in a couple of cases, didn't even try. Given that I'm spending over $2K for this, explain to me why I should spend that kind of money on Carnival when I could go to RCI and get what I consider to be a better bang for the buck? For me, RCI has delivered acceptable customer service, Carnival less so.

 

As I said before, thanks to CC, if the circumstances are right, then I may try CCL again, but it is unlikely. That said, I'm still learning more and more about CCL by reading these boards.

[nothomeonacruise]

Yes, but in my case, I had two delightful cruise experiences on RCI with only what I consider to be standard problems and the crew resolved them to my satisfaction. On my Carnival cruise, I had a couple of more-than-standard problems and the crew did not resolve them and in a couple of cases, didn't even try. Given that I'm spending over $2K for this, explain to me why I should spend that kind of money on Carnival when I could go to RCI and get what I consider to be a better bang for the buck? For me, RCI has delivered acceptable customer service, Carnival less so.

 

As I said before, thanks to CC, if the circumstances are right, then I may try CCL again, but it is unlikely. That said, I'm still learning more and more about CCL by reading these boards.

 

and I had a problem with RCCL not resolving things. I found Carnival to be the better cruise. It's all in the experience of the cruiser.

[Sandi149]

Yes, but in my case, I had two delightful cruise experiences on RCI with only what I consider to be standard problems and the crew resolved them to my satisfaction. On my Carnival cruise, I had a couple of more-than-standard problems and the crew did not resolve them and in a couple of cases, didn't even try. Given that I'm spending over $2K for this, explain to me why I should spend that kind of money on Carnival when I could go to RCI and get what I consider to be a better bang for the buck? For me, RCI has delivered acceptable customer service, Carnival less so.

 

As I said before, thanks to CC, if the circumstances are right, then I may try CCL again, but it is unlikely. That said, I'm still learning more and more about CCL by reading these boards.

 

On my 2 Carnival cruises, I had nothing but a wonderful experience. From the service to the food to the entertainment....everything. Things could happen on any line. And like Nothomeonacruise said....it's all in the experience of the cruiser.:)

[NoPiratesPlease]

You bring up great points. We are all on this board because we like Carnival. However, some people have had bad experiences. Others may have had great experiences on the same cruise, but that really doesn't matter to the person that had a bad cruise. I agree with NoPiratesPlease. He had a bad first cruise on Carnival. He's enjoyed other lines. Why should he continue to give Carnival his money when he knows he enjoys other lines better? It just doesn't make sense. I completely disagree when people say "you're on a cruise; it's better than being at work." I happen to like my job, and I'm spending my hard-earned money on a vacation. I have many other options on where to spend my vacation dollars.

 

Now, if I have a bad Carnival cruise in the future, I will likely give them another chance because I've had 5 great cruises with Carnival. If I take a cruise on RCCL or any other line and have a bad cruise, I won't be back. The frame of reference is different. I'm just happy we have different lines to choose from so that everybody can be happy and costs can be kept low.

 

I wish I had said this because I couldn't say it better! ChiGirl--you hit the nail on the head.

 

You only have ONE chance to make a good first impression. That's not just CCL, that's every cruise line. There's lots of reasons to change cruise lines.

 

Sometimes, like WindStar, it's just not really appropriate anymore for our family, and the itineraries got really boring. (The crew on the late WindSong, used to refer to Bora Bora as "Boring, Boring!")

 

Others, like Cunard, started playing games with booking--opening them to the Brits months before they were available to the US, then selling our FAVORITE ship--the Caronia, to Saga (where she lives as the Saga Ruby--but no kids allowed). Plus our first cruise on the QE2 was marvellous--so much so, we came back for a 16 day--and the staff was like Jekyl and Hyde--incredibly rude the second time--a real first for us.

 

Sometimes you come back--we were on NCL a few times, then were on WindStar and Cunard many times before coming back. BTW, in case you think I have rose-colored glasses about NCL, I don't. Food is mediocre, rarely jaw-dropping "WOW!" (used to be fabulous). The land office in Miami for NCL seems to be run by a cross between stoned chimps and the staff of MAD Magazine--and run by Alfred E. Newman. Schizy cruise line because the ships are usually superbly run.

 

But first impressions are telling. We've been on Princess, Celeb, and RCCL and haven't gone back. We've yet to try HAL, Costa, Seabourn and lots of others. They, too, will have one chance to make a good impression.

[dc-snoopy]

On my 2 Carnival cruises, I had nothing but a wonderful experience. From the service to the food to the entertainment....everything. Things could happen on any line. And like Nothomeonacruise said....it's all in the experience of the cruiser.:)

 

Absolutely. And one of the reasons that I keep coming back to the CCL boards is that I like to hear from the people that had good experiences on CCL. It means that I'll know more about the line to make better choices for me (like not sailing on the Destiny again and sticking to the newer/larger ships) if I find myself facing another CCL cruise.

 

It's funny, but there's a similar thread going on over on the RCI boards and its similar in that it is mostly populated by loyalists, but there's a lot of respectful discussion about the good and the bad about RCI vs CCL.

 

Being an information/research junkie, I love CC and the helpful info I get here.

[cruisecruisecruise1234567]

Have you had that bad of an experience on your Carnival cruise that you wanted/needed to be flown home? Could anything have been that horrible?

 

 

Cold water issue with the toilet and shower.There was almost none.You needed to toss an ice buckets worth of water into the toilet and the shower was too hot.Problem was going to be fixed in a few days as this was the last sailing before drydock.They were even preparing for drydock on this sailing by removing trim panels ect.