Carnival Cruise Lines Never travel on Carnival Cruise lines! Internet

Ahh. The good old Early Saver Promotion! This promotion is designed to lower your rates if they were to drop within 3 days prior to sailing.  If you read the back of your confermation it indicates that the rate needs to be a Carnival Advertised rate that you quilify for; Example, if you are under the age of 55 your do not quilify for the senior promotion.  I can explain why they only reprice for Carnival Advertised rates.  Now Read Carfully, Carnival offers the same rates to Travel Agencys (aka: Expidea, American Express, ...Travelocity) as they advertise on there very own website.  The reason they simply must have it advertised on there website in order for the price drop to happen, is becuase of one word..."commission".  Travel Agencies, in order to bring in more bookings, and hence gain more commision, will infact discount some of it to make the priceing seem more inticing.  For example. If Carnivals advertised rate is $1000, and you take a little gander at Travelocity the travel agency, whose outstanding commission percentage with carnival is, lets make it easy, %10; there commission out pay from your $1000 cruise rate is $100.  So sometimes agency will indeed discount some of there commision, inorder to make sometype of extra money; and they will display for you perhaps a $950 cruise rate instead. Carnival has asked agencies not to display dishonest rates, but they cant win them all.   It seems that a lot of misunderstandings happ because people dont bother to read the important notes of there confermations.  Carnival has been up and running for 40 plus years, and all other unrelated cruise lines take Carnival by example; they own Holland, Princess, Yahts of Seabourne, Windsor, and Costa. I think this Company knows whats its doing and would not falsey advertise rates, and all other agency programs are tied to Carnivals pricing structure. 

Hi,

I read your story and can sympathize.  I used to know a person who worked on cruise lines (he was an entertainer)...he used to perform on Carnival cruises but stopped, because he said they were not up to his standards. 

You should know that there is a HUGE difference between cruise lines.  Carnival is at the very bottom of the totem pole.  They hire cheap labor from 3rd world countries; they are paid minimum wage, or just above it, and aren't going to show you manner or amenities.

You won't like what I"m going to say, but Royal Caribbean, in my opinion, is fast becoming as bad as Carnival.  I have cruised on RC about five times, and each one was worse than the last.  The food is horrible (don't even get me started on "Italian night"...I AM Italian, and what they passed off as Italian food would make my dear departed Grandmother turn over in her grave.)  They are a bit more expensive than Carnival, hence there is a lower ratio of valets per room...I think there is one valet per every 3-5 rooms.

In any case, on my last cruise with Royal, my valet smelled so badlly of body odor that I could tell when he'd been in my room, and i had to spray it with air freshner just so I didn't gag.  The smell even got into my clothes.

In the world of cruising, you get what you pay for.  If the price is cheap, you can bet that your cruising exerience is going to be sub-par.

I've never been on the following lines, but friends tell me they are a HUGE step up from Carnival and Royal Caribbean:  Princess Cruise lines and Celebrity Cruise lines.    

Just a sidebar here:  I stopped going on cruise-vacations about five years ago because of regular reports in the media about the outbreaks of the Norovirus and other nasty bugs on these ships.  

While waiting at Logan Airport in Boston, I was chatting with a couple that took their honeymoon on Norwegian cruiselines...it was a disaster.  Everyone on board got hit with a stomach bug; there was vomit covering the walls in the hallway, the dining rooms were only serving limited meals (no one felt like eating) , and the entire experiences was...well, disgusting (their words.)

Finally, I should tell you that the person I knew that worked on cruises took me along on one of his Royal Caribbean gigs.  I went as a staff member (he was a singer, and I went along as his wardrobe assistant)...I agreed to it because I got a free trip (in this case, to the Bahamas).

We stayed on a special part of the ship reserved for employees...and OH. MY.GOD.  What I saw really opened my eyes.   It was gross.  Dirty room service trays were left in the hallways for days; no one came and picked them up..the rooms were not cleaned, linens on the beds not changed.  The stench alone was enough to make me dread going back to my room.    My friend commented to me "Now you get to see the "other" side of a cruise ship."

It's a tempting vacation to take because cruiselines offer amazingly discounted prices for certain destinations, but you need to know what you're getting into before you step onboard. 

Below, I've put together the PROS and CONS of cruising...again, this is all JUST MY OPINION, nothing more, nothing less:

PROS to taking a cruise ship vacation:

-Relatively cheap price

-Meals are free, and there is a LOT of food avaiblable 24/7

-All NON-Alcoholic beverages are usually also free, so if you're a teetotaler, you can buy a metal thermos at the start of the trip, and they'll keep refilling it with soda for nothing.

-You can visit several places all in one vacation (Multiple ports)

-The cruiseline does all the activity planning FOR you (everything from casinos to shopping trips to yoga classes onboard the ship)

-Entertainment every night (the shows are usually good and range from stand-up comedians to performances of Broadway hits, like Grease)...and no extra charge..all included in the price.

-Great trip for kids; there are always a bunch of things for them to do...

-Shopping deals:  every cruise I've ever been on has one floor dedicated to kiosks.  You can get some pretty amazing discounts on jewelry, booze, clothes, etc.  Its' like a mini- mall that sets up every night...and since you're not going anywhere, you can take your time and shop leisurely.

-You can make a lot of new friends.    The average cruiseship holds about 3000 people...you're onboard with the same folks night after night, and it is a great opportunity to meet people from different states, even countries. 

CONS to taking a cruise ship vacation:

-Most staterooms are really small and the bathrooms are even smaller.   Cruiselines design them this way on purpose...they want you OUT of your room, and hopefully spending money on cocktails or shopping.

-The quality of the food served on cruiseships depends on what you are used to.   I've talked to folks from the midwest who think cruiseline meals are fantastic.   I, on the other hand, live in a major Northeast City that has some of the best restaurants in the country...plus I'm a home chef.  

In my opinion, the meals on a cruise ship are nothing special.   There's always a carving station, with a big steamship round of roast beef, and that's usually pretty good...but as far as hot dishes, I've never been very impressed.

-You run the risk of getting sick.   Google "Cruise ships Norovirus" and you'll see what I mean.  The chances of your specific ship having an onboard outbreak of the stomach flu is not common, it's still a very real possibility, and if it does (God forbid) happen, you are probably going to have a really bad vacation.

-Cocktails are expensive.   You don't use money on a ship...instead, you get a 'card' when you first register onboard....it is either backed up by a credit card number (you'll be charged at the end of your trip, when they tally up all the things you bought) or you can put a specific amount of money in an account...kind of like a mini-bank for yourself.   

It is REALLY easy to overspend on drinks.   Servers walk around with pre-prepared cocktails in tall, deoorated glasses...you're hot and thirsty, and at the time it looks so good...but in reality, these drinks can cost up to $14 EACH.  

-Loud: If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful vacation, cruising is probably not the best choice.   The common areas (the bars, restaurants, swimming pools) are always filled with other passengers, and getting drunk is very common...they're noisy and boisterous.   If you like this, great, you'll have a blast...but it can get old pretty fast. 

-Beware of the "spa"!   Almost every cruise ship has a "spa" or "salon" that offers services ranging from haircuts, to massages, to specialized "treatments" designed to pamper you.    I fell for one of these...in my case, I decided to treat myself to what they called an "aromatherapy body cleansing".   This was on Royal Carribean, btw.   I was promised that this treatment was state-of-the-art and would make me feel like a new person.

I was told to lie down in this 'thing' that looked like a giant jelly bean.  I laid there for 45 minutes while the giant jelly bean sprayed me with various diluted fragrances...from vanilla to lavendar.   By the end of the 'treatment" I had a massive headache and felt sick to my stomach.   The cost: $85.  When I complained, I was told there is no refund for these services.    And this was one of the least expensive services offered on their brochure!   In my opinion, the "spa" on these ships are very over-priced for what you actually get

-Finally:  (sorry for such a long post)...The day before your departure, you are told that you MUST leave your suitcases outside of your stateroom door by midnight.   This is so they can come and collect your luggage and get it on the plane.

I don't know about anyone else, but this isn't very convenient for me...what am I supposed to do with my pajamas I wore that night...stuff them in my wallet?   How about toiletries? Call me crazy, but I"d like to take a shower on the morning I leave, and wash & condition my hair, use my OWN soap, brush my teeth, style my hair, maybe use some cosmetics.    If if I put them in my suitcase, POOF! they're gone in the morning...spirited away by porters who are going to move them to a common area.  

So anything you use on the morning of your departure, you have to keep WITH you...either in a big toteback or backpack.

Forget about sleeping late on the morning of your departure...they'll have you UP and OUT of your stateroom by 7 am....you'll barely have time to choke down breakfast, before they herd all the passengers to a common area, where you'll be assigned a color, number, or some other identification.  There, you will wait...and wait...and wait, until your 'section' is called.

And then?  More waiting...usually in a huge line.  You will have to go find your luggage, and have it checked again. 

In short, getting on a cruisehip is pretty easy, but getting OFF one is a long, tedious process. 

Okay, I hope I gave some info that some folks might find helpful.   Good luck!