Returned today off Dream :( They need help !

[bcs819]

Just got off the Dream, many many issues on that Ship. They need to take that one off the fleet and re-do the staff, and Guest Service policies. My list is long of the problems we had on that ship, right down to a VIP cabin that smelled like a sepic tank all week. Come on 4000.00 for a cabin that smelled. Fights in the halls late at night and no one would answer at Guest Services, SHORT STAFFED everywhere. And it goes on and on. But I am going to stop here because I just want to forget about it and book with RCCL next time !:mad:

 

wow, sorry to hear you had an unpleasant experience. We were on the Dream on the 9/18 sailing in an aft wrap and it was the best cruise we have had to date. Everyone was very helpful, our dining was great, we loved out waiters and the folks at the table next to us (we had our own table). The comedians were great, the weather was almost perfect, had towel animals and ice every night. I had to call the Purser's desk a few times for questions, and my call was answered almost immediately. I was put on hold once, but they came back in a few moments.

 

I am sure RCCL will welcome you back with open arms, hope you have a better trip next time.

[viaggi_per_mare]

Although what you say is true it is also true that Carnival is a US Corp located in Miami and as such is subject to US laws. While they can kick them off the ship they can also be sued. It's a fine line they have to walk because as soon as it hites the courts the costs to Carnival will out wieght the costs of just refunding them their money.

 

 

Actually, we know about what happened and they were not happy about being asked to leave. Personally I do not know if there was a refund or any money return deals made at all. I do know they were asked to leave the ship for their behavior during the drill. (I do believe, heard through the grapevine only, that the girlfriend was not involved and was given the option of staying on the cruise - she chose to get off with her boyfriend)

Again, that was not from an official source, it was from other passengers, so you have to take it at face value.

[Rocknsoul]

I have cruised on 18 different cruise lines in over 40 years of cruising both at the low and high end of the price scale - three of which are now defunct. My philosophy has always been that if a cruise really upsets me I might give the line a second chance but in two cases the experience was so bad that it made me decide to never return to those lines. One was Costa and one was Crystal. Now I have friends who strongly defend both lines and that's fine but it is only me who can make a decision to say 'no more'. What is mildly upsetting to one person can leave a permanent bad taste to another. The comment that any cruise is better than no cruise is no justification for a really poor cruise experience. There are so many lines and so many ships competing for my cruise dollars that my instinct is to search out a different line if I have a really bad experience. So I do understand the OP's decision. In the case of the Crystal Harmony the smell in my room was so objectionable that I could not sleep in the room. The staff on board said there was nothing they could do and I think they were probably correct. Calling the front desk and the engineer, hotel staff, etc. resulted only in an apology and a lame and ridiculous excuse. I wound up sleeping on a sofa in the main lobby because the ship was full and no other room was available. If this had been the only problem with the cruise I just might have tried the line again but there were several other situations that were not only inexcusable but finally forced me to say 'no more'. Finding the cruise lines that were the best fit for me and on which I enjoyed myself the most has resulted in many wonderful cruises with almost no major problems. I wonder how many folks on these boards have restricted their cruising to two or three lines. My advice is that discovering new ships, new lines and new itineraries is what keeps me a happy cruiser. And I still look for new cruise experiences on ships of all sizes with different attitudes. Thus my first Carnival cruise in January.:)

 

Posts like this one make me wish CC had a "Favorite" button. :)

 

Wouldn't it be wild if you enjoyed your Carnival cruise more than your Crystal cruise? Seriously, hope you have a great one.

[gogetter]

WHAT???? Poor customer service on a ship?

 

No way.......

[Suntanz]

We sailed on the Dream 9/4 & my family had a great time. Loved the ship. We did encounter the smell in out cabin for a little bit, but we just left the cabin for a while. The customer service was good, not the very best I have had, but still very good. I love when I read that people will no longer sail Carnival. Carnival seems to have the best prices, so you really have to go in knowing it is cheaper then Royal, Celebrity, etc. We were debating between the Dream & The Oasis before we sailed, but the Oasis was quite a bit more expensive. As others have said, nothing is perfect, just try to make the best of things.

[maggieworkman]

We're sailing the Dream for a 3rd time in June. Spa cabins all. DW loves the spa and Serenity deck. Bash us for being Carnival cheerleaders, but we've never had a issue with the ship or its staff...any lowlights of our cruises came from inconsiderent passengers who were demanding over the top treatment and patronage from the staff.

 

Crew

 

We are in a spa cabin too! I hope I love it too!

 

Maggie

[GoofyDog]

Has it not occurred to anyone that this person just started this thread for their ego? They OP has made 1 post in the thread... no responses back from them. I honestly haven't read but 1 or 2 posts in the entire thread but it seem senseless to go on for 7 pages when the OP won't even come back on to comment or defend anything they may have said.

 

Happy Cruising!!

[Smart Arsenal Fan]

This was the "review" she posted about 5 minutes before this one in her Roll Call thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=26508367&highlight=#post26508367

 

Her OP on this thread seems much more critical.

 

And then there's this person's post just after, from the exact same cruise...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=26522964&postcount=1947

 

Not saying one's right, one's wrong... it's just amazing...

 

Perception, Perspective, and Outlook.

 

To each their own...

[DDFla]

I am also going on my first cruise on the Dream and am second guessing our choice. Oh well, with nothing to compare it to I'm sure we will enjoy it by making the best out of it I just wish Carnival would address all these complaints and try and fix the problems.

 

Don't second guess, as I posted earlier in this thread, I was on this cruise and had a great time. I also was worried about all the negative reviews prior to the trip. Is the Dream perfect? No. Was it a great time and value for what I paid? YES! I would sail dream again if the itineraries change some. I do not care to return to Nassau. My mother was on this cruise as her first, loved it! Do not miss the Chef's Art Steak House. And I understand the Chef's table was also excellent. As I stated earlier, I did smell the smell once, and there were some service issues that I encountered that may have been worse for others and the OP. All the negatives I/we experienced were minor in the overall scheme of things IMO, and occur on any vacation.

 

Watch for an up coming post from "The Dream Queen", I'm sure everyone will find it very humorous and objective.

[auburn77]

(actually

[auburn77]

We are booked on the Magic in a beautiful cabin with a huge balcony in May, and we are paying much less that $4000 (actually half of that for 12 days on a brand new ship)

 

Just curious. How did you get a 'huge' balcony cabin on a 12 day Med cruise for less than $2,000 when Carnival's rate shows over $1,600 each person for a cove balcony?

[Cristallo]

The officers and Captain are from Italy and they don't tolerate what is tolerated in the US.

 

As an Italian born in Italy could you qualify this statement to me?

[Crusin6]

As an Italian born in Italy could you qualify this statement to me?

as a full blooded American/italian married to an Italian born man who is a naturalized US citizen and has been in this country since he was11....what is being said is a compliment....in that...

 

The Italians are pragmatic.... and do not stand for nonsense.....:D

 

The best compliment my DH has ever given me is that I am practical and see things clearly:D and bleeding heart is never used to describe either him or me.....practical is the only description we want.

[JPH814]

I've only been on one Carnival ship, Victory, no sewage odor.

 

I guess this statement makes you a one of those CCL cheerleaders.

[Cristallo]

as a full blooded American/italian married to an Italian born man who is a naturalized US citizen and has been in this country since he was11....what is being said is a compliment....in that...

 

The Italians are pragmatic.... and do not stand for nonsense.....:D

 

The best compliment my DH has ever given me is that I am practical and see things clearly:D and bleeding heart is never used to describe either him or me.....practical is the only description we want.

 

 

Then maybe you can be practical next time and say that Italians are practical instead of implying they are intolerant which are two completely different things.

[JPH814]

Has it not occurred to anyone that this person just started this thread for their ego? They OP has made 1 post in the thread... no responses back from them. I honestly haven't read but 1 or 2 posts in the entire thread but it seem senseless to go on for 7 pages when the OP won't even come back on to comment or defend anything they may have said.

 

Happy Cruising!!

 

The first post was 2:30 PM on Saturday - 2 days ago. Within 90 minutes there more than 20 reponses - many attacking her. If I were her, if I had checked back at all, I would think twice about responding to what is now 140 largely hostile posts less than 2 days later.

 

Not everyone spends hours on Cruise Critic every day.

[DeeselDave]

First off, as a new poster here at CC, [just registered], I must thank you all for the great info I have gotten over the past year of kibbitzing and lurking. Never really found *time* to register to post.

 

The real reason for my posting is the Darling Girl Friends [DGF] and I just got off the Dream on Saturday 9/16. we were in Spa Level Cabin 11214. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, the staff and crew, as well as our shore excursions. That doesn't mean it was 200% perfect, but it was pretty close.

 

We did not smell the "smell" and as I have been a lurker here, if it would have been an issue, I would say so. It was not, at anytime during our trips around the ship. We did get on an elivator with a cruiser and his lady who reeked of pot, but...oh well...to each his own. They were having fun.

 

Our cabin was well attended by our Steward and he was very cordial. I asked for a 2nd bucket of ice and every day he made sure they were filled sveral times daily. Asked him for a couple extra sample packs of Pepcid to get rid of the burps...he was more than happy.

The towel animals were well done and cute.

I asked if he could take away the drinks form the fridge and he said to leave them on the counter and use the fridge as we wished. DGF's soft drinks and my bottled water were always cold.

 

As we had cruised on the Dream on a Western Carribean cruise in January, we were familiar with the ship and were very happy with our return. I was a bit surprised that the evening shows were the same in October as they were in early January, but the country music revue was so good we stayed anyway. We also attended the repeat customer/cruiser party and it was cute, free drinks and snacks that were ok, but had to chuckle at the sales of bingo and scratcher tickets...as if they were doing us a favor.

 

The food was as good this trip as in January. We enjoyed the Pasta Bar twice...Linguini with red clams, tomatoes, onions, Italian sausage was exceptional. 12 fresh cooked Little Necks in the bowl. The lasagna was massive and very tasty.

Dinner in the Scarlet Room was great, after I asked to be transfered to a different area...someone's table of screaming children, throwing bread was not my idea of a romantic dinner. Maitre' D Chris gladly checked the roster of seating, moved us to the upper level to a 2 person table and it was absolutely the BEST! The head waiter for our table, Budi and his pals were top shelf and very cordial and friendly. Maitre' D Igor checked on us nightly and called me by name as we walked in the door, showing us to our table.

DGF loved the smoked duck so much they brought her some with candles on it for her birthday [her idea] and everyone cracked up. The crab cakes were excellent [i'm an Eastern Shore Md boy and am picky about my seafood]

 

We also did the Mongolian Grill and it was more than excellent. The line moved quickly and the food was very good. Careful of the Sechuan sauce if you don't like "hot." The Hoisin sauce they use is tangy and tasty without being too hot.

 

While I don't want to bore you with all of the details, I will say, I would gladly book the Dream again in a heartbeat, with a different itinerary, as we did Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya in January. more on that later if anyone cares.

I'm sorry the OP had a bad deal and issues on the Dream, but in all honesty [knock on wood] we did not. For the folks sitting on the fence...I would not hesitate to book the Dream.

 

And...to make it even better...the Wheel of Fortune $1 machine [on the left, before the bar] really liked me. I wound up paying for the cruise and a good bit extra over the course of about 5 days. Even gave DGF $600 of the winnings for her shopping pleasure. Trust me when I say that was a really good move..

 

Again, thanks for the great tips over the past year, CC'rs. Ya'll have helped us make some good travel decisions.

 

Dave

[jetskier]

I was a bit surprised that the evening shows were the same in October as they were in early January, but the country music revue was so good we stayed anyway.

 

Dave

 

 

The production shows cost several millions to change out backgrounds, sets and costumes so that is why they had the same show upon your return.

 

Dave

[jetskier]

I was a bit surprised that the evening shows were the same in October as they were in early January, but the country music revue was so good we stayed anyway.

 

Dave

 

 

The production shows cost several millions to change out backgrounds, sets and costumes so that is why they had the same show upon your return.

 

Dave

[StevieG]

First off, as a new poster here at CC, [just registered], I must thank you all for the great info I have gotten over the past year of kibbitzing and lurking. Never really found *time* to register to post.

 

The real reason for my posting is the Darling Girl Friends [DGF] and I just got off the Dream on Saturday 9/16. we were in Spa Level Cabin 11214. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, the staff and crew, as well as our shore excursions. That doesn't mean it was 200% perfect, but it was pretty close.

 

We did not smell the "smell" and as I have been a lurker here, if it would have been an issue, I would say so. It was not, at anytime during our trips around the ship. We did get on an elivator with a cruiser and his lady who reeked of pot, but...oh well...to each his own. They were having fun.

 

Our cabin was well attended by our Steward and he was very cordial. I asked for a 2nd bucket of ice and every day he made sure they were filled sveral times daily. Asked him for a couple extra sample packs of Pepcid to get rid of the burps...he was more than happy.

The towel animals were well done and cute.

I asked if he could take away the drinks form the fridge and he said to leave them on the counter and use the fridge as we wished. DGF's soft drinks and my bottled water were always cold.

 

As we had cruised on the Dream on a Western Carribean cruise in January, we were familiar with the ship and were very happy with our return. I was a bit surprised that the evening shows were the same in October as they were in early January, but the country music revue was so good we stayed anyway. We also attended the repeat customer/cruiser party and it was cute, free drinks and snacks that were ok, but had to chuckle at the sales of bingo and scratcher tickets...as if they were doing us a favor.

 

The food was as good this trip as in January. We enjoyed the Pasta Bar twice...Linguini with red clams, tomatoes, onions, Italian sausage was exceptional. 12 fresh cooked Little Necks in the bowl. The lasagna was massive and very tasty.

Dinner in the Scarlet Room was great, after I asked to be transfered to a different area...someone's table of screaming children, throwing bread was not my idea of a romantic dinner. Maitre' D Chris gladly checked the roster of seating, moved us to the upper level to a 2 person table and it was absolutely the BEST! The head waiter for our table, Budi and his pals were top shelf and very cordial and friendly. Maitre' D Igor checked on us nightly and called me by name as we walked in the door, showing us to our table.

DGF loved the smoked duck so much they brought her some with candles on it for her birthday [her idea] and everyone cracked up. The crab cakes were excellent [i'm an Eastern Shore Md boy and am picky about my seafood]

 

We also did the Mongolian Grill and it was more than excellent. The line moved quickly and the food was very good. Careful of the Sechuan sauce if you don't like "hot." The Hoisin sauce they use is tangy and tasty without being too hot.

 

While I don't want to bore you with all of the details, I will say, I would gladly book the Dream again in a heartbeat, with a different itinerary, as we did Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya in January. more on that later if anyone cares.

I'm sorry the OP had a bad deal and issues on the Dream, but in all honesty [knock on wood] we did not. For the folks sitting on the fence...I would not hesitate to book the Dream.

 

And...to make it even better...the Wheel of Fortune $1 machine [on the left, before the bar] really liked me. I wound up paying for the cruise and a good bit extra over the course of about 5 days. Even gave DGF $600 of the winnings for her shopping pleasure. Trust me when I say that was a really good move..

 

Again, thanks for the great tips over the past year, CC'rs. Ya'll have helped us make some good travel decisions.

 

Dave

 

I'm glad you had a great experience. I have had several good cruises as well as some bad ones. Carnival's problem seems to be customer service. Once they run into an issue they are terrible at resolving it. The OP had a problem with "the smell" in their room. There is no question this is a problem on the ship and it also seems to be isolated but in different areas at different times. It appears the response from Carnival was to ignore them and hope the problem goes away. I personally believe them because I have had the same response on several occassions. The difference is I do not let them get away with it where others apparently do. Once they failed to respond properly to the problem the OP started to see everything that was wrong with the trip. That is human nature and not an unexpected response. Why Carnival acts this way only they know but eventually it has to hurt their business. I know that if my current Dream cruise is not a major improvement over my last cruise I too will be moving on to another cruise line.

[StevieG]

First off, as a new poster here at CC, [just registered], I must thank you all for the great info I have gotten over the past year of kibbitzing and lurking. Never really found *time* to register to post.

 

The real reason for my posting is the Darling Girl Friends [DGF] and I just got off the Dream on Saturday 9/16. we were in Spa Level Cabin 11214. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, the staff and crew, as well as our shore excursions. That doesn't mean it was 200% perfect, but it was pretty close.

 

We did not smell the "smell" and as I have been a lurker here, if it would have been an issue, I would say so. It was not, at anytime during our trips around the ship. We did get on an elivator with a cruiser and his lady who reeked of pot, but...oh well...to each his own. They were having fun.

 

Our cabin was well attended by our Steward and he was very cordial. I asked for a 2nd bucket of ice and every day he made sure they were filled sveral times daily. Asked him for a couple extra sample packs of Pepcid to get rid of the burps...he was more than happy.

The towel animals were well done and cute.

I asked if he could take away the drinks form the fridge and he said to leave them on the counter and use the fridge as we wished. DGF's soft drinks and my bottled water were always cold.

 

As we had cruised on the Dream on a Western Carribean cruise in January, we were familiar with the ship and were very happy with our return. I was a bit surprised that the evening shows were the same in October as they were in early January, but the country music revue was so good we stayed anyway. We also attended the repeat customer/cruiser party and it was cute, free drinks and snacks that were ok, but had to chuckle at the sales of bingo and scratcher tickets...as if they were doing us a favor.

 

The food was as good this trip as in January. We enjoyed the Pasta Bar twice...Linguini with red clams, tomatoes, onions, Italian sausage was exceptional. 12 fresh cooked Little Necks in the bowl. The lasagna was massive and very tasty.

Dinner in the Scarlet Room was great, after I asked to be transfered to a different area...someone's table of screaming children, throwing bread was not my idea of a romantic dinner. Maitre' D Chris gladly checked the roster of seating, moved us to the upper level to a 2 person table and it was absolutely the BEST! The head waiter for our table, Budi and his pals were top shelf and very cordial and friendly. Maitre' D Igor checked on us nightly and called me by name as we walked in the door, showing us to our table.

DGF loved the smoked duck so much they brought her some with candles on it for her birthday [her idea] and everyone cracked up. The crab cakes were excellent [i'm an Eastern Shore Md boy and am picky about my seafood]

 

We also did the Mongolian Grill and it was more than excellent. The line moved quickly and the food was very good. Careful of the Sechuan sauce if you don't like "hot." The Hoisin sauce they use is tangy and tasty without being too hot.

 

While I don't want to bore you with all of the details, I will say, I would gladly book the Dream again in a heartbeat, with a different itinerary, as we did Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya in January. more on that later if anyone cares.

I'm sorry the OP had a bad deal and issues on the Dream, but in all honesty [knock on wood] we did not. For the folks sitting on the fence...I would not hesitate to book the Dream.

 

And...to make it even better...the Wheel of Fortune $1 machine [on the left, before the bar] really liked me. I wound up paying for the cruise and a good bit extra over the course of about 5 days. Even gave DGF $600 of the winnings for her shopping pleasure. Trust me when I say that was a really good move..

 

Again, thanks for the great tips over the past year, CC'rs. Ya'll have helped us make some good travel decisions.

 

Dave

 

I'm glad you had a great experience. I have had several good cruises as well as some bad ones. Carnival's problem seems to be customer service. Once they run into an issue they are terrible at resolving it. The OP had a problem with "the smell" in their room. There is no question this is a problem on the ship and it also seems to be isolated but in different areas at different times. It appears the response from Carnival was to ignore them and hope the problem goes away. I personally believe them because I have had the same response on several occassions. The difference is I do not let them get away with it where others apparently do. Once they failed to respond properly to the problem the OP started to see everything that was wrong with the trip. That is human nature and not an unexpected response. Why Carnival acts this way only they know but eventually it has to hurt their business. I know that if my current Dream cruise is not a major improvement over my last cruise I too will be moving on to another cruise line.

[graphicguy]

The first post was 2:30 PM on Saturday - 2 days ago. Within 90 minutes there more than 20 reponses - many attacking her. If I were her, if I had checked back at all, I would think twice about responding to what is now 140 largely hostile posts less than 2 days later.

 

Not everyone spends hours on Cruise Critic every day.

I think a major issue with the OP was she started an entire thread blasting the DREAM. Yet, posted in another thread how much fun she had on the same cruise and that any issues weren't even worth mentioning.

 

Which is it?

[graphicguy]

The first post was 2:30 PM on Saturday - 2 days ago. Within 90 minutes there more than 20 reponses - many attacking her. If I were her, if I had checked back at all, I would think twice about responding to what is now 140 largely hostile posts less than 2 days later.

 

Not everyone spends hours on Cruise Critic every day.

I think a major issue with the OP was she started an entire thread blasting the DREAM. Yet, posted in another thread how much fun she had on the same cruise and that any issues weren't even worth mentioning.

 

Which is it?

[Crusin6]

Then maybe you can be practical next time and say that Italians are practical instead of implying they are intolerant which are two completely different things.

you have me mixed up with another poster my friend.........Pragmatic..means ..practical.....just check the dictionary...but read the entire definition...because it is not usually the first definition

[JPH814]

I think a major issue with the OP was she started an entire thread blasting the DREAM. Yet, posted in another thread how much fun she had on the same cruise and that any issues weren't even worth mentioning.

 

Which is it?

 

Agreed... Curious and I wish she had returned to say more.

 

But many are indicting this woman because she has not come back to expand on her first comment. Since she has not come back they assume she is some kind of troll or carnival hater. The first complaint about her not responding came less than three hours after the original post! There were 93 posts within the first 24 hours. If I came back 24 hours after my post and saw some of these comments, I'm not sure I would respond.

 

I am just suggesting a bit of civility.