Carnival Vacation Guarantee....I think I made a mistake!

[grandmarnnurse]

3 hours ago, NoName said:

We got onboard the Carnival Sensation today for a 4 day cruise. We got off the Rcl Majesty yesterday and had a wonderful trip (lots of quiet, shaded outdoor areas and like minded cruisers). This trip feels very different. I am an experienced cruiser, but never have booked short cruises before.

 

I really dislikes this ship. There is no outdoor shaded areas. I am attempting to read in the Serenity area as I write this...the chairs are squeezed together- they are touching. People all around are talking, laughing, and drinking....not a serene environment at all. I can't read.

 

I have walked the entire ship looking for a quiet place in the shade...no luck. Everyone feels like they are going to party non-stop....not my type of vacation at all. In addition, the boat looks rough. Doesn't feel like a nice vacation.

 

I am thinking of trying to use Carnival's vacation guarantee tomorrow to fly home. Has anyone here

done this?

 

The big problem I may experience is our 1st Port of call is Key West....we started in Miami. Will they let us off in a US Port?

 

I want off this boat. I will never book a short cruise on Carnival again. Kim

 

 

First of all, it’s a well known fact that a short 4 day cruise is a party cruise. I would never book a cruise under 7 days, but if I did, I am well aware that the atmosphere is totally different from my longer cruises. But nevertheless, I would never be so upset about the ship atmosphere that I’d want to get off and go home. But to each their own. I am an avid reader myself, and have no problem finding somewhere in the shade to read. On any ship. 

[HillBilly Bob]

Try HAL next time....

[LuckyStar]

2 hours ago, Jenn1974 said:

Really?  That is offensive.  Not everyone who does short cruises is trailer trash.  Not every short cruise is full of party goers.  There are places to go to get away from the crazy lit people.  Just go to bed earlier.    Some of us do short cruises because that is all our work schedule allows.  Some of us do shorter cruises because we don't want to be away from our kids for longer than 3 or 4 nights. My next short cruise is to introduce my small children to cruising with out committing to 7 nights if they are miserable.      What ever the reason short cruises can be fun and quiet.  Sure the shorter weekend trips  may attract more party people than a 7 day cruise but seriously.   You are entitled to your opinion but wow.   

 

Thanks Jenn.  My thoughts exactly. 🙂

[tallnthensome]

9 minutes ago, HillBilly Bob said:

Try HAL next time....

Yep ......

[cruzin2010]

My husband and I did a short 3 day cruise on the Sensation, to  introduce him to cruising. It was a total snooze cruise, by 10pm the ship looked deserted, bars clubs and even the casino! We found a very quiet area outside the doors near guest services, it was shady and an  ideal spot for reading or napping.

[rukkian]

17 minutes ago, deedle7544 said:

Rude. Actually people go on 4 day cruises for all kinds of reasons.  I've been on several and I not "partier or less desirable". They also were not cheap.  Judge much?

Nobody actually said everybody who goes on a short cruise over the weekend is white trash, just that you tend to see many more party people.  Ask anybody that does many different cruises, and you will find that it is more likely to end up on a party boat on at least the 3 main lines if you go on a weekend cruise.  Will every one be a party cruise, absolutely not.  Will the likelihood be higher - yes.

[deedle7544]

5 minutes ago, rukkian said:

Nobody actually said everybody who goes on a short cruise over the weekend is white trash, just that you tend to see many more party people.  Ask anybody that does many different cruises, and you will find that it is more likely to end up on a party boat on at least the 3 main lines if you go on a weekend cruise.  Will every one be a party cruise, absolutely not.  Will the likelihood be higher - yes.

I'm not disagreeing that on every cruise, regardless of length there are people who just want to get drunk and party. What I have issue with is people who think social media is a license to be rude to others. And that is the last I will say on this subject. 

[Tapi]

3 hours ago, Jenn1974 said:

Really?  That is offensive.   

Respectfully, I don’t understand why people get offended when someone makes that kind of comment. The crowd that these cruises attract is by design rowdier (cheap prices + short duration + Carnival’s reputation for fun). Nothing wrong with that as long as you go with realistic expectations. 

 

Carnival’s beauty is that it aims at making cruising accesible to everyone. That means that fellow passengers on these short cruises will be less homogenous than on longer itineraries or other cruise lines that target a thinner sliver of the population. Some will be great fellow cruisers. Some not so much. That doesn’t mean that I should feel personally offended or stereotyped because there are a bunch of rowdy cruisers onboard.

 

I will not turn away a short, cheapie cruise on these older ships, but I will go with very realistic expectations. Not doing so will set me up for failure, like the OP unfortunately did. 

 

 

 

[Don Kehote]

Can't read.  Can type a thesis on how unhappy s/he is. 

 

I fully believe everything and extend my most sincere sympathies.

[theboatahoy]

7 hours ago, mdsgu said:

Please realize that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are very different.  Yes, they are both "mainstream" cruise lines, but they are still very different.  If you want serene and slightly upscale, go RC; if you want to party, go Carnival.  Four days is pretty short.  Personally, I'd stick it out.  Any day on a cruise ship beats a day at work, and you might find there are some things you enjoy.

The issue isn't one line vs another. It's the fact it is a four day cruise. Anything less than a week on the "mainstream" lines tends to be more of a party cruise. 

[RDC1]

7 hours ago, mdsgu said:

Please realize that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are very different.  Yes, they are both "mainstream" cruise lines, but they are still very different.  If you want serene and slightly upscale, go RC; if you want to party, go Carnival.  Four days is pretty short.  Personally, I'd stick it out.  Any day on a cruise ship beats a day at work, and you might find there are some things you enjoy.

I would not rate Royal Caribbean as serene.

 

4 days on pretty much any main stream cruise line is a party cruise.

[sanger727]

Think the 4 day cruise is a big part of the issue. However, it’s in the middle of OPs vacation while it’s the beginning for everyone else. Think a lot of people like to jump in feet first and hang all around the ship, drink, and get the full ‘vacation experience’ right off the bat. People aren’t necessarily in ‘mellow out and read’ mode but might be by day 2 or 3.

[keywest1]

Our second cruise was 4 days, and it definitely had a different vibe.  Some of the best people watching we've ever done   

Our favorite spot on the Fantasy class ships is the open area behind the Lido buffet.  Love the aft view.

[louanne93]

52 minutes ago, keywest1 said:

Our second cruise was 4 days, and it definitely had a different vibe.  Some of the best people watching we've ever done   

Our favorite spot on the Fantasy class ships is the open area behind the Lido buffet.  Love the aft view.

 

Agree! I have NO problem with 3/4 day cruises on the Inspiration/Imagination. I don't drink or smoke but I LOVE people watching on these cruises! I have seen it all from church meetings/groups to literal orgy's! lol! Do I participate in them? NO. Can I walk the other way? YES! I love the shows, the casino, and 3 am pizza!

[xDisconnections]

6 hours ago, Tapi said:

Respectfully, I don’t understand why people get offended when someone makes that kind of comment. The crowd that these cruises attract is by design rowdier (cheap prices + short duration + Carnival’s reputation for fun). Nothing wrong with that as long as you go with realistic expectations. 

 

Carnival’s beauty is that it aims at making cruising accesible to everyone. That means that fellow passengers on these short cruises will be less homogenous than on longer itineraries or other cruise lines that target a thinner sliver of the population. Some will be great fellow cruisers. Some not so much. That doesn’t mean that I should feel personally offended or stereotyped because there are a bunch of rowdy cruisers onboard.

 

I will not turn away a short, cheapie cruise on these older ships, but I will go with very realistic expectations. Not doing so will set me up for failure, like the OP unfortunately did. 

 

 

 

Well said.

[Mr2Scents]

Respectfully, I don’t understand why people get offended when someone makes that kind of comment. The crowd that these cruises attract is by design rowdier (cheap prices + short duration + Carnival’s reputation for fun). Nothing wrong with that as long as you go with realistic expectations. 
 
Carnival’s beauty is that it aims at making cruising accesible to everyone. That means that fellow passengers on these short cruises will be less homogenous than on longer itineraries or other cruise lines that target a thinner sliver of the population. Some will be great fellow cruisers. Some not so much. That doesn’t mean that I should feel personally offended or stereotyped because there are a bunch of rowdy cruisers onboard.
 
I will not turn away a short, cheapie cruise on these older ships, but I will go with very realistic expectations. Not doing so will set me up for failure, like the OP unfortunately did. 
 
 
 

Completely agree. We did a 5 day on the Sensation in September and it was one of the best cruises we had ever done. Different vibe completely. Want to know what our bar tab was? It was zero. I went with my son and it’s not our scene. We had a fantastic time and would absolutely do it again. Every vacation requires a dollop of patience. I was more frustrated on our HAL cruise as the average age was most likely 70+. I don’t need to party, but the tempo and pace of HAL was way too slow for me. Everything isn’t for everyone. You do you and you’ll have a great time. Don’t worry about what other people do. Make your own fun. You’ll be happier.


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[tandemcruzr]

I am now really looking forward to our upcoming 4 day, 3 day, 4 day B2B2B on the Liberty 

[dbrucern]

We love the short cruise and do the one you are on every year prior to Christmas but like you we don't care for this particular ship either.  Did it one time and will not go back but love the Victory that also does this cruise. 

[ray98]

I love going on short cruises and having fun so I can piss of the cantankerous ones on board who are looking to be offended.

[livingthedream1]

We have taken numerous 4 night cruises out of Port Canaveral on the Liberty and have never felt like it was a party/booze cruise.

However going out of Miami definitely has a different vibe.  After our last cruise out of Miami on the Victory we would probably not choose to sail from Miami again. We did like the ship though.    

[evandbob]

The OP said they were having a tough time enjoying their cruise and were wondering if anyone had used Carnival's vacation guarantee.  I don't think that most posters here have addressed that question. (to the OP, I haven't done it in 40 Carnival cruises).

 

Most of the comments above try to impugn the OP's observation/reaction to being unable to enjoy themselves or venture off into illogical tangents like fines for leaving the ship.  If the OP did invoke the vacation guarantee, there would be no fine for them involved.  Another illogical tangent was that some posters enjoyed themselves on short cruisers, why can't the OP?  Didn't they know what they were getting into?

 

Why can't posters just accept that everyone experiences a cruise differently, and even the same cruise at a later date with the same itinerary can evoke different reactions?  

[shipbound2]

23 hours ago, LuckyStar said:

I tend to think that 4 day cruises are more party oriented.  I hope things are better after day 1.  

I agree with that statement shorter cruises are lot more party oriented especially around spring break.

 

Gary

[BigCruze]

42 minutes ago, evandbob said:

The OP said they were having a tough time enjoying their cruise and were wondering if anyone had used Carnival's vacation guarantee.  I don't think that most posters here have addressed that question. (to the OP, I haven't done it in 40 Carnival cruises).

 

Most of the comments above try to impugn the OP's observation/reaction to being unable to enjoy themselves or venture off into illogical tangents like fines for leaving the ship.  If the OP did invoke the vacation guarantee, there would be no fine for them involved.  Another illogical tangent was that some posters enjoyed themselves on short cruisers, why can't the OP?  Didn't they know what they were getting into?

 

Why can't posters just accept that everyone experiences a cruise differently, and even the same cruise at a later date with the same itinerary can evoke different reactions?  

Right, I am still waiting for the answer. I bet the OP stayed on the cruise too. 

[ray98]

31 minutes ago, evandbob said:

 

Why can't posters just accept that everyone experiences a cruise differently, and even the same cruise at a later date with the same itinerary can evoke different reactions?  

 

Well....because many here have been on numerous cruises and know you can pretty much find any style of vacation you want on board.  There are always active areas and laid back areas if you put a little effort in.

 

To come to such a hard line opinion so quickly  leads many to believe the situation is being embellished or the posters expectations are illogical.

 

The entire premise of this board is to share opinions, just because you post a topic doesn't mean you will get not contrary views.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

On 2/8/2019 at 11:26 AM, NoName said:

We got onboard the Carnival Sensation today for a 4 day cruise. We got off the Rcl Majesty yesterday and had a wonderful trip.

 

I really dislikes this ship. There is no outdoor shaded areas.

 

I am thinking of trying to use Carnival's vacation guarantee tomorrow to fly home. Has anyone here

done this?

 

I want off this boat. I will never book a short cruise on Carnival again. Kim

 

I dont think not liking a ship and not enough shade would be grounds for this guarantee, would it ?

 

i don’t think Carnival has tried to compare itself to RCL and most customers would know the difference

Edited February 9, 2019 by Luckiestmanonearth