Do all of the complaints worry you?

[IndigoFairy]

Last year my partner and I took our first cruise with RCCL. We had a blast and were excited to book another cruise. My only complaint about our first trip was that the food was poor to mediocre. With that in mind, I spent a good deal of time researching other affordable options with better cuisine. Carnival clearly fit the bill. We have since booked two more cruises, both with Carnival. The first one is coming up in September.

 

Over the course of booking these two cruises, I have had at least a dozen conversations with Carnival customer service. I don’t have major horror stories, but I have been frustrated with conflicted price information, errors in my transfer information, and lack of follow through regarding confirmation emails. Admittedly, these are all small things that after many phone calls and a talk with a supervisor I have been able to correct. Again, whose customer service is doing much better these days, right?

 

Today I did something stupid. While surfing around the net, looking up random tidbits about my upcoming trip, I stumbled across a site dedicated to the complaints and horror stories of my fellow Carnival travelers. Now, I am a reasonable person. I understand that ports change, people hog the chairs even though they shouldn’t, the legal contract makes it hard to recover when you’re dissatisfied (whose contract doesn’t?), etc, etc. Some people will never be happy and others simply cannot tolerate changes or circumstances outside of their control. What really upset me were the stores about people seriously injured while onboard the ship who were brushed aside or ignored by crew members and the infirmary. One man I read about had cracked his head on a metal pole. He and his wife went from the infirmary to the service desk, begging for assistance. Another woman wrote that her daughter slipped and hurt her leg so badly that the kneecap was displaced. After much time had passed, the medically untrained crewmembers clumsily assisted her into a chair while someone tried to locate a wheelchair. Having had two ACL reconstructions in my knees in my young life (I’m 30, one injury was sustained playing basketball in high school, the other was a fall on ice when I was 22) I am admittedly hypersensitive to hurting my knees again. I can’t help but think of the pain and anguish these people must have endured, worry about the lack of medical staff on board, bristle over the poor treatment of the staff, and then worry about being left in a strange place with a serious injury.

 

Reading all of this makes me question my safety, personal and financial, with Carnival. Maybe all of the customer service issues I had in my first dealings were indicative of a seriously rotten business culture. I know this stuff doesn’t happen to everyone, all of the time. But neither do serious accidents. Is this really the kind of treatment and care Carnival shows the guests? I guess what I am hoping for is to hear from some of you about the times you had a serious problem/accident/health issue etc and Carnival handled it to your satisfaction. Talk me off the ledge. Please.

 

I don’t know if I am allowed to put the link here. I apologize beforehand if this isn’t allowed. I just don’t want anyone to think I am making this up.

 

www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/carnival_cruise_lines.htm

[Pegs222]

May I direct you here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=608926

[sjohnson529]

If you are worried, then don't book, simple as that. If you go with an attitude regarding Carnival then you won't enjoy yourself and you'll nitpick everything to death. Carnival is a fantastic cruise line with way more bang for your buck. Although I've sailed other lines I always come back to Carnival. Things can go wrong on any cruise, and if you looked long and hard you could find the same sort of site of complaints on RCL, NCL, and probably even HAL.

[KroozFoolz]

How about this?

My Mother-in-law was injured on the Celebration on July 23rd. Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Carnival.

 

I am writing to let you know how pleased we were with the treatment we received from your Chief Purser, Sudhir Puthran and his staff onboard the Celebration on our sailing July 23rd of this year.

 

I booked two staterooms for a trip for my husband and I, our two children and my husband’s parents. It would be our first cruise, my in-laws second. My mother-in-law, Shirley, fell in her stateroom bathroom shortly before sailing and broke her elbow. After visiting the infirmary, she elected to sail in the hopes that it was just badly bruised and seek medical treatment if necessary in Key West, our first port. By the next morning her elbow was much worse and clearly was broken.

 

The ship’s doctor told her that depending on the severity of the break, time was of the essence in seeking treatment as it would most likely require surgical stabilization. Since she has an orthopedic surgeon already it was decided that she and her husband would return home from Key West and see her own doctor in Louisville, KY. My husband, the kids and I would complete the trip.

 

At this point I contacted the purser’s office for assistance. Chief Purser Puthran could not have been nicer or more helpful. He assisted me in contacting our travel insurance company, our travel agent and family members at home who would be meeting my in-laws off the plane. He also arranged for us to debark in Key West before the general announcement of all-clear was given and arranged for a Carnival employee to drive us to the airport. That employee, Julie, was also wonderful and offered to wait for us and drive us back.

 

Mr. Puthran also arranged with Carnival to pay the $600 fine ($300 per person) under the Jones Act for leaving the ship before stopping in a foreign port. While he assured us that we could have filed an appeal and most likely have gotten it back, it was a tremendous relief not to have to worry about this in addition to all the other flight, insurance, surgery, etc...concerns.

 

In addition, Mr. Puthran informed his staff that we were to be allowed to make phone-calls home to check on her progress as often as we liked and at no cost to us. When I took advantage of this generous offer, the staff recognized me and would not allow me to wait in line if anyone else was there. They pulled me aside and immediately placed my call. Tamara in particular was very helpful and would ask about Shirley’s progress whenever she saw me. Shirley had surgery during our cruise and I cannot tell you how comforting it was to know that we could check on her at any time.

I really feel that Mr. Puthran went above and beyond in his final act of helpfulness. Knowing that we had a twelve-hour drive home from Jacksonville ahead of us, and knowing that we were anxious to get home to see Shirley, and knowing that we had extra luggage (we did not send my in-laws luggage home with them since they were traveling injured and going straight to the hospital), he told us to set our luggage out the night before debarking and report to him at 8:15 a.m. He took us off the ship with the self-debarkers, met us on the other side of customs and made sure we got our luggage before anyone else.

 

Another staff member who really warrants mention is our assistant server in the Horizon Dining Room, Bernadetta. She was very sweet. Even though she never met Shirley, she always asked about her by name. She even found us on another part of the ship and asked about her progress.

 

Despite the fact that the first 24 hours of our trip were basically terrible and stressful, your staff could not have been more helpful or solicitous. We truly enjoyed the balance of the trip even though it was not as planned. We definitely plan to cruise again and would recommend Carnival to anyone.

[gr81]

Regardless of the the occasion, a person that has a good time tells their family and friends, and the person that has a bad time tells the world. So search out reviews and you will find more bad ones than good ones. 8 cruises down (7 with Carnival), 2 on the way, if we were worried about it we wouldn't be here.

[Name game]

So many times people write of complaints and problems and never write about the wonderful things. If there were so many issues with Carnival then there wouldn't be so many Carnival lovers on cruise critic. Take what you read with a grain of salt.

 

Any time either I or my friends have had an issue (although always pretty minor), it has been taken care of immediately. My only recommendation is that you take out travelers insurance just in case something major does occur. A major problem can happen no matter what cruise line or land vacation you choose.

 

Don't take the negative naysayers to heart. Go and have a good time. Use their examples of "bad" things as a lesson so you are better prepared and these things don't happen to you.

[DocF]

I've seen that site before. I spent the last 34 years doing field service. I was always dealing with upset people. The vast majority of the complaints on that site are hilarious. The entire cruise was ruined because the coffee table had a crack. Oh my goodness! I know from experience that some people cannot be satisfied no matter how hard one tries.

 

You will find that Carnival provides a clean and safe ship. You will find the level of training of the staff is at least adequate to the demands of the job. The food on Carnival is very good, better than most of us eat at home. Is it gourmet? No; it is of the quality I would expect the in the banquet facility of a fine hotel.

 

There is always something going on. If you are bored, it is your own fault, not Carnival's.

 

A lot of people think the cruise line has control of the weather and of unseen events (see the complaint regarding missed port a/c medical evacuation)--they don't. Be realistic, folks.

 

I have no intention of ever using Royal Caribbean as I think it is insane to pay more for a cabin that is less than 3/4 the size of what I get on Carnival, but I would be saying the same things (except the food comment; it is generally acknowledged that RCCL food is not wonderful) if you had asked the same question regarding them.

 

If I go looking for a problem, I can usually find one. Relax, enjoy; you will have a fine time on your cruise.

 

Doc

[ManyMore]

This is the way I tend to look at things... people have had bad experiences and things happen to them everywhere. No matter how good a company is, you are still dealing with PEOPLE. I believe companies try to hire the best people they can for a given job but people are still people, some good, some not so good, some smart, some not so smart. If we wait to do things where nobody had ever had a bad experience or issue with a company, I doubt we would be able to do anything at all.

[firefly333]

No matter which cruiseline you are on, there are going to be some of these same stories. If you took a land vacation the same thing could happen and probably medical help would not be at hand either.

 

If you are worried dont forgo taking out medical insurance in the event you need to be medivaced back to the U.S. Its then YOUR choice to stay on the cruise or be flown home.

 

No, I dont really worry. Things happen in life. I had a car accident yesterday and a kid came into my lane and I had no where to go and he broadsided me. Maybe I shouldnt keep driving huh? It did shake me up but Im driving today thru the same intersection.

[IndigoFairy]

KroozFoolz – Thank you for posting an example of a situation well handled. That is exactly what I asked for and needed! I feel better already.

Name_Game – I think you are right about the cruise insurance. We didn’t do that for our last cruise. I don’t think we’ll make that mistake again.

Many_More – I think your observation that this is really about the people you encounter is the most valuable insight yet. It reminds me that, as you said, Carnival is invested in hiring the best people. If I have trouble with someone, there will be many others onboard who are willing to help.

[Tralynn]

I've taken several cruises, three on Carnival. Carnival may not have the "swankiest" ships, but I find that they are more geered towards the crowds that want to have fun. Carnival is more than able to care for an injury or illness, just like any other cruise line. Don't worry, you will have a great time on Carnival, unless you prefer a more stuffy atmosphere. If you are the type, (which I am), that will enjoy silly races, fun games, and lots of entertainment, Carnival is the best for that.

[SDPadreFan]

Carnival currently has @23 ships in it's fleet. Figure 20 of those are at sea during any given month. Estimating an average load of 2000 passengers, that would mean that probably 40,000 people sail on Carnival during a given week and 160,000 during a given month (my guess is it is even higher). Even if you were able to find 20 bad reviews during that month. 159,980 passengers were probably still satisified with their cruise.

[Corsair41]

Regardless of the the occasion, a person that has a good time tells their family and friends, and the person that has a bad time tells the world. So search out reviews and you will find more bad ones than good ones. 8 cruises down (7 with Carnival), 2 on the way, if we were worried about it we wouldn't be here.

 

Absolutely the case. Also, some folks just aren't happy unless their PO'ed about something. In our case, we prefer to form our opinions based on what our experience is. Which means, we usually have fun.:D

[bakechef]

You never know the mental capacity of people writing these reviews. Many can speak and write eloquently, while being crazier than a bent chicken!

 

I had a customer call me the other day complaining about the service he recieved at my store, I know this employee well, her attitude is always acceptable if not always warm. This customer yelled at me for about 5 minutes and told me that he was going to take this to the Attourney General! These are the kind of people out there, and they are often the most vocal.

 

If you look for trouble you will find it. I am very excited about my first Carnival Cruise, if the passangers are nearly as friendly as some of the folks on this board, I will be one happy camper!

 

MAC

[dan40]

Look at my signature, 48 cruises, not a major complaint on any cruise line and if there were minor complaints they're gone from my memory. More than a dozen cruises on Carnival. IF Carnival is my favorite, every other line is a very close second.

 

Do this:

On ANY cruise on ANY cruise line. Hang out by the Pursers desk for 3-4 hours for 2 days. Relax, stay out of the sun, read a book. I guarantee that in that time someone will approach the Purser with a complaint. The Purser will try to help the helpless. The complainer WILL get louder and you will hear what their complaint is. They will use the words "cruise from hell" "Everybody is upset" and others in that vein. You will hear it all and YOU WILL WONDER, "What cruise are they talking about?" "Not this one, I'm right here and I know none of that has happened." "I have heard or over heard NO one else with this complaint." And you will think, "Is this person deranged?'

 

Well, rest assured, that person will write bad reviews everywhere they can because they are deranged.

 

And a long time ago, I stopped reading reviews. One, I have no way to know if I have anything in common with the reviewer. Nor do I have a clue to their level of expectations. And lastly, after 48 cruises, I am able to make my own decisions. I also ignore movie and restaurant reviews.

 

Don't worry, be happy.

 

Dan

[flynrph]

Take the time to read the FAQ's at that site. They are not affiliated with any government agency, they are for profit, and derive their income from selling advertising. They don't care about accuracy, just selling advertising space. So what do you expect? The site name alone is misleading.

Way I see it, if they start out by misleading, it's just going to go downhill from there.

[halos]

When I first joined CC they did.

Now I know better.

[DreadPirateRobert]

I return to Carnival time and again because I like the product. Has every second of every cruise been idylic, no. I can honestly say there's never been a situation that wasn't resolved to my satisfaction.

My general, politically incorrect impression is that people who gripe the loudest are either high maintenance snobs of some sort or people who came aboard with terribly unrealistic expectations.

I choose Carnival over others because it meets my needs. If you don't think it will meet yours then pick another line.

Either way, I hope you enjoy your cruise. :)

[cruise crazy mick]

You never know the mental capacity of people writing these reviews. Many can speak and write eloquently, while being crazier than a bent chicken!

 

I had a customer call me the other day complaining about the service he recieved at my store, I know this employee well, her attitude is always acceptable if not always warm. This customer yelled at me for about 5 minutes and told me that he was going to take this to the Attourney General! These are the kind of people out there, and they are often the most vocal.

 

If you look for trouble you will find it. I am very excited about my first Carnival Cruise, if the passangers are nearly as friendly as some of the folks on this board, I will be one happy camper!

 

I TOO OWN MY OWN BUSINESS WITH SEVEN OUTLETS DEALING IN FOOD TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND OF COURSE WE HAVE A FEW PROBLEMS .BUT IN GENERAL I FIND CARNIVAL; THE BEST LINE AND THERE PASSENGERS ,THE MOST FRIENDLY ,HELPFULL ,KIND .WITHOUT DOUBT THE MOST FUNLOVING .IF YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY WITH YOUR CRUISE LOOK NO FURTHER . I KNOW NEXT UP IS RCCL , BUT IT IS LOGISTICAL REASONS,AFTER THAT IT IS CARNIVAL 1.2.3:D A NINE HOUR FLIGHT IS ONLY BORING ON THE WAY HOME

[Kudos2Fly]

You can't please everyone... People have it so easy nowadays. If one thing is out they complain. Some people just can't handle stress. If the ship where to sink and the cruise line saved everyone, someone would still complain about something that didn't go right.

 

I think everyone has delt with bad service, but it doesn't mean the whole company is bad. As for the medical emergency problems you have herd. You only are hearing one side of the story. You don't know what the other side has to say about it. Normally in these complants the people writing them try to make them selves out to be the vitims..and they may be. But I would like to hear the cruise line side is.

 

We did a cruise in Dec 2004. It was Celebrity a shaft in one of the engines broke, so they had to cancel Cozmel stop. Plus they gave us a $100 pre cabin credit. Well as we got off the ship, there we news crews out there. Probably looking for someone to say they had a bad time and it messed there vacation up.. I was standing by them as they asked someone and this person said "We had a great time and cruise line did a great job." Thats probably what they didn't want to hear, but it was the truth...

[Safetyal]

Nope. I think you should look at the overall comments and judge them for yourself. The trend is most definetly positive. When you deal with so many passengers some things are bound to happen. It is the law of averages. Things happen to people and it is unfortunate, but the overall opinion is a good one.

[DqALEX]

The stories don't bother me. IM very easy to please. I dont go on a cruise to be a cop to kids in the pools or in the elevators, I worry about myself and I go to have a good time. I cruise not only for the ports but just to be away at sea. when its not fun anymore thats when I will stop going on cruises

[Solo1959]

The complaints don't worry me. It's a CRUISE! The cruise line specializes in making people have a good time and enjoy themselves. They try very hard. How bad can a cruise be? You will eat, drink, sing, dance, swim, laugh, watch shows. No matter how crabby you are, the staff will smile treat you nicely, and still do the right thing. Even the "bad" cruise lines and the "bad" ships are filled to capacity with many repeat customers.

 

Nothing is perfect, we all know that. But, it is a vacation. It's a place where the staff treat you like you are important to them, that you matter, and they will do almost anything you ask if they thought it would make you happy.

[Solo1959]

The complaints don't worry me. It's a CRUISE! The cruise line specializes in making people have a good time and enjoy themselves. They try very hard. How bad can a cruise be? You will eat, drink, sing, dance, swim, laugh, watch shows. No matter how crabby you are, the staff will smile treat you nicely, and still do the right thing. Even the "bad" cruise lines and the "bad" ships are filled to capacity with many repeat customers.

 

Nothing is perfect, we all know that. But, it is a vacation. It's a place where the staff treat you like you are important to them, that you matter, and they will do almost anything you ask if they thought it would make you happy.

[CC Help Michell]

I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but back when we were getting ready for our July cruise on NCLA's Pride of Hawaii I saw posts from people claiming to have had "nightmares" about their cruise and being "petrified" based on other people's reviews. I did a post that might help the OP or someone else, about my take on reading negative reviews. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=576898

 

I hope this helps someone, including the OP, take a fresh look at their own perspective on cruises and how to handle the "bumps in the road," which we all know WILL happen.