Carnival Sprit to Mexico 1-28-05 Any one else experience this cruise?

[THE WINTER CRUISER]

There was eight of us. I have nothing good to say about it. We could not wait to get off the ship. It was are eighth cruise, third on Carnival. I half to blame most of it on the cruise director and his wife. It must have been their first cruise at our expense. The other portion on maintaining the ship of the wear and tear on every day use. I did not see any pride on this ship just people putting in there time and trying to acted as nice as they could.:(

[NeepierRoad]

How could the CD team be bad enough to ruin your cruise? Why didn't you get off after the first stop?

 

Enquiring minds want to know!

[Flip2cruise]

How could the CD team be bad enough to ruin your cruise? Why didn't you get off after the first stop?

 

Enquiring minds want to know!

 

Maybe the CD team wouldnt let him off :)

 

I just cant imagine how a CD can ruin a cruise. I have been on ships and never even knew(or cared) who the CD was. IMHO, that's just putting too much importance on one person, to make or break your week.

 

I hope the OP has a better trip next time.

[StacyandTim]

We did the Mexican Riveria in Feb of 2002 on the Elation, and loved every minute of it!

 

I think we met the CD once or twice the entire cruise! How could he and his wife possibly ruin your cruise for you?

 

Can you please elaborate as to why your cruise was so terrible?

 

I just can't imagine how the sun on your face, wind in your hair, crashing waves all around you, the sounds of island music, and a cocktail in your hand could possibly suck!!!

 

Stacy

[lappy22]

I am just as interested in the same answers as the others. We are going on the Spirit in april and I could really give a rat's behind who the cruise director is. They honestly don't have any affect on our cruise experience at all. Can't tell you their names, what they looked like, and only really heard their voice on the intercom in the mornings. Now the condition of the ship may be a problem. I'd like to know your issues with the ship. I have read many, many reviews of the ship and everybody seems to love this ship. It seems to me that most don't like the ports. What was it that you didn't like?

[cruznon]

Who was the CD? We were on in NOv with Todd Wilmer and HE and his staff were marvelous!It was the FIRST time I found that a CD could make a difference.

[savandbarb]

Yes let us know what was wrong.we are leaving in 16 days on the Spirit.Micheal and Jenny were the CD's on the Spirit last year when we went to the Southern Caribbean.He was sick most of the cruise and she had to fill.She did a good job considering.What was so wrong with the cruise?Did you see a server named Nuygman( newman) he was a big problem on our cruise last year.Got food that had already been eaten off of.Ouuooo.yuch!

[pelletib]

interesting...The Spirit was in EXCELLENT shape the beginning of January. I can't imagine it going to " h- e double hockeysticks in a handbasket" in one short month. the crew was always working and keeping it clean and bright. As for the CD, we were on during Todd's last week and we knew that there were going to be some changes. The current CD was on board and his wife was working during that week. I thought that she was really fun and very nice. Shannon another guy on the CD staff was also leaving. So the whole CD staff basically going to be new. It takes a bit for people to mesh and get a "good thing" going. To take a ship of 2000 new passengers every week and make everyone happy is not something that even the man above could do. What were your expectations? Did you expect that every moment was going to be a fun filled experience. I personally don't think that a CD staff can make or break your vacation. Our first cruise, we didn't particularly care for the CD or her staff, so basically, made our own daily shipboard fun with people we met. No big deal. Our second cruise, the CD was 7 on a scale of 10. Nothing special, just a very pleasant guy that kept the people that wanted to be involved and entertained happy. People that were not interested in group activities were not ignored. He just exchanged pleasantries and made sure that they were having a nice time. Not pushy.

 

You really need to elaborate on why you felt like this was a bad cruise...

[Another Cruise]

Is this the cruise that didn't get to go to Acapulco? Is that why you are so upset? I'd like to hear more about it. We were on the Spirit in Jan and loved it. We were also there last Feb with Michael and Jenny and thought they were great.

[gsb]

I know Michael Mullane and his wife Jeni pretty well--they are both very adept and conscientious in doing what they're doing. What you're saying makes no sense--what are you trying to do?

[jmike]

Hi, A group of ten of us were on the 1/12/2005 Spirit sailing. It was this sailing that didn't make it to Acapulco. We had a good time and went to most of the shows and we all thought the new CD and his wife were good. He is a singer and performed several shows. Most of us enjoyed his performaces. Some people complained about his singing "Good Morning, Good Morning" every morning at 10:00 on the PA before his announcement of the day's activities. I thought it was just funny. I can't imagine how he and his wife could ruin anyone's cruise.

See my post in Mexican Rivera ports area about this cruise.

Mike

[cmptrwiz]

Wow! Maybe I should cancel my 3-9-05 cruise on the spirit. I wouldn't want to be stuck on a bad cruise. Oh well I guess we will make the best of it!

 

wiz:)

[wigginout66]

I'm not sure what the OP had an issue with. There are a few minor things that are starting to show wear (eg: the buttons for the elevators, brass is wearing off, saw some upholstered chairs in lounge areas with rips/worn spots on them, etc.) Certainly not something to ruin your cruise experience. The ports of call are not the greatest. Ixtapa/Zihwat was the nicest of all of them. I would go back there again, but Acapulco imho was a dirty city and Manzanillo is just not up to par yet. I was told they are building a cruise terminal, but for now you dock in a very industrial area. I was also on the Spirit last year and Michael and his wife Jenny were the CD's then as well. I think this was their 3 or 4th week back on the Spirit. I found him to be pretty personable and funny doing his shows. He is a bit annoying with the PA announcements, but again certainly not something to ruin your cruise.

 

All that being said, I would probably go back to the caribbean for a cruise. I liked that better than the Mexican Riviera.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

[BluexMoon]

I think the op just wanted to stir things up. I took this cruise in Nov. it was excellent. If you go you must take the Ixtapa Island getaway, it is exactly what you imagine of Tropical Mexico, palm trees, clear water, snorkeling, pina coladas on the beach. I'm looking into one of the all-inclusives in Ixtapa for a future vacation. I have photos on webshots of Acapulco, Ixtapa, and Manzanillo and of Spirit herself. (member name bluexmoon)

[THE WINTER CRUISER]

Sorry, But I Have Cruised On Some Pretty Nice Ships. The Spirit Does Not Hold A Candle To Any Of Them. Starting With Entertainment To The Wear And Tear On The Ship To Port Experiences. You Can't Tell Me You Did Not See All The Damaged And Frayed Chairs In The Dining Room (aft).

None Of The Hand Dryers Worked In The Rest Rooms & Their Wasn't Any Thing To Wipe Your Hands On. The Wood Rails On The Balcony Had Raw Spots All Over On The Out Side. The Graffiti Scratched On The Inside Of The Elevator Doors Or All The Stains In The Carpets In The Hall Ways Were Unsightly. The Abandoned Snack Bars And Bars On The Lido Deck And A Second Class Comic Right In The Middle Of The Only Las Vegas Type Show On Formal Night Was Bad Taste. The Day Entertainment At Sea Was Bingo Or A Line Dance Class Or Some Harry Man Competition.

 

The People We Took With Our Group Had Been On A Carnival Ship (same Setup) In The Caribbean In November And Couldn't Believe The Difference In The Two Ships. The Carnival Spirit Was A Disappointment To Them Also. And One More Thing? The Art Auctions Were Way Over The Line In Trying To Get People To Spend Money. That Was In Very Poor Taste To Take Up So Much Time On Trying To Sell Someone Something When They Are Trying To Relax. If You Have Ever Gone On A Good Cruise You Would Know What I'm Getting At. Sorry But I Thought This Was Worth Letting People Know And If You Were Blind To This Then Your Expectations Are Very Low.

 

Note: A Cruise Director Is In Total Charge Of Entertainment And Schedule Of Events On A Cruise Ship And Suggestions When In Port.

Have You Ever Been On The Carnival Conquest Out Of New Orleans Or On A Royal Caribbean Ship Or Even A Princess Ship? You Would Experience First Class Ships. The Carnival Spirit Is Not A Bad Ship, It's Just Not A Class "a" Ship But Charges A Class "a" Price.

 

Just Remember, I Paid For 6 People, So This Was Not Cheap. What Kind Of A Room Did You Have? We Had Balcony Rooms. The People We Took With Us Were Uncomfortable With This Ship Also But I Never Let Them Know How I Felt Until It Was Over.

 

I Had Strangers Complain In The Fine Dining Room At Breakfast To My Wife And I. We Didn't Even Bring Up The Subject, But Had To Agree When They Commented That The Entertainment, Etc. Was Not Up To Par. We Definitely Tried To Make The Best Of It All The Way Or We Would Have Gotten Off In Acapulco, Which Was Not The Best Of Ports. I'm Easy To Please And This Is The First Time I Ever Had To Complain About A Cruise.

[kujobie]

Bummer. Sorry to hear you had such a bad time. Sounds like the main issues were the recent personnel change and maybe the need for some drydock time. I have to agree that the quality/quantity of entertainment has gone down hill a little. Personally, I could care less about the CD. Heck, I would pay extra to not have a CD. But, then, I'm the kinda guy who enjoys pina colonics in the sun rather than hairy chest contests and being waken up in the morning by announcements over the P.A. system by some overly chipper Brittish chap about shopping talks or bingo. As for the art auction, are you saying you went to it and were subjected to high pressure sales pitches or were you just bothered by all of the announcements? I mean, we always go to them to get a few glasses of the free champagne and check out the art and then leave. We've never been hassled. I've been on ships that were older than the spirit and have been plesantly surprised at how clean and new they looked. I hope this is just an isolated exerience you had.

[THE WINTER CRUISER]

Carnival Spirit

Member Name: Lisa McEmail:markmccluskey@earthlink.netCruise Date:01/04 Embarkation: San DiegoDestination:Mexican RivieraCabin Category:11Cabin Number:4237Booking Method:Internet Agency Lisa Mc's Rating Overall:

 

First let me say that I have been on many cruises with my family; and sailed on almost every line. I chose Carnival because it fit our needs. We were booking 9 cabins, with 17 family members. We needed to cruise off the west coast, and wanted warm weather...so Spirit was our choice.

 

Embarkation was fine, a little slow as is Carnivals way. I don't care to be put into groups and sit around to wait for your group to be called.But it was fine, about an hour wait. Our room was cat 11, cabin 4237, at the rear of the ship. The balcony was incredible and wrapped around the whole cabin. We had 2 lounge chairs,3 deck chairs, 3 tables , and still could have fit 4 more.This was the highlight of our trip. The cabin is very different from the other cat 11 suites, as it is divided into 3 separate rooms....very nice.the bedroom and living room were separate, each with their own TV and VCR. These rooms are are best on the ship, much better even than the Penthouse suites.

 

Our cabin steward was the worst, and we even had to lodge complains because he was not making up the room. The food overall on this cruise was terrible! Just all around terrible. We ate at the supper club twice just to have a good meal.The coffee was undrinkable, again if you wanted a decent cup of coffee, you had to go to the cafe and buy it.

 

The entertainment on the Spirit is non existent...there was only one show worth watching, the hypnotist. Several nights there was nothing but a movie. T

 

he ports are all right,Acapulco is awful, with the people being so pushy. Ixtapa is great if you just get off the tender and go right over to the ticket counter, buy a ticket for a water taxi for 3.00 roundtrip. They will take you to the most perfect beach on the coast of Mexico. It is unspoiled and filled with locals. The food at CoCo Nut is great!!!! The shrimp tacos are to die for! Snorkeling is almost as good as Caribbean, snorkel rentals are 2 for 5.00. Manzanilo is a lovely port if you chose to see it for what it is. Yes it is in the industrial part of the pier when you pull in, but a 5 minute bus ride will take you in to the heart of a TRUE mexican town, resembling the back streets of Florence or Rome.The restaurant " Monkeys" is truly amazing!

 

Overall, the Carnival Spirit is a truly lacking cruise ship! The food is bad, the entertainment is bad, the service is terrible,there are almost no scheduled events on sea days, the one thing you can do is relax! And we did. 4 sea days make for great relaxation! And the weather was really warm and beautiful. We have given Carnival many chances, and have decided that we will not sail on them ever again. There are too many wonderful lines out there. We spent so much money on this cruise, and I would say we were very disappointed. i would whole heartily NOT recommend this trip! If you have already booked it, remember Mexico is always warm, there are 4 sea days, and there is always next time.

[jeremyh]

I posted this in a different forum where there seems to be less activity, so I'll repost here..

 

eviews seem to vary wildly on the Spirit.

 

I can call up several "6 ribbon" reviews for the Spirit.

 

But for example, on a 12/04 cruise one person gave it a 1, another gave it a 4. For an 11/04 cruise one person gave it a 3, another a 6.

 

I have suspicion it has as much to do with demographics as anything. It would be cool if there was a way to get age range and ages of children as part of each review to help match people up.

 

I suspect my family with our 3 and 6 years olds and Carnival's "silly" contests and family targeted approach would rate any cruise much higher than a childless (on the cruise) couple in their 60s.

 

I also suspect that the rating overall is somewhat linked to what you pay. Someone traveling in the offseason for $700 per person for an oceanview on the Spirit is unlikely to be as critical as someone paying $1200+ per person during the high season or in a suite.

 

I had two of my personal friends travel on the Spirit in december. One travelled with his wife, 1 year old baby daughter, mom, sister, and brother in law. The other with just his girlfriend.

 

They were on the same cruise and are actually neighbors of each other. I don't know if their cabins were close to each other or not. They did get together a fair amount during the cruise.

 

The first did very little most of the time. Never "got into" the cruise, didn't participate in many of the activities, went to bed early because of the baby, and at the end said he thought "it was ok, but I don't think I'll ever do it again."

 

The other decided to go "all the way". Got new clothes, new formal attire, brought the highlighter for the Capers, and packed every day with activities. He said he and his girlfriend were worn out every night and they had the time of their lives. They booked their next cruise as soon as they got home.

 

As some have said, it is what you make of it, where you set your expectations, etc. Personally, I'm going on the spirit in 2 weeks, so I'll find out for myself. We had a great time on the Pride last year. The one thing I expect to be different is the food. The food on the Pride was great, IMO, and the reviews of the food on the Spirit seem to be mixed if you aren't in the supper club.

[lappy22]

Sorry Winter Cruiser to hear about your horrible time on the Spirit. But really, how can one not have a good time on a cruise ship? There is no way that dirty carpet or frayed chairs are going to ruin my vacation. It seems that you had a problem with the cruise director and the entertainment. Is it only me or does it seem that the entertainment on every Carnival ship is pretty much the same. Cheesy lounge acts, 2nd rate Vegas shows, hairy chest contest. Every ship I've been on has been about the same as far as entertainment, good, not great, but FUN! As for your experience at the art auction what did you expect, a neck massage? The whole point of an art auction is for you to be persuaded to buy something!

 

No, I have never been on the Spirit, but will be sailing her on April 10th. I don't have "low expectations" of her, but extreamly high expecations of having FUN on her. I actualy like it when somebody writes a horrible review because I know that I will never have that grumpy person as a tablemate in the future. Its what you make of your vacation, not what your vacation makes out of you!

[mared1]

I have been on upscale cruise lines as well as Carnival. I cruised on the Spirit on 1/28 and had a great time!

I did not hear one complaint from fellow passengers about anything! The food in the dining room was hot and the wait staff good. The food on the Lido deck was okay - remember it is a buffet type so the food has sometimes been sitting for awhile.

The crew was constantly cleaning the ship - the bannisters, the steps, etc. Sure there might have been some wear on some of the chairs but they weren't ripped to shreds or anything. After all they have over 2,000 people on them - there is bound to be some wear.

We had an extended balcony cabin with a very large balcony - paid a fair amount for it and were very satisified with it's condition and the cabin stewart.

[RANCHOVISTA]

You're easy to please....please don't insult us, you're a jerk who was trying to impress a bunch of people. Next time take the train...

[alwalaska]

JeremyH,

 

 

Please post information when you return, including your demographic information. :) We are considering Carnival for a June 2006 cruise and we will have two tween/teens (12 and 14).

 

Thanks.

Ann

[GoinCruisin]

I half to blame most of it on the cruise director and his wife. It must have been their first cruise at our expense.

 

I can guarantee you that Michael and Jeni were not on their first cruise. They were on the Sensation in October, and while I typically pay zero attention to the cruise and social directors, they were wonderful!!! I am confused as to why anyone would blame a cruise being bad because of the CD? In all the polls here, most don't even know who the CD on the ship is, LOL!!!

[musicmansmom]

Is this the cruise that didn't get to go to Acapulco? Is that why you are so upset? I'd like to hear more about it. We were on the Spirit in Jan and loved it. We were also there last Feb with Michael and Jenny and thought they were great.

 

i have been on the spirit twice to alaska and loved it. it was very clean, had great food and the staff was excellant. the entertainment was alright but by no means did it ruin my trip.

 

my next cruise i will take on her is the mexican riviera in feb of 2007. i think i have read that she will have drydocked by then?? can someone tell me if it is easy to just walk to the beaches at the ports and lounge around for the day. or are taxis and tours a must to lay on the beach?? we do not want to take shore excursions if we dont have too, just take in the sun and do some shopping.

 

i am just wondering why you had to skip acapulco? was it due to weather?? i hope that doesnt happen to us but we will take what we get. just being on the ship and in the sun will be worth it. thanks for any tips.

[glrounds]

I am confused as to why anyone would blame a cruise being bad because of the CD? In all the polls here, most don't even know who the CD on the ship is, LOL!!!

 

You've got that right. :)

 

I never paid much attention, until for the third consecutive time on different ships, I recognized the CD over the intercom as Greg Kneale.

Even made some comments online during the cruise as to his "predictability" and he commented on it in the showroom the next night by introducing some new jokes, "So Gary won't find me so predictable !" :eek: (scary movie ! ! )

 

A year ago on the LEGEND, I found the CD to be absolutely horrible. I was embarrassed for him he was so bad, but I just avoided his talks. Made me yearn for Greg Kneale to return. I didn't think the PRIDE CD was all that either, but my God, there is so much happening on a cruise ship, how can this possible affect your cruise negatively?

 

I don't understand the food issues, as all my Carnival cruises it has been good (for what it is). Basically very good convention food (food mass-prepared for 2000-3000 people at a time). The food service was always good to excellent with an occasional glitch now and then, but so what?

 

Maybe the SPIRIT did show some signs of wear (she's no spring chicken), but Carnival has always been good about keeping their ships in excellent shape considering. Just my opinion.

 

I'm hoping to cruise the last trip to Alaska this year on the SPIRIT or if that isn't possible, do the lower Mexican Riviera on her late this Fall. If so, I'll give a detailed accounting of her for sure (and I usually don't do reviews). :)