Never Again

[JPB]

Just back from MIRACLE cruise (Panama, Costa Rico, Belize). The ship was clean and crew very friendly. Food, overall service, and entertainment very good.

Our last cruise with Carnival was 18 years ago, didn't like it then and we have cruised Princess and Celebrity *(18 cruises). Decided to try this one with a great itrnerary and an excellent value.

No complaints or issues with Carnival but we saw 3 instances of line breaking that almost resulted in fist fights, 1 instance of a loud obnoxious drunk verbally attacking a blackjack dealer, loud drunks in the dining area, and a lot of unacceptable behavior in public places.

We're used to a more controlled well mannered group of passengers and i guess we don't fit in with the" FUN SHIP "crowd. We are seniors and I guess we just don't fit in. Needless to say it's back to Celebrity/Princess and the extra cost is worth it.

[Glama]

Sorry you were disappointed, but it's good that you got a good deal and didn't spend a TON of money on a cruise that wasn't to your liking.

 

Wishing you happy cruises on Princess and Celebrity!

[Sandi149]

Sorry you had such a bad cruise. I sailed the Miracle in June and experienced nothing of what you describe. As a matter of fact, the average age on our sailing was between 40-70 with some even older than that. I never saw one drunk or any obnoxious behavior.

 

Just remember what you describe CAN happen on any cruise line.;)

 

Hopefully your next cruise will be better for you.

[pe4all]

Sorry you didn't have a good experience. I guess when you put 3,000 people together on a ship, there will always be a handful that can't control themselves. We saw some of the same behaviors on the Disney ships, and at some very expensive restaurants we have eaten at (at DH's clients' treats) As for the "party ship" rep Carnival has, they are the "fun ships" now - people have fun in many different ways. Put several drinks, or long lines together, and you will have a few people who make a spectacle of themselves. Maybe a more "reserved" cruiseline is for you - you had good experiences on your other cruiseslines - go back and enjoy those ships. Glad you gave Carnival a try.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Hmmmmm.

 

Given the choice of having someone cut in line at the buffet on Carnival or having to dodge a food fight on Princess.....I just cant decide. :rolleyes:

 

Crown Princess out of control passengers having a food fight, this is the link.

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6013796904912739346&q=brownie&hl=en

 

The point being that this type of behavior can happen ON ANY CRUISE-LINE.

 

Still think that loud obnoxious behavior cant happen on Princess?

[*Mach*]

What a shame that you had an unpleasant experience.

 

That being said, it was the passengers who disappointed you, not the cruise line. I had the same experience on the Conquest but it didn't effect my perception of the sailing. Rude and occasionally obnoxious passengers that believe that everything is due them and da*n the rest of the guests.

 

Sorry your fellow passengers weren't a bit more mature, mentally, if not physically.

[smgardner]

Hmmmmm.

 

Given the choice of having someone cut in line at the buffet on Carnival or having to dodge a food fight on Princess.....I just cant decide. :rolleyes:

 

Crown Princess out of control passengers having a food fight' date=' this is the link.

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6013796904912739346&q=brownie&hl=en

 

The point being that this type of behavior can happen ON ANY CRUISE-LINE.

 

Still think that loud obnoxious behavior cant happen on Princess?[/quote']

 

I do not think the original poster stated or even insinuated that this kind of thing couldn't happen on Princess. HIs stance is simplty that he has not had issues on those lines and he did experience issues on Carnival. I would probably do the same thing if I were him.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

He said he never experienced this type of behavior on Princess and would never sail Carnival again.

 

I was just pointing out that this type of behavior, or worse as seen in the video, can happen on Princess too.

[kidless]

Well lets be honest here! Carnival is the best deal out there for cruising and can attract a different class of people then some of the other more pricey lines. I have been on some cruises where it was fine and others where Lil 'Abner's ran the ship..........did it take away from my cruise ...... nope not a bit! Although I have never on any cruise seen a fist fight or people really getting nasty with each other but I am sure it happens.

[toledo]

I, too, am sorry you encountered this rude behavior. If I felt strongly enough about it, I'd go back to the other cruise lines as well. We cruised on the Victory, after not cruising in 19 years. I only saw 2 drunk people during the entire 7 days, which I didn't think was bad.

 

Everyone has different experiences.

CAN WE PLEASE NOT FLAME THIS POSTER??!!!!

[JPB]

Didn't mean to upset anyone...just wanted to comment that the ship,service,food, excursions, and overall value was very good.,However we experienced behavior we had never seen on our other cruises. Was this a fluke?? does it happen on other lines??...I don't know. We've never seen the likes on other lines and felt very uncomfortable. The worst cruise i ever had was terrific but because of the shortcomings i mentioned I rather take my chances on the lines we feel are less prone to what we observed on the Miracle. It all boils down to personal preference.

[LHP]

Just back from MIRACLE cruise (Panama, Costa Rico, Belize). The ship was clean and crew very friendly. Food, overall service, and entertainment very good.

Our last cruise with Carnival was 18 years ago, didn't like it then and we have cruised Princess and Celebrity *(18 cruises). Decided to try this one with a great itrnerary and an excellent value.

No complaints or issues with Carnival but we saw 3 instances of line breaking that almost resulted in fist fights, 1 instance of a loud obnoxious drunk verbally attacking a blackjack dealer, loud drunks in the dining area, and a lot of unacceptable behavior in public places.

We're used to a more controlled well mannered group of passengers and i guess we don't fit in with the" FUN SHIP "crowd. We are seniors and I guess we just don't fit in. Needless to say it's back to Celebrity/Princess and the extra cost is worth it.

 

 

Carnival is definately not for everyone. Sorry it is not a good fit for you.

That is why I am so glad that Carnival allowed the other cruise line they own (like Princess) to retain their own identity. That way there is a cruise line out there for each personal preference!!

 

Hope the rest of your cruises...whom ever they are on have smooth seas, warm days and cool drinks!!!

[LHP]

Just back from MIRACLE cruise (Panama, Costa Rico, Belize). The ship was clean and crew very friendly. Food, overall service, and entertainment very good.

Our last cruise with Carnival was 18 years ago, didn't like it then and we have cruised Princess and Celebrity *(18 cruises). Decided to try this one with a great itrnerary and an excellent value.

No complaints or issues with Carnival but we saw 3 instances of line breaking that almost resulted in fist fights, 1 instance of a loud obnoxious drunk verbally attacking a blackjack dealer, loud drunks in the dining area, and a lot of unacceptable behavior in public places.

We're used to a more controlled well mannered group of passengers and i guess we don't fit in with the" FUN SHIP "crowd. We are seniors and I guess we just don't fit in. Needless to say it's back to Celebrity/Princess and the extra cost is worth it.

 

 

Carnival is definately not for everyone. Sorry it is not a good fit for you.

That is why I am so glad that Carnival allowed the other cruise line they own (like Princess) to retain their own identity. That way there is a cruise line out there for each personal preference!!

 

Hope the rest of your cruises...whom ever they are on have smooth seas, warm days and cool drinks!!!

[elgato2]

Sorry your experience with CCL was unpleasant but please don't write off the cruise line because of one group. On our 10+ cruises (on 5 different lines) we've very rarely encountered drunkeness and witnessed a few line crashers on all the lines...but wouldn't chalk it up to the "class" of people or price of the cruise. In fact we've found that the rudest people are those with 'new money' that have to continually display ( and reassure themselves) how important they are!

We are 50-somethings (retired) and manage to 'go with the flow'.

It's a vacation...

[Frick_&_Frack]

I'm so sorry to hear that you had a less-than-pleasant experience on the Miracle. After a several year hiatus (and change of husband ;) ) I went back to CCL on the Miracle and we loved it so much (I'm 42, DH is 59) that my parents (67 and 73) have booked two trips on the Miracle for 2008 (and they are solely HAL cruisers).

 

It's unfortunate that drunken, obnoxious, insensitive boors can impact cruises for others. We had that experience on NCL - two time this year (along with serious housekeeping and other issues). I totally understand where the OP is coming from (we had people climb onto our forward facing balcony and smoking illegal substances - the staff did nothing). It does leave a bad taste for the line with you.

 

Happy Cruising to you! :)

[aggieastrosfan]

It all boils down to personal preference.

 

That's exactly it. :)

 

Happy sailings on your future cruises! Sorry to hear about your experience.

[sparky605]

That food fight scene looked scary- but the ship looked absolutely beautiful! The camera man was drunk I think. I sailed Carnival once, and I felt the ship left a lot to be desired, but I never saw any bad behavior. I heard about a fight in the disco though. I am not a late nighter so I probably missed the bad behavior if there was any. I am seriously considering another Carnival cruise- the same itenerary as the OP- (but on a newer ship then my last Carnival cruise) It is such a bargain, I think it may be worth a second chance- for me anyway.

[CwuzCwazy]

As they say when you depart an airplane.....Buh Bye!!!!!!

[jayesouthworth]

We've been on several Carnival cruises and have never experienced drunks. Did experience stuff with brats running all over the place uncontrolled. So we cruised on Princess the last time and couldn't hack all the people in wheelchairs and walkers. It was very depressing, we felt like we were in a nursing home on water...maybe it would have been better if someone did get drunk to livin the place up. So, we came back to Carnival to have some fun. Carnival obviously is not for everyone.

[Sarah&Dean]

WOW! I think I'll stick to carnival, that reserved crown princess crowd was a bit much. It would be like staying at home and going to work. Except for the fact it wouldn't lasted that long, because they would have been arrested for disorderly conduct. Thanks for sharing the dangers of cruising on Princess RonVa

 

 

 

Hmmmmm.

 

Given the choice of having someone cut in line at the buffet on Carnival or having to dodge a food fight on Princess.....I just cant decide. :rolleyes:

 

Crown Princess out of control passengers having a food fight' date=' this is the link.

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6013796904912739346&q=brownie&hl=en

 

The point being that this type of behavior can happen ON ANY CRUISE-LINE.

 

Still think that loud obnoxious behavior cant happen on Princess?[/quote']

[MrPete]

Line breaking and rude "liners" are quite the norm these days. I see it on ships (all lines I've recently sailed....worst being on RCCL), on land, in the air.

 

Seems everyone thinks they have the right not to wait.

 

And then there are others that don't.

[dan40]

Just back from MIRACLE cruise (Panama, Costa Rico, Belize). The ship was clean and crew very friendly. Food, overall service, and entertainment very good.

Our last cruise with Carnival was 18 years ago, didn't like it then and we have cruised Princess and Celebrity *(18 cruises). Decided to try this one with a great itrnerary and an excellent value.

No complaints or issues with Carnival but we saw 3 instances of line breaking that almost resulted in fist fights, 1 instance of a loud obnoxious drunk verbally attacking a blackjack dealer, loud drunks in the dining area, and a lot of unacceptable behavior in public places.

We're used to a more controlled well mannered group of passengers and i guess we don't fit in with the" FUN SHIP "crowd. We are seniors and I guess we just don't fit in. Needless to say it's back to Celebrity/Princess and the extra cost is worth it.

 

As you can see in my sig., have been on many cruises. 12 on Carnival. My opinion on 7 day Caribbean cruises is that there is not one wit of difference in the pax on Carnival, Princess, Celebrity, Royal Carib, or NCL. They are all identical and mostly very well behaved. Shorter cruises can be zoos and spring breakers can/will drink too much. But 7 day cruises are all pretty much alike. Longer ones bring out a different crowd, usually a little older and a little more reserved, but that's true on Carnival too. Cruises that are fairly unique, like a 14/15 day southern cruise that stops in Barbados can be mostly Brits on Princess. Destiny out of San Juan is often very Hispanic, and other lines have their unusual cruises. But a 7 day is a 7 day is a 7 day. I think your decision is hasty, but its yours to make.

 

Dan

[DqALEX]

Just back from MIRACLE cruise (Panama, Costa Rico, Belize). The ship was clean and crew very friendly. Food, overall service, and entertainment very good.

Our last cruise with Carnival was 18 years ago, didn't like it then and we have cruised Princess and Celebrity *(18 cruises). Decided to try this one with a great itrnerary and an excellent value.

No complaints or issues with Carnival but we saw 3 instances of line breaking that almost resulted in fist fights, 1 instance of a loud obnoxious drunk verbally attacking a blackjack dealer, loud drunks in the dining area, and a lot of unacceptable behavior in public places.

We're used to a more controlled well mannered group of passengers and i guess we don't fit in with the" FUN SHIP "crowd. We are seniors and I guess we just don't fit in. Needless to say it's back to Celebrity/Princess and the extra cost is worth it.

The last time I was on the Miracle it was a much older mix of passengers. My last 2 cruises on the Celebration was a whole different story. Those passengers punched out of the nut house around 12PM to make it to the ship. Most of them should not have been allowed out of there house let alone on a cruise ship. Weekend and short cruises I have found to be the worst. I was on the Legend for New Years and I diden't see any problems. I was expecting to see a lot of drunks but it was and 8 day cruise and it was a holiday and there were a lot of familys. Some people don't like to be on a cruise with a lot of kids But I don;t like a lot of drunks. When I'm in the casino and the guy is so drunk at the 3 card poker table he doesn't understand the game and starts to fight with the dealer I get up and leave. Its a no win for anyone. The drunk, Carnival or me.

[TallyRockChick]

OP, other then the fighting and the rowdy, can you tell me about the cruise? Ive been waiting for you guys to get back because you were in the itinerary that we will be on 3 weeks from tomorrow!

Did you do any excursions? How were the ports? Anything else that was great/bad?? What cabin did you have?

[JPB]

I see most replies understand my comments..It was a great cruise except for the exceptions i mentioned...I have nothing against Carnival and for the money it was probably the best dollar for dollar cruise value ever for us. The passengers average age was probably 45-60, some in wheel chairs and just a few children. We are 68 and 64 and fit right in on this particular cruise. In fact it was some of the seniors and not the young raising all the hell. Most of the folks we encountered were really as surprised as we were at the bad behavior observed.