I really wanted to love Carnival.

[GrandmaHofmann]

I think a lot of people believe what they see in cruise ads about being pampered, etc. I think of a cruise ship as a bus that takes me from place to place. I expect things to be clean and the food to be reasonably tasty. Aside from that, I expect nothing out of the ordinary and am seldom disappointed. I am, however, often happily surprised.

[CrusinCyndi]

We sailed on her last October out of Charleston...we loved it! Staff was awsome, food was very good, the reason for the silent debarkation is......the residents of Charleston do not like hearing announcements from the CD while the ship is in port as they can be heard on deck over the loud speakers...disturbs their peace and quiet...we stayed in Charleston the night before leaving and noticed a LOT of flags flying that had the Carnival whale tail picture and a red circle with a line thru it...if some of the residents of Charleston had their way, there would be NO cruise ships. So there you have that explanation of the silent debarkation.

 

I would sail on the Fantasy again in a heartbeat!

 

I will be on the Dream in August. Quite a difference I imagine but looking forward to it. As long as I am on a cruise, I am happy!

[Tapi]

I never said I had a horrible time, just that I had bigger expectations...

 

 

Realistic expectations play a HUGE role when cruising. Setting expectations that are too high or unrealistic, even if you're sailing on the Oasis of the Seas, can lead to disappointment.

 

But don't blame yourself for having expectations that were not met. You probably based them on the many positive reviews (and maybe didn't put as much weight on the negatives). Everybody is different and what someone may find to be impeccable service, wonderful entertainment, and excellent cuisine, someone else may find mediocre, subpar, and just terrible. Some people genuinely like the Fantasy and consider her to provide a wonderful vacation.

 

But when I read posts from first timers asking for information on a particularly older and smaller ship, and I read responses from people saying "Trust me, you'll have the most amazing time! The ship is absolutely beautiful! You'll love the more intimate size! They'll make you feel like royalty! Service is so personal and friendly!", I can't help but to think that, while well intentioned, these people are setting the first time cruiser for disappointment. Call it what it is, a budget cruise on an older, smaller ship on a mass-market cruise line with a less than personal crew to passenger ratio.

 

Going with realistic expectations is key to coming back saying "WOW, that was the best vacation ever". You know which cruise ranks as one of the best cruises I've ever taken? Our little 4 night cruise aboard the (now retired from the Carnival fleet) Holiday out of Mobile, AL. She was a small, old rust bucket at the time, and we went with the absolute lowest expectations. In turn, we had one of the best cruises ever! Relaxing, with wonderful fellow passengers, and on a ship that, while old and small, turned out to be much better than we anticipated. Had we been expecting something more than what it truly was, we probably would've been disappointed.

 

Off topic, Tapi, you are one of the posters on this board I like to read. I know it will be a fair post and I appreciate that.

 

THANK YOU! :D I really enjoy posting here on Cruise Critic, but it makes it even more enjoyable knowing that some fellow Cruise Critic members actually enjoy what I write! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited April 22, 2014 by Tapi

[Frank12]

I have definitely experienced individual unhappy / unfriendly crew members, but can honestly say out of 17 cruises i have never experienced a ship where the entire crew seemed unhappy.

 

Same with cabin stewards. Had some great ones and some not so good one's, but they all called me by name the entire cruise (even if they had to cheat by looking at their clipboard! :) )

[YesJeffery]

General/domestic Cruise staff are not underpaid!

 

Take an Indonesian bar steward from Bali. He would earn around $100 per month in Bali working from just after Breakfast to midnight,mainland Indonesia sometimes less than half that! An Indonesian Cruise worker is earning way more than $100 a month working on a cruise ship!

 

You cannot look at a cruise workers pay and relate it to your own base wage and economy you must relate it to the workers base wage and economy in there home land. This is why cruise lines use overseas employment agencies and employees for general staff because what seems to be a very small wage to us is a good wage to them.:)

 

 

I believe they are underpaid and so I like to tip a little more.

Edited April 22, 2014 by YesJeffery

[092306]

I can see how lacking service would negatively impact your vacation, but I would urge you to give another ship a shot. We've had both so-so and excellent service on Carnival, but never poor. I've read tons of reviews of cruises on NCL, Royal and Princess who have had similar service experiences to yours on Carnival. Crews and service varies on all lines unfortunately, but the positives you mentioned are just as important contributors to a great vacation.

[Beachdude]

I think a lot of people believe what they see in cruise ads about being pampered, etc. I think of a cruise ship as a bus that takes me from place to place.

 

Exactly! 10 years ago, maybe even 5 years ago cruising was still about being pampared, but the industry is making a shift toward being what I call vacation barges. The elegance and pampering experience is being replaced by cheap prices and entertainment park attractions. Which is why we are finding ourselves cruising less and doing more land vacations. I think we will try the river cruises to as well.

 

Burt

[bunchesofun]

We have cruised 3 times with Carnival. Twice on the Pride, once on the Valor, and just booked another one for the Pride in 2015. We have never encountered what you have described. Our last cruise was the only one the cabin steward didn't really introduce herself to us or go out of her way for us. But walking down the halls we always got a cheery "hello!" from the crew. I wouldn't expect anyone to know my name except the steward though.

 

I'm not sure giving Carnival another try would help. It seemed like you were prepared not to like it... If I am wrong, I am sorry, but it just seemed that way.

[mzloolue]

We first cruised over thirty years ago.

We were not pampered then.

 

I think it is probably expectations that were too high.

 

Generally nothing is as good as you dream about.

 

Movies are never as good as the book.

The Magic Kingdom is not really magic.

 

We don't live near the ocean.

So for us the luxury is sitting in a shady spot on deck watching the sea and sky go past.

A nice lunch, a decent dinner, some time spent watching the sunset together.

 

If walking outside on the first morning at sea and seeing the sky and the sea and the enormity of the horizon stops giving me a moment of wonder, then I will be cruised out and done.

 

Sometimes the room steward and the waiter know your name.

Sometimes they don't.

But as long as they do their job, then it's all good.

[Warm Breezes]

I was thinking about your post and how the service impacted your feelings toward your cruise and then tried to relate it to our experiences. The very best Room Stewardess and waiter we have had were on the Carnival Destiny.....and yet I can't say that had a huge impact on how I felt about the cruise itself. It definately wasn't my favorite cruise or even favorite Carnival Cruise (which was our 8 day Freedom Cruise). We did have John Heald as a cruise director on or 8 day Freedom Cruise. Quite frankly he is the only cruise director I can remember out of all of our cruises including the one we just did a couple months ago on Princess. So maybe a good cruise director does have some impact on our feelings toward the cruise. But I can't remember the cruise directors at all on our Disney Magic and NCL Epic cruises and those are my 2 favorite cruises to date. There was a buffet waiter that stood out for me on Epic as exceptional...but I'm sure that is not what made that cruise great for me. I also found all the servers in the buffet on our 2nd NCL Jewel cruise to be extremely friendly and happy....and while that added to the enjoyment it did not make the cruise an exceptional one. We did find some of the workers on Princess to be a little on the rude and grumpy side. That did not ruin the cruise for us but it did leave feeling as if something was lacking with that cruise.

 

Overall I think the service and cruise dictector may have an impact, albiet a small one for us on our overall feeling towards a cruise. Most of the the waiters and cruise directors we have had I can't even recall. I do recall the exceptional ones and the extremely poor ones but they weren't necessarily on my favorite or least favorite cruises. OP I wouldn't base your opinion of Carnival based on your service on one ship. I find that service can vary from ship to ship even room to room or table to table on any line. It is the luck of the draw who you end up with for that week.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[allilivesay]

What was your cabin number? My mother and me are sailing in May on the fantasy! I can't wait!

 

 

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[Velvetwater]

I dont care if my room steward or anyone else remembers my name or says hello. Over in these waters we are not used to that anyway! :)

 

Maybe your feeling of the customer service affected your perception of how happy people looked? In that its the placebo effect that if you are unhappy you might perceive others to be as well.

 

Our CCL cruise everyone seemed generally happy. Obviously the odd time people were not and that can be expected with all the hustle and bustle of a ship. CDs are easy

to ignore and any important information will get to you by other ways.

 

By the way your Cabin steward's name would be on a card in a little metal place holder when you entered your cabin. Its interesting that you wore your card and expected

everyone to look and read it so they could call you by name but you didnt take time to look round the cabin/read the badge your cabin steward wore.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Velvetwater

[NCTribeFan]

I love Fantasy. Love her. I've sailed her 7 times and was set for #8 but switched to Pride simply because I wanted another Spirit-class ship.

 

I'm not sure how Risa's leaving will affect things, though. She was a great CD (imho) and was a no-nonsense, efficient woman who kept that ship running very smoothly.

 

I've always had excellent service with extremely pleasant crew and staff even though most of them are new-to-me each time I sail (except for my wonderful MDR staff of Rafael and Seville, who I've had the past three sailings).

 

I disagree with Tapi's comment about how there's nowhere to go but up from Fantasy. I don't care that she's the oldest ship in the fleet. I like her better than the other Fantasy-class ships I've sailed.

 

And if anyone cruises these days without doing what they can to be informed and thus have reasonable expectations, then that's their own fault. Read reviews. Look at photos. Look at deck plans. Understand what you're buying and what you should reasonably expect to receive. I've written several Fantasy reviews and I'm pretty sure I've been very objective. I always include the good and the not-so-good in every review.

 

As for not finding out the steward's name, I'm one of those who doesn't need to meet the steward the moment I board. I just need my cabin cleaned and ice in the ice bucket. I'd be perfectly happy if I never saw a steward. To me, good service should be as invisible and unobtrusive as possible. I absolutely do NOT want anyone fawning over me.

 

Every server I've ever had on every Carnival ship has called me by name once I give them my card for something. And my MDR server always asks what I would like to be called and makes a note on the first night.

 

The only "unfriendly" staff I've ever encounted (#19 on Carnival coming up) have been in the shops and, rarely, in the casino or the spa. If I"m not mistaken, these people are all contract workers and not Carnival employees (maybe the casino staff, but I'm not sure). I now refuse to go in the shops because of the snotty attitudes I've encountered.

 

Sorry your experience wasn't what you were hoping it would be. I'm going to try to squeeze in another Fantasy cruise this year. I was going to take a last-minute cruise on her this week but I was told I had to work. :mad:

[NEMMRRC]

I've sailed Carnival exactly once. It was my first cruise. I sailed the Valor 7 years ago.

 

On embarkation day our cabin steward seeked me so I could sign his clipboard by my name and to introduce himself. He explained that was part of his job. I remember him by name still, Mr. Aji.

 

As the 7 day cruise progressed, I saw Mr. Aji numerous times. Each time he called me by name and I called him by name as well. Mr. Aji made our cruise a pleasant one. Many other crew members made our stay pleasant as well.

 

Sorry the OP did not have the same experience many of us have had on our first cruise and on Carnival. But this is a lesson many can heed. If you do not meet your steward early on in your cruise, call for her/him and introduce yourself. It's a 2 way street and it wouldn't hurt to be the one to initiate things.

 

Hopefully the OP will have an opportunity to cruise again in the future with more satisfactory results.

[hereisjohnny]

As you say your opinion is just that and why would set your expectations on someone else's opinion. I try to keep an open mind and have fun on vacation instead of nitpicking every little thing.

 

 

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[cruizinisthebest]

 

I disagree with Tapi's comment about how there's nowhere to go but up from Fantasy. I don't care that she's the oldest ship in the fleet. I like her better than the other Fantasy-class ships I've sailed.

 

 

I disagree with it as well. There are good and bad reviews about almost every size, age, and class ship in the Carnival fleet in this forum. I also totally disagree that a first-time cruiser should start off bigger as conversely there's nowhere to go but down.

 

My first cruise was on a fantasy class ship and I've been hooked ever since. I look forward to moving up in class size. We've taken first-time cruisers with us during our past 3 cruises and each person we've taken has cruised again or plans to. I don't think the fantasy or the fantasy-size ships are a turnoff at all. Seems the OP likes the personal touch and there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe try cruising again. You can move up in ship size if you like, but also keep in mind that it is o.k. to speak to the staff first. Sometimes they really just may be exhausted and need someone to reach out to them initially. Just a suggestion.

[SUSIEK]

Sorry to read that you were disappointed. Different strokes for different folks.

 

Whether or not a cabin steward decides to chat or not is not a big deal to me. I care that he/she keeps my cabin tidy. I always find it strange when someone is critical towards their cabin steward because they hardly saw them??? As long as they are doing their job.... who cares? We always say hello when we see them in the hallway but that's about it. We must be to absorbed in ourselves having a good time...LOL.

 

I think if you need that much PERSONAL attention, get a suite with a butler. There are plenty of lines that offer that.

 

My husband always likes to chat with our wait staff. I love that they have the country they are from on their name badges. It makes for easy conversation.

[Tapi]

And if anyone cruises these days without doing what they can to be informed and thus have reasonable expectations, then that's their own fault.

 

The problem is that people like the OP do read reviews that say things like what you wrote ("I love the Fantasy. Love her!" and "excellent service with EXTREMELY pleasant crew and staff! "), then they are faced with reality when they board. Yes, the crew may be nice, but writing superlatives that make them more than what they are, sets people up for disappointment when those expectations are not met, which seems to be the case with the OP.

 

As mentioned before, the Fantasy is a sentimental favorite for many who love her because she's the local girl, convenient, small, and affordable. It leads me to believe that these people look at her with rose colored glasses and with less objectivity than they may think.

 

I've been guilty of doing the same. When the Holiday was the resident ship in Mobile, I used to talk about her like she was the Queen Mary 2. Loved that little ship, but reality was quite different than my "not so objective" opinion.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Tapi

[Tapi]

I also totally disagree that a first-time cruiser should start off bigger as conversely there's nowhere to go but down.

 

For the record, I don't agree that a new cruiser should start with the biggest and newest either. Like you said, then there's nowhere to go but down in that scenario.

 

What I meant to say was that if the OP didn't like the Fantasy, the good news is that there's always room to go but up.

 

In general, NO I would not recommend a Fantasy class ship to a first time cruiser (although I actually have :o). BUT in all fairness, Fantasy class ships can be a good option for some people whose expectations are not as high, and who don't have much to compare her service, cuisine, and entertainment to. However, for someone like the OP, maybe a different ship or cruise line with more personal and better service may have been a better choice.

 

When I recommend ships or cruise lines to people who've never cruised before, I always ask them lots of questions before giving them my opinion. I actually told one of my good friends to sail on the Fascination for their honeymoon (even though I didn't enjoy it as much), but based on what they were looking for (something affordable, short distance, laid back and unpretentious, didn't care what the ship looked like, just happy with a beer and a burger by the pool), it seemed like the perfect fit (and it was! They had a wonderful time). On the other end of the spectrum, we took a family cruise last summer, which included some very demanding, used to nothing but the best, traveled the world in luxury, first time cruisers. For that cruise, I recommended to sail on Holland America to Alaska. They splurged on Signature Suites, dined at Le Cirque, booked the most expensive tours, and it was perfect for them! They loved it as well.

 

Different people, different choices.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Tapi

[FirstAlto]

I am truly sorry you were disappointed with your cruise - yes, high expectations can lead to this feeling :(

We were recently on the Pride out of Baltimore, and whenever we asked any of the staff if we would see them on our repeat trip in September only one said yes! When we asked them why they were leaving after their contract was up we were told the itinerary with so many sea days compared to port days days made it much more labor- intensive than a more normal schedule. So I guess the crew would be more tired and stressed in this case. The Fantasy has this scenario to a certain degree.

Also, I have found that the proximity of my cabin to where my room steward parks his cart totally affects how often I see them. I have had some of the "invisible ninjas" and also had stewards that were around every time I walked out the door.

Give it another try - enjoy all the good and ignore the rest.

Jane

[wanderingjew]

I have noticed the service go down over the 13 years & 37 CCL Cruises since they put in the 3 person team the 2 person team worked better they seem rushed because they have TWICE as many tables they interacted more with the guests

[francina]

I feel your pain. I love to cruise and usually find the employees extremely friendly. However, when I sailed the pride last year my cabin steward looked like he was scared of us. He did his job very well but said very little.

Than the next cruise I couldn't go no where that my granddaughter who is only 7 wasn't known. She loved the cruise director. Had a crush on this dude playing the piano and he even sing a song to her.

So as the person said try another one and be pleasantly surprised.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[kybluecruiser]

Realistic expectations play a HUGE role when cruising. Setting expectations that are too high or unrealistic, even if you're sailing on the Oasis of the Seas, can lead to disappointment.

 

But don't blame yourself for having expectations that were not met. You probably based them on the many positive reviews (and maybe didn't put as much weight on the negatives). Everybody is different and what someone may find to be impeccable service, wonderful entertainment, and excellent cuisine, someone else may find mediocre, subpar, and just terrible. Some people genuinely like the Fantasy and consider her to provide a wonderful vacation.

 

But when I read posts from first timers asking for information on a particularly older and smaller ship, and I read responses from people saying "Trust me, you'll have the most amazing time! The ship is absolutely beautiful! You'll love the more intimate size! They'll make you feel like royalty! Service is so personal and friendly!", I can't help but to think that, while well intentioned, these people are setting the first time cruiser for disappointment. Call it what it is, a budget cruise on an older, smaller ship on a mass-market cruise line with a less than personal crew to passenger ratio.

 

Going with realistic expectations is key to coming back saying "WOW, that was the best vacation ever". You know which cruise ranks as one of the best cruises I've ever taken? Our little 4 night cruise aboard the (now retired from the Carnival fleet) Holiday out of Mobile, AL. She was a small, old rust bucket at the time, and we went with the absolute lowest expectations. In turn, we had one of the best cruises ever! Relaxing, with wonderful fellow passengers, and on a ship that, while old and small, turned out to be much better than we anticipated. Had we been expecting something more than what it truly was, we probably would've been disappointed.

 

 

 

THANK YOU! :D I really enjoy posting here on Cruise Critic, but it makes it even more enjoyable knowing that some fellow Cruise Critic members actually enjoy what I write! :)

 

 

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I respectfully disagree...... The fantasy class is the first cruise for many. In fact my first cruise was on the elation. Many of those first timers come back for mutiple cruises. In fact all cruise lines believe once they get a person on board they are more likely to be a return cruiser like me and you. What i disagree with you on (and it is respectfully that i disagree) that the fantasy class dosent have all the "bells and whistles" that the larger ships have. Besides not having a steak house, jumbo screen on lido, and limited balconies, what more does carnival's larger ships offer that the fantasy class dont? Now i will grant you that the breeze and sunshine do have more amenities then the rest of the fleet.

[Smart Arsenal Fan]

Once you buy a Fiat, the streets are filled with them...

Once you want to start a family, there's nothing but babies...

 

And once you notice a 'miserable' crew member, that's all you spot....

 

 

You look to have fun, you cannot do anything otherwise.

You decide to be disappointed, you cannot do anything otherwise.

 

In every aspect of life, a person always finds what they are looking for.

[desert sand]

DH and I did the Fantasy in March out of Charleston. We don't need the razzle dazzle of the newer, bigger ships and enjoy the smaller ships. Debarkation was a nightmare. The reason being is the debarkation process is governed by two things. One is the city of Charleston mandated the silent process for noise control. Second is the customs agents. If they are not there on time and ready to start their part of the job, people stand in line and wait. We had priority debarkation but did get off the ship until 10:00 A.M.

 

This was our 12th cruise. Sometimes the staff will remember our names, sometimes not. Sometimes we never met our room steward but the room was always perfect.

 

Please don't give up on cruising, especially with Carnival. Try another ship and definitely another port. We love New Orleans and Galveston. Our next cruise will leave from Port Canaveral and that will be a new one for us.

 

We have traveled all over the United States by car but nothing can beat the relaxation of a cruise.