bad experience on carnival destiny

[Supermomma4]

[quote name='pattyl']My gosh are you employed by Carnival? I am only posting an experience that may be helpful for others. I do not quite get the angry responses here as I am only sharing what was a disappointing experience in comparison to many other cruises I have taken. When one writes about a disappointing experience that is usually the topic that is addressed.
I believe this site is called Cruise Critic which connotes that one can critique a ship/experience etc about a cruise experience. Good heavens get a gripe and face the fact that this particular ship is very dated and the customer service is just not what is used to be but that may be a reflection of our general customer service everywhere as most companies now really don't care very much about their customers or employees.[/QUOTE]
It's okay that you are posting a negative review.

But to me sounds like you should have done more research on Carnival ships before you chose which cruise and which ship to go on.

Since you have sailed on Carnival before did you not check out what the ship was like before you made your reservations? Reading reviews on Cruise Critics could have helped you make a better choice of ships. Also before choosing your cabin didn't you look at where the room was located before you reserved it? Sailing just before Labor Day you should have expected college students to be aboard...for a last fling before school started

Sorry you had such a terrible time.

Next time no matter what cruiseline you chose I suggest you do some research before you make your reservations

[preciouspup]

[quote name='firefly333']Didnt the OP say this was their 7th cruise on Carnival? .. and where else would you expect the OP to post a review of a Carnival cruise other than on the Carnival forum.

Im always amused how the Carnival cheerleaders attack anyone who posts negative about not liking their cruise.. how dare they!!! They must be wrong, nothing to base this one. They are not allowed to feel this was a bad cruise.

I feel no loyalty to any cruiseline. Im paying for a product...when they start paying me to cruise, then I will be loyal to just one cruiseline. A lot of previously loyal Carnival folks are looking around who cruise solo .. money talks.. and Carnival no longer wants to give solos a break... ok I will move on. I feel no anger or dislike Carnival.[/quote]

Let's be fair. Try posting a negative review on RCL and see where it gets you.

[StevieG]

[quote name='jks336']as bigduck posted. at the time you boarded the ship had not left port so there were NO cabins. when they pull away, and there are noshows.. then there will be rooms. should have asked again after sailaway.[/quote]

The only way she could have known engine noise would be a problem is if the ship was moving.

[royd1968]

[quote name='preciouspup']Let's be fair. Try posting a negative review on RCL and see where it gets you.[/QUOTE]

Cum on now!!!! We all know fire would never bash rccl. Too many good deals and great service to be had there. And we thank her for always posting it on the carnival boards.

[Traveler353]

[SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred][COLOR=darkred][FONT=Verdana]Amazing, this review thread is going the way of all such threads that dare to actually criticize Carnival. People just end up insulting each other to justify their views. Sort of sad in a way. [/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][COLOR=darkred]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred][FONT=Verdana]Last week I had one of the best cruises on Carnival that I have ever had (number 9) and counting down to number 10 in December. But all was not perfect. I know better than to mention the specific negatives for fear of just such reactions as those being displayed here. Maybe the name of the board should be changed. As it appears that actually criticizing is a big no-no.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred][FONT=Verdana]As to the OP review, lots of unanswered questions for sure.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred][FONT=Verdana]There is always 3 sides to every story, this is only one of them.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[/COLOR]

[StevieG]

Most of you seem to be missing the point. The OP has sailed on Carnival several times in the past obviously without incedent. The first time she has a problem Carnival customer service fell flat. This is nothing new and it seems to be an intentional move by Carnival. I have been on several Carnival cruises and will be taking another in November and I have watched the steady erosion of customer service on Carnival. I have also noticed it is not really the ship or the crew where the problem lies but in the front office. Trying to get them to do anything, even when they have already agreed to it, is a major chore. If they do not manage to turn it around they will lose more than just the OP as a customer.

[big_duck]

[quote name='royd1968']Fire, have you actually sailed carnival lately? I just got back from the spirit and I definitely attended a past guest party with unlimited free drinks. None of that dollar off nonsense you mentioned. Or is that something that has evolved on the boards with all the gossip. I assure you, carnival didn't cut back in any way for this event, they had to have two of them due to so many past guests and I was at the 2nd one which was in the main theatre and it was full on the lower level. There must have been thirty waiters offering up drinks and I never has to wait for a refill.[/QUOTE]

Fire said Captains party not Past guest :rolleyes:

[royd1968]

[quote name='big_duck']Fire said Captains party not Past guest :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

So what? I'm pointing out that carnival hasn't cut back benefits for past guests in regards to this. Call it what you want. It was free drinks, and lots of them.

[TEXAZJEWL]

I don't think everyone is "bashing" the OP for just a bad review of the "Destiny".

I think what gets some people going off, is when the OP starts bashing Carnival ! This IS a Carnival thread, so you are going to have majority Carnival-lovers reading this.

Having a bad experience happens from time to time... even on Carnival! Especially when you are sailing an older ship like the Destiny.

However, since the OP had many other successful cruises on Carnival, it's odd that this one bad experience just "did her in" for Carnival now.

If I'd had 6 great cruises and 1 bad one with Carnival, then I'd definitely say it was a bad experience and move on. Try a different ship, maybe not choose a busy holiday sailing, etc. Chances are your next cruise will be great again!

But, to each his own.... good luck on your next Royal cruise !

[royd1968]

[quote name='StevieG']Most of you seem to be missing the point. The OP has sailed on Carnival several times in the past obviously without incedent. The first time she has a problem Carnival customer service fell flat. This is nothing new and it seems to be an intentional move by Carnival. I have been on several Carnival cruises and will be taking another in November and I have watched the steady erosion of customer service on Carnival. I have also noticed it is not really the ship or the crew where the problem lies but in the front office. Trying to get them to do anything, even when they have already agreed to it, is a major chore. If they do not manage to turn it around they will lose more than just the OP as a customer.[/QUOTE]
Oh, you are so correct. I've never been in such an incident. Let's see, I only went on a cruise where we weren't allowed to hit our ports and only got to visit a soggy San fransisco. Worst cruise ever? Never sailing carnival again? Nope!!! The group I was with made the best of it and it became my best cruise to date and because of that we decided to repeat that cruise next month. There were plenty of folks on that cruise who blamed carnival. It's documented on YouTube. We in the other hand thanked them for helping us to make lemonade out of a bunch of lemons.

[TEXAZJEWL]

[quote name='Traveler353'][COLOR=darkred][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkred][FONT=Verdana]I know better than to mention the specific negatives for fear of just such reactions as those being displayed here. Maybe the name of the board should be changed. As it appears that actually criticizing is a big no-no.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[/COLOR][/quote]
I don't think doing a fair review.... negatives included... gets these kinds of reactions. I've read several reviews where people expressed problems with their cruise. And people didn't "go off" like on this thread.

I think it's the outright bashing by the OP that started it, her review was a little inciteful.

She still has a right to feel the way she does about her vacation and all the so-called problems she had with Carnival. But, she could have had a little more tact in expressing it. That's all I'm sayin.

When your review is basically nothing BUT negatives, it does stir the pot up a little! Most of us find it hard to have such a bad time on vacation, even when things aren't perfect! Just different kind of people... makes the world go 'round!

[Holidayz]

My husband and I were on the same cruise, we found the staff to very unattentive as well, we have cruised 30+ times on various lines and many with Carnival, this was by far "a very dufferent experience" On Carnivals behalf, the crowd was also very "different as well. We did enjoy ourselves and try just to let everything go. We are sailing on the Dream in February and hope this was just a flook.

[mauraoel]

[quote name='royd1968']So what? I'm pointing out that carnival hasn't cut back benefits for past guests in regards to this. Call it what you want. It was free drinks, and lots of them.[/quote]

No The Captains Party and the Past Guest are two totally separate events and even I who have not traveled on Carnival yet knows that...

Fire is totally unbiased and I appreciate her comments even if you want to bash her.

[StevieG]

[quote name='royd1968']Oh, you are so correct. I've never been in such an incident. Let's see, I only went on a cruise where we weren't allowed to hit our ports and only got to visit a soggy San fransisco. Worst cruise ever? Never sailing carnival again? Nope!!! The group I was with made the best of it and it became my best cruise to date and because of that we decided to repeat that cruise next month. There were plenty of folks on that cruise who blamed carnival. It's documented on YouTube. We in the other hand thanked them for helping us to make lemonade out of a bunch of lemons.[/quote]

I know Royd I sailed in your group with Randy. In the end Carnival was forced to make it right with 50% off your next cruise. What I'm saying is Carnival has steadily gone down hill in customer service. 5 years ago it would not have taken a major uproar to get Carnival to have offered the cruise discount and today it does. My other point was to all those bashing her because she sailed on 6 previous cruises and she is now unhappy with Carnival. It appears it was because the first time she ran into an issue their response was get lost. If you recall that was indeed the first response on the Splendor cruise.

[pe4all]

Unless your cabin was a guarentee, there really is no one to blame for your disappointment in the location except yourself. In 7 CCL cruises you should be savvy enough to know how to pick your own cabin, or read up on which cabins to avoid- especially if you found this board just to complain. You could have researched everything before your cruise on this board. As for the lack of service by the crew, I can see that happening, especially on "shorter" cruises. As others have stated, Destiny has not been getting such stellar reviews lately, on many fronts. Maybe you just hit a "bad" cruise.

[C Cruise Dude]

[quote name='pattyl']My daughter and I sailed on Carnival Destiny over Labor Day weekend to Key West and Cozumel. This was my 7th cruise with Carnival so I expected a little more appreciation. No luck there.

Our room was right over the engine so sleep was nearly impossible. We tried to change our room but were told there were none available. We did not expect special treatment but as a longtime customer I did hope to get an upgrade or at least a decent room.
The service in the dining room was just awful. The waiter and bus boy while pleasant just had little interest in being there. They were clearly not trained well and the bus boy kept taking and putting plates down by passing in front of everyone instead of to the side. The food quality was not up to par and we felt like it was one step up from a college cafeteria.
The bulk of the crew seemed bored and disinterested. At one point I notified bar staff that there were several drunken passengers in the hot tub with glasses that could easily break. They did nothing to remedy this thus leaving everyone, including the drunken passengers at risk if a glass had broken.
The entertainment was good. There were two comedians which preformed both a PG and R show and they were pretty funny except one of them kept repeating his material so I guess he did not have a lot to say but we did get some good laughs. The singers and dancers were very good.
I have sailed many times and have always had a captain's cocktail party and past guest party to go to but not on this ship. Maybe they have cut back as it was only a 4 day cruise but the apathy was just jolting.
I wrote a complaint to customer service and got a generic response which basically told me that if I did not want to sail with them again then "too bad and good bye". They made no attempt to keep me as a customer which after 7 cruises really surprised me. Even a gesture of a credit for a future cruise would have made me consider them again for a cruise but after this I am going back to Royal Carribbean or Norweigian, two cruise lines that have always made me feel valued and welcome.
Carnival has lived on their reputation for a long time but they have really gone downhill. Their ship was badly worn and their crew acted like they just did not want to be there. Their customer service was just nonexistant and their dinng room staff was very poorly trained.
I have been on about 12 cruises so am pretty seasoned. I was really disappointed with the experience and was even more disappointed by the response from their customer service department (if one can call it that) in response to my complaint. They clearly have no interest in retaining customers so I will make sure not to sail them again. I may not get the most expensive room but I do spend money at the bar, on excursions and at the art auction and shops so they are getting additional revenue from me. From now on I will be giving my revenue to a cruise line that actually pays attention to its customers and actually wishes to retain them.
I do not think that expecting good food, a decent room and responsive staff to be an excessive demand. Take my advice , spend a a little more money and skip Carnival![/quote]

[FONT=Arial Black]It sounds like you just had a bad series of incidents, or too high expectations because you have cruised with Carnival 7 times (it could not have been too bad if you've done 7 seven cruises). One would get the impression that you are just a chronic complainer but this might be your first complaint so we won't consider that. With that in mind, if it's your first complaint, why would you abandon the cruise line for one bad cruise. Huh! Anyway, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Carnival and I would love to know that cabin number so that I know to avoid it if I book the Destiny. Maybe I will see you on one of the other lines. I love cruising and tend to favor Carnival but I'm open to other lines if the price and itinerary is right. Take care.[/FONT] :cool:

[Holidayz]

We were on the Labor Day sailing as well, don't worry I think it was just an off week, there were some crew members with great service, and the ship didn't seem worn to me at all, she's not brand new but still beautiful.

[MustardMan]

[quote name='okgirl']
I'm getting ready for my 21st Carnival cruise in 9 days [/quote]


Boy, those are sure short cruises you go on! ;)


I think OP was just venting about a below par time on a cruise, got no sympathy (or worse from the "cheerleaders") and has now went away!

Just my 2 cents worth!

[royd1968]

[quote name='mauraoel']No The Captains Party and the Past Guest are two totally separate events and even I who have not traveled on Carnival yet knows that...

Fire is totally unbiased and I appreciate her comments even if you want to bash her.[/QUOTE]

That's not bashing. Since i don't visit the rccl boards , I would never know about how great rccl is if it wasn't for fire posting the great deals and superb service they offer on rccl over here on the carnival boards. I was thanking her. How did you misread that?

[woodey]

[quote name='pattyl']My daughter and I sailed on Carnival Destiny over Labor Day weekend to Key West and Cozumel. This was my 7th cruise with Carnival so I expected a little more appreciation. No luck there.

Our room was right over the engine so sleep was nearly impossible. We tried to change our room but were told there were none available. We did not expect special treatment but as a longtime customer I did hope to get an upgrade or at least a decent room.
The service in the dining room was just awful. The waiter and bus boy while pleasant just had little interest in being there. They were clearly not trained well and the bus boy kept taking and putting plates down by passing in front of everyone instead of to the side. The food quality was not up to par and we felt like it was one step up from a college cafeteria.
The bulk of the crew seemed bored and disinterested. At one point I notified bar staff that there were several drunken passengers in the hot tub with glasses that could easily break. They did nothing to remedy this thus leaving everyone, including the drunken passengers at risk if a glass had broken.
The entertainment was good. There were two comedians which preformed both a PG and R show and they were pretty funny except one of them kept repeating his material so I guess he did not have a lot to say but we did get some good laughs. The singers and dancers were very good.
I have sailed many times and have always had a captain's cocktail party and past guest party to go to but not on this ship. Maybe they have cut back as it was only a 4 day cruise but the apathy was just jolting.
I wrote a complaint to customer service and got a generic response which basically told me that if I did not want to sail with them again then[SIZE=4][COLOR=darkred][B] "too bad and good bye".[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE] They made no attempt to keep me as a customer which after 7 cruises really surprised me. Even a gesture of a credit for a future cruise would have made me consider them again for a cruise but after this I am going back to Royal Carribbean or Norweigian, two cruise lines that have always made me feel valued and welcome.
Carnival has lived on their reputation for a long time but they have really gone downhill. Their ship was badly worn and their crew acted like they just did not want to be there. Their customer service was just nonexistant and their dinng room staff was very poorly trained.
I have been on about 12 cruises so am pretty seasoned. I was really disappointed with the experience and was even more disappointed by the response from their customer service department (if one can call it that) in response to my complaint. They clearly have no interest in retaining customers so I will make sure not to sail them again. I may not get the most expensive room but I do spend money at the bar, on excursions and at the art auction and shops so they are getting additional revenue from me. From now on I will be giving my revenue to a cruise line that actually pays attention to its customers and actually wishes to retain them.
I do not think that expecting good food, a decent room and responsive staff to be an excessive demand. Take my advice , spend a a little more money and skip Carnival![/quote]
[SIZE=4][COLOR=red]I'm sure you will be missed[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[lilybug23]

[quote name='going to see the world']It always amuse me how many "anti-Carnival" people come here sympathizing with the OP and stating how they think it's ridiculous that nothing bad can be said about Carnival.
First...if [I]you[/I] are so against Carnival, shouldn't you be on RCL'S/NCL'S and so on and so on's board?
Second...these comments are only made about the OP when they have nothing to back up their complaints whatsoever and it all seems like a bunch of, you get my drift. It's funny how these reviews are [B]always[/B] made by someone with a brand new profile. These are [B]always[/B] people that have previously made all kinds of "good" reviews and have sailed multiple times.

Weird.[/quote]

First of all.. just because someone is posting a bad review of their PERSONAL OPINION of their trip doesnt mean they are "anti-Carnival"
Second... how on earth do you know that they have nothing to back up their complaints.. Were you on this cruise with them... did you sleep in the same cabin they did.. did you eat at their dinner table with them? No.
Third.. Why is it against the law around here for someone that is new or has a new profile to post a bad review. This site is called Cruise CRITIC! If you dont like the opinion that the OP posted then dont reply. If you can take something useful from it fine. People bashing OP's for voiceing their personal opinions on this site is getting ridiculous. I have only cruised once and it was amazing so I have not yet posted a bad review, but in the future if I have a bad cruise you can sure as hell bet that I will post MY OPINION!

[conniecruiser]

I just wanted to jump in to say that I have NEVER had a bad cruise with Carnival.. I am a Carnival cruiser all the way, but I also go with a very good attitude and that just may help! I have been on the Holiday and it was old and small but in fact it was one of my favorite cruises, the employees were very attentive. I feel so bad that you had a bad cruise but honestly it doesn't sound like any service I have ever had on a Carnival cruise. Carnival all the way for me! :o

[Warm Breezes]

[quote name='lilybug23']First of all.. just because someone is posting a bad review of their PERSONAL OPINION of their trip doesnt mean they are "anti-Carnival"
Second... how on earth do you know that they have nothing to back up their complaints.. Were you on this cruise with them... did you sleep in the same cabin they did.. did you eat at their dinner table with them? No.
Third.. Why is it against the law around here for someone that is new or has a new profile to post a bad review. This site is called Cruise CRITIC! If you dont like the opinion that the OP posted then dont reply. If you can take something useful from it fine. People bashing OP's for voiceing their personal opinions on this site is getting ridiculous. I have only cruised once and it was amazing so I have not yet posted a bad review, but in the future if I have a bad cruise you can sure as hell bet that I will post MY OPINION![/quote]

I don't believe the posters are bashing OP for giving their opinion or for a bad review. They are bashing OP for:

1. Expecting Carnival to give them an upgrade because they had a noisy room. OP has sailed 12 times and should have had experience in picking out rooms that were not noisy if that was such an issue with them (or brought ear plugs as we always do). After 12 cruises they should know a little pre-planning of room location is important if noise is a problem for you.

2. Expecting Carnival to give them a credit to keep them as valuable customers...Carnival is not going to willy-nilly had out credits to every Joe, Dick and Harry who sends them a complaint letter. Get real.

3. Expecting Carnivals Captains Party to be the same as the last time they cruised Carnival and expecting a Past Guest Party on 4 day cruise. Not only were they expecting it but they complained about it when a little research ahead of time and they would have known about these parties before booking their cruise.

4. For complaining about food and service which is so subjective and based on everyones individual expectations that no ones opinion really matters to others.

5. For statements such as "Take my advice, spend a little more money and skip Carnival."

OP gave the impression of a spoiled child with unrealistic expectations who did not get their way with Carnival and was trying to "get even" by posting on Cruise Critic. This is what has lead to OP being bashed by the other posters, not a negative review. No a bad review does not make a review anti-Carnival...but OP's last statement did.

[Froufie]

[quote name='firefly333']Didnt the OP say this was their 7th cruise on Carnival? .. and where else would you expect the OP to post a review of a Carnival cruise other than on the Carnival forum.
[/QUOTE]

How about here in the MEMBERS REVIEW AREA of the cruise critic boards??
[url]http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=2[/url] (and I supposed that is the 'safest' place to post your reviews, especially the negative ones - since no one can respond and 'attack' you for your opinion? :D:D)

I have posted some reviews there as well....so it may not be the case that the OP 'created' some new profile in order to bash Carnival - but that her reviews were not on the Carnival forum at all! - not strange - as you will see there are many reviews here that are not always posted on the actual cruiseline thread!

And we all know Carnival isn't perfect - so the OP is certainly entitled to her opinion. So far I like and cruise Carnival and I do want to read all 'critiques' and reviews, even if they are pointing out some flaws......it is up to the individual reading to determine whether or not what is being reported may 'affect' their cruise experience or not!

And if you believe all Carnival ships always sail 100% full?? Well that's just plain silly - they will ALWAYS tell you the ship is full when you ask about switching cabins - but I have found that this is not always the case.....Many times I have read about individuals being told there are no empty cabins, yet when their cabin 'flooded'....or something else bad happened lo and behold another cabin was magically found???:eek::p

[StevieG]

[quote name='Warm Breezes']I don't believe the posters are bashing OP for giving their opinion or for a bad review. They are bashing OP for:

1. Expecting Carnival to give them an upgrade because they had a noisy room. OP has sailed 12 times and should have had experience in picking out rooms that were not noisy if that was such an issue with them (or brought ear plugs as we always do). After 12 cruises they should know a little pre-planning of room location is important if noise is a problem for you.

2. Expecting Carnival to give them a credit to keep them as valuable customers...Carnival is not going to willy-nilly had out credits to every Joe, Dick and Harry who sends them a complaint letter. Get real.

3. Expecting Carnivals Captains Party to be the same as the last time they cruised Carnival and expecting a Past Guest Party on 4 day cruise. Not only were they expecting it but they complained about it when a little research ahead of time and they would have known about these parties before booking their cruise.

4. For complaining about food and service which is so subjective and based on everyones individual expectations that no ones opinion really matters to others.

5. For statements such as "Take my advice, spend a little more money and skip Carnival."

OP gave the impression of a spoiled child with unrealistic expectations who did not get their way with Carnival and was trying to "get even" by posting on Cruise Critic. This is what has lead to OP being bashed by the other posters, not a negative review. No a bad review does not make a review anti-Carnival...but OP's last statement did.[/quote]

Sure sounds like bashing to me, only six cruises not 12.