Boycott of Carnival Cruises

I took a 3-day trip in 2011 with stops in Avalon, Catalina, Encinada Mexico. It was a horrible three days, and at the end of the trip I was furious I had lost a day ov vacation.  The food was bland, served on plastic plates, crew was blase and the entertainment was crude and homophobic.  I am not interested in listening to gay jokes.  Entertainment events were out of control too crowded.  Carnival advertises the cheapest trip on the ocean, and I should have avoided it but I didnt.  The disembarkation process was so poorly handled I missed my flight home.  

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Carnival Cruise Line's

Corporate Office Headquarters
3655 NW 87th
Miami, FL 33178

Carnival Conquest Cruise

Departed 1/8/2012

Length 7 Days out of New Orleans

Stateroom 7-404 and 7-394

SECUTITY AND LUGGAGE

I checked in all of my bags at 12:35 pm when I returned to my state room at 17:00 there was a letter from guest services requesting that I contact security due to a bag being locked that they needed to check. This had caught me off guard since I did have straps with the locks on them that were TSA approved and were not locked. I had not locked any of them. However this was the only one not delivered. After an hour of floor to floor searching and no easy exit, back to Guest Services and complained to them they told me they had the bag there and someone directed me to the back room. Now 17:40 really getting tired here, security guard told me he needed to get into my bag I told him it was not locked, he told me it was, I popped open the strap another security guard that was there stated guess it wasn't locked to the other guard his reply OH WELL... He stated to me that there was contraband in my bags and once they were removed I could have the bags back. I stated to him that I had served 22 years in the Armed Services and there was no contraband items in my bags. He searched my bags I had a Bud Lite bag/cooler that he thought had beer in it , to his surprise contained water. He tried to tell me that there was Vodka or Gin in the water I told him no he examined several of the bottles and decided they were water, There were 2 6 packs of soda also in the bag. This security guard was so focused on finding something when nothing was there. He finally got done 18:20, heavy bag he stated to me would take an hour or two to get the bag to my stateroom, told him thanks but no thanks would take it myself. And the Journey begins....

STATE ROOM AND AIR CONDITIONING ISSUES

As we got on the ship and went to our staterooms to drop off some small bags and see where things were before going to the deck to watch the ship pull out. We turned on the air conditioning in both staterooms. Put some bags up and went to the deck until appx 17:00. We returned to our staterooms to find 7-394 extremely cold, air was working excellent in that room. Went to balcony stateroom 7-404 to find a very hot and humid room. It felt like the doors were left open, however they were not and the drapes were also pulled, there was no air conditioning in my stateroom (7-404) kept complaining to her about the air all the way up until Dinner service. Just a run around...

Finally after letting the room cool off until 12:13 am on the night of the 9th finally we finally got someone to verify the temp in the room. He stated 72 degrees, took him to my other stateroom where you could feel a drastic difference in the temperature, he checked it and stated it was 71.6. I wasn't born yesterday there was no way these rooms were even close to being the same. Asked for a fan for my room. My wife had just asked several minutes before and they stated they were all issued out. So I asked for her to go back to guest services and attempt to talk to them again. She did and a kind woman form India and no she did not get her room stated she would find and arrange for a fan to be delivered. At 12:46 fan was brought to the room. As stated in all of your brochures I complained every day and there was never any thing done to cool off the room except a fan to circulate the HOT AIR... This is unexceptionable by any standards. Unprofessional.... What they would not check the stateroom during the Day time temperature before the ocean breeze had time to cool off the room..... only in the evening when it was colder outside than it was inside. I got a gentleman to look at it Saturday as he was working on the floor and he stated the fan to the vent was not working. He expressed his unhappiness with his other workers and told me this could have been fixed day one if the right person would have checked it. I thanked him for I honestly believed his commitment to guest satisfaction. I am sorry for not getting his name would have liked to give him a nice compliment. To sum it up 7 days NO AIR.

CAYMAN ISLAND EXCURSION

This excursion was done by Websters Tours LTD. BUS # 16. This tour was advertised to go to the Turtle Farm, Hell, and the Tortuga Rum factory. For the most part this was an excellent tour especially the turtle farm. My four children were totally excited about this farm. When we went to Hell my wife was really looking forward to it as she planned on the internet to send off post cards and some other things she had found in her searches. When we asked the lady that was running a market store where some things were she stated to my wife that actually Hell was next store across a small field, where we were was just a small store and a Bar next door. I asked the tour guide and he stated we did not have time to go next door. I wondered why we were the only bus in the lot and there were several just down the road. There was another lady on the tour with a handicapped child that told us she was here before and this is not where she was taken it was across the way. NOT HELL I did take a few pics to back this up. Upon returning to the ship tried to explain to Guest Services however went in one ear and out the other. With a cheerful comment “oh you must be mistaken. Really....

DINING EXPERIENCE

We dined in the RENOIR UPPER ROOM 8:15 Service.... and I will say nothing less than outstanding for the whole 7 days. The Staff was extremely professional and you knew that there was always a sense of take care of your Guests. This was especially evident with THW: Mr. Vasanthan, TW: Mr. Rico, and ATWZ: Slobadan. These 3 Gentleman really shinned for the Carnival Staff and much could be learned from them. My family will always hold them in the highest regards and pray for safe travels for them. At the final dinner service I gave my waiters and servers $100.00 tip in thanks for the excellent services rendered.

DEPARTURE BAGGAGE PICK UP SERVICE

A gentleman was picking up our luggage at appx 22:00 hrs He demanded that we get all of the tags and debarkation slips on the baggage. The Stewart only gave me so many and my wife was making an attempt to get 4 or 5 more. It was only 22:00 hrs. I contacted Guest services and my wife had to go there to get the tags. Once again GREAT SERVICE... Mr. Dewa who was picking up my luggage along with another Gentleman basically threw my one bag off of the cart and I must admit I did raise my voice and told him that I would not tolerate him treating my property that way. If he was a Guest in my Home I would have treated him and his property with a little more respect. He stated he understood and was trying to explain his deadlines. Which were not the same as mine. Once again totally unprofessional.

SUMMARY

Sorry to be so blunt have had a Great time with Carnival in the past and never complained once. This trip you combine $4,000.00 worth of rooms, one with out air, service that was way below standards unless my standards are too high. A check In that lacked professionalism and attention to detail. A excursion that was payed for and not delivered as advertised, No Air. Did I say No Air in the Balcony stateroom, just making sure. A young man that was more worried about meeting his dead line that treating all baggage as if it was his. Excellent Dinner Service.

Carnival employees are ignorant, uneducated on their job, and heartless. Some captains stunt, others leave drifters to die on floating boards after their fishing boat becomes disabled.

I can picture the cpt. now, "Those damn pirates aren't drinking our water"

Hello Fellow Cruisers:

I must say I have Loved Carnival Cruise Line no matter what others have said in the pass.

To my shock and dismay I have joined the list of never again. I meet my husband in 1995 on the Ecstasy Dec 4 on 4 day cruise he worked on the ship.  We exchanged phone numbers and developed a friendship and he ask me to marry him.  I return to the ship on Feb 23 and we were married on the Ecstasy.

My husband left the Cruise Lines in 1996 and we have been Cruising together ever since.  We always book around Oct- Nov to celebrate our anniversary and we have done this for over ten years. My husband has his old name tag and he always wears it on the Cruises.  It is just a conversation item, people ask were he got the bag and we tell them our story of meeting and his working for such a wonderful company and getting married on the Carnival Cruise Ecstasy how GOD arranged everything.

The name tags have changed through the years so his is very old and does not look like the others.  Well this trip on the Carvinal Glory the Security asks him on Wed were he got it and he told them. The security began to get loud and very threatening toward him for having it. So he left the area and went to the cabin and put the name tag away. Thursday morning about 9:30 three Security came to my room to take the badge and I told them its put away and you will not see it again.  They yelled and threaten to through us both in the hole if we did not give them the bage I finally just closed the door to my cabin.  Thursday we were to go to port Grand Turks and as we are line up to give security the room card so we can depart the ship one of the Security agents grab the card from my husbands and and bent it and was saying all kinds of ugly and disrespectful things to us in front of other passengers like we had done something wrong.  My husband and the Security agent really got into it it was embarrassing.  I was so hurt .  I had called and ask to have a meeting with the head Security Officer over the agents on Wednesday and no response.

Now this embarrassing screen of Thursday in front of the other passengers.  We had book a tour and on the bus that was all you could hear the people whispering and laughing and talking about what happen to us .  I was too embarrassed to continue the tour we left and went back to the ship and I went straight to the Officer over the Security agents and we had a un-successful meeting.  He never heard what I said " told him I didn’t feel safe because of the actions of the agents and he just skip right over it like I had said nothing.

On Sunday we were to depart since we are platinum members we get to leave early. Not this time we were held back as we were leaving saying they wanted to talk to us embarrassing again.  I gave the agent my card to swipe it and it set of a very loud alarm my husbands too.  Yes extremely embarrassing.  We waited over 10 minutes and I told the agent I had to go and he said "no here they come " two Carnival Cruise Line Security agents walked over to me and my husband and began to yell at us saying they wanted us to sign this letter and I said I wasn’t signing nothing.  The lady tried to take it out of my hand and I would not let her.  We walked away with they yelling at us that we were no longer welcome on the Cruise Line EVER if we did book they would KEEP OUR MONEY AND CHANGE US FEES FOR BOOKING WITH THEM.  I was so hurt and embarrassed.  I would have never believe it If I did not record it.  Yes I have video recording of the meeting and how we were treated as we were leaving the Ship.  My heart is broke I did nothing to deserve this I have been faithful and true friend to Carnival Cruise Lines I went there thinking the next time we Cruise it will be with all over family since my daughter is getting married and she wanted a Cruise Wedding.  Not with this Cruise Lines they are not to be trusted. The trip was horrible for me and my husband who was recovering from back surgery.

This was the only place we could have gotten bedbugs Nov. 5 to Nov. 12 2011 cruising Western Caribbean.  Watch out people!