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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 ...
Yvette of Belle Chasse LA (07/22/08)
I just returned from the 5 day cruise on the Fanasty Cruise Ship on ( departure July 12, 2008 ) I was traveling with my two granddaughters, we were put at a dinning table (Jubilee dining room) by ourselves witch is fine. But traveling with children I would arrive on time or a little early as to get the children out of the dinning as to not distrub other patrons we always ordered our food first and was last to recieve half of our orders were never brought to the table at all and every time I tried to mention it to our waiter I was ignored. I do9n't recall his name because our regular waiter took sick and did not finish the week out with us.
Also my oldest granddaughter which is 9 years old and has been on 6 cruises, went to the all night party which we paid for the councelors returned her to the room around 3 A.M. which I have no complaints about. There was a young man around 10 years also at this party he was very rough and disorderly he grabed her by the neck and ripped a necklace off her neck she reported it to the councelors, the only thing they told her was he's a bad boy and when she told them about her necklace all they told her was OH WELL
I have traveled with Caranival Cruise Line more than 10 times and will continue to in the future. I just wanted you all to know I was very displeased with the way we were treated this last cruise.
Fabyonne of Pittsburgh PA (07/07/08)
Carnival has been the worse excuse for a cruise ever. First I should add that I was in cabin 1361 on the Carnival Triumph. Anyone aware of that side of the BOTTOM floor knows that the area is extremely noisy (engine noise, clanging, and the moving of vehicles underneath) and the rooms vibrate. I should also add we had an ocean view room, so we didnt settle for the cheap inside cabin, but we also didnt upgrade to a balcony. There was no way a substandard room of this caliber should have been giving for the premium price we paid. Customer service was a joke. From the beginning the first Carnival employee we encountered was a cantankerous old man who kept fussing about people not keeping the line straight and leaving the (automatic) door open.
We then found the rest of the employees to be extremely rude and uncaring. We talked at length with the pursers desk about the fact that we booked 10 months out, so there was no way we should have been relegated to the bottom floor on top of the earthquake that took place every day. In response to this, their pursers staff didnt show as much of an inkling of concern and had the audacity to say my travel agent was lying and never told them we asked not to be in that area. Carnival should not make anyone stay under those conditions for any reason.
The ship was overrun by unruly kids. Every activity that was scheduled for adults was full of kids that were obviously under the age of 18. They ran up and down the halls banging on doors, they were in all of the adult events (but dont dare attempt to enter any of theirs) and many of them were even served alcohol. My 17 year old daughter told me of a girl who was so drunk that the kids had to pull her off the side of the boat as she was preparing to jump. I guess they would have found some form of id then. I was told again by the uncaring pursers staff that the kids were their parents responsibility. They would ask for everyone not over 18 to leave the events once, and then they would start the show. Have you ever tried to enjoy an R rated comedy show standing (because all of the kids had the seats) beside a 10 year old. Let me tell you its very awkward.
The 2 shows we were able to attend were good, but they were too few and far between. There was very little for adults to do after 12AM (other than the casino as they are very happy to take your money) and what there was had lines that were ridiculous. I rarely went to any of the buffets because the lines were so long. The food offerings were also poor as the only thing that was open regularly was for pizza, hamburgers and fries (once again for the kids).
We were placed on the bottom of the ship in an extremely noisy area and specifically asked not to have that happen. We paid premium price for substandard accomodations. Our vacation was destroyed.
Chad of San Mateo CA (07/03/08)
I have taken so many cruises in my life with so many lines in the last 23 years I can't tell you how many were with Carnival. However, I do know that the vast majority have been with Carnival and every cruise with them has been great. No vacation is perfect (ask Clark Griswald) and sailing with Carnival is no exception. I have read most of the complaints on this site and find them entertaining.
Carnival would ofcourse have the most complaints as most people cruise on Carnival ships - the numbers are impressive in consumer reports on crusing just how many people actually travel with carnival compared to other lines. Therefore logic dictates that more complaints would result in gross numbers. But % wise, they are one of the least complained about tour companies. And if you take out the people who complain because they got sea sick or it cost them money -the numbers are even less. Please keep the complaints coming - I enjoy them so very much and it reminds me how positive of a person I am when I travel. See you on the next Carnival Cruise.
Bill of Kerrville TX (07/01/08)
We (my wife and I) booked a Western Caribbean cruise directly with Carnival Cruise Lines. The total vacation cost was slightly more than $1500.00. With our excursions and on board purchases our total outlay was over $2300.00. Customer service was non-existent on this cruise with failures to delivery advertised service experienced almost daily. On December 9th the embarkation day we stood in line for over 5 hours waiting to board. We saw no Carnival staff during that time, there were inadequate explanations for the delays. Carnival did provide us on board credit of $30.00 for the delay.
We did not depart that day as scheduled and did not depart until after 1:00 P.M. the next day. The excuse given was fog, but other commercial ships entered and departed the Port of Galveston while we were waiting to leave. Because of this delay, Carnival canceled our first port-of-call, Jamaica. A $75 dollar/per person on board credit was provided for this change to the itinerary. Two days into our cruise Carnival canceled the second port-of-call, Grand Cayman, because of Tropical Depression Olga a storm that did not hit Grand Cayman. So we spent our forth day at sea sailing to Cozumel. After leaving Cozumel Carnival announced wed be stopping on the sixth day of the cruise in Progresso. This stop was supposed to be a substitute for Grand Cayman what a joke. Progresso was a dump nothing to see or do, just a poor excuse for a port-of-call to allow Carnival the option of not reimbursing us for another missed port.
Aside from the fact that we only visit one of the three ports-of-call promised, the customer service on this ship was non-existent. The staff was surly, rude and indifferent to the fact that our vacation had been ruined. When calling for in-stateroom repairs we were met with excuses and reasons why they would not fix problems such as AC outages and burned out light bulbs. House cleaning was shoddy food and debris could stay on hallway floors for several days. You could not find a place on the ship that it didnt smell of tobacco. House cleaning never cleaned the balcony we found vomit and cigarette buts from the upper decks on our balcony daily and requests to clean that area were ignored.
Entertainment was marginal, almost moronic. But it was provided. Activities included hairy chest contest and equally sophomoric high school like activities. The one high point was the food and service at the fine-dining rooms this was near perfection. At the end of our cruise we were literally kicked out of our stateroom before our floor had been call to disembark. We were literally told get out; we have to clean for the next cruise. When we asked where we were suppose to go the answer was I dont care, just get out.
Our complaint in a nutshell is this: We were told lies daily about port-of-call changes and we were not given fair opportunities to disembark at the beginning of this cruise. When we asked about Carnivals guarantee, we were told that we could disembark at Cozumel, that airfare from there to Huston would be provided (our car was at the Port of Galveston), and that they could not guarantee when we would fly out of Cozumel so our hotel length of stay and costs would be our responsibility. And finally, the pitiful compensation for this seven day cruise to nowhere was totally inadequate, a total of $180 for two missed ports-of-call and standing in line for 5 hours to initially embark. We felt like we were on a dirty prison ship, not knowing what disaster would occur next. Never in our adult vacation experiences have we been treated so poorly
A wasted week, a ruined vacation, $2,000.00 total expense - horrible treatment.
Drew of Prince George OTHER (06/27/08)
Our cruise was the week of March 16 to the 23, 2008. Upon disembarkation from the ship in LA, I noticed my bag had some minor damage. I mentioned this but to be honest, after waiting for a few hours to get off the boat and clear customs I was not in the mood to go back and make a claim. However, upon arrival to the hotel in LA, we noticed that my daughters suitcase had suffered damage and some of the items inside were cushed. The damage was not noticeable from the outside and was only seen when the luggage was opened. Her bag was clearly crushed and the rigid plastic lining for the bag was shattered.
Advised Carnival on my return to Canada. I was asked to prepare a letter and send this and upon receipt they would investigage and contact me in writing with the results. I have not received anything in writing from Carnival so I contacted them on June 23, on June 25 I was advised that any damage was to be reported prior to leaving the pier. When I made my original claim and spoke to a customer representative I explained to them that there was no apparant damage to my daughters luggage. At that time I was told they would review the situation. It seems like all they did was go back to their original position in that damage must be reported at the pier. I would recommend that you carry your own luggage off the ship or inspect it prior to leaving the pier.
Amy of Bremerton WA (06/27/08)
We were told that we would receive a $70.00 refund for the fuel service charge due to the lawsuit that had occured. When we checked our daily charges it was discovered that we only received $35.00. Others as well as us complained about this but we could not make any headway with the pursers office. Not only this but I was charged for a spa treatment that was so bad that I am still in pain from.
Due to the massage, my back is still hurting three days later. It is still tender to the touch and very uncomfortable when I try to sit in my chair.
Cecelia of New Bern NC (06/24/08)
My disappointment started before I even boarded the ship. After making reservations a year in advance and requesting certain cabins, two weeks before we were to embark, we received our packets (coupons, boarding passes, etc.) noticing only one person from our group had her assigned cabin. Not only did we not receive the proper cabins on the same floor, THEY WERE ON DIFFERENT DECKS. At that point, I was surprised we weren't put on different ships. Well, not wanting to let this bring us down for the entire trip, we decided we'd just make the best of it.
Now, this was not my first cruise with Carnival. As a matter of fact, this was my 4th and I have to say the first one was excellent (Fantasy), that's why the second (Conquest). The third (Valor) was disappointing but wanting to give Carnival the benefit of the doubt, I tried number four (Liberty). BIG MISTAKE! Nothing about this cruise was good. Horrible food (oh yeah, we were not all assigned the same seating table in the formal dining room), terrible entertainment, even the towel animals placed on the beds nightly were mostly what is it?, and then Mother Nature made it so we couldn't go to our desired ports. I do, however, commend the captain and crew for their excellent job of stirring us away from the hurricane.
P.S. I managed to talk to the guest (who had been assigned my sister's room) who informed that they had only made their reservations a couple of months before. Remember, ours were made A YEAR IN ADVANCE.
Brenda of La Puente CA (06/09/08)
We booked a cruise back in Nov 2007 for a sailing date 9/12/08 thru 9/15/08. This particular cruise was for a group of 60 people that were getting together to celebrate my parents 40th Anniversary and my husbands 40th birthday with his brother. I was the group leader and was notified by my agent that Carnival contacted him to let him know that they cancelled our sailing date because someone is fully chartering the ship therefore we need to schedule for a different weekend.
I am furious and Carnival did not care that they ruined this special event. I was lucky enough to have my travel agent get us a refund and Royal Caribbean was able to accomodate us. Carnival offered us alternate sailing dates but I don't want to take that chance with them now because how do I know they won't cancel us again? I would not ever recommend them to anybody that is planning on cruising. Carnival is very unprofessional.
Another thing that bothered me is that the company/person just chartered the ship just a few days ago so Carnival just wanted the money. Carnival has not heard the end of this. I told them that I will be notifying radio stations and posting as many complaints as I can. A lot of my group guests already e-mailed Carnival also to let them know.
Brent of Conyers GA (06/09/08)
We recently got home from our cruise on Carnival and it was the worst vacation we have ever had local or abroad. I would never recommend Carnival to anyone under any circumstances. There were so many things we had issues with. Our mini-bar did not get re-stocked at all, until we went to the guest service desk after three days and advised them it needed to be re-stocked.
One evening the pamphlet advised open seating for dinner and upon our arrival for dinner, we were literally kicked out of the dining room because it was a misprint on the pamphlet for that day. We went and complained to the maitred as well as guest services. The female at guest services and the maitred acted like they could care less about what happened. Later that evening we received a phone call and were advised we could now go and dine in the dining room. The next day we were sent two bottles of champagne along with an apology letter.
The 24-hour food available was cold, old pizza that was shriveled up. We were also not advised of the 15% gratuity that was added onto every soda/alcoholic beverage that was consumed. The service was deplorable. No one served us at all throughout the entire cruise. If we wanted a drink or anything for that matter, it was left up to us to acquire it.
The disembarkation was literally like herding cattle. There were individuals everywhere crammed into the bottom level attempting to disembark at the same time. There were individuals cursing, pushing, and making the process unbearable. In other words, the disembarkation could have been more organized and more thought out as well as planned.
Kathy of Farmers Branch TX (06/08/08)
This 7 day cruise was highly anticipated and I could hardly wait for cruise day to arrive. First day on board, in the dining room to get some lunch I fell in a huge puddle of water beneath the food counter. Apparently the water from the food case was leaking as this area was being worked on for a couple of days afterwards. But at the time I fell, there was no one from the ship doing anything about cleaning the water up or even putting one of those little cones out to warn passengers. And since this was inside the ship, rather than on a deck, I was totally not expecting to have to deal with water on the floor!
About 3 hours were wasted waiting in the infirmary. If I hadn't insisted on visting the doctor to record the accident the crew would have done absolutely nothing. I had to request an accident form, they certainly didn't volunteer one.
After that experience, it was a little hard to give the cruise top marks. My leg and foot hurt throughout the entire cruise and by the end of it, my foot was totally swollen and could barely fit into my shoe.
As for the cruise experience itself. BORING. Unless you like to gamble (extra money), drink (extra money), play Bingo (extra money), shop (naturally expected extra money) or lay out on the deck (free but useless if it's a cold cloudy day), there isn't anything to do during days at sea. I had been told that cruises are a total package with everything included once you pay the expensive cruise price. That's not a true statement at all.
If you're going to cruise plan on it costing a lot more than what you expected. The evenings had some shows as entertainment. If you attended the family show, the comedians were pretty funny but when it came to the late night shows for the adults, nothing but crudeness abounded. The singers on the show were Bad with a capital B. I now understand Simon Cowell's remarks on American Idol when he says a performance is worthy of a cruise ship.
I had been very excited about the ports of call. With my leg and foot as tender as they were, hiking was totally out of the question so we just sat on the beach. Result, yet another boring day on this fun ship cruise.
The legendary cruise food was only mediocre; I guess quantity counts more than quality. Seasoned cruisers tell me that if you want to get really good food you need to book reservations with the private supper club (read more money.)
By the time I left the ship my foot was quite swollen. Walking in shoes or even my flip-flops was painful. I was scheduled to land back in Dallas late Sunday night and fly out to Tokyo the next day. I went to an emergency room to get the foot checked out. I wanted to make sure I didn't have any bones in it that would account for the soreness and swelling. It was just sprained but the doctor did tell me I should have been off it the prior week or at least had it wrapped. The ship's doctor, while very caring in attitude, didn't do anything for me but give my Ibuprofen. The ER doctor put me on crutches and gave me pain pills.
The cost to me was my insurance co-pay for the visit and medication. This hampered a lot of the sightseeing that had been planned for the Japan trip. Actual monetary damagers are about $100; intangible costs a lot more. The price of the Puerto call was $95; the Mazatlan tour $50; the inability to do anything in Cabo, priceless. Who knows how much more I could have seen and done in Japan if I hadn't been hampered by my foot.
Even now, three weeks later the foot aches after a day at work where I do not have the luxury of going barefoot with the foot wrapped. It's amazing that the cruise ship has people contacting me to get a report on my favorite part of the cruise ship experience and offering discounts for future cruises, but no one has contacted me with regard to the injury.
Chrissy of El Paso TX (06/06/08)
I just got back today from a Carnival Cruise on the ship Ecstasy, and it was a wonderful vacation. I have never seen such a dedicated staff, from the Cruise Director Goose, the entertainment staff, our excellent waiter, Cokorda, the bartender Viliam, and even our steward, Eka. Each person was committed to contributing to our vacation experience. I have heard some people say that the ship is only designed for drinkers and gamblers, but I do not drink much, and I certainly don't gamble. I only had a couple of pina coladas the whole trip, and they were the best I've ever had. Even despite this, there was always something fun to do.
There was karaoke, lots of live music to listen to, a nice pool, and comedy events, as well as live revue shows with the dancing and singing entertainment staff. I am sorry for people who have had unpleasant circumstances, but for my part, the cruise has completely ruined my dining experiences everywhere else, because of the excellence and personality of each member of the crew. My friend and I are ecstatic in our happiness with our trip, and the example of a good work ethic provided to us by the cruise director Goose, waiter Corkoda, and bartender Viliam (even when we weren't ordering drinks!) are something for us all to learn from.
Robbie of Orangeville OTHER (06/03/08)
I entered a contest for a few days in Florida and a cruise. The total of the trip was 8 days. On May 21st, 2008 I received my phone call from Carnival, they booked me through Imperial Majesty Cruise Vacations for $299/person. I booked for two people.
After booking I found this site and others with all of these horror stories. I was about to cut my losses, but tried to get my money back anyways. On Thursday, May 29th, 2008 I called Imperial Majesty (where my money was) to get a refund. I explained these sites to them and they agreed. Today I just checked and my money was credited back to my account.
Don't wait! Call as soon as you can. Hopefully you'll be as lucky as I was. I also talked to my credit card company to get a new card due to the stories of people being charged more than once.
Celeste of Arlington Heights IL (06/01/08)
I went on a seven day cruise with Carnival in March 2008 on the Legend. To say I had an enjoyable trip is a major understatment. The quality and quantity of the food was excellent, the staff was very accomodating and wonderfully pleasant, and the cabin was impeccable.
What shocked me the most was how clean the ship was. For there to have been over 2000 people on the ship, not once did I see trash on the deck and as soon as people left the table, their dirty plates were picked up.
Therefore, I can't understand all of the complaints from people whose main issues seem to be stupidity. What would make someone think it's ok to bring $2000 worth of electronic equipment, $1500 cash, or other expensive things on a cruise. Come on people. Has no one ever heard of travelers checks?? They are accepted in the ports of calls just as credit cards are. Just as you would not bring and leave such items in a hotel, don't bring them on a cruise. Leaving your luggage outside on the last night of the cruise is optional so I would recommend that you not do it for reasons of common sense. Anyone could walk by and take it and it's contents and put it back in front of the door and you would never know.
As with any vacation, cruising is about using your common sense. As you would be careful and mindful of who is around you while shopping, do the same while in ports of call. In fact, be more mindful since you are in a foreign country and shouldn't expect the same level of response or service from law enforcement should you need them. Remember you are on the water so regardless of the stabilizers the ship has, you will feel the ship rock and sway at time.
Also, read the documents Carnival sends you. Contained in these documents are the rules and regulations of Carnival. If you know what they are, you are less inclined to run into problems. No one person or company is perfect and problems will arise, but make sure you know what the rules are before calling Carnival and disparging them when you could very well be the problem. I plan to go on another cruise with Carnival August 2008 and can't wait.
Mr. of Slayden TN (05/30/08)
I have sat here and read nothing but bad reviews about Carnival Cruise Lines,and I can understand some people having a litle bad luck, but two years ago (06) this June (08) my wife and I had taken a cruise with several other couples to the Bahamas booked through Carnival Cruise Lines, and I must say, We had the best time of our lifes. The ship that we were on was the Sensation. Not only was the ship it self immaculate the service was superb.
I swear with out exaggeration our cabin stewart must of been invisible. We had walked out of our room and forgot our camera. I couldn't of been out of the room for more than 5 minutes, and when I retured, the room was as clean as a hospital surgical operating room, yet we never seen anyone enter or leave. The only 2 complaints I have, if you want to call them complaints, was 1 what I though was complementary soft drinks left in the room they charged for, and 2 your alcohol beverages at the bar had a 15% gratuity added to the price per drink. Which in a way I can understand why, because that's the way the bartenders made their money.
All in all we had such an pleasant experience, that we are planning another cruise again back to the Bahamas this November 02,08 and are taking our 2 daughters and 1 son in-law with as a christmas present.
Misty of Cooper TX (05/28/08)
My husband and I both got sick the first night of our cruise. We left Galveston 5/17/2008. After reading some of the posts on this sight I am glad we did not report our sickness to the staff or we would have been held in our room also. For the price you pay for a 5 day cruise you should have more options for entertainment. These cruises are geared for people who want to drink and gamble. They are decorated in Las Vegas style decor. If you don't want to attend the Hairy chest contest there isn't anything for you to do until the dinner show which lasts approx 30 min. The rest of the time you can just look at the water. I could have flew to Mexico and saw alot more exciting things for a lot less money. The excursions from the ship we nice but very costly. Overall you will spend approx 500 dollars extra for excursions and etc..this quote is for people who do not drink beer etc.. You can spend much more if you gamble and drink. This in extra not included in your ticket price. This cruise was much more expensive then I was led to believe. No I was not forced to go on excursions but you will want to get off that ship and go SOMEWHERE other then there believe me! it's true.
Venus of Corpus Christi TX (05/27/08)
I went on my first and last Cruse ever; I would say a huge joke a Fantasy yeah more like a nightmare. The thing is the food was terrible and the water was just as bad. They couldn't even hide the flavor of the water in coffee, tea or even lemonade oh and those were the free drinks. If you wanted to drink clean water it would cost anywhere from $3-$5 now don't you think water should be priced at maybe $1 because it is a necessity. Then there was the entertainment are you kidding, I was so disappointed at what was offered and you could leave and go to see something else because youre stuck on a boat.
The crew was extremely rude and everything was overpriced we ended up owing $1,300 ok where is the deal in that. Ok then there is Mexico have you tried to have fun on the beach go out eat shop and be back on the boat at 4:30 what fun is that. Then the night life we had so many issues with that granted the people I was with at least 2 of them were trouble makers I have to say. I am a polled at how when the trouble happened I dealt with the security guard that night and tried to keep things calm. I was the only one who could still make sense.
The security pulled me aside and pulled me in close and said he would make it go away. He said to come upstairs with him, I said no I was married and happily. The part that got me is what if I was drunk and didnt have enough sense to say no. How many women actually get taken advantage of like that or men for that matter its unacceptable behavior from an authority figure. I don't think this was something I would ever do again not a good time at all.
I was sick becouse of the food, I had spent so much money on water and other drinks that cost to much. I feel sick to my stomack becouse of the security and how they felt ok with asking for sex or what eaver to make something go away I. I have made a report and am getting a copy this is just not the type of vacation I eaver want to take again.
Ronda of Columbia, MO (05/27/08)
I have read many complaints here about Carnival Cruise lines. All I have to say is that there are always those rare occasions when all does not go as planned.
My husband and I have gone on 5 cruises with this cruiseline and for the most part we are always thrilled. We wish they could come down on their picture prices and drink prices. The closest thing I could come to as a complaint would be that they plan more activities when we are all out at port than they do for the days we are stuck at sea...poor planning there, but for the dollar, we get great service. The staff is always friendly and accomodating. The ships have always been clean.
Bruce of Houston TX (05/23/08)
I have taken 3 cruises of the past couple of years, two of which were with Carnival and one with Royal Caribbean. Carnival offers excellent service and at a great price. I do believe most of the complaints come from folks that do not read all of the information Carnival provides. I see folks complaining about personal medical condition but I've traveled the world and I've never seen a hotel that would accomodate medical issues. It seems like most of the complaints come from folks with Beer Money and Champagne Taste.
Dan of Denmark WI (05/23/08)
My wife and I have been on 4 cruises all with carnival and we are going on a 5th with carnival. We have always felt we are treated very well the rooms are spotless the service is always excellant. Others have said carnival has poor food, dirty rooms and other complaints. I have never seen any of this. For the amount of money we have paid for each cruise we are extremely happy with everything carnival has done.
Patricia of Cooper TX (05/22/08)
I am trying to find the contact information for the CEO of Carnival Cruise, to enclose the following letter: Going on a cruise had always been a dream of mine, so I was beyond ecstatic when I booked the Carnival Ecstasy for my daughter and I, which left out of Galveston on May 12th, 2008. Now, however, I wish I would have went with any cruise line other than Carnival.
I have numerous medical problems; one being Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The first day on the ship, I had a spell with it, so I went to the Infirmary and explained my situation to the so-called medical professional in charge. Anyone with common knowledge of said disorder, especially one in the medical field, should know it is not contagious; however, instead of being understanding of the situation, she was not only irritable, snotty, and rude, but also quarantined me to my cabin for twenty-four hours. She hatefully informed me that I was not to go to the dining area, and even asked for my assigned seating number; she said she was sending memos to everyone on the ship to inform them of my situation.
Not only was this woman ruining my trip, and wasting an immense amount of money that I had put into it, but she was dehumanizing me as a person. This all happened the morning we arrived in Progreso, so as a result, we missed the (Horseback & Beach Break) shore excursions as well. Fast forward to twenty-four hours later when we arrived in Cozumel. When I attempted to exit the ship, I had to insert my Sail & Sign card, and upon doing so, a loud alarm sounded. The Carnival staff working this area did not handle the situation professionally, or with any discretion what-so-ever. One of the men loudly exclaimed, SO, YOUVE BEEN SICK? YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO EXIT THE SHIP! At this point, my daughter and I were both extraordinarily embarrassed. The loud man instructed one of the other very unprofessional, loud men to call the Infirmary, to which they did in an exceptionally and very unnecessarily loud manner, in front of a line full of people waiting to exit the ship.
Naturally, everyone was staring and whispering at this point, and I wanted nothing more than to just leave altogether, but here my daughter and I were stuck on this ridiculous so-called cruise line, in another country, with a bunch of unprofessional individuals, who are supposedly notorious for their exceptional hospitality. Hospitality on this Carnival Cruise? What a joke. After this asinine incident, I was instructed to promptly go to the Infirmary, to which I was once again presented with so-called medical professional...she exasperatingly told me to just go; that I was fine to go off the ship. So I went back up and attempted to exit the ship, but once again, a loud alarm graced us all, and we were back in the same ridiculous situation. I informed the staff working in this area that I was informed by the Infirmary, which I had just came from, that it was fine for me to exit.
Instead of believing me, I was once again dehumanized as a person, and treated like a criminal, as they instructed me to wait there until they called the place I just informed them I had came from, to which they once again, very loudly, unprofessionally, and in front of countless people, who heard and saw it all. Unbelievable! If I had a means of getting back home directly from Cozumel, as opposed to getting back on that awful Carnival ship, just to be further humiliated, I would have in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we had to get back on the ship, and for the remainder of our cruise, I had a permanent, inaccurate, wrongful stigma attached to myself, so instead of partaking in any of the Carnival activities, we refrained, in fear of being further humiliated. Instead, we sat in our cramped cabin, and counted down the hours until we could get home, and away from that nightmare.
We did not even go back to the dining room, as the first and only night we ate there, we requested that something be made without a particular oil, as my daughter is highly allergic to it, but our server huffily informed us that all meals were pre made, and nothing could be requested in a certain manner, which baffled me, considering I had spoken to Carnival about this prior to the cruise, and they had reassured me that any food issues would be taken care of; yet the opposite occurred. In fact, the direct opposite from what had been illustrated from Carnival (when purchasing this vacation) occurred for just about all aspects of this cruise. I was told the buffet area would have crab legs, and a variety of food items to choose from; instead, we were presented with petty, clich, very typical salad bar items, to which was commonly picked over, and never refilled.
For the amount of money I put into this cruise, Carnival seemed to be very stingy with their mere buffet items; the food staff workers acted as though they were trying to conserve everything they could, to ensure they wouldnt have to refill anything. Our last resort was room service, which I was also highly disappointed with. Not only was the menu immensely sparse, but when we did get stuck with ordering from them, the food was cold, stale, and just not up to par at all with the way Carnival advertises their standards to be.
Sherril of Lone Jackl MO (05/20/08)
The short version is that a baggage man took my 11 yr old daughters room card out of her hand, told her she was lost and proceded to call the info desk. He got her room number and took off with her following to her room. He let himself in, asked if this was just her room and were her parents were. He then hugged and kissed her without her permission and left quickly.
The security officer was notified and no one has done anything about it. I am sure no employee on this boat is an American citizen. WHat do we do now? We are getting no where on this boat. This happened two days ago on Sunday May 18th. We are stuck here and they are ignoring us. THey wont even give us adjoining rooms so that we feel safer with our children who are now afraid to sleep by themselves (15 and 11) so we have split up to sleep with them.
Ruined our first cruise and only family vacation this year. Stressed out and very emotional about the whole ordeal. No one from Carnival cares. Please help us.
Maria of Miami FL (05/19/08)
We went on a cruise for a week, my husband back was full of bites and I had some too. First we did not pay attention to it but on the second day we notified the steward of the problem, they change the mattress and clean the room.
Our backs was full of bites, we could not go out on the sun and it was unconfortable, we could not enjoy our vacation for three to four days.
Maria of Reseda CA (05/14/08)
I feel for those who have legitimate complaints but some people are just plain rude themselves and expect to be treated like gods. I label them snobs. I had a wonderful experience aboard carnivals Elation ship. The ship was very clean, our room service was very fast and friendly. The dining all five days was excellent. In fact I would like to commend our dinner staff from the inspiration dining room table 281. They were polite ,pleasant, and attentive. I loved my 4 night 5 day cruise port San diego 5/08/08-5/12/08. Im thinking of taking another one this summer. And to all the complainers try the Elation you wont be let down.
Nicholas of Huntington IN (05/13/08)
We had 12 cabins booked for a family cruise on Carnival Legend for November 2-9, 2008. One of Joystar's independent contractors took deposits from 5 of those cabins and did not apply them to the Carnival Cruise Line. We can no longer reach the independent contractor and Joystar is not willing to make the situation right. We have tried to contact them on several occasions and they refuse to give those deposits back to the wronged individuals. I have also tried to contact Carnival Cruise Lines to see if they could help us out at all. They are not willing to help in any way to resolve this issue.
The total amount not deposited for those five cabins is $2,250.00. That is $450 per cabin. We have spent countless hours trying to resolve this issue. Joystar is in the process of forcing our family to cancel our cruise because of this unfortunate situation.
Dyfed of Cincinnati OH (05/12/08)
I only wish I had read this article on Carnival prior to my trip. I feel robbed - simple as that. Too many poor experiences on the ship to mention from room service not showing up at all to entertainment that reminded me of Butlin's? from the 1980's. It was shocking from start to finish and very expensive. This was our first ever family cruise and there were some highlights: 1) kids club for my 4 & 2 year old was fantastic! 2) waiter service at our table was great - but we found out that we were the lucky ones! 3) housekeeping prompt and neat.
I can not in my heart of hearts recommend Carnival I am bitterly disappointed with the experience. As part of the disembarkation process we were encouraged to fill in excellent? for all the activities on board - I was disgusted with the sale we received. Ship decor looking like 1970's Vegas had thrown up inside the ship. Entertainment staff have ideas of grandeur way beyond their talent levels and ability. One of the fun? events they should come up with other than - passing an orange between people under the chin or the hairy chest competition - should be have the entertainment staff walk the plank!
Kevin of Talladega AL (05/09/08)
I and a friend went on a Carnival cruise which left out from FT Lauderdale Florida going to Key West Florida and then to Cozumel New Mexico. We left out on Thursday, May first on the ship, Imagination. We arrived in Cozumel the morning of Saturday, May third. We had talked to an on board Carnival employee and decided as the Atlantis Submarine excursion required mild physical activity, (it was labeled with 1 man and only required negotiating a seven step latter), we would like to go on that excursion.
We had traveled with Carnival before to Cozumel and that excursion was one we had considered before but this time we definitely wanted to go on it. As we approached the point we were to start our excursion, a man with a thick Mexican accent asked my friend if I could see. As I was carrying a White Cane, it was obvious I had a sight problem. When my friend replied that I was blind, the man responded that I would not be able to go on the excursion because my blindness would be a health risk. He then went over to a female Carnival employee, my friend saw her shake her head in the negative, and then he returned to tell us we would be reimbursed for the cost of the excursion.
Due to his seeming problem with English, we spoke no more to him about this matter. We did, however, approach that same employee with Carnival to ask why I could not participate in the excursion. She told us because of my blindness I could not be covered in case of an accident. I asked whether the company hosting this excursion was governed by the USA laws and guidelines. The Carnival employee replied, no, it was governed by the laws of Cozumel. Well, as my friend and I took special panes to look for a land excursion I would be able to go on with out too much physical activity and as I new I would have no problem rising to the challenge, I feel I was done wrong.
Also, because my friend is a Cancer survivor and because of this we have learned not to pass up an opportunity to live life to it's fullest and as she would not go on the excursion with out me, we also feel she was forced to miss out on an opportunity which does not come around many times in life. Because of this reason we feel she was done wrong also. At this time I am not sure with whom the responsibility lies to give me closure on this, but, I feel my rights were violated and I was discriminated against because of my blindness. So this is to document this situation. I am not happy with the way we were done and I am researching what recourse, if any, we may have to achieve satisfaction in this matter.
Lorie of East Lansing MI (05/09/08)
Carnival is selling a product called INCH OF GOLD, which you are told is 14K Gold. I had it appraised by two different jewelers AND IT IS NOT GOLD AT ALL! I purchased both a necklace and bracelet. Carnival told me to contact Starboard Services who runs the gift shop. Starboard said TOO BAD, YOU HAD ONE YEAR TO CONTACT US FOR A REFUND! Of course I no longer have the receipt etc. So, I do not even have proof to pursue things. I just want others WARNED.
I spent $225.00 on this fake jewelry. People should know that Carnival is comitting FRAUD!
Rich of Pittsfield MA (05/07/08)
In a nutshell, my Mother, Father Sister, wife and I took an 8 day Easter Caribbean cruise on the Miracle out of NYC. This was our second cruise with carnival. We booked a shore excursion for our fort port-of-call which was San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Basically we got ripped-off. The excursion was not even close to the description we had read. A group of people from another bus received all there money back, and after tireless attempts to get a refund the best they could do was a 10% discount. We were lied to, by the shore excursion agents aboard the ship. They said they received their money back because their bus broke down. After questioning the party we later discovered that that was a lie.
The agents also told us to call a toll free number when we returned home and they would resolve the matter. When we called the number we found we were lied to again. The agent on the phone said that all matters have to be resolved on the ship; the only thing they can do is give us a credit towards our next cruise. That is after a long investigation. The bottom line that I learned is to never book excursions thru Carnival; Go on your own when you get to your port of call. There are private tours that are cheaper and you will see more. As for Carnival, we will never cruise with them again. They lost our buiseness over $80.
Richard of Orient OH (04/24/08)
Carnival charged $350 to our credit card for room service. It said in our pamphlets that room service was free. All we ordered were some bagels and juice. It took about a month to recover the money. But since they charged us so much we ended up spending our last day in Miami sitting in an airport for 12 hours because we didn't have the money to pay for the hotel we had reserved. The end of our honeymoon was ruined.
Our honeymoon was ruined, we acquired bank fees for being overdrawn, and we had to sit in an airport for 12 hours because we didn't have the money to go anywhere else.
John of Harbor Island SC (04/21/08)
Your initial statement that you have more complaints about Carnival then all others combined is extremely biased -- they are the biggest, and in my opinion THE BEST!!! We have cruised on Carnival 12 times and they have ALL BEEN GREAT, and with Celebrity once and it was bad. BUT, do not deal with a travel agency, deal with Carnival direct and read and understand their policies. They do what the say and say what they do. They are very good and treat you like royalty. OF COURSE, if you're one of those that wants to complain about every little thing (something that America is doing quite frequently about everything -- The Ugly Americans) you will always find something to complain about. BUT smile -- the world is Your Oyster if you just look at your glass as being half-full. Relax - enjoy - smile. You will find that Carnival is just plain Great! After 13 cruises, 12 with Carnival, I would never ever cruise another cruise line -- Carnival is whats it all about. Thank You!!!
Marillyn of Centerville, UT (04/16/08)
I recieved a telephone call from Brian at Carnival Cruise Lines on April 16, at approx. 1:00 MST. I tried to be pleasant and told him I was not interested in a cruise, and would like to be removed from their calling list. He immediantlly hung up on me without any reply. After I have made the effort to get to the phone and made the effort to be nice to an unwelcome phone call, I would apprecaite it if Carnival would have their solicitors try to be polite, rather than hanging up on people!
This one phone call will impact my choice as to which cruise line I will use when I travel and it won't be Carnival!
Gilles of Boucherville OTHER (04/16/08)
At a moment in time I asked my appointed Carnival Vacation Planner to proceed the final payment of my cruise ahead of time ( because the dollar exchange rate was very positive for me ) 3 weeks later, when looking at my credit card bill, I realized that he never did what I asked him to do so... it cost me a little over 200$. I sent a registered mail to CCL on March 15th and I have no news since.
I am trying to get in contact with any manager or person in charge in CCL and it is impossible to get past the Vacation Planner. It is virtually impossible to get any phone number beside the VP.
I would appreciate to get any CCL manager or supervisor phone number in Miami so I can at least talk to someone. Sincere thanks
Tom of Latham NY (04/16/08)
My son cruised on Carnival in March 2008. He checked is backpack with the boat on the dock. When the backpack was delivered to the stateroom, his MP3 player was gone. The headphones were still in the backpack. Carnival Cruise staff stole the player. Carnival Customer service told me that they recommend not leaving anything of value in luggage. I asked for a definition of of value. Does my suit count?
They claim they have no responsibility. I stated that they are giving their staff a license to steal anything they want as Carnival simply says not my responsibility. This is a horrible abdication of responsibility. Are they not responsible for the actions of their staff?
Loss of a $250 MP3 player.
Supannee of Moreno Valley CA (04/09/08)
I have booked 13 tickets for Ensanada Maxico. Until 2 days before sailing one pasenger become very ill and unable to travel by doctor's order. I have called Orlando and let him know that , it 's going to be a group of 12 passenger and I wanted a credit for the one was cancelled.
I'm requesting for a credit for the next cruise. Which I will be planning in a near future.
Chris of Brooksville FL (04/01/08)
I had a special promotion for a 'free' cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines for being a Hilton Honors VIP. Long story short, I paid $138 to Carnival for reserving my cabin, which they then promptly sold to someone else. So I am out my cruise. I then wanted my $138 back which they refused. These people seem more interested in fleecing Americans, than cruising. I disputed the charges with my credit card.
I got cheated out of my cruise. Thats what happened. Then they cheated me out of my $138 which they refuse to give back. Class action lawyers call me. Seriously. I will be a good client. I am doing this on principle.
Rani of Brampton OTHER (03/31/08)
I am in the process of booking hopefully a carnival Cruise. Yvette and I have exchanged several emails and phone calls, mostly meaningful. While I was in the process of finalising which or price will best suit us, I received quite rude email from Yvette Ford stating that Carnival is not a flea market etc and went on being pushy about booking the cruise. It has worried me that the Cruise line I may be considering to vacation with may have rude and pushy workers. There are 8 of us travelling. At this point I am not so sure I should be considering Carnival.
Tim of Nashport OH (03/30/08)
I have being on 12 Carnival cruises and have all been good. The couple of times I have had problems they handled them quickly and I was happy with the results.
Kari of Powell TN (03/26/08)
My husband and I along with our 2 daughters went on a 7 day Caribbean cruise which overall was pleasant. Our biggest problem is the way they handled the issues we ran into with delayed and cancelled flights which were booked through them. Our initial flight was cancelled which happens so I called the emergency number we were given, this was on a saturday night around 7pm our flight was supposed to leave 7am the next morning, we were informed that there was nothing they could do and I would have to call back in the morning. We live in TN and the port was in Miami so unless we left within an hour or two we couldn't make it by car. Luckily the lady from Northwest went out of her way and rebooked the flight for us which was Carnival's responsibility. On March 23rd our ship came into port and we went from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale on a Greyhound bus that was disgusting and filthy, our flight was delayed for 2 hours which once again wasn't there fault, however it caused us to miss our connecting flight in Atlanta to get us back to TN. We once again called the emergency number thinking surely since we are stranded they would rebook us but NO! The guy said he had no authority to do anything we would have to call back monday morning during normal business hours. We were offered a discounted hotel rate by Delta which I'm very unhappy with also, they never offered us standby seats for another flight leaving 2 hours later or anything. My husband and I ended up renting a car and driving 4 hours home in the middle of the night. Our luggage was nowhere to be found and when we got to the airport in knoxville to pick up our jeep and drop off the rental car no one offered any apologies or explanation for what happened. I contacted Carnival today and I was referred to 3 different offices before I could file a complaint. I asked for our money to be refunded for the flight or to be reimbursed for the car rental. This is the second time we've sailed with them and after the hell we went through it will be the last.
Brenda of Katy TX (03/24/08)
I asked for a quote for an ocean view room and was giving a price. It wasn't until I was checking in online that I realized I had been assigned to an interior cabin. I was told that there must have been a communication problem and that the price I was quoted was for an interior room. I asked what the cost of an upgrade would cost and was told it would be $80. I agreed to pay for an upgrade but instead of being charged $80, I was charged $129. Carnival claimed that the $80 quote hadn't included port fees and taxes. I can understand why there would be additional taxes, but I thought port fees were a per person charge. I had already paid port fees prior to the upgrade.
The cabin I had was next to a kitchen and I heard dishes rattling constantly. Made it very hard to sleep. Also there was a strong smell of sewage in the hallway outside my cabin. The food was not good on the ship and the coffee was totally undrinkable. It looked and tasted old. The entertainment on board was cheesy. A Hairy Chest Competition? Give me a break. You can't get more cheesy than that! I was also overcharged for soft drinks in the cabin. When I arrived, there were two Sprites and two Coca-Colas in my cabin. I don't drink Coke but I did drink the two Sprites. The stateroom attendant never replaced the drinks. The price list in the cabin said the cost of the drinks was $1.75. I was charged nearly $13 for them. When I complained, I was told the cost was $3 a piece, plus tax and that I had consumed 4, not 2 as I claimed. It was my word against theirs and they refused to adjust the bill. I think I was also overcharged for internet usage, but again my word against theirs. The staff was just downright rude when I complained. I will never sail with Carnival Cruise Lines again.
Over $2000 paid for a miserable time!
Marvin of Delta OH (03/15/08)
I booked a cruise for wife, daughter, and myself in Feb, 2008 to Easter Caribbean. I use a CPAP device for my breathing at night. I notified them ahead of time that I was going to use it. They had me fill out a whole set of forms so they would have every thing ready so I could use it when on board. When I got on board I went to the room and looked for a place to plug it in. There were no outlets on the side of the room where the beds were. I called the information desk and they said the only thing they could help me with was to give me a big extension cord to run through the center of the room. I said OK, can room service bring it to my room. They said no because we have to have you sign for a $25.00 deposit we charge to your card. I had to go and stand in a long line to get the cord and then the last day I would have to stand in a long line again to return it again.
They also had big towels in the room that had a note on them that said they woud charge me $25.00 if they were not there after the cruise. How come they could not just bring me the extension cord and if it was not in the room after the cruise they charge me for it? I notified them and filled out a lot of paperwork to make sure everything would go fine and they were not willing to do anything to help me. I did not use the machine the last night because I did not want to wait in a long line the last day to return it. This was medical equiptment and they went more out of there way to take care of bringing to food to peoples' rooms than helping me.
Very poor help for a person with special medical needs.
Paul of San Diego CA (03/11/08)
I was shocked to find the lady (Justina) who was caring for my child, smelling of liquor. This was my first and last cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines. I reported the problem to (Julie Wiltshire) camp director and was treated like the problem. It took 18 guests (My work friends) to get their Security into action. Julie would not contact security to write a report and get her (The drunk) out of the camp. I'm disgusted by CCL. Poor handling of a situation that could have been handled much better. You don't treat the guest like an idiot. Did I see her drinking? No, but I could not miss the smell of liquor and my girlfriend smelled it too. When security showed 60 minutes later at their office where we were waiting the cover up started. Security said he was going to take a report from my girlfriend who was now babysitting in the cabin. They never showed to do the report but she had smelled the liquor on her too.
Ruined the trip, $2700 down the hole.
Don of Waxhaw NC (03/05/08)
I purchased a vacation plan during a carnival cruise. The people said I would save money by getting the lowest prices for me and my friends, along with other benefits. Before I ever used the program, it became clear the people made lots of false claims, and the prices quoted were hard to find. After I managed to book one cruise, I was notified that the company was not selling anymore memberships and there would in fact not be special. Staff on board as promised during contact, and we even had to sign a document that we were aware not every boat had this service. We were promised a port shopping discount card in brochure. No one knows about it. We found a cheaper cruise price on Princess they refused to even match the price, We had to book through another travel company. We were promised exclusive savings and we cannot find any. The deals offered to us are not as good as deals we can find without club restrictions. When we booked with this company, we did not even get our free upgrades as past cruisers--and were put in the bottom of the boat. When I book anywhere, we start at a 4-A category and get upgraded 2 categories or more as past cruisers. This club quotes prices not as good as competition, and then they only give you a 1a category to get the lower price--at least a $50.00 cost difference per person. We were delivered an inferior product for more money.
They are claiming to honor their current contracts but have lied about all my benefits, They sold us another deal to book a room in a top notch resort for an additional $299.00, They even recommended you split the resorts with other couples, and it would pay for the room and even make money. Unfortunately the only rooms available in North Carolina are in a mountain and not in Myrtle Beach that is advertised in their brochures. Most rooms are more like hotels than 5 star resorts and hold only 4 guests, and some 6 guests. They also started my membership from the date we deposited even though we could not use the program until paid in full--which, of course, effects the end date of use. If I want a deal it will be in September of 2009. This is known as super saver rates, that I can get anywhere.
I paid $3500.00 for the best rate deals, and this company has basically gone out of business selling this program, removed several of my benefits, and lied about the rest; and in no way have they been flexible or offered restitution for the loss to me. Currently I have been waiting since Friday evening to reach the most senior CCL rep to have time to speak with me. Her office in in the Carnival building. I finally reached her in person today, but she was unavailable and promised to call back Thursday. I really just wanted my money back. These people have lied so much and failed to deliver their promise; I don't know how they can get away with this. I have my entire package and all the notes we took during the sales presentation. If you agree or can help, please reply to me. Thanks.
I have paid more money for my cruises than normal even though I prepaid. I have not received the best price, upgrades, or my port shopping discount card. The resort coupon is not available in my home state as advertised in myrtle beach in brochure. I now spend hours of time tying to use up my points to a club that was supposed to deliver me the best. I have lost faith in Carnival Cruise lines for allowing this deception to take place on their vessel to their customer. I cannot imagine there have not been class action lawsuits over this.
Petra of Kincardine OTHER (03/02/08)
I am disgusted with the 'tips' that are automatically added to your bill on Carnival cruises. We had settled our bill and were about to disembark when we spoke to one of the cleaning staff. My husband asked about how the tips are received. To our surprise we were informed that he receives the SAME amount on his pay cheque every time. How can that be if you can adjust the tips on your bill? When we cruised with Carnival the second time, we fought to have the tips removed from our bill. We were successful. We then proceeded to give a cash tip to all our servers in the dining room and to our room steward. You cannot imagine how grateful they all were.
Nancy of Pottstown PA (03/01/08)
My husband and I had a great time on their Fascination trip to Mexico this past week (2-25-08) until we returned to the Miami port, and one of our suitcases was missing. We had brought a Carnival bag to bring home 6 bottles of liquor and my husband's two cartons of cigarettes. We were told that all our belongings would be safe if we put our suitcase outside our stateroom. But we lost out on at lest $200.00. We are second time cruisers with Carnival, and after this we just might never cruise again with carnival. We told the Carnival people at the dock, but all they did is take a report.
Robert of Houma LA (03/01/08)
I took photos using 35mm film. Carnival Cruise Lines required all cameras to go through x-rays. I explained that even the airlines allowed the film to bypass the x-ray machine for ASA's of 800 or higher. Carnival rep stated that x-ray machines didn't hurt film under 1600 ASA. All of my week's worth of photos were destroyed from being subjected to x-rays, despite their assurance it wouldn't.
All photos for the week long cruise, including extra costing shore excursions on five different islands, were damaged due to the x-ray machines that Carnival Cruise Lines forced my camera through. Cruise cost $3300.
Lillian of Pt. Charlotte FL (03/01/08)
I made my reservations in the fall of 2007 with Carnival to be with our children (5 and 1 guest). I have been on Carnival cruises 3 times. I used our credit card; then without asking us they charged us for the fuel charge...taking this off our card. Several days later we get a letter telling us they did this. What right do they have to take the money off our credit card without first asking and getting our OK? Our guest who booked with us and booked with another person was told he would have a $100.00 rebate because he is a veteran.
I called Kim and asked her why she never asked if my husband was a veteran and that he was entitled to this? She said because she was giving us an upgrade. I never heard what the up grade was or a choice of either. I will never use or recommend Carnival to any other person, and my family will not either. Thank you for letting me get this out my system.
Olympica of Rialto CA (02/19/08)
I am a Travel Agent just starting out in this business. I booked several cabins on Carnival's Paradise Cruise Ship, a 3-day Baja, Mexico cruise. The first unsatisfactory business practice of Carnival Cruise was the Fuel surcharge that was charged after prices were quoted and deposits/payments were made. Carnival imposed a fuel surcharge after the fact. I had to inform my clients that they would have to pay this or cancel their trip. My clients agreed to pay the fuel surcharge. Next unsatisfactory area of business was on one of the several cabins that was booked; one of the cabins was booked with an actual passenger name, then the second passenger was TBA (to be announced). The initial passenger fell and broke his leg and was not going to be able to go on the cruise, but he decided to sell the cruise to his brother and his brother's friend since it was already paid in full. My clients had already contacted Carnival on their own to see what were their options and were told they could switch the name with no problem, but since they had booked through my travel agency they would need to contact the agency and have me do it.
I called Carnival to change the initial passenger's name and add the TBA name to the reservation, and was told that I could change the initial passenger's name but not the second name. I informed the rep that there was never a second passenger's name on the reservation, just a TBA. They refused to change the name and said that the only option was for my clients was to cancel the initial reservation and book and pay again using the new passengers' names. I spoke with my clients about this; they agreed that they would cancel the initial reservation and re-book. I called Carnival to do all of this and was told that we were past one of their many types of penalties, and my client would lose $200.00 from the initial payment. I asked Carnival could there possibly be an exception made because it wasn't like we were just canceling the reservation? We would also be re-booking the same cabin as soon as we canceled the initial reservation. Carnival would not budge on this. They insisted on their policy and would refund everything except $200.00 even with re-booking for the same cruise and the same cabin! Still my clients agreed to the penalty and still booked the reservation anyway, after all this. Carnival said that the money would be refunded back to the client's card within 10 business days. It has been almost 60 days, and Carnival has yet to refund the credit card the amount of the cruise minus the $200.00.
The cruise has come and gone and still no refund. I contacted Carnival's refund department and was told that they had not refunded the approximate amount of $1000.00 to the credit card because their commission of $130.13 had not been returned to them. I informed Carnival that I had not received the commission, and what does a travel agency commission of $130.13 have to do with them refunding this passenger back his $1000.00 after 60 days for a cabin that was never used, but also re-booked for other passengers? The commission dispute should have to do with the Travel Agency and Carnival, not with the customer who has nothing to do with commissions. My client has still not received his money back on a cruise and cabin that he never even took and still had to pay them $200.00 to create a reservation, then cancel it--even though the canceled reservation was immediately replaced with a new one.
So not only has Carnival basically gotten over on this fuel surcharge by charging people even after the fact and payment in full, but also they get over on their cancellation policies. Carnival made $4332.00 from one party booking on a 3-day excursion, and won't refund $1000.00 to a customer that never even took the cruise-- all over a commission discrepancy of $130.13. How petty can Carnival be when the make millions of dollars?
Gail of Newalla OK (02/19/08)
Carnival brochures all claim no seasickness because they deploy stabilizers. Ever seen folks in formal wear lying on the ground? I did on our cruise to Mexico Feb. 9-14, 2008. If this would've been our first cruise, we'd never go again. The seas and winds weren't even bad, and we were rocking and rolling the whole trip! We did however get to port early!
A boat load of people were all on drugs or the patch for six days! People were falling, being helped from place to place by other passengers. No dancing at all....
Jay of North Branch MN (02/10/08)
We booked on January 2, 2008 and were promised that once we paid some brochures, a DVD and ports of call/shore excursion information would be sent right out and that if we didn't receive it within 10 days to call back and they would overnight it to me. The info did not arrive within 10 days and I have made many requests for it to be sent out. It is now Feb 10 and still no info. I was finally told that I was not receiving it because it was our first trip on Carnival and we were not yet in the system. Yet somehow they were able to take our several thousand dollar reservation and send me tickets. Sorry no refunds, so you have no recourse for poor customer service. We previously sailed Princess and they were wonderful with information. We were warned by several people who had previously sailed on Carnival to avoid them due to poor customer service, but they were so nice and accommodating before we booked that I never dreamed they would have a Jekyl and Hyde persona. Buyer Beware!
Jane of Humpty Doo OTHER (02/03/08)
In early 2007 we booked a Christmas/New Year 20-day cruise with Carnival from Bangkok to Sydney. The purpose of the cruise was to catch up with some people from America we had met on a previous cruise in Tahiti. We had become good friends, and this was a great chance to see the friends and for them to see some of Australia with us. Unfortunately, three months from the cruise departure date of 20 December ,our American friends had to cancel through no fault of their own. We immediately contacted Carnival to also cancel our trip; it seemed pointless to go without our friends. The terms and conditions of the contract states that if the cruise is during the Christmas/New Year period you must give 90 days or more notice to receive your refund. All other cruises require only 60 days. We gave 89 days and now Carnival refuses to refund our deposit of $1000.00. We explained to Carnival the circumstances and asked them to review our case.
We said that they could give us a refund or credits to another cruise which we would book immediately, but the only response we have been able to solicit is that they will not refund the money under any circumstances. Our travel agent was able to find other people who would take the cruise, but still Carnival refuses to refund. Our message - don't travel with Carnival. We are now out of pocket $1000.00, and Carnival is refusing to look at any options.
Carmody of Lomita, CA (01/31/08)
At the end of my trip, Carnival placed a hold on my bank account for the amount I had charged, which was fine. However, the full amount was debited from my account on the same day I returned, but the hold is still on - nearly 4 days later. This caused my account to become overdrafted. I now have $102 in overdraft charges and have no access to MY money in my bank account because the hold authorization hasn't been released.
I spoke with Carnival Customer Service and was told that this is perfectly legal, it's my problem that I didn't have enough money in my account to cover twice as much as I charged and that there was nothing they could or would do. They told me this is in the literature but would not tell me what literature they were referring to. There was no mention of this when I boarded the ship and put my card down and received my sign and sail card.
Debbie of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (01/31/08)
I recently took a cruise with Carnival and was so disappointed in the cleanliness of the ship. Our room was so dirty, the shower and sink kept backing up and they did nothing about it. The carpets in the room were filthy as well as the hallways. The dust was inches thick and the mirrors were dirty. There was a drink spilled on the wall and it was all sticky and very noticable. The smell of sewer outside our room was terrible.
I never met the people who cleaned our rooms for days and then they just said hello and never introduced themselves. The service was terrible. I think because the staff knows they are getting a tip on our bill they don't bother to put out the service anymore. I refused to pay that $70 charge and had it removed from my bill.
The cruise director was never seen during the day and needless to say there was not much going on for fun unless you paid through the nose for it. This was my second cruise with Carnival and my last.
The only good service was in the dining room and the food, as usual, was good.
Jo of Apopka FL (01/31/08)
My husband and I went on a cruise out of Port carnival in December. It started with sewer smell in room and bathroom. Told steward; he said he knew--happens all the time...sewage floating in shower bottom. Then we called purser's office; they kept coming and spraying junk that flared up my asthma. They kept saying I'm sorry--that didn't help. We had a cruise from hell with pots and pans banging over our heads and wheels rolling back and forth. No sleep, no baths, just sewer smells.
We had a horrible cruise and were both sick for two weeks following our departure.
Kate of Ft. Myers FL (01/24/08)
My family and I are booked on the Carnival Splendor northern European cruise this summer. One of our stops will be St. Petersburg Russia. I heard rumors that you need a visa to get off the ship and explore Russia on your own. I called the 800 Carnival number, and I am told that, no you do not need a Visa to visit Russia because we are in port. This of course if false! I then called my Carnival sales person, and she did some research and we do in fact need a visa in order to explore Russia on our own. Now, if we purchase the high-priced excursions from Carnival, it will include the visa charge.
None of this was told to us when purchasing the tickets. I cannot image the angry people when the passengers are told this when they arrive on board. There is no way to obtain a visa in Russia while you are there. So, you have to pay Carnival's price to get off the ship! This is dirty and sneaky! Take a look at the cost of the excursions. How could you do every Carnival excursion and have a bank account left at the end of the cruise? I want to warn any Splendor passengers that they should look into getting a visa if they want to go off the ship on their own in Russia. I'm Carnival mad!
Linda of Columbus OH (01/23/08)
I booked a back-to-back cruise with Carnival. I spent eight months planning the cruise and spent a total of over $5000 for the cruise itself, $1500 for shore excursions, tuxedo rental, etc. before leaving on the cruise, and another $1500 on the ship week 1 (December 16-23). On December 23 I was informed that my account was frozen, and that I could make no charges on my account (this was day 1 of the second 7-day cruise). I was informed by guest services that my account had been charged $1150.00 for $500.00 of charges that I had made during week 1 (more than double). These holds were to remain on my account until December 31 (one day after the cruise ended). I was stuck on the ship for 7 days with absolutely no money for anything, and guest services would do absolutely nothing to help me. (They did talk to my credit card company 3 times, and each time they were told that Carnival did in fact have $1100 in hold on my account for $500 in purchases.)
I spent Christmas Eve, Christmas day and the other five days in the cabin--I was not able to go ashore (no taxi money, etc.), not able to purchase photographs, drinks, bingo, spa, gifts...nothing. A shore excursion I had purchased and paid for from home was canceled, and Carnival would not let me book another excursion because I had no money (refund would not be made to account until evening). We missed another shore excursion ($250) because we had booked through another company, and we had no money to take taxi to/from excursion. I was treated horribly by Carnival--they would do absolutely nothing to help me even though they had double charged my account (a habit from the other feedback I have read). My trip was a nightmare for me and my guest (was a surprise Christmas/birthday gift), and Carnival refuses to acknowledge they did anything wrong and will do nothing to help me rectify this.
PLEASE! Before even thinking of booking with Carnival, read not only my feedback but all of that which is at this site and many others! I wish I had! I spent 1 week in a cabin that never got cleaned...ordered room service and watched TV from Colorado (all they get...). Merry Christmas from Carnival!
Faye of Huntersville NC (01/23/08)
I booked a group cruise of the Glory on October 20-27, 2007. This trip was a horror story: the food was awful, our rooms were near the front of the ship, the noise and smell of illegal drugs was so bad we ran to our cabins, customer service did not do anything after every person in the groups complained. We requested to change rooms; we all got the same answer: the ship is booked full.
I wrote a letter, emailed twice to the corporate office, with no return answer. I called and was left on hold for 50 minutes. Per this guy in Customer Relations with Carnival, nothing could have been done. Carnival is a company that now is only about getting your money with no customer service while on the ship or after you leave the ship. We went to port of Honduras. Why would a ship stop in Honduras? Most of the people did not get off the ship.
Tracy of Whitehall, OH (01/22/08)
I booked a 3 day cruise for my husband, myself, mom and dad. We were to get a room right next to my parents since one is handicapped and one is on oxygen. I asked about the inside room and was told I could get a room with a window and ocean view for $309 as opposed to $279. I agreed to that and paid in full the following day.
I looked at the confirmation papers to discover that they had my name wrong and my parent's names misspelled. I called and brought this to their attention and was told it was no big deal, to straighten things out when I preregistered. My meal time was also wrong. Upon further review the next day, I questioned the room number and was told that we were booked in the same room!
I called to clarify with Travelocity and was told that it would be $240 more for the deal that we had already made an agreement on. I spoke to the manager who offered a downgrade pair of rooms. I mentioned that all calls were recorded, and if she questioned the deal to take a listen. No deal. I called and spoke to Ashley who tried to see if they could meet me in the middle, since it was their new employee that made quotes that could not be kept. NO DEAL AGAIN.
I will NEVER deal with either of these two companies again. They know I have no choice, since the trip can not be canceled. I agreed to pay $10 more for less accommodations, and while on hold they jumped it up another $80. When I asked them for a breakdown, low and behold it was $10 again.
I haven't even gotten on board yet.....what's next????
Jeffrey of Pineville, NC (01/18/08)
I am very angered by the fuel supplement recently implemented by Carnival Cruise Lines. I booked my cruise early last fall, and several months after that, I receive a letter notifying me of this fuel surcharge!
Why should we have to pay more AFTER the booking of the trip?
From the Carnival letter : "Dear Carnival Guest: We wanted you to be aware that because of rapidly escalating fuel prices, Carnival Corporation & pIc's six North American brands, including Carnival Cruise Lines, have implemented a fuel supplement of $5 per person per day. The fuel supplement, which applies to the first and second guests in a stateroom (not to exceed $70 per person, per voyage) is effective on all bookings for cruises departing on, or after February 1, 2008. The fuel supplement is necessitated by significant rises in fuel prices which have dramatically increased Carnival Corporation & pIc's operating costs. In fact, over the past three years, the price the company pays for fuel has increased by 140 percent, with a 50 percent increase occurring in just the last seven months. Until now, the company has been absorbing this significant increase in fuel costs. Unfortunately, we cannot continue to shoulder this huge cost burden and now find it necessary to implement a supplement to partially offset a portion of soaring fuel costs."
Tatyana of Herndon, VA (01/18/08)
My elderly parents have been traveling with a group on Carnival Cruises for several years. This fall, they booked a vacation to the Caribbean on a Carnival cruise. Unfortunately, this November my grandmother fell sick and died. My mother, completely devastated, had to cancel the trip to make the funeral arrangements and to recover from the loss. The travel agent immediately found a new couple to fill the cabin months before the cruise left.
Even after explaining the situation to many agents and higher management, Carnival remained completely indifferent to the situation and charged over 50 percent penalty fees for the cancellation.
I think the way and the attitude Carnival dealt with this tragic situation was completely inhumane and greedy, just trying to get as much money out of my parents as possible at this unfortunate time.
James of Wartburg, TN (01/16/08)
My wife and I took our first cruise with Carnival aboard the Sensation departing 8/19/07. It was a 3 day cruise to the ports of Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas. It was overall a disappointing experience.
The boat was obviously an older boat, and it's age showed in the decor, wall art, carpets, etc. It really gave the vibe of being in an aging casino, no matter where in the ship you were.
The cruise itself offered nothing in the way of sightseeing, or enjoying the islands. This had to be done through excursions which were extremely unreasonably priced. At Freeport, the ship docked in a industrial area. From our room we had a 'lovely' view of a gravel pit and a shipping yard. From the opposite side of the boat you could catch a glimpse of an oil refinery.
Luckily we had booked a Dolphin Encounter (for an extra few hundred dollars!!) The encounter was listed as a 3 hour encounter with dolphins. At the appropriate time, we boarded a bus for our excursion. We rode in a bus with no air conditioning for about 25-30 minutes. We got off of the bus at a resort which owned the dolphins. We waited there for another 20 minutes or so, with no one telling us what was going on, what we were waiting for, or anything. We just sat on a bench looking at a small dock. When our boat finally came in, we took a short boat ride out to the dolphin cove, where we took turns spending about 3-4 minutes petting a dolphin. The excursion turned out to be the highlight of our trip.
Our next port of call was Nassau which offered much more in the way of natural beauty. The people of Nassau is what ruined the day. There is only one port in Nassau, so of course all the locals know the schedules of the boats, and wait to pan-handle people as they debark. We walked through the 'terminal', which had several stands with people selling amongst other things, $5 bottles of water. We walked out onto a street filled with cabs, people offering to sell you a carriage ride, necklaces, cuban cigars, etc., etc.,
Our trip was wrapped up with a 'fun day at sea', where we spent a cloudy day in our room trying to avoid the hundreds of children on board. Overall I feel lied to and mislead by Carnival. They lead you to believe you are spending a set amount of money to have a great 3 or 4 day trip to some exotic islands, when actually you will have to pay considerably more to actually be able to get out and enjoy the shore excursions. The food was mediocre at best, the booze on board was insanely priced, and the other passengers were loud, rude, and obnoxious.
And the icing on the cake is that now I get junk e-mails, and calls from a harassing vacation planner from carnival a few times a month.
Nathan of Nashville MI (01/06/08)
After having paid for an excursion which was than cancelled Carnival refunded my money to an account which listed me as having a balance due to gratuity charges. They still have not paid me for the cancelled excursion,
As always I had tipped the people who make up the room and the people in the dinning room. At this point I'm out $149.00. I would like the mailing address of Carnival in Miami.
Sharon of Flint, MI (01/01/08)
This was the most terrible vacation ever. First, the staff was not friendly, the food was not great, and people could care less if they helped you or not. The ship keep rocking and rocking, and then our camera was stolen. All of our honeymoon pictures are gone.
We didn't have a great time all at.
Kathy of Yuba City CA (12/21/07)
We agreed on a price and now Carnival is adding charges without notification. I don't care what they call the charge, it is not a tax and therefore, goes toward the fare. This is not fare nor good business practices.
Rae of Newcastle CA (12/16/07)
My boyfriend and I just returned from Carnival's Grand Caymam/Jamaica Imagination cruise - departed 12/08/07. Never have I had such rude service. Our rooms were clean and appeared to be newly appointed, however, our ship smelled badly of urine, at every elevator - so much we took stairs EVERYTIME. Also, at the coffee shop it smelled like mildew, like old bar towels.
I was told cell phones would work from their own wireless service, but our two days at sea had no cell sevice and we were told they were working on it, that it wasn't the SHIPS cell wireless service that was down, but a secondary company. No more Carnival Cruises for me. We took the time at home, on the computer to check in online, only to be met with a three hour delay of lines to board the ship. Their excuse? 'Well, apparentely everyone checked in online'. After three (disgusting) hours in line with hungry people searching for free food, I was told I was a VIP and didn't have to stand in that long line. I asked why? Because anyone who purchases a balcony suite is automatically a VIP. (We attemped to ask questions prior to the long line - no one wanted to help).
Probably the most shocking observation was the fact we had just returned from Jamaica, yet we were allowed to hand carry our luggage off the ship for an early excursion in Florida, with absolutely no security check whatsoever. They checked my passport and then we were free to go. No luggage check. How long will it take drug smugglers to figure that one out. I never saw one canine (although I heard they were there) And I totallly agree with an early complaint that we were told we could change the tip amounts through the purser's office. After the third attempt to do so, I gave up. The manipulation about the end-of-cruise comment card was worthy of a career politician. We checked with our steward and wait staff and was told that anything not an exceeded my expectations would be a mark against them. The survey was made so that you couldn't easily rate the cruise without pointing to an employee who would be economically impacted by the comment. Misleading advertising was used everywhere throughout the Carnival experience. The Vacation Club sales pitch must only escape regulation because it's done at sea.
My horse was having surgery at home and I was frustrated without having cell phone usuage. The surgery was cancelled and I never got that message (along with American Airlines cancelling our flight home, I never got that message either due to no cell service). Sounds to me they used that as an excuse to save money, I heard there were no secondary wireless people involved.
William of Chester SC (12/14/07)
My wife and I were on a cruise on Carnival Holiday in the latter part of November, 2007, and I purchased a diamond and sapphire ring for her from the fine jewelry shop onboard for the sum of $469.99. The ring was too small and the jewelry associate assured us that all we had to do to have the ring sized at no charge was to mail it to the above address in Miami. We mailed it about a month ago and yesterday someone named Monica called and asked for William ___, my wife's first husband, who is deceased. I suppose she got the last name from my wife's passport although the transaction was done by me. She also has my wife's name down as Sarah which, so far, she has not corrected after 2-3 conversations. I'm not even sure she corrected the last name. She informed me that the ring would not be ready until JAN. 24 (two months or more from when it was mailed). She tried to talk me into cancelling the order by telling me that I needed the money. That really angered me. She knows nothing about my financial situation, I bought that ring for my wife because she wanted it as a souvineer and a remembrance of our trip. It was also to be part of her Christmas gift. If I had known at the time I was told I only had to ship it to Miami, I would have purchased the ring locally and not had to endure this headache and aggravation. If I had purchased the ring off the ship, for instance in Cozumel, I could understand the delay and confusion but Carnival is a reputable cruiseline and I foresaw no problem with the purchase.
Next time I'll know better. My fear is that when Jan. 24, 2008 rolls around I'll get another call from Monica saying it will take another month, etc. This is not good business practice. The assosiates need to inform the customers about the procedure and people like Monica need to know how to speak with the customers. As far as I'm conerned they're working for me because I'm paying for the product so they need to be informed and respectful.
Laura of West Hills CA (12/01/07)
I just returned from a Carnival Cruise from Long Beach, CA to Ensenada, Mexico and am completely covered in bed bug bites. Trip was from 11/23/07 to 11/26/07. Not only is my torso full of bites, but my left inner ear has been itching intensily and apparently a bed bug, and probably more than one bug, entered my ear during the night(s). I am appalled at the horrendous and filthy accomodations on this ship. I have never, ever had bug bites. And I would never take a Carnival Cruise again.
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Peggy of Hoschton GA (11/10/07)
Before we left port, we were instructed to go for a lifeboat drill..In all my years I have never seen a life boat drill handled this way.. We heard some man give a talk, but never had our vest on or shown our station...There were many people with small children on board, and childrens vest were top side in a storage chest...If there had been an accident, there would have been many passengers lost at sea... Crew would have known what to do, as I watched their drill, and it far surpassed ours. I have been instructed to call United States Coast Guard, and report this very serious matter...Have traveled on many ships, since I was 9 months old, and am now 78. will NEVER travel again on a Carnival Line..This was my first and will be my last.
Edward of Carriere MS (11/10/07)
My wife and seven of my fellow church members went on a cruise (11/3/07) on Carnival boat Fantasty out of New Orleans, La. We purchsed tickets from a travel agent and were told the cost of the ticket ($318) and a $50 gratuity was mandatory. The last day of the cruise my wife and the other seven members were charged an additional $50 by Carnival. When I called Carnival customer services I was told due to privacy they could not help me, and that I should call the ticket agent. I was told by Carnival that the $50 gratuity was not paid by the agent. If the agent ripped us off, calling him would be useless and Carnival doesn't care since they have collected again.
8 church members were ripped off for $50 with no recourse to get it back. But mostly, I am peeved that Carnival doesn't care about its customers. It will be the last time Carnival gets my business.
Patrick of Queens Village, NY (10/30/07)
This was the first cruise I had been on. It was for my wife's birthday and we were very excited until the last 2 days when we found stuff missing from our room. My wife's ipod, which was on the counter, was missing. The headphones and charger, which were in my computer bag in no view, were also stolen.
These people clearly knew what they were stealing and searched through our personal stuff.
Loretta of Raleigh NC (10/23/07)
My family and I (group of eight), were on Carnival Cruise Victory Ship on October 16, 2007. I was in the photo shop aboard the ship in which I purchased several pictures; I requested that one picture be duplicated so that my sister and I could both have a copy. After paying for the photos I proceeded to the elevator when I was stopped and accused of stealing the photos! The clerk snatched my belongings and started to search them, after not finding what he was looking for he kept asking me where was the photo. I was so angry and distraught that I took all my belongings back to the counter and demanded my money back and asked to speak to the manager. To my surprise he defended the clerk and asked me what was the big deal! I also filed a formal complaint with Purser Clerk; he also thought it was amusing. I never got an apology from anyone, not the manager, the Purser or the clerk who falsely accused me of stealing!
Jodi of Vergennes, VT (10/23/07)
My husband and I were on a cruise last week when I had an unfortunate accident in my cabin and spilled approximately two days supply of infant formula. I spent almost the entire day at sea trying to find some infant formula. Infant formula was not available at the ships store, Camp Carnival, nor the ships infirmary. I repeatedly attempted to get the Purser's desk to seek assistance from any other passengers, with an infant on board, who might have some spare formula, but they refused to help. I was also not accommodated by the waiters when I very politely asked them if they could puree some fruit for the baby at breakfast.
I am appalled that a cruise ship, which allegedly accommodates infants, does not have infant formula available on the ship for emergency situations such as this one. I paid $348.95 to bring my infant with me on this cruise, and then could not be accommodated in this emergency situation.
Andrea of Orrington ME (09/18/07)
My sister-in-law booked a cruise for 6 women on the Liberty. The cruise was pleasant, but at the end of the cruise I had been billed $300 for using the telephone. I had used a prepaid calling card and found nothing in the room regarding the use of calling cards, only what numbers to dial for an outside line. I got the outside line, then proceeded with the instructions on the back of my card. My daughter turned 11 while I was on the cruise, and that 20 minute call cost almost $150! All my calls were deducted from my calling card, plus Carnival charged me about $7.00 per minute on top of what I'd already paid for. The purser's office told me that if I called customer service, they would probably make an ajustment for me. They absolutely refused to assist in any way. We're going to continue battling this charge, but I would certainly avoid any use of telephones on any of their ships. The hidden charges are horrible!
I'm a stay at home mom and my husband and I saved for a long time to allow me to go on this cruise. I was very economical, no extras, and thought my end of trip cost would be under $200. With these phone charges, my final charge to our debit card was over $500. We still aren't sure how we'll make it through this month. My daughter and I are both type 1 diabetics and, even with great insurance, the costs are still high.
Philip of Hollywood, FL (07/12/07)
One hour after I boarded the Carnival Fascination, my ship charge card was stolen. I reported it right away and got a replacement card. The Carnival rep issued me that new card, assured me that the lost card was canceled and no charges were posted at that time. I went on believing everything is okay.
On the last day of the cruise, I got the bill of $700+ worth of mysterious charges not belong to me. Later I found out that the stolen card was never canceled and the new card shared the SAME number as the stolen card. Apparently, someone used that card and had a blast with it.
Obviously, Carnival is at fault here for the careless mistake, but they refused to remove the charges. They even make a ridiculous suggestion that I should call my own credit card company and put that charge on dispute.
Ron of Crestline, CA (05/05/07)
We returned last month from a 4 day Mexican cruise. This was our third time cruising and were not prepared for a ship overrun by 1500 children.
There was no way for the ship's crew to deal with these children. The children commandeered the elevators as "club houses". We could not use the swimming area because from the time the pools opened, until they closed, it was wall to wall children. The same was true of the other recreational facilities such as ping pong and shuffleboard. Even sun bathing was impossible as every chair on deck was filled night and day.
This was to be our "swan song" (last cruise) and not an untimely visit to hell.
Mark of Argyle TX (02/02/07)
I bought tickets on a cruise through a second party seller (Cruises Only). My wife is a foreign national and although she was approved for her green card, the physical card had not yet arrived, prompting me to contact immigration to see if she would be legal to travel if by chance her card did not show up within the 3 week timeframe that the approval letter suggested. I was assured that her status could be verified easily using her foreign passport and alien ID card- just to make sure, we brought along her US driver's license and social security card.
We drove from Dallas to Galveston to the port only to be turned away somewhat arbitrarily by the ships bursar. She refused to allow either of us to board because my wife did not have her green card in her possession. The workers at the dock were able to verify my wife's status just as immigration had promised, but the bursar still would not allow us to board. We were told by the dock crew that we could re-book our trip, and to contact Carnival.
Upon returning home, I did just that, and was told that they would not re-book, and that all the money that I had paid was effectively forfeited. I received a response of "Sorry, we are keeping your money, thanks for choosing Carnival" and they included a quotation from their policy detailing that "passengers are responsible for conforming to immigration regulations", which I had done.
We lost $1019.00 plus fuel cost for the trip to Galveston Port. This has made my wife feel like she ruined our vacation - hard to put a price on that.
Nancy of Crown Point, IN (01/17/07)
We had tickets for a cruise to leave J1/3/07 to Panama, Belize and Costa Rica. The company cancelled Belize and cut the trip short due to a medical emergency on the cruise ship before our departure. NO ONE could tell us what happened and to whom.
We lost one port and the ship was fulled with 600 seniors because a block of tickets were sold to them when others cancelled.
Because the elderly could not fend for themselves the cruise staff could not properly bus tables and care for the remaining passengers. We could not walk around without being run over by wheelchairs and walkers.
We lost a day, the most important port, and spend our vacation in an old folks home.
Theresa of Ronkonkoma NY (01/08/07)
On last day of cruise on the Carnival Victory Ship- I accidentally left my pocket book in the room but, LOCKED the room when I left for breakfast before going to customs. I realized my purse was missing around 10:15 am ran to my room to find it was wide open w/ the door stopper holding it open. I ran to my Steward (Maria - who was fabulous) and asked her if she got her tip and she said no I ran into the room my pocketbook was missing as well as the tip envelope. I searched the room frantically & found my purse stuffed into the dresser drawer. I quickly opened my purse to find ALL VALUABLES MISSING (ipod, treo cell phone, 4 pieces of jewelry- A total of $3,000 in items)
To make a LONG story short The cruise line tracks who enters the rooms by use of a card. The cops were called on ME & MY HUSBAND because we refused to leave until they helped us! They had the entire staff escort out the BACK way so none of the new people boarding the ship would know about the situation.
Christie of Tampa FL (11/07/06)
I took a long weekend with my boyfriend on board the Sensation a Carnival ship and had a very nice time. On the last day of the cruise my boyfriend and I went to watch the Win a Cruise Bingo, while we were waiting the cruise director boasted the free cruise was in a luxury suite with a balcony and a jacuzzi. After hearing how nice the cruise that you could win I decided to buy a bingo card and try to win it. Well to my surprise I did win the cruise.
When I returned home my boyfriend and I decided to look at the Carnival website to see when a good time would be to take the free cruise and see what the room would look like. I was very disappointed to find out that the free cruise was not at all what the cruise director has told us prior to playing Bingo. If fact it was in a room on a lower lever than the cruise that I had just returned from and not a suite at all. I contacted Carnival to let them know that they had given me the wrong room information and they said that the room they had given me was the standard room they gave for all of their contests.
I let them know that the cruise director specifically told us it was in a luxury suite with a balcony and a jacuzzi, they told me that it didn't matter what the cruise director said and I would be getting the standard room with a double bed and a window on the Rivera Deck (lowest level on the ship). I am very greatful that I won a free cruise but feel that I was tricked into thinking I was going to be getting something that I didn't get. I feel like they hyped up the contest to get people to play and did not deliver what they promised.
I feel that they are using bait and switch to get people to participate in contests and spend money on their raffle tickets only to be disappointed once they get home and realize what they really got.
Joy of Florence AL (11/06/06)
My family and I just got back from a Carnival Cruise - the Holiday. My husband even brought his staff with him for a dental seminar that was to be onboard. We knew the boat was an old one but had been reassured that the boat had undergone a complete renovation since Katrina. This had to be a complete and utter lie. Everywhere we went, the boat just stank. I could not stand to go into the Wharf restaurant because of the smells. We smelled everything, from diesel fuel, cigarette smoke to body odor. Our pillows stank so bad we put towels over them.
We also paid extra for a suite. Well, the coffee table was cracked, the sink was cracked, and the tub was full of rust - it was very outdated. The food was also terrible. Our steward was kind as well as our waitstaff, however, I was appalled at the working hours of these employees. They are surely being exploited. Most of the of other staff were quite rude however and couldn't care less how you felt about anything. We had terribly rough waters and our whole family stayed in the bed one day. Another complaint we had was the amount of drinking, smoking and the entertainment on the boat. We took our family to the first show and decided after all the skin we saw that this was not for the family at all.
This was the worst experience we have ever had and we want to do our part to tell everyone to avoid Carnival ships at all costs - especially the Holiday.
Melissa of Arcadia CA (11/04/06)
Carnival exploits their workers and pays them unfair wages while treating them like indentured servants. The cruiseline industry cheats the system by registering their company in Panama, a country with weak labor laws, while basing their offices out of states like California and Florida. I spent my trip mute because I felt horrible for even going on that trip. I NEVER want to go on a cruise EVER again!
There was an economic damage on the people from developing nations that this company recruits workers from. The continuing exploitation of laborers from places like the Philippines and Indonesia will sustain the low quality of life they have there.
Charles of Shaw Afb SC (10/22/06)
Another voice in the I've experienced Carnival choir. We booked two cabins in January 2006, made deposits with final payment in July. We were told Carnival upgrades early reservation passengers, not in our case. I called them after we got our cabin assignment (main deck at rear of boat) and was told that military fares don't get upgrades. I asked about paying to get one and was told that it would cost significantly more to do that. How much is that? Nearly twice your current price. Ouch, considering we paid nearly $1,300 before discounts. We did get moved closer to the front of the boat, but only our travel agent could do that. That was good. We also received two refunds, one for $180, and one that was a $102 credit when we boarded.
During the cruise, we found several passengers that paid equal or less for cabins on decks 8 & 9 with balcony, booking within 30 days of sail date.
Boarding was slow and the ship left late, because it took a long time to get the previous group off the ship. My wife was tripped by a passenger trying to get in a food line with all her carry-on baggage (no place to put it down.) A staff member helped her up, replaced the spilled food, and asked her what else she would like. She asked for a Diet Coke, that we ended up paying for. Fortunately, we brought our own antiseptic cream and band-aids for the cut and bruise, since Carnival didn't offer anything.
The food was cold the entire trip, except the evening dinner after the third night. Service was good in the evening, spotty everywhere else. We met passengers from a Princess lines ship in St Maarten (Another Carnival subsidiary) and found they had the same observations about their ship and the company's attitude that we had. The staff made several announcements about dress codes, smoking, and saving seats. They were never enforced, and the staff did nothing when notified. We ordered alcohol in the duty-free shops. The U.S. Customs fees were $2.85/bottle, not the $.50-$1.00/bottle we were told by three different staff members. Additionally, one of the orders was not complete when we got home. The boxes were sealed by the duty-free shop so we did not feel we should open them.
We were also told that we could change the tip amounts through the purser's office. After the third attempt to do so, I gave up. The manipulation about the end-of-cruise comment card was worthy of a career politician. We checked with our steward and wait staff and was told that anything not an exceeded my expectations would be a mark against them. The survey was made so that you couldn't easily rate the cruise without pointing to an employee who would be economically impacted by the comment. Misleading advertising was used everywhere throughout the Carnival experience. The Vacation Club sales pitch must only escape regulation because it's done at sea. If you want the Wal-Mart of cruising, Carnival's for you.
Candi of Panama City Beach FL (10/22/06)
My mother and father and best friend and I decided to do vacation together for the first time in many years. We took a cruise on 09/30/06 thru 10/05/06 supposedly from miami to grand caymans and jamaica. We boarded the ship Imagination where we sat for many hours before leaving miami. We were told after boarding and disembarking that our itinerary had changed due to mechanical problems on board the ship. We went to nassau for a few hours then to freeport where we spent the majority of our vacation while they worked on the boat.
They knew in advance that had mechanical problems. Some people were notified before boarding the ship that we had problems and the people received a full refund. That was not the case for the other thousand guests on board. My vacation was a disaster. We were treated terribly by the captain and other staff. Petitions have been signed a registered letter sent to president and vice president of carnival cruise line and as of yet i have had no response.
Vanessa of Philadelphia PA (10/21/06)
My husband and I just returned from a 8 day cruise with carnival Legend. We were going ashore at one of the Ports in st.thomas when my husband hit his head extremely hard on a metal bar. He was stunned and the swelling was immediate. We got back on board and went to the infirmary. The nurse on duty was sitting at the computer doing paper work. We stand at the window in clear view for at least 5 minutes. The nurse never acknowledged us standing there or my husband standing with his head in his hand in a lot of pain.
Finally I said excuse me, can we get some help and she snapped back, I'M BUSY! and continued with her paper work. Not once did she ask what the situation was. We waited and waited while she continued with her paper work and finally we said again. Is there someone else that can help us. She snapped again, I'M BUSY RIGHT NOW!! We walked out because my husband needed help ASAP. His head was swelling and he had a gash across the top of his head. We were concerned that he could pass out or something.
We walked around and found ice and applied it to his head. He was in extreme pain. He hit his head so hard that he thought he heard a crack. I called the front desk to see if anyone else could help us and they referred us back to the infirmary where the rude nurse was. The front desk called the infirmary and had the nurse call our cabin. When she called she was still being very rude and said I was helping someone else. We didn't see anyone else there and she was just sitting at at computer when we walked in and asked for help. She wanted us to come back down to the infirmary.
My husband had the ice on his head and was trying to get his bearings at this point. When we didn't get back down stairs fast enough for her, she called back and asked are you coming or not. Before we could finish our sentence, she hung up the phone. No one ever followed up with us or anything. We were left to handle this potentially serious head injury on our own. Thank goodness that my husband didn't pass out or something. He will however have a scar across his head. This could have been a really serious injury and carnival offered no help whatsoever.
Michelle of Winter Garden FL (10/21/06)
My husbad and I went on Carnival Cruise Sensation, for out anniversary. The food was terrible, the ship was dirty and smelled very musty. You could not take a shower w/o having two inches of water on the bathroon floor, I saw the same woman go from mopping a bathroon floor to wiping down tables. We are thankful that we did not bring our children...
Our first night out the people at the table beside us were all over each other! It was like a big incest orgy! They were kissing and grapping and I don't even want to mention the rest! Nothing was ever said, and there were kids on board!
My husband and I are now on our 8th day of being sick. We have had to miss a week of work and I know that we became ill due to the uncleaniness of the Sensation! I E-mailed carnival 5 days ago and I still not gotten a response. I can not believe that such a ship could be in such poor condition and remain in service!
Jon of Van Nuys CA (10/15/06)
Carnival Cruise Lines hails their art auctions as no risk since you can send anything back that you bought from them, at any time and receive your money back. Well that sounds nice on the surface but let me tell you it's a nightmare to try and get your money. What was suppose to be a 4-6 week process has turned into almost 9 weeks without any resolution.
Their art dealer, which is a third party but owned by the Princess Cruise Line, told me since it had been three years since my purchase I would receive a check. This was great since I had divorced and the credit card had been my wife's. Well after 8 weeks they told me No we can't give you a check it has to go back to the credit card. Needless to say I was PO'd that it took them 8 weeks to do anything and then tell me sorry it's going to go the credit card unless you can get your wife to write a notarized letter stating we can pay you. And then maybe, only maybe we can write you a check. I understand they are trying to also protect people from selling someone's painting back without their knowledge. However the invoice was in my name. It just happened to be a credit card I used that was my wife's. My own personal information should have been enough to refund the money.
Mary of Chesapeake VA (10/15/06)
During our october 8-14, 2006 cruise, we complained repeatedly about the strong smell of marijuana wafting up and down the hallway. We travelled with my mother in law and three small children. We are very protective parents and would NEVER have exposed them to people using drugs or places where drugs are used. Nonetheless, the smell persisted for the entire length of the cruise. We spoke with the purser repeatedly and were told they could not find the source of the odor and that they were not allowed to search customer's rooms.
When the ship docked in Norfolk, they brought customs officers on board who proceeded to search a passenger's room. He yelled and screamed and used the F word repeatedly, which my children heard through the walls of our cabin. I do not know if he was caught or tried, nor do I care. I would like Carnival to refund our tickets. This was not a 'family vacation.' Our family vacations do not include drugs.
Brian of Rialto CA (10/03/06)
I decided that I wanted to take my wife for our honeymoon on a cruise around Italy. We had a great time and even decided to purchase some art at one of their auctions. After the art was purchased we realized that the card we put down did not have enough limit to take care of the extra expenses. We went to the pursers desk to have them switch the card. The lady and the desk told us it had been switched and we went on out merry way. When we receive our credit bill in the mail we were horrified to find out the wrong card was charged. The one we switched it to had't even been charged.
So we call carnival, they tell us it is just a request to switch the cards out. Even though they have both cards on file they refuse to charge the correct one. They state it is a policy of carnival to not reverse any charges after the cruise. I had absolutely NO comminication when I was one the boat that this could be a possibility, and I also never received a list of what was charged before I left. We were told everyone would receive a copy of our bill, but where was ours?
Our credit card is 1100 over the limit because Carnival did not charge the correct one and refuse to make the change to resolve the problem. Not only is that a big credit card bill but after being out of work for almost a month we can now choose to eat or pay the bill that was wrongfully charged.
Ron of Payson AZ (09/27/06)
We were on a cruise to leave from Long Beach on 9-17. Due to a Hurricane in the area we were to travel to we called Miami headquarters and were told the trip had been rescheduled to Cataline from Cabo San lucas. We asked to reschedule and were told to go to the Port of Long Beach and discuss with Port Employees. We traveled there on the cruise day and were told that Miami was not in charge, the Captain was and no matter what Miami said, we were going to the storm area. i called Miami and was told if we decided not to go, we would forfeit all the money paid and would face a Federal Government Fine of $300.00. We found later that this was a lie.
We had numerous thefts on our floor when we took the cruise and they made the floor steward pay customers back for items taken from mini bars. Stewards make nothing so we refused. We went to purser and asked for Security and were told that The carnival pride ship did not have security.
During dinner in the fine dining area my wife needed to go to the restroom, excused herself and walked 20 feet, only to find that the restroom at Davids Restaurant was closed for cleaning (during the busy dinner hour). She asked for an close restroom, was directed down two decks. Upon returning and walking through a dark corridor, slipped and fell in a wet mopped area with no sign indicating that it was wet. the Carnival employee, mop in hand did not offer assistance, she limped back to the table. We then asked for a Doctor, were directed through the crews quarter area to find that they were closed (8:10 pm).
We used the phone outside the infirmary and called 911. the purser answered, we axplained the accident and they said-I can't hear you and hung up. They couldn't hear us because it was noisey in their area not ours. We then proceeded to the purser, stood in line for 15 minutes, explained issue, they called the infirmary, we wen |
