Carnival Liberty 09/23/07 review (LONG)

[jennybabee]

My husband and I just got off the Carnival Liberty , 6 day cruise that left on 09/23/07 and we have to say that this was the worst cruise of our life. We have taken several cruises with several different lines and have never met the problems that we met with this cruise line. We took the Carnival Miracle as our first cruise and it was wonderful but the cruise line has gone down in quality severely since that cruise 1 ½ years ago. There was so many problems with this cruise that I am including them in numerical order. This was a test to see if we would like to cruise with Carnival in the future and the answer is a huge NO. We absolutely had a horrible time and will never cruise with Carnival again as it stands right now. We have also never been on a cruise where upon leaving the ship so many other people were expressing the same problems that we had.

 

 

 

Here is the list:

 

 

1) When we first got on the ship we asked 3 different people where you would go to check on your dinner table reservation, ever one of them gave us a different answer and none of them were right. We asked the front desk finally and they were still wrong (on the times at least)

 

2) We had to wait in a horrible line because Carnival is the only cruise line that we have ever been on that does not let you pre assign the size table you would like.

 

3) The buffet lines were always extremely long because the ship would only open ¼ of the huge buffet area therefore long lines were constant.

 

4) Food both in the buffet and in the dining room were very poor. Food had very little taste and all the steaks were extremely tough and of poor quality, the fruit for the most part was not ripe and the soups were extremely thin.

 

5) Food was very hard to find on this ship, buffet was only open certain hours and all the grills on the deck only had certain hours. And the hours were very few.

 

6) We never encountered one staff member who knew the correct answer to anything. It was as if the ship was new to the staff members or they just did not bother to learn correct information about the ship they are living and working on. For an example, we had an over charge on our bill for the spa, we went to the front desk to correct the problem and we were told the spa was not open yet, that they would have to call them when they opened. My husband said, they opened at 8 AM and it is 9 AM now. The woman at the front desk said "oh, did they ?" then proceeded to call.

 

7) We had a extra internet charge on our bill when we used the internet café because when we got up to print what we needed the printer was out of paper and we had to disconnect because no one was in there to help us, then walk all the way down to the front desk where they said sorry you have to make a appointment with the internet manager to get that fixed, We have never had that problem in the past with an incorrect charge.

 

8) The restaurant never opened on time, always 2-6 minutes late. May not sound like much but it is when the lines are backed up for miles and you can not get out of the elevator because there is so many people.

 

9) Cruise director made way to many lengthy announcements during the cruise, could never rest because they were so constant.

 

10) Ship was very hard to get around, only 2 decks that went all the way through the ship in the common areas and they went right through heavily smoky areas and I am very allergic to smoke. Also, you could never go outside on deck 3 to enjoy the view because on this ship the smoke on both sides.

 

We have never been so disappointed in a ship. I am not usually one to complain but this so called vacation was a nightmare. You can definitely see where Carnival has cut corners on this ship and where there are several areas that need improvement within the staff that works on these boats.

 

The only strong points I can even say about this cruise was the spa was wonderful (although through no surprise we found out that it was not owned by carnival) and Harry's supper club was very good although higher in price then any cruise line we have ever been on.

[dclark]

CCL has always had a bad buffet. RCL is even worse, Princess is slightly better.

On the Conquest class ships, the buffet is always mobbed as it is, so why even do it? Go down to the dining room and not only will they bring the food to you, it will be better quality (not as cold). Why wait in lines when you are on vacation? I just don't get it.

Yeah, I have had some steaks that were overcooked, lobsters that were under cooked. Just ask for something different.

[DG2004]

Whoops

[MN Cruiers]

This is about the Liberty not the Triumph...

[SheriNtexas]

We have never been so disappointed in a ship. I am not usually one to complain but this so called vacation was a nightmare. You can definitely see where Carnival has cut corners on this ship and where there are several areas that need improvement within the staff that works on these boats.

.

 

 

Sorry you had a bad time. It seems that a lot of your complaints come from the fact that you were on a very large ship. Larger ship=more people=longer lines. Maybe a smaller ship would suit you more. Don't most ships only have a deck or 2 that run the length of the ship? I guess the reason they make you pass by the casino, etc is so you will go in. Smoke doesn't bother me at all, but when we were on the Ecstasy, it was SO smoky i finally got out. The buffet food wasn't that great, we just ate what we could. I honestly think the larger a ship the more crowd problems there will be, but the employees should know answers to basic questions.

[oogeyboots]

Wha,Wha,Wha, tell us how you really feel??? Kidding aside, thanks for the info, not really what I want to hear as leaving on her Oct 7th. I will have great fun I just know it. Not big on buffet food so not so worried. Sorry you had such a bad time. Peace, Lynn

[DG2004]

This is about the Liberty not the Triumph...

 

whoops.....just got off the phone with Carnival "Customer Service" and its is effecting my vision

[PaddleAddict]

"Carnival is the only cruise line that we have ever been on that does not let you pre assign the size table you would like."

 

I thought you can request this? I have requested this (or at least I thought I did).

[PaddleAddict]

I am not usually one to complain...

 

Boy, I find that hard to believe. Uh, you complained about the dinning room opening 2 to 6 minutes late.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. I am very much looking forward to mine in 10 days!!

[Jolimont]

Sorry you had a bad time. My dinner time and table number were indicated on my cruise card the minute we boarded, not sure why it wasn't on yours. And it doesn't really surprise me that you asked several people and they all gave you different answers. They were trying to be helpful but didn't know. They should have said "I don't know", but if you want the guest to move on it's easier to take a guess. Dinner question? Ask the Maître D'. I'm pretty sure that's true on any cruise line.

[nckvilledudes]

You couldnt find food on the cruise ship??????? WOW!!!

Dan

[NCTribeFan]

You request the size of the table and the time, but they make it very clear that it is only a request.

 

Our Elation cruise, we were given late dining, which wouldn't work for us because of my friend's timing with all her meds.

 

We didn't arrive as early as we had hoped, so the "see the Maitre'D at 1:00" also didn't work as the dining room was locked when we got on board. We went when they opened up for dinner (after the stampede) and were re-assigned, but we didn't have time to change since 1st seating was already in process.

 

When I sailed on RCI, our dining time and table size was also a request.

 

Perhaps some of the more upscale lines offer reserved tables, but I'm not sure how it's possible, given that the ship may not fill up until a few days prior to the cruise. They can't possibly accomodate every single request!

 

The only times I've seen buffet lines not open was during "off" hours (very early, between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner). During peak hours, all lines were open.

 

I can understand concerns with the larger ships. I'm even concerned and I'm only moving up from Fantasy Class to Spirit Class!

[wentworth]

Our table number and time was also printed on our sail and sign card which we received on boarding. Our "group" was linked together for

dining when we made our booking so that we all ate together.

[AllyCat81]

My husband and I just got off the Carnival Liberty , 6 day cruise that left on 09/23/07 and we have to say that this was the worst cruise of our life. We have taken several cruises with several different lines and have never met the problems that we met with this cruise line. We took the Carnival Miracle as our first cruise and it was wonderful but the cruise line has gone down in quality severely since that cruise 1 ½ years ago. There was so many problems with this cruise that I am including them in numerical order. This was a test to see if we would like to cruise with Carnival in the future and the answer is a huge NO. We absolutely had a horrible time and will never cruise with Carnival again as it stands right now. We have also never been on a cruise where upon leaving the ship so many other people were expressing the same problems that we had.

 

 

 

Here is the list:

 

 

1) When we first got on the ship we asked 3 different people where you would go to check on your dinner table reservation, ever one of them gave us a different answer and none of them were right. We asked the front desk finally and they were still wrong (on the times at least)

 

2) We had to wait in a horrible line because Carnival is the only cruise line that we have ever been on that does not let you pre assign the size table you would like.

 

3) The buffet lines were always extremely long because the ship would only open ¼ of the huge buffet area therefore long lines were constant.

 

4) Food both in the buffet and in the dining room were very poor. Food had very little taste and all the steaks were extremely tough and of poor quality, the fruit for the most part was not ripe and the soups were extremely thin.

 

5) Food was very hard to find on this ship, buffet was only open certain hours and all the grills on the deck only had certain hours. And the hours were very few.

 

6) We never encountered one staff member who knew the correct answer to anything. It was as if the ship was new to the staff members or they just did not bother to learn correct information about the ship they are living and working on. For an example, we had an over charge on our bill for the spa, we went to the front desk to correct the problem and we were told the spa was not open yet, that they would have to call them when they opened. My husband said, they opened at 8 AM and it is 9 AM now. The woman at the front desk said "oh, did they ?" then proceeded to call.

 

7) We had a extra internet charge on our bill when we used the internet café because when we got up to print what we needed the printer was out of paper and we had to disconnect because no one was in there to help us, then walk all the way down to the front desk where they said sorry you have to make a appointment with the internet manager to get that fixed, We have never had that problem in the past with an incorrect charge.

 

8) The restaurant never opened on time, always 2-6 minutes late. May not sound like much but it is when the lines are backed up for miles and you can not get out of the elevator because there is so many people.

 

9) Cruise director made way to many lengthy announcements during the cruise, could never rest because they were so constant.

 

10) Ship was very hard to get around, only 2 decks that went all the way through the ship in the common areas and they went right through heavily smoky areas and I am very allergic to smoke. Also, you could never go outside on deck 3 to enjoy the view because on this ship the smoke on both sides.

 

We have never been so disappointed in a ship. I am not usually one to complain but this so called vacation was a nightmare. You can definitely see where Carnival has cut corners on this ship and where there are several areas that need improvement within the staff that works on these boats.

 

The only strong points I can even say about this cruise was the spa was wonderful (although through no surprise we found out that it was not owned by carnival) and Harry's supper club was very good although higher in price then any cruise line we have ever been on.

I was on the same cruise, and I agree with most of what you have to say. Our dining assignment was a complete fiasco. We had our table moved a total of 4 times (3 of which were due to Carnival). The service in the dining room was average at best. I couldn't even tell you the name of our waiter cause he never bothered to introduce himself, and never stood around long enough for either of us to catch his name.

We always found food at the buffett though. Maybe it depends on what times you go, but we never really had a problem with the lines. The only line that got on my nerves was waiting for an omlette. But that wasn't really Carnival's fault, it was the people who were in a rush and felt the need to cut people in line.

We liked Todd. And I really can't recall hearing that many announcements. He was much more pleasant to listen to then the last CD we cruised with.

And we also did not like the layout of the ship. It was a pain when it was raining and the only way to get to the buffett was if we wanted to get soaked, or go all the way downstairs walk to the other end of the ship and take the elevator up. Plus getting into the dining room was like a cattle herd. We eventually stopped going to dinner by the end of the week cause we just couldn't be bothered.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. We're still going to cruise with Carnival, but not on the larger ships. Hopefully you find something that suits you :)

[boundingmaynard]

We took the Carnival Miracle as our first cruise and it was wonderful but the cruise line has gone down in quality severely since that cruise 1 ½ years ago. This was a test to see if we would like to cruise with Carnival in the future and the answer is a huge NO.

 

 

Why would you take a "test cruise" on Carnival when you stated that you took a Carnival cruise 1 1/2 years prior and it was "wonderful"?

Perhaps you were trying to hard to find fault.

 

I can't believe you waited 6 minutes to get into the dining room, you poor thing, you must have been a mere shadow of your former self when they finally let you in. Were you able to make your way to the table by yourself in your condition?

[NCTribeFan]

C'mon, folks. If someone takes the time to come here and write a review, why can't we just read it and comment without ripping into them?

 

It was their cruise. It was their review. Is finding fault with the review or reviewer any better than the cruiser finding fault with the cruise?

 

:confused:

 

Are a review not allowed until they thought the cruise was perfect?

[7SEASSISTER]

parts of this sounds like a joke to me, sorry ahead of time for my lack of sensativity

[whimdriven]

1

Research the locations of different dining rooms prior to boarding. Find Dining Room and Table number on your Sail and Sign. Go to appropriate dining room using knowledge gained BEFORE the cruise, then you don't have to rely on others.

 

2

Don't know what to tell you about this except, be flexible and ready for anything, you won't have this problem.

 

3

I went on the Liberty 9/9-9/15 and never noticed low availability on buffet lines.

 

4

The dining room food was not "very poor" but it was somewhat lacking from night to night. I enjoyed what little buffet food I did have.

 

5

These hours are published in the Capers everyday. The dining room is open for breakfast daily, lunch on port days, and in the evenings for the two nightly sittings. Grills are open during wide windows in the afternoon on both midship and aft. Plus, there's 24 hour room service, so a complaint about "food inavailability" IMHO sounds more like a personal comment on your lack of commitment to try.

 

6

This one is a valid point. I didn't have this problem, but I woul say that the pursers owe it to themselves, especially from a fraud investigation standpoint, to know what time venues open on the ship.

 

7

That's a bummer.

 

8

In my experience, it's better to time your arrival to dinner 2-6 minutes late.

 

9

Block it out, man, block it out.

 

10

Another thing that you could have ascertained BEFORE your voyage instead of being "surprised" on the back end. There are MANY comments about the Conquest class desk layout on the CC boards, and I notice that you're not a new poster.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed Harry's and the Spa ... I did as well.

[CarnivalCruzer]

My husband and I just got off the Carnival Liberty , 6 day cruise that left on 09/23/07 and we have to say that this was the worst cruise of our life. We have taken several cruises with several different lines and have never met the problems that we met with this cruise line. We took the Carnival Miracle as our first cruise and it was wonderful but the cruise line has gone down in quality severely since that cruise 1 ½ years ago. There was so many problems with this cruise that I am including them in numerical order. This was a test to see if we would like to cruise with Carnival in the future and the answer is a huge NO. We absolutely had a horrible time and will never cruise with Carnival again as it stands right now. We have also never been on a cruise where upon leaving the ship so many other people were expressing the same problems that we had.

 

 

 

Here is the list:

 

 

1) When we first got on the ship we asked 3 different people where you would go to check on your dinner table reservation, ever one of them gave us a different answer and none of them were right. We asked the front desk finally and they were still wrong (on the times at least)

 

2) We had to wait in a horrible line because Carnival is the only cruise line that we have ever been on that does not let you pre assign the size table you would like.

 

3) The buffet lines were always extremely long because the ship would only open ¼ of the huge buffet area therefore long lines were constant.

 

4) Food both in the buffet and in the dining room were very poor. Food had very little taste and all the steaks were extremely tough and of poor quality, the fruit for the most part was not ripe and the soups were extremely thin.

 

5) Food was very hard to find on this ship, buffet was only open certain hours and all the grills on the deck only had certain hours. And the hours were very few.

 

6) We never encountered one staff member who knew the correct answer to anything. It was as if the ship was new to the staff members or they just did not bother to learn correct information about the ship they are living and working on. For an example, we had an over charge on our bill for the spa, we went to the front desk to correct the problem and we were told the spa was not open yet, that they would have to call them when they opened. My husband said, they opened at 8 AM and it is 9 AM now. The woman at the front desk said "oh, did they ?" then proceeded to call.

 

7) We had a extra internet charge on our bill when we used the internet café because when we got up to print what we needed the printer was out of paper and we had to disconnect because no one was in there to help us, then walk all the way down to the front desk where they said sorry you have to make a appointment with the internet manager to get that fixed, We have never had that problem in the past with an incorrect charge.

 

8) The restaurant never opened on time, always 2-6 minutes late. May not sound like much but it is when the lines are backed up for miles and you can not get out of the elevator because there is so many people.

 

9) Cruise director made way to many lengthy announcements during the cruise, could never rest because they were so constant.

 

10) Ship was very hard to get around, only 2 decks that went all the way through the ship in the common areas and they went right through heavily smoky areas and I am very allergic to smoke. Also, you could never go outside on deck 3 to enjoy the view because on this ship the smoke on both sides.

 

We have never been so disappointed in a ship. I am not usually one to complain but this so called vacation was a nightmare. You can definitely see where Carnival has cut corners on this ship and where there are several areas that need improvement within the staff that works on these boats.

 

The only strong points I can even say about this cruise was the spa was wonderful (although through no surprise we found out that it was not owned by carnival) and Harry's supper club was very good although higher in price then any cruise line we have ever been on.

 

 

 

 

Sorry you were disappointed. We just got off the Liberty on 09/23 and didn't experience any of the problems you did. In fact, we booked her again for next year :D

 

1) As we embarked we were handed a few papers. One of which spefically said if you had any issues with your dining assignments that the MaitreD would be in XXX Dining Room from 1-3 then XXX from 3-5. I guess you didn't get that handout??

 

3) On 09/15 we did not have this trouble. Seems all quarters of the buffett were open as listed in the capers.

 

5) I do agree that there was an awkward period from about 10pm-11pm where the pizza was the only thing open. But then at 11pm the burgers & I think deli open back up. There's always room service. :rolleyes:

 

8) Didn't experience a back-up at the dining room either. We always went in on the 4th floor since our table was upstairs.

 

9) Loved Todd. I think he did an excellent time & all announcements on our cruise were made at appropriate times.

 

10) Aren't decks 3 & 4 the ONLY decks that don't go straight through? Any of the other decks do. They're mostly cabins, but there wouldn't have been any odor of smoke. Also, I know for a fact that the crew was very strict about what side of the ship you could smoke on. On our cruise they did NOT allow it anywhere.

 

Just wanted to point out to the future cruisers that while your cruise may have been disappoining, it is not always like this.

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Do a lot of people make a beeline to the dining room upon boarding the ship to change their dining room table? Because that's my plan. And if you're in my way... I may have to knock you over. Sorry Grandma:p

[bigphilky]

Do a lot of people make a beeline to the dining room upon boarding the ship to change their dining room table? Because that's my plan. And if you're in my way... I may have to knock you over. Sorry Grandma:p

 

 

You should be ashamed! :p Funny! But ashamed. LOL

[jennybabee]

First of all, like I said when I posted. 2-6 minutes is not usually a big deal to wait at all but when the lines to get in are so backed up that you can not get off the elevators or down the stairs, they should open the doors.

 

And as far as the rude comments that some people have made, I expected that on here, it happens alot.

 

We did a test to see if we wanted to continue with Carnival because we had read a few horror stories. We have enjoyed our Princess cruises, disney cruises, and even Royal Caribbean. I know I will be flagged for this but the carnival cruises are usually alot cheaper and I feel like the quality of this cruise reflected that.

 

And if you notice, one person on this board agreed with me for the most part, so I must not be crazy nor am I making this up.

 

As yes I did research before I took her, but how would I know by looking online and in books just how disgustingly smoky a casino would be , nor could I tell how bad the food would be without tasting it.

 

As far as the dining room table and time being on my card, it was , but it did not indicate if it was for a 2 person table or a 20 person table. My husband and I have been stuck with crappy table mates before and wanted to avoid that. On other cruise lines, when you ask for a 2 topper, you actually get it with out having to stand in a long line.

 

I was just giving my review so people would see another opinion besides from a GIVE ME CARNIVAL OR LET ME DIE opinion. My first carnival cruise was very nice , but like I said , IMO things have gone down hill fast.

[bychance]

Why would you take a "test cruise" on Carnival when you stated that you took a Carnival cruise 1 1/2 years prior and it was "wonderful"?

Perhaps you were trying to hard to find fault.

 

I can't believe you waited 6 minutes to get into the dining room, you poor thing, you must have been a mere shadow of your former self when they finally let you in. Were you able to make your way to the table by yourself in your condition?

 

BBwwaaaahhhaaaaaa! Now thats funny right thar, I don't care who you are!!:D

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Why must we be mean? Can't we all just get along?:)

[jennybabee]

Because Married.... There are rude, nasty people everywhere.

 

PS - CarnivalCruzer

 

1) We did go to check the seats at 1 PM like sheet of paper said, but they were not open yet for some reason, then we went back at 2 PM (Like front desk told us) and stood in line for 40 minutes.

 

 

2) There was smoking on both sides of the ship every time we stepped out on deck 3 to try to get a nice few of the water.