Just back from the Eastern Caribbean (Triumph)

[luv2cruise777l]

gettingoutofindy,

 

Thanks for the review! I am so happy you had some points to share about your excursions. The rainforest in PR is something I'm interested in for my sailing on the Triumph in May. It sounds like you had a great time in that port!:) Sorry the rest of your cruise wasn't to your liking.:(

[GettingOutOfIndy]

Sounds like you might be comparing Carnival to Celebrity, the only other cruise you've taken. That's like apples and oranges....maybe you should also be comparing the price you paid for each.

 

You get what you pay for on Carnival...and for the most part, it's a pretty terrific deal. If food and personal attention are that important, you might be better sticking with a smaller more exclusive cruiseline. I think Carnival does a good job with preparing food for 3000 people everyday.

 

And maybe if you had a bit more experience with cruising, you'd know summer cruises are usually loaded with children. And parents who don't pay any attention can be onboard ANY ship of ANY cruiseline.

 

Did you speak with your cabin steward about your complaints? I have a hard time believing your sheets were not changed at all? I've never had a problem with any cabin steward that couldn't be fixed with a two minute conversation or even a little note left in the room with a request.

 

 

 

Sounds like you might just have picked the wrong ship/cruiseline for your taste...I've sailed the Triumph twice and had wonderful time both times.

 

Maybe you have champagne tastes....and a beer budget? If that's the case, don't bash the beer!

 

:mad:

Perhaps I'm reading your response wrong, but it came across very rude.

Yes, I did compare the only other cruise I've been on...and no, I wasn't completely satisfied...but this is exactly what this forum is for...telling others about our own experiences.

As I stated in my original post, THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION!!!!! Each person will have to draw their own conclusions.

Another thing...as I also said, it was very early in the morning when I was writing this, so perhaps I didn't hit EVERY SINGLE DETAIL (ex: the price of my previous cruise.) For your information, the price was VERY SIMILAR, but the outcome was not.

 

Apparently, I ruffled your feathers somewhere. If you've enjoyed your experiences on there, then I'm happy for you. That's great. And you have every opportunity to voice those on here as well. But don't get all uppity because we didn't have the same experiences.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

I am sorry you were so disappointed. I have sailed her 4 times and going on my fifth in about a month.

What was your cabin #?

In reading your post, it didn't sound like you really encountered real problems except for the cabin maintenance and smell...thats why I ask your cabin #. And definitely let someone know about the sheets and overall maintenance of your cabin...you can't do anything now. I have NEVER had a complaint about my cabin steward in all my cruises; they become my "friend" for a week and do ANYTHING I have ever asked...But I asked;)

I have heard that Celebrity has "gourmet" quality food. Carnival doesn't make that claim so I agree its "apples to oranges"..."Ritz Carlton to Hilton" ( i know that will stimulate some chat...last time I compared Carnival to a Marriott that I stayed in for a business trip; I was blasted):rolleyes:

Carnival is a great value and if you keep your expectations relative...its a great vacation. IMHO:p

 

We were in cabin 1266. I didn't smell the sewer smell in our cabin, but actually, walking around the ship in different areas. Some areas were worse than others. I did smell it on my floor a couple of times, but it was on the other side of the first floor. I've heard read other comments on this before on this site, so I thought I'd add it as well.

 

As far as our stewardess was concerned, she was very friendly. I didn't have any complaints about that. She was always very attentive to when we were in the room, and always tried to work around our schedules.

I just wondered about the cleanliness (actual cleaning supplies in the bathroom & changed sheets.) I just assumed it was a standard procedure to change those things every so often. But then again, you know what they say about making assumptions... :(

But you know...live and learn.

 

And you're right...apples and oranges between the 2 lines. But, that's why I put it right out there so people would know what I was drawing from....especially since the price was so similar.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

We're taking our first Carnival cruise next week after having cruised with Celebrity (once) and Princess (twice). We were initially concerned that we'd find Princess a step down from Celebrity in terms of dining and service, but were very pleasantly surprised to find ourselves preferring Princess. We're going into our Carnival cruise with an open mind and the expectation of a nice vacation. We don't expect to have the same result as with a cruise that cost double the fare; nevertheless we do expect clean and pleasant surrounding and appetizing meals. We'll see! But we are hoping that our Carnival experience is positive and that we'll be return passengers.

 

And to a point made above, when traveling anywhere in the summer, expect children. We're retired and can go whenever we want. That's why we cruise when most of them should be in school.

 

Mary Lou

 

 

I really do hope that you'll have a great time...and perhaps your experience will be very different from mine.

Talking to various people on the ship, I, naturally, had varied reviews. Some liked it, some said the same things I did.

 

And children...I'm from Indiana, and a lot of kids are actually back in school now, so I was hoping that would be the case when I booked a few months back. :( But, now I know to wait a few extra weeks before taking one. Perhaps one week later would've made a huge difference.

 

But, again, I hope you have a very nice time, and I'll be looking for your review when you get back! :)

[GettingOutOfIndy]

Mary Lou,

 

I've been reading many reviews the last few months also. We are going on the Legend this Nov. after 2 Princess cruises. I asked the TA if he thought I would be disappointed and he thought it would actually be a "step up" for the kids (13 & 11). I can't say I'm a loyal fan to any line. I choose a ship based on itineray, price and reading reviews! It's been too long between cruises for me (other than Princess) to make an honest comparison. The only line I probably wouldn't consider again is Costa, just didn't care for it. By the way, I read lots of complaints about sewer smells on the Crown before we went and even though it may have been there, we never smelled anything.

I sorry the OP didn't have a great time. I'm hoping to enjoy my Carnival experience, hope you do too!

 

I hope you have a great time on your cruise!

[Rowan555]

Thanks for your honest opinion of your cruise! I'm sorry Carnival didn't live up to your expectations. I'm not sure if your expectations were excessively high or if your staff was simply no up to par. I have no clue if they ever changed my sheets during either of my cruises. I also have no clue if they used cleaning products or just wiped things up. I was too busy enjoying everything else about the cruise!

 

I was thinking the same thing. I guess I don't really expect the sheets to be changed, or the bathroom to be sprayed with cleaning products, during our stay. Actually, given that our toothbrushes and other items are on the counter, I'd rather they NOT mess around too much in the bathroom - take out the trash, wipe up any spills, etc - and that's good enough for me.

 

When we've had things spill on the bed (my son spilled chocolate cake all over our sheets one night - talk about an embarrassing looking stain lol) the sheets were changed the next morning. My daughter cut her foot one night and got a small amount of blood on the sheet, and again, the sheet was changed out. Otherwise, though, I think they just make the beds each day. I don't change my sheets more than once a week at home, so I don't expect it to be done while I'm on a 5 or 7 day cruise either.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

This person sounds like a curmudgeon...

 

 

Are you referring to me?

Geez! I have a right to my opinions. I was asked a while back to write a review once I got back from my trip...which I did.

I added POSITIVE & NEGATIVE aspects.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

What? you didn't find the made to order omlets for breakfast? I have one or two for every breakfast and they are really good.

They will also fry your eggs anyway you want them as well. Sounds like you missed the best part of breakfast.

 

oops...You're right...I did forget to mention that...but then again, I didn't have one :(

The friend that I went with hates eggs, so I didn't want "impose" them on here. I hate bananas, so she tried to be considerate there as well.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

Thank you for the post. I didn't find your review harsh, but I did find it trying to compare 2 different cruise lines. No, Carnival is not for everyone. I have travelled on Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean. I love the 3 of them, but would never compare them. I choose the cruise line based upon the type of vacation I'm looking for. Each has something special to offer in their class.

I've been on the Triumph a couple of times and I will be returning to her again in 27 days. I love everything about her for what I am looking for. I went Platinum on her in May 2006 and the perks are amazing.

 

The only other thing for future reference, and I am not being critical, is the time of year you choose to cruise. I personally shy away from cruising when the kids are on vacation. I truly enjoy my cruises when the kids are in school. I choose not to be among the mainstream during peak cruising season unless I am taking one of my school aged nieces or nephews. There definitely is a big difference on all cruise lines based upon the time of year you sail.

 

Yeah, I responded to this (before I read your response)...but I appreciate your feedback, so I wanted to respond. I thought the kids would be back in school at this time because many in my area are already. I don't have kids, so I wasn't sure. Like I said in my other response...maybe a week later would've made all the difference.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

I am curious as to what cabin you had. We sailed her in January and had no issues at all; we are sailing her again this January and want to make sure we don't pick a bad cabin....if there is such a thing.

 

Sorry Carnival did not live up to your expectations, not every cruiseline is for every individual. Thanks for the review, I thought it was very fair and open.

 

 

Thanks for your response!

I was in cabin 1266, but the actual cabin wasn't the problem with the smell (if that's what you're referring to.) That smell was actually around the ship, and some areas were worse than others.

I had people ask (when they found out that I was one the first floor) if there were loud noises from the engine or things of that nature. I didn't find that to be the case at all.

I know someone though that was on the same deck, but on the other side (I believe 1259 or 69) that experienced a constant "clanging noise" coming from below. I don't know what was below their room, so it's hard to say. But, I didn't experience any problems there.

I actually liked where we were located. It was easy to get back to once we got back on the ship from shore excursions. Also, our window looked right out over the loading-dock-dealy (a technical term), so we were able to see when the lines had thinned out to get off the ship.

I hope you have a wonderful time!

[GettingOutOfIndy]

Not so sure it's a "carnival" thing. I've sailed the Triumph and really wasn't thrilled (cleanliness, enthousiasm of staff..lacking etc.) But I've sailed other Carnival Ships and found them wonderful. I think a lot has to do with their individual management teams, maybe. Because I have found very different qualities of service on different Carnival Ships. I see the same "trends" from the various reviews I have read, certain ships friendlier, cleaner, etc. You definatly can't beat the "value" for the price you pay on Carnival. So try different ships and see!

 

I view each cruise, whether it's Carnival, RCCL, NCL or whoever as an individual experience and try to evaluate it on it's own merits and not compare it to other lines, ships etc. Bottom line, my vacation is what I expect and make it out to be!!!! (usually great!!:D )

 

Thank you, and perhaps you're right...maybe it was just this one ship combined with the wrong week (the kids)...I'll take that into consideration when I book my next cruise.

[cruisecruisecruise1234567]

Thank you, and perhaps you're right...maybe it was just this one ship combined with the wrong week (the kids)...I'll take that into consideration when I book my next cruise.

 

Always book the week of labor day or after.All kids nationwide are back.

[ce2000]

Thanks for posting your reveiw. I believe that you posted an honest review, and were disappointed with your Carnival cruise. I have been on two Carnival cruises and have nerver encountered the problems that you experienced. I will be on the Carnival Glory later this month. I don't blame you if you never sail with Carnival again, there are just so many other cruise lines available for us to try if we are dissappointed with one line. I am not loyal to any one cruiseline, I have enjoyed every cruise. Yes, I do prefer some lines over other lines, in fact my favorite cruise line so far is Celebrity. I will be taking my first cruise with Holland America in December. I hope your are much more satisfied with your next cruise.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

Thanks for posting your reveiw. I believe that you posted an honest review, and were disappointed with your Carnival cruise. I have been on two Carnival cruises and have nerver encountered the problems that you experienced. I will be on the Carnival Glory later this month. I don't blame you if you never sail with Carnival again, there are just so many other cruise lines available for us to try if we are dissappointed with one line. I am not loyal to any one cruiseline, I have enjoyed every cruise. Yes, I do prefer some lines over other lines, in fact my favorite cruise line so far is Celebrity. I will be taking my first cruise with Holland America in December. I hope your are much more satisfied with your next cruise.

 

Thank you, and I hope you have a terrific time!

[samiam0403]

Thank you for posting your review! I'm taking my mom on the Triumph in Nov and have been on 6 cruises prior on Carnival, so I know what to expect. DH and I have talked about trying a different cruise line (such as Celebrity) and have come to the conclusion that for the negatives on Carnival (and we are aware there are some), we can handle it for the great price we get. If you got near the same price on Celebrity, then congratulations for the great deal! We've never seen an equivalent price, so we stick with Carnival. (And we're really close to platinum...) So to sum up my rambling, thanks again for posting your review of the Triumph - I thought it was very honest and well balanced. But next time you see a Celebrity cruise for the same as Carnival, please post on here and I'll be more than happy to book! :D

[HookedOnCruisin'2]

I just got home from the same cruise and had a wonderful time. I'll write my own review and not hijack this one. I do want to say though that I did notice the odor a couple of times back by the Rome Lounge and that some of the outlying public bathrooms could have had more attention. However, our room was always very clean, as was the bathroom. I don't know that Arleigh & Ari actually changed my sheets every day but our bed always seemed fresh and I did seem them changing other sheets during the week. I know they were cleaning our bathroom well as even the soap that would dry under the bar of soap on the sink would be cleaned up every day. I thought that the cleaning solution smelled odd and could smell that in our room.

Sorry your cruise wasn't all you had hoped.

[dst]

[quote name='GettingOutOfIndy']Thanks for your response!
I was in cabin 1266, but the actual cabin wasn't the problem with the smell (if that's what you're referring to.) That smell was actually around the ship, and some areas were worse than others.
I had people ask (when they found out that I was one the first floor) if there were loud noises from the engine or things of that nature. I didn't find that to be the case at all.
I know someone though that was on the same deck, but on the other side (I believe 1259 or 69) that experienced a constant "clanging noise" coming from below. I don't know what was below their room, so it's hard to say. But, I didn't experience any problems there.
I actually liked where we were located. It was easy to get back to once we got back on the ship from shore excursions. Also, our window looked right out over the loading-dock-dealy (a technical term), so we were able to see when the lines had thinned out to get off the ship.
I hope you have a wonderful time![/quote]

Indy: Thanks for responding we had an aft balcony last time and we were lucky enough to get the same cabin for this January. I never noticed a bad smell but each week can be so different. It will be interesting to be on the same ship a year apart and see the difference. This will be the first time I have sailed the same ship twice.

Again, I appreciate your review. There are others on the boards that can be very harsh; you were honest and clear in your expectations and I do not think for a second that you "bashed" Carnival - you just compared it to what you had to compare it to, nothing wrong with that at all.

I hope that no matter what cruiseline you sail on you always have a safe journey....

[abitaturbodog]

Indy--How did you sail on Celebrity for the same price as Carnival??? I've done my homework and Celebrity is [U]at least twice[/U] the price of the Triumph!!! Maybe you sailed many, many years ago?

The two cruiselines are DEFINITELY apples and oranges and I can understand how the bar was set very high for you with Celebrity. In my opinion, you should stick to sailing on Celebrity and the other luxury lines regardless of the higher cost.

[GettingOutOfIndy]

[quote name='abitaturbodog']Indy--How did you sail on Celebrity for the same price as Carnival??? I've done my homework and Celebrity is [U]at least twice[/U] the price of the Triumph!!! Maybe you sailed many, many years ago?

The two cruiselines are DEFINITELY apples and oranges and I can understand how the bar was set very high for you with Celebrity. In my opinion, you should stick to sailing on Celebrity and the other luxury lines regardless of the higher cost.[/quote]

I always have the same budget in mind when planning a vacation ($1000 + spending cash), so that's how I'm getting the similar prices.
My last cruise was in 2005, but, like last time, I didn't narrow my search to a particular cruise line.
Now, I didn't have the same itinerary last time, but we did spend an extra night or two longer in Seattle surrounding our trip.

Also, our ship on Celebrity was the middle-of-the-road. I'm sure that, the fancier the ship, the more expensive.

In the end, it just comes down to shopping around and what you're looking for, I suppose.

I just thought I'd try something different this time around. I'm glad I did. I met some really nice people along the way. and next time, I'll have something else to take into consideration.

[MLAinVA]

To: Cassandra, Cindy2, Don, and GettingoutofIndy, a sincere thank you for your good wishes for our cruise. Don, I'll take that dare! We plan to have a great time.

Cheers!

Mary Lou

[gusandgidgetsmom]

GettingoutofIndy, Thank you for your review. I have never been on the Triumph but will be going in Dec. I would not have picked this particular itinerary but our son and wife wanted to go there. I have been on 8 carnival cruises and several other lines. I remember we went on the Victory when it was new during the spring. I guess it was spring break for a lot of children--not ours in Indiana as we have ours early. I remember saying never again on this ship. We have grown children and grandchildren but ours certainly do not behave that way (i hope). My son decided to get married and guess what ship he chose! Yes Victory again. Well a totally different experience. The crew as well as the parents worked hard to keep the kids in line. This summer we chose the Liberty in JUNE and had many,many children as well as a grandchild of our own and we had a very pleasant experience. I think the experience is all in that particular cruise. I am sorry you did not enjoy yourself but I pray your next experience is better.

[sinkers22]

[quote name='GettingOutOfIndy']

Summation: Like I said, I believe there are plenty of people who had a great time...I just wasn't one of them. I guess you'll have to draw your own conclusions. But, I wouldn't do another Carnival cruise...no doubt about it.

[/quote]

Thanks for your review. I'm so sorry that this trip didn't live up to your expectations. I know that if I had planned a vacation and it wasn't up to par, I might be disappointed. But, please, don't say you'll never do another Carnival cruise. Every cruise is different. Every ship is different. We've been on NCL, RCI and Carnival. Although we like Carnival the best because of the food (NCL was awful!), the entertainment (carpets aren't rolled up at midnight) and the cabins (much bigger than the other lines), if we did have a bad Carnival cruise, we would just shrug our shoulders, and book another Carnival cruise. We know you can always have a bad week. If you say you'll never cruise Carnival again, because of one mediocre cruise, you might be missing out down the road.

Hope you next cruise is all you expect, but please just give Carnival another try. You might be surprised.

[ManyMore]

Actually nobody should be surprised that the sheets weren't changed. They aren't on other cruise lines or hotels either. They are generally left on the bed for the duration of that customers stay. Unless of course I'm sure you are staying more then a week. Most people don't change their own sheets at home more then once a week. If you do, perhaps you should ask the room steward, prior to it becoming something of dissatisfaction, to have them changed a certain day.

[UpstateCruizer]

[quote name='funinthsun']Not so sure it's a "carnival" thing. I've sailed the Triumph and really wasn't thrilled (cleanliness, enthousiasm of staff..lacking etc.) But I've sailed other Carnival Ships and found them wonderful. I think a lot has to do with their individual management teams, maybe. Because I have found very different qualities of service on different Carnival Ships. I see the same "trends" from the various reviews I have read, certain ships friendlier, cleaner, etc. You definatly can't beat the "value" for the price you pay on Carnival. So try different ships and see!

I view each cruise, whether it's Carnival, RCCL, NCL or whoever as an individual experience and try to evaluate it on it's own merits and not compare it to other lines, ships etc. Bottom line, my vacation is what I expect and make it out to be!!!! (usually great!!:D )[/quote]


Here's another thing to consider when reading reviews of ships and offering particulars about specific ships ...pay attention to the date the person posting jas sailed that ship. A comment about crew members being made from someone who sailed that particular ship 5 years ago is pretty pointless. Crew changes frequently on the ships which negates the [I]" really wasn't thrilled (cleanliness, enthousiasm of staff..lacking etc.)"[/I] I sailed the Triumph twice this year (June & August) and experienced nothing but outstanding crew. It was that experience that led me to love cruising and to book cruises for next year.

[UpstateCruizer]

[quote name='ManyMore']Actually nobody should be surprised that the sheets weren't changed. They aren't on other cruise lines or hotels either. They are generally left on the bed for the duration of that customers stay. Unless of course I'm sure you are staying more then a week. Most people don't change their own sheets at home more then once a week. If you do, perhaps you should ask the room steward, prior to it becoming something of dissatisfaction, to have them changed a certain day.[/quote]

Our room steward changed our sheets midway on both cruises aboard the Triumph. They even changed the duvet cover after my dh spilled coffee <just a few spots nothing we expected it to be changed for>on it one morning. Our cabin stewards both explained the environmental whatever they called it green plan and told us if we wanted new towels to throw them on the floor otherwise they would not be changed. All it would have taken to get sheets changed is to ask :) We have stayed in resorts and 4 star hotels and all of them have gone to this same save the earth type program. One hotel had a sign next to the bed that said linens will be changed only upon request for the duration of any stay. If we wanted our linens changed we had to put the card on our pillow. I certainly don't change my sheets on my bed daily so why would I expect that to happen on a cruise ship?