Worst carnival cabin experience

[geckoaz]

I read an article recently about bad hotel rooms (e.g. boardrooms) travelers were assigned by hotels. Although i believe any day cruising is better than not, i imagine there are bad cabins on carnival ships. Anyone have such an experience as a warning to us all?

[SMSACE6]

I think this a good topic that Geckoaz has started.  I am sure there are some less than great cabins on ships.  We can all get some good advice from others who have been in them, so we either avoid them, or know what to expect if we end up stuck with one. 

 

[JohnIII]

The "worst" cabin experience I ever had was a balcony room one floor up from the music stand by the casino on the Glory. The music there is played late into the morning and it was difficult to go to sleep some nights. This actually turned out to be a good thing because it was my first solo experience and forced me to stay out of the room more and have more fun around the ship.

[JohnIII]

2 minutes ago, SMSACE6 said:

I think this a good topic that Geckoaz has started.  I am sure there are some less than great cabins on ships.  We can all get some good advice from others who have been in them, so we either avoid them, or know what to expect if we end up stuck with one. 

 

I agree ☝️ 

[jbethel11]

The worst experience on a cruise was on my most recent cruise. Cabin 8416, right underneath the Lido deck. At night, or frankly throughout the day, there was a large door over the cabin, which when sliding created this "bowling-ball" type sound that was very rattling, and woke my family out of their sleep on numerous occasions.

[Tapi]

My mother in law, traveling in a single cabin on the Carnival Dream, booked cabin 6229. We were in a balcony stateroom on the same floor but more midship. On day 2, she casually mentioned that she could hear music in her cabin. We asked if it was bothersome and she said that we could go to her cabin that night and judge for ourselves. So we did, and I was shocked. It wasn’t the music so much. While you could clearly hear music and someone talking on a microphone,  it was the bass that made being in the cabin pretty miserable. The “boom, boom, boom” made everything rattle. We watched her perfume bottle drop to the floor. 
 

We went to Guest Services the next day, and from their reaction it seemed as if they receive complaints frequently about this cabin and they had a plan of action already in place. The agent immediately said “Yes, that cabin is right above the main theater. We have another cabin for her on deck 11. Just tell her to have her bags packed. We’ll take care of the rest”.
 

Sure enough, they sent someone to move all of her belongings and settle her into her new cabin (which was nicer than her original one). They also posted a $50 OBC on both her account and ours. Carnival handled this situation quickly and swiftly. Very satisfied with their response. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by Tapi

[crewsweeper]

We usually pick good cabins with good locations.  I have at times overrode the TA's selection, but I missed doing that for our Vista Cruise.  DW loves the spa and booked a spa balcony on deck 11 starboard, because deck 12 was full.  Given that the spa is a joke on the Vista compared to the Dream, Magic and Breeze, it wasn't worth the upgrade.  Then we saw one our tablemates' regular balcony on deck 9 and it was bigger/arranged better.  Then the other set of tablemates showed us their Havana Lanai, which cost just a bit more than the spa balcony for our voyage.  That sealed the deal. we booked the Havana deck for the Horizon.  And stayed away from the spa stuff, which wasn't any different, IMO, than the Vista.

[Qchell]

I've never had a 'bad' cabin on any of our cruises.  However, I nearly made a mistake our first cruise.  I started booking online and then decided to call a travel agent as I had never cruised before and wanted to be sure I was booking what I thought I was booking.  Thankfully I did.  I nearly booked an interior cabin with bunk beds for my honeymoon.  

So if you are uncertain as to the type of cabin you are booking, talk to a travel agent or Carnival.  

[jordanaire]

We had cabin R299 on Fantasy years ago and swore "Never Again". Right behind the cabin was the elevator motor, which ran all night long and was so loud that it vibrated the beds in the cabin. Avoid this cabin!

[Amadawn1]

Carnival Magic cabin 6432 balcony near aft elevators, last September. I booked it for location, as it was easy access to deck 5 Ocean Plaza coffee bar, Red Frog pub, Alchemy bar, casino and outdoor smoking area.  Went straight to cabin with FTTF, and upon entering was overwhelmed with the smell of diesel and cigarettes. The sofa, table and comforter were covered in soot coming from the vent above the table. On the carpet next to the table was a large gray patch of rubbed in ashes (looked like an ashtray had been dumped there) yet the cabin was set up for occupancy.  I went to guest services and explained the cabin condition.  They sent a guest services rep with me back to the cabin.  After apologizing profusely, they asked if we would allow them to clean the cabin thoroughly (no other cabins available, because it turned out to be a Premier casino sailing). 

 

They successfully cleared the cabin of the cigarette smell, but the soot continued to blow from the vent throughout our 8 day Bermuda cruise.  I was glad I had my tub of Lysol wipes.  I highly doubt I am the first passenger assigned to 6432 to have complained about the soot.  There is definitely a problem with the vents in that area of the ship. You could smell a diesel smell in the hallway, too.  One other possibly related cause could be that our cabin was directly above the Steakhouse kitchen, and those vents were somehow connected to engine vents?  Carnival did what they could to temporarily remedy the problem (thank you for the gigantic cheese plate and OBC!)  I did address the cabin vent issue on my post cruise email survey.  Hopefully they can address the issue during the upcoming dry dock.  For now I'd stay as far away from 6432 as possible!

Edited January 17, 2020 by Amadawn1
correction

[saharaga]

We've only had 2 Carnival cabins we'd never book again. Our first spa balcony (1106) on the Glory, not the cabin itself but the location, had absolutely no shade on the balcony. Baking in the hot sun isn't relaxing. We've never booked another spa balcony. What's the point of a balcony if you can't enjoy it? Second one was the worst cabin experience ever on a Carnival ship. Carnival Sunshine cabin 7116. Odd layout, bed pushed up against the wall, no nightstands, weird bathroom layout, door out to balcony at the front of the ship kept being opened and allowed to slammed shut at all hours, almost constant noise from deck chairs being dragged around from the deck above, water leak in the hallway turned into water leaking into our cabin about halfway through the cruise. We got virtually zero sleep that cruise.  At the time, I was furious but I can laugh about it now. Never again though! Lol.

Edited January 17, 2020 by saharaga

[sw33twif3]

Worst cabin I ever had was aft on the Carnival Fantasy. We were aft in R200s.  One night either an engine or propeller goes out and the whole aft section is shuddering all night. Next day in port we get notice that this will continue until we get to home port (New Orleans) and they can get parts.

 

Certainly made sleeping difficult the rest of the cruise.

[sw33twif3]

8 minutes ago, saharaga said:

We've only had 2 Carnival cabins we'd never book again. Our first spa balcony (1106) on the Glory, not the cabin itself but the location, had absolutely no shade on the balcony. Baking in the hot sun isn't relaxing. We've never booked another spa balcony. What's the point of a balcony if you can't enjoy it? Second one was the worst cabin experience ever on a Carnival ship. Carnival Sunshine cabin 7116. Odd layout, bed pushed up against the wall, no nightstands, weird bathroom layout, door out to balcony at the front of the ship kept being opened and allowed to slammed shut at all hours, almost constant noise from deck chairs being dragged around from the deck above, water leak in the hallway turned into water leaking into our cabin about halfway through the cruise. We got virtually zero sleep that cruise.  At the time, I was furious but I can laugh about it now. Never again though! Lol.

I have a spa cabin booked for Carnival Magic in September. I guess I will baking in the sun!

[saharaga]

3 minutes ago, sw33twif3 said:

I have a spa cabin booked for Carnival Magic in September. I guess I will baking in the sun!

 

You might be Ok if you don't have a cabin that seemed to get almost constant sun like the one we had. 

[hkbragg]

The only cabin we have not loved is an aft wrap we had on the Dream last year. It was floor 9, right under the aft pool. Every time a lounge chair was moved, it sounded like a metal death cry. And unfortunately, this happened most often early in the AM as the staff was setting up for the day. I will stick to a room sandwiched between other guest rooms from now on. 

[Bases5]

We had an inside on the Glory deck 8 aft.  It was so dark and quiet I oversleep and missed breakfast.

[Mrs CruisinCritter]

Family Harbor Suite 2410 on the Carnival Horizon was by far the worst cabin we have ever been in.
 

It sounded like they were running carts with metal studded wheels across the galley floor just going back and forth all night. I barely slept for the entire 6 night cruise. DH could still hear it despite using ear plugs which normally make him completely deaf. He buys the really nice ones. I tried borrowing the back up pair that he brought, but I have narrow ear canals and can’t wear ear plugs to sleep in. They won’t stay in no matter how they’re inserted. Luckily our son listens to an Audible chapter book each night so he can sleep with loud noises. 

[nwo4life]

3 hours ago, jordanaire said:

We had cabin R299 on Fantasy years ago and swore "Never Again". Right behind the cabin was the elevator motor, which ran all night long and was so loud that it vibrated the beds in the cabin. Avoid this cabin!

We had that cabin for an 8 night cruise. We loved the location. We did not experience any problems with elevator noise. 

[linbobky]

balcony cabin. we were on the carnival breeze last month. smoking on the balconys is still a problem to me. call and they say they have to catch them smoking. i always get a balcony and this might be the last. it is a shame that some people think that the rules are not meant for them.

 

 

[TNcruising02]

On my last cruise on the Panorama the room was great.  What made it the worst cabin we ever had was that it was connecting and we must have been next to a cabin with kids.  They were up until 2:00 am nearly every night and there was no way to block out the noise.  I put a towel next to the connecting door, but that did nothing.

 

We still had an awesome cruise and I've learned to never, ever book a connecting room.  We've been in a connecting cabin in the past, but must have been next door to considerate and quiet people.

Edited January 18, 2020 by TNcruising02

[seaturtle_808]

Generally my cabin booking rules are that it must have cabins above and below it, must be at least 3 cabins away from the elevator, can't be connecting, and can't be near any empty space (generally turns out to be a housekeeping closet or a laundry room). I've been pretty happy as long as those rules are satisfied. 

 

The worst cabin I had was on an 11-night Hawaii cruise, Oceanview right above the tender dock. Wasn't a problem for most of the cruise, but on the overnight in Maui the tenders ran overnight, and every half hour we got woken up by the "Ding Ding! Ding Ding!" of the passenger cruise cards being scanned into the ship. 

 

5 hours ago, Qchell said:

I've never had a 'bad' cabin on any of our cruises.  However, I nearly made a mistake our first cruise.  I started booking online and then decided to call a travel agent as I had never cruised before and wanted to be sure I was booking what I thought I was booking.  Thankfully I did.  I nearly booked an interior cabin with bunk beds for my honeymoon.  

So if you are uncertain as to the type of cabin you are booking, talk to a travel agent or Carnival.  

 

Qchell you'd be surprised how often that happens. I used to be a cruise sales agent for Expedia back in the day, and I've been cussed out by honeymooners who book the bunk bed cabin (known as a 1A, so as long as you avoid that you're good) online and the ship is full or the only upgrade is hundreds of dollars more and it's too late to cancel. So I completely agree that it's always best to call if you're not sure lol. 

[Amadawn1]

3 minutes ago, seaturtle_808 said:

Generally my cabin booking rules are that it must have cabins above and below it, must be at least 3 cabins away from the elevator, can't be connecting, and can't be near any empty space (generally turns out to be a housekeeping closet or a laundry room). I've been pretty happy as long as those rules are satisfied. 

Absolutely agree!  Though the Havana Cabanas on the Vista had surprisingly little noise, even though they were right next to Ocean Plaza.  Ours was the second cabin (5203) from the elevators/ocean plaza, and there are doors to the Havana Cabana hallway that they close in the evening.  I was shocked at having no noise in that area at night.

[NC.MOMCRUZ]

We have been on 10+ cruises on various lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney) and I can honestly say, we've never had a bad cabin.  I love quiet, and dark, and usually I'm fine with inside cabins.  We have kids so we always get two cabins.  As they've gotten older we get balcony just for the extra space.  I have always checked deck plans before booking.  This year things have been hectic and we had limited time to do Spring Break Cruise because my sons girlfriend's prom was the week of our spring break (different schools, different spring breaks).  So I quickly snapped up the only two side by side balcony cabins left on Sunshine.  

After the fact, I realized we are on deck 6, right above the Alchemy Bar!  Ugh!!!  Can someone tell me if I'm going to regret this???  I don't want to be up all night.  Did I mention I like quiet???  First time ever that I'm worried

[jdemps]

Carnival Miracle Deck 4 Vista Aft Wrap - ugh!  That room vibrated all week long.  The room steward had to remove the glassware because it just clinked all night long.  Never again, it was so bad I may never book on the aft again.

[yogibear]

7 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

The worst experience on a cruise was on my most recent cruise. Cabin 8416, right underneath the Lido deck. At night, or frankly throughout the day, there was a large door over the cabin, which when sliding created this "bowling-ball" type sound that was very rattling, and woke my family out of their sleep on numerous occasions.

What ship??