Cruise from Hell on Carnival Conquest

[RenoNanaOz]

Carnival could have changed cabins for us early on, which they ultimately did for the last two days, so they did have cabins available, they just chose not to accommodate us! And to all those who think other people's screaming babies at all times are just fine, I have a Chinese curse for you: May you experience interesting times with screaming babies in all your future accommodations!

Wow! Total immaturity on your part cursing us all. I once flew for 4 hours with a screaming child behind me kicking the seat. Did I expect the airline to give me a refund? No, not their fault nor the parents who were trying their best to comfort him.

[Warm Breezes]

The poster could have framed his complaint better.

 

But if any of the people telling these folks to stuff the money they paid and listen to a small child scream night after night............................odd. Very odd.

 

Is the child sick and no one is getting medical attention?

Is the child being abused. ? happens all the time. Every hour of every day. Some don't survive it.

Is the child being fed? Needs water?

 

Why in God's name would the STAFF of the ship not go to that cabin, if for no other reason than to make sure the child is ok.

 

SMALL CHILDREN do not SCREAM night after night When Unless something is WRONG. Way wrong.

 

I AM HORRIFIED at the responses.

 

And if that child was abused and wound up dead..as they often do.....................Carnival would have been sued for billions. Probably by the parents who did the abusing the way our world runs.

 

As a Teacher..........IF I did not report Suspected (not KNown) Child Abuse..I WAS also GUILTY. Ditto for my daughter who is now a teacher. mY SISTER......a RN..........would go to jail if she did not report it.

 

WHEN AN ABNORMAL SITUATION WITH A CHILD EXISTS.........SOMEONE SHOULD BE CHECKING.

 

While I admire your dedication in being a voice for abused children, I have to disagree that a small child does not scream unless something is wrong. I have 2 nephews who, not only I but the Principal at the older ones school, believe to be in an abusive situation with their mother and the current man living with her. My DB, their father, passed away last fall and we have found out since then that she is bi-polar, schitzophrenic and a chronic liar about her entire past and current life. We have called CPS. The Principal has called CPS. CPS does nothing. We take those kids every weekend since my DB passed so she can work at a "job" she has lied to us about having just so we can get them out of that house. We are 95% sure she is using that time to party childless and not working like she tells us. But this is all another story and I just wanted to point out that admire you for message.

 

Having said that, my DD screamed from the minute she was born until she could talk. It wasn't temper tantrums, it wasn't hunger, it wasn't a wet diaper, and it definitely wasn't abuse. She was just a constant crier and it was almost impossible to get her to stop. Some kids are like that. DS was the exact opposite. He never cried. It was for this reason we didn't do much traveling or eating out or going anywhere with her until she started talking and the crying stopped. I quite honestly would never have taken her on a cruise at that age when I would have taken DS when he was 2.

 

Having lived through that I would have pitied the OP's neighbors and gone to gift shop to purchase ear plugs (which I always take with me anyways). I definitely wouldn't have blamed Carnival for something that was out of their and most probably the parents control.

 

All we know is OP's story. We don't know if there was a reason why Carnival couldn't move them out of the room. Maybe they had 3 different rooms complaining about the child and didn't have the room to move them all. We don't even know if they did go and check on the child or what the out come was. If it was my DD they wouldn't have been able to help getting her to stop I can guarantee that. We don't know the other side of the story, just OP's rant about their trip to Hell.

[Little Elm]

My question is..What did the OP expect Carnival to do? What type of cabin did they end up with? Same type of cabin, worse, better? If they wanted to change cabins at the beginning of the cruise, were they willing to take a downgrade if that was all that was available? Were they expecting Carnival to upgrade them because of crying?

 

A lot of questions still not answered.

[girli565]

The poster could have framed his complaint better.

 

But if any of the people telling these folks to stuff the money they paid and listen to a small child scream night after night............................odd. Very odd.

 

Is the child sick and no one is getting medical attention?

Is the child being abused. ? happens all the time. Every hour of every day. Some don't survive it.

Is the child being fed? Needs water?

 

Why in God's name would the STAFF of the ship not go to that cabin, if for no other reason than to make sure the child is ok.

 

SMALL CHILDREN do not SCREAM night after night When Unless something is WRONG. Way wrong.

 

I AM HORRIFIED at the responses.

 

And if that child was abused and wound up dead..as they often do.....................Carnival would have been sued for billions. Probably by the parents who did the abusing the way our world runs.

 

As a Teacher..........IF I did not report Suspected (not KNown) Child Abuse..I WAS also GUILTY. Ditto for my daughter who is now a teacher. mY SISTER......a RN..........would go to jail if she did not report it.

 

WHEN AN ABNORMAL SITUATION WITH A CHILD EXISTS.........SOMEONE SHOULD BE CHECKING.

Checking on the child's welfare is fine, that is what security should have done but also understand that children, especially infants and toddlers (whose communication skills aren't that of an adult and cannot express in full and complete sentences what's bothering them) express themselves by crying. Whether that's a few whimpers or full on tantrums. Prolonged crying is common not a sign of abuse. If that was true there'd be a lot of kids in the child welfare system unnecessarily. I'm a teacher too and see abuse on a weekly basis but jumping to conclusions isn't helpful, there needs to be signs of abuse, not just a whiny/crying child.

[mickide]

I can see I'm a minority here as I do see the frustration with having a constantly crying child next door. I can't say it would ruin my cruise though.

Our kids are raised and have kids of their own now and we choose to travel without little ones. We spend most of our time in the adult only areas but we are not naïve and there are going to be children, some better behaved than others and some that may just have bad days. Sleeping someplace strange is hard for some babies/toddlers.

I would suggest in the future that you try to book a cabin that has 2 person cabins on both sides of you. While it won't eliminate the chance of kids being next door, it would reduce it.

Your vacation is what you make it and when you make GS miserable...well, karma!

[Warm Breezes]

While the possibliity of child abuse or illness etc does exist, chances are it was just a child not adjusting well to unfamiliar surroundings. Perhaps instead of criticizing Carnival they could have approached the parents and offered to help in some way.

 

By the way my husband snores. If you are in the room next to ours please bring ear plugs. Perhaps I should go to Carnival and request a separate room. It drives me crazy some times.

 

I had to laugh at this. My main reason for bringing ear plugs is the same reason I have a stash next to my bed at home. DH snores loudly. On our last cruise I even took our camera and taped him to show him just how loud he was. Of course this was the same night as the past guest party and he spent most of the first part of the night reqretting those 3 too many rum punches he had there :D:o.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Warm Breezes

[NatsFan15]

Perhaps Guest Services did investigate at some point but didn't feel the need to "report back." Again, I'm with the mindset of there's not much they *could* do. I'm sorry you had a bad experience but this is definitely not the norm. And I never understood the "screaming match" mentality when you are trying to get someone to perform a service for you. Perhaps if you'd have handled yourself differently? Again, I wasn't there ... just a thought.

 

So many things could have been at play with that child. They could have been ill, had sensory issues (which could have magnified illness or change of scenery), missed home or something/someone at home or maybe they just cried at night?

 

Though I sympathize with your frustration, I wonder about the other 16 or so hours of the day that you weren't in your cabin trying to sleep. Surely SOME good must have happened during the time you were on board .... how about that 110% vacation guarantee?

[Bob NC]

 

But I also don't know what anyone on the ship could do about it. Yes, someone possibly should have called that cabin but what would that really accomplish?

 

 

The way I read it, Carnival DID have a solution, to change cabins.

 

I think the OP's problem is that Carnival waited SIX days to give them the solution that was available all along.

[Warm Breezes]

The way I read it, Carnival DID have a solution, to change cabins.

 

I think the OP's problem is that Carnival waited SIX days to give them the solution that was available all along.

 

And you know it was available all along how? Maybe there was an entertainer in that cabin for the first part of that cruise. Maybe there was another reason and we just don't know because we only have OP's side of the story.

[love my grandkids]

I would have politely demanded to see the hotel director.

 

Dont understand the screaming match at all.

[Bob NC]

And you know it was available all along how? Maybe there was an entertainer in that cabin for the first part of that cruise. Maybe there was another reason and we just don't know because we only have OP's side of the story.

 

Geez, lighten up.

 

You seem to be taking this waaaaay too personal.

 

It's a discussion board, I was just DISCUSSING a possibility for why the OP thought Carnival could have acted quicker than they did.

 

And.....To me, (And maybe me only), the SIMPLEST explanation for a cabin being empty is because, well, it didn't sell.

 

We can all come up with all kinds of reasons under the sun for every detail. If you feel you need to win the internet today, here ya go....YOU WIN.

[ptf2009]

The poster could have framed his complaint better.

 

But if any of the people telling these folks to stuff the money they paid and listen to a small child scream night after night............................odd. Very odd.

 

Is the child sick and no one is getting medical attention?

Is the child being abused. ? happens all the time. Every hour of every day. Some don't survive it.

Is the child being fed? Needs water?

 

Why in God's name would the STAFF of the ship not go to that cabin, if for no other reason than to make sure the child is ok.

 

SMALL CHILDREN do not SCREAM night after night When Unless something is WRONG. Way wrong.

 

I AM HORRIFIED at the responses.

 

And if that child was abused and wound up dead..as they often do.....................Carnival would have been sued for billions. Probably by the parents who did the abusing the way our world runs.

 

As a Teacher..........IF I did not report Suspected (not KNown) Child Abuse..I WAS also GUILTY. Ditto for my daughter who is now a teacher. mY SISTER......a RN..........would go to jail if she did not report it.

 

WHEN AN ABNORMAL SITUATION WITH A CHILD EXISTS.........SOMEONE SHOULD BE CHECKING.

I totally agree with you! It is not normal for a child to cry every night. If the child was not abused, not sick, not hungry or thirsty, then the parents should have taken the child to a quiet area on the ship (away from sleeping passengers) and comforted the child until he or she fell asleep.

 

Something was terribly wrong with that child and the parents were very inconsiderate of the passengers near their cabin.

 

Someone at Carnival should have stood outside the cabin to witness the complaint in order to understand the seriousness of the situation.

[girli565]

I feel sorry for any parents who have two year old crying hours EVERY single night.

It sucks!

 

We vacation a lot to Disney or the beach, and we've realized that my son (he's now 2) just doesn't travel well. He hates being out of his element, he dislikes unfamiliar places and bedtime every night while on vacay is awful. Crying so much he throws up or screaming out for me or daddy. It sucks but some children just aren't good travelers.

[Telynau]

[emoji253] Thank you, AmberTeka [emoji253]

 

 

***Not my rodeo. Not my bulls.***

[guxu]

Geez, lighten up.

 

And.....To me, (And maybe me only), the SIMPLEST explanation for a cabin being empty is because, well, it didn't sell.

Add me too. Or, it could be someone missed the boat. It is not uncommon that a ship had several empty cabins. I was switched to a new cabin on Carnival Freedom because of the poor condition of my original cabin. And I received a free upgrade when I was on a Costa ship.

[Bellabananas]

To be fair to OP, crying children are a nuisance. And no, it's not inevitable. It's called parenting. Poo on the parents, not the cruise line.

[cruizinisthebest]

I would have politely demanded to see the hotel director.

 

Dont understand the screaming match at all.

 

Maybe they wanted to see if they could match the kid next door!

 

Something must have been wrong with that child. Little ones don't cry night after night unless there's something wrong. I would have suggested to the parents that they take the kid to the infirmary. I don't see how that didn't concern them.

 

You certainly should not have let it ruin your cruise.

[quickrate]

Carnival could have changed cabins for us early on, which they ultimately did for the last two days, so they did have cabins available, they just chose not to accommodate us! And to all those who think other people's screaming babies at all times are just fine, I have a Chinese curse for you: May you experience interesting times with screaming babies in all your future accommodations!

Carnival reserves those cabins for cruisers with real issues such as clogged toilet, flooded bathroom, air conditioner that doesn't work. those issues can become the cruise from hell! what you dealt with was not pleasant but I would have found some earplugs.

Pat

[girli565]

To be fair to OP, crying children are a nuisance. And no, it's not inevitable. It's called parenting. Poo on the parents, not the cruise line.

Wow, I hope you never have a colicky baby or a sensory overloaded toddler. Then you try and calm them down when they are inconsolable.

[quickrate]

Surely they do but it seems to me that wasn't as much as a problem as the attitude of the staff.

 

OP sorry you had a bad experience with the staff. I hope your next cruise is better.

Many times the attitude of the staff matches the attitude of the complainer. Anyone who is willing to have a screaming match with guest services probably wasn't approaching the problem politely.

Pat

[Bert64]

I have 3 young kids. I'm quite accustomed to the behavior of the young ones and generally grant leeway to other parents when I see them having a hard time. A been there, done that smile and nod usually lets them know you understand their parenting woes and don't feel bad about it.

 

HOWEVER...this is a vacation. I would be livid if I couldn't sleep each night because of a screaming child next door. Carnival should've offered up the room sooner than they did. It would definitely ruin my vacation if I was tired everyday because of the lack of sleep I was getting.

 

In addition, I wouldn't have kept my screaming kid in that room disturbing all of those around us. I would've taken him/her up to the Lido deck (*or higher) and pushed him/her in the stroller or just carried him/her around or let him/her wander. But I surely wouldn't expect everyone trying to sleep next to me to just deal with the screaming. That's so rude and inconsiderate. Like the parents on land who don't take their screaming kids out of restaurants. Or let their kid run around a store. Control your kids...and if you can't, remove them from the situation so everyone else doesn't have to deal with them.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Bert64
*clarification

[leela8]

I can't believe some of these responses. Everyone here started with their fist post.....what does one post have anything to do with anything.

 

Part of good customer service is that each guest is happy with their vacation. Dealing with guest services is quite difficult at times they give you the run around for days and then if you keep at them they have you switch rooms. This has happened to me with the a/c not working in cabins or a toilet issue. This poster could not sleep EVERY nite, that's not a fun vacation. I have demanded to speak with the Hotel Director and they got the job done. The front desk people don't have any authority to do anything so you have to go higher to get results. Not being able to sleep at night is unacceptable and it is the cruise lines responsibility to fix the problem because they are CUSTOMERS.

Edited May 27, 2015 by leela8

[girli565]

I can't believe some of these responses. Everyone here started with their fist post.....what does one post have anything to do with anything.

 

Part of good customer service is that each guest is happy with their vacation. Dealing with guest services is quite difficult at times they give you the run around for days and then if you keep at them they have you switch rooms. This has happened to me with the a/c not working in cabins or a toilet issue. This poster could not sleep EVERY nite, that's not a fun vacation. I have demanded to speak with the Hotel Director and they got the job done. The front desk people don't have any authority to do anything so you have to go higher to get results. Not being able to sleep at night is unacceptable and it is the cruise lines responsibility to fix the problem because they are CUSTOMERS.

Yes, by moving the OPs room. But what was guest services going to do to a crying toddler?

 

Imagine you're the child's parents and someone comes up to you from carnival about shutting your kid up. I'd be highly offended and definitely going to seek out someone higher up to hear my complaint.

 

It's a crappy situation either way you look at it.

Edited May 27, 2015 by girli565

[SUSIEK]

Our recent much anticipated cruise vacation to the Southern Caribbean on the Carnival Conquest became a nightmare due to the constant disruption of our sleep at all times by the screaming and crying of a 2-year-old in the cabin next door. That "experience" was compounded by the unpleasantness and lack of professionalism of the Carnival Guest Services staff in dealing with what should have been a routine issue. Their attitude, until we created a major incident very late in the cruise, was one of “we-do-not- care, nor can be do anything about your ruined vacation”! Once we made it clear that their lack of action was totally unacceptable; and a public shouting match where the Guest Services Manager participated, we were finally assigned a room where it was possible to actually sleep, with 2 days remaining on our 8-day cruise. We were also reluctantly “invited” to a dinner and a bottle of wine at the steakhouse, something we would have preferred to do without in the interest of having the problem resolved earlier and in a professional manner.

 

The pattern was one of inaction and constantly shifting bureaucratic barriers erected by the staff at every turn to avoid a resolution (we were not given access to the Hotel Director, who was too high and mighty to be bothered with mere guests). Carnival’s unwillingness to recognize its responsibility put us in the impossible situation of ourselves having to confront the parents next door, which was obviously not an option and would not have resolved the problem. We certainly expected better treatment from Carnival and an early resolution of a problem that must arise quite often. Further compounding the arrogant and irresponsible attitude of Carnival, a written complaint elicited a response which essentially stated that we should be happy at their generosity, in that we could enjoy the cruise for all of the last two days, and received a free dinner for our trouble. Thanks but no thanks. Never again will we cruise on Carnival!

:mad:

 

 

 

I may have read this incorrectly..... You went to Guest Services on the 6th day of the cruise?

 

Also, aside from the crying child.... How were the ports? Food? There must have been something nice on an eight night cruise :-)

[iluvit!]

Did they have a connecting door between the cabins? This can let in more noise. I sympathize with the op as crying kids is the worst noise! I'd have turned the tv up really loud in defense.