3/23 Sensation Cruise NOT Sensational

[wanman]

[quote name='Cruise, J.D.']To the OP, thank you for taking the time to relate your experience. I am sorry for the terrible way your cruise started. It looks like to me you were the victim of several factors outside your control, i.e., (1) a rushed return to service of the Sensation, (2) an unusually aggressive Coast Guard inspection, and (3) lack of an acceptable response to the situation by the port authorities and Carnival.

Fortunately, your experience is rare, but it does not deserve to be discounted by those who defend Carnival at all costs. I loved my experience on the Carnival Conquest, but I can see how your experience at the terminal would affect the remainder of your cruise. Most humans are not robots who can instantly turn on the "fun" button after a miserable situation has passed.

If you desire a response from Carnival, I suggest you write a detailed letter citing specific instances of conduct you find unacceptable. I would relate facts rather than conclusions. The more detail you provide, the more credible your letter will appear. I hope Carnival can provide a satisfactory resolution to you, I don't think you will get a free cruise, but if you do, GREAT![/quote]

Not to sound rude or unsympathetic, but what more could anyone want. $50 and 25% off their next cruise (from what I have read in some of the articles that have been posted).

That is basically the same thing that Princess gave the passengars of the Star fire (25% off next cruise). The only difference is they got a full refund because they did not complete their trip. This group got their 4 days (- 9 hours).

I agree that alot of the things that happened were not good, although not life or trip endangering that would have called for a full 100% refund. If the trip was really that bad I would thing that more people would have taken advantage of the Vacation Gurantee.

I am just glad that no one is blaming this on the FEMA workers or anyone that called that ship home for 6 months.

[Kittybork]

[quote name='GoinCruisin']I'm not saying I would have reacted the same, but there are some people that would be very upset by this... so I don't think it is unwarranted at all... I[/quote]

I think it all depends on our responsibilities to others as well. If I were there by myself or with friends my own age, I wouldn't have had much of a problem. I might have been aggravated, but not angry. If I had been there with an infant or an elderly person it would have been a different story. My sense of responsibility to the others would have put me in a different frame of mind altogether.

It's easy to judge (not meaning you) or say what we would do, but circumstances often lead us down another path.

[blackwing]

It stinks that they were delayed for 9 hours, but what about the rest of the ship? I read some of those linked articles and one woman complained about sewage smell and *gasp* a pubic hair in the bathroom! (Earth to lady, there's probably a lot more of those enmeshed in the carpet somewhere.)

What about the rest of the cruise?

To anyone who was on this sailing, were you aware that it was the first sailing after coming back to the fleet? Did you do research about the hurricane relief efforts chartering, or did your agent tell you about it? I'm not sure if I would have taken this sailing. I would have expected it to be a lot worse.

It sucks that the ship wasn't ready, but I'm sure they did their best. I agree with the sentiment posted upthread that the only alternative would have been to cancel the cruise, and then people would be complaining as well. Complaints about cancellation or complaints about onboard problems.

$50 shipboard credit and 25% off a future cruise. It's better than nothing. Everyone seems like they always think they are entitled to a full refund for anything and everything.

That couple that got left behind in the Bahamas - oy. I wonder if they were as docile and non-complaining as they portray themselves to be?

[RVman]

I’m new to this cruising stuff but have been lurking in the back ground for a while now. It is evident to me tho that you have some on this forum that no matter what they hear they are pro-carnival and you will not change that. It seems evident to me that they have a stake in it of some kind in making sure that Carnival keeps it good name.
Having never gone on a cruise, I will be honest with you, I‘m a little hesitant now about going. After reading lately about the undocumented crime that goes unreported and then the large fire that just happen. You don’t have to have been on a cruise before to know that, that was a large and serious fire. I spent fours years in the USN and a ships fire was the most serious thing we had to deal with. That was a huge fire. We had small fires but would always get them under control way before anything of that size took place.
Now I hear about this latest incident on the local news here the other day. I’m just not sure that I want to spend that kind of money for a cruise. I’m having second thoughts and I might just have to stick with my RV guys.
I have my flame suit on, flame away.

[Kittybork]

[quote name='big_duck']Why?
While true, I hardly think it is common sense or common knowledge.
Not true, should be paid, but not true.

edit: last sentance changed for clarity[/quote]

If I were to get on a ship at 11 pm after 9 hours waiting, I would probably go straight to bed. I would not pay the tips for that day. I don't care if I'm flamed, or some think I'm stiffing someone from a 3rd world country. If I'm miserable for 9 hours and no service was provided, why should I pay them for the service?

[Naismith]

When I heard about the couple who got left behind, I had a flashback to an incident on the phone with Carnival some months ago.

I had called because information on the website was different than in the brochure, and I based a booking decision on information on the website. The person I talked to (1) said it was my own fault for not talking to someone at Carnival before booking (like I was supposed to know the website was likely to be wrong), and (2) told me that if I wanted to change the misleading info on the website that I would have to call a different phone number and tell them.

I thought that Carnival is Carnival, and she should WANT to have accurate info on the website. She told me I was out of control and hung up the phone.

I had not used any profanity or obscenity. I had not called her names. I was upset about the impact on my plans (and she expressed no sympathy whatsoever).

At the time, I thought it was a random incident, and she must be a particularly bad customer service person. Now I am not so sure!

[GoinCruisin]

[quote name='RVman']I’m new to this cruising stuff but have been lurking in the back ground for a while now. It is evident to me tho that you have some on this forum that no matter what they hear they are pro-carnival and you will not change that. It seems evident to me that they have a stake in it of some kind in making sure that Carnival keeps it good name.
Having never gone on a cruise, I will be honest with you, I‘m a little hesitant now about going. After reading lately about the undocumented crime that goes unreported and then the large fire that just happen. You don’t have to have been on a cruise before to know that, that was a large and serious fire. I spent fours years in the USN and a ships fire was the most serious thing we had to deal with. That was a huge fire. We had small fires but would always get them under control way before anything of that size took place.
Now I hear about this latest incident on the local news here the other day. I’m just not sure that I want to spend that kind of money for a cruise. I’m having second thoughts and I might just have to stick with my RV guys.
I have my flame suit on, flame away.[/quote]


I'm not going to flame you :D But all the cruiselines have "cheerleaders", not just Carnival... spend some time on the Princess boards ;)

Also, cruising is very safe. There is not a "large" number of crimes... considering over 8 million people cruise each year, the number of deaths are still in like .00008 percent. As for the fire, yes, it was a bad fire, but only one death (one death is too many, but considering how bad it could have been...)

If you are going to be concerned, then I would say don't do it. As a single female, I still feel safer on a cruise ship than I do many areas of the town I live in. I am smart about it, I keep my guard up, as I would ANYWHERE. It is a small city in a sense, and still has lower crime than most cities in this country. You could walk out of your house and have something horrible happen to you... you can't go through life worrying about "what if"... How are you safer in your RV? The excursion bus on Celebrity went off a cliff... accidents happen on our highways every second... If you want to be completely safe, stay home... but make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector, and a home that is burglar proof, and don't cook... etc. See what I'm sayin?? ;) Seriously, cruising is fabulous... it really is (okay, for most of us... it's not for everyone)... but I think you owe it to yourself to see if you like it. Good luck!!!! Have a fun time!!!

[GoinCruisin]

[quote name='Naismith']When I heard about the couple who got left behind, I had a flashback to an incident on the phone with Carnival some months ago.

I had called because information on the website was different than in the brochure, and I based a booking decision on information on the website. The person I talked to (1) said it was my own fault for not talking to someone at Carnival before booking (like I was supposed to know the website was likely to be wrong), and (2) told me that if I wanted to change the misleading info on the website that I would have to call a different phone number and tell them.

I thought that Carnival is Carnival, and she should WANT to have accurate info on the website. She told me I was out of control and hung up the phone.

I had not used any profanity or obscenity. I had not called her names. I was upset about the impact on my plans (and she expressed no sympathy whatsoever).

At the time, I thought it was a random incident, and she must be a particularly bad customer service person. Now I am not so sure![/quote]

It's more common (sadly) to get poor customer service on the phone... it happens. I think the Officers on the ship are a little different, I think they know the difference between anger and abuse... it really does take alot to get booted off the ship.

[Kittybork]

Posted by Big Duck:
"CCL tried to bring food and water off the ship and whatever government controlling entity is in charge of overseeing the food said no. CCL had to go off terminal to get this."

I know that their are rules governing food from foreign countries coming into the United States. Ships which contain foreign food must use separate dumpsters at the docks. The food cannot be consumed anywhere except the ship: whatever is left goes into the dumpster.

This might be the reason that they could not bring food from the ship. That would not apply to bottled water or soft drinks. Carnival dropped the ball on this one. No one should be treated that way after paying huge sums of money for a vacation.

[zqvol]

[quote name='RVman']I’m new to this cruising stuff but have been lurking in the back ground for a while now. It is evident to me tho that you have some on this forum that no matter what they hear they are pro-carnival and you will not change that. It seems evident to me that they have a stake in it of some kind in making sure that Carnival keeps it good name.
Having never gone on a cruise, I will be honest with you, I‘m a little hesitant now about going. After reading lately about the undocumented crime that goes unreported and then the large fire that just happen. You don’t have to have been on a cruise before to know that, that was a large and serious fire. I spent fours years in the USN and a ships fire was the most serious thing we had to deal with. That was a huge fire. We had small fires but would always get them under control way before anything of that size took place.
Now I hear about this latest incident on the local news here the other day. I’m just not sure that I want to spend that kind of money for a cruise. I’m having second thoughts and I might just have to stick with my RV guys.
I have my flame suit on, flame away.[/QUOTE]
Why should you be flamed? You are entitled to voice your opinion especially when you do it in a calm rational manner.

NO cruise line or other business is perfect. At lot of time the people that are flamed get blasted because of the way they say what they say. Carnival provides the product that it says it will (at least most of the time), it is not the cruise line for everyone, but no cruise line is a perfect fit for everyone. I guess that is why some drive cars and others pickup trucks or Fords vs. Chevy’s.

I promise you that two people can say exactly the same thing but if one of them backs their conclusions up with specific facts and the other doesn't have anything except a conclusion they will be right in front of the flame thrower.

The crime that you hear about is blown way out of proportion. Think of a cruise a being a city of 2500 people. How much crime will there be in a seven day period? What ever you come up with there will be less on a ship.

You have been in the USN. You know how rare fires are. They are rare on land too, don’t let that stop you from cruising. BTW, Princess says the Star will resume sailing in six weeks. The damage on that ship likely looks a whole lot worse than it really is, because it will take at least a week maybe 10 days to get to the ship yard, so they are going to get the repairs done pretty quickly.

Take the cruise plunge, you’ll love it!

[Debs224]

People seem to be missing the point that the ship was delayed for the safety of the passengers! It sucks to be stuck in port and have your vacation shortened by a few hours, but I'd rather that then a safety issue at sea.

Should Carnival do anything? I think that an on-board credit is fair. They have no control over how long it takes the Coast Guard to reinspect. They do state in their terms that they reserve the right to change itineraries, shorten times in port, etc. for the safety of the passengers and crew. The on board credit was a show of good faith, not a requirement.

[BlueHerons]

[quote name='wanman']
I am just glad that no one is blaming this on the FEMA workers or anyone that called that ship home for 6 months.[/quote]

What do the FEMA workers have to do with this other then temporarily living onboard and why would anyone blame them?

[Cruisin975]

Hi everyone!

I finally got to experience what fun cruising can be! Of course, the pre-embark was uncomfortable. Once we boarded the ship, I noticed both positive and negative things (which probably happens on every ship). Remember, I have never been on a cruise before this, so I have nothing to compare. However, during conversations with other people on the cruise, we learned that this was an unusual situation for a Carnival cruise and that other Carnival cruises have so much more to offer that this one did not. Also, they said that it could be since this was first sail, this may be why we had below average and unorganized activities.

My folks cruise all of the time so they advised us to get to the port early so we can enjoy lunch and check out the ship before everyone boards. Well, of course, we all know about the disaster that happened. We had not eaten since 7AM that morning and with me having low blood sugar, it wasn't the best situation. We were in a LONG line and sat on the floor for 10 hours. Every so often, we would hear an announcement about an update which never came as promised. Now, I know to pack some lunch items just in case. I feel like I am always well-prepared, but I did feel unprepared in this situation.

We were not allowed to leave the terminal at all. We had just one bathroom area to go and it was constantly filled with people and smoke from smokers sneaking a cigarette. They announced that smokers stop or an alarm would evacuate the building. They started serving water about 2 or 3PM and then soft drinks. We started eating cookies/sandwiches around 6 or so. I cannot really remember the times anymore as it seemed so long.

We finally boarded around 10PM and I know, with my parents, they always took pictures upon boarding. Silly me kind of wanted that, but we just took pictures with our digital camera. We got an apology note with the $50 credit and 25% off next cruise. Anyway, we got to our room on the Upper Deck, which was very clean and had lots of space. Our steward (from Trinidad and Tobago) greeted us and he was the nicest ever! Actually, all of the stewards was courteous!

We noticed that our dinner seating time was changed from 5:45PM to 8:30PM. . So, we ate at the Seaview Bar and Grill every night except for the first night where everyone ate in the dining room on first-come, first-served basis. I was fortunate to be in the first crowd and the food was pretty good.

We like to turn in early (around 11ish) and the only showtimes available for the broadway-type shows were 8:30 and 10:30PM --- which conflicted with us eating in the Fantasia Lounge. On the last day, however, we were told that we could have changed our times. I am not one to complain, so we just made do and were pretty content.

Food at the Seaview Bar and Grill was pretty okay. My folks just rave about the food so we were just a little disappointed but again, made do and was happy that it tasted fair. Pizza and the Deli Bar was delish and we ate there at different times of the day. The desserts were pretty okay...some days better than others. Overall, it was like going to a Shoney's buffet. We did eat breakfast in the Esctasy Dining Room which was really good. The servers were always prompt and gracious. I felt pretty spoiled. =)

The overall appearance of the ship was clean and very pretty. The weather was really cold and windy so we did not get to lay out like we wanted. I saw people playing mini golf (not sure why other poster said that it was under construction) but it was too windy for us up there. The room was always kept clean and of course, we got the towel animals, which were adorable.

The negatives-

Activites were a little on the down side and sometimes, it was disorganized. There were times when my DH and I were almost a little bored and we are not ones to just go, go, go all of the time. The shows were great, especially the 80s one.

People don't actually read the bulletins or just ignore what it states. For example, it specifically states not to save seats in the theater. Of course, there were plenty of folks saving 5-10 seats...1-2 is fine, but 5-10 a little ridiculous. Also, the Camp Carnival kids had a sign stating that certain seats were reserved. Adults just completely ignored that and sat right on down. The kids had to share two to a seat and I could tell that was a little frustrating to the camp counselors and the kiddos.

Noises-
There were some loud noises at different times of the night but we just figured that it was normal. Some people from the Riviera deck was constantly hearing knocking sounds (I guess from the plumbing that went on throughout the whole cruise) and other people complained of raw sewage backup in their toilets.

Shore excursions-
I was a little disappointed with these...even though the ocean was absolutely beautiful, the snorkeling left little to be desired. We snorkeled in Pearl Island and saw just one sting ray and one fish. That's not so great for $40 (but thank goodness for the $50 credit) but it was nice to swim in the turquoise waters. At Freeport, we went on the glass-bottom boats. It was an okay excursion. I have now learned not to go by brochure description, which exaggerates all of the activities. Next time, we will go on the beach excursion and just lay out in the sun. Nothing can go wrong with that one. =)

Last day of ship- we were supposed to leave our door open and be called by color/level and since we were Self-Assist, we were supposed to be the 2nd floor to leave. Well, we had immigration problems -- they could not find two people. So, people just started lining up on the Empress floor and started going out regardless of color/level. We grabbed our bags and lined up with them.

One more thing -- remember to take an iron and hairdryer. They don't supply those and if you happen to forget, thank goodness for the irons on Empress deck.

Also, sorry if there are typos/grammatical errors. I quickly typed this and haven't reread. =) We didn't let this experience get us down and we are ready to cruise with our kiddos next year...however, it will be on the Disney (that's what they want!) We will cruise Carnival again, though. =)

[BlueHerons]

[quote name='Kittybork']. I don't care if I'm flamed, or some think I'm stiffing someone from a 3rd world country. If I'm miserable for 9 hours and no service was provided, why should I pay them for the service?[/quote]

Why do you think they are all from third world countries. Most aren't.

[zqvol]

[quote name='Cruisin975']Hi everyone!

One more thing -- remember to take an iron and hairdryer. They don't supply those and if you happen to forget, thank goodness for the irons on Empress deck.

[/QUOTE]
Please follow the rules and DO NOT take an iron. It is a potential safety hazard.

[Kittybork]

[quote name='BlueHerons']Why do you think they are all from third world countries. Most aren't.[/quote]

I was referring to an earlier post about people stiffing workers from 3rd world countries.

[Cruisin975]

[quote name='zqvol']Please follow the rules and DO NOT take an iron. It is a potential safety hazard.[/quote]

Oh ok. Sorry about that advice. I never read where it stated otherwise, but I see your point. Just use the iron on the Empress deck then or get some wrinkle releaser stuff. Is that fair enough? =)

[Panama74]

I don't understand people criticizing those of us who were actually on the cruise for complaining about the cruise. For us, it was a family cruise-2 adults, 3 kids. Maybe I haven't been on 20 cruises, but I have been on a couple and this cruise was definitely not what it should had been. Before I post our list of complaints for those of you who don't understand why so many people were not happy, let me say this: Carnival Vacation Guarantee-once you arrive at the first port outside of the U.S., you may get off the boat and find your own way back to the States, then they will provide you with a 100% refund. Some of us were hoping that the next 2 days would be better seeing how it was too late to plan a new vacation.
So with that said, here's your list guys (some of these have already been posted):

1. Stuck inside the terminal for 11 hours. We arrived at the port at 11:15, supposedly able to board between 11:30-12:00.
2. The cookies and sandwiches that were served 5-6 hours after waiting were not appetizing and almost impossible to get due to the lack of organization from Carnival and the rude guests that cruised with us (no, I'm not blaming Carnival for allowing rude guests, just thought I would note that they didn't make the cruise any better).
3. Carnival should have noticed all of the safety hazards that have been all over the news before the U.S. Coast Guard inspection. They say that they are worried about our safety, but if that were the case, at least most of these issues would have been corrected before the inspection.
4. While we were waiting, we only had 3 updates of the situation and all three of these updates informed us that we would be boarding in approximately 20 minutes. Eleven hours later, we were allowed to board.
5. Kiddie pool was never opened (we have a 3 yr old)
6. Water slide was inoperative the entire time (we also have a 10 and 12 yr old)
7. Camp Carnival was not located where the map showed, which would not be a big issue had the information desk or any of the Carnival employees known where it was moved to. We finally found it after about three hours of looking for it and when we did find it, it was a vacant room that was turned into the daycare.
8. Two of the shows were cancelled.
9. Some of the bars were closed, and those that were opened were extremely understaffed. It took us anywhere from 15-30 minutes to get a drink from the bar almost every time we went! As far as the waiting staff, you could bet on 30 minutes or more almost every time.
10. The bars ran out of all rum (except for Malibu) along with 2 of their beer choices.
11. We should have spent more time in Nassau and less time in Freeport. (yes, this may be just my family's opinion, but it is still a legitimate complaint if you ask us).
12. The reggae band was not entertaining (not knowing 1/2 of the songs that they were trying to cover).
13. The food truly sucked. I've had better food at McDonald's with exception of the Roasted Duck that I had on Saturday night.
14. And last but certainly not least, although the staff did keep a smile on and was polite if they did speak to you, many of them just tried to ignore you. This was not just one incident, this happened on numerous occasions.

You can say what you want to about those of us who are complaining, but it was definitely not what a cruise is supposed to be, and not all of us are just trying to get something for nothing.

[LHP]

RV Man: First welcome to the board. We just bought a motorhome (Lazy Daze) and are looking forward to some wonderful land travels.

Don't worry about being flamed...it happens to the best of us from time to time. Cruising is like any other hobby; it isn't for everyone. However, if you look at the number of cruiseships that Carnival alone sails every week (22) times the 2,000 or so passengers on board and multiply that by the other dozen or so major cruise lines sailing every week...I think you will find the problems they have are a small percentage. There is a website called Events At Sea that lets folks know what is "happening" in the ole cruise world. Most of the things are a stomach virus or some minor mechnical failure. We have cruised since 1998 as a family (since 1982 as a single) and have 13 family cruises and 22 total under our belts and nothing remotely close to anything bad has ever happened to us. I don't like to fly. I don't particularly like what happens to airplanes when the jet engines stop running in mid air. But fortunately it doesn't happen to often and has never happened to me. Hubby flies almost every week and again the percentage of things that go wrong is low ( delayed flights due to mech or weather, lost luggage, missed flights because other flights were delayed etc).

Whether it is cruising, flying or rving things do happen and seasoned travelers learn to deal with it.

[stampingcruiser]

I was on this cruise. I purposely booked this cruise because we love the Sensation. All of you people who are criticizing those of us complaining were not there. You have NO IDEA what it was like. No, we didn't think to bring any food to eat to stand in a line that should have been at the MOST an hour long since we were boarding a floating buffet after all. There is only so much stuff that you can carry on with you.

The situation was beyond ridiculaus. Saying we could leave and get something to eat? Have you EVEN BEEN to Port Canaveral? There is no where to go. We came on a bus from the airport, how are we going to go and get something to eat? We are from out of town, know nothing about the city.

As far as the inspection goes, had ANYONE from CCL deigned to show their faces out there and TELL us what was going on, almost all of the problems would have been alleviated. Instead they chose to say nothing to us about what the problems were, pushing blame onto the Coast Guard, which this was NOT their fault. Carnival waited too long to start the "refurbishment" of this ship. Nothing had changed on that ship since I was on it 2 years ago. Our sink had chips in it. There was no new carpet, paint, nothing. The slide was closed on the pool. If it has been deemed to be unsafe (which is what I heard) it should have been removed. We were told this ship would be totally revamped before we got on, and it wasn't. Not new linens, (our robes were stained) and the bed linens weren't new, nor were the towels) I wouldn't have minded that those things weren't new, but we were told they WOULD be new.

Now, we did have a great cruise. Everything was wonderful, the food, entertainment, (the dancers and the comedian were fantastic!) So was the cruise director. We really felt like there weren't as many people working as we have had in the past, and I did see what looked like new employees getting tours of the ship and training.

As far as the couple who got kicked off the ship, I was in line at the pursers desk on Sunday morning and heard her mouthing off about getting arrested this afternoon if their excursion got cancelled. She had been mouthing off all weekend and it caught up with her. We also heard that they had threatened the cruise officers in some way.

I don't think the weather had anything to do with why some excursions were cancelled, but rather that we arrived later than we were supposed to and so those excursions just weren't available. The weather was pretty lousy, cold, very windy, and Freeport is probably the ugliest port I have visited and wouldn't go again. Nassau was prettier, but again, still not what I envisioned, neither the weather no the ports were Carnivals fault! I am sticking to the Western Carribean from now on. Give me Grand Cayman anytime!!

We are going again this summer, Western Carribbean, CCL. I am not holding this against them, but do feel that they could have done a LOT better job of keeping us informed, (if we had only KNOWN that we could be there waiting that long! instead they kept saying we'll know something in 20 minutes, we'll be leaving in 20 minutes) Honestly they did, and that was our mantra all weekend, anytime we had to wait in line for anything- "only 20 more minutes!"

[MrPete]

[quote name='stampingcruiser']We were told this ship would be totally revamped before we got on, and it wasn't. Not new linens, (our robes were stained) and the bed linens weren't new, nor were the towels) I wouldn't have minded that those things weren't new, but we were told they WOULD be new.[/quote]

Who told you this? :confused:

[upncoming]

Regarding the unsensational 3-23 cruise of the Sensation:
I think the thing that was the most upsetting was that Carnival did not try to keep us informed of what was going on. We were told when we pulled into the parking lot at 12:45 that there was a "security issue". Of course in this post 9/11 world, most people are a little edgy when those words are used. Being first time cruisers didn't help, but we were willing to wait it out if the ship were made safe.
Carnival sent thier employees through the pariking lot on golf carts with a printed page about 1:30 saying they were hoping to get embarkation started by three. One of the reasons we did not leave (to go to the beach, go to a movie, get some food, whatever, we could have done ALL of that and still made it back in time) is because we were waiting for the three o clock deadline. All the poor employees in the parking lot kept saying was "no sir, we have no new information". We did see them later dropping off water all over the lots.
We were not offered food until much much later-abut 7-8. That was after we had already stood in tons more lines to get the embarkation things done. OK, guess from reading these posts that the long snaking lines process to embark is normal, but we did not know that and many folks in line were tired and sick of standing, waiting and not being told what was happening! It is just totally unconsinable to me that Carnival did not give us updates. When we might expect to board, what was wrong with the shop in the first place, etc. We saw a helicopter hovering above it for a long long time. What were we supposed to think after hearing many hours before that there was a "SECURITY" issue??
After we provided our paperwork to the carnival employees we were sheparded into a terminal to wait some more. Then food was offered. It was taco bell wendys and subway. OK, at least they tried, thanks for that.
Yes there was a stinky smell detected in the common areas for most of the cruise.
Here is something else that Carnival needs to fix and pronto!! We were late getting into the second port, Nassau. We got in the long line to disembark 40 minutes before our snorkeling tour was to leave-we thought plenty of time. The process to exit the ship did not take too long, but once through the turnstiles we waited over half an hour. Why? The stupid pirates at the end of the gang plank were stopping people for pictures and holding up the entire disembarkation line! Just to get in another photo op to sell pictures! How studpid! :mad: Get the pirates to pull people off to the side for goodness sake. We missed our boat because of it. They did remove the charge though.
We were promised 50 dollars onboard credit. When we got our final bill, it was not taken off. Many people standing in the LONG LINE (freakin again) to speak to the the purser on the last day said the same thing. How many people just didnt check thier bill??? I also had three instances on my bill where I was double charged. They took it off but still>>>???
Food was just so so. The staff was incredibly nice, very accomodating. Maybe they had orders from headquarters to grease us especilly well!:)
All and all, we will never use Carnival again. We felt like they did little to address our frustration over the events except to smile and pretend it did not happen.

[stampingcruiser]

[quote name='LovECruiseS']The more and more I read the posts...I just needed to say this. Living in Central Florida and traveling many a times from PC- yes I do realize that there is nothing immediately visible for food from the port.

Having said that, while it is much better at Port of Tampa- it is FAR WORSE in Port Everglades and Port of Miami. Once stuck there- that's pretty much it.

Contrary to belief, food from any Pt. Canaveral's terminal is only a 15 minute cab ride or drive away. There is the Marina area and it's restaurants, McDonald's and Taco Bell off A1A ( I realize not the best choices- but better than forego a happy tummy).

That someone could not make this decision (and yes...it is an individual decision) and go get something to eat- bologna! Consider this- if everyone had gone away for 45 MINUTES roundtrip TOPS- the ship would certainly not leave without everyone. So ok- fine- only a few people go. Even if they start boarding immediately upon your departure, it would take at least 1.5 hrs. (through security) to board the entire ship. Therefore, again, Sensation would not have left without you.

Fine- clearly some don't know there's food 15 minutes away. Did anyone think of asking? Probably not, as it is far easier to assume.

While, I do believe that Carnival should have as a courtesy, anticipated and been prepared with at least light snacks; they can not be held responsible for the welfare (food, diapers, medicines, etc.) for anyone's family prior to boarding any ship. That is the job of the head of the family to be concerned with- the welfare of their own family. (Unless in fly aweigh or deviation programs- and even then).

Listen, when things out of one's control happen- just let it roll of your shoulders and make the best of what YOU can control and have at hand. My personal policy anyway. ;) Frankly, I have better battles to pick :) (Yes- I am sailing the Sensation in a few weeks...)[/QUOTE]
Do you realize that they didn't TELL us how long it would be, other than saying "20 minutes" evertime they opened their mouths? Do you realize there were 2000 people standing inside the port and outside the port for NINE HOURS? No place to sit, despite what you say, nothing to eat, no one from the Port, Carnival , Public Safety NO ONE ever even SUGGESTED to us to go and get something, offer up a bus, taxi, car, golf cart, whatever for us to go and get anything.

You know, I wasn't so mad about this until I read some of the posts from you people! I can't believe anyone would side with CCL over the passengers on this! There just in absolutely NO EXCUSE for the way they handled the situation. And that is what everyone needs to remember, it is not the situation itself that made everyone so mad, it was the way the situation was handled.

Despite it being tempting to wish your trip was as much "fun" as ours, I hope you have a better time on Sensation than we all did!

[cruisin_maniac]

Do we know how many people were housed in New Orleans? Is it possible that many cabins were not used, which could maybe account for rust in some of the staterooms?? Just thinking out loud .... But certainly it raises questions about what was done to clean the staterooms :(

 

Could also be that the homeless people of New Orleans moved in and made a Ghetto out of the ship and by the time Carnival figured out how big the repairs were going to be, the ship was already scheduled out. So they did the best they could.

 

I wish I could here from some passengers how a small group of passengers actually ruined the cruise more so than anything that Carnival did. I understand that they were outright rude and obnoxious in the terminal and on the ship. A few of the ones that I am talking about were asked to leave. Probably Carnival made a mistake by boarding anyone who was acting like an idiot in the terminal.

 

Carnival was prevented from bringing food, water, or ice from the ship by either Coast Guard or Port Authority bureaucracy. They were prevented from boarding or leaving by the Coast Guard. Carnival owns this delay because they were not ready to sail. The Ghetto people own the fact that the ship needed so many repairs. The idiot misbehaving passengers own any further ruining of the remainder of the cruise.

 

It is also not true whoever posted that there was no food on the lido deck.

[GoinCruisin]

[quote name='BlueHerons']What do the FEMA workers have to do with this other then temporarily living onboard and why would anyone blame them?[/quote]

LOL, been around this board much??? :p I can guarantee, there will be someone that says it... I KNOW there will be. I'm also surprised nobody has said it yet... people are always trying to blame SOMEONE... and there is always someone that is so out there, this wouldn't surprise me one bit.