please do not flame me

[VICKIVICKI]

I have not cruised for 6 years now, but last month we [my husband, 2 sons ,my granddaughter and myself]booked 7 days on the Conquest forJanuary 21-28 2007.. I was elated to find these boards and since I have, I have read so much about inedible food, non-working plumbing, power outages, dead bodies, teen-age drunks,late embarkations,empty pools, etc.and it seems as though Carnival and some posters here consider it all very insignificant,almost as if they should expect this on a cruise. The last time I cruised, it was the most incredible vacation of my life[The Elation, Mexican Riviera] Have I just found this board at the worst of times or has cruising on Carnival changed that much?

[dznymom]

Your last sentence sums it up - You really have found this board at the worst of times! Generally, Carnival puts out a pretty consistent product. I'd be willing to bet that going from the smaller older Elation to the Conquest, you are going to have an even better cruise than your last incredible one!

 

Oh, and take a gander at the Princess boards. All HeII had broken out there too. Just a bad couple of weeks for cruising in general.

[GoinCruisin]

I have not cruised for 6 years now, but last month we [my husband, 2 sons ,my granddaughter and myself]booked 7 days on the Conquest forJanuary 21-28 2007.. I was elated to find these boards and since I have, I have read so much about inedible food, non-working plumbing, power outages, dead bodies, teen-age drunks,late embarkations,empty pools, etc.and it seems as though Carnival and some posters here consider it all very insignificant,almost as if they should expect this on a cruise. The last time I cruised, it was the most incredible vacation of my life[The Elation, Mexican Riviera] Have I just found this board at the worst of times or has cruising on Carnival changed that much?

 

You probably couldn't have picked a worse time to find this board! LOL! Well, last year during the peak of hurricane season wasn't so great. Cruising is still great!!! Stick around... generally when there is a problem, there will be 4 gazillion threads about it, rather than people just sticking to 1 or 2 threads... which makes it just seem that much worse... don't worry!!!! The bad reports coming from the Sensation and Holiday are due to the fact the ships should have stayed in drydock longer after the FEMA contract... this is not common at all!!

 

Dead bodies?? YIKES!!! I haven't read that!!!!

[dst]

Vicki:

I have cruised for 10 years and not always on Carnival and yes some things have changed however IMO there is still no better way to vacation. I think that some people go and expect way too much and then they have their opinions (which they are entited) but a vacation is what you make it. I have had some cruises better than others but never a BAD cruise.

 

You will not be disapointed.

[habby]

There must be something in the air lately. Lots of folks just plain cranky. There has been an extraordinary amount of not-so-good stuff happening lately though. It just seemed to all come at once.

 

And, don't forget people will complain much louder and more often than hand out compliments. Just human nature.

 

Don't let it worry you. Have fun planning!

[Cotton]

First, you shouldn't be flamed for your questions.

 

Have you checked on any other boards? Same topics. Same problems. Right now, with several 'media hypes' going on, it's impossible not to hear some of the worst scenerios.

 

Nobody around here is insensitive to the problems that show up here, but MOST Carnival cruisers are happy folks!:) Things happen -every cruise is not perfect in everybody's eyes. You hear it all here on all the boards. You can take what you will with a grain of salt, or ask questions about particular things that you need to know.

 

Don't know what else to tell you.

[Sue L]

Unfortunately, I think you have found these boards at one of the most negative times in recent cruise history. Between the George Smith incident, the Star princess fire, the Sensation problems and the Celebrity passengers killed on their tour there is quite of bit of negative news

 

Many of the incidents I think have been blown out of proportion by the media and I think once there is negativity towards a certain area, in this case cruising, each little thing is then blown out of proportion.

 

We have been cruising for 20 years and I think the only real change I have seen is that cruising has become more of a mass market vacation than it used to be and families are taking more advantage of it. I also think IMO that some of the service ammenities have taken a backseat to serving more people. I think alot has to do with the bigger mega ships that all the lines have come out with.

 

Don't let the recent posts scare you away there is a great deal of helpful information to be found on these boards and the good definitely out weighs the bad.

 

My advice though is don't ask questions about jeans in the dining room, smoking, or chairhogging and you have less chance of being flamed.LOL

 

 

Sue

[kathy32259]

In my honest opinion - every cruise I have taken has been the most incredible - wonderful - relaxing - vacation I have ever taken. All on Carnival. I have not experienced anything bad - I truly love to cruise. As you can see below all of my cruises have been with CCL and I continue to come back for more. My goal is to be able to cruise 3 or 4 times a year - I love it that much!

 

Some background that might help you understand where I am coming from. I travel for a living - am 50+ single woman - who has had plenty of planes, hotel rooms, restaurants, rental cars to last for a lifetime.

 

In the past the airline industry valued a high paying frequent customer. That is no longer true.:eek: It is a cattle call every time I get on a plane (weekly). I must endure the RUSH to get on board by the other business travelers who believe they must take everything they own on the plane with them. So they run to the front of the line to find a spot for their belongings........ Then there is the decision of where to eat, in a strange city, by yourself or room service (if they even have that anymore - which a lot of hotels no longer do that)

 

Need I go on? A cruise is the greatest. You embark, unpack, sit back and relax or play to your hearts content. All while being waited on hand and foot.

 

FOR ME - it is the BEST VALUE and the best vacation. A bad day at sea beats a good day on the road. It's not for everyone - but it is for ME!:D

[newmexicoNita]

let's face it, with the problems Carnival has had in the past month, added to Celebrity having more than their share of challenges and law suits flying all over the place, not to mention spring breakers coming out of the wall, the overall cruise industry has not had a good month. To be honest the food on most lines is suffering these days. Prices for cruising have not increased much if at all in years< fuel prices have sky rocketed as we know. This does not only affect the price of fuel used by the ships, but the cost of food etc. Add to that cruising, has become a family vacation activity compared to years ago when the ships were mostly filled with people over 150. I do think Carnival has had more than their share of downs lately, but as long as you go with an open mind you will have a wonderful vacation. There still aren't many vacations offering the variety, the food and chance to do as much or as little as you want like cruising does. It is also a great way to spend time with the family. Kids can go to kids camp, teens can find friends and hang out at the arcade and the adults can do adult actitivities all under 1 roof. NMnita

[NRWO]

I have not cruised for 6 years now, but last month we [my husband, 2 sons ,my granddaughter and myself]booked 7 days on the Conquest forJanuary 21-28 2007.. I was elated to find these boards and since I have, I have read so much about inedible food, non-working plumbing, power outages, dead bodies, teen-age drunks,late embarkations,empty pools, etc.and it seems as though Carnival and some posters here consider it all very insignificant,almost as if they should expect this on a cruise. The last time I cruised, it was the most incredible vacation of my life[The Elation, Mexican Riviera] Have I just found this board at the worst of times or has cruising on Carnival changed that much?

 

Not gonna flame you, just clarify some things..

 

inedible food - On Carnival?? please.. despite the recent messages, the ratio of those who love CCLs food to those who do not is way overwhelming, The Conquest will not be an exception.

 

non-working plumbing - Seems to be a problem on some of the rships recently used by FEMA and coming out of drydock.. I've heard of no such recent problems on the Conquest.

 

power outages - Yea.. it happens sometimes. It hasn't been happening any more lately than any other time in recent history. Chalk that one up to the media feeding frenzy. I haven't heard about any recent power issues on the Conquest.

 

dead bodies - not on Carnival. But seriously.. If you get blasted drunk and invite the Russian mafia into your cabin for drinking games, what do you expect the cruise Line to do to protect you? Avoid that sort of thing, and you should be ok.

 

teen-age drunks - Having been cruising since the early 80s I can tell you, this is not a recent phenomenon. If you travel when school is out of session, you will get more teens. some of them will be drunk. If you want to avoid kids and teens, drunk or not, avoid sailing on Holidays and school breaks.

 

late embarkations - Again, despite the media frenzy this is an issue that has greatly improved over the years, not gotten worse. Sometimes it will happen. The recent furor again has to do with Coast guard inspections of previously dry-docked ships, not the Conquest.

 

empty pools - Yes, sometimes they are empty. In fact, on every cruise I've been dating back to the 80s, there are times when the pools are empty. Not sure why this is a big "issue" all of a sudden.

 

Look, I am trying really hard not to flame your post, but the fact is, you are stating recent problems with ships that either have just come out of drydock, or are sailing under different companies completely. I am not sure how you make any connection to your upcoming cruise on the Conquest.

[oklahoma_doug]

We were on the Conquest last month and for the most part things were wonderful. Don't worry about it, have fun, learn but don't let the boards scare you off.:rolleyes:

[NRWO]

let's face it, with the problems Carnival has had in the past month, added to Celebrity having more than their share of challenges and law suits flying all over the place, not to mention spring breakers coming out of the wall, the overall cruise industry has not had a good month. To be honest the food on most lines is suffering these days. Prices for cruising have not increased much if at all in years< fuel prices have sky rocketed as we know. This does not only affect the price of fuel used by the ships, but the cost of food etc. Add to that cruising, has become a family vacation activity compared to years ago when the ships were mostly filled with people over 150. I do think Carnival has had more than their share of downs lately, but as long as you go with an open mind you will have a wonderful vacation. There still aren't many vacations offering the variety, the food and chance to do as much or as little as you want like cruising does. It is also a great way to spend time with the family. Kids can go to kids camp, teens can find friends and hang out at the arcade and the adults can do adult actitivities all under 1 roof. NMnita

 

No Rita. with all due respect, you are buying into the hype.

 

a) Spring Breakers are not "coming out of the woodwork." they have always flocked to cruising, they always will. If you want to aoid them, travel at another time

 

b) The "Norwalk"-type viruses are nothing new. In booking cruises the last 5 years I can tell you, this has been an ongoing, seasonal thing year in-year out. Actually as far as carnival goes, the last few year they have had a much better record as far as that goes compared to other cruise lines.

 

c) I'm sorry, I was on a ship just a few weeks ago (for a visit) and I simply do not buy the food quality deterioration theory.. It seems to get better and better.. They certainly not going to cut food costs to compensate for fuel prices. If anything, that will be reflected in cruise fares. CCL is not going to compromise their product, especially food, which is the #1 selling point for cruising..

[kujobie]

I have not cruised for 6 years now, but last month we [my husband, 2 sons ,my granddaughter and myself]booked 7 days on the Conquest forJanuary 21-28 2007.. I was elated to find these boards and since I have, I have read so much about inedible food, non-working plumbing, power outages, dead bodies, teen-age drunks,late embarkations,empty pools, etc.and it seems as though Carnival and some posters here consider it all very insignificant,almost as if they should expect this on a cruise. The last time I cruised, it was the most incredible vacation of my life[The Elation, Mexican Riviera] Have I just found this board at the worst of times or has cruising on Carnival changed that much?

 

It's human nature that people tend to point out bad experiences more than good ones. Many people use these forums as sounding boards to post their complaints and say nothing of the good things. All the things you mentioned could happen on any ship but the fact is, they don't happen much. Keep it in perspective. All else being equal, if Company X serves 10 times as many customers as Company Y, then Company X will have 10 times as many complaints. But they will also have 10 times as many satisfied customers. And, be honest, are you as likely to tell people about a product or service that was good or great or one that was horrible? Does the plumbing back up more than an all inclusive spa/resort? Yes. But you didn't pay 1/2 of what you would have for that resort. It's a boat. It's not going to be perfect. Just my $.02

[June Bug]

I wouldn't worry about this ship at all...in fact we have sailed on it TWICE because we loved it so much the first time! The food, activites, behaviors of others was nothing that would stop me from going a third time!

have a great vacation!

June:D

[RVman]

I’m concerned as well. It is crazy to pay for something you are not getting. I don’t care if they all do it or not.

Evidently, the cruise lines get by with doing it so they continue to do so. To me, that concerns me.

I might be new to the forum here but it appears to me, that you have a whole lot of bored Carnival cruise agents on here defending Carnival for every thing they do.

I’m seriously thinking of canceling my August cruise and taking the RV down to Blue Water Key Resort for a week. I could eat steak and Lobster for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days in a row and still have money left over.

To me, not having the slide open or not having the pool filled for half the trip is a very big deal. Same as leaving out at 2100 hrs or having to miss a port. You are paying for a service that they should be held accountable to provide or you should be compensated and not some measly 25.00 dollars either.

I’ve looked at this board daily for the last couple weeks on and off and it is sad when I see more complaints than I do praises.

Please tell me that it is not a rip-off and I will enjoy paying for that 4.50 cent beer.

[Wennfred]

I have not cruised for 6 years now, but last month we [my husband, 2 sons ,my granddaughter and myself]booked 7 days on the Conquest forJanuary 21-28 2007.. I was elated to find these boards and since I have, I have read so much about inedible food, non-working plumbing, power outages, dead bodies, teen-age drunks,late embarkations,empty pools, etc.and it seems as though Carnival and some posters here consider it all very insignificant,almost as if they should expect this on a cruise. The last time I cruised, it was the most incredible vacation of my life[The Elation, Mexican Riviera] Have I just found this board at the worst of times or has cruising on Carnival changed that much?

 

To me it is very significant because I have never experience what these poor people are going through. What I do learn from those aweful reviews are not to book the older class ships. I just sailed on the Valor which is the same type of ship as the Conquest. Because its a newer type of ship I wouldnt worry too much about those issues you see on the Holiday etc.

 

By the way I do like your new date "Stardate 21-28-2007"

 

Fred

[cardinalfan]

We were on the Conquest three weeks ago with lots of spring breakers and had a great time. You will love it. The ship is great, the staff is great. We want to go back.

[NRWO]

I’m concerned as well. It is crazy to pay for something you are not getting. I don’t care if they all do it or not.

Evidently, the cruise lines get by with doing it so they continue to do so. To me, that concerns me.

I might be new to the forum here but it appears to me, that you have a whole lot of bored Carnival cruise agents on here defending Carnival for every thing they do.

I’m seriously thinking of canceling my August cruise and taking the RV down to Blue Water Key Resort for a week. I could eat steak and Lobster for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days in a row and still have money left over.

To me, not having the slide open or not having the pool filled for half the trip is a very big deal. Same as leaving out at 2100 hrs or having to miss a port. You are paying for a service that they should be held accountable to provide or you should be compensated and not some measly 25.00 dollars either.

I’ve looked at this board daily for the last couple weeks on and off and it is sad when I see more complaints than I do praises.

Please tell me that it is not a rip-off and I will enjoy paying for that 4.50 cent beer.

 

Do it then! Who's stopping you? Look, cruising is not for everyone. Occasional problems are the norm in cruising. When you have a floating city to maintain, stuff happens sometimes. Waterslides break, there are occasional problems with the pools. Sometimes the lights go out for an hour or too. It actually isn't that often. And sorry, but you lose quite a bit of credibility when talking about the late Sensation embarkation (as if that was the norm and you can expect it to happen to you). That was a disaster that Carnival is paying for in PR but only a fool would spout off as if that was a common occurance to be expected on every cruise.. please dude! And as for complaining about the price of drinks, come on.. have you ever stayed at a resort hotel? 4.50 for a beer would be a bargain! Look, it loos like you have your mind made up that cruises are are pay-for torture and your cruise is bound to have crazy embarkation delays, broken pools, crappy food, overpriced drinks, and indifferent cruise staff laughing at your misery and waving your hard eraned money in your face as you crawl from one non-working bathroom to another, sick from the Norwalk virus..

 

Hey man, if that's your outlook, you are gonna have a miserable time no matter what happens.

 

p.s. I don't know if you've seen gas prices lately, but a couple fill-ups of your RV and you won't come out as ahead as you think!

[JerseyGirl97]

I have not cruised for 6 years now, but last month we [my husband, 2 sons ,my granddaughter and myself]booked 7 days on the Conquest forJanuary 21-28 2007.. I was elated to find these boards and since I have, I have read so much about inedible food, non-working plumbing, power outages, dead bodies, teen-age drunks,late embarkations,empty pools, etc.and it seems as though Carnival and some posters here consider it all very insignificant,almost as if they should expect this on a cruise. The last time I cruised, it was the most incredible vacation of my life[The Elation, Mexican Riviera] Have I just found this board at the worst of times or has cruising on Carnival changed that much?

 

I kind of feel the same as you. Having never cruised before and reading some of the posts you would think either cruising is the best thing ever and if you don't like something about it you are a whiner OR cruising is awful and a complete waste of money. A lot of extremes. Some want a free cruise for no plumbing - others think it is ok to go without as long as they are on board. I think most of us lie in the middle! :)

So I usually read the threads and take what I can from them. Sometimes it is nothing. People are so different. Some people complain about singing waitors - I think that might be cool! :p

[kodiac]

Please remember how many millions (14 to be exact) of people cruise per year and take that into consideration on how many people actually have a problem. With the growth rate of the cruise industry, I can understand why they predict this industry to be $50 billion by 2015. Also, my Carnival stock has gone up significantly since after 9/11 when I purchased it. The media is just blowing everything out of control. Accidents happen...

 

Source: http://www.seatrade-global.com/cruise_report/cruise_focus.htm

[VentureMan_2000]

Whis CC member can give you some good advice... don't listen to the nay-sayers on this board... they only represent a few of the millions of passengers that sail each year.

 

The fact that ships keep sailing full should be enough for you to know that you will be having a good time...

 

The ships would not fill up if cruises were as miserable as a few try to make them out to be... these people appear to only be happy when they are miserable...

 

Have a great trip... I know I will... only 5 weeks to go...

[berryberry]

I’m concerned as well. It is crazy to pay for something you are not getting. I don’t care if they all do it or not.

Evidently, the cruise lines get by with doing it so they continue to do so. To me, that concerns me.

I might be new to the forum here but it appears to me, that you have a whole lot of bored Carnival cruise agents on here defending Carnival for every thing they do.

.

 

First, I would not tar and feather all cruise lines. We have been on 7 cruises on 5 different lines, and until our recent one on Carnival , never had any problems. And while some of the problems we encountered were a significant concern to us, they may not have been to others who had different interests and expectations.

 

All that said, I completely agree with you. It is crazy to pay for something you are not getting - and unfortunately that is happening more and more on many cruises irregardless of the line. Why? One reason is because you do have the cheerleaders, bored agents, etc who forgive whatever a cruiseline does and defends it to no end. Plus you have some folks who just plain don't care - they are the ones who flame those who complain and say shut up, you should be happy you were on vacation and not at work, or paint people who express complaints as miserable complainers, etc, etc. As a result, more and more people have come to expect problems and live with them. If more folks spoke up and did not accept poor performance on the part of any cruise line, then everyone would benefit. but I guess some folks are just happy to get their pom-poms out and cheer for their favorite line that can do no wrong in their eyes.

 

bottom line - no line is perfect - but if enough people speak up about problems, perhaps the cruise lines will improve rather than getting worse

[K.T.B.]

I have not cruised for 6 years now, but last month we [my husband, 2 sons ,my granddaughter and myself]booked 7 days on the Conquest forJanuary 21-28 2007.. I was elated to find these boards and since I have, I have read so much about inedible food, non-working plumbing, power outages, dead bodies, teen-age drunks,late embarkations,empty pools, etc.and it seems as though Carnival and some posters here consider it all very insignificant,almost as if they should expect this on a cruise. The last time I cruised, it was the most incredible vacation of my life[The Elation, Mexican Riviera] Have I just found this board at the worst of times or has cruising on Carnival changed that much?

Vicki, you're going to have a grand time. :) The only thing I didn't like about my cruise on Conquest had nothing at all to do with the ship: I disliked Grand Cayman and the "snooty attitude" of the locals. But that's MY personal opinion.

 

Every single cruise I've had with Carnival the food has been above average. Yes, there are some "bumps in the road" in some areas, but overall I've very little to complain about, though I do hope the breakfast and coffee has improved... :)

 

The main problem that seem to occur is that there are those who equate lower prices with cheapness. Just because Carnival is able to keep their prices lower than most cruiselines, they must be shortchanging the customer some place, right? :rolleyes: No, they're not. Those people who call those who enjoy Carnival "cheerleaders" need to realize they're only hurting their own "arguments".

 

The fact is, Carnival is successful for a reason: The product they put out is far better than most people assume. No one is 100% successful all the time though. Anything that can go wrong on a cruise, can go wrong on any cruise. This week it's Carnival, next week....?

 

So don't fret. :)

 

Great post by the way.

[VICKIVICKI]

After reading most of your posts[and reading an incredible review of her Conquest cruise back in November by someone named Rose] I feel much more reassured, and EXCITED again. Thank you.:p

[caribbean dreams]

Don't worry, the Conquest is a nice newer big ship, you will have lots of fun and i like the food in the dining room.

 

I think everyone is cranky because of the rain and the fact that they are sitting home or work on the internet instead of laying out in the sunshine on a ships deck drinking a margarita.

 

thats my excuse!