Complain about a product or service

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines • Bad Food • Billing Errors • Cancellation Policies • Children's Programs • Crime on Board • Crime in Port • Damaged Luggage • Disabled Passengers • Medical Care • Missed Ports • Overbooking • Poor Service • Safety Issues • Wedding Services • "Branded" by Carnival News • Carnival Cruise Lines to Refund $40 Million in Fuel Surcharges • Illness Strikes Carnival Ships Cruise Notes • Medical Care Spotty • Health Care Guidelines • Consumer Fact Sheet

To say that Carnival gets more than its share of complaints would be quite an understatement. We get more complaints about Carnival than about all other crise lines combined. We'd recommend reading this section carefully before you put down big bucks -- not after.

Here are just a few of the more recent complaints ...

joseph of chatsworth, GA September 3, 2009

the early saver program states if you can find the cruise at a lower rate if you book the early saver rate you can have lower rate. we found rate at a lower rate. faxed all the information. they denied. said a georgia resdent did not qulitfy. my friend sent her infomation in. they give it to her. when i told them that they tryed to say it was because they had a senior citzen in there cabin. it does not say anywhere about that. it says if you can find a lower rate they will give it to you at that rate.

Casey of Plymouth, MN September 1, 2009

I cruised with Carnival in July 2009. Due to a medical debark our ship arrived back in port 5 hours late, causing my party to miss flights. Passengers were not informed of the delay until 10PM the Sunday night before docking, which was more than 24 hours after the crew knew of the delay. We asked staff at the main desk for more information. We were told the only help we could get was 1 free phone call from their phone to our airline. We were also given a sheet with Carnival's tollfree Customer Service number.

When we called Customer Service we received a message indicating that the office was closed. Upon docking we followed instructions to get to our prepaid airport shuttle where we waited on a steaming bus for 2 hours before they released us, and then only because passengers complained that we were likely to miss flights again if we did not leave immediately.

Upon returning home I contacted Carnival to relay my many complaints, including the cost I incurred to change my flights, stay overnight in a hotel, as I missed the last flight of the day, hire transport home plus over 100 in cellular phone charges while onboard due to calls to airlines, hotels, home & work.

On 8/19/09 I received a response from Carnival in which M. Diaz apologized for the poor service but since I did not contact Carnival from the ship they refuse to refund the additional expenses I incurred or make any other recompense. Ms. Diaz failed to note that I most assuredly DID contact Carnival while (End of allowed space)

I request reimbursement for 100 flight change fee, 79+tax hotel fee, 26+tip ground transport and 150 Cellular At Sea mobile phone charges. At the very least Carnival should attempt to salvage its damaged reputation by offering me a complimentary cruise. As I informed Carnival, if they honorably resolve this issue I will be happy to update my complaint with favorable comments.

Carnival's response does not address the following complaints: 1. Failure to notify passengers in a timely manner of itinerary change 2. Failure by onboard supervisor to provide adequate explanation or access to another Carnival customer care office 3. Statement from president's office indicating Carnival could have provided recompense if we had notified Carnival of the problems incurred while on the cruise, which we did

4. Smell of sewage 5. Inadequate wait service in dining areas 6. Food served cold and/or stale and often very bland For the time I have now invested in pursuing reasonable recompense from Carnival I am now requesting a full refund of our cruise to be repaid to credit card that was used to purchase this trip and for the onboard account. I thank the BBB for their investigation.

Company's Final Response - Posted 08/31/2009...it is Carnival's position that no compensation will be granted in this instance. We hope she will give us an opportunity to earn back her confidence.

Mary of garden city, NY September 1, 2009

We had the worst first-time cruise experience with Carnival Miracle. I went with my husband and 2 boys and had a horrific experience. The staff was non-existent to rude at times. Very non-accomodating and more often than not, did not speak English.

My boys were bored due to a lack of activities. The so called 'sports-deck' was a joke. It was a single basketball net enclosed in a netted material on the 11th deck where the winds were 30 miles an hour(who wants to play basketball?) Thanks to Carnival-I will NEVER cruies again and will stick to vacations like Club Med where I know my kids will be happy.

Sesinando of Bel Air, MD August 31, 2009

On May 17-23,2009, my wife Rita and I took a cruise to the Bahamas on Carnival Pride ship.Irene Eff of Cruise One Travel Co. of Baltimore booked us for an early dinner as per our request. This was confirmed with a letter to us from Ms. Eff. On May 17th. we went to the early dinner and was escorted to Table 210.

As we started eating we were told that we were not supossed to be there and that we were listed for the late dinner. We tried to show them our booking letter stating that we were booked for early dinner. My wife is a diabetic and have to eat on time to maintain good blood suger control.

The maitre-d, Mr. Chessa instead threatened to kick us out or else he will call security. He did not make any effort to find us another table. We later found out there was an empty table,

We were so embarrased and humiliated by this rude treatment. We reported this incident to the post-trip survey of the Carnival Cruise line and also to our travel agent, Ms. Eff. We never heard any pesponse from them. On July 29,2009 we sent a certified mail to Mr. G. Cahill, President and CEO of Carnival Cruise. The letter was returned to us unclaimed. We will certainly not travel with Carnival Cruise line nor recommend the to our friends.

Stacy of Sammamish, WA August 31, 2009

We booked a cruise around July 25th to cruise from Long Beach California to 3 ports in Mexico on the Carnival Splendor Ship. Our summer had been back to back difficulties within our family. On June 15th I fell down a flight of stairs damaging the nerves and tendons in my right foot causing great pain and to be on crutches until the week before our cruise. On July 13th I was in the hospital for emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder. On July 14th my Father In Law died in New Jersey which forced my husband to travel to New Jersey alone leaving the children (9&11) home with me on bed rest. We felt our summer was a total let down and figured a cruise would be a wonderful way to relax and enjoy stress free time. My husband has a very high stressed position with his company that requires him to travel extensively. Family time for us is at a premium and we value it with high regards.

We booked the top floor (11th) where there were only 9 rooms on each side of the ship. The rest of the level were occupied by the spa and the outside deck which had the pool and hot tub, chairs for sunning and open space. We booked this floor due to a few reason. We felt that with fewer cabins we would receive closer attention to our needs and that if the ship went down we would have plenty of time to be safe. (laugh as you might but as first time sailers we were concerned about this.)

Day one and two of our cruise were uneventful days at sea. We then had day 3. After a stop in Puerta Vallarta we went to bed around midnight to be awoken at appoximetly 3am to banging on our cabin door. When I stepped out of bed in a pitch dark room my feet were met by about 2-3 inches of water. My first reaction was "sewage"... what else could it be since we were so high on the ship and no alarms had been sounded. I made my way to the cabin door and opened it. A rush of water came into our room when I opened the door. Outside the door were staff and families running around. Towels were being thrown on the floors and we were told to leave our cabin. My 9 year old daughter was so upset she for sure thought we were sinking.

When we left our room we headed to the elevators which were also flooded. Everywhere on the 11th floor right side of the ship was under water. We kept asking "what happened.... what happened" and no one would answer us. Finally the family in the cabin next to us told us it was rain water rushing into the ship. We went to the automatic doors and looked outside and sure enough rain water was rushing into the ship. From that point until Sunday when we debarked our trip was a living nightmare.

We were finally able to reenter our cabin at around 6-7am on Thursday. Our floor was very wet still so towels were on the floor... our things that were on the floor were missing... (later we found out they took the wet things to dry them somewhere) and it was difficult to relax and go to sleep. That morning we were due to arrive in Mazatallan. We did not get off the ship in Mazatallan because we were so tired and stressed with what had happened to us. Our 9 year old sleep deprived daughter was terrified and wanted to go home. She would not partake in the Camp Carnival kids program. She was terrified to be separated from us at any time.

Everytime we left our room from Thursday morning to Sunday our room was taken apart. In the beginning it was taking the two twin beds that made our king apart and stacking them ont op of each other. Everything else like the night tables, small table, chairs, suitcases, drawers from the cabinet under the one bed were all stacked up on the beds. Our room was not useable to rest or even relax in. There was an industrial fan in our room that took up 1/2 of the floor space running constantly. It blew COLD air and was really loud. These fans were in the halls and also the spa and elevator area. We also had towels covering the wet floors. When we would ask to have new dry towels to line the wet floor in our cabin someone would come in to feel the floor to see that it was wet. Only then would new towels be lined on the floor for us to walk on. The elevators recieved damage due to the water rushing down the shafts and several elevators weren't working for most of the rest of the trip, making wait times for the elevator to come to the 11th floor long. Normally this would not have been much of an issue because we could take the stairs, but as I mentioned I was still nursing an injured foot.

Saturday was the true breaking point. At some point we left our room to get something to eat (I am unsure if it was breakfast or lunch) and when we returned there was a sign on our door that said "Ozone Machine in Use- Do not enter this stateroom". I went and found our steward and asked what the heck that was. He told me the air quality in our room was poor and needed to be cleaned. We had just slept in that room!!!

We were also given towels for the pool and to shower with that stunk horribly beyond belief. They smelled like sewage and when I gave one to the customer service manager on the ship she refused to touch it or smell it. Now as for the smell... our room by about Friday mid day STUNK like as my daughter was saying "the inside of barn full of animals". I guess that is why they finally sent in the Ozone Machine. We had no option of another room as the ship sails full... so we were basically held hostage in a room that I'm sure was unsafe. I can't imagine the mold developing in the room or the bacteria that was growing.

When we arrived in Cabo San Lucas I asked if we could take our luggage and debark and fly home (at our own cost) so we didn't have to endure another 2 nights in this room. It was our son's birthday and we wanted to try to salvage something for him. We were told NO... we could debark but could not take our belongings with us. We were unable to leave... couldn't move to another room... we were forced to stay in that room!!! It was horrible. What a way for my son to remember his 12th birthday!

Now- I realize that Carnival can not control the weather. However, this problem was entirly due to the design of the ship. Outside on deck 11 was like I said earlier the pool, hot tub, chairs and open space. The right side of the ship sloaped down to the double automatic doors. We were told this was due to the Civil Act of Disabled Americans. The only drain was one near the doors the size of a cantelope. ALL the ship deck drained basically down to that drain. It is physically impossible for this to not happen each time this ship enters a rain storm.

We as a group (there were 5 rooms affected by flooding) went to talk to the customer service manager Leslie B onboard. She was not only unsympathic but basically was not going to do anything for us. Finally she called us and told us that the ship would credit us 2 nights and that the Captain wanted to invite the kids affected to the bridge for a private tour. We all decided to go so we could discuss with the Captain how unhappy we all were. When we got to the bridge the Captain was not there. The 3rd Officer in Command was who met us. When the tour was over we all waited to talk to Leslie and basically tell her how frustrated we were with the treatment and conditions of our room. She said she would get back to us in regards to further compensation. Later she called to tell us that we would be receiving a total of 3 nights credited and a 25% off future sailing discount. She stressed that we should be happy with that since we were "only affected 3 days".

What is most frustrating with regards to this is we left our vacation more stressed and upset then when we started. This EXPENSIVE trip was not at all relaxing or enjoyable. We spent over 4000 for the cruise, almost 1500 for the flights, parking our car at the airport, boarding our family pet, purchased new clothes for the trip not to mention spent a week of my husbands vacation time for the most horrific week of our lives.

When we returned on Sunday I began to feel really ill. I had horrible stomach pains, diarrhea, headaches, slight fever, nausau and a sore throat. On Wednesday the 26th I went to my doctor. I had a throat culture done to ensure I didn't have strep throat but was basically told it was due to stress and possibly a virus I contracted most likely due to the wet, smelly conditions I was forced to be in.

I wrote to Carnival Customer Service and was basically told you got what you are going to get from us... and I also called my credit card company to dispute the charges. My credit card company told me that unless I had in writing I was guaranteed a dry, non flooded room they couldn't help me. At this point you are my last resort to recover the losses we have incurred. No one should have to endure this kind of treatment regardless of the cost or reason.

robyn of miami, FL August 24, 2009

They denied my service dog from traveling with me on my cruise. They wouldn't even let me up to the accomodations counter to speak with anyone. Had my boyfriend not been present, I would not have been able to go on the cruise at all since he had to date my service animal home. Needless to say, I did not do well on my cruise and they violated the ADA.

Renee of Gettysburg, PA August 17, 2009

On July 26 2009 my family and I took our first cruise together. We were on board the Carnival Sensation. On July 27, my 12 year old son got stuck in a malfunctioning elevator. He spent approximately 30 minutes alone in the elevator. He pushed the emergency help button multiple times. Most times the call for help went unanswered. On 3 occasions, his call was answered and he was told to stop playing with the button and no one was ever sent to help him. He stayed in the elevator screaming and crying until he was heard and could be rescued. I have made several attempts to discuss this with Carnival and they will not address my issues or my concerns.

My son was hysterical. He believed he would die in the elevator. For the rest of the cruise, he stayed right by our side and would not use an elevator. This has been a very tramatic event and should be addressed by Carnival.

Charlie of Kincardine, ON August 16, 2009

If the Captain decides not to go to a port with a healt risk, how can you argue about it? I'd recommend cancellation insurance. If they won't allow a person on a water slide because they don't meet the height restrictions, it's in your best interest, so do your research prior to booking a trip. If your travel agent has told you that that person could go on the water slide then go after them for a refund. Ask questions prior to booking stupid. It's as though you people want everything for nothing. You couldn't even eat dinner, just dinner, at the caliber that they serve to you for the price they charge for a week.

I've been on 6 cruises with Carnival and never felt I was cheated, more like the other way around. Would you prefer an epidemic and still go to that port? I'd bet you'd be the first to sue if your daughter got hurt on the slide. I'd bet you people would be the first to complain if you got sick due to an epidemic. Do you not realise what value you are getting and the safety that's factored in to the design of the ships? Who do you think that is for? Bunch of ungrateful whiners. They're in business! They can't give refunds with every complaint! So keep the complaints legitimate and stop whining. Go ahead and order that second lobster, or filet mignon. By the way it's a purser not a pusher!

David of Newport, NC August 13, 2009

My wife and I never had a honeymoon, after 11 years we decided to take a cruise. Worst mistake of our marriage. should have done better or any research. The boat was over crowded. Passengers where very rude and disrespectful. We paid for a VIP type treatment that was non-existent. The swimming pools on the boat where smaller then my tub. Kids where in the adult pool. Drinks where in the hot tubs(not allowed), there was no room to lay out ever. No space like they show you in the advertisements. The track for running was always closed or half closed, even in port. The gym was always jammed packed. The lines for food where hours long. The food was no where near what we had heard or been told. I'd rather eat MRE military meals in a bag.

You get charged 15% on anything you used your boat card for. There wasn't one chair in the room I could fit in. I'm big not fat. We paid extra for a balcony room to enjoy the ocean couldn't fit in the chairs there either, asked if they'd do something and the Stateroom guy became very un-approachable. Tipped him and extra 20 he didn't get any better. The service crew are VERY TIP hungry. They take 10 dollars a day per person for them automatic and then beg you to give them more as you leave the boat. Just to give you an Idea of the money these people make already. The wait staff gets 5.50 a day per person! They run 3-4 tables of 8 people for two hours X 2 dinners, that is 352 dollars for 4 hours work plus regular pay. That's more then 100 dollars an hour!!! Do you make that? Then they want MORE. If you don't give it to them your the bad person.

The room dude, took the nasty towels we used at the pool all week and just re-wrapped a new band around them for us to take home and pay 22 each. We know cause we marked the tags with a pen that would have washed off. Wonder if the folk that got our room next will pay for the same nasty towels!! LOL YUCK. The showers are so small, I had to leave the curtain open and put heavy layer of towels on the floor to catch the water. the toilet is 4 inches form the tub and on an angel, I had to sit sideways! I use to go out to the area bathroom for that, near the casino or pool, not fun after you have bad food.

Valeri of Valrico, FL August 12, 2009

I am a 51/yo women with ALS, and a almost fully paralized. I booked a cruise with Carnival and was told by my travel agent Char Meese that I would receive a 120/pp ship credit when we sailed. I never received this credit and my agent has been trying to get it for me. We had a good time and I would like to go on a second cruise, but want my credit so I can apply it to this new cruise.

I am becoming totally paralized and would like to go as soon as possible. I need the funds to help pay for this

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share		Follow us on Twitter.