Carnival ruined our Cruise by not caring about safety!

[mbyers66]

I feel bad for you that you spent all this time and energy on making this bad person pay instead of just worrying about having a good time...que the Frozen song..

[Tapi]

...the international lounge was right above our cabin and the comedy shows are LOUD. This would keep us up until way past 2 am.

 

 

A bit confused. There are NO cabins right below the International Lounge. :confused: Just trying to separate facts from fiction in your review...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[JohnSpo]

From reading the boards, cruiselines usually don't divulge too much information when issues happen during a cruise.

 

Security cannot be everywhere at all times and sometimes things happen that are out of the control of the cruiselines.

 

OP, Unfortunately, you ruined your own cruise. It is fortunate that nobody got hurt. Move on.

[Homosassa]

This maybe true, but to believe anyone has a right to know the specific actions taken against the cruiser throwing the deck chairs is absurd.

 

 

I was actually surprised that when I notified security of drunken bellows, thuds and a child sobbing in the cabin next to us, security gave me a full report of their actions, what was going on, and called our cabin at least twice a day for a report on any noticeable problem next door.

 

I would have preferred being left out of the daily monitoring loop. Security did make frequent passes by the cabin.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I'm not sure I fully understand the need to post numerous complaints and supposed "bad" acts by a cruise line on their forums unless the impact would be vital information for upcoming travelers. If certain services are no longer available fleet wide that is good information, if a certain ship's crew is notorious for allowing chair hogs I like to know that so I just pile up towels on chairs left unattended after 45 minutes, if floors are slippery in a certain area that's good information so that I walk more gingerly. I like information about cabins where noise or obstructions are concerns or comments on buffets where long lines may be a continuous item...that way I'll know to get to the buffet at opening if I truly want a certain food item.

 

But subjective comments like bad food or poor service are often just in the eyes and taste buds of the consumer and makes legitimate remarks suspect.

[RWolver672]

I will admit that I only read the first page so forgive me if this has already been mentioned.

 

You said " They did have an omelet station, but the lines were so long that it was almost pointless. You should eat breakfast, then get in line to have an omelet ready by lunch. The staff didn’t speak English, so ordering was nearly impossible. They also didn’t have signs with the options to put in the omelets so every person that walked up asked the same question, “What are my options?” and the staff would have to figure out how to communicate it back in English."

 

All of the options for an omlet are clearly laid out in front of you. It's not like you can't see them. Every cruise we've been on, I get an omlet. I have no idea if the staff can speak English or not but I know they understand cheese, onion, tomatoes, black olives, green peppers and two eggs sunny side down. Never once have I had a problem with them understanding what I want.

[BaseballMomof4]

I am still trying to figure out why anyone would book a cabin over an entertainment venue and expect quiet.

 

If you value your sleep you should probably go to cruise deck plans dot com before booking a cabin. You can at least ensure that there are cabins above and below before booking.

 

If you booked a guarantee cabin, then you get what you pay for. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not.

[stobe1]

I re-read the OP's post. I'm still struggling to find where Carnival had any blatant disregard for safety or security.

[babyher]

I don't know anything about policies and procedures on board a ship, but as a 9-1-1 dispatcher , I know we will not give out info on an incident to anyone who is not either the complainant or someone directly involved or affected.

 

We get calls from the "concerned neighbor/citizen" , or a relative wants to know why the officers were at the house next door, or why the officers were at the mall and took the man away in handcuffs (they were too far away to hear and were just curious)

 

Yes the band strikes up the national Anthem , while they spout off the Freedom of Information Act. But there are also privacy laws too.

 

Yes some of you were lucky enough to have a chatty crew or staff who told you all the juicy details , but I am sure the cruiseline would not have liked that, and it isn't the norm.

[Fergus]

This is what I don't get. Eggs several different ways (and btw, the omelette ingredients are sitting right there within sight. How hard is it to figure out the options?) Every type of bread to toast including bagels, muffins and Danishes, french toast, pancakes and waffles, bacon and sausage, oatmeal and grits, cold cereals, fruit galore, even cold meats and cheeses. Honestly, what else could one want for breakfast?

 

This one really got me too! I could probably make 20 different breakfasts out of the choices that are available at the buffet.........and anytime I'm not having to cook it or clean it up afterward is a huge deal!! Geez, can you imagine the staff having to change out the entire breakfast buffet every single day so people can have a completely different selection of items?? There wouldn't be enough storage room on the ship to make that happen.

[loubetti]

To the OP,

 

My advantage responding to you is that I've never been on Carnival. :cool:

 

That being said:

 

I think the "safety issue" should not have ruined your cruise, but I have never been on a cruise where such as occurred. There are no excuses for what took place, and I would like to think Carnival handled it the best they could.

 

As to Aruba: Do not assume Carnival knew in advance. These ports can often do what they want, and I'm not surprised it happened on NYE.

 

As to the football comedy fiasco, this is what happens when they try to please as many passengers as possible. As to your cabin location, that is just a regrettable coincidence, and not truly your fault. Not everyone scours deck plans to the nth degree.

 

With cell phone use at the Chef's Table, that is just rude. They should put up a sign at entry, and maybe even a couple of tent cards at the table that state "Cell phone use is not allowed at the table. If you need to use your cell phone, please step outside". With certain people, sometimes you haven to spell out proper manners!

 

Otherwise, I think you had some valid complaints, some more valid than others.

 

As to those who said that "cruising is not for you", NO, perhaps Carnival cruising is not for you. You said you cruised with other Carnival brands before, so perhaps you are better off a few rungs up the ladder. If you need a lot of "fun", step over to the "dark side".:D Try RCI. If not, I think Celebrity might be a good fit. If you are an anglophile like me, try Cunard. Sure these last two are more $$$, but you know the saying.... ;)

[lnew1gd1]

WOW. Shaking my head. Glad no one was hurt when the loungers came crashing down but as far as knowing what punishment was being bestowed on the perp...sorry...that's none of your business as long as you had no injuries.

 

We did 2 weeks (B2B) on the Freedom in December and had a wonderful time. The buffet has more than enough choices and variety and the omelet line moved at a decent pace for the most part. There were some days slower than others but that was the people in line holding it up not the crew.

Gosh you also had the Blue Iguana Cantina for breakfast too. How many more choices did you need? Or better yet, go to the MDR for breakfast.

 

Never waited anywhere near 40 minutes for any show; comedy or playlist production and our sailing was full. Our experience was nothing like what the OP described. Think maybe the OP is the kind that just cannot be pleased.

 

Next time study the deck plans before you pick your cabin and stay away from the high noise/traffic areas or do not choose a guarantee rate if that's how you ended up with that stateroom.

 

Sorry your concept of your experience wasn't better but geeze, that's a lot of complaining.

Edited January 12, 2015 by lnew1gd1

[Uzdcaddy]

Carnival Freedom December 2014 Notes

 

Negatives:

1. Deck chairs overboard at 1 am – loud crash and banging sound. Hit our railing. A life vest was thrown overboard as well – terrible customer service and safety response

a. Multiple different answers given as to ramifications of actions of cruise passenger

b. First they told us they did not know who threw them over, then they said they read the incident report and that the passenger was on board but they couldn’t elaborate. Then they got the “head” of security and they told us the passenger was being monitored by cruise security personnel.

c. When we were at the front desk a different day for an entirely different issue, they offered (without us asking) that the passenger was actually thrown off the ship at the first port. We asked the crew member why we had been told otherwise. They got the same “head” of security and we were then told the old answer that the passenger was still on board but being monitored.

d. They basically tried to brush us off each time we mentioned we were nervous to go out onto our balconies.

2. We waited 45 minutes for a c omedy show (you have to arrive early or you won’t get a seat at all) and were told with less than 5 minutes before the show started they were going to postpone the show until 1 am and continue having the football game play instead.

a. Normally this wouldn’t matter, but the international lounge was right above our cabin and the comedy shows are LOUD. This would keep us up until way past 2 am.

b. We went down to the front desk and we were told there was nothing they could do and that it was a “corporate” decision. They couldn’t move the comedy show to another location, or the football viewing to another location. Basically, we’d have to deal with a lot of late loud noise for one night.

c. The staff were clearly not trained in good customer service skills. Instead of trying to apologize or make us feel better, they made us feel like it was our fault we didn’t like waiting 45 min for a show to be cancelled and then having to wait until 1 am to see it, or not even sleep because it was going on above our heads. Instead of taking the approach of the “customer is always right” they took the approach of always making us feel like we were being interrogated for complaining or asking what was going on.

3. Aruba

a. We specifically booked this cruise for the chance to get to Aruba on NYE. The original port time was until 11:30 pm. As we were approaching Aruba, the captain came on and said the port personnel were closing port early so we would have to be back on the ship at 8:30 pm. This drastically changed our plans on the island for the day. When cruise ships book ports, they know and the port knows ahead of time all the timings for coming and leaving, meaning, Carnival knew ahead of time they would have to leave port early and still tried to advertise that the cruise ship would be staying in port later. (Obviously port times can change due to weather conditions) We might not have booked this cruise if we knew we would have been leaving Aruba that early and would miss a lot of the NYE celebrations that Aruba is so famous for.

4. Breakfast Buffet

a. BORING. Seriously beyond boring. Same items every single day. Nothing ever differed except the type of sausage you were offered. I ate two hard boiled eggs every morning with a slice of fruit. Plain pancakes and waffles. Same egg benedict.

b. They did have an omelet station, but the lines were so long that it was almost pointless. You should eat breakfast, then get in line to have an omelet ready by lunch. The staff didn’t speak English, so ordering was nearly impossible. They also didn’t have signs with the options to put in the omelets so every person that walked up asked the same question, “What are my options?” and the staff would have to figure out how to communicate it back in English. Once waited over 30 minutes in line and the line never moved, so gave up and went through the regular buffet.

5. Room Service

a. Breakfast. They only really offered yogurt, coffee and cereal and a few baked goods. Nothing else. Pointless if you are trying to eat before you get off the ship in your own room. Honestly pointless. They also wouldn’t let you order anything special – like hard boiled eggs (which they could just take off the buffet).

b. In general – there was almost nothing on the menu. A couple sandwiches and salads and that’s it. Not even pizza. Never even bothered to order it.

6. Pizza station was always a long line and it took forever to get a slice. They hand make each piece, which is great, but really too time consuming.

7. Entertainment. This was the worst I have ever seen on a ship.

a. Piano bar: The piano guy was not playing 2 or 3 nights of the cruise. No notice, just a sign up on the door of the bar that it was closed for the night. The one night we caught him, it was packed in there, but then he decided to go all religious on us. Sang a gospel Jesus song. So inappropriate on a cruise. No one even asked for the song to be played, he just decided he wanted to preach to us all.

b. Main shows: We only sort of saw one. We had to walk out. I’m shocked my glass didn’t shatter from the horrific singing. Whoever decided to give a microphone to that group is nuts. They were terrible.

8. Smoke. Yuck. IT was everywhere on the ship. Even in the non smoking places. Based on the layout of the ship you can smell it inside almost everywhere you go. Plus, with vaping, people thought they could smoke anyplace they wanted. And did.

9. Cell phones. Carnival has a great deal for social media access and internet access while on the ship. While it was incredibly convenient for folks who needed, it was really distracting to people who wanted to really “disconnect” while at sea. Cell phones popped up in inappropriate places – for example, at the highly acclaimed Chefs table. Put down your phone and enjoy the meal! Normally I wouldn’t care, but it held up the meal because the Chef wanted everyone’s attention before he spoke (and rightfully so!).

10. We love cruising, and cruise often across many lines, including the Carnival family of brands,and were very disappointed with our cruise experience regarding passenger safety and the poor attitude of the front desk. They were not professional.

 

11. I cannot tell you how completely disappointed we were with the response of the cruise line failing to have a passenger be tossed off the ship when the passenger purposefully threw TWO lounge chairs off over the back of deck 10 that crashed on our balcony on deck 6 (gouge marks were quite visible, along with the lounge chairs on the back railing near the water line). This passenger endangered our well being, and could have caused us great bodily harm or worse had we (or one of your crew) been on our back balcony at the time. There is no plausible excuse for this at all. The passenger was allowed to stay on board, was being "monitored" but that didn't mean under 24 hour surveillance. Simply said, the passenger destroyed your property and could have KILLED someone on board by his actions. Forget about the implications of a lifevest being tossed overboard, which also occurred at the same time. The further comment from your staff was that if there would be another incident, he would be asked to leave. Some comfort to us. We didn't enjoy our overall experience, our cabin, nor appreciate your blatant disregard for passenger safety or security. I recognize that you have no control over passenger behavior, that is precisely the point of why you establish, or should establish, safety policies; and those policies should have greater regard for those passengers who DON'T destroy your property nor endanger your passengers or crew. This passenger should have been tossed off the ship. This passenger was afforded more concern when he (and if necessary his family) should have been unceremoniously tossed off the ship, just like he did with your lounge chairs. So, Carnival FUN takes on a whole new meaning. Oh, and by the way, we understand that there were fees and fines assessed against the family, Nice way to boost the Carnival bottom line, how about us? What do we get for having lounge chairs rain down on our balcony? Essentially, blown off...don't worry, it won't happen again, we promise. Really?

Positives:

1. Chefs Table – this was a wonderful experience. Highly suggest for anyone going on a carnival cruise. Remains a highlight of all of my cruising experiences across many lines. Chef was personable and the food was fantastic. The wine server was also very passionate.

2. Steakhouse – had the best chocolate martini off my life. Ivan was the bartender up there and he was absolutely amazing. Liquid gold! The food was also fantastic, service was great and we really enjoyed our evening up there.

3. Internet

 

So other than that you had a good time. Sounds like you spent a lot of time looking for thing to complain about

[tkportersat]

I'm am very sorry about the thrown deck chairs, it is a shame someone behaved that way. Simply put though, all you can do is report it and let Carnival handle things. After that it really is no longer your concern and sadly it sounds like it consumed a good part of your trip. I'm glad you were not injured.

 

As far as Aruba, anyone knows that you might as well cruise for the ship as port stops can be cancelled/run short/be replaced. In my 14 cruises this has happened to me a couple of times, including a trip cut short altogether because of a Hurricane. Certainly it is a disappointment but it happens.

 

Buffet- You know, I have truly never met a buffet I fell in love with (well maybe the Paris buffet in Vegas) but overall these are rarely exciting but I have never failed to find something that wasn't good enough to eat...and I am usually full when I leave one.

 

Not going to address everything else as it is a long list. I really hope you did have some bright spots on your cruise, otherwise you might want to try something else next time. I'm sorry it wasn't everything you hoped it would be. Should you try again I hope it is a better experience for you.

[Tapi]

Just a friendly suggestion. Can people stop quoting the ENTIRE first post? :o

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[cruzeluver]

Just a friendly suggestion. Can people stop quoting the ENTIRE first post? :o

 

 

Bless you. :)

[CRJ700]

Just a friendly suggestion. Can people stop quoting the ENTIRE first post? :o

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I wish cruise critic would let me reply without quoting. This is the only message board Ive been on that does this.

[CC Help Michell]

I wish cruise critic would let me reply without quoting. This is the only message board Ive been on that does this.

 

You can use the Post Reply button at the top of each page of the thread. Hope that helps.

[CRJ700]

Man, I feel stupid. I been here over 4 years and have not seen that button. Thanks Michelle.

Edited January 12, 2015 by CRJ700

[Tahmay]

I work FCC, BBB, and Presidential escalations for a communications company, and I just have to shake my head at people like this because it reminds me of the crap that I HAVE to work with every day. They have this sense of entitlement which is crazy. I almost stopped reading after the "customer is always right" comment.

 

With exception of the chairs falling on the balcony, every other complaint mentioned is so petty and ridiculous. I just read the best article titled: "Maybe You Get Bad Customer Service Because You're a Bad Customer". Perhaps the author of this post needs to look into it.

[RuthlessBoss]

You can use the Post Reply button at the top of each page of the thread. Hope that helps.

 

And there is a blue one at the bottom of each page:D

[BK512]

In my experience, if you go into a situation looking for things to disappoint you, you're going to find a lot to complain about. If you go into a situation looking for good things, you'll find them. If you experience something disappointing, your attitude about it will seal your fate for the rest of your vacation.

I once had my luggage stolen on my first day of a ten-day trip to Germany. But we had our passports, $$$, cameras and return air tickets on our person, and we made the best of our ten day trip. We just traveled extremely light! I wasn't going to let it ruin my vacation, so instead of fancier restaurants, we ate in the local pubs. We bought a few items of clothing, a small duffel bag, and off we went. We still had a great time. It's all in the attitude and perspective.

 

 

 

What I find interesting is that the OP stated the International Lounge was right above her balcony cabin. But a quick look at the deck plans say this just can't be true. There are two decks of dining rooms, then cabins that aren't balconies below that.

 

OP, even though I know you hit and ran on this thread, and will never see this reply, but I'm sorry you are so bitter. Life is too short to harbor such feelings. You get out of it what you put into it.

[us2swingu]

It's always Carnival's fault I guess they should follow all passenger's at all times. There's always one in the crowd, if it wasn't safety it would be something else.. Like Shleprock on the Flintstones use to say. " Oh wowzy,wowzy, woo, woo !!

:eek:

[Uzdcaddy]

Disgruntled Cowboy fan.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

 

Just to rub in on further review no good

[Tutontow]

I am still trying to figure out why anyone would book a cabin over an entertainment venue and expect quiet.

 

If you value your sleep you should probably go to cruise deck plans dot com before booking a cabin. You can at least ensure that there are cabins above and below before booking.

 

If you booked a guarantee cabin, then you get what you pay for. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not.

 

Well said. I always book with a cabin above me and below me and I try took get away from the elevator.