1st and last

[peck]

I have completed my 1st and last Carnival cruise. The standards are just not up to other cruise lines and they need to greatly improve. They cannot even get my name correct, guess what my real name is from the name they gave me Biee Diao. This is typical of the lack of care to detail they give to passengers on cruises.

This is just not me complaining check out the number of bad reviews of Carnival Paradise recently and you will realise that Carnival is not up to the mark on that ship and will lose customers as a result.

[Sparky2]

I have completed my 1st and last Carnival cruise. The standards are just not up to other cruise lines and they need to greatly improve. They cannot even get my name correct, guess what my real name is from the name they gave me Biee Diao. This is typical of the lack of care to detail they give to passengers on cruises.

This is just not me complaining check out the number of bad reviews of Carnival Paradise recently and you will realise that Carnival is not up to the mark on that ship and will lose customers as a result.

 

 

 

At least you gave it a try. We've never been on Paradise, but have been very happy with all 12 of our Carnival cruises.

[kona_wahine]

Ok.

[FloridaMomma]

Sorry you feel that way. We had a FANTASTIC time on the Dream in March, and had excellent service.

[SMSACE6]

Peck, I am sorry you didnt like your cruise.

 

Could you elaborate on the things you didnt like, and those things that were not up to scratch? I am interested, because I dont usually do any cruise less than 7 days, but the Paradise does appeal to me, because I could tack it onto a quickie visit to the Tampa area which I love.

 

I would just like a bit more detail on what you found so unacceptable.

 

Thanks

[peck]

I am not saying I did not enjoy my cruise, I did enjoy, just that other lines do it better and I would rather sail with them. It is not just about a name it is about other small issues which I posted in my review and its getting the detail right which makes the whole package complete. If you were going to buy a car and 2 identical cars were for sale and 1 add scratched paintwork you would buy the one with unscratched paintwork the same logic applies to buying a cruise.

[SMSACE6]

I read your review. Thanks

[Bases5]

If the unscratched paintwork was $2500 less then yes i would buy it.

cruising is subjective just like food.

I do understand what you are saying about not living up to your comfort level.

I feel carnival gives some of the best value for dollar spent.

glad you tried them out and better cruising elsewhere.

[DGP1111]

If the unscratched paintwork was $2500 less then yes i would buy it.

 

:confused: Wouldn't everyone??

 

.

[Bases5]

:confused: Wouldn't everyone??

 

.

 

I don't think the OP would

[DGP1111]

I don't think the OP would

 

I didn't read his analogy that way but, hey, what do I know?

 

I did read his Carnival Paradise review, and found it to be fairly written.

Glad to read he enjoyed the entertainment, as I'm boarding Paradise in a very few weeks (my first CCL sailing in quite a while) and I'm hoping to enjoy the theater offerings as well. :)

I've set my overall expectations low, and I doubt I'm going to be disappointed.

.

.

[bailey57]

Hi. I just read your review. I was on the same sailing, and had a great time. I don't understand the difficulty you had finding assistance with your bags. That was very unfortunate, and I would feel similarly in your position. I'm sure it colored your experience from the start. I gave my one bag to a porter when I stepped out of my friend's car, tipped a buck and had no issues.

 

As for Carnival... see my signature below - you'll see I've sailed with almost every other line, and this was only my second sailing with Carnival, mostly because I prefer other lines for reasons having more to do with my taste in décor and my desire for a "quiet environment" than anything else. Honestly, I was not a big fan from my first trip with them 4 years ago, but I got such a fantastic deal on this cruise, I couldn't pass it up. So, I went with an open mind, knowing that it would not be Celebrity or Princess or RCI or Holland...

 

Carnival definitely has its own personality, and it's not marketed as a "high end" cruise experience. Still, your expectations on the points in your review did not seem unreasonable to me. On this trip, I came to appreciate that Carnival does some things extremely well - like getting people involved in the fun. Since that is the core of their marketing, that's important. I found the service very good, crew and steward friendly and accommodating, ship was very clean, etc. Best food? No. Best entertainment, um, no... but I had a great time, met some really nice people, and find myself very excited about my August cruise coming up.

 

I think the quality of any travel - cruise or otherwise - is having reasonable expectations relative to price. Again, I don't think your expectations were out of line, but for some reason, you were unable to get the service level you deserved. It might call for a letter to them, if only to help you feel you've been heard. Again, I am sorry it was not as you'd hoped. I too commend you for trying it - and agree completely that this line is not for everyone. Still, was it so awful? I figure even a bad day on a ship beats a good day at work... :D

 

Good luck on your future trips!

Edited April 30, 2014 by bailey57

[hftmrock]

I am not saying I did not enjoy my cruise, I did enjoy, just that other lines do it better and I would rather sail with them. It is not just about a name it is about other small issues which I posted in my review and its getting the detail right which makes the whole package complete. If you were going to buy a car and 2 identical cars were for sale and 1 add scratched paintwork you would buy the one with unscratched paintwork the same logic applies to buying a cruise.

 

 

I don't agree with your analogy. Its not the same. my analogy would be having the choice of 2 cars. a Lexus and a Nissan. both brand new. both will take you where you have to go. Both will be ok for you but the Lexus has more bells and whistles and is a bit more luxurious. now you have to make the decision but the main factor is the Lexus is 15K more money. So now you have to decide can you afford the Lexus? Are the bells and whistles and the extra luxury worth it? if you can not afford the Lexus, will the Nissan be ok with you? (There is nothing wrong with a Nissan, I have one). You cant compare all things equal because they are not. Carnival puts out a quality product for its price point. Others do things better but cost more. Its all about choice.

 

I am sorry you had issues on the cruise and you probably shouldn't have had them. From what I have read, these things do happen (even on more expensive cruises) and maybe you can give Carnival another chance on another ship. If not, then at least you gave it a shot.

Edited April 30, 2014 by hftmrock

[guxu]

Despite the title of this thread, I think OP's review is fair and it is one of the better reviews.

[squakittymaus]

Could someone post a link to the review, I'm having trouble finding it

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[dhdelrod]

Goodbye !

[idlenote]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=254002

 

Not a particularly bad review, I've seen far worse. I have to say I've had incidents that tick me off but at the end of the day I have the choice of sailing a couple of times a year with someone else or sailing four or five times a year with Carnival. So far I haven't been upset enough to change.

[OCruisers]

The OP gave an honest review. No Carnival bashing ... just real honest thoughts on the cruise. What more can we ask?

LuLu

[JustMeandTheSea]

Thanks for the honest review. I do hope you don't write off Carnival yet though. The Paradise was my least favorite of all my Carnival cruises. I suggest Breeze/Sunshine/Magic/Freedom

[Strmwatch]

No sense in throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

 

You chose the smallest class of ships and a ship that is 16 years old.

 

I myself HATED the Paradise and will not sail her again, however as you can see I didn't completely write off Carnival because of that single cruise.

 

Perhaps you can try one of the larger ships with a better itinerary and ammenities instead of calling it quits after one?

 

Carnival when compared to the others is still hands down the best value.

[loxley]

I think most of the ops complaints are their own making.

 

They didn't notice luggage being given to porters outside the building?

 

If I had been buying the wine package, I would have asked if any other packages were available.

 

I personally don't care if they never step foot on another carnival ship, but I also think it is unfair to complain of things that are your own making such a a small room. Has to be an inside room. Then on the oldest ship. A lot of the foreign workers can not pronounce my name either because they cannot make the J sound. I couldn't care less.

 

Nothing to see here in my opinion and I wonder what the intention of his post is.

[bluemoon12]

Syonara!

[mawmawmaw123]

You get what you pay for.

[lrowe70]

I'm confused? So what is your name and how did they mess it up. :confused:

[champagne123]

I did not find that the OP'S review was "terrible" or Carnival bashing either. He gave his opinion and chooses not to sail Carnival again.

 

I would however like to point out that the OP has not sailed in 5 years. So much has changed with ALL of the cruise lines in the past 5 years and if he returned to his other cruise lines he has sailed before.....I guarantee.....it would not be the same as it was 5 years ago.