Worst carnival cabin experience

[audcc77]

3 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

Some of these area perfect examples of why I love the Cabin Check Tool on cruisedeckplans. CC won't let us post a link to that site, but just search that and it should be the first result. Or enter that into your address bar with the .com on it. Choose Carnival, your ship's class, then your ship. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find the "Cabin Check Tool." You pick a cabin and it'll show you exactly what is above and below that cabin, plus a little of the surrounding area. It's great for finding quiet spots or places to avoid.

 

The deck plans maps on that site will also warn about some of the cabins. If you see the symbol of a star inside a circle, hover your mouse over that and it'll give you info. about the cabin(s), like noise and whatnot. The one thing I'd really like to see all these websites do is to better label the crew spaces and those empty gray spaces. The ones they can, at least.

Wow - Thanks!  That’s awesome!  
What a time saver.   👍

[KmomChicago]

3 hours ago, radcliff17 said:

SUITE V2 ON THE SENSATION 

This "jr suite" was smaller than inside cabins I have had in the past, The bathroom was a pedestal sink. Not the vanity or suite amenities I was expecting. We booked a 3 person cabin. It only had 2 closets and 1 was half full with linens, life vests and the safe. But the worst part of the room was our super public balcony. The was a public deck to the right with stairs coming down directly in front of our balcony. Those stairs weren't in the deck plan I looked at. We never had a private moment out there. And once another guest used to bang a chair on our balcony in an attempt to find someone he thought was in our cabin.

 

My husband and I had originally been in a spa balcony and had to move to accommodate a last minute friend wanting to join us and that's how we ended up in this cabin. This was my 12th cruise and the first one I have ever felt the need to complain about.

 

On Fantasy class, the Junior suites are really what a balcony cabin would be on the rest of the line. 

[jfaaborg]

15 hours ago, jas1178 said:

We've had a few really bad rooms out of our nearly 42 trips:

 

1. Carnival Glory (7/2019) had a room with no air at all.  Midway through a cruise they were able to move us due to a cabin opening up.  Guest Services Manager warned us we were moving from a HOT room to a room that often had noise complaints due to it being right above the piano in the piano bar.  We learned to love the noise vs. the heat while singing "Sweet Caroline" till the early AM.

 

2. Carnival Vista (11/2016) had a family harbor suite right under a portion of the galley that had loud noise starting at 4am.  Here they had no option for us other than to refund the upgrade price we paid.  Guest Services Manager actually came to the room at 4am and recorded what was happening and walked into the galley to try to isolate the cause.

 

3. Carnival Glory (07/2019) had an interior room that shared a wall with a service elevator on the other side of the wall.  Every time the elevator was used, the wall vibrated.  Every time someone entered or exited on the floor, it was extremely loud day and night.  Guest Services was able to find us an alternative that was so much quieter.

 

So 4 rooms out of 42 trips.  Learned a valuable lesson on the first Glory cruise.  That was I should advocate for myself/and family QUICKLY.  If there isn't resolution, found within the first 24 hours, and my cruise is going to be terribly impacted (like no air in a cabin preventing sleep), consider invoking the vacation guarantee.

I'm new to cruising. What do you mean by invoking the "Vacation Guarantee"? Is that the travel insurance? 42 Cruises, sounds like you may be a wealth of knowledge!  

[jas1178]

27 minutes ago, jfaaborg said:

I'm new to cruising. What do you mean by invoking the "Vacation Guarantee"? Is that the travel insurance? 42 Cruises, sounds like you may be a wealth of knowledge!  

Here is a link:  https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/478/~/carnival’s-great-vacation-guarantee

Basically, if you aren't having a great vacation:  invoke the guarantee at Guest Services within 24 hours of sailing.  They will arrange for you to be transported home at the first non-US port of call (you must have a passport).  They will cover the cost home, refund your cruise, and give you an opportunity to sail again with an onboard credit.

 

So, can it be bad enough to need to invoke this?  Yes.  My original Glory situation with no air flow at all and young children (see my post it links to the review if you like), I would invoke the guarantee.

 

The important lesson over 42 cruises...none will be perfect, but most will be amazing.  Occasionally things go wrong.  The cruise staff often time seem to initially use a stall tactic to see if there is really an issue or if you stop complaining.  You have to advocate for yourself.  If they can't resolve the issue, invoke the guarantee.  Sometimes magically they can immediately resolve it when they realize you are serious.  If not, go home and try again another time.

 

Everyone is different.  For us, no air coniditioning is non negotiable, but sound issues can be counteracted. (earplugs, shifting schedule, napping, etc.)

 

As a new cruiser reading this, please understand that these are the exception, and not the norm.

[Amadawn1]

2 hours ago, ummgood said:

 

this is great to hear. We have that cabana booked in Sept on Vista. I heard the rooms on the other side get some noise from the live music in ocean plaza. 

You will love (hopefully!) the cabin and location.  Don't know if you've sailed on her before, but if you're a coffee drinker just a head's up that there are actually two specialty coffee bars.  The main "Shake Shack" location that usually has a line and the Ocean Plaza bar, right around the corner from your cabin.  No one seems to notice that it's there. The only day it was not open was debarkation day.  Enjoy your cruise!

[James4me]

6 hours ago, idraconis said:

My cabin experience. Vista out of NYC re-positioning 11 day cruise. My cabin was 1201  starboard side. There was 4 ports of call. I don't know if this was a new captain or the  captain was not used to the ship but it took the crew a long time to dock the ship in every port. I know it's not like docking a 18 foot bayliner and its not easy docking a 130,000 ton ship. Getting back to my cabin. Nice interior cabin with port holes. On deck one right above the thrusters. When the ship dock at the POCs  it was on the port side of the ship. Docking in Miami my side of the boat, man those thrusters are loud and lots of vibrations. And it took over a half hour. Good thing it wasn't as bad as some nightmares I've seen and heard, also it was the last stop. 

Do those portholes open for fresh sea air?

[Stacie.]

1 hour ago, James4me said:

Do those portholes open for fresh sea air?

No. 

[Eli_6]

The previous posters who said to book only on floors with cabins above and below and with at least three rooms between you and any elevators or public areas gave very good advice.

 

Also, I would avoid anywhere close to the IMAX on ships with that feature because you could feel the base if you were even in the vicinity when I walked by.  

 

 

 

 

[Eli_6]

3 hours ago, jas1178 said:

Here is a link:  https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/478/~/carnival’s-great-vacation-guarantee

Basically, if you aren't having a great vacation:  invoke the guarantee at Guest Services within 24 hours of sailing.  They will arrange for you to be transported home at the first non-US port of call (you must have a passport).  They will cover the cost home, refund your cruise, and give you an opportunity to sail again with an onboard credit.

 

So, can it be bad enough to need to invoke this?  Yes.  My original Glory situation with no air flow at all and young children (see my post it links to the review if you like), I would invoke the guarantee.

 

The important lesson over 42 cruises...none will be perfect, but most will be amazing.  Occasionally things go wrong.  The cruise staff often time seem to initially use a stall tactic to see if there is really an issue or if you stop complaining.  You have to advocate for yourself.  If they can't resolve the issue, invoke the guarantee.  Sometimes magically they can immediately resolve it when they realize you are serious.  If not, go home and try again another time.

 

Everyone is different.  For us, no air coniditioning is non negotiable, but sound issues can be counteracted. (earplugs, shifting schedule, napping, etc.)

 

As a new cruiser reading this, please understand that these are the exception, and not the norm.

This is amazing advice!  

 

And, yes, I agree.  No A/C with young kids in anywhere with high heat/high humidity would be my definition of H*LL.  

[Aplmac]

6 hours ago, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

Um, out TV remote didn't work one time...

we called guest services, and we had a new remote shortly after.

- It was horrific! 

 

The psychological scarring still shows, I'm sure... lol

[OCruisers]

No problem with a cabin on a Carnival ship.  :)

Problem was some horrid folks across the hall who were extremely loud day and night.  

Still can't figure out when they found time to sleep.  😫

[EBONI325]

Anyone have a cabin under the Galley that wasn't too bad?

[SMSACE6]

I had to think on this one for a bit.  In my 8 Carnival cruises and 2 on other lines, I really cant say I had a terrible room. 

 

The only one I had issues with, had nothing to do with the room or location, but with the people in the neighboring room. It was a connecting door between, the only time I had one of these, but there was someone the next room who coughed and coughed and hawked and coughed all night long.  It was an Oceanview on Riviera deck on Liberty, mid ship, and was a very smooth, comfortable cruise motion wise, room was nice, everything nice except the hawking and coughing of the person the the room net door.  It was very disruptive and did sound like said person was right in the room with us.

 

It was ten years ago, and I did not complain to guest services, as that is not something I do unless I figure someone is doing something that can be dealth with.  I know, that with some conditions, coughing cannot be controlled, so we just dealt with it.

Actually was a wonderful cruise, an this was our only difficulty, complaint on that cruise, but for 7 days we were able to live with it.

 

However ever since then, I do make sure that I don't book connecting rooms on cruise ships or for that matter in hotels too.

 

 

 

[2wheelin]

5 hours ago, jas1178 said:

Here is a link:  https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/478/~/carnival’s-great-vacation-guarantee

Basically, if you aren't having a great vacation:  invoke the guarantee at Guest Services within 24 hours of sailing.  They will arrange for you to be transported home at the first non-US port of call (you must have a passport).  They will cover the cost home, refund your cruise, and give you an opportunity to sail again with an onboard credit.

 

So, can it be bad enough to need to invoke this?  Yes.  My original Glory situation with no air flow at all and young children (see my post it links to the review if you like), I would invoke the guarantee.

 

But then you need to explain to the children why the cruise was so short. 😉 

[jas1178]

34 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

But then you need to explain to the children why the cruise was so short. 😉 

You aren't wrong.  But would rather do that (if necessary) than suffer the week.

[Treyatl2006]

There was a leak in my Cabin on the Carnival Fantasy. It was a terrible smell and I now wonder if it was sewage or grey water. The carpet was soaked. The ship was sold out and I had to deal with it. The only thing I got was a steak dinner and a bottle of wine from guest services. 

[Organized Chaos]

For those saying only book cabins that have cabins above and below, it's good advice, but not always necessary. I agree that it's ideal because it helps ensure less noise above/below, but if you can't do it, there are situations that won't end in misery. We've stayed above the casino twice and never once heard so much as a ring-a-ding from a slot machine, people, or live music (full disclosure, we were fairly close to the live music stage, but not above it). Last month we were under, and just inside, one of the sets of sliding doors that enter/exit the Lido pool area. An area that sees quite a bit of foot traffic on & off of Lido, but we never heard any footsteps above us.

 

It doesn't take 40 cruises to know that not everything will be perfect and things go wrong. I could've told you that after one cruise. It's just common sense and applies to any vacation, not just cruising. Not too many people can go on 40 vacations (of any kind) without anything going wrong.

 

Someone also warned of "late night trivia contests" in the Lobby. I play a lot of trivia on our cruises. Regular trivia runs mostly during the day, sometimes with a later one starting at 5pm, but most trivia only lasts half an hour. The only trivia I've experienced later than that are the big music trivia parties hosted by the Cruise Director and Fun Squad. The ones I've gone to are over by 10pm at the latest.

 

So for anyone who might be freaking out over some of this, try not to. It may not be as bad as it sounds.

[Joe817]

Ahhhh, O.C. once again, you've proved to be the voice of calm in a sea of chaos.....hmmmm...no pun intended, but it sounds good! 

[jrmende63]

13 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

I said on my most recent cruise (in my signature). But, to save you time, it was the Carnival Valor.

Just so you know, most of us can't see signatures anymore.

[rnr4thatsme]

Love this topic!  Has anyone ever had a cabin on deck one?

[Aplmac]

14 minutes ago, rnr4thatsme said:

Love this topic!  Has anyone ever had a cabin on deck one?

 

No, but I've had several on Deck Two -which is pretty much the same thing?
Main versus Riviera?

Biggest problem is always Ye Less Civilized around you..

and not the cabin itself or anything therein.

Hallways noises by drunks-going-home, etc. is the usual problem
and I devised something of a noise barrier in the little hallway leading to the cabin,

past the bathroom -involving the bathroom door as a baffle
covered in draped towels, plus a rolled towel blocking the small gap under the cabin door.
Works quite well, all in all.

[lukeduke07]

Carnival destiny "Night Owl"  interior. 

 

Price was incredibly cheap.  About $650 for the two of us for a 5 day including fees.  Directly above the disco.  We thought we would be up partying most nights and it wouldn't be a problem.  They played music all night until 5 am some mornings!!! 😡We didn't sleep the entire trip.  One night we went up to the lido with a blanket and slept on a lounger. 

 

I guess you get what you pay for. 

[cdm289]

Worst cabin experience for me was spa cabin 12216 on the Dream.  See the little stairs beside the cabin?  I thought they would only be busy when the water slides were open but NO people run up and down them all night long.  Also, there is a door to outside right there as well that automatically slams shut and people used that door instead of the middle door that leads you to the main hallway at all hours as well.  From the running and jumping on the stairs to the slamming of the door, I am very careful of cabins I book.  

 

Great cruise though just crappy cabin selection.

 

[adventuredancer]

i have sailed on deck 1 several times (like 4 or 5 cruises). once on the magic and the layout must have been changed during dry dock because the deck plans are now different. the room was super far forward and port and was bigger than usual. we had a neighbor who had a jam band going on one night super late. we called and guest services came out 4 times before they permanently stopped playing music. we usually choose far forward or aft and we once had a problem aft with the thrusters when docking. its also convenient when docking and not having to travel far. most of the time it has been very calm and peaceful. it is a bit more of a walk to get to things to do on the ship, but i actually feel like that was better than once when we were on deck 8 since 1/2 the stuff was below us and 1/2 the stuff above. being below everything we have to walk up, but then we can usually do everything in one long path

[Buckimion]

After checking out a few cruises out of New Orleans on Triumph, having decided that our first one wasn't THAT bad (Nassau), I received a call from a PCA who had noted our interest and started discussing what I was looking for. I need an accessible room for my scooter and was interested in a lido deck standard cabin vs a 4J. He recommended 4J 7206 which was a corner room which looked huge on all of the deck plans and was listed as 'accessible' which I booked, without realizing it was 'limited mobility'. On booking, we originally planned on driving down, but my right leg needed amputated a few months after booking and instead of trying to fight with my scooter, stuck with bringing a manual wheelchair. That may have been a lucky break because not only was the room much smaller than anticipated and there was no way my scooter would have worked, it had none of the features such as the power door I asked for. I could not get to the back half of the room, nor could I wheel myself into the shower or make any sort of turn in the bathroom, but had to settle for only washing up at a sink in a (solo) public bathroom. I will never book anything less than a fully-accessible cabin again.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Buckimion