cathyoo Posted March 7, 2006 #51 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I am really sorry you had a lousy time... I'm probably much older than you and one thing I have learned is that no one can force me to have a bad time. Vacations at least for me are special occasions and I have learned to appreciate every minute. The worst time of your life is when you have paid good money and anticipated a wonderful time and you get sick as a dog or there is a family emergency or you are in a accident. Something that takes the control out of your hands. I hate when the flame throwers come out when someone complains and I am not trying to flame you. Just pointers for the rest of the vacations you will have: You couldn't starve on a cruiseship.. you may not have thought the food was five star but you couldn't starve, even if you only ate cold cereal the whole time. The GC incident does not sound pleasant but your tour did wait for you.. you were lucky there. Your parents missed stops on their bus.. but they got to see some pretty nice things I would think.. You had wine spilled on you.. I'm sure that was not pleasant but I can't imagine anyone letting that spoil their vacation. You hated the cruise director because there was miscommunication about the tender.. Even if he was completely wrong that is a pretty strong emotion. I really am sorry you did not get the opportunity to watch a sunset over the ocean and realize how lucky you were to be standing there. Some people will never have that opportunity. Please don't let petty things ruin your opportunities to experience life. I wish you better memories next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted March 7, 2006 #52 Share Posted March 7, 2006 with so many private vendors doing the sting ray thing--- I hate to see Capt Marvins getting bad press here because of this== and if it is true then people need to be aware--- you wont make a 8am excursion if the ship is docking at 7:30 this is an unrealistic expectation here. Some ships dock at 7:00= I can see an excursion for 8:30 Some ships dont dock til 8am.. and the vendors wont take these passengers because they wont get in til 9? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted March 7, 2006 #53 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Just making an observation here......Did anyone else notice that the OP's posting history?? :confused: As of the time of this post there are 13 posts from this person with 6 of them on this particular thread. It is interesting that for someone who did so much research about Carnival that this board isn't the first place they started? I mean, after all, we are the best. Right, Host Randy!!! Oh, well. We have friends cruising with us on Sunday that had never heard CC before I told her 2 weeks ago and they have been cruising for years. Can you imagine??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nalady98 Posted March 7, 2006 #54 Share Posted March 7, 2006 My DH nd I are non-drinkers and have a wonderful time. I have learned to appreciate the opportunities I am given in life and to make the most of what ever is dished out to me. The part that got me was the extremly harsh word "hate".................. I truly hope you get to have a cruise that pleases you at least a little bit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizinwoman Posted March 7, 2006 #55 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Life is what you make it No truer words were ever spoken. I'm truly sorry that the original poster had such an awful time. It's sad to think that his vacation time was ruined so badly. As others have said, cruising is not for everyone. Maybe when he has had the chance to take a deep breath and calm down, he might realize how many of his statements could fall under the category of hyperbole. I don't know if he is the kind of person that no matter what happened, he wouldn't have been happy, but the extremes to which he takes it, well, it doesn't lean to his favor. :rolleyes: Better luck next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top-Cat Posted March 7, 2006 #56 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Well at least here is some good news. I understand that a pier is being constructed in Grand Caymen. That should help a lot. I loved Grand Caymen. To me, it was worth the wait! I can also see where the cruise director may not have total control over who tenders when. I mean, sometimes things can change in a hurry. Things come up. We have always on 5 cruises, had to wait for those to disembark first, who bought excursins through the cruise line. Other wise, how would they know who is telling the truth from those who just want off first. It happens. I have seen all kinds...... As far as the diningroom, my brother crusies and loves steak. He ordered it every night with a shrimp appetiser, on the menu or not and Carnival happily coughed it up. He was happy as a "pig in slop" as we would say here in the south:D . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carallard Posted March 7, 2006 #57 Share Posted March 7, 2006 That they won't be on the ship with me in 12 days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted March 7, 2006 #58 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I We have friends cruising with us on Sunday that had never heard CC before I told her 2 weeks ago and they have been cruising for years. Can you imagine??? Cruise critic members represent less then 1% of the cruising public. the OP ws posting a few times before they left... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardigras81 Posted March 7, 2006 #59 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I have cruised 4 times with Carnival and only had an incident once. Our inside room vibrated at night. Yea, very funny, but really it was disturbing our sleep. We called the reception desk and told them the first real day of the cruise. They sent an "engineer" who found nothing. While touring the ship we noticed we were near the gym. The vibrations came from the machines that shook the pictures on the wall and other things. Well Carnival called and said they could switch our room and we politely said no thank you, because we did not feel like repacking. We stuffed tissues behind the pictures on the wall and went on with our life. The next day, we received a fruit basket, another day a bottle of wine and one of our tours was free and then at the end they gave a coupon for a certain percent off our next cruise. We were happy after they offered us a switch but they went out of their way to say sorry and guess what we booked a cruise the next year with our coupon and brought our kids. We already liked Carnival but they really gained my respect for their great customer service. I must note that we are not screamers, we are courteous and 98% of the time our courteousness pays off in a courteous reply. If you got outchy about the tender on your privately booked excursion, I guess I can see why they might not have been as responsive with your next issue. I would not write off Carnival yet, but definitely go again with an open mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue L Posted March 7, 2006 #60 Share Posted March 7, 2006 We just got off the Destiny last week and I definitely can sympathize with your frustrations we had quite a few of our own!. 1. Food was okay...but you are able to order steak and FILET MIGNON every night for the asking. Though 1 of the nights I did get the filet they had trouble cooking it medium they brought me another in a few minutes. I just ate a little faster to catch up with the rest of the table. Consistentency was an issue... French onion soup and Lobster Bisque were absolutely wonderful. but the soup another night ( don't even remember what kind it was) was like eating dishwater, no flavor, nothing! 2. We had to INSIST (few phone calls and a little arguing) to get a new mattress because ours had not been changed and was a sagging brick. They did change it! We also had very limited hot water the first few days. It took 15 minutes for it to come up past lukewarm in the shower, again we had to complain. 3. Our biggest frustration was the shore desk!!! 10 of us were scheduled for the river tubing in Dominica and the morning of Dominica they moved half our group to the afternoon tour. We had to argue with them but they did manage to get us all together on the morning one that we had scheduled and paid for on the website back in dec. there were alot of frustrated people there that day because several tours had been cancelled and they were trying to find out why, the weather was gorgeous so that couldn't have been it. 4. The next day in Barbados my dh and I were booked for a bike tour, again WITH Carnival. We raced off the ship had to be at the terminal at 8:30. we did not know that their was a shuttle bus from the pier to the terminal. We ran through the terminal...find the tour. only to be told that the tour had been moved to 1:30 Again we had to deal with the same ***** that we had to argue with the day before about the tubing. The local tour manager gave us a completely different story (out of ear shot of the carnival rep) then she gave us as to why the tour was postponed with absolutely NO NOTICE 5. The last frustration was the entertainment....We saw the same comedian, same magician and the same welcome aboard show on all THREE carnival cruises we have been on stretching over 4 years. Were their frustrations? YOU BET!!!! did they get solved? for the most part. Will I cruise again? DEFINITELY!!!! Already booked for next year but on RCCL, we are experienced cruisers and we know that there can be problems. There can be on land vacations too!!! Will we cruise Carnival again after this experience? Yes! if they have the itinerary and schedule that suits me. I am very sorry OP that you had a bad cruise, but I hope you won't let it turn you off of cruising in general! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GottaLuvCruising Posted March 7, 2006 #61 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Just making an observation here......Did anyone else notice that the OP's posting history?? :confused: As of the time of this post there are 13 posts from this person with 6 of them on this particular thread. Precisely why I give the OP little credibility. If the experience is accurate from his perspective, cruising simply isn't the right vacation for him. Next... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crisp1 Posted March 7, 2006 #62 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Doesn't CCL's buffets offer different dishes on different sides? Isn't it the same with the outdoor grill? One side is hot dogs and hamburgers, the other side the 'specialty of the day'? I'm not hot on the breakfast buffets in general- except the omelet station. I do recall that the sandwich 'shop' was only open for a couple of hours a day- but those bagettes were great! I'm also not a big CD fan, but CCL has the best musical entertainment out there. The musicians by the casino, piano bar, cigar bar, as well as the orchestra, pool band and even the classical groups are what keep me entertained all day and evening. As far as deck chairs, there are plenty up on the sun deck, who needs to be that close o the band anyway. I'd rather look out at the sea, than see all that extra skin waddling around the pool ;) The OP mentioned the 'alternative' restuarant being a buffet. Does the Victory have a real alternative restuarant? If not,then someone didn't do enough research. I never cruised to eat, but do enjoy trying dishes that I would never have the chance to otherwise. I personally think that prime rib is overrated, I'll take a filet anyday. After our second cruise and the 'shoptilyoudrop' excursions, I've booked our own private excursions and will never go back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted March 7, 2006 #63 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Cruise critic members represent less then 1% of the cruising public. double post I hate this computer.... (or maybe hate is wrong) strongly dislike!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted March 7, 2006 #64 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Cruise critic members represent less then 1% of the cruising public. I know, ain't a shame. All this wealth of information. We are just gonna have to do a better job of getting the word out. LOL A couple of posts??? Sorry to me that does not constitute "thorough research". In fact, that shows they knew about this site before they left and obviously did not take advantage of all this information. (Especially with this being his first cruise. ) Geez, I knew what color underwear the captain wore on my first cruise before I went. And a friend of mine told me I was right! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted March 7, 2006 #65 Share Posted March 7, 2006 My take on this: OP, when you use words about hatred it appears you may get a little defensive from time to time. As for research, none of us know how much you did or did not do prior to booking: I assume you used a TA, if so, let him or her know about your less than positive experiences, maybe something can be done especially about the excursion that did not stop at the places listed. Someone mentioned booking tours privately, we almost always do this as most experienced cruisers do. Food is very subjective, but to say everything was awful is a bit surprising to say the least. For those of us who have been cruising for years we have seen the quality go down; the days of "you can eat yourself to death on a cruise" are gone. No one gains 10lbs anymore I don't think and the food is not 5*: 2 reasons, the ships have gotten so large the food is basically banquet quality and 2- the prices are lower than ever, they have to cut somewhere. That is why most lines have added specialty restaurants. The food is much better, but you pay for it as well. I do not know if you have cruised before, if so, you probably need to go back to the cruise line you liked, if not, maybe cruising isn't the best vacation for you. Anyone that can honestly say, nothing was good about any vacation especially a cruise had set their expectations way to high. NMnita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlegoo75 Posted March 7, 2006 #66 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I have done 3 cruises with Carnival, and don't have anything negative to say. I was very hesitant to even try Carnival back in 2001 when I was planning my honeymoon cruise because I had heard such bad things about the cruise-line and the kind of party hardy atmosphere it was known for. I was pleasantly surprized when sailing on the Pride and my fears of Carnival being "low-class" and "crappy" were done away with. I have only sailed with Carnival since then. On the first cruise, I was a novice, so we booked all of our excursions through the cruiseline. On the second cruise, I was a little daring, and booked 2 excursions on my own, and on the one I just returned from, we did everything on our own except for in Jamaica, I didn't want to chance it. When doing your own shore excursion, you MUST check the time the ship docks, and take into account that you will not be the first to get off the ship, and give yourself enough time to get where you need to go once you are on land with time to spare. If you have to tender, give yourself a lot of extra time. We actually had no problem getting a tender to Grand Cayman for our tour with Captain Marvin's. We followed the instructions given by the Cruise Director, got our sticker, and that's it. I was actually a few mins. late to Capt Marvin's due to some locals pointing me in the wrong direction, but given that there was a line of people waiting to pay, it wasn't a problem. For the record, Captain Marvin's was wonderful, and I highly recommend using them. Another thing that I was really pleased with was that in Freeport Bahamas, it was cold and windy, and there was a Carnival rep on the pier that informed people that if they were signed up for a snorkeling tour, and they wanted to opt out because it was so cold, they could. We were more than happy to cancel our snorkeling excursion because all we wanted to do was crawl back into bed where it was warm. Carnival didn't have to do that either, I thought that was a very nice gesture. When I had to deal with the purser's desk, it wasn't a problem at all. I found everyone to be nice. The only staff that I found to be snooty was the spa staff. Unfortunately you have to dodge them any time you want to use the gym. Sure, there were some food items that weren't so great,I just didn't eat those, and got something else, instead. I guess there are some people that have picky tastes, but you have to figure that a cruise ship has to feed the masses. Hmm....I guess if I do have to find something to complain about, it would be the water pressure in the shower.....it was really weak, but I wasn't going to let something like that put me in a sour mood. You just can't please everyone, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StacyandTim Posted March 7, 2006 #67 Share Posted March 7, 2006 sounds like you need to shut the f' up! WOW...this thread is getting serious now :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrdood Posted March 7, 2006 #68 Share Posted March 7, 2006 HORRIBLE, probably the WORST review I have ever read! I will absolutely NEVER read one of your reviews again, I just came away from your review completely hungry for more information, you told me NOTHING!!! So there!!! I bet the folks at the purser and shore excursion desk were RELIEVED when you got off the boat.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaki321 Posted March 7, 2006 #69 Share Posted March 7, 2006 One of the things we like to do is eat the local food at port - - this helps give us variety beyond the ship's food -- - which can be hit or miss, depending on your taste. Same is true for any all-inclusive hotels, when you are cooking for that many people, quality sometimes has to give for quantity. Just my opinion though We had a negative Carnival experience on our last cruise with relation to my father-in-law's special disability needs. Long story, and won't get into it, but absolutely everything I arranged ahead of time was overlooked. It was frustrating, and the blank stares at the purser's desk infuriating, but we are sailing Carnival again in May. I have faith they will deliver this time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madelinerose Posted March 7, 2006 #70 Share Posted March 7, 2006 You took the words right out of my mouth! ;) You must be very lucky if the "worst experience of your life" is a disappointing cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smith0806 Posted March 7, 2006 #71 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I know, ain't a shame. All this wealth of information. We are just gonna have to do a better job of getting the word out. LOL A couple of posts??? Sorry to me that does not constitute "thorough research". In fact, that shows they knew about this site before they left and obviously did not take advantage of all this information. (Especially with this being his first cruise. ) Geez, I knew what color underwear the captain wore on my first cruise before I went. And a friend of mine told me I was right! LOL No offense, but I hate people using someone's post count being a way to determine if they are lying or that they did research. I did not find out about this site till AFTER my first cruise. Yes you can do a lot of research without using this site, which I did. I have friends who went on cruises, I talked to my TA, go info from Carnival etc.. There are other ways besides this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voyagerfl Posted March 7, 2006 #72 Share Posted March 7, 2006 We truly were hungry at night. There were NOT the multiple food options on this ship. As I said, the same thing was being served in two places for dinner! Its a shame when you go on a cruise and have to eat pizza all week or order BLT's from room service. I'd suggest cruising is not for you ! How anyone can go hungry is beyond me............! Appitizers, soups, Salads, seafood, beef, chicken, veggie dishes, etc.... Although, I do have to admit....Carnival is known for bland desserts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaki321 Posted March 7, 2006 #73 Share Posted March 7, 2006 No offense, but I hate people using someone's post count being a way to determine if they are lying or that they did research. I did not find out about this site till AFTER my first cruise. Yes you can do a lot of research without using this site, which I did. I have friends who went on cruises, I talked to my TA, go info from Carnival etc.. There are other ways besides this site. I started reading on this site months ago, but recently started posting - - only cuz my cruise is getting closer. Found out about this site from a Cozumel message board, totally unrelated to CC.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaki321 Posted March 7, 2006 #74 Share Posted March 7, 2006 No offense, but I hate people using someone's post count being a way to determine if they are lying or that they did research. I did not find out about this site till AFTER my first cruise. Yes you can do a lot of research without using this site, which I did. I have friends who went on cruises, I talked to my TA, go info from Carnival etc.. There are other ways besides this site. I started reading on this site months ago, but recently started posting - - only cuz my cruise is getting closer and the questions were more top-of-mind. Found out about this site from a Cozumel message board, totally unrelated to CC.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StacyandTim Posted March 7, 2006 #75 Share Posted March 7, 2006 HORRIBLE, probably the WORST review I have ever read! I will absolutely NEVER read one of your reviews again, I just came away from your review completely hungry for more information, you told me NOTHING!!! So there!!! I bet the folks at the purser and shore excursion desk were RELIEVED when you got off the boat.... As you may all know from my recent review, we had a FANTASTIC time on our recent Liberty cruise. Were things perfect? HECK NO! For one, I really wasn't that impressed with the food at Harry's Supper Club. However, from reading the boards, quite a few of you raved about it, so I had to try it out. Will I ever go again? Probably not...it just wasn't my cup of tea...will I complain to Carnival about it? Heck no...it wasn't their fault I didn't like the food served there. Did it change my review in any way? Heck no, again! But your comment on the folks at the purser's desk made me laugh because we had a lady that did the back-to-back cruise with us on the Liberty. She was actually staying a THIRD week because she DEMANDED A FREE CRUISE after she "supposedly" got sick and spent 2 days in the infirmary. She was one of those "wounded duck" people who wanted attention from everyone, and who literally complained about EVERYTHING at the purser's desk, and had to have a ship staff member wheel her everywhere in a wheel chair. She could walk, as I met her the second day into the first week of the cruise and she was sitting at the bar sucking down the drinks of the day and smoking cigarette after cigarette. By the 4th day, I ran into her at the casino and she had a personal uniformed "chauffer" (sp?). When I asked her why, she said the seas were rocky and caused her to slip in her cabin and now she was having trouble walking. :eek: She was cruising solo, and I guess was spending her "disability" money or something in order to cruise (but that's another story). Anyway, I was behind her in line at the purser's desk as she was making her arrangements for her personal "wheel chair pusher" to pick her up early the morning of disembarkation so she could re-embark before the crowd. I could tell that these people were not that happy that she was staying another week. I really felt bad that they were going to have to deal with her for another 7 days!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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