Rare Tom-n-Cheryl Posted April 9, 2010 #101 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Paul, I'll just pile on with the shared disappointment for you and Britt. In short, that sucks. I hope you mention this liberally and often in your comment card and any other cruise review you're submitting to Carnival. In short, it just ain't right. What's the point in getting to Platinum if they aren't going to honor it? Anyway, I hope you and the fam enjoy the rest. Good running review. ;) You would think that Carnival would bend over backwards for their (presumably) "most valued guests"! It only takes one or two negative events to generate bad press - for an otherwise very good product! Good news travels fast. But, it turns out, bad news travels faster! --- Paul - enjoy this last day of your cruise (the day which always kind of bums me out a bit :()! Did you have a chance to try Chef's Art? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okgirl Posted April 9, 2010 #102 Share Posted April 9, 2010 hey paul. enjoy your cruise. please post all that you can. i only booked this a coupla days ago on the quick and now all i'm seeing are horrible reviews -- both here and on the CCL site -- rocking; listing; unhappy crew; disorganized/disinterested crew; bad flow in lido restaurant, etc. usually the bad reviews are tempered with good ones, and i can weed out what, to me, might be nonsense. but so far, the bad reviews on dream are dominating. hoping you bring good news.:) I think most of the bad reviews are from people with unrealistic expectations the think a new ship is going to be perfect.........they aren't I was on the Dream for the 9 day cruise back in December and it was far from perfect but no cruise is. The entire toilet system was shut down for about an hour, but no sewage smells. The electrical plant had an issue for a short time, but that was fixed and no further problems. I actually didn't think the lines were too bad, but I avoid the buffets during peak times. I was actually able to get an omlette for the 1st time because there was only one other person in front of me........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogladyrider Posted April 9, 2010 #103 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Sorry to hear of your experience with CARNIVAL CUSTOMER "SERVICE". Paul, unfortunately it would appear you have joined the ranks of "those forgotten". We have also had cruises where we received nothing - even after calling the "special" Concierge phone # EVERY DAY (I recalled the # from previous cruises). We have also had our share of sub-par experiences with the Concierge line at guest services. There is an entire (new) thread on that topic running as we speak. There are those like you and I who have been on the receiving end of "service" which shows NO appreciation for our loyalty, and those who have (thus far:eek:) glided along and feel everything is OK (ignorance IS bliss :D). The FIRST I heard of Carnival limiting the Laundry perk, it was on the Blogger's Cruise in December (Dream). At that point the "reason" was that there were over 600 Platinum guests onboard. Apparently that was just the start. I already felt that their perks, though appreciated, were lacking a bit (especially for Milestones guests, but that's another thread entirely) - now they are starting to water them down! :confused: As BIG a Carnival fan as I am, you may note from my signature that we are branching out (intentionally) to lines NOT affiliated with Carnival. My rose colored glasses are getting a bit foggy. Carnival needs to send me a spray bottle of Rain-X... though I am not holding my breath. :rolleyes: BTW - I would most definitely PUSH the issue regarding Britt. GOOD LUCK!! Tom Ditto to EVERYTHING you wrote Tom......as a loyal Carnival cruiser we too are looking to branch out, it appears there are other lines that treat customers who simply book suites with some perks! Paul I really hope you pursue the situation, you and your family deserve to be treated better. Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crewsweeper Posted April 9, 2010 #104 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Paul, in your review of MBCC/Roatan, could you address the question if WiFi is available at MBCC or were you using your connection from the Dream? I never bring a laptop or chat on the cell during cruises, but others have asked th equestion on the Roatan boards. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireIce0010 Posted April 9, 2010 #105 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Sorry to hear of your experience with CARNIVAL CUSTOMER "SERVICE". Paul, unfortunately it would appear you have joined the ranks of "those forgotten". We have also had cruises where we received nothing - even after calling the "special" Concierge phone # EVERY DAY (I recalled the # from previous cruises). We have also had our share of sub-par experiences with the Concierge line at guest services. There is an entire (new) thread on that topic running as we speak. There are those like you and I who have been on the receiving end of "service" which shows NO appreciation for our loyalty, and those who have (thus far:eek:) glided along and feel everything is OK (ignorance IS bliss :D). The FIRST I heard of Carnival limiting the Laundry perk, it was on the Blogger's Cruise in December (Dream). At that point the "reason" was that there were over 600 Platinum guests onboard. Apparently that was just the start. I already felt that their perks, though appreciated, were lacking a bit (especially for Milestones guests, but that's another thread entirely) - now they are starting to water them down! :confused: As BIG a Carnival fan as I am, you may note from my signature that we are branching out (intentionally) to lines NOT affiliated with Carnival. My rose colored glasses are getting a bit foggy. Carnival needs to send me a spray bottle of Rain-X... though I am not holding my breath. :rolleyes: BTW - I would most definitely PUSH the issue regarding Britt. GOOD LUCK!! Tom I'm actually enjoying this post. Looks like Carnival has decided that they are also making cuts and even in some cases more than the other cruise lines. Of course the loyal cheerleaders on this board will say that it's not true. In the end, all cruise lines are cutting left and right to keep prices low, fill ships and earn a few buck for the stockholders. As far as the Carnival Dream. Anyone with a lick of common sense should have seen the overcrowding issue coming. I read in this very thread earlier in the week that there are 4600 passengers on board this sailing. That is crazy for a ship the size of the Dream. What was Carnival thinking when they designed this ship? Hate to see that the OP and his family were treated this way by the staff. Especially his son who was looking forward to the party. Not a good way to treat those are paying the stockholders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey's girl Posted April 9, 2010 #106 Share Posted April 9, 2010 We had our first opportunity to speak with Guest Services at the Conscierge desk. Our son Britt was looking forward to the late night party til 3:30 which he goes to every cruise. When Karen signed him up for it they told her it was full. Britt was very disappointed. My question was since we receive guaranteed reservations for dining, supper club, spa, etc, shouldn't the guarantee also cover Camp Carnival since Britt is also Platinum? The answer was; 'I will call, but I doubt they will make an exception.' I replied that it's not an exception, but rather a guarantee since he signed up prior to the end time for signing up, he should be granted a spot. She replied that isn't part of Platinum benefits. I thanked her as we left, but the real issue is she said she would call, but she never asked his name, nor my name, nor did she even ask to see my card. She flat out lied when she said she would call, because she doesn't even know who she will be asking on behalf of. The boys got one in their cabin that stated Platinum members can receive one wash and fold laundry service per cabin, per cruise. I know that's new if it's really the case. Paul...I always look forward to reading your reviews, especially the ones on board. I'm sorry to hear of your son's disappointment. I would definitely pursue this...IMO, as a Platinum member, kids 'deserve' more than $5 in tokens. There should be guarantees for the under 18 crowd as well...and yeah everyone, I already know about canapes and petit fours...I mean something that would really be of interest to that age group. Did you happen to get her name? We also received the 'laundry letter' on our sailing...as DH & I packed anticipating free laundry service with no limits and our friends' room steward told them to ignore the letter, we wound up sending out three loads for the week. No problem except that one bag didn't come back until the next day...no biggie, at least it was clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 9, 2010 Author #107 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Thank you all for your comments and advice. Customer service is a fine art and sometimes there are those who can't do simple sketches, much less create something artistic or useful, yet they are tasked with getting results. In the case of the young lady at Guest Services, she would do well in a different line of work perhaps because Guest Services is not her area of expertise. As it turned out, Britt did get to stay until 3:30! Karen went to pick him up at Midnight and the staff advised her that Britt would be allowed to stay if he still wanted to. Karen said she knew he would, but they could ask him; they said they didn't need to ask him because he had made it clear to them that he was not leaving. :o Karen asked if he had been upset and the staff said they knew he was so happy there that they made space available. I asked Britt just a few minutes ago as he left for Camp Carnival what happened and he said nothing happened, they just had extra space. Camp Carnival staff always earns extra tips, but in this case they earned more than standard extra. ;) Yesterday I took pics of the lines for breakfast on Costa Maya's port day and again today on our Fun Day at Sea I took pics; I won't make you wait until I upload the pics to share with you that THERE WERE NO LINES! Lines we have waited in for the buffet have no been measured in terms of minutes waiting, but in maybe five persons max in line before the plates and trays. Lines are very similar to what we see on Conquest Class ships. I have seen lines that were so long that I am certain that some line members didn't know what they were in line for, but those were for the grill on Lido. Other than that, really the lines have been rather short on average. I still say there's 1000 to many passengers on board. Basically Dream is silimar on top decks to Splendor, yet has an entire Vista Deck of cabins. Chair Hogs? As I walked the top decks this morning I realized it would be very simple to casually move every article of hogdom from every chair and the decks would be over flowing with available loungers. One thing for sure is that when the masses descend on the decks, the chairs do seem to fill up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 9, 2010 Author #108 Share Posted April 9, 2010 ...... Did you happen to get her name? ....................... ! grey's girl' date=' No, I didn't. I should have. I may get a pic of her, but that would be a little too .....or maybe I will. LOL. She really does need a new assignment. ................ Did you have a chance to try Chef's Art? Tom Tom, No we haven't. I have talked with a couple who swear by it and one couple who coudn't wait to get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunu Posted April 9, 2010 #109 Share Posted April 9, 2010 grey's girl, No, I didn't. I should have. I may get a pic of her, but that would be a little too .....or maybe I will. LOL. She really does need a new assignment. Is she at least hot? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie05 Posted April 9, 2010 #110 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Glad Britt got to stay. My son loves the Camp experience and that is why our vacations are now cruises. My family gives me a hard time about it but it is what he wants to do and I wish we had started when he was younger. I wish there was a better forum to critic the Camp Carnival. I agree that the party shouldn't have filled up before the deadline and a platinum sailer could sign up. They know before we all cruise the ages of the kids. It seem strange they do not do a better job accommodating the larger numbers during holidays. I know my son does not want to cruise again in August because that cruise had "WAY TOO MANY KIDS" and was too crowded. It was hard to have a good time. As he enters HS it is more difficult now to find times to go and of course my schedule is getting more flexible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tom-n-Cheryl Posted April 9, 2010 #111 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Regarding Chef's Art: ...Tom, No we haven't. I have talked with a couple who swear by it and one couple who coudn't wait to get it over with. One swearing by it, the other almost AT it! Certainly that's the way of the world - we see it playing out each day here on CC. You obviously NEED to be a tie breaker in that respect then! ;) That is, admittedly, a tough call on the last night. I almost feel like we have deserted our servers if we bail (from the MDR) on the last night! Glad it worked out with Britt (lucky for Carnival I would think as well)! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 9, 2010 Author #112 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Fun Day at Sea has been very smooth sailing with our wake extending to the horizon; wait til you see the pics and you'll know what I meant earlier about rough vs smooth seas. Along with today's moring room service we each received Platinum envelopes with debarkation details and baggage tags. Britt and I received #1 Luggage tags, but Karen, Bryson, and Spencer did not even though their tags arrived in Platinum envelopes with letters detailing what they did not receive.:eek::D I have to think that Guest Services stuff those envelopes! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F22Smitty Posted April 9, 2010 #113 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Along with today's moring room service we each received Platinum envelopes with debarkation details and baggage tags. Britt and I received #1 Luggage tags, but Karen, Bryson, and Spencer did not even though their tags arrived in Platinum envelopes with letters detailing what they did not receive.:eek::D I have to think that Guest Services stuff those envelopes! :rolleyes: Paul, tell your room steward, he has some #1 bag tags in his cart. Or you could just help yourself.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balcony bound Posted April 9, 2010 #114 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Yesterday I took pics of the lines for breakfast on Costa Maya's port day and again today on our Fun Day at Sea I took pics; I won't make you wait until I upload the pics to share with you that THERE WERE NO LINES! Lines we have waited in for the buffet have no been measured in terms of minutes waiting, but in maybe five persons max in line before the plates and trays. Lines are very similar to what we see on Conquest Class ships. That is what we experienced also - small to no lines at best, and worst case was mostly better than what we have encountered on other ships. I'm glad you found the same. I took pictures one day at lunchtime - nobody at all at the deli, very few folks in the buffet; but there was a line for burgers. I figure I can get a burger at home, but the ones onboard do always taste especially good. As for Chef's Art, we had an awesome dinner there. DH would go back just for the tuna tartar:) For me, the spinach salad was amazing. I will look forward to your review - you do such wonderful ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tom-n-Cheryl Posted April 9, 2010 #115 Share Posted April 9, 2010 ...As for Chef's Art, we had an awesome dinner there. DH would go back just for the tuna tartar:) For me, the spinach salad was amazing. ...! I agree the Tuna Tartare and the Spinach Salad are the best starter and salad items offered. My favorite starter used to be the Beef Carpaccio, but the portion has been reduced, and the presentation has changed (no chutney now). Nice overcast day today in Cocoa! :) Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 9, 2010 Author #116 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Is she at least hot? Nunu, No. Not even warm. She might have appeared less cold if not for her poor attitude. Glad Britt got to stay. My son loves the Camp experience and that is why our vacations are now cruises. My family gives me a hard time about it but it is what he wants to do and I wish we had started when he was younger. I wish there was a better forum to critic the Camp Carnival. I agree that the party shouldn't have filled up before the deadline and a platinum sailer could sign up. They know before we all cruise the ages of the kids. It seem strange they do not do a better job accommodating the larger numbers during holidays. I know my son does not want to cruise again in August because that cruise had "WAY TOO MANY KIDS" and was too crowded. It was hard to have a good time. As he enters HS it is more difficult now to find times to go and of course my schedule is getting more flexible. arpie05, If I am not mistaken I heard them say at one point that they had over 1600 children on board. Camp Carnival staff is doing a great job and they are to thank for making Britt's issue work out. In fact, if I had not bothered with contacting Guest Services we wouldn't have encountered the poor service first hand. Regarding Chef's Art: One swearing by it, the other almost AT it! Certainly that's the way of the world - we see it playing out each day here on CC. You obviously NEED to be a tie breaker in that respect then! That is, admittedly, a tough call on the last night. I almost feel like we have deserted our servers if we bail (from the MDR) on the last night! Glad it worked out with Britt (lucky for Carnival I would think as well)! Tom Tom, We're doing the Any Time dinning, but we have stuck with Zorro each night and I suspect he'd come looking for us if we missed the last night! I booked an Ionothermie Super Detox for myself at 4:30 and one for Karen at 9:00. They were the last two available and they reminded me three times that we could not cancel......Finally I told her that if we didn't show she could charge us double or triple the going rate, but to let up on the no show reminders. She laughed and said it had been a long day. If the results are as advertised, we may make both dinner and the Chef's Art! F22Smitty, I will hit him up for some or see if I have some old ones with us; I think I do. It will be nice to have all our luggage in one spot instead of two different locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 9, 2010 Author #117 Share Posted April 9, 2010 That is what we experienced also - small to no lines at best, and worst case was mostly better than what we have encountered on other ships. I'm glad you found the same. I took pictures one day at lunchtime - nobody at all at the deli, very few folks in the buffet; but there was a line for burgers. I figure I can get a burger at home, but the ones onboard do always taste especially good. As for Chef's Art, we had an awesome dinner there. DH would go back just for the tuna tartar:) For me, the spinach salad was amazing. I will look forward to your review - you do such wonderful ones! balcony bound, Thank you. Nice name! Dream is the IDEAL ship for aft wraps! Lovin ours! I agree the Tuna Tartare and the Spinach Salad are the best starter and salad items offered. My favorite starter used to be the Beef Carpaccio, but the portion has been reduced, and the presentation has changed (no chutney now). Nice overcast day today in Cocoa! :) Tom Tom, We're planning to spend the night in Cocoa Beach. I didn't make reservations other than with Hertz for rental vehicle, but assumed I'd find a Hotel along the beach. Any recommendations for ocean front hotels with adjacent rooms or that sleep five? We're planning to go to Jetty Park to watch Dream sail away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crewsweeper Posted April 9, 2010 #118 Share Posted April 9, 2010 balcony bound, Thank you. Nice name! Dream is the IDEAL ship for aft wraps! Lovin ours! Tom, We're planning to spend the night in Cocoa Beach. I didn't make reservations other than with Hertz for rental vehicle, but assumed I'd find a Hotel along the beach. Any recommendations for ocean front hotels with adjacent rooms or that sleep five? We're planning to go to Jetty Park to watch Dream sail away. Paul, you might try the Doubletree it's on the beach and suppose to be very nice. http://www.cocoabeachdoubletree.com/ The local Holiday Inn Resort and Holiday Inn Express were recently bpought by Island Resorts, IIRC.. HIEx probably needs a bit of rehab, and is a coupel of blocks from the beach. Just drive down Astronaut/N Altlantic Blvd (Rte A1A) toward the CB Pier and you might see something that strikes you. Comfort Inn is down there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooulio Posted April 10, 2010 #119 Share Posted April 10, 2010 If you are looking for a good place to eat, try Zacchary's next to Radison at the port. Great Breakfast. YOu have to get there early. We stayed there end of Feb. Not on the beach. Has a nice pool. Fish lips is also down the street for supper. Boston Seafood on the main road has great seafood and roast beef sandwiches. It isn't fancy and very reasonable. We stayed there before we went on the dream end of Feb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 10, 2010 Author #120 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Paul, you might try the Doubletree it's on the beach and suppose to be very nice. http://www.cocoabeachdoubletree.com/ The local Holiday Inn Resort and Holiday Inn Express were recently bpought by Island Resorts, IIRC.. HIEx probably needs a bit of rehab, and is a coupel of blocks from the beach. Just drive down Astronaut/N Altlantic Blvd (Rte A1A) toward the CB Pier and you might see something that strikes you. Comfort Inn is down there too. Crew, Thank you. I'll give Double Tree a try. If you are looking for a good place to eat, try Zacchary's next to Radison at the port. Great Breakfast. YOu have to get there early. We stayed there end of Feb. Not on the beach. Has a nice pool. Fish lips is also down the street for supper. Boston Seafood on the main road has great seafood and roast beef sandwiches. It isn't fancy and very reasonable. We stayed there before we went on the dream end of Feb. ooulio, Zacchary's is good; we ate there the evening before we boarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balcony bound Posted April 10, 2010 #121 Share Posted April 10, 2010 balcony bound, Thank you. Nice name! Dream is the IDEAL ship for aft wraps! Lovin ours! We enjoyed our aft wrap on the Dream also - we were in 8466, small, but we loved it. About your hotels today, lucky for you the surf contest is over - it was a mess last week with that and spring break. I agree that the Doubletree is a good choice (south of RonJons - look carefully for the entrance, I miss it easily). Have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dobiemom Posted April 10, 2010 #122 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Paul, John Heald wrote in his blog yesterday that Carnival is trying a brand new way of selling and distributing the photos and this "experiment" is currently taking place on the Carnival Dream. Can you tell us what were they doing? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 10, 2010 Author #123 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Paul, John Heald wrote in his blog yesterday that Carnival is trying a brand new way of selling and distributing the photos and this "experiment" is currently taking place on the Carnival Dream. Can you tell us what were they doing? Thanks! dobiemom, Yes they're using them and they work well. Multiple touch screen displays are set up in and near the photo display areas on Deck four atrium. You swipe your S&S card and all pictures with either your photo, or pictures taken after your card was scanned at the photography scenes are then displayed. The technology uses both the scanning of your S&S when the pictures are taken, and face recognition that is taken when you board the ship and have your S&S picture taken. They have the lecturn looking S&S booths set up when you are in the boarding area instead of on the ship, and instead of a web cam picture, the photogs are using hand held Cannon cameras to take your picture. The first evening I used mine and it displayed our boarding photo (not the S&S) and a casual picture of another passenger who also had a goatee similar to mine. The next evening the mismatched goateer was gone and only our pics were displayed. I have pics of the displays where you swipe your card and pics of it showing our pics that are available. You can select the pics you want and they will deliver them to your stateroom. We looked ours up, but reverted to the paper version for purchasing, comparing, and choosing which ones we liked the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMedik Posted April 10, 2010 Author #124 Share Posted April 10, 2010 We enjoyed our aft wrap on the Dream also - we were in 8466, small, but we loved it. About your hotels today, lucky for you the surf contest is over - it was a mess last week with that and spring break. I agree that the Doubletree is a good choice (south of RonJons - look carefully for the entrance, I miss it easily). Have a great time! balcony bound, We checked DoubleTree and they were sold out. Our next stop was Hampton Inn which was also sold out, but Maureen at the front desk of Hampton called Courtyard by Marriott and made a reservation for us. We got two queen beds and a pull out couch in a balcony room for $139. Great price, great room, and nice amenities in the hotel from what I've seen thus far. Planning to hit the beach and pools now. :) The hotels here have a list of all hotels in the Cocoa Beach area with a listing of current room availability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTravelista Posted April 10, 2010 #125 Share Posted April 10, 2010 dobiemom, Yes they're using them and they work well. Multiple touch screen displays are set up in and near the photo display areas on Deck four atrium. You swipe your S&S card and all pictures with either your photo, or pictures taken after your card was scanned at the photography scenes are then displayed. The technology uses both the scanning of your S&S when the pictures are taken, and face recognition that is taken when you board the ship and have your S&S picture taken. They have the lecturn looking S&S booths set up when you are in the boarding area instead of on the ship, and instead of a web cam picture, the photogs are using hand held Cannon cameras to take your picture. The first evening I used mine and it displayed our boarding photo (not the S&S) and a casual picture of another passenger who also had a goatee similar to mine. The next evening the mismatched goateer was gone and only our pics were displayed. I have pics of the displays where you swipe your card and pics of it showing our pics that are available. You can select the pics you want and they will deliver them to your stateroom. We looked ours up, but reverted to the paper version for purchasing, comparing, and choosing which ones we liked the best. That is amazing! Its about time :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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