Carnival and that proverbial Grain of Salt.

[misslucy01]

After reading ALL the negatives about Carnival on these boards I'm sometimes amazed that ANY of us would still book Carnival. Guess I'm glad I take things posted on this forum with a proverbial Grain of Salt. How do you react to all the negativity?

 

 

I just consider the source and assume they are of the nature to whine, moan , and complain about everything in their poor pitiful lives........jussayin

 

 

Misslucy01

[Yellowbird75]

Actually, as a new cruiser I love the negative reviews. While I think many people are overly dramatic, their negative experiences help shape my expectations and preparation for my cruise.

 

I tend to find the negative posts funny in general. Sure some of them are valid complaints, but I would say 95% of the stuff I see people post their just RUINED their vacation to me is something that wouldn't bother me at all.

 

Both of these combined. The end.

[emm126]

Before I go any trip, I read CC or Trip Advisor so I know what to expect. When I see 10 people say, when you are in Grand Turk it took us an hour to get back on the ship when we waited to get on line at 3pm, I know to go at 230. When I see 10 people say we never got ice in our cabin, I know to ask for ice. I have been on luxury cruises as well. I watched in amusement when on Seabourn, a woman yell at everyone for 20 minutes as she was called Ms. Smith instead of Mrs. Smith. Point is, no matter what cruise line, you will have complainers.

[LHP]

Basically, we started cruising before the Internet....so we did not know we were not suppose to like Carnival.

 

By the time the Internet told us we were not suppose to like Carnival, we were hooked!!

 

Love the Carnival product, however, the clientele can get on my last nerve from time to time since Carnival does draw a less traveled crowd.

[Djonemore]

I still cruise with Carnival because I've always enjoyed myself. I'm not hard to please, give me a smile, and I'm happy. If something is wrong, fix it.. I'm happy. Give me a free drink.. I'm happy. Sure there are things I don't like but unless I go start my own cruise line there will always be things I don't like. I deal with it.

I travel celebrity when I can afford to tho ;)

[RWolver672]

Let's see. Third cruise I almost drowned while snorkeling. Fourth cruise had propulsion problems, missed two islands, floated around on extra sea days, got off the ship and two days later had an aeortic abdominal aneurysm while still in Florida. Last cruise we missed one port because of rough seas and the last sea day was so cold and windy we couldn't go outside. Hallway outside cabin was flooded because of the pool above us splashing around. Know what...never had a bad cruise yet!

Edited February 6, 2015 by RWolver672

[CatgirlNC]

Point is, no matter what cruise line, you will have complainers.

 

 

True...check out some of the boards here on on CC for the high-end luxury lines. You still find stuff like these threads from the Oceania board:

Tried Oceania once, but not again

Online planning the worst!

:mad: Dont pay deposits on board for new cruises

And this gem from the Crystal board:

I just found out that we do not have confirmed early seating for our July cruise. We booked this one year ago.

 

What are the chances we will get this confirmed? The offices are closed today since it is a Saturday.

 

This could cause the 7 of us to cancel the cruise altogether.

[CdrescherRBL152]

After reading ALL the negatives about Carnival on these boards I'm sometimes amazed that ANY of us would still book Carnival. Guess I'm glad I take things posted on this forum with a proverbial Grain of Salt. How do you react to all the negativity?

 

For the most part you have to take the negative reviews with that grain of salt, as they seam to fall into one of the following slots.

1-From people who won't take responsibilty for their own actions. IE: I booked two grty rooms and they are not near eachother.

 

2-People who want the rules tobe what they think they should be not the way they are writien. IE: I booked early saver and after booking called back and changed rooms and added a third person. Now they won't give me price drop cause it says no chnges alowed.

 

3-From people who have never been on a Carnival cruise.

 

4-They make claims that what happened to them on Carnival never happends on another line. IE: Was in line at the grill station and a staff member step in front of me. This would never happend on _____________ .

 

5- People who see a complaint then repost it claiming it happend to them on another ship.

 

Not to say that there are not legit complaints, cause not everything goes perfect all the time. But have found that ones that fall in one of the five slots above, Clearly out number the legit ones by a factor of 10

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Things that I should have complained about...(as facetious and with as much exaggeration as I can muster).

1. My stateroom was in the wrong configuration when I boarded...I definitely told them twin beds, my husband and I would rather sleep, thank You.

2. Sailed from San Juan and made sure the cruise line was aware that we wanted to be seated at dinner with English speakers...not only was our table only Spanish speaking it was part of a group of some 60 San Juanians cruising together.

3. After getting to the pier at 9am (didn't want to miss that free lunch) we discovered no ship....what do you mean the fog held it up. And the worst was the pier had no means of feeding us or providing liquid refreshment.

4. I lost 20 bucks at the penny slots without a single payout....tightest machines ever, the Cruise Line is only out to get my money.

5. Really, they expect me to drink that brand of soda and they don't have my elusive brand of tequila or my favorite california wine...what kind of operation is this.

6. There wasn't a single book worth reading in the Library...what do they expect, that I should actually buy my own and bring it onboard.

7. The trivia contest was fixed...they didn't ask a single question that I knew the answer to.

8. I bought 10 bingo cards and not one won...what a rip off.

9. They didn't pick us for the Newlywed game. They wanted someone energetic, not shy, and reasonably funny...stupid requirements and I waited all year to be selected.

10. The piano player didn't know a single song I requested..I thought all pianists were classically trained.

 

Just a few of many.....

[cmmdem4263]

Things that I should have complained about...(as facetious and with as much exaggeration as I can muster).

1. My stateroom was in the wrong configuration when I boarded...I definitely told them twin beds, my husband and I would rather sleep, thank You.

2. Sailed from San Juan and made sure the cruise line was aware that we wanted to be seated at dinner with English speakers...not only was our table only Spanish speaking it was part of a group of some 60 San Juanians cruising together.

3. After getting to the pier at 9am (didn't want to miss that free lunch) we discovered no ship....what do you mean the fog held it up. And the worst was the pier had no means of feeding us or providing liquid refreshment.

4. I lost 20 bucks at the penny slots without a single payout....tightest machines ever, the Cruise Line is only out to get my money.

5. Really, they expect me to drink that brand of soda and they don't have my elusive brand of tequila or my favorite california wine...what kind of operation is this.

6. There wasn't a single book worth reading in the Library...what do they expect, that I should actually buy my own and bring it onboard.

7. The trivia contest was fixed...they didn't ask a single question that I knew the answer to.

8. I bought 10 bingo cards and not one won...what a rip off.

9. They didn't pick us for the Newlywed game. They wanted someone energetic, not shy, and reasonably funny...stupid requirements and I waited all year to be selected.

10. The piano player didn't know a single song I requested..I thought all pianists were classically trained.

 

Just a few of many.....

Your #4 made me go back & find this post that is on Consumer Affairs as a Carnival Complaint:

 

"Overall, my recent cruise on the Liberty was somewhat disappointing. Room service was good, entertainment boring, food fair, port calls dissatisfied, except for St. Martin... Now for the negatives... Fair warning... Do not play the slots... You will lose every penny you feed it. I went through $800.00 quickly and finally realized I was throwing my money away and finally came to my senses and quit... "

 

So I guess it is Carnival's fault that this person is a degenerate gambler???

[jp12687]

Nothing in this world is perfect and if a review is not balanced do not take it seriously.

 

Cruise is what you make of it.

 

however as i have experienced a balanced review of both good and bad will get negative feedback and being told to "go to a different cruise line" or "you are too high maintenance"

 

I agree a balanced good and had is needed for a true review.

[Beave8920]

:D It is so nice to see a post with so many upbeat people - thanks everybody!

 

I thought I was the only weird one since I have never really had any complaints after 20 cruises. It's good to see that not everyone is a "chicken little"......(guess that dates me huh?!) My life experiences have included real life and death stress situations - not "there's no toothpaste in my soap bowl" stress, so I appreciate the small turns life takes - good or bad. Folks just gotta learn to roll with the punches!

[MzOhioLady]

I continue to cruise with Carnival because I haven't found a reason to NOT cruise with them. I like what I get for the money I'm spending. I don't go on a vacation just to find things to complain about. Is everything to my liking? No. Is everything perfect? No. But it's nothing that I would consider a deal breaker or cause me to look elsewhere for cruising. I've also sailed on Celebrity and Princess as well and I don't have a problem with either of them. Majority of my cruises are with Carnival because I find deals that are too good to pass up. So once I board the Carnival Ship, all my cares just float away, and it's "Fun for All, and All for Fun". :)

[Rena921]

Some people like to take that grain of salt and turn it into a full blown salt mine. :rolleyes:

 

Any thread that starts with "worst cruise ever", "I'm never cruising Carnival again", "more cutbacks" shows that the poster is over-dramatic. Ship happens and if you choose to always look at the glass half empty, you are always going to find the negative in everything. Life is too short to stress over the little things and turn them in to mega grievances. :cool:

[ryanpatricksmom]

When I read reviews I tend to look for very specific information....things that will directly affect me. For example, our next sailing is on the Sunshine (which has tons of negative reviews), I have read most of them, and the biggest complaint is probably a valid one. The theatre and the comedy club are too small. Fortunately for me, that's not really an issue, because I rarely attend the shows. For someone else it could be a big deal.

 

After our last cruise I posted my experience with the Cheers program, while I felt that it was balanced it did lean to the negative. The reason that I posted was so that people could adjust their expectations and choose accordingly. Information that I would have liked to have prior to buying the package.

 

I'm getting ready to sail on my 24th Carnival cruise and I haven't had a single "bad" cruise yet. I have had some disappointments, and a few disorganized messes along the way. There are things that I would heartily urge people not to participate in, and other activities that I would endorse...but a good review provides information so that the reader can form their own opinion.

[L&J]

Some people just like to stir the pot and post comments and reviews that purposely will get reactions. Some people are just negative and feel the need to complain in general. And as a couple of other posters have already mentioned, people are more likely to complain about a problem they had before they will share a good experience they had.

 

I'm fortunate enough to be able to take my family on a vacation every couple of years and we also look to do things on a budget so that we can afford to take vacations more often. So we sail Carnival because its affordable and we have a great time. Do small things happen? Sure, but I don't let minor inconveniences ruin all the planning and anticipation of an exciting vacation. We have a great time as the positives ALWAYS outweigh the negatives. If they didn't Carnival wouldn't be in business.

[Vanessa L]

Actually, as a new cruiser I love the negative reviews. While I think many people are overly dramatic, their negative experiences help shape my expectations and preparation for my cruise.

 

For instance, it is amazing how many people have "ruined" cruises because they did not bring earplugs or an air freshener and the sounds and smells of the ship made sleeping nearly impossible. These are very simply, cheap and small things that many cruisers probably take for granted, but the results of forgetting them can be very disastrous.

 

It also helps me know what to expect when I get on my ship. In two weeks I sail on the Carnival Elation which has been called anything between "a fine old ship" and a "floating Motel 6 from 1998." From this I understand not to expect fresh paint or Carnival Breeze style interior. Instead I will be very understanding when I step into the outdated interior with dinged up cabinets and older carpet.

 

I think it also helps to understand what works and what doesn't when issuing a complaint. If I do have a problem severe enough to upset me during my cruise, I know to complain to guest services or another member of the staff on the ship directly when the offense occurs, and to make it very clear what I expect to be done to make it right. Too often you see people have a cruise "ruined" when they either didn't voice their complaints until afterwards, or they voiced a complain without any idea what Carnival should do to help remedy the situation.

 

Long story short, every complaint valid or otherwise helps those of us trying to learn our way around what to expect, what not to expect and what common problems occur that could cause difficulty during a cruise.

 

Best. Response. Ever.

[hfweather]

Basically, we started cruising before the Internet....so we did not know we were not suppose to like Carnival.

 

By the time the Internet told us we were not suppose to like Carnival, we were hooked!!

 

Love the Carnival product, however, the clientele can get on my last nerve from time to time since Carnival does draw a less traveled crowd.

 

 

I so agree, some of the Carnival clientele should be riding buses instead of cruising. Darn bus riding tourist.

[dubois]

On one of our cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, the computers crashed after we had gotten on board, delaying the ships departure by several hours. One of the crew members asked if I was upset by this. I told him I really didn't care if we stayed docked in Lauderdale for the seven days, as long as I was on the ship.

[nissach]

I continue to book with them because after 10 cruises I still have a great time. Unfortunately there are some folks that are just negative in general and let everything little thing bother them, I am personally very grateful that I get to take these amazing vacations and so I don't let the little things get to me.

 

Well said! Those of us who can take vacations should be grateful.

[jp12687]

Well said! Those of us who can take vacations should be grateful.

 

this comes down to a matter of opinion. I am very grateful to be away and not have to cook for myself and be out of the snow. that said you should not just accept bad service. notifying the proper people will stop it from happening in the future and stop the decaying standards we see today.

[Maleeni]

After reading ALL the negatives about Carnival on these boards I'm sometimes amazed that ANY of us would still book Carnival. Guess I'm glad I take things posted on this forum with a proverbial Grain of Salt. How do you react to all the negativity?

 

Realize that's their negativity. Too many components to think that will be my result.

[nissach]

this comes down to a matter of opinion. I am very grateful to be away and not have to cook for myself and be out of the snow. that said you should not just accept bad service. notifying the proper people will stop it from happening in the future and stop the decaying standards we see today.

 

What 'decaying standards' are you referring to??

As for a matter of opinion; I was referring to the fact that there are many people who can't afford to cruise or travel at all. So for those of us who can we should try to look at the 'glass half full'. Yes 'stuff' happens and not all of it is positive, but 'don't sweat the small stuff', as many people do and post about here on CC, with the titles of 'worst cruise ever', or 'never sail Carnival again'. Just my opinion.

[jp12687]

What 'decaying standards' are you referring to??

As for a matter of opinion; I was referring to the fact that there are many people who can't afford to cruise or travel at all. So for those of us who can we should try to look at the 'glass half full'. Yes 'stuff' happens and not all of it is positive, but 'don't sweat the small stuff', as many people do and post about here on CC, with the titles of 'worst cruise ever', or 'never sail Carnival again'. Just my opinion.

 

well i'm talking about decaying standards all around. but in this particular case i'm talking about spending cash on a cruise and being let down by bad service on a regular basis. To then be told "don't sweat the small stuff" well its small stuff when it happens once-- and not small stuff when it happens daily when paying a lot of money. just my two cents. i think its ok to report bad issues and should. if it stops one person from having the same issues its a worthwhile post.

[nissach]

well i'm talking about decaying standards all around. but in this particular case i'm talking about spending cash on a cruise and being let down by bad service on a regular basis. To then be told "don't sweat the small stuff" well its small stuff when it happens once-- and not small stuff when it happens daily when paying a lot of money. just my two cents. i think its ok to report bad issues and should. if it stops one person from having the same issues its a worthwhile post.

 

Oh, now I understand. You are the guy who is never going to sale Carnival again! Your Breeze cruise was so bad and you spent a lot of your cruise(or your GF did) at guest services complaining.

Carnival refunded your money for your dinner and your excursion, offered you bottles of wine, sent you chocolates or strawberries(or something) and offered you free pictures. All of these gestures, you complained about as well. It seems there was no making you happy and you chose to let the negatives ruin your cruise. That is too bad.