NOT happy with FREEDOM at all

[golfadj]

We do make special requests on occasion sometimes we get it and sometimes we dont.

 

If we thought the headwaiter actually tried and was turned down no problem at all.

 

But if he looks at us and doesnt even bother to ask that would bother us.

 

BTW this has never happened to us.

[Phlybice]

We do make special requests on occasion sometimes we get it and sometimes we dont.

 

If we thought the headwaiter actually tried and was turned down no problem at all.

 

But if he looks at us and doesnt even bother to ask that would bother us.

 

BTW this has never happened to us.

 

I would think the waiter would at least ACT as if he asked.

[fragilek]

CCL doesn't really do special order/customer service MDR anymore. We had a great maitreD last year on the Conquest that helped us with our Gluten Free requests the night before, but this year on the Dream, it never happened and not only did we not get special requests, we just didn't even get the normal orders right. CCL is really turning more into a value service one-size-fits-all style operation, not special service like most of us decades long cruisers remember the industry used to be. Thankfully, other cruise lines absolute excel in this regard. Perhaps its time to move on.

 

I had the exact opposite experience last xmas the legend was just OK wrt my gluten free MDR meals, however the valor a few weeks ago was fantastic. The hostess and waiters were fantastic, and the service I got was better than I have received even in 5 star hotel

Edited November 4, 2013 by fragilek

[familycruzinnewbie]

Our waiter on the Liberty was rude. Our table mates were sat at the wrong table the 1st night, and with us from the 2nd on and the waiter was different from their 1st night. They were so shocked at his rudeness, as they preferred the first one. On top of that it was so slow. We are on any time dining next cruise so hope to avoid getting stuck with a difficult waiter.

[jimbo5544]

They used to have awesome chicken tenders at the grill but did away with them.

 

 

They were good as was the sandwich steaks!:)

[jimbo5544]

Our waiter on the Liberty was rude. Our table mates were sat at the wrong table the 1st night, and with us from the 2nd on and the waiter was different from their 1st night. They were so shocked at his rudeness, as they preferred the first one. On top of that it was so slow. We are on any time dining next cruise so hope to avoid getting stuck with a difficult waiter.

Not supposed to switch tables unless you have prepaid tips.....:cool:

[Lovefuninthesun]

Rude Waiter...what do you do?

 

Shake it off and MOVE ON WITH YOUR CRUISE, er, LIFE!:cool:

[CruisinCarps]

I honestly kept thinking that after I read the chicken tenders part (or lack thereof), that the OP had accidentally hit 'reply' before finishing...because of the whole 'the Freedom sucks' bit. I definitely would not have wanted off the ship for that. We had a head waiter who was rude to us (on another line), only saw him once at the end of the cruise even, but it didn't make or break our trip- we had a blast in spite of that one minor incident.

 

As others have said- you should have complained right then and there. I have worked in customer service for years (at animal clinics). If there was an issue with service, we need to know then, so we can fix it. It might have been a misunderstanding, etc...but the time is 'now' to fix something, if possible.

 

On the other hand, maybe I am different...but I go on vacation to experience different foods, cultures, entertainment, etc. Our son is the 'chicken tender king', lol, so we really try to get him to experience new things, especially when it is all inclusive. I can understand allergies, etc but I would have gone elsewhere in the ship maybe that night- or order off the kids menu, etc. Regardless, the waiter should definitely not have been rude to you like that. Saying it isn't available and then saying he just didn't want to put in a special order is contradicting himself and uncalled for.

[Cigar Dude]

If you think the waiter was rude go straight to the maitre 'd and tell them! That should get you quick attention.

 

Even if you had this one bad experience it hardly spoils the entire cruise! Move on and enjoy your cruise!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Well, I have to preface this by saying that MDR service is nowhere near as great as it used to be on Carnival. I believe it is because the company has chosen to cut costs by reducing total waiters and giving 3 man teams more tables to deal with than before (which is a mistake) but whatever.

 

A lot of the time the servers are running around either singing and dancing or getting food orders from a zillion tables all at the same time so they really don't have time to give everyone personalized service like they used to. HOWEVER, I too have had rude waiters and waiters that just plain were incompetent and screwed up everyone's orders at our table at least once during a 7 day trip so I can see where you are coming from.

 

If they are rude, ask the maitre d to move you the next night. Usually, they can accomodate you but not always. Don't complain because service surely won't get better then haha. Just don't tip them at the end of the trip, let Carnival know they were not good and move on. Bad MDR service sure isn't the norm from what I have seen. The guys try, they really do IMO. A lot of the time they are tired by the end of the day and just want to go to bed or may have had a bad day like we all do. They are human after all. Also, cultural differences can make people seem more surly than they are if you are not familiar with them. For example, some eastern european guys may come across as mean and disengaged, rude, etc but that is just cultural. If you actually notice they are being perfectly pleasant, just it may come across in a "harsher" tone than with some other people.

 

FlyingCruiserNJ

[Georgiagolfer]

I have never had a rude waiter on a Carnival cruise. Even when we were with a big group.

 

Out of all our CCL cruises, we have had 1 extremely rude waiter. This was 2 years ago on Fascination. DW and I were seated at a booth with an elderly couple, both were hard of hearing. The 2nd night, they complained to the Maitre D' about something they claimed the head waiter did/didn't do (they were out of line). Later that evening, Head Waiter came to me and DW and complained to us about getting him in trouble. Said we almost cost him his job and he didn't appreciate it. Well, we told Maitre D', and listed this in our guest survey cards. Didn't remove tips, but did eat the other 3 nights at the buffet.

 

Bad can happen on a ship, just let your problems be known then, and move on.

[michelle1836]

perhaps there is more to this story. like the other point of view?

[familycruzinnewbie]

The children's chicken nugget are like ground up gym mats and chicken bones mixed with some chicken fat. Honestly my daughter ordered them the first night and she thought they were so horrible she switched to the adult menu for the rest of the cruise.

[sanmarcosman]

perhaps there is more to this story. like the other point of view?

 

I'd like to hear what the waiter has to say as well.

[Out to sea!]

One would think one needs to lower theirs to accept subpar service, based on some responses here. Kinda scary if you ask me.

 

Accept nothing less than superior service. Regardless if others have given up and accept it.

 

And on the other hand, feel free to pay for superior service. It's not like we're sailing on Regent you know.

[RuthlessBoss]

The children's chicken nugget are like ground up gym mats and chicken bones mixed with some chicken fat. Honestly my daughter ordered them the first night and she thought they were so horrible she switched to the adult menu for the rest of the cruise.

I saw that program on t.v. how and what they are made of. Now this is nuggets for any eatery and/or frozen in stores. Not too many would eat them if they knew. People judge on taste, not the junk they are made of.

[RuthlessBoss]

And on the other hand, feel free to pay for superior service. It's not like we're sailing on Regent you know.

I did Celebrity before being on Carnival. To go back would be dull (nice but dull).

[kcwingwalker]

I'd like to hear what the waiter has to say as well.

 

Like!

 

Bet he could fill up a page or two.

[sanmarcosman]

Also, cultural differences can make people seem more surly than they are if you are not familiar with them. For example, some eastern european guys may come across as mean and disengaged, rude, etc but that is just cultural.

FlyingCruiserNJ

 

This is a poor excuse. We humans can look a person in the eye and smile to share a sincere spirit of hospitality without speaking. It's not hard to do in any language or culture.

 

For all her faults the hotel queen Leona Helmsley got one thing right when she said:

 

" I hire nice people, I don't train people to be nice."

Edited November 5, 2013 by sanmarcosman

[the mistral wind]

You should eat in the buffet (as I do) because you can take what you want, as much as you want, and when you want.

 

I hope you weren't offended by my remark about rude adults in NYC. My husband lived in Astoria Queens and i always tease him about New Yorkers. I can tell your a very nice lady :o sorry

[familycruzinnewbie]

I saw that program on t.v. how and what they are made of. Now this is nuggets for any eatery and/or frozen in stores. Not too many would eat them if they knew. People judge on taste, not the junk they are made of.

 

Yes, but Carnival's are particularly bad. My kids have had many types. I think the adult strips or fillets or whatever are real chicken, so a substitution of the children's nuggets is not really an option.

[newlights]

This is just so different than any of my experiences with wait staff on carnival every single request I have ever made has basically been granted with a smile. On this freedom cruise I just got off from on Saturday. I asked our waiter if he could make a request for us also saying to him I know this is probably not possible. His response ask me I rarely ever have to say no. So I asked if we could get Creme brûlée even though it was not on the menu he said " I can't give it to you tonight because the chef must have time to make special requests. Even though there are some I would be taking one of someone else's. However if you would like I can have it for you each night going forward. This request was met each night I was brought my own special desert.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[The4Cruisers]

Places like Denny's never run out of chicken fingers, and since the MDR of Carnival ships converted to a Denny's like menu, .

 

Wow! Exaggerate much?

[the mistral wind]

You should eat in the buffet (as I do) because you can take what you want, as much as you want, and when you want.

 

My husband also like the buffets. I like to be waited on. So guess what we do both such piggies.:cool:

[the mistral wind]

While I don't do this, I have seen others make orders off the menu and have even seen the waiters offer something not on the menu. I think this was just a case of a waiter not wanting to go above and beyond to satisfy a passenger.

 

I agree with you. That is the service i expect on RCCL, and have always received. That's why i am surprised. I hate to make waves when the service isn't up to par. But knowing me i would probably try to make excuses for the waiter because i would hate someone to loose their job because of chicken tenders and a bad night.

RCCL is my favorite cruise line. Hope the service hasn't changed it has been a few years since my last RCCL cruise.