First time Carnival Cruiser - already disappointed

My boyfriend and I sailed RCI last year out of Baltimore and are going out of Europe next year on RCI as well. We had originally decided not to take a vacation this year to save money/time off, but I've slowly gotten him to agree to a less expensive trip to tide us over until next year (and it was a long uphill battle to get him there). Ever since I have met him, he has said he didn't want to do Carnival because his parents took a cruise on it once and had an AWFUL time and since then all he has done, and all his family has done, is RCI (talk about brand loyalty). In addition to agreeing to taking a vacation, I tried hard to get him to agree to maybe sailing on Carnival this year because how do either of us know we like RCI without ever giving Carnival a chance?

When the 12-hour sale went on on Monday, I found a great deal for $350pp on a 7-day on the Pride the week before Christmas. Perfect. We talked a little about it over dinner and I started to convince him but he was still a little skeptical - he wanted to read more about the ship, look at the itinerary, etc. So when we called to reserve and the booking agent offered a 24-hour hold before putting down a deposit, we immediately decided to do that. It gave us time to do research and think about it before putting money down. We were told we had until midnight yesterday (as we booked/put a hold on our reservation around midnight on Monday)

We did a lot of research on the ship, itinerary, etc. and BF decided it would be worth the money/PTO to go. I went online around 9 last night (well within the 24-hour time frame) to put the deposit down and for some reason my VIFP account couldn't find the reservation. The banner was in the corner though stating how long I had until my cruise, so I didn't think anything was wrong. Maybe I just had to call in because of the special sale?

After over an hour on the phone, most of it on hold, I found out that the agent who had put the hold on had not done it correctly. She had manually put in the time as noon instead of midnight. Therefore, we lost our reservation. The agent we had on the phone was able to reinstate the booking price we had plus 50+ each and the fees went up and we do not get a guarantee room anymore. They said there were some guarantees left, but because we didn't book during the 12-hour sale, they couldn't give them to us. Instead, we got a 4A room, at the bottom of the ship, all the way in the back.

I feel like this is a pretty bad state. I know that guarantee could have gotten us the same room, but at least we had the hope of getting a few decks up or with a porthole. Instead, we are at the bottom while paying more money. My boyfriend is very close to canceling as he says that this was a 'sign' we should never sail Carnival. I want to give Carnival a shot, but I'm not sure I can convince him. I wish Carnival had done something to rectify this situation when, in fact, they were the ones to admit that they screwed up (they admitted that the first booking agent made a mistake). I am still willing to try Carnival, but I do have a bad taste in my mouth as well. Any advice as to what we should do?

My boyfriend and I sailed RCI last year out of Baltimore and are going out of Europe next year on RCI as well. We had originally decided not to take a vacation this year to save money/time off, but I've slowly gotten him to agree to a less expensive trip to tide us over until next year (and it was a long uphill battle to get him there). Ever since I have met him, he has said he didn't want to do Carnival because his parents took a cruise on it once and had an AWFUL time and since then all he has done, and all his family has done, is RCI (talk about brand loyalty). In addition to agreeing to taking a vacation, I tried hard to get him to agree to maybe sailing on Carnival this year because how do either of us know we like RCI without ever giving Carnival a chance?

 

When the 12-hour sale went on on Monday, I found a great deal for $350pp on a 7-day on the Pride the week before Christmas. Perfect. We talked a little about it over dinner and I started to convince him but he was still a little skeptical - he wanted to read more about the ship, look at the itinerary, etc. So when we called to reserve and the booking agent offered a 24-hour hold before putting down a deposit, we immediately decided to do that. It gave us time to do research and think about it before putting money down. We were told we had until midnight yesterday (as we booked/put a hold on our reservation around midnight on Monday)

 

We did a lot of research on the ship, itinerary, etc. and BF decided it would be worth the money/PTO to go. I went online around 9 last night (well within the 24-hour time frame) to put the deposit down and for some reason my VIFP account couldn't find the reservation. The banner was in the corner though stating how long I had until my cruise, so I didn't think anything was wrong. Maybe I just had to call in because of the special sale?

 

After over an hour on the phone, most of it on hold, I found out that the agent who had put the hold on had not done it correctly. She had manually put in the time as noon instead of midnight. Therefore, we lost our reservation. The agent we had on the phone was able to reinstate the booking price we had plus 50+ each and the fees went up and we do not get a guarantee room anymore. They said there were some guarantees left, but because we didn't book during the 12-hour sale, they couldn't give them to us. Instead, we got a 4A room, at the bottom of the ship, all the way in the back.

 

I feel like this is a pretty bad state. I know that guarantee could have gotten us the same room, but at least we had the hope of getting a few decks up or with a porthole. Instead, we are at the bottom while paying more money. My boyfriend is very close to canceling as he says that this was a 'sign' we should never sail Carnival. I want to give Carnival a shot, but I'm not sure I can convince him. I wish Carnival had done something to rectify this situation when, in fact, they were the ones to admit that they screwed up (they admitted that the first booking agent made a mistake). I am still willing to try Carnival, but I do have a bad taste in my mouth as well. Any advice as to what we should do?

Do your own holds online (you can do one every 24 hours), and book online without the inefficiency or risk of a TA or personal vacation planner making mistakes.

My boyfriend and I sailed RCI last year out of Baltimore and are going out of Europe next year on RCI as well. We had originally decided not to take a vacation this year to save money/time off, but I've slowly gotten him to agree to a less expensive trip to tide us over until next year (and it was a long uphill battle to get him there). Ever since I have met him, he has said he didn't want to do Carnival because his parents took a cruise on it once and had an AWFUL time and since then all he has done, and all his family has done, is RCI (talk about brand loyalty). In addition to agreeing to taking a vacation, I tried hard to get him to agree to maybe sailing on Carnival this year because how do either of us know we like RCI without ever giving Carnival a chance?

 

When the 12-hour sale went on on Monday, I found a great deal for $350pp on a 7-day on the Pride the week before Christmas. Perfect. We talked a little about it over dinner and I started to convince him but he was still a little skeptical - he wanted to read more about the ship, look at the itinerary, etc. So when we called to reserve and the booking agent offered a 24-hour hold before putting down a deposit, we immediately decided to do that. It gave us time to do research and think about it before putting money down. We were told we had until midnight yesterday (as we booked/put a hold on our reservation around midnight on Monday)

 

We did a lot of research on the ship, itinerary, etc. and BF decided it would be worth the money/PTO to go. I went online around 9 last night (well within the 24-hour time frame) to put the deposit down and for some reason my VIFP account couldn't find the reservation. The banner was in the corner though stating how long I had until my cruise, so I didn't think anything was wrong. Maybe I just had to call in because of the special sale?

 

After over an hour on the phone, most of it on hold, I found out that the agent who had put the hold on had not done it correctly. She had manually put in the time as noon instead of midnight. Therefore, we lost our reservation. The agent we had on the phone was able to reinstate the booking price we had plus 50+ each and the fees went up and we do not get a guarantee room anymore. They said there were some guarantees left, but because we didn't book during the 12-hour sale, they couldn't give them to us. Instead, we got a 4A room, at the bottom of the ship, all the way in the back.

 

I feel like this is a pretty bad state. I know that guarantee could have gotten us the same room, but at least we had the hope of getting a few decks up or with a porthole. Instead, we are at the bottom while paying more money. My boyfriend is very close to canceling as he says that this was a 'sign' we should never sail Carnival. I want to give Carnival a shot, but I'm not sure I can convince him. I wish Carnival had done something to rectify this situation when, in fact, they were the ones to admit that they screwed up (they admitted that the first booking agent made a mistake). I am still willing to try Carnival, but I do have a bad taste in my mouth as well. Any advice as to what we should do?

I'd cancel. You are dragging your BF on a cruise he didn't want to go on and now you are skeptical due to the booking issue. I'm betting your BF will key on every little negative thing to reinforce his view. I would never want to go on a particular vacation with someone with whom I had to work so hard to convince them to go. It just seems like you are setting yourself up for a bad experience.

I always book myself thru the website. I'm a bit of a control freak, so don't want it in anyone elses hands. You could have done the same thing for the same price. Lesson learned?

I've been on 4 cruises, all Carnival, so nothing to compare it to. I can't say enough good things about Carnival. I think you should give them a chance. It's still a pretty inexpensive vacation, isn't it?

Or.......find a good TA who will do all the work for you.

I would love to tell you to retain your booking because the Pride is a great ship and you would have a wonderful time.

However, you are clearly upset over a mishandled "hold" reservation made in the wee hours of the morning with a customer service representative that made a mistake, thereby depriving you of a lower cost inside guarantee cabin assignment with the slim possibility of getting a higher assignment later.

I can only think this resentment will fester and taint any enjoyment you have on the cruise. It's probably better for your own sense of satisfaction to cancel and move on.

You boyfriend is going to have a terrible time no matter what. He has already stated as such.

I love it when someone who has NEVER sailed Carnival takes the experience of someone else that had an awful time and makes that THE expected experience from Carnival. RCI and CCL produts are more alike than most people are willing to admit. The biggest differences being the amenities you find on the ships. But not everyone is willing to pay more for a rock wall or ice rink that that are most likely not going to use. I've sailed both lines and others. You can have a bad cruise on any of them. But go into the cruise with your mind set on the cruise is going to be bad and I guarantee it will be. You will find SOMETHING to make it so no matter how slight the issue.

As far as your 4A. I will warn you that during porting (which is normally in the morning) you are most likely going to really feel the vibration from the thrusters while docking... While this is normal, it can be unnerving to some. And you are vey correct in that if you HAD gotten your GTY cabin.. You may have very well ended up there anyway. Because the GTY cabins are the ones people may shy away from booking.

How did you book? did you get the Early Saver guarantee? If so, watch the sales and you may be able to get a price reduction (and in many cases that reduction can get you a better cabin for the same costs) Good luck!

I'd cancel. You are dragging your BF on a cruise he didn't want to go on and now you are skeptical due to the booking issue. I'm betting your BF will key on every little negative thing to reinforce his view. I would never want to go on vacation with someone with whom I had to work so hard to convince them to go.

totally agree with above... I think your trip was doomed from the start,

trying so hard to convince BF to cruise on Carnival he will nit-pick it to death...

I had the same thing happen when I added another cabin to our upcoming cruise. My son and his GF were on the fence but there was ONE 4J cabin avail so I called around 2:30 in the afternoon and put it on a 24 hr hold. Igave them until 9 am the next day to decide. They said yes, I went online around 11:30 am to pay &...no booking. Called Carnival and was told, "you had until 2:30 pm yesterday to pay so it was cancelled". What!?! I argued that I had just put it on hold yesterday!! The rep said there was nothing that could be done...until I asked for her supervisor. She put me on hold, then SHE came back and said, "we can reinstate it but you will have to pay for it by 2:30 today." Duh...that's what I was trying to do in the first place!

IDK in your case, since it was a 12 hr sale if they can help at this point, but taking it up the chain couldn't hurt.

Any advice as to what we should do?

Yeah, cancel now.

Cancel now while you can!! I too would never take someone - anyone, much less a boyfriend - on a cruise that he/she was leary of. That's alot of days to be cooped up with an unhappy camper.

Carnival isn't for everyone, just like RCI isn't for everyone. My thought is that CCL is not for you, or at least not for him.

Obviously I love cruising on Carnival, but if he thinks it sucks - for him, it will suck.

It sounds like you're local to Baltimore and are looking to sail from there. I've been on the Pride twice and am going again next Sunday. I think it's a great ship. I've never been on the Grandeur, but I've driven by her many times. The Pride even looks much nicer from the outside. Every time I've priced the Grandeur it's more than double the Pride. I understand the frustration over the booking mistake. If it means anything to you, you probably wouldn't have gotten a much better room from a guarantee. There aren't many ocean views on the Pride. There are a lot of balconies, but I don't think they would have given you a free upgrade from an inside to a balcony. You may be able to get a very cheap upgrade close to sailing if the ship isn't filling up. I think you would have a good time on the Pride.

I agree! I would call back & request to speak to a Supervisor. It was there error & they should make it right.

Good Luck!!

I understand that the SNAFU with booking irritated you, but at the end of the day, what did you

lose because of it? You got a room you might have got anyway, where you sleep and shower; you got $50 obc and a week in the Caribbean in the middle of winter, for $350 each.

How bad can that be? :eek:

I would cancel. You mentioned that it was a "long, uphill battle" to get your boyfriend to agree to go on this cruise in the first place, and now he thinks this is a sign that the two of you shouldn't try Carnival. Vacations are supposed to be fun - they shouldn't be something where you have to struggle to convince someone to go on them in the first place. Plus, from now until December, instead of looking forward to your cruise and being excited about it, in the back of your mind you're going to be worrying that you and your boyfriend are going to hate it. It's not worth it.

If I were you, I'd cancel, save my money, and find some other trip to tide you over this year. You may not be able to find something as cheap as $350 a person, but you don't have to take a cruise. Or, you could take a shorter cruise on Royal Caribbean - maybe you could find a three or five day cruise around $350 a person.

I would also cancel...but only maybe. If they admit they made a mistake with the time, seems pretty simple fix that Carnival doesn't want to make. Have you talked to a higher up and simply asked them to honor the price given that they messed up the time?

But let's say that's not possible. The only reason why I say maybe cancel is what are the costs of a different cruise on another carrier? Seems like, even with the mess up, you have a good deal. And as someone who always gets interior cabins, I'm fine with your cabin situation. But you may not be, so that's why I say, look at the big picture and what vacation would you take as a replacement?

I too say cancel. I agree your BF is going to be looking for any negative he can find and you won't have a good time.

Funny how one "man's trash is another man's treasure". My first cruise was on Carnival. Friends and co-workers of my husband kept telling him how much better Royal Caribbean was. So we booked our next cruise on "Monarch of the Seas".

My husband seemed to be looking at the negatives. We had a horrible time, ended up hating the ship, the food, and especially the coffee. Sounds dumb but my husband is a huge coffee drinker and the coffee was luke warm at best.

He has vowed to never again sail Royal.

I think the whole thing is silly, but we love Carnival and are very happy and loyal.

To each his own. But if he isn't going to embrace it and have a great time, why spend the money?

I would say that, if YOU want to take the cruise, you should. If your BF doesn't want to go, you can bring someone else along and change the name of the traveling companion. OR (if it would be easier) leave him at home and take it yourself! You'll get to see a different side of cruising (traveling alone) and you won't have that constant negative voice saying "this is wrong, so is this, this is better on RCI, etc." BUT if you don't want to take it just because of a bad experience with booking, fine. Then I would say cancel it. But if YOU, livinginyellow, want to take this cruise but your BF doesn't want to, there's other ways to take it without having that negative voice.

I don't have a cruise planned for December yet so I'll be happy to take his place!!

There is something call no money down Courtesy Hold on Carnival site. No fuzz, no risk, you lock in the rate and think it over for 48 hrs. The best part is that it only takes 1 minute to do it on your own. Piece of cake.

Actually, OP, Monday's sale was a 12-hour sale, not a 24 hour sale.

Not worth it. The bad karma has already been set, and it's gonna be a fight all the way through. I would cancel, regroup, and then book on something you BOTH want to do. The die is cast.

CANCEL!!! NOW!!!

Sounds to me like your relationship may depend on it.

There's no way I would want to go away with someone with that much negativity going on. You weren't planning on a vacation this year anyway, so save your money and go back to Royal Caribbean.

My boyfriend and I sailed RCI last year out of Baltimore and are going out of Europe next year on RCI as well. We had originally decided not to take a vacation this year to save money/time off, but I've slowly gotten him to agree to a less expensive trip to tide us over until next year (and it was a long uphill battle to get him there). Ever since I have met him, he has said he didn't want to do Carnival because his parents took a cruise on it once and had an AWFUL time and since then all he has done, and all his family has done, is RCI (talk about brand loyalty). In addition to agreeing to taking a vacation, I tried hard to get him to agree to maybe sailing on Carnival this year because how do either of us know we like RCI without ever giving Carnival a chance?

 

When the 12-hour sale went on on Monday, I found a great deal for $350pp on a 7-day on the Pride the week before Christmas. Perfect. We talked a little about it over dinner and I started to convince him but he was still a little skeptical - he wanted to read more about the ship, look at the itinerary, etc. So when we called to reserve and the booking agent offered a 24-hour hold before putting down a deposit, we immediately decided to do that. It gave us time to do research and think about it before putting money down. We were told we had until midnight yesterday (as we booked/put a hold on our reservation around midnight on Monday)

 

We did a lot of research on the ship, itinerary, etc. and BF decided it would be worth the money/PTO to go. I went online around 9 last night (well within the 24-hour time frame) to put the deposit down and for some reason my VIFP account couldn't find the reservation. The banner was in the corner though stating how long I had until my cruise, so I didn't think anything was wrong. Maybe I just had to call in because of the special sale?

 

After over an hour on the phone, most of it on hold, I found out that the agent who had put the hold on had not done it correctly. She had manually put in the time as noon instead of midnight. Therefore, we lost our reservation. The agent we had on the phone was able to reinstate the booking price we had plus 50+ each and the fees went up and we do not get a guarantee room anymore. They said there were some guarantees left, but because we didn't book during the 12-hour sale, they couldn't give them to us. Instead, we got a 4A room, at the bottom of the ship, all the way in the back.

 

I feel like this is a pretty bad state. I know that guarantee could have gotten us the same room, but at least we had the hope of getting a few decks up or with a porthole. Instead, we are at the bottom while paying more money. My boyfriend is very close to canceling as he says that this was a 'sign' we should never sail Carnival. I want to give Carnival a shot, but I'm not sure I can convince him. I wish Carnival had done something to rectify this situation when, in fact, they were the ones to admit that they screwed up (they admitted that the first booking agent made a mistake). I am still willing to try Carnival, but I do have a bad taste in my mouth as well. Any advice as to what we should do?

We have sailed both lines and loved both lines, but then we love cruising. My experience is, if you think you aren't gong to have a good time, then it can only go UP FROM THERE. May be a really great cruise. At this point, if you have money down on the cruise, and you have time, then try them out.

You shouldn't push something he's not interested in, your trip will be loaded with comparisons and no fun. I'd cancel and let HIM book whatever he would like.