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Miracle 7/31 Comments


qzbean

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Just back from the Miracle, and while it would be a stretch to call this a review, I thought some of you might be interested in the e-mail I just sent to Bob Dickinson.

 

Did anyone else have this experience?

 

 

Mr. Dickinson,

 

Having just returned from the 7/31 sailing of the Miracle, I'd like to take a moment of your time to share with you my experience.

 

Overall, I must tell you, my friend and I had a truly outstanding vacation. We both found the ship to be unique, the service staff sincere and friendly, and the activities and entertainment plentiful. In particular, Ken Byrne, as I'm sure you already know, is fantastic. He was the highlight of our dinner each evening. Others who impressed us: Lucie and Julia (our waitstaff, late seating, #223), Derek (Steward, cabin 8232), Johnnie Edwards (Mad Hatter Bar Server--called us by our first names all week after serving us just one drink!), Greg (pianist, Sam's Club), and Tex (Social Host).

 

All that said, my otherwise exceptional experience was clouded by issues that went unresolved all week, much to my disappointment. I recognized before booking the cruise that this was a peak summer sailing, and would therefore include a high percentage of children and teenagers. I had also read that Carnival does a commendable job of providing adults-only options (adult pool, late-night comedy shows, supper club, etc.) and that those rules (i.e. no children in the adult pool) were strictly enforced, allowing those passengers without children to enjoy their cruise as well.

 

What I expected was this:

 

1. During the day and in any unrestricted area or activity, I would likely be surrounded by many children, who I hoped would be in the company of their parents.

 

2. Late at night, children would not be allowed in the Casino, the Late Comedy Shows, the Disco, etc, and would therefore be congregated at Camp Carnival activities, in the arcade, in their cabins, or at the very least, be accompanied by an adult.

 

3. Should a child or group of children become unruly, loud, rude to other passengers, or enter a restricted area or activity, they would face consequences. (I realize they're passengers too, and that the first couple of incidents should be handled in such a way as to politely ask for their cooperation, but I would have expected that eventually some steps would be taken.)

 

What I got was this:

 

1. With the exception of comedian Marvin Belle, all other "adults only" late night shows were not only open to teenagers, they were dominated by them. I got the distinct impression it was Marvin Belle's decision that children be excused from the room prior to his act, not Carnival's. I must tell you, if I were a parent who had allowed my 13- or 14-year old child to roam the ship with the understanding (from the Capers!) that she would not be admitted into those shows, and she had been allowed by your staff to see Emery Emery's late night act, I would probably contact my lawyer! I'm being facetious, of course, and by the way, he was hilarious, but anyone under 18 had no business in the room.

 

In addition to the simple fact that children should not have been allowed to an activity you chose to market as adults-only, their presence, in staggering numbers, took seats from the adults for whom the show was designed. The Mad Hatter was a full house for each late night show, and many passengers left without finding a seat.

 

3. Children were, on occasion, present in the adult pool. This was not an epidemic, by any means, but it also went unaddressed. Even when we overheard another passenger complain, the bartender told him, "They're not hurting anybody."

 

At one point two very small children (ages 5 and 3) were left in the Orpheus seating area while their parents went to get lunch. The small girl became very frightened, and her older brother was trying to restrain her to keep her from running away. Two bartenders and a waitress looked on as the situation continued to escalate, which it did for at least 10 minutes. Finally, my friend intervened directly with the children to try to keep them calm and engaged until their parents returned, and then took in upon herself to politely let the mother know that her daughter had been overwhelmed and inconsolable, and her son unable to handle such a grown-up responsibility, especially adjacent to an un-lifeguarded pool. The fact that another passenger had to handle the situation because your staff would not is alarming. One of those children could easily have become injured (as it had essentially become a wrestling match) while members of your crew looked on.

 

4. Children of all ages (as little as 7 or 8!) were up at all hours (past 2am!), running (full speed!) from one end of the ship to the other. They were jumping and hitting light fixtures, running into other passengers, poking their heads into the various lounges and making loud and obnoxious comments...the list goes on. It was not just unruly, it was out of control. After the first night, we complained to the Purser's desk. We got an apology, but when we asked what would be done to prevent it for the rest of the cruise, they had no answer. They suggested that we continue to complain if we continued to witness such behavior. Again, somehow the responsibility fell to the passengers to police the ship--not to your crew to prevent the behavior in the first place.

 

In fact, upon returning to our cabin on the last night of our cruise, past 1am, we noticed that the nightly bedlam was taking place on decks 2 and 3 in the Atrium, in full view and earshot of the Purser's Desk! We returned to our cabin, called the desk, and reported the same running and screaming, etc. that we had before, this time on Deck 3 Atrium. The Purser replied "That's Deck 3, Atrium? I'll send someone up to take a look." I asked her if for some reason she could not see the children to whom I was referring, as they were right in front of her. She responded that the crew cannot do anything unless a passenger complains, that then all they can do is ask the children to move to another area of the ship, and that Carnival considers children to be the responsibility of their parents.

 

Mr. Dickinson, I'm sure you are a reasonable man, and a demanding consumer. As such, I can assure you that if you had been a passenger on this sailing of the Miracle, you would have found the lack of discipline to be unreasonable--to the extent of negatively impacting some passengers' experience for the apparent purpose of protecting the experience of others. I have worked for many years in customer service, and hold a position which, like yours, revolves around providing the best experience I can for my customers. I bend the rules all the time for the sake of the customer, and I encourage you to do the same. However, I would draw the line at becoming so focused on not hurting anyone's feelings, that I lose other customers in the process.

 

I enjoyed my vacation with Carnival. In many ways, I enjoyed it more than previous cruises on Norwegian and RCI. But even if I set this one snapshot aside, I must tell you I'm walking away feeling undervalued as your customer, which will be hard for me to overcome.

 

Thank you for your time.

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Guest Time2gocruzn

WOW! Very well written letter. I don't think you could have said it any better. Kudos to you for letting him know what is going on. This seems to be a very big issue, and hopefully more people will let them know about it. Like I have said b4, if they allow that stuff, it is only a matter of time b4 a tragedy happens. Glad to hear you enjoyed it other than the kids. We will be sailing the Miracle and I can't wait. We are sailing in early March, so I am not sure what to expect as far as kids go. I am sailing with a 2 and 4 y.o. and you can bet they would NEVER be allowed to get away with that, on a ship or anywhere else for that matter. Thanks!

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Yup. While I believe that kids have every right to be cruising, I fail to understand why security looks the other way at bad behavior. Kids, teens, or even some adults!

 

 

There should be a threshold as to what they will intervene with. It is a true turn off.

 

Let us know what you hear back from them.

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I was on the Triumph in March and knew going in that there would be many kids on board due to spring break. While I did not experience quite the things that you did I did find some that got out of hand and overall just too many kids on board for a ship that size. It all comes down to parents not properly supervising their children. I believe that kids have just as much right to cruise on a line that markets itself to families but parents should be held responsible for the actions of their kids that are eighteen and below.

 

I remember reading reviews on the RCI board just after my return from the Triumph. It seems that RCI has rules of conduct that are given to parents with a warning that if the rules are not adhered to then the families could be removed from the ship at the next port of call to find their own way home. It is my understanding on one voyage aboard the Mariner OTS in March, the captain put a total of three families off in the ports of Nassau and Grand Cayman. This is the way that it should be.

 

I keep reading posts on here about how the crew should control this but really there is nothing that the crew can do but ask the kids to stop or try and find the parents. If they even lay one finger on a child you would see all kinds of litigation brought against Carnival by the same dead beat parents of these kids.

 

It is going to come down to the executives of Carnival setting certain guidelines that must be followed by the passengers and making sure that they are followed up and enforced by the officers of the ship before anything happens on this issue. Unless Carnival gets enough complaints and bookings fall then nothing will be done.

 

I also have learned my lesson and will not cruise over spring break,summer months or holidays again.

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We only vacation/cruise out of season!!! :D :D :D

 

Well I think that those out of season days are coming to an end. It seems that more and more schools are going to a year round schedule and it is becoming more and more difficult to find a time to cruise without a lot of kids on board.

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My best friend and I live in different states and enjoy vacationing together every couple of years.

 

She is an elementary teacher, so there is no "out of season" for her. If anything, she has a tolerance level for children like no one else I know, and she was as disappointed as I was with the situation on the Miracle.

 

In all the other vacations we've been on--all during school breaks--we've never witnessed anything like this. We knew what we were geting into in terms of the numbers of children on board; we just would have expected a civilized cruise, and at times it wasn't even that.

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We returned yesterday from our 7/31 Carnival Miracle cruise. It was our first cruise and what a great cruise it was. I had a wonderful yet relaxing time. The Miracle is a beautiful ship.

 

Cruisingator2 is correct in that there were kids running around the ship in groups with no parent in sight.

 

I psyched myself before going that there would be kids let say . . . “enjoying” the cruise without their parents (especially after they met friends). Meaning, running up and down the halls and using their outdoor voices indoors at midnight or better. We (my DH and 6 yr old DD) spotted a special little group of 4 kids (I would guess all of them under the age 9 2-boys 2-girls) ALONE everyday at any given place or time . . . fast walking or running somewhere. . . anywhere. On formal night, my husband and I were at the table eating and we spotted the 4 kids fast walking into the dining room to their assigned table (alone of course).

 

I have to say again, I enjoyed my cruise I can’t stress that enough. I psyched myself beforehand but nothing prepared me for some of the things I saw. SPECIAL thanks to Cruisingator2 for that letter.

 

P.S. There is an article in today’s CruiseCritics News about a prank that took place while on the cruise. CLICK ON: Passenger Prank on Carnival Miracle Orders "Abandon Ship"

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well i am heading on the miracle in two weeks and am looking forwarded to it - carnival is known for kids, just like disney - but hey "kids are not at fault" its the parents - parents who don't look after their children and let others do their dirty work should be the ones at fault - if the parents don't yell at them they kids will continue to do it as as stated above, they will do it until someone gets hurt - true carnival staff should be aware of misbehaving kids/teenagers even "adults" at times. well i know there will be kids on my trip but hopefully ones who have parents to watch them - my daugther is coming and she is 15 but when she was little, she was my responsibility - now i can sit back and relax but not if i have to watch someone else's kid.

 

oh well glad u had a nice cruise - hopefully weather will hold out for me

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Unfortunately, being on a ship gives parents a false sense of security. They know their kids are around "somewhere", and if there is a problem, they will be easily reachable. On our last cruise, there were packs of little kids hanging out together, (this was not during a school break week). They were just having a blast around the ship, but by the end of the cruise they were just getting on my nerves. They weren't even misbehaving, really, just running around constantly, but the complete lack of supervision for such a long time was almost too much to tolerate. One little boy sat with us, in the lounge, and watched three hours of Survivor finale. He was 10, and his parent had absolutely no idea where this kid was. Can you imagine not knowing where your kid is for three hours????

 

Carnival is a family oriented ship, especially in the summer. The only real way to avoid this is to cruise on another line. :(

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Cruisingator2 is correct in that there were kids running around the ship in groups with no parent in sight.

 

SPECIAL thanks to Cruisingator2 for that letter.

 

P.S. There is an article in today’s CruiseCritics News about a prank that took place while on the cruise. CLICK ON: Passenger Prank on Carnival Miracle Orders "Abandon Ship"

Actually I am not the one that wrote the letter.:) I just gave my two cents on the subject.

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I do understand how you feel about kids running freely on a ship without supervision, but I put the blame totally to the parents, not the crew at all. We should not expect the crew to be the babysitters. These people have so much responsiblity that adding screaming, bratty kids to their lists of jobs is unreasonable. Why should the crew have to say anything at all? They are paid to do their job, not the parents job. There will always be situations that could cause the crew to be liable to their responses of these bratty kids, and I don't blame them at all for not responding to a situation. These parents who are not around to supervise their brats, will surly be around to sue the crew member or cruise line when they feel their sweet angels are "molested"...meaning stopped from running around freely. I am afraid that this will always go on, no matter what.I myself have no problem in saying something to a kid who is causing a problem, nor do I have a problem in facing the parent who is not responsibly dissaplining their "angels"! LOL

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I don't disagree for a minute that the responsibility should fall to the parents. And please keep in mind I fully expected--and looked forward to--a noisy, rowdy cruise.

 

But when the parents are nowhere to be found and the behavior escalates to the point where it could cause damage to the ship or injury to another passenger (they were running into people!!) I absolutely believe it's Carnival's responsibility to maintain order.

 

If you were in a restaurant enjoying an expensive meal and several 12-14 year old kids were running around the tables making noise and bumping your chair, and their parents were not with them (but let's say they were staying in the attached hotel) would it really be okay with you for the restaurant staff to just let it go?

 

I agree with cruisingator2--other cruise lines establish accountability first and stick to it, thereby avoiding these situations.

 

These were not bad kids, they just discovered quickly that they virtually could not get in trouble, no matter what they did! For 4 out of 5 of them, I bet all it would have taken was someone in Carnival dress to take down their sign & sail information and let them know they were on warning.

 

I certainly believe if I would have smoked in a non-smoking area, I would have been addressed!

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I was also on the Miracle 7/31 cruise and as our first cruise I left being very disappointed. I am not running right out and booking another cruise.

The kids running wild is one reason, I should add I have 2 children 9 and 13 who were on the ship with us. My 9 year old was pushed by some kids through the revolving door at Franknsteins and got her foot caught in the door. Walking to the arcade they were followed by some boys who took pictures of thier butts! They were not allowed to walk around alone after that! We actually saw a boy climb the railing around the hot tub and jump into the pool! You could not even walk into Gatsby's Garden without encountering large groups of children running through there!

My 9 year old loved camp carnival and spent alot of time there but my 13 yr old did not think there was enough for her age group. They need better activities to hold that age group attention, or have a hang out ALL the time just for them.

The chair situation around the pools was terrrible, unless you got up early and put towels on lounge chairs forget about getting a chair by the pool! The one afternoon I did get a chair someone stole towels and moved our other things off the chair and left them somewhere else!

I do have to say for the Carnival staff they were wonderful and always friendly. Our room steward and her asst. were so good to our children. The problem is with the parents who don't watch thier children!

Patti

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I agree the problem is with the parents. Being the father of 4 kids I know it can be a challenge. But believe me my kids know not to go into the adult pools or hot tubs. When my wife and I are on a ( adult) cruise there is nothing that spoils the relaxed atmosphere of the hot tub as when some kid does a cannonball into it.... We love kids and when that happens we try to smile and enjoy, but I believe if it is a rule that kids are not allowed... Whether it be a pool, hot tub, or show, than it is Carnivals duty to enforce it.

 

Much like going to an R rated movie or the local Saloon.... There are places and times that we ( adults ) want to not have kids around.

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Patti, I had a 9 and 12 1/2 year old on the cruise too. Camp was great, but unfortunately my 9 year old wouldn't try it until the week was 1/2 over. Then she finally made some friends and enjoyed herself more. There definitely wasn't enough supervised activities for the teens. My daughter didn't usually meet up with her friends until after dinner. The disco was supervised okay, and there was often an activity afterward, but the "teen hang" time wasn't supervised as I could tell. I let her go off with her friends, but would meet up and check on them. I did see that kid jumping off the railing into the pool too!! But other than that, I didn't see lots of unruly behaviour. I think the only group I commented on at one point was a group of kids probably under 9 that were always alone and running and yelling. I saw lots of groups of teens walking or sitting in areas, but I never witnessed them being disruptive. The lack of lounge chairs was annoying. It seems people reserve them for the entire day!!

 

Diane

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qzbean...great letter.

 

I have to agree that because more people are bringing kids on cruises, the experience of sailing is sliding downhill quickly. The more casual the cruises become, the worse it is. Parents these days for the most part just absolutely s*ck when it comes to responsiblity and although passengers like me suffer for it, I have to say that I feel more sorry for these kids that are growing up without a clue as to how to behave in this world or take responsiblity for their actions. It's very sad.

I won't ever be sailing a Carnival ship in the summer again...only off season. But I am afraid this is not just a Carnival issue. I have heard that the other lines impose a little more restriction with kids and I hope this is true, but yet, at the same time I have also read horror stories about kids on RCI and Princess as well. I may have to just accept that I will be crusing less and spending more to go on other lines in the future. It makes me sad because I truly love Carnival, but unless they start to police the kids and set boundaries (because these parents never will) I will be looking elsewhere to cruise.

I hope Mr. Dickinson (or at least someone of importance) reads your letter and this thread and takes it seriously.

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As a teacher, I do not have a choice but to cruise while kids are out of school. That being said, this will be my 3rd summer cruise. I have sailed on the Triumph and Victory- with little issues regarding children. My one complaint was that teens were running rampant in the disco at all hours last year. My friend and I leave on the Miracle this weekend. I have to say, I am a bit nervous- it seems like maybe my luck may be running out....what about the adult only pool area? I was looking forward to that...is that enforced?

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