Disapointment

[champagne123]

I've sailed the Imagination twice and the Inspiration once this year. Where were the nachos? There were nachos and I missed them !?! :mad:

 

Ha ha ha ha ha ha. My laugh for the day!!!!!!

[rrraydon]

Sorry your cruise turned out to be a bummer after so much planning that it takes.

 

Years ago, when I was a leader, I used to take my girls on trips monthly. We'd hit every amusement park, campground, museum etc we could find. Times they are a changin' and if I was a leader today I would definitely have taken them on a cruise. Definitely on a ship I'd already cruised on before though...for all the reasons you just mentioned. I know you spent a lot of time and effort in the planning process and it sucks that it wasn't the best.

 

Don't give up on trying it again..but definitely make it on a ship that you've cruised before.

 

Happy Sailing!! :)

[tnf]

I took a look back through some other threads...OP was on the IMAGINATION, not the Inspiration....

 

Thanks!

We were on the Imagination in May and it was not the best cruise. Will not sail on that ship again. We love the Inspiration and will be on it next month. The some of staff on the Imagination was not the normal for Carnival. The one bartender at the lobby bar was the most unfriendly person i have ever seen on a cruise ship.

[Mom2sml]

And of course, GSs are older than Brownies.

 

Brownies ARE Girl Scouts. The levels and grades are Daisy (k-1), Brownie (2-3), Junior (4-5), Cadette (6-8), Senior (9-10), Ambassador (11-12).

 

I've been an assistant and a leader and we did many fun activities but a cruise was never on the list. I also imagine the girls had more fun than the adults.

[Qchell]

With regards to the size and age of the ship reflecting quality and not recommending them to first timers - I cannot disagree more.

 

My first cruise was with Carnival on the Fantasy (5 days) and fell in love with cruising. So much in fact that we convinced friends to go with us on the Fascination (4 days) the next year and they fell in love with cruising. The next two years people from the Fascination cruise have cruised with us on the Dream and the Liberty (both 7 days). We fell even more in love with each cruise and have a cruise on the Sunshine picked out for next year - with people who went on the Fascination with us for their first cruise.

 

I truly think we would have been a bit overwhelmed if we started on a Dream class ship - and possibly even disappointed on the smaller ships after having experienced all the bells & whistles. Starting small - we really appreciate the differences in all the ships and look forward to checking out the things that make each ship unique.

 

Service has been incredible on all of our cruises regardless of the class of the ship. Sure there have been hiccups - but I don't know anyone that doesn't make a mistake from time to time.. and any issue was always immediately corrected upon pointing it out.

 

Food wise - there are definite hits and misses on the new menu - it was decent overall but there was at least one night where I ended up sending the entree back and just enjoying appetizer and dessert - but it was all good and they truly tried to make it right but I was already pretty full off of the appetizers.. :)

 

Sorry to hear the OP didn't have that much fun on the cruise.. try the Liberty - an absolutely amazing ship and my DH and mine favorite currently.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Qchell

[Disconnections]

On the Royal 3/4 day Majesty, where's the flowrider, ice shows, steakhouse, concierge club, Dreamworks Experience and nightly Promenade parades? Where's the atrium WOW factor when you step aboard.

 

Do you think the lack of these things contribute to turning an overwhelming number of potential future repeat cruisers away? The cruise lines have all the data to see what % of 1st time cruisers return to the brand and how many don't and apparently offering shorter "test the waters' 3/4 day sailings without all the bells and whistles is a successful concept.

 

May not be on the Majesty, but there are two ships on Royal Caribbean offering many short cruises that can provide that type of experience.

 

[ShakyBeef]

Brownies ARE Girl Scouts. The levels and grades are Daisy (k-1), Brownie (2-3), Junior (4-5), Cadette (6-8), Senior (9-10), Ambassador (11-12).

 

I've been an assistant and a leader and we did many fun activities but a cruise was never on the list. I also imagine the girls had more fun than the adults.

 

I'm sorry, please excuse my ignorance. I've always called the little ones in brown (like me in the early 80's) Brownies and the bigger ones in green Girl Scouts. I didn't mean to offend with the differentiation.:o

[Laurin612]

As a former Girl Scout myself and a Girl Scout Leader when my daughter was in kindergarten through 6th grade, I applaud your planning efforts! I could never have done something like that. I'm so sorry to hear that it was not what you and the girls expected. The girls must have worked terribly hard selling literally TONS of cookies to earn the $$$ for the trip. I hope you (and they) are not turned off to Carnival forever!

 

I am surprised that they only had two shows in the main show lounge on a four night cruise. Usually it is something different every night, but they play it twice a night to accommodate both dinner seatings.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Laurin612

[AdGuyMG]

May not be on the Majesty, but there are two ships on Royal Caribbean offering many short cruises that can provide that type of experience.

 

 

No question that the 20 sailings in the 20 month time frame of 11/14/14 to 4/28/16 you chose would offer a better overall RCL ship experience for a 1st timer.

 

However during that same 20 month time frame, the Majesty will most likely be lower priced and offers 149 departure dates year 'round making it 7X times more likely to be the ship of choice for 1st timers looking to test the waters.

Edited August 26, 2014 by AdGuyMG

[ccruisequeen]

I don't drink tea but I order hot chocolate. No problem.

 

 

[Athankfulheart]

I have never been on that ship, but have had a variety of cruises on different lines. I can honestly say that the only complaint I have is that one of my Carnival cruises had awful weather and we missed half of our ports. Ofcourse that was out of their control. I think that they could have had more alternative activities for those days, but honestly it was pooring rain and windy so I understand how limiting that could be. I am not a cheerleader and I don't drink or gamble. I enjoy food but don't live for it. I would rate my 7 night Carnival cruises above above my 3 and 4 night RCL cruises and far above my 7 night NCL Hawaii cruise based on the cruise alone ( not the ports). I have never taken a Carnival cruise shorter than 7 nights so I can't comment on those. Everyone has different expectations and tastes. I just wanted to share mine for a fair view of the line.

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

We were on the Imagination August 3 thru 7 and we did not have family dining at all. There were no table cloths, which just meant no stain if the wine spilled. I couldn't care less about the table cloths, however if she was on the Imagination she missed a good opportunity for teachable moments for the kids, there were some alternatives to the regular dishes that would have been great to have the kids try such as alligator and escargot. However, the food was outstanding and the desserts (we had wedding cake the first two nights, but regular desserts after that) were outstanding. It's a shame that the food took such a dive after we got off the ship. Also, our steward was amazing as were the stewards for the other cabins on our deck....she clearly wasn't on the Empress deck because those stewards were nowhere near grumpy. Also too bad she didn't have our wait staff in the dining room, they were also above and beyond friendly, helpful and outgoing...my daughter (28 years old) has a severe allergy to kiwi and our wait staff made sure that kiwi didn't get anywhere near anything she ate. The singing and dancing in the dining room were hilarious. Also, the Kids Say the Darnedest Things comedy show would have been fun for her kids to see. Yes, there were only two "shows" but there were several of the comedy shows that were family oriented. As for none of the excursions being worth taking, she missed another opportunity on Catalina with the semi submersible tour, looking at and feeding the fish would have been anther great learning opportunity. In Ensenada, the Taste of Mexico was a family oriented excursion as well and a lot of fun, there were several kids on our tour and they made it a lot of fun. They also had the waterworks, it amazes me that the girls couldn't have fun on waterslides. Why waste time in the pool when there were waterslides?

 

I'm sure it wasn't her girl scout troop that was on our cruise, because the troop on our cruise were unsupervised and made a terrible mess and wasted cones and spilled ice cream all over the place, I felt badly for the staff that had to continually clean up their messes.

 

All I can say is that I am very glad I got off the ship before it went so far downhill!

[bdever]

Thanks!

We were on the Imagination in May and it was not the best cruise. Will not sail on that ship again. We love the Inspiration and will be on it next month. The some of staff on the Imagination was not the normal for Carnival. The one bartender at the lobby bar was the most unfriendly person i have ever seen on a cruise ship.

 

THANK YOU for clarifying this!! I thought I was loosing my mind because I always sail the Inspiration and my experiences as of last month have not even come close to what the OP described. The food in the MDR, the cleanliness of the ship and the the hospitality of the crew really through me for a loop compared to my own experiences.

[goduckies05]

I've sailed the Imagination twice and the Inspiration once this year. Where were the nachos? There were nachos and I missed them !?! :mad:

 

At the Hamburger Area

 

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[ccruisequeen]

Oh by the way, I've been on both inspiration and imagination this past year. I've found the staffs on both ships were friendly if you're friendly to them. Did the young ladies participate in any activities (trivia, karaoke)? What were the activities they Did participate in? Or were the leaders trying to ostracize them from the rest of the passengers?

 

 

[bdever]

We were on the Imagination August 3 thru 7 and we did not have family dining at all. There were no table cloths, which just meant no stain if the wine spilled. I couldn't care less about the table cloths, however if she was on the Imagination she missed a good opportunity for teachable moments for the kids, there were some alternatives to the regular dishes that would have been great to have the kids try such as alligator and escargot. However, the food was outstanding and the desserts (we had wedding cake the first two nights, but regular desserts after that) were outstanding. It's a shame that the food took such a dive after we got off the ship. Also, our steward was amazing as were the stewards for the other cabins on our deck....she clearly wasn't on the Empress deck because those stewards were nowhere near grumpy. Also too bad she didn't have our wait staff in the dining room, they were also above and beyond friendly, helpful and outgoing...my daughter (28 years old) has a severe allergy to kiwi and our wait staff made sure that kiwi didn't get anywhere near anything she ate. The singing and dancing in the dining room were hilarious. Also, the Kids Say the Darnedest Things comedy show would have been fun for her kids to see. Yes, there were only two "shows" but there were several of the comedy shows that were family oriented. As for none of the excursions being worth taking, she missed another opportunity on Catalina with the semi submersible tour, looking at and feeding the fish would have been anther great learning opportunity. In Ensenada, the Taste of Mexico was a family oriented excursion as well and a lot of fun, there were several kids on our tour and they made it a lot of fun. They also had the waterworks, it amazes me that the girls couldn't have fun on waterslides. Why waste time in the pool when there were waterslides?

 

I'm sure it wasn't her girl scout troop that was on our cruise, because the troop on our cruise were unsupervised and made a terrible mess and wasted cones and spilled ice cream all over the place, I felt badly for the staff that had to continually clean up their messes.

 

All I can say is that I am very glad I got off the ship before it went so far downhill!

 

ImaginationCruiseBride about sums it up! Perfectly stated, nothing left to say.;)

[Florings]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around a bunch of young girls NOT liking going on a cruise? The sun, the beach, the new & different activity? Icecream, pizza, burgers, bagels, toast, sweets - they didn't like anything?

 

Just - wow! The girls in my daughter's GS troop would drool to do that!

[Mom2sml]

I'm sorry, please excuse my ignorance. I've always called the little ones in brown (like me in the early 80's) Brownies and the bigger ones in green Girl Scouts. I didn't mean to offend with the differentiation.:o

 

No need to apologize and you didn't offend. I realized my post probably sounded harsh and I didn't mean for it to come off that way. The Girl Scouts keep tweaking their levels and I meant it more as information type post.

 

On a different note, our last cruise had its ups and downs but we decided to focus on the fun we did have and have booked another cruise for next year. I'm sure there are "better" cruise line options out there but Carnival fits our needs in home port location and budget.

[sanmarcosman]

At the Hamburger Area

 

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Thank you, I'll look more carefully next cruise.

[jimbo5544]

Thank you, I'll look more carefully next cruise.

 

 

Except on a ship that has guy's burger bar.

 

 

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[joeyancho]

I've sailed the imagination twice recently. I am having trouble reconciling my experience with the OPs review. The imagination has the new menu. Every bite I had in the MDR was very good. The selection was terrific. There was definitely something for everyone. Also there is the kiddie menu. The lido has the deli which makes great sandwiches and wraps. I find it hard to believe that ALL the food was no good. I am a trained chef, culinary institute and new orleans school of cooking. Trust me the food is good, with most being very good.

As for nothing to do, the ship has a water park, with multiple slides, miniature golf, shuffle board, ping pong, video games, movies under the stars, and on and on. If you can't find anything to do, you are not looking hard enough.

As for unfriendly crew, on both cruises all the staff knew our names after the first day. They acknowledged us all over the ship whenever they saw us.

The complaints about the smell I understand. That would be gross but a call to guest services might take care of it.

I am sure the little girls had more fun than the adults.

[jimbo5544]

I've sailed the imagination twice recently. I am having trouble reconciling my experience with the OPs review. The imagination has the new menu. Every bite I had in the MDR was very good. The selection was terrific. There was definitely something for everyone. Also there is the kiddie menu. The lido has the deli which makes great sandwiches and wraps. I find it hard to believe that ALL the food was no good. I am a trained chef, culinary institute and new orleans school of cooking. Trust me the food is good, with most being very good.

 

As for nothing to do, the ship has a water park, with multiple slides, miniature golf, shuffle board, ping pong, video games, movies under the stars, and on and on. If you can't find anything to do, you are not looking hard enough.

 

As for unfriendly crew, on both cruises all the staff knew our names after the first day. They acknowledged us all over the ship whenever they saw us.

 

The complaints about the smell I understand. That would be gross but a call to guest services might take care of it.

 

I am sure the little girls had more fun than the adults.

 

 

Based upon the write up I sure hope so.

 

 

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[bobsfamily]

OP, I hope you re-consider Carnival, maybe out of FLA but I must admit it is not going to compare to some of your other cruises.

[bury me at sea]

I have nothing but admiration for adults who give their time and talent to organizations that help our young people mature into responsible adults. Thank you OP.

 

It would be interesting to read a couple of reviews of this cruise from the girl scouts. If they had fun, tried new things, dealt with problems and have good memories it was worth selling all those cookies. I looove the thin mints.

[Swampbaby]

I read the OP almost as soon as they posted but refrained from responding until now. When I read a review that is almost entirely negative it causes me to question its validity. How can EVERYONE in the crew be bad, EVERYTHING in the MDR bad and EVERYTHING about the ship be bad. Personally I would never plan a 3 or 4 day cruise for a group of girls the ages the Girl Scouts must be. The OP seemed to have cruised before so certainly should have realized the difference in overall of those cruising. At the same time I took a 3 day cruise as my first one, don't drink or gamble yet had a blast and many, many good memories. Oh, we had teenagers with us and they all seemed to have had a blast on the cruise. When we planned our first cruise it was just hubby, son and me but about two weeks prior to leaving discovered some people from our town were on the same cruise. They invited us to join in with them and I had to admit I fell in love with cruising. Haven't had the opportunity to do much but looking forward to going more often. Since then we have done the 6 or 8 day cruises and will be on the Sunshine next Feb for an 8 day with only 3 ports. Looking forward to a wonderful time and if things go wrong will make the very best of the situation but NOT planning on anything but FUN as the FUN ships.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Swampbaby