What is the worst Cruise line that you have sailed on

[janetz]

Wow this thread was HUGE but a wonderful read.

 

I am comforted to see almost no big complaints about Royal Caribbean (specifically Allure of Seas). Since in a short 7 months my best friend and I will be taking our first cruise with them. So excited!

 

 

That's because you will have an amazing time! :D

[LuckyZ]

Hands down, Big Red Boat.

 

Terrible customer service for being a family oriented ship.

1) Went to sign up our kids for the kids club. Waited for an hour in line only to have them shut it down by the time I got to the front as their workers had to do something else (come back tomorrow they said). It was only a 4 day cruise.

2) Signed up for the Warner Brothers character tuck in service (kids were really excited). Found out the only time they could do it was like 5pm. So after the tuck in, the kids got dressed and we went back out.

3) They also didnt sail at night, but instead, they parked it on some sort of dock somewhere.

By the end, we nicknamed it the Big Red Float.

[cruise_girl2002]

royal Caribbean freedom of the seas. lido food was really bad and cold, dining room service was bad, dining room food was bad, bathroom flooded and when we went down to complain they said they would send somebody up, after 2 hours they finally showed up, closet space was lacking (but that's a small problem), same 4 rap songs on lido deck over and over, went down to guest services to adjust our tips and we were told we couldn't do that (we had early dining not anytime dining), room steward kept calling us lady (instead of by name or last name like they do on carnival, but no biggie). gave royal a second try in January...not as many problems, but still bad food and service was a tad better.

 

but the one thing that REALLY ticked me off with them was this..I called them to book the cruise (my friend and her husband invited us). I told them I wanted to book the freedom of the seas (this was 2 years ago). She asked how many. I told her probably 2, but not sure if my mom can make it yet. she said that is fine, I can book the room for 1 person and add the second person later since a solo person pays double (which I knew) and all I would have to pay to add my mom are the port fees and taxes...great!! so I paid $2500 right away. ( I have added a second person before on carnival, and never experienced this type of problem that was about to happen). When my mom found out she could go (she found out the day after I booked) I talked to the rep from RCL, she told me it was going to be $1500 to add my mom...WHAT!!!??? I told her I was told to I was only going to have to pay the port fees and taxes. she said because the price went up!! BS!! I tried fighting over and over, but said screw it. and was done.

 

Then in January, when I booked, I looked at prices (since on carnival you can get upgrades or obc) I saw my cruise rate went down..yay! nothing. no obc or upgrade or anything...what a crock of .....

[Guest maddycat]

Without a doubt, NCL. They ran out of food for the second seating nearly every night---this was before they started their freestyle dining. On formal night, no lobster because the first seating ate them all. On my second NCL cruise, more recently, it was just plain bad. Bad food, bad service and just an all around bad cruise. Wouldn't sail NCL again even if it were free.

 

That is exactly how we feel. We sailed on the Spirit and were not happy. Poor food, poor service and poor attitude. We thought that it might be just that NCL ship so we booked the Dawn for our next cruise. It was just as bad. I tell anyone who asks that I wouldn't sail on NCL ever again.......even if it were free.

[Kartgv]

As many others have said, never a really bad cruise, but we have had 2 "least favorites":

 

Carnival Pride, 2005, Mexican Riviera. In spite of being upgraded to a suite, we hated the ship's dark, gloomy décor and the stench of smoke everywhere. The passenger mix was also a little 'off' - especially the "lady" on a motorized scooter with a loud horn that raced through corridors blowing the horn and literally ramming people who didn't move out of her way fast enough. Complaints got nowhere - maybe they couldn't catch her. We did, however, enjoy the Karaoke - probably the best we've ever seen on a ship.

 

Second - the Constitution, 1988, around the Hawaiian Islands. Poor service (American college kids for the most part), very small ship with tiny cabins, no stabilizers in very rough seas (we had deck chairs blowing overboard one evening), and very depressing tablemates. Our tablemates may have usually been lovely people, but they had just come from a reunion of WWII nurses in Honolulu; that had triggered some bad memories for her, and we heard sad and gory stories every night at dinner, usually ending with her sobbing! The best part of the cruise was a midnight sailing past a spectacular lava flow into the sea.

[NMLady]

I don't think you can judge an entire line by one cruise or one ship. Our least favorite so far was Carnival, but only because it wasn't our "cup of tea". Each line seems to have something to recommend itself and something it needs to work on. Bad experiences can be had an any cruise line.

 

Well said.

[marco]

Comparatively.....I'd have to say a cruise on "Dolphin". It was still "OK" and we had a great time, but.....one evening we ordered a cheese tray in our cabin before dinner. Having not long before been on HAL when we ordered a cheese tray we got several wedges of a variety of cheeses, an assortment of crackers, a couple of fanned strawberries and a few nuts, and dried fruit. Delivered on a plate with a dome covering it, on a tray. On Dolphin, we got 2 slices of still wrapped american cheese and two packs of saltines still in their plastic wrappers on a paper plate covered with plastic wrap!!!!!! We laughed until there were tears on our cheeks. We took a photo of it and later on , on another HAL cruise we ordered the cheese tray just so we could take a photo of it. Now, when friends say "is there a difference between cruise lines?" We take out both photos and ask "you be the judge!"

[GROOVY]

Well said.

 

With all things considered you say "Well said"? My God, haven't you read the newspapers? So many Carnival Corp ships had major problems from fires, sinkings, sewage, electrical..... etc.

 

BOYCOTT Carnival Corp Ships like Carnival, Costa, Princess, etc. and force the fat cat owners and stockholders to make cruising safe and trully fun again. NO CARNIVAL DOES NOT HAVE THE FUN SHIPS!!!:eek:

 

Ever wondered why LLoyds has dropped many Carnival ship insurance policies?:(

 

Sorry If I offend anyone, but you know this to be true than why keep paying them to treat passengers so poorly. Sail Carnival and do so at GREAT risk to life and limb!

[cruise_girl2002]

With all things considered you say "Well said"? My God, haven't you read the newspapers? So many Carnival Corp ships had major problems from fires, sinkings, sewage, electrical..... etc.

 

BOYCOTT Carnival Corp Ships like Carnival, Costa, Princess, etc. and force the fat cat owners and stockholders to make cruising safe and trully fun again. NO CARNIVAL DOES NOT HAVE THE FUN SHIPS!!!:eek:

 

Ever wondered why LLoyds has dropped many Carnival ship insurance policies?:(

 

Sorry If I offend anyone, but you know this to be true than why keep paying them to treat passengers so poorly. Sail Carnival and do so at GREAT risk to life and limb!

 

Royal has also hit sandbars, left passengers stranded, had fires (other fires on other owned ships such as azamara line). all ships and lines have their problems. Disney has had a fire, ran aground as well. and yes..carnival does have the fun ships. you only hear about the carnival corp problems more because they own more ships.

[Hstergo]

Although I love RCI I would have to say The Monarch of the Seas was my worst cruise. As soon as I walked into our cabin it had a bad smell as soon as I mentioned it because it happened that our cabin steward and his supervisor was standing right in front of the door the said they knew about it and brought as 2 beach towels. I have no idea what the towels would do to help the problem.

 

The AC didn't work the entire cruise we are talking 90+ degree days I was told it wasn't an ongoing problem quote it's because the ship has so many AC vents

I then asked if the ship grew any vents since we left the home port she said no, then I told her then it is an ongoing problem. I was then told to try not to stay in the cabin.

[GROOVY]

My dear

Carnival owns many lines and by having ownership they of course assume a greater overall responsibility than RCCL and others. Carnival, Princess, Costa, Holland America, Cunard and Disney are managed by Carnival Corp. I fully agree that ALL lines have some problems from time to time but only Carnival and Russian Navy have lost souls because their ships are either poorly maintained or poorly crewed.

 

I for one prefer to play the odds and use cruise lines with MUCH better performance records than Carnival Corp. Google the many issues big and small that have occurred on a corporation ship and with some of their crew accused of rape and murder. The Costa captain still does not admit guilt and Carnival is supporting his defense.

 

If your idea of "fun" is to have wild parties and plenty of beer on board with water slides and other stuff, than Carnival is your line. Just remember to make sure you know where your life vest is located.

 

Look I am not trying to bash Carnival lovers - you have the right to enjoy as you please. What I object to is the trend with many cruise lines, lead by Carnival, bringing down standards to make a quick profit at the expense of safety on enjoyment of passengers who shell out thousands for a first rate vacation. AND, the possibility of this "quickie buck" mentality spreading throughout the industry. Look at what happened to the American auto industry when they too chose to cut corners to make a quick buck. Foreign sales soared and nearly spelled the doom in the US.

 

I say BOYCOTT any cruise line who consistently fails to protects its passengers and who do not offer a first class vacation. Carnival corporation has proven their inability to deliver in many categories.

 

Sorry.

[MiamiSpartan]

We love all of the ships we've been on....some more than others of course....

Many people aren't truly happy unless they're bitching or whining about something....

We judge the individual ships....

 

Probably the one that disappointed us the most based on our expectations was the HAL Westerdam....The service was just not up to what we had expected....the room steward never knew us by name (and we always make an effort to get to know ours on every trip...) We had the hardest time trying to find top shelf liquor, some of the shops never opened.....and the coffee bar was always out of creamer.....

 

None of those are anything major or anything, but we had just expected some of the details to be taken care of like on the larger RCI ships.....and we would totally sail with them again....

[Hlitner]

My dear

Carnival owns many lines and by having ownership they of course assume a greater overall responsibility than RCCL and others. Carnival, Princess, Costa, Holland America, Cunard and Disney are managed by Carnival Corp. I fully agree that ALL lines have some problems from time to time but only Carnival and Russian Navy have lost souls because their ships are either poorly maintained or poorly crewed.

 

I for one prefer to play the odds and use cruise lines with MUCH better performance records than Carnival Corp. Google the many issues big and small that have occurred on a corporation ship and with some of their crew accused of rape and murder. The Costa captain still does not admit guilt and Carnival is supporting his defense.

 

If your idea of "fun" is to have wild parties and plenty of beer on board with water slides and other stuff, than Carnival is your line. Just remember to make sure you know where your life vest is located.

 

Look I am not trying to bash Carnival lovers - you have the right to enjoy as you please. What I object to is the trend with many cruise lines, lead by Carnival, bringing down standards to make a quick profit at the expense of safety on enjoyment of passengers who shell out thousands for a first rate vacation. AND, the possibility of this "quickie buck" mentality spreading throughout the industry. Look at what happened to the American auto industry when they too chose to cut corners to make a quick buck. Foreign sales soared and nearly spelled the doom in the US.

 

I say BOYCOTT any cruise line who consistently fails to protects its passengers and who do not offer a first class vacation. Carnival corporation has proven their inability to deliver in many categories.

 

Sorry.

 

We notice you are a big fan of Celebrity and we join you with those feelings. We are also fans of Holland America, Carnival, Princess....etc. Unlike you, we have managed to cruise on 14 different cruise lines (101 days last year and 77 so far this year) and have no problem cruising on Celebrity one month and Carnival a week later. We have loved every cruise (yes, even on Carnival). As to safety, you did not mention that the most recent cruise ship fire was on a RCI ship (they own Celebrity) . But all of these problems (including the recent problems on Carnival) were handled by the respective crews with great professionalism and nobody was injured. So it sounds like all these lines take safety quite seriously. In fact, when you cruise on Holland America...if you miss a boat drill you are put off the ship!

 

Now we could mention the fiasco on the Costa Concordia....but no amount of safety training can compensate for an idiot Captain! A few years ago (2006) a Celebrity cruise ship Captain was removed from his ship for drinking alcohol. Go figure.

 

Hank

[boogs]

Carnival, Princess, Costa, Holland America, Cunard and Disney are managed by Carnival Corp.

 

Disney is NOT a Carnival cruise line. Disney is not associated with any cruise ship corporation, only with Disney Corporation along with their parks, movie and TV studios, and Disney Vacation Club resorts.

 

The Costa captain still does not admit guilt and Carnival is supporting his defense.

 

Everything that I have read indicates that Carnival Corp has pretty much thrown this captain under the bus, which he probably deserves. They are not supporting his defense. They are, however, defending themselves.

[Sea Hag]

I'm with the "never had a bad cruise" crowd, but if you asked me which cruise was most disappointing in terms of dining room experience, it's a slam dunk. Celebrity.

 

Other than those fantastic waffles in the buffet, most of the food was mediocre at best. I might have set my expectations too high after reading all the good reviews here about food on Celebrity, or it might have been the good cooks' vacation week and the bus boys were cooking. Who can tell.

 

The best thing I had in the dining room was the braised short ribs, and the waiter tried to talk me out of ordering them. Luck of the draw, but both the waiter and his helper were absolutely clueless about the food. Couldn't answer a simple question.

 

But it was a good cruise ... :D

[Sea Hag]

And another answer ... the worst service we ever saw was on NCL America, circle island cruise back several years. It got so bad it was funny, so we had fun with it. All the wait staff we saw were pretty hopeless, but they were friendly and cheerful, and that worked fairly well for me while I was sitting there with half my order wrong and the other half missing entirely.

[mikewrit]

U.S. Navy. The USS Princeton LPH5 wasn't bad after she underwent a major refit in Long Beach in 1960. Actual toilets replaced the troughs running with seawater over which one perched on splintery boards. And the mess decks got air conditioning for the '60-'61 Westpac cruise of six months. But the worst cruise was a CTN on a DE out of San Diego from which we hoped to hit a drone flying overhead with a big, bucking gun that spit long chartreus flames and a loading mechanism attempted to snatch off my arm as I fumbled 30-pound shells into its ratchet.

[pilgrimduke]

We don't have extensive cruise experience (3 RCCL, and 1 each on Holland America, Royal Olympic, Princess, Vantage, and Grand Circle.) Worst line for us was Holland America. When I'm on a ten day cruise I like to have a functioning toilet. Otherwise the cruise was fine, but the problem and the inability to resolve the problem meant that I don't even consider that line.

[05mak05]

I'm with the "never had a bad cruise" crowd, but if you asked me which cruise was most disappointing in terms of dining room experience, it's a slam dunk. Celebrity.

 

Other than those fantastic waffles in the buffet, most of the food was mediocre at best. I might have set my expectations too high after reading all the good reviews here about food on Celebrity, or it might have been the good cooks' vacation week and the bus boys were cooking. Who can tell.

 

The best thing I had in the dining room was the braised short ribs, and the waiter tried to talk me out of ordering them. Luck of the draw, but both the waiter and his helper were absolutely clueless about the food. Couldn't answer a simple question.

 

But it was a good cruise ... :D

I was so surprised when I saw your post! Most people rave about Celebrity and we thought the food was way below par on both of our cruises.

[commodoredave]

People that find any of the major cruise lines "the worst ever" have not cruised on anything but the major cruise lines. Sure, you may have a sub-par experience because of a bad waiter, room steward, meal, etc. which is not the average experience. But until you've sailed on some of the non-major lines that do not focus on American clients, you have no idea what a bad cruise can really be.

[Taxguy77]

We love all of the ships we've been on....some more than others of course....

Many people aren't truly happy unless they're bitching or whining about something....

We judge the individual ships....

 

Probably the one that disappointed us the most based on our expectations was the HAL Westerdam....The service was just not up to what we had expected....the room steward never knew us by name (and we always make an effort to get to know ours on every trip...) We had the hardest time trying to find top shelf liquor, some of the shops never opened.....and the coffee bar was always out of creamer.....

 

None of those are anything major or anything, but we had just expected some of the details to be taken care of like on the larger RCI ships.....and we would totally sail with them again....

 

We took a TA on the Rotterdam and were not impressed. The announcements on two occasions gave the WRONG information, resulting in my missing two ports, one of which I was really looking forward to visiting again! :eek:

 

NCL was very good in the 90s, but one or two owners ago it went DOWN.

[Smokeyham]

People that find any of the major cruise lines "the worst ever" have not cruised on anything but the major cruise lines. Sure, you may have a sub-par experience because of a bad waiter, room steward, meal, etc. which is not the average experience. But until you've sailed on some of the non-major lines that do not focus on American clients, you have no idea what a bad cruise can really be.

 

Sounds like you've had some experience with cruise lines to avoid. Can you give us some ideas of what lines not to go on?

[commodoredave]

Sounds like you've had some experience with cruise lines to avoid. Can you give us some ideas of what lines not to go on?

 

My worst all-time cruises were on:

 

- Stephan Battory of Polish Ocean Line (which we fondly referred to as Polish Prison Line). We had a common washroom and shower for the whole deck and steak was only served once the entire cruise -- and it was minute steak!

- Enchanted Capri, a two-ship casino line out of NOLA that smelled of mold, served food that tasted like frozen TV dinners and had cabins straight out of a Russian spy ship (which is what is was originally built for)

- American Adventurer, a short-lived venture by Bruce Nierenberg and one of the Italian lines to take on Premier cruises as the kiddie cruise line. Everything sucked including food cabins, itinerary, entertainment and the kiddie programs!

 

Luckily for the cruising public, they are all out of business.

[GROOVY]

YES, Disney IS managed by the Carnival Corporation. Disney only handles the licensed figures, entertainment, etc. but the ship (most important) and the crew are all Carnival ......... be ware!

 

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Forums mobile app

[dorisis]

Many years ago we took a 3 day Spring Break cruise on a Carnival ship. I think that is the only onee where we had real problems. 1 out of close to 100 cruises should tell you something about cruise lines.We have since been back on Carnival even tho it iss not our favorite.