Glory 7/11 - NIGHTMARE - My Review

[fredman]

Thanks Jas1178 for posting your experience. Your review was balanced open and you were great with your responses to those that "offered" some interesting solutions, advice. Your posts are a model that we all should strive to aspire. Sometimes folks get a bit heated as beliefs and values are in part who we are. As you state this is what CC is all about. :)

[timmy1958]

JAS1178, this was an awesome review. Many positives listed, and then you gave us the nightmare scenario that you experienced. Being that you are an experienced cruiser, I don't write off your complaints as a novice expecting too much. You plunked down good, hard earned cash to have a relaxing vacation, and expected a certain level of comfort based on your past experience with the SAME CRUISE LINE. I would have been upset/unhappy/annoyed/aggravated as well. The other posters jumping on about what THEY define as comfortable temps seems rather frivolous to me. You weren't happy with the temp/condition of your room. You were - IMHO - more than patient while trying to get the issue resolved. I commend your patience, as well as your control of your temper - I would not have been so nice. Again, awesome review. Well written, well thought-out. Thank you.

[elliebelle]

To the OP. Thank you, IMHO, this post is what CC is all about for me. I believe it is possible to express what for you, was clearly a bad experience without bashing. Thanks for staying so objective and allowing the good parts of the trip to come through also.

[mj]

We were on the May 08 sailing earlier this year on the Glory and I thought the room was a little warmer than usual. During the heat of the day, something seemed a little off. Never got as hot as you did and felt unbearable. Just a little uncomfortable. We were in room 8329.

[VernRDH]

Thank you OP for a fair and balanced review. I agree it would have been a nightmare, especially with a little one who cannot sleep in the heat and humidity. You were much calmer and patient than either DH or I would have been.

 

The expectation of a comfortable room is not a far fetched idea. Heat and cold are personal preferences, and should be adjustable to each persons needs or preference. What if it weren't the A/C, but his shower? What if he only got scalding hot water or frigid water? Would that then be a more "valid" complaint? Personal comfort is key for many of us to have a relaxing vacation.

 

OP, I hope that you receive the compensation you are looking for and that your next cruise is a bit more relaxing for you and your family.

[HB Cruiser]

jas1178 - Thanks so much for posting your review. I have been trying to decide between Carnival & RCCL for our September cruise and I think your review really helped me through that process. I understand that AC can malfunction, but the response you received would have made me livid. I live in San Antonio where we've had many consecutive days over 100 this summer and the last thing I want to do is finish my summer off with a cruise in a hot cabin. And in my opinion, 74 at night is HOT.

 

So sorry you and your family had to endure that when you were expecting a fun, relaxing, comfortable vacation. I hope things are better next time.

 

Not sure if you read this entire thread but a few pages back, I posted a similiar situation that happened to us on Royal Caribbean. We had not had any problems with a/c on other RCCL cruises so we felt this was not the norm. We have never had the problem again. I will say this, the personnel on the ship did not handle the situation any better than Carnival did for the OP.

 

That being said, I have never been on Carnival but I am sure this was an isolated situation as was ours on RCCL. My point, I would not use this one particular situation as judgement for choosing a cruise line UNLESS the OP does not get proper renumeration from Carnival.

 

Tim

[firefly4423]

thanks for sharing your experience, even if it was not so good..

[dreamcruiser525]

I feel your pain also. We had a "no a/c" cruise for a 5 day cruise to cozumel and at that time yes, it was a nightmare. We also got a

box fan, which blows hot air around. The tech said they needed a part which they could not get until back at orginal port.

After all was said and done Carnival sent us a 15% off our next cruise after writing a letter of concern to corporate. There were several other issues in addition, backed up plumbing ect, which really made it lovely.

 

So I understand your frustration, things do happen but I'm taking my 7th cruise (my hubby's 10th) with Carnival next May and can't wait. :D

[preciouspup]

jas1178 - Thanks so much for posting your review. I have been trying to decide between Carnival & RCCL for our September cruise and I think your review really helped me through that process. I understand that AC can malfunction, but the response you received would have made me livid. I live in San Antonio where we've had many consecutive days over 100 this summer and the last thing I want to do is finish my summer off with a cruise in a hot cabin. And in my opinion, 74 at night is HOT.

 

So sorry you and your family had to endure that when you were expecting a fun, relaxing, comfortable vacation. I hope things are better next time.

 

 

Ummm? Sorry? Sounds like Carnival did everything they could to try to fix air and even got them another cabin as soon as it was feasible. Read some RCI reviews where passengers had floods from ceilings and toilet leaks and RCI wouldn't change their cabin. (Monarch for one, I forget other ship).

 

Mechanical problems can happen on ANY cruise line.

 

(P.S. - we live in Houston and my air is at 78 at night. We survive)

[CaribbeanBlues]

Ummm? Sorry? Sounds like Carnival did everything they could to try to fix air and even got them another cabin as soon as it was feasible. Read some RCI reviews where passengers had floods from ceilings and toilet leaks and RCI wouldn't change their cabin. (Monarch for one, I forget other ship).

 

Mechanical problems can happen on ANY cruise line.

 

(P.S. - we live in Houston and my air is at 78 at night. We survive)

So, because RCI passengers had a problem with flooded cabins means that the OP is supposed to sweat at night on Carnival. Great logic.

[HB Cruiser]

Ummm? Sorry? Sounds like Carnival did everything they could to try to fix air and even got them another cabin as soon as it was feasible. Read some RCI reviews where passengers had floods from ceilings and toilet leaks and RCI wouldn't change their cabin. (Monarch for one, I forget other ship).

 

Mechanical problems can happen on ANY cruise line.

 

(P.S. - we live in Houston and my air is at 78 at night. We survive)

 

I have to respectfully disagree with your statements as the OP said it took three days if my memory serves me correctly to get them moved. I personally do not feel that is considered "as soon as it was feasible." I personally do not think they did ANYTHING to try to fix the air, they only came into the cabin, read their instrument (which I have a problem with along with the OP), and said the air was inside the proper limits. Our situation on RCCL was very similiar and they never fixed the A/C problem.

 

They did right the wrong by giving us a discount on our next cruise with them but the air was NEVER fixed.

 

Tim

[Rowan555]

Excellent point! I'm thinking the cruise line has figured out that cooling costs money and that it's not money well spent to cool rooms to the 60's when 99% of the passengers are comfortable in the high 70s.

 

For those who are not, try cruising to Alaska! Seriously, even in the summer you need a sweater much of the time.

 

 

Do you really think 99% of people are comfortable with their rooms being in the high 70's? We keep our thermostat at 72 degrees at night - at 73 degrees, I can't sleep. In the winter, we keep the heat on 68 degrees. If my cabin was 78 degrees, I would be asking them to fly me home from the first port. And I'm one of the biggest Carnival cheerleaders on this forum - but a hot cabin is a dealbreaker for me. BTW, I don't know anyone personally who keeps their home over 75 degrees - perhaps it's b/c it's so humid here, but it's unbearable to try to function during the day, much less sleep, when it's in the upper 70's in the house. My son's asthma acts up as well when it's too warm, so that would be one more reason we couldn't handle a cruise with a hot cabin.

[Name Of The Game]

This has been a cool summer in Cleveland and I could probably count the # of times our A/C has been on this year on one hand. We do keep it at 78 degrees....our unit is fairly new and it feels comfortable. That said, when paying for a cruise, I like the cabin to feel like an ice box when I come in from outside where it's 90 degrees.

[NCTribeFan]

I guess I need to sail Glory again and book that cabin!

 

I'm so sick and tired of going every place in mid summer when the temps are in the upper 80s or in the 90s and FREEZING because the a/c is turned down so low. Hello! We're wearing minimal clothing because of the heat. Making it so cold that you can't eat a meal because it's cold halfway through is just stupid.

 

JMHO.

 

I have yet to have a cabin that wasn't so cold that I had to put on layers or wrap up in the bathrobe while trying to sit in the cabin. And I've yet to "meet" a thermostat in a cabin that actually seemed to do anything.

 

I've given up going to the theatre because I refuse to pack long sleeves just so I can sit through a show without freezing.

 

Just shows that people differ. I often don't even have the a/c on at night here (went all last week without turning it on once) and it's been in the upper 80s/low 90s. My gas and electric bills are next to nothing in the summer. :D

 

Sorry the temp was such a issue for you and caused so much consternation. Although I freeze on every cruise, I've yet to call or go to the desk to complain. I mean, just what are they going to do for me? If the thermostats do nothing, they certainly aren't going to cut back the entire section just because I'm uncomfortable, right? So I just deal with the discomfort.

 

I also loved the Fish & Chips. I kept going upstairs to eat on Victory and looking longingly over at where the Fish & Chips "should" have been located.

 

My only supper club was on Glory. While I thought it was a great meal, I don't know that I'll spend the money in that fashion again. We'll see what I think once I'm back on Miracle.

 

Hope it's freezing cold for you next time. Meanwhile, you'll see me shivering and complaining about having to pack sweaters to keep from feeling like I'm coming down with the flu! :p

[osiebosie]

Hey, men! Try adding hot flashes to the mix! :eek::eek:

 

Try living with a woman having hot flashes, and you'll be bumping that thermometer down. Until I got my flashes under control, my dh was freezing and that was just too bad. :p

 

Let me tell you, if I was still having my hot flashes and got on a ship with AC problems, there'd be he** to pay!! And I'm serious.

 

All cabins should be able to regulate the air to where they want it. They go on and on about these new ships and what all they can do, well then make the air work properly.

 

Just my two cents worth...

 

Shay

[firefly333]

Amusing .... carry on, deleted

[cathyoo]

Mechanical problems can happen on ANY cruise line.

 

(P.S. - we live in Houston and my air is at 78 at night. We survive)

 

I do not go on vacation to SURVIVE that's why I go to work. I go on vacation as a reward for the surviving.

[Aussiegrlfl]

I never suggested to sleep naked but maybe just shorts, etc. Clothing has a big impact on the heat factor. It doesn't make sense to crank down the temp and then wear something warm. It's summer, after all.

 

I grew up as a kid in Miami and slept in a bedroom with no A/C... the house had a window unit, just not in my room. Yes it is not comfortable but yes, you can sleep if you get tired, you get used to it. Not worth complaining about if there is nothing you can do about it.

 

To each his own, but my cruise is all about relaxing, being away from it all, being at sea, and not having any worries. It's not about personal comfort and having everything just the way I like it. Someone who appreciates comfort above all else is probably going to do better with a spa vacation.

 

Being in a contentious situation and having to make multiple visits to the purser, when I could be up on deck soaking up the sun, it's just not a good use of my precious vacation time. I'd rather be hot. I'm going to drink enough to guarantee I sleep soundly even if my room is on fire.

 

I would be a lot more sympathetic to the situation if the temp had been in the 80s or 90s. I don't think the ship's maintenance staff would have inaccurate temp sensors. That's their job.

 

Also, the cabins are packed so tightly, it's hard to believe that one cabin would be a drastically different temp than the next one. They don't have individual units - a malfunctioning system would affect many cabins. In that case I think it would be an urgent repair issue. If just one cabin reported a problem, its less urgent, maybe even treated as a non-issue.

 

My ideal vacation is relaxing too.....but being hot does allow that to happen......seriously we are all different and some body temps are different that others....I run hot.....so I need cool air even with a/c at 74 at night in steamy SW Florida...we still have ceiling fans and bedside fans.....to me it would have not been fun and if you can't rest and RELAX....how can you enjoy.......I guess you are lucky and don't feel the heat.........

[tootsiescurly]

How ridiculous for you to say this . . . a cruise is not about personal comfort??? Do we pay money to be uncomfortable??? How do you relax when you are HOT????

 

We book suites. Have to tell you I would be really angry if my suite was too hot. Any vacation is about personal comfort, whatever that may be whether camping, cruising or a spa vacation. if it wasn't it would be just like another day at work.

[awhcruiser]

Huh??

 

Go back to Ohio.

[sanmarcosman]

We were on the Glory May 16th.

 

We had an interior cabin 2385. And had the exact same issues.

 

The "nightmare" part is the complete and utter frustration of dealing with the Carnival staff when there is an issue like this.

 

This wasn't our first rodeo. They would not even bring us a fan!

 

We had 4 adult size people on a quad interior. They turned off the fridge and tried "this and that".... but nothing worked.

 

Felt measured our cabin as well and all he told us was that it was to hot.

 

It never got any better.

 

Now, my oldest son prefers to live in a "hot house"...so he was very pleased.

 

But I can assure you that our cabin was no where near "normal" that entire week.

 

But again the frustration came BEFORE we were actually able to get Felt there. We would call and they would say...we are sending someone and then they never did.

 

Then we went to the Purser's Desk the next morning and the Purser writes it in a little black notebook and no one shows up.

 

Then we got back to the Purser's Desk that night and no one has a clue about our complaint and I said....look in the black notebook....and they look at us like we have 3 eyes.

 

At midnight, Felt finally showed up and said it was to hot and that he would send a maintenance guy "shortly". We waited until 1:15 AM and called again.

The Purser said they were on their way. We waited another 30 minutes and then gave up.

 

We go BACK to the Purser's Desk the next morning....and that afternoon a maintance guy finally showed up and "suddenly" Carnival declares that it is within their "standards".

 

I wrote Ruben Rodriguez about this and I told him ....

 

1. To use the statement it is within 'Carnival's Standards' sounds arrogant. Carnival did not pay for this cruise, we did. They need to change that terminology to "normal ranges".

 

2. If this is the way they treat a family of four (3 of which are Milestone Reward Members).... I would hate to see how they treat the casual cruiser.

 

Carnival CLEARLY knows they have a problem with the temps in these rooms.

And instead of being honest....they are just hoping they get folks like my son that literally uses no AC in his rental at college over the summer in 95% temps.

 

It is bad enough to have to deal with maintenance issues....but the real nightmare is being ignored, mislead and dismissed.

 

Now that you mention it....Felt did measure it from the top and said it was to hot....I was not there for the other measurements. I bet anything there were from the floor.

 

As for the Supper Club....we also had just an average meal. My beef was ok...but no better that I have received in the Formal Dining Room.

 

Ours was free because I won dinner for two at the Repeater's Party. But if I had paid an additional $60.00 plus we tipped extra....I would have been disappointed.

What am I missing here? Who or what is a Felt or is it something that one does? :eek:

[rigldbrg]

went to the Casino to get the $75 that would have been normally due for the week. (Thank you cruise Critic for this knowledge!!!!!)

 

I will say this, if in the same situation again, I would get resolution BEFORE the Vacation Guarantee deadline (24 hours before arrival into first foreign port). If resolution couldn't occur, I would indeed invoke the guarantee.

 

 

Sorry to hear you did'nt enjoy your vacation. I hope your next cruise will be more enjoyable.

 

Can you share with us what the $75 due in the casino is all about, and where you find information about the Vacation Guarantee. I'm not familiar with either of these things. Thanks.

[trock]

I don't think it really matters what anyone else's personal "perfect temperature" is. The cabin was too hot and humid for the op and his family...bottom line! He has every right to be upset. I think they should have told him from the beginning that there was nothing they could do, offer the other cabin or a discount on a future cruise. Getting the run around makes me madder than the awful truth sometimes.

 

We had a problem with our television on the Victory last month. It would play for about 20 minutes and then shut off if you tried to change the channel. There was some box in the back they kept coming to reset. After the third time, the room steward agreed with us that we would just leave it on the whole time and turn the volume all the way down when we weren't watching it. I have horrible insomnia and need the television to fall asleep at night. It was a small pain, but nothing like the op's.

 

Sorry to flame, but this has to be one of the dumbest statements I have seen! "Maybe the OP should have spent time in the pools" - - - Ummm, yeah, you can't SLEEP in the pools! You can't "sh!tt, shower, shave" at the pools (I would certainly hope not, anyway!!) Everyone has a cabin for a reason!

 

As you said, temperature *COMFORT* really is a PERSONAL thing! So who are you to be judgy?? Being that he lives in FL, I am sure the "OP" is probably more accustomed to the heat than someone who is from the north. That doesn't mean he should have to sweat through the night on his VACATION!

 

And to respond to Saltydingo: "To each his own, but my cruise is all about relaxing, being away from it all, being at sea, and not having any worries. It's not about personal comfort and having everything just the way I like it. Someone who appreciates comfort above all else is probably going to do better with a spa vacation."

 

You said it right there in your quote - TO EACH HIS OWN. Your cruise might not be about personal comfort, but for many people, myself included, personal comfort is an extremely important factor in planning a vacation! I want to relax... you cannot "relax" if you aren't comfortable! The two go hand-in-hand as far as I am concerned.

 

 

Amen to the two posters above

 

I live in NY- Long Island.. My central air is on at least 6 months of the year.. (ever hear of LIPA? YIKES)

I set it to 66 at night.. because i like it COLD.. I have chronic headaches and migraine/sinus issues

I would have slept in the atrium or on lido. I would not have dealt well with this at all

So kudos to the OP.. infact the only fault i personally found, with due respect, is the obvious appeasement to the cheering squad he felt necessary in his review.

It was excellent and if he had no issues with the A/C i may not have noticed it . .but it was very methodically written in order to avoid the flames... At least this is how I read it.. No flaming OP... I would have been pissed about the AC!

And my point about your review was not derogatory to you.. it was derogatory to the audience which flames complaints such as these..

Thanks!:)

[halos]

Being in a contentious situation and having to make multiple visits to the purser, when I could be up on deck soaking up the sun, it's just not a good use of my precious vacation time. I'd rather be hot. I'm going to drink enough to guarantee I sleep soundly even if my room is on fire.

 

I would be a lot more sympathetic to the situation if the temp had been in the 80s or 90s. I don't think the ship's maintenance staff would have inaccurate temp sensors. That's their job.

 

Also, the cabins are packed so tightly, it's hard to believe that one cabin would be a drastically different temp than the next one. They don't have individual units - a malfunctioning system would affect many cabins. In that case I think it would be an urgent repair issue. If just one cabin reported a problem, its less urgent, maybe even treated as a non-issue.

 

I HATE being hot, I live in a cold climate and can't stand heat because I am used to cold. But to be honest, I agree with this poster 100%.

I do understand everyone is different...but to all you who keep your AC in the low 60's...Bless your hearts, I wouldn't want your electirc bills :eek:

 

Because I live in a cool climate, our summers are usually mild enough that no one here even has central AC. Most people purchase window units for exteremely hot days....personally, I don't consider 80 extremely uncomfortable, but that's just me. If the humidity is not an issue then I don't see 80º being a problem.

However, maybe someone who lives in a warm climate and is used to being 'frozen' with AC all the time would have a problem with an 80º room...

 

 

To the OP: I am sorry you were uncomfortable. I actually thought your review was really good (the title is misleading however..) but I do hope that you never run into an AC problem again. No one wnats to be uncomfortable when trying to sleep.

 

;) Salty, I like your remedy: drinking enough that nothing will keep you awake :p

[jetskier]

BTW, I don't know anyone personally who keeps their home over 75 degrees - perhaps it's b/c it's so humid here, but it's unbearable to try to function during the day, much less sleep, when it's in the upper 70's in the house. My son's asthma acts up as well when it's too warm, so that would be one more reason we couldn't handle a cruise with a hot cabin.

 

Sure you do Susan, you just have not been to my house yet.:) Our A/C is set on 78 which is comfortable for us. But then again I work outside most of the day where it is 90-98 degrees.

 

Dave