Please stop bashing Carnival

[friedshrimp]

After 5 Carnival cruises and yet a 6th coming, I have never had an unsatisfactory cruise.

Last cruise we missed a port, but hey, wasn't Carnivals fault, yeah they could have done something different perhaps, but hey, a guy had a medical emergency. Oh well. What can you do.

Of course, you get what you pay for and my expectations, well, there are none.

 

 

My only expectation on any cruise is to not sink! Other than that, I'm happy!! :D

[MrPete]

With free speech comes responsible and truthful speech and a lot of the negative remarks made against Carnival are untruthful.

 

Which ones (remarks)?

 

And is this a complaint about cruise critic posters?

[MrPete]

One less thing to beat RCL up over in the Carnival vs. RCL threads. Carnival folks could complain that RCL sold steak in its dining rooms. .. score even :rolleyes:

 

Even John Heald partook in that ribbing . Wonder what he will do now?

[hubofhockey]

With free speech comes responsible and truthful speech and a lot of the negative remarks made against Carnival are untruthful.

 

Most of what you read here is opinion and you get more than enough positive opinions from the constant cheerleading that is part of every thread for every cruise line on these boards.

 

Carnival is the budget cruise line for CCL and is more downscale than its sister lines and many other cruise lines. It provides great value in its price range. Maybe it's not fair to compare it to other lines that charge more. You just need to take it all into account.

 

John Heald is a mouthpiece for Carnival. Take what he says with a grain of salt. He readily admits that his blog is the result of Carnival asking him to do it. You won't read too much negative in there.

[beachseasand]

You have to take everything with a grain of salt attitude. I determine myself if what someone has posted is just sour grapes or they had a legitimate complaint.

 

I prefer to use my brain rather then have someone censor what I read, so it is only the good.:rolleyes:

 

Carnival can read thru the fecal matter and listen to their customers and improve themselves. I hope all the cruise lines read the boards and try to better themselves.

 

Been on only a few cruises I enjoyed them all. All had good points only a few minor issues. That is why I am still cruising it is a great vacation experience.:D

 

Lets hear the good, the bad and ugly.

[susancruzs]

Interesting reading and many people have it right. A public message board with a big variety of opinions, and everyone is entitled to speak up. I do believe some go over the top with their remarks just to see what type of response they get.

 

I've been cruising for almost 30 yrs., I could go on about the "good old days" but cruise lines aren't going back there and I won't go down that road.

 

I've seen all lines bashed, many times by first timers and I attribute it to poor choice on the part of the cruiser, or unrealistic expectations. I've been on Carnival and Costa, are they my cruise lines of choice, no. Do I bash them, no, I had a good time. I prefer RCI and Princess at this stage of my life, they are a better fit for me.

 

My niece and her husband on their 1st cruise, Carnival Liberty. I sent her books, told her to check online and take it with a grain of salt! I sent them some coupons, she called yesterday, amazed at the size of the balcony cabin and to let me know they made it onboard!

 

She was born when I took my 1st cruise in 1982. I've always talked cruising to her. I'm glad they chose Carnival, they're young, they'll love the glitz, you can't beat Carnival for average cabin size, what is not to like for a first timer???

[Texaslandshark]

Most negative remarks are opinions. Not statement of facts.

And the over-the-top positive??? Just sayin' is all.

[friedshrimp]

Interesting reading and many people have it right. A public message board with a big variety of opinions, and everyone is entitled to speak up. I do believe some go over the top with their remarks just to see what type of response they get.

 

I've been cruising for almost 30 yrs., I could go on about the "good old days" but cruise lines aren't going back there and I won't go down that road.

 

I've seen all lines bashed, many times by first timers and I attribute it to poor choice on the part of the cruiser, or unrealistic expectations. I've been on Carnival and Costa, are they my cruise lines of choice, no. Do I bash them, no, I had a good time. I prefer RCI and Princess at this stage of my life, they are a better fit for me.

 

My niece and her husband on their 1st cruise, Carnival Liberty. I sent her books, told her to check online and take it with a grain of salt! I sent them some coupons, she called yesterday, amazed at the size of the balcony cabin and to let me know they made it onboard!

 

She was born when I took my 1st cruise in 1982. I've always talked cruising to her. I'm glad they chose Carnival, they're young, they'll love the glitz, you can't beat Carnival for average cabin size, what is not to like for a first timer???

 

 

Amen.

[Redsfan]

we have been to 3 resort islands during almost 15 years of marriage. We make okay money,but with 3 young kids expenses are through the roof. We want to be able to provide our kids something we did not have a lot of when young, which is the odd vacation. If it is Great Wolf Lodge, Florida (using in laws condo only), Disney, or whatever..we appreciate anything we can afford, or willing to spend. There are many families who don't have the chance to travel at all, so be happy you are able to at all.

 

We will be taking our first cruise ever next month on the Destiny, and want our kids part of it. We chose Carnival because it caters to kids, but also it fit into our budget and what we wanted to lose :). We hope to have nice weather in order to enjoy the Ports and boat, and that is what matters. We don't expect the world because we live an average lifestyle. In a couple years time if we can afford another, we will see our best options. If RCCL is cheapest for what we want to do, we will book them to try. If we love Carnival or even like, and they have the for what we want, they get our business.

 

Simple if you ask me...

[wesheltonj]

Carnival is the best thing since sliced bread. Is that what you are looking for?

 

How about the sharp business practices of Carnival? Is that a "real" complaint. Like selling you a cruise with them not being able to deliver the product when they know they would not deliver and when only allowing you a refund with 48 hours notice. Of course that notice was sent out at 2:00AM on a holiday weekend. Give me a break.

[5waldos]

My only expectation on any cruise is to not sink! Other than that, I'm happy!! :D

 

Sorry but that does not describe me, and I suspect, does not describe a lot of people here. I try to keep my expectations reasonable, but only that it doesn't sink? I crossed the ocean on an old cruise ship some 40+ years ago. I still remember it. It was AWFUL. Bad food, poor accomodations, little service of any sort, too crowded, no stablizers to speak of. But by your criteria is was fine as it did not sink. I expect a lot- and my expectations are generally met. Decent food, reasonable and pleasant service, cleanliness, etc. If a cruise didn't mostly meet these expectation, I would try another cruise line or stop cruising.

[jkbec1]

I have never cruised with Carnival before (all my previous have been on RCCL), my wife has, so I for one want to hear all the negative, I am smart enough to throw out those complaints that are just plain stupid and focus on the ones that makes sense to me. I tend to be more interested in how Carnival handles the complaints, then the complaint itself.

 

I will say this.

 

Carnival and all other cruise lines are in the service industry and I think that they tend to do as little as possible when they deal with guest complaints. I for one believe that if a ship misses a port for whatever reason, that the cruise line should offer some sort of compensation, regardless of what the contract states. I believe that all cruise lines hide behind the contract when it suits them and fail to recoginize the fact that maybe they might want to make an exception every once in a while.

 

I know from working for Disney that when push comes to shove, they will break the rules to make the guest happy, as they have learned the value of good press, something that the cruise lines have not learned.

 

I now step down off my soapbox.:D

[dan40]

Sorry but that does not describe me, and I suspect, does not describe a lot of people here. I try to keep my expectations reasonable, but only that it doesn't sink? I crossed the ocean on an old cruise ship some 40+ years ago. I still remember it. It was AWFUL. Bad food, poor accomodations, little service of any sort, too crowded, no stablizers to speak of. But by your criteria is was fine as it did not sink. I expect a lot- and my expectations are generally met. Decent food, reasonable and pleasant service, cleanliness, etc. If a cruise didn't mostly meet these expectation, I would try another cruise line or stop cruising.

 

 

Were you on a "Cruise Ship," or on an ocean crossing mode of transportation? On 'ocean liners' of old there was a vast difference in the class you booked. Ships had stairways that were built back to back, mirror like, so the first class pax would never even see a second class passenger.

 

Those days hardly compare with Cruising today, where the idea is to enjoy, not to get from point A to point B

[5waldos]

Were you on a "Cruise Ship," or on an ocean crossing mode of transportation? On 'ocean liners' of old there was a vast difference in the class you booked. Ships had stairways that were built back to back, mirror like, so the first class pax would never even see a second class passenger.

 

Those days hardly compare with Cruising today, where the idea is to enjoy, not to get from point A to point B

 

It was a cruise ship- we all suffered alike. But the point was that based on the notion that we should not have expectations greater than not sinking- I was supposed to be fine with it.

[clarallen]

I would like to put in my 2 cents. 10 years ago I took my first cruise on my honeymoon. it was my wifes second. I booked the cruise as my wife to be back then told me since her first she had always wanted to cruise again. Since my first, on the Carnival Paradise I have loved cruising. This November we will be cruising for the seventh time on Carnival. We have always cruised with carnival. Not that I have not looked at other lines. That said, We have had a few problems pop up on some of our cruises. Which is why the have a pursers desk. Each time I have yet to have someone not address my problem and take steps to solve it. When it comes to a vacation I will take a cruise over a land based vacation anyday.

[lizpdfb]

Everyone is going to have a different experience. A few months ago my husband and I went to the highest rated restaurant in our city. It has 5 stars, a very well known chef and every food critic raving. We had a horrible experience. Terrible service, food that arrived either cold or overcooked, our bottle of wine was stored improperly and was hot. Not room temp, HOT. We are very easygoing people and don't expect perfection....but this was terrible all around.

 

My point is that no matter how many times a restaurant, cruise line, hotel, airline, etc. executes their service perfectly, there are times they are just going to blow it big time. And it is just as important to learn what went wrong and not just hear praise all the time. The more people complain, the more Carnival will learn and the better our future experiences will be.

[friedshrimp]

Sorry but that does not describe me, and I suspect, does not describe a lot of people here. I try to keep my expectations reasonable, but only that it doesn't sink? I crossed the ocean on an old cruise ship some 40+ years ago. I still remember it. It was AWFUL. Bad food, poor accomodations, little service of any sort, too crowded, no stablizers to speak of. But by your criteria is was fine as it did not sink. I expect a lot- and my expectations are generally met. Decent food, reasonable and pleasant service, cleanliness, etc. If a cruise didn't mostly meet these expectation, I would try another cruise line or stop cruising.

 

 

My criteria is only meant for me and no one else. You must make your own criteria. Since I am the one who has to live with my criteria, I stand by it. It is not your responsibility to either judge or change my criteria because you don't have to live by it. Yes, a sail across the ocean (oh the horror of it) would have been great because I would have been with my wife for at least a week with no work, cell phones, shuffling of kids to and from events, etc. And if the ship didn't sink, I would have been happy. If you were miserable, what a shame. Sorry you wasted money on something that doesn't meet your criteria.

 

If you'll go back and read my post, the first word was "My", not yours, not everyones, just "My". I personally don't give a hoot what your criteria are and you shouldn't give a hoot what mine are either. 8 months till my next cruise.....hope the Liberty doesn't sink! :D

[friedshrimp]

It was a cruise ship- we all suffered alike. But the point was that based on the notion that we should not have expectations greater than not sinking- I was supposed to be fine with it.

 

Please point out in my post where I used the word "we". I said "my". An apology for your misreading of my post should be forth coming.

[tef43]

It was a cruise ship- we all suffered alike. But the point was that based on the notion that we should not have expectations greater than not sinking- I was supposed to be fine with it.

40 years ago, there were no purpose-built cruise ships. They were either all old "ocean liners" (i.e.: SS France/Norway) or converted from something else (Transvaal Castle/Festivale).

[macsdad4]

This is crusie critic, NOT Carnival Cheerleaders.

 

I for one do not want to read jsut the good, in fact I am more interested in the bad, than the good because that helps me make an informed decision.

 

Which is why you all should leave the complaining about Carnival in the Review section. This is for folks to ask questions and get guideance on what to do in certain situations. If you want to post about Carnival trying out a new program where they charge for better steaks then fine, but leave it at that. NO reason to bash Carnival. This board is supposed to be about information for new and experienced cruisers. A place for people to come to gain a better understanding of cruising and ways to make their vacations better. Not for uptight posters who apparently do nothing but sit on the boards all day waiting to pounce like a tiger.

[tef43]

Which is why you all should leave the complaining about Carnival in the Review section. This is for folks to ask questions and get guideance on what to do in certain situations.

So considerate of you to decide for everyone what the forums are for. :rolleyes:

[graphicguy]

I've done NCL, RCCL, HAL and CCL. You're always going to find that someone believes their critique and opinion is worth more than anyone else's regardless of cruise line. I've seen it on all of them.

 

You put 2,000-3,000 people on a cruise ship, at a land based resort, in a luxury hotel, etc....you will find someone, somewhere, who believes they were somehow slighted, that they deserve more than someone else.

 

I tend to distance myself from those people, but they're always around.

[fireofficer5]

Song of Norway, built 1970.

[Max Circus]

Which is why you all should leave the complaining about Carnival in the Review section. This is for folks to ask questions and get guideance on what to do in certain situations. If you want to post about Carnival trying out a new program where they charge for better steaks then fine, but leave it at that. NO reason to bash Carnival. This board is supposed to be about information for new and experienced cruisers. A place for people to come to gain a better understanding of cruising and ways to make their vacations better. Not for uptight posters who apparently do nothing but sit on the boards all day waiting to pounce like a tiger.

 

Your comment is so ironic, because it is the ability for one to speak their mind openly about cruising that gives new and experienced cruisers valuable information about that next (or first) cruise. I think most people have the common sense to weed through "cheerleaders" and "bashers" posts - and somewhere in the middle is the truth.

[StevieG]

I am about to go on my 6th Carnival cruise and unlike some of the previous posters I have had excellent experiences and downright horrid ones. I have noticed that Carnival's customer service, not on ship but in the main office, has dramatically fallen off. I had a so-so cruise back in 2007 on the Triumph. I wrote a formal letter to the office of the president to alert them of two items that I saw as potentially big problems, first they advertised a beach experience in Jamaica that in no way matched what you received. The pictures seemed to be of a different club. The second issue had to do with exiting the ship in ports. In was extremely poorly handled resulting in jammed stairwells and a severe safety hazard. I sent this letter to alert them of the problems. I did not ask for anything nor did I expect to receive anything. I realized that if a company is unaware of problems they can not fix them. At that time thier response was a pleasant thank you and that they would look into correcting the situation. For bringing it to their attention they gave me a $50 onboard credit for a future cruise, an unexpected bonus. I went on my next cruise about six months later and they failed to apply the credit. Not a problem they said they would apply it to my next cruise. I am now about to go on my third cruise and they still have not applied it. They are now saying I am beyond the date that I was to use. Well of course I am they failed to apply it to the previous two cruises. So in three short years I have seen them go from thank you for helping us make our cruise line better to how can we avoid having to provide any customer service. They may be the largest cruise line in the world but then again Sears used to control the department store market.