HELP, Letter to Carnival - Destiny Improvements

[2ndcruiser-destiny]

I had a GREAT time...I read everything that this board had to say. However, my biggest complaint is the potholes on the Riviera Deck...all the other stuff (i.e. dress, conduct) can not be addressed by Carnival.

 

I was nervous heading into my cruise but I knew what to expect and had decided to roll with the punches. The staff and crew on the ship were wonderful and friendly (shout out to Descio(super shopper) , George(dancer), Steve (CD), Anna(Karaoke), Antoine(waiter), Mire (room steward) )...they all made our trip a blast and me and my friends still talk about it every day...

 

So go with an open mind and relax

[NY Eric]

Hi CC members,

 

I invite you to help me with a project. However, I'm not sure if there is some rule against this or if you may find it improper.

 

Reading reviews on CC, I've become very concerned about my wedding group booking next November 2007. I've called Carnival's Guest Relations Dept and they seem to not know anything about the complaints that past guests have about the experience on Destiny. I was shocked. Well, they suggested that past guests tell them about the problems so they can address them.

 

Well, here's how you can help (if you feel comfortable). I would like to send a letter to Carnival addressing some of the concerns about the Destiny. I invite you to share your concerns with me so I can share them on your behalf.

 

Is this allowed on this site? I don't want to get anyone in trouble. No names will be attached to the letter. I just need to share feedback so Carnival can work on addressing some of the issues that seem to be shared by many past guests (e.g. dining room dress code not being enforced, children out of control in the pools, long buffet lines, food quality, embarkation process, etc.).

 

Any feedback will be appreciated.

 

I somewhat understand what you are feeling, but it also seems to me you are going into this with a bad taste in your mouth left by other people. If you are really that nervous about your wedding not being up to your standards due to what others have said, maybe you should look into other options and not depend on a letter writing campaign.

[mrdood]

HUH?

 

...just search for all the destiny reviews and cut and paste and send them to Carnival, no need to involve anyone else.

[gatour]

Blueslilly.

 

About "kids running wild". Are you cruising Thanksgiving week or ealier? If it is earlier then you probably won't have as many kids on your sailing as during the holiday period. We got married, early November, and went on a RCCL cruise and found the kid count fairly low, and the ones onboard were well-behaved.

 

Also I am not sure if writing a letter will do much good. Companies respond more when someone has a complaint about something that they have personally experienced, and even then the response can be lukewarm.

[Cruising_Bride]

I was married in St Thomas while cruising the Destiny in May 2005. We didn't have ANY problems that you mention. Either that or we just knew that it was part of cruising. It will happen on ANY SHIP (unless you go for a luxury cruiseline).

 

In all honesty, I didn't even notice other kids, what other people were wearing or long lines. I was just enjoying the time with my friends and family. Have a positive attitude about it. Laugh with your new husband about the annoying kids and vow to never let yours act that way. Enjoy the fact that you ARE dressed up in the dining room. And spend the time in line with your guests. These people are dropping a SIGNIFICANT amount of cash to share your wedding with you (flights, cruise, excursions, etc). Let them know how grateful you are of that!

 

Looking back on our cruise - we had a week with 25 of our closest friends and family members and I still feel like it wasn't enough time to just catch up and really spend time with people. We had people from all over the country who we never get to see all at once. Just relax and ENJOY it! Weddings are stressful enough without worrying about things that you can't control.

 

Also, keep in mind that people who have had bad experiences are more likely to spread the word about how they'll "never cruise with Carnival again." Also, consider the fact that ~3000 guests cruise with the Destiny every week. Even at only 50 weeks a year, that's 150,000 people a year on one ship! So the people who have negative things to say about the ship are a small percentage and say it a lot louder than those who say good things.

 

You can see my full review of our cruise by clicking on my name on the top left of this post. Then click "View all posts by Cruising_Bride" If you have any questions or would like more info about what we did on our cruise etc, email me at PurdueJen@gmail.com

 

Good luck and Congrats!

[cruisin4eversezme]

Having just sailed Destiny (11/26/06) I now know first hand the so-called problems everyone is speaking of. Destiny gets a full work out each week. The ship is generally in good shape and the staff are generally fantastic. Does that mean there is not some signs of wear and tear? Of course there is, this ship is 10 years old! Also, staff being staff, some work harder, some are friendlier and some have "issues". That's just the way it is too. And when you consider that Destiny sails full each week, 60% being Puerto Rican families who do things a bit differently than U.S. Mainlanders..... Once you understand this, the Destiny experience is great! Patience, persistance and being pleasant are three things you will need to have on hand to have a good time on Destiny.

 

And boy oh boy is the staff of Destiny is VERY AWARE of these problems. Every staff person I spoke with, and believe me I talk to everyone from Steve the Cruise Director to Desio the Onboard Shopper guy, my favorite bartender and my awesome dinning room goddess...heck even Omur the Maitre d' in the Universe Dining Room knew full well everything written here. They all read Cruise Critic. And, IMO, the Destiny team is working on making the Destiny expereince better and better. There is great expectation that the new itenerary will infuse new life into a tired routine and staff was very excited about the new dinner menus.

I have to echo the sentiments listed above. We just finished a 24-31 DEC 06 Carnival Cruise on the Destiny. Here are some quick observations:

 

1. The crews do tend to be overworked. I am not sure exactly why, other than the high occupancy rate, but it can take its toll after a while.

 

2. All of the individuals named above Steve and Desio, all did an excellent job. My apologies for not citing them by name on the comment card, but hopefully, their bosses also read cruise critic as well ;-)

 

3. For the most part, the majority of the public spaces/areas, the maintenance and upkeep of the ship seemed to be at par with what we have expected from Carnival having sailed six previous times. Notwithstanding what I just wrote however, the maintenance of our cabin stateroom was not up to par. Let me be very specific here - the cabin stewardess did an excellent job. The issue was with the maintenance personnel who perform the maintenance over/above what the cabin stewards are empowered to do. A few examples are in order for our cabin (6287):

 

- All four hinges on the bathroom mirror were heavily corroded/rusted. The mirror finish at the bottom of the mirror was also starting to rust through.

 

- The soap dispenser fell off the wall one day when we left for a shore excursion. It was never replaced.

 

- Multiple screw covers were missing on the towel racks.

 

- There was absolutely no water pressure in the sink. If you wanted your toothbrush cleaned after use, the showerhead was the better solution.

 

- There were two light bulbs burnt out in the cabin and one outside on the balcony. Eventually, the balcony light was replaced.

 

- It looked light somebody previously put a knee (possibly shoulder) through the wallboard near the TV.

 

All of this was pretty minor stuff and my family pretty much blew it off until about 4 days into the cruise the center reading light went inop. Specifically, I was trying to turn it downward so it could function as a reading light (vice a ceiling light). When I turned the light in my hand, the entire assembly came apart and a hot electrical wire was exposed. It took 1.5 days for maintenance to get around to capping off the hot electrical wire. When the maintenance guy arrived, I asked him if he completely fixed the light. He said, "no." Then went on to give me a sheepish look and say that in order to fix it, he would have to pull off a lot more panels and that would take a lot of time. He left and the light never worked after that. The good news was that it no longer posed an electrocution risk :-)

 

Don't get me wrong. We had a great cruise. All in all, we would do it again however, it was clear that preventive and recurring maintenance could use some extra emphasis from the ship's staff.

[onmiown3]

I have to echo the sentiments listed above. We just finished a 24-31 DEC 06 Carnival Cruise on the Destiny. Here are some quick observations:

 

1. The crews do tend to be overworked. I am not sure exactly why, other than the high occupancy rate, but it can take its toll after a while.

 

2. All of the individuals named above Steve and Desio, all did an excellent job. My apologies for not citing them by name on the comment card, but hopefully, their bosses also read cruise critic as well ;-)

 

3. For the most part, the majority of the public spaces/areas, the maintenance and upkeep of the ship seemed to be at par with what we have expected from Carnival having sailed six previous times. Notwithstanding what I just wrote however, the maintenance of our cabin stateroom was not up to par. Let me be very specific here - the cabin stewardess did an excellent job. The issue was with the maintenance personnel who perform the maintenance over/above what the cabin stewards are empowered to do. A few examples are in order for our cabin (6287):

 

- All four hinges on the bathroom mirror were heavily corroded/rusted. The mirror finish at the bottom of the mirror was also starting to rust through.

 

- The soap dispenser fell off the wall one day when we left for a shore excursion. It was never replaced.

 

- Multiple screw covers were missing on the towel racks.

 

- There was absolutely no water pressure in the sink. If you wanted your toothbrush cleaned after use, the showerhead was the better solution.

 

- There were two light bulbs burnt out in the cabin and one outside on the balcony. Eventually, the balcony light was replaced.

 

- It looked light somebody previously put a knee (possibly shoulder) through the wallboard near the TV.

 

All of this was pretty minor stuff and my family pretty much blew it off until about 4 days into the cruise the center reading light went inop. Specifically, I was trying to turn it downward so it could function as a reading light (vice a ceiling light). When I turned the light in my hand, the entire assembly came apart and a hot electrical wire was exposed. It took 1.5 days for maintenance to get around to capping off the hot electrical wire. When the maintenance guy arrived, I asked him if he completely fixed the light. He said, "no." Then went on to give me a sheepish look and say that in order to fix it, he would have to pull off a lot more panels and that would take a lot of time. He left and the light never worked after that. The good news was that it no longer posed an electrocution risk :-)

 

Don't get me wrong. We had a great cruise. All in all, we would do it again however, it was clear that preventive and recurring maintenance could use some extra emphasis from the ship's staff.

I've been a long time lurker here (about 1 year now) and also just came off the Dec 24-Dec 31 cruise. While we enjoyed our cruise (albiet the rough water the last day!), I do agree that Destiny's maintenance staff and steward teams are overworked. Here were the maintenance problems we observed:

 

1) Hair Dryer in our cabin (8 aft) was held together by twine and two band-aids. It kept falling apart in my hand. They replaced the unit on the third day and I was pleased!

 

2) 4 lights were burned out in our cabin, three of which were around the vanity (The vanity only has 4 lights). These were never replaced.

 

3) The air conditioning was not working on three separate days in our cabin and two separate days in my parents cabin.

 

4) The air conditioning was not working during lunch one day in Lido Buffet. Another day, it was not working during the dinner hour.

 

5) The A/C (sensing a theme here?) was not working in some of the Aft elevators on two separate days. Another day it was not working in some of the midship elevators.

 

We had a great time on the Destiny (it was my parents' third trip in three years on this ship) and it certainly met all of our expectations for an enjoyable cruise. I certainly hope they can pinpoint and fix all of these A/C malfunctions because she's a great ship. I'm hoping to post a more through review later.

 

Kim

 

Celebrity Meridian - December 1990

Norwegian ??? - December 1996

Carnival Imagination - November 2003

Carnival Destiny - December 2006

*****

Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruise - July 2007

[onmiown3]

 

1) Hair Dryer in our cabin (8 aft) was held together by twine and two band-aids. It kept falling apart in my hand. They replaced the unit on the third day and I was pleased!

 

Ugh, this should say 6 aft. How quickly I forget. :o

[ihhk2]

I went (solo) on Destiny a couple of years ago and LOVED it! Aruba was my favorite port... I can't believe they dropped it!

 

I had the 1A with portholes (loved it as a solo, but even with 2 it would have been fine - NOT an upper/lower cabin) and my steward was EXCELLENT. He even restocked feminine hygiene supplies and disposal bags every day for me when I didn't quite anticipate needing (and packing) them. Everything in the room was operational, but I would say that the 1A's must get less "wear and tear" than other rooms. I think alot of singles opt for these rooms, so there aren't alot of issues with these rooms as far as damage, etc.

 

My best advice is that you not take it upon yourself to solve everyone else's problems. If someone in your party has a complaint, problem or issue, smile your prettiest Bride Smile and direct them to the Purser, Hotel Manager or whomever. This will be your HONEYMOON... live it up and let the others handle their own issues.

[ihhk2]

Anyone know why posts duplicate themselves?

[LegalCat]

Hi CC members,

 

I invite you to help me with a project. However, I'm not sure if there is some rule against this or if you may find it improper.

 

Reading reviews on CC, I've become very concerned about my wedding group booking next November 2007. I've called Carnival's Guest Relations Dept and they seem to not know anything about the complaints that past guests have about the experience on Destiny. I was shocked. Well, they suggested that past guests tell them about the problems so they can address them.

 

Well, here's how you can help (if you feel comfortable). I would like to send a letter to Carnival addressing some of the concerns about the Destiny. I invite you to share your concerns with me so I can share them on your behalf.

 

Is this allowed on this site? I don't want to get anyone in trouble. No names will be attached to the letter. I just need to share feedback so Carnival can work on addressing some of the issues that seem to be shared by many past guests (e.g. dining room dress code not being enforced, children out of control in the pools, long buffet lines, food quality, embarkation process, etc.).

 

Any feedback will be appreciated.

 

 

Hi there. I just wanted to say that I wouldnt let other peoples complaints make you second guess your decision about the Destiny etc... I have sailed on the Destiny twice and think its a great ship. I find that reading other peoples reviews are good to help you keep in mind what could potentially happen to make you aware of what could go wrong etc, but I always find I generally have different experiences. I recently went to a restaurant after seeing it featured on Oprah... it was rated #1 in a top ten of particular places by Oprah but had realllly reallly reallllllly bad reviews on travelocity and other sites for having reallly really rude servers and long waits for food etc... We wanted to give it a try anyway since it had made #1 in this top ten list in the united states and happened to be very close to us... went there expecting horrible service and a long wait and were pleasently surprised by fine service and no wait at all...

 

Reviews can be biased in so many ways... this place was outdoors and the seats are made from natural untreated wood and its directly on the water, its Florida and it rains a lot, and we went early in the day and so the seats were kind of damp, I didnt care I had heavy jeans on, another couple sitting across from us complained the entire time and the woman was wearing white linen pants... she complaind so much they finally brought her a folded up box to sit on so she didnt have to sit directly on the wooden benches... I personally thought it was silly of her to wear white linen pants to an outdoor beach place where the whole concept of it is that all the seats are made from natural wood and its open air etc etc, but I bet she would give it a realllllly horrible review. So, that was a long winded explanation but Im sure you get my point...

 

I love to read reviews to see how other peoples cruises went, but i would never ever let some one elses comments concern me about my own cruise experience... for example worn carpet, I cant say I have ever noticed a ship had worn carpet, if you had thousands of people trapsing through your hallway on a daily basis, I bet your carpet would be worn as well!!!

 

That said, here are some pictures of our cabin on the destiny in 2004:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/Legalcat1/CarnivalDestinyCabin7162

 

Also if you go to the Destiny Cruisers thread which is here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=44544&highlight=Destiny and look on Page 1, I wrote a very detailed 4 part review, of course its from 2004 and the ship will have changed either for the better or worse since then, but, it is detailed! lol

[ihhk2]

Just had a thought!

 

Is there any way at all you can take yourself on Destiny BEFORE the wedding? This way, you can see the ship first hand and form your own opinion, check out the rooms you will be using, get a feel for the staff, etc.

 

Just get yourself in a 1A on a super cheap week!

[Mississippi Queen]

Wow, I have only been doing my homework for about 2 weeks now. My husband and I are going Destiny in 13 days. This cruise was a gift from my inlaws- and yes they are wonderful!!

The more I read the boards the worse it seems to get... You guys are scaring me.... I am going to have a great vacation, and for us ( me and hubby) with 4 teen boys a well deserved vacation without kids. We are a party of 8. This is our first cruise. I am tring to keep an open mind, and remember each day on this cruise is going to be better than any day at work.

Is the weather as it reads? I am looking forward to putting my swimsuit on and laying in a chair or on a beach for a week!!!

Did any of the excursions cancel for anyone who has been in the last month?

 

P/S Do I need to take the duct tape? (Ha Ha) I bet I have seen that recommended a 1000 times!!!

Janice

[onmiown3]

Wow, I have only been doing my homework for about 2 weeks now. My husband and I are going Destiny in 13 days. This cruise was a gift from my inlaws- and yes they are wonderful!!

The more I read the boards the worse it seems to get... You guys are scaring me.... I am going to have a great vacation, and for us ( me and hubby) with 4 teen boys a well deserved vacation without kids. We are a party of 8. This is our first cruise. I am tring to keep an open mind, and remember each day on this cruise is going to be better than any day at work.

Is the weather as it reads? I am looking forward to putting my swimsuit on and laying in a chair or on a beach for a week!!!

Did any of the excursions cancel for anyone who has been in the last month?

 

P/S Do I need to take the duct tape? (Ha Ha) I bet I have seen that recommended a 1000 times!!!

Janice

 

Janice,

 

I think you'll have a great time, especially as a first time cruiser. The maintenance problems, while a bit dissapointing, were spaced well enough apart to not become a major annoyance. My hubby and I were fortunate enough to have a balcony, so we just kept our door open in the times the A/C malfunctioned. All of our cabin a/c malfunctions occured in the afternoon and NOT while we slept!

 

As far as I know, no excrusions were cancelled and we went on one in every port. We spoke with several other passengers and no one we conversed with had any issues with the port activities

 

Like I said, the Destiny is a great ship! I think she just needs a little more staff to help her run to her full potential!

 

Kim

[cruisin_fanatic]

Hi CC members,

 

I invite you to help me with a project. However, I'm not sure if there is some rule against this or if you may find it improper.

 

Reading reviews on CC, I've become very concerned about my wedding group booking next November 2007. I've called Carnival's Guest Relations Dept and they seem to not know anything about the complaints that past guests have about the experience on Destiny. I was shocked. Well, they suggested that past guests tell them about the problems so they can address them.

 

Well, here's how you can help (if you feel comfortable). I would like to send a letter to Carnival addressing some of the concerns about the Destiny. I invite you to share your concerns with me so I can share them on your behalf.

 

Is this allowed on this site? I don't want to get anyone in trouble. No names will be attached to the letter. I just need to share feedback so Carnival can work on addressing some of the issues that seem to be shared by many past guests (e.g. dining room dress code not being enforced, children out of control in the pools, long buffet lines, food quality, embarkation process, etc.).

 

Any feedback will be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Why not just find another ship with less complaints and book your wedding on a different ship instead of booking on a ship where you have read about known issues? I highly doubt that Carnival will make changes all of a sudden because its your wedding day (not to sound insensitive). I am sure Carnival is aware of any issues past guests may have had....because whenever I have bad service or issues any where, I am sure to voice my concern to the correct dept so I am sure others must have informed Carnival. Well hope you have a good wedding and try not to let anything spoil it for you...Remember you only get to do this once so you might as well focus on the positives and enjoy your day! :rolleyes:

[cathyoo]

I personally think it silly to write about something I've never experienced, and then solicite others for their opinions.

 

I read two different things from two different people on the same sailings having two different experiences.

 

That's like inviting people into your house, and asking them for opinions on what they think should be fixed.

 

Guess what you're going to get?

 

Mr Pete, when I invite people to my house for dinner I ALWAYS ask for their opinion on what should be fixed. What if I made something they did not like or could not eat. If necessary I can fix multiple entrees. Maybe I am super sensitive on this topic since I do not eat cheese or cream based sauces. If you are a guest in my home I want your experience to be a good one.

[wwakla]

We just recently had a starboard side balcony on the Destiny in October. It appeared from our experience that this side of the ship received the most sunlight. This would heat our room quite a bit even with the air as high as possible. As a suggestion close your drapes. This did keep our room a bit cooler.

[MrPete]

Mr Pete, when I invite people to my house for dinner I ALWAYS ask for their opinion on what should be fixed.

 

LOL. I wasn't using FIX in that sense of the word. :)

[padre]

The one recurring theme I see from this thread is that the people who sailed the Destiny in the past really enjoyed themselves. The people that are telling you to try a different ship don't have the Destiny listed as one of their previous cruises. If I was you (and I was reading these terrible posts a few weeks ago, right before I went on the Destiny) I would listen to the people that were actually on the ship recently.

 

I was on her and i enjoyed myself very much.