Carnival Dream A Nightmare 12/26/2009

[bplazo]

I like to book my own flights and fly the day before the cruise. Smokers don't bother me.

[combatboots2jimmychoos]

I thought that since Carnival booked the flights and there was a confirmed delay they would wait just like they do with Carnival booked excursions??????

 

 

What is the perk of carnival booking airfare if they can't hold the ship a few minutes for their mistake?

[beetle9]

we had simular situation with ccl booking things to close, Do not trust them to get best flights just cheapest on our cruise they had van waiting at airport that took us and 2 other couples straight to the ship and was put straight on. The ship was held up by about an half hour. Not the op fault totaly ccl lack of cust service.:(

[tamstaff]

Sorry for your terrible experiences! We were on the same cruise, and I have to agree on the smoking issue. There is one side of the ship that is smoke free --- I'm not good with the "ship terminology". But as is with the casino and the bars on the Lido deck....on one side--- smoking is not allowed. Our cabin was on the Lido deck. We did have smokers next door....yuck! Not only was it smelly, I just feel it is a safety issue, as well.

 

Be persistent with your refund issue! But do, in the future...book your own flight. We went the day before and were very glad we did.

[bowlermaniac]

We were scheduled to sail on the Carnival Dream Dec 26 2009.Our flight from Toronto on Westjet 1228 was delayed by 2 hours when they decided to do a full security check at the gate only 45 minutes before takeoff.Instead of leaving at 10:30 am we finally left at 1230pm.

Ok this is notCarnivals fault. Blame the airlines or TSA due to the terrorist problem. Better safer than sorry.

I called the carnival hotline to let them know about the delay and they said to call on arrival at Orlando.We arrived in Orlando at 318pm so I called Carnival right away since we did not see anyone at the airport.Our ship was to depart at 4pm.The rep at Carnival said we would not be able to get on the ship.Carnival booked 2 nights for us at the Springhill Suites by Marriott Orlando Airport.We had to pay for the Hotel and our meals then when we got on board ,Carnival gave us an onboard credit for the costs.They booked us a flight on Monday Dec.28 to fly at 9am to Houston from Orlando then at 1137 am to fly Houston to Cozumel.We arrived in Cozumel at 2pm.We got on a shuttle which cost 8$ each to near the ship dock.We walked past the stores to the security gates at the dock.No Carnival Rep was there to great us as promissed in a telephone conversation earlier.The security at the gate filled out some form for us and told us we could go to the ship.We dragged our 4 suitcases to the ship.Outside the ship another security person took our names and told us to wait.About 15 minutes later he came back and told us to come onboard to the persurs desk.It was now almost 4pm so we did not have time to explore Cozumel at all.So now we missed the sailing ,the day at sea and the day in Cozumel.We went for dinner only to find out they had given our table away.We were given another table near the coffee machines and told we would have a table for two the next day.The next morning we got a card under the door indicating we had our original table back.We went for dinner and sat at that table only to be told we could not sit there.

Did you request the Maitr'd(sp) to come to the table and explain your situation?

After some waiting they gave us another table for two.Our problems were not over.During the night I heard a lot of banging from the balcony.The door between our balcony and the next one had a loose latch.I jammed the rubber door stop in it to stop the movement.

I can understand your frustration on this.

We had room 2400 which on the ship card was under the Galley.It was noisy from about 4am until 1am each night.

Hmm I guess they need to cook food at some time. If you would have investigated the location of your cabin prior to booking, you may have noticed this.

The people next to us smoked in thier room and on thier balcony much to our displeasure.

Here again if you would have read the FAQ's on Carnival's site, you would have known this.

We also noticed that people seated on the Lido deck next to the grill and sandwich bar were smoking.Because of that we did not eat at either location.The drinks on the ship are very pricey.It cost $20. for 2 Margaritas.On shore we found the beer prices had been jacked up since our last visit as they are now $3.50 plus each depending on what type of beer you drink.One store was selling 1L liquor at 2 for $50.

And how are the shore prices Carnival's problem? The prices are set by the store probably. Carnival has nothing to do with this.

The ship price was 2 for $34.

So buy on the ship.

We are hoping to get a reimbursement from Carnival for the days we lost on the ship.Even if our flight had been on time,we would have been on board about 230 to 3pm.

I dont understand why we were booked on such a late flight by Carnival.

Did you check to see if there were earlier flights that would have got you to Cozumel earlier? If so bring that to Carnival's attention.

Our flight back home left Orlando at 130pm,arrived in Atlanta at 254pm then flew to Toronto at 6pm arriving about 715 pm.I have sent Carnival a detailed letter about our experience with the cruise on the Dream.I will let you all know how it works out.I am not holding my breathe on this one though.

You may have some viable issues with Carnival. But it seems alot of your issues seem to be related to a bad start that Carnival was not at fault with.

 

See my notes in red above.

[boaterette]

Do any of you people actually read the whole post before posting your criticisms. Several of you had to jump on the OP asking who booked your air. THey stated it right in the post that Carnival did. I think some of you just like to bag on people.

[salty dingo]

Let me get this straight... the OP had a 10:30 AM flight from Canada. What? An international flight, with customs delays? Even under the best of circumstances, they would have barely made the check-in cutoff time.

 

I take it the OP purchased cruise air from Carnival.

 

Ok, listen up, carefully...

 

Never, Never, Never purchase cruise air!!! You'll be soooo-rrrrry!

 

You will Always be better off making your own air reservations and either take a super-early flight or come the day before! Not only will you pay less money for your flights, you will likely have a better flight and less chance of missing the ship.

[grandmato4]

I thought that since Carnival booked the flights and there was a confirmed delay they would wait just like they do with Carnival booked excursions??????

 

What is the perk of carnival booking airfare if they can't hold the ship a few minutes for their mistake?

 

The only perk of booking your air through Carnival is if you do miss your ship, as what happened to the op they will reimburse your hotel expense and flight to catch up with the cruise at the next port of call.

 

No, it does not work the same as with Carnival booked excursions while in your ports of call. They do not simply hold the ship until you get there. There are times when there are a large number of passengers held up by airline delays that they will wait to depart and often there are other reasons why departures are held up which can benefit passengers with flight delays but never ever expect the ship will wait to sail from your port of departure because you have booked your air through them.

 

Carnival themselves do not pick your flights when you book air through them. They purchase x number of seats from airlines and when it is time to dispurse flights the airlines decide which flights will be used and that doesn't mean only using the "best" flights. Some people do end up with what many would consider great flights and others end up with less than desirable flights but it is always a gamble when you book air through the cruiseline unless you pay the additional price for air diviation where you get to pick your own flights.

 

Fortuantely many many people fly to port the day of their cruise without any problem which is great but especially if they have done so booking through the cruiseline it gives them a false sense of security that things will always go well which unfortunately does not always happen. In todays world of flying unless one doesn't mind missing the first days of their cruise they really do need to fly to their port city at least one day early and always pick their own flights.

 

 

 

Since I can't think of a single positive thing to say about the ops post think I'll just leave those comments to myself!:rolleyes:

[donaldsc]

You took a flight that cut the time too close to make the ship if there was any problem. You did not take any insurance.

 

In spite of this, Carnival did their best to rescue your cruise and you respond as you did. You owe them a lot and should apologize to them, not complain.

 

DON

[hill6]

It does sound like Carnival did operate reasonably to me. They were not to blame for the airline being late. When it was, they got you a hotel and flew you to meet the ship. It is true that timing may not have been the best but they did get you to the ship. They also did reimburse you for your meals.

 

They did get you your table back in the dining room. As far as the room noise, it is a choice that one makes when one picks rooms that are near crew areas.

 

This is the reason to fly in the day before. The cost of a hotel for one night far exceeds the stress one feels during the delayed flight.

[salty dingo]

The only perk of booking your air through Carnival is if you do miss your ship, as what happened to the op they will reimburse your hotel expense and flight to catch up with the cruise at the next port of call.

I'd hardly consider that a perk. Who would consider it a perk to spend a couple of days in a hotel and lugging bags through airports to some foreign airport you did not plan to go to?

 

I guess it is a perk if you assume you were going to miss the ship anyway, so you may as well get the hotel and connecting air for free. But what about the missed days of the cruise? No compensation for that.

 

The solutions are twofold: 1) make your own air reservations. Fly in the day before and spend the night in a hotel. The money you save by not buying cruise air will pay for the hotel, meals, and spending money. 2) buy travel insurance, so if the worst happens, you will still not be out of pocket for it.

[steveaaaaa]

The only perk of booking your air through Carnival is if you do miss your ship, as what happened to the op they will reimburse your hotel expense and flight to catch up with the cruise at the next port of call.

 

No, it does not work the same as with Carnival booked excursions while in your ports of call. They do not simply hold the ship until you get there. There are times when there are a large number of passengers held up by airline delays that they will wait to depart and often there are other reasons why departures are held up which can benefit passengers with flight delays but never ever expect the ship will wait to sail from your port of departure because you have booked your air through them.

 

Carnival themselves do not pick your flights when you book air through them. They purchase x number of seats from airlines and when it is time to dispurse flights the airlines decide which flights will be used and that doesn't mean only using the "best" flights. Some people do end up with what many would consider great flights and others end up with less than desirable flights but it is always a gamble when you book air through the cruiseline unless you pay the additional price for air diviation where you get to pick your own flights.

 

Fortuantely many many people fly to port the day of their cruise without any problem which is great but especially if they have done so booking through the cruiseline it gives them a false sense of security that things will always go well which unfortunately does not always happen. In todays world of flying unless one doesn't mind missing the first days of their cruise they really do need to fly to their port city at least one day early and always pick their own flights.

 

 

 

Since I can't think of a single positive thing to say about the ops post think I'll just leave those comments to myself!:rolleyes:

 

What do you mean by that? Are you implying that if you book a ship tour they will wait for you? If so,that is WRONG.

 

Steve

[Traveler353]

OP, sorry that you had another bad cruise with the same problems as last time.

Lessons learned by me from your experience:

1. Book my own flight

2. Fly in at least a day early

3. Always, always buy insurance

4. Be thankful for small favors

5. No matter how screwed up things become continue to try to look for the good in everything.

[CruiseHobbit]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I was wondering if you asked, or were given an option to fly into Cozumel a day early(the day after you missed the ship) that way you would have had an entire day/night in Cozumel, instead of spending two nights in Orlando?

[trock]

We were scheduled to sail on the Carnival Dream Dec 26 2009.Our flight from Toronto on Westjet 1228 was delayed by 2 hours when they decided to do a full security check at the gate only 45 minutes before takeoff.Instead of leaving at 10:30 am we finally left at 1230pm.I called the carnival hotline to let them know about the delay and they said to call on arrival at Orlando.We arrived in Orlando at 318pm so I called Carnival right away since we did not see anyone at the airport.Our ship was to depart at 4pm.The rep at Carnival said we would not be able to get on the ship.Carnival booked 2 nights for us at the Springhill Suites by Marriott Orlando Airport.We had to pay for the Hotel and our meals then when we got on board ,Carnival gave us an onboard credit for the costs.They booked us a flight on Monday Dec.28 to fly at 9am to Houston from Orlando then at 1137 am to fly Houston to Cozumel.We arrived in Cozumel at 2pm.We got on a shuttle which cost 8$ each to near the ship dock.We walked past the stores to the security gates at the dock.No Carnival Rep was there to great us as promissed in a telephone conversation earlier.The security at the gate filled out some form for us and told us we could go to the ship.We dragged our 4 suitcases to the ship.Outside the ship another security person took our names and told us to wait.About 15 minutes later he came back and told us to come onboard to the persurs desk.It was now almost 4pm so we did not have time to explore Cozumel at all.So now we missed the sailing ,the day at sea and the day in Cozumel.We went for dinner only to find out they had given our table away.We were given another table near the coffee machines and told we would have a table for two the next day.The next morning we got a card under the door indicating we had our original table back.We went for dinner and sat at that table only to be told we could not sit there.After some waiting they gave us another table for two.Our problems were not over.During the night I heard a lot of banging from the balcony.The door between our balcony and the next one had a loose latch.I jammed the rubber door stop in it to stop the movement.We had room 2400 which on the ship card was under the Galley.It was noisy from about 4am until 1am each night.The people next to us smoked in thier room and on thier balcony much to our displeasure.We also noticed that people seated on the Lido deck next to the grill and sandwich bar were smoking.Because of that we did not eat at either location.The drinks on the ship are very pricey.It cost $20. for 2 Margaritas.On shore we found the beer prices had been jacked up since our last visit as they are now $3.50 plus each depending on what type of beer you drink.One store was selling 1L liquor at 2 for $50. The ship price was 2 for $34. We are hoping to get a reimbursement from Carnival for the days we lost on the ship.Even if our flight had been on time,we would have been on board about 230 to 3pm.I dont understand why we were booked on such a late flight by Carnival.Our flight back home left Orlando at 130pm,arrived in Atlanta at 254pm then flew to Toronto at 6pm arriving about 715 pm.I have sent Carnival a detailed letter about our experience with the cruise on the Dream.I will let you all know how it works out.I am not holding my breathe on this one though.

• Possibly the smoking side of Lido? or is there no smoking on Lido on this ship?
  
• Hopefully your next cruise will be better... Just not sure what any of these issues had to do with the Dream to make it a nightmare..
  

[nbsjcruiser]

I feel very bad for you that your cruise turned out the way it did. It is too bad really. It started off with trouble and caused the entire trip to be a waste - you have my sympathy.

 

I do have to ask though, as a fellow Canadian, why would you fly from Canada in the middle of winter on the same day you were to depart? It is a recipe for disaster. One little hiccup and, well you saw what happened.

 

We ALWAYS fly 2 days early to remove weather and mechanical delays from the cruise equation. Next time you cruise consider flying in at least 1 day early so that you get to really enjoy yourself. You deserve a great trip after a disaster like this I hope you cruise again so that you'll really get to see the best of cruising.

 

Good luck.

[leadout_kv]

We sailed on the same cruise. We arrived a day early in Orlando and we made sure to have travel insurance.

 

Needless to say - we had an AWESOME cruise. There was absolutely NOTHING to complain about. We couldn't have had a better vacation.

[Ken076]

What do you mean by that? Are you implying that if you book a ship tour they will wait for you? If so,that is WRONG.

 

Steve

 

Steve - The Carnival-stated claim IS that they will hold the ship for you if your Carnival-booked excursion is running late. ken

[cod]

I have never seen so many ridiculous replies (albeit in the midst of some sane ones!) in all my time on these boards. I don't think some people even read what they're posting a reply to...they just know Carnival is being blamed for something (and in this case rightly so) and go into their idiotic Carnival defense mode.

 

Unbelieveable. To the op all I can say is you deserve lots of compensation and I hope you get it...good luck!!

[nbsjcruiser]

You took a flight that cut the time too close to make the ship if there was any problem. You did not take any insurance.

 

In spite of this, Carnival did their best to rescue your cruise and you respond as you did. You owe them a lot and should apologize to them, not complain.

 

DON

 

I disagree. Carnival booked their air and Carnival should make it very clear when they book air that they plan on flying them in the day of the cruise and they should also recommend that they come in a day or 2 early especially in the winter. This IS Carnival's fault because they did not inform people about the consequences - they never do.

 

I know when we booked a cruise through Carnival a few years ago we decided to book air through them. At the time we had a couple cruises under our belts and knew what questions to ask. When I asked about our flight schedules I was told "oh you won't kknow the exact flight arrangements until a few weeks before your trip and it will in all likelihood be the day of your cruise". I looked at out TA like she was nuts. Fly from Canada in the middle of winter on the day our cruise is to depart? I don't think so. We bought air deviation. We eventually cancelled that trip anyway but that's another story.

 

The problem is that too many people want a hassle free vacation so they buy everything through Carnival or RCI or whoever expecting that its the safest option and if there's a problem, the Cruise line will wait for them - WRONG.

 

Its up to the TA and the cruise lines to explain clearly and effectively to all cruisers (ESPECIALLY NEWBIES) that this is what will happen if your flight is delayed. But they don't. They sell these people the entire package and the unsuspecting newbie cruisers walk away thinking they're safe. All we need do is call the cruise line.

 

Folks - NEVER,EVER book your air through the cruise lines - EVER! You'll always save money booking your air early and on your own. Make your own arrangements, fly in at least a day early and enjoy. If you still feel you want air through the cruise lines then:

1. Realize the ship will NOT wait for you even with air purchased through them

2. If you purchase air through the cruise line, depending on where you are, you will be flown in the day of your cruise. If you live in Canada or the snowy, wintry northeast US ask yourself if you want to risk flying in the day of a cruise in winter.

3. If you purchase air through the cruise line, tell them you wish to purchase air deviation ($50 p I think) and insist you fly in a day early.

 

Most of spend 3000-5000 on a cruise. Why put all that in jeopardy to save a few bucks on a hotel stay. Think how nice it would be to spend a day on South Beach pre-cruise. Relaxing and waiting for the cruise ship to come in. Now compare that to the hectic atmosphere of a cruise in jeopardy as you run from airport to airport, calling Carnival and so on. Doesn't make sense.

[MrPete]

We were scheduled to sail on the Carnival Dream Dec 26 2009.Our flight from Toronto on Westjet 1228 was delayed by 2 hours when they decided to do a full security check at the gate only 45 minutes before takeoff.Instead of leaving at 10:30 am we finally left at 1230pm.I called the carnival hotline to let them know about the delay and they said to call on arrival at Orlando.We arrived in Orlando at 318pm so I called Carnival right away since we did not see anyone at the airport.Our ship was to depart at 4pm.The rep at Carnival said we would not be able to get on the ship.Carnival booked 2 nights for us at the Springhill Suites by Marriott Orlando Airport.We had to pay for the Hotel and our meals then when we got on board ,Carnival gave us an onboard credit for the costs.They booked us a flight on Monday Dec.28 to fly at 9am to Houston from Orlando then at 1137 am to fly Houston to Cozumel.We arrived in Cozumel at 2pm.We got on a shuttle which cost 8$ each to near the ship dock.We walked past the stores to the security gates at the dock.No Carnival Rep was there to great us as promissed in a telephone conversation earlier.The security at the gate filled out some form for us and told us we could go to the ship.We dragged our 4 suitcases to the ship.Outside the ship another security person took our names and told us to wait.About 15 minutes later he came back and told us to come onboard to the persurs desk.It was now almost 4pm so we did not have time to explore Cozumel at all.So now we missed the sailing ,the day at sea and the day in Cozumel.We went for dinner only to find out they had given our table away.We were given another table near the coffee machines and told we would have a table for two the next day.The next morning we got a card under the door indicating we had our original table back.We went for dinner and sat at that table only to be told we could not sit there.After some waiting they gave us another table for two.Our problems were not over.During the night I heard a lot of banging from the balcony.The door between our balcony and the next one had a loose latch.I jammed the rubber door stop in it to stop the movement.We had room 2400 which on the ship card was under the Galley.It was noisy from about 4am until 1am each night.The people next to us smoked in thier room and on thier balcony much to our displeasure.We also noticed that people seated on the Lido deck next to the grill and sandwich bar were smoking.Because of that we did not eat at either location.The drinks on the ship are very pricey.It cost $20. for 2 Margaritas.On shore we found the beer prices had been jacked up since our last visit as they are now $3.50 plus each depending on what type of beer you drink.One store was selling 1L liquor at 2 for $50. The ship price was 2 for $34. We are hoping to get a reimbursement from Carnival for the days we lost on the ship.Even if our flight had been on time,we would have been on board about 230 to 3pm.I dont understand why we were booked on such a late flight by Carnival.Our flight back home left Orlando at 130pm,arrived in Atlanta at 254pm then flew to Toronto at 6pm arriving about 715 pm.I have sent Carnival a detailed letter about our experience with the cruise on the Dream.I will let you all know how it works out.I am not holding my breathe on this one though.

 

Reading your Dream nightmare makes me glad we were NEVER able to make it to our ship on one cruise, after a blizzard.

 

You sound bitter, and probably rightfully so, but too much that you may have ruined your remaining time on board. It seems your "stuff" was "given away", as it was assumed you'd never make it. Then, recovery was that much harder, and Murphy's Law kicked in.

 

Another reinforcement to fly in a day earlier, which I since learned after my ordeal. Hopefully, you testament will convince at least one reader here.

 

We did get to cruise the following month, BTW, after being given 4 dates from which to choose. This erased all the hardships we went through the previous month.

 

I hope you came back and posted some positive aspects of your cruise, as I'm only reading post #1 so far.

 

And any correspondance you engage with Carnival should be stripped of emotion, laying out any expectations you may have. Just a suggestion.

 

Good luck!

[MrPete]

The only perk of booking your air through Carnival is if you do miss your ship, as what happened to the op they will reimburse your hotel expense and flight to catch up with the cruise at the next port of call.

 

That's if you don't have insurance.

 

I'd rather book my own air, and purchase insurance, which will take care of those expenses as well.

 

Even better, I just sail from NY and don't bother with the airports anymore. Limited, yes, but relaxing. I feel I get two extra days on my vacation.

[grandmato4]

What do you mean by that? Are you implying that if you book a ship tour they will wait for you? If so,that is WRONG.

 

Steve

 

 

Yes, if you book an excursion though Carnival they will hold the ship until the excursion returns to the ship. Which is the one advantage to booking excursions through the cruiseline. Not sure if it was Carnival or another cruiseline but there have been a VERY FEW cases reported in the past few years that for a very good reason the ship needed to leave port when a ship sponsored excursion was very late in returning to the dock but in these very rare cases the cruiseline takes the responsiblity to get the passengers to the ship. These are are exceptions to the rule but since it has happened can't say the word never but certainly can say extremely rare and again, in that rare insistance the cruiseline does take full responsiblity which for someone concerned about getting back to the ship on time after an excursion can be a great comfort.

[dc-snoopy]

What do you mean by that? Are you implying that if you book a ship tour they will wait for you? If so,that is WRONG.

 

Steve

 

According to Carnival's FAQ on shore excursions:

 

Do I have to book a shore excursion through Carnival or can I go off on my own?

You are not obligated to book shore excursions through Carnival in order to leave the ship. Public transportation is available at each port. We suggest you visit your local library, bookstore or a pertinent web site to determine where you would like to go.

 

Carnival does not offer any alternatives from the established shore excursion program. All shore excursions sold through Carnival are coordinated with reputable tour operators and include all the most popular sites of interest.

 

One of the many benefits of booking excursions through Carnival is a guarantee that the ship will remain in port until all guests are back onboard. Carnival will not be aware of shore excursions that are booked independently. Also, keep in mind that some ports have visa requirements that may prevent you from venturing off on your own.

[lappy22]

I have never seen so many ridiculous replies (albeit in the midst of some sane ones!) in all my time on these boards. I don't think some people even read what they're posting a reply to...they just know Carnival is being blamed for something (and in this case rightly so) and go into their idiotic Carnival defense mode.

 

Unbelieveable. To the op all I can say is you deserve lots of compensation and I hope you get it...good luck!!

 

Looks like Karma had something to do with this one....Seems like the OP is a chronic complainer. The OP sent a complaint letter after their recent Princess cruise, complaining about many of the same "problems"(not the air issue).