Carnival made several errors on our wedding/ honeymoon

[kerry26]

I felt I needed to vent about our wedding/ honeymoon cruise on 3/28/04. I hope some of you can give us some advice. We were given an upgrade to a cat.11 suite 2 weeks before our sail date,and we were very happy.I told them we were getting married on the ship and all the tux and other arrangement were made to our other cabin number. I can do better listing all the errors.

 

1. Suite was a smoking not a non- smoking that we ask for at booking.The smell was better on day two after they use a machine to clean the air.

2.suite was not cleaned or being cleaned when the coordinator, guests, groom and bride arrived to it.Room attendant says he was not told about needed it ready. It would be awhile before it would be and it was a smoking room

3. The tux was missing in action.

4.late dinner and table for two was arranged. BUT EARLY TABLE FOR EIGHT is what they had us down for. We had to stress a ask for a change on our wedding night.The change was fixed after the first nights dinner. A sweet couple gave us there table for two after they saw what happened.

5.The balcony was nice until people were smoking next to us. It was there right to smoke.

they put us in a smoking suite.

6. We had to move our wedding back one hour because of cleaning the suite and finding the tux.

Carnival and the wedding department both told me and my husband when they upgraded us it was all arranged and not to worry. I will put in a call on Monday now that I can talk about it and explain it all. The pusers desk only gave us a card that said " We hope you cont' to enjoy your honeymoon and a cheap bottle of wine. I had to wait in the lobby until my husband and purser desk found the the tux and had the room half cleaned so we could get ready.Lots of stress I did not need before our wedding. Overall the cruise was great after day three and our stress was better the people on the cruise a crew members were nice. Has anyone had this happen to them? If so what did carnival do for you.

 

Wedding and Honeymoon on the Conquest

[gabbygirl123]

First of all congratulations on getting married. I'm sorry that you felt like you had a lot of problems. As far as I know though all cabins are smoking I have never been able to choose smoking or non smoking. I have read a lot of complaints about people that are nonsmokers who have neighbors that smoke out on their balcony and it drifts over, so I doubt that this will be a complaint thatanything can be done about. And the table for two is just a request. Everyone can't get the exact table that they request, I'm sure that there are more requests than tables to go around. I'm sure that when looking around you didn't notice too many tables for two. You're probably thinking that since you had got married on the boat and it was your honeymoon cruise that you would have first dibs on the table you want, well a lot of couples are on their honeymoon, anniversary, birthday etc. and feel the same way. The tux issue would be annoying, so I understand that complaint. But the one about your cabin, I'm not sure that I do understand, is this where the wedding party always gets ready for the wedding? There aren't traditional bride/groom rooms by the chapel? If you only had a small interior cabin they would expect everyone to get ready in there? And the bride/groom are suppossed to get ready together? Just remember that the most important thing is that you got married and hey you even got to spend an extra hour with friends/family.

 

05/15/04 Navigator of the Seas

[Andee]

Focus on the positives of being able to marry your beloved on a cruise with your loved ones around.

 

Let the negatives go; continuing to think about them will just cause you distress.

[Guest]

1. You got upgraded to a Suite

2. A "free" bottle of wine.

3. Couple gave you their table for 2

4. You got married, and apparently the rest of the vacation went well.

 

Time to move on........dwell on the positives, and forget any thoughts of compensation (or as you asked, "What did Carnival do for you??")

 

And congrats, by the way.

 

Serenade of the Seas

 

[kerry26]

Hello everyone! and thanks for the replies. I guess the point is we arranged everything through carnival without a middle man. The problem with the room not being ready,the table, and the tux going to the wrong room was all because they didn't change the info from Miami to the ship. We comfirmed everything. We made the time and table change 1 month before the wedding.They gave us the upgrade 2 weeks before the the sail date. I asked would it mess up our arrangment. I was told it would be ready and tux would be there. I even told them I didn't want the upgrade if it would mess up our arrangements. The wedding department called 1 week before the wedding and said they had the new cabin number and not to worry. I feel it could have all be avoided something in the communication between the ship and Miami. It took away from my day. All I wanted was an "I'm Sorry" from them. If it wasn't my wedding day I wouldn't care. it was alot of stress on our wedding day.We planned with carnival for months to make it stress free.I married the man I've loved for five years, and we are very happy!I wanted to see if anyone else has this happen to them.

 

Wedding and Honeymoon on the Conquest

[Krazy Kruizers]

Congratulations!

 

Be thankful that Carnival gave you an up-grade to a suite. Not many people can boast about that.

 

The only problem we see is the tuxedo not being there. But all ships make mistakes.

 

Just recently husband got a notice after the last formal night to have his rented tuxedo ready to turn in the next morning. The only problem is, he owns his own tuxedo and has never rented one. We had our concierge take care of it.

 

[greybear]

Hi Kerry26,

 

Congratulations on your recent nuptials. My husband and I were married on the Conquest on Nov. 2, 2003 (We did not get a room upgrade). As for the few glitches, we thought that the boarding was a bit hectic and took longer than expected. Because of this, all of the 3 weddings scheduled for the day were delayed 30 to 45 mins. It gave me more time to get ready and talk with family. The wedding coordinator had a hard time finding the wedding location and kind of had me roaming around for a few minutes. We ran into people that were visiting the ship for a prospective cruise this May; they had their video camera and proceeded to interview me!!! This was seconds before the wedding. I could have piched a stress related fit but was too happy that I was getting married to the man I love to care about these minor inconveniences. The ceremony and reception were great. Although they do have a reputation of being little more wild, I thought that the service received from Carnival was very classy.

 

I never thought of asking for, nor did I expect, an apology for the few mistakes that did occur. Weddings are intrinsicly stressful, just imagine what it would have been like if you would have planned it in your home town (catering, music, menu, chapel / church reservations, priests or ministers... need I go on!) If you thought that a pre-arranged wedding on a cruise ship - where you get several days to unwind afterwards- was stressful, you definately made the right decision because it seems that planning it yourswelf would have driven you insane!

[jedgar]

Carnival does not have any non-smoking rooms. Dinner seating requests are just that, they are not guaranteed. All brochures and documentation state so and your TA should have informed you so when you made your requests.

[kerry26]

Hello everyone! Just wanted to answer a fews questions

 

Hey Gabbygirl 123, Carnival ships don't have dressing areas for the bride and groom or party. They have priority boarding at 11:00 for the entire party. They have the cabin cleaned with the tux,bridal bouquet and boutonniere.The coordinator still had the bouquet and boutonniere. The coordinator escorts everyone to the room. The bride just drops her dress and carry on bag. The groom gets dressed and the goes to the room where the wedding will take place without seeing the bride. The bride gets dress in the room ect. Our ship didn't have a chapel only a few have them. We got on the ship at 12:15. The room stewart says it wasn't on the list like it was suppose to be for an early clean-up.

 

We had a Cat 8A stateroom with the extended balcany booked if anyone wanted to know. I guess now that everyone says they don't have smoking or nonsmoking cabins. Why does carnival ask you what you want? Maybe to leave you ash trays for you if you smoke?

 

Hey jedgar, We didn't have a TA we booking directly with carnival.They told us they made the change to a table for two for us. There are only a few tables like that as others have stated. On our cruise several were empty the entire cruise.

 

Wedding and Honeymoon on the Conquest

[savdoc2]

Congratulations on your recent marraige. Sorry things didn't go as expected.

 

You stated in your last post that you booked directly through Carnival and they asked about smoking. We have booked all of our cruises through Carnival directly and have never been asked whether we were smokers or non-smokers.

[golflady]

Congratulationa on your wedding!!!! I know that NCL has smoking on one side and non smoking on the other. I can't remember if Royal Carribean or Celebrity does. I have cruised with all of them; never had a problem with smoke. But, I had a problem on The Victory; we sailed on it just after it was commissioned. I could not go anywhere without being subjected to smoke (I am highly alergic) people were smoking outside of the dining room, before the doors opened. My daughter and I talked with the purser and his suggestion was to sail on the Pride (or whatever the ship is that is non smoking. I am not interested in sailing on the same ship all the time, just to avoid a smoke situation. I wrote to the company after we returned home and did not get a reply. Therefore, I don't sail with them anymore.

 

I have never been on a cruise that I didn't have a great time.

[jamminlion]

Congratulations on your marriage. After all, it's the marriage you wanted right? We all want a perfect wedding without any glitches. And unfortunately none of us get them as there is always something that stresses us out in the days before and the day of the wedding - whether they are on land or on board. So, while it was stressful for you (what wedding isnt'?), enjoy the fact that you are now a Mrs., and can enjoy all the wonderful things that some along with that.

 

7/02 NCL Wind - Alaska (honeymoon)

7/03 NCL Star -Hawaii (1st anniversary)

10/04 RCI Legend - Panama Canal (just because it's there)

[doone]

Congratulations on your marriage. Your experiences are just the trials and tribulations that can happen when traveling, unfortunately.

 

As far as I know, there are no non-smoking cabins on any cruise ship, except the Pride. As for smoking on one side of the ship and non-smoking on the other side, as far as I have experienced, this is not true in the cabins, smoking is allowed in all cabins. The only ship that it is not is the Pride, which is not going to be true in the very near future. I have heard the Pride is going to having smoking now.

[serene56]

I think the previous poster meant to say the Paradise is or WAS a non smoking ship. But that will change sometime within the next few months.

 

All ships allow smoking in the cabins EXCEPT Disney. But all ships have one side of the ships that are smoking on one side.

 

Going NOWHERE

 

 

Miracle, February 13, 2005

Legend, October 22,2004

Voyager August 31,2003

Victory September 22,2002

Regal Empress,June 2001

Sensation,August 2000

[tef43]

The only thing that Carnival could possibly be held responsible for is the missing tuxedo.

 

Other than on the Paradise (and then only until September), there are NO cabins designated as non-smoking. The dining rooms and certain public lounges are designated non-smoking. On deck, one side of the ship is designated non-smoking.

 

Your dining request is just that, a request. Nothing is guaranteed. Ever.

 

Congratulations on beginning your new life together, but please stop trying to blame Carnival for things that are clearly not their fault.

 

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

 

 

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

[momofmeg]

I don't think any wedding goes smoothly. I know mine didn't. Too many family members butting it with their two cents. Hubby and I ended up feeling it was every one's else wedding in the two families and not ours at all. We just happened to be the bride and groom that's all. (We also paid for our own wedding not our families) anyway I think this is just par for the course for things to go wrong. I feel your wedding day can never be what you dreamed it would. If I had to do it over again it would be the justice of the peace.

 

anyway it is 21 years later now and two of those who made things such a hazzle for us are no longer with us. I would gladly go through that hazzle again though if it could bring back those 2. (my mother and my father-inlaw)

 

anyway it is funny that you posted all these problems-I had just recently told my daughter who is turning twenty this summer that maybe the way to go was to have a cruiseship wedding, less hazzle. I guess you proved me wrong. Maybe the jsutice of the peace is the best way if you really want no stress.