Bad reviews on Carnival?

Question

Im planning on taking my honeymoon cruise in July to the western Caribbean for 7 days on the Conquest Ship....ive started researching and reading reviews and i am dissappointed to read SEVERAL reviews on bed bugs (literally) ,rude service, and the rooms smelling of mold and sewage....im so dissappointed!! will someone please tell me of good/ bad experiences? Ive already asked one question on yahoo about cruises, but i just found all these reviews today...someone please reassure me?!

Answer 1

I cruised Carnival Elation last May for 6 nights. The cabin was great, newly refurbished with plenty of floor space and elbow room. That and the drink prices being $1 or so less than RC were the only 2 good things I had to say. Everything else on Elation was a disappointment after cruising on RC a month before.

Right when I stepped on the ship I saw dirty, stained carpet, like an old 1 or 2 star hotel. I went up to the pool deck. It was drab, old wooden deck-unfinished and cheap plastic tables and chairs like you find at Home Depot. The tables and chairs were always covered with dirt and spillage, even in the morning. You had to clean them off yourself just to sit down. RC had real patio furniture, carpeted deck, fancy decor and the crew scrubbed the area every night. RC's decks were always spotless. Elation was gross.

The food on Elation was substandard too, bland and tasteless compared to RC. A couple I met both had lobster the first night. Hers was soft and mushy, his was hard and rubbery. He had a Caesar salad the next night. It made him sick. I had some bad coffee one morning which laid me up the rest of the day. The culinary staff didn't clean well either. The juice cups were always stuck together, like they were washed in syrup. I was always grateful when we pulled into a port so I could get off the ship and get some good food. So did my friends I met on the ship.

The casino staff were retards too. I was in the middle of a bonus round on a video slot when one of the casino girls, a chick from Russia, insisted on interrupting my play so she could show me how to use my ship card in the machines. I ended up losing concentration and making a wrong choice which kicked me out of the bonus round prematurely. Gee thanks hun.

Now for the best part, not Carnival's fault. An Italian couple got in a fight the last night. The wife ran off and hid somewhere. The next morning she didn't report to the customs desk and was no where to be found. The cruise director was screaming over the PA system for her to come to the customs desk.The whole crew searched for her and she was finally found, after holding up the entire ship from disembarking for an hour. No telling how many people lost their connections that morning because of her.

It really seemed like the crew had been on one too many turnarounds or had been screwed over one too many times by management and were taking it out by delivering bare minimum service. I still give RC 4 stars and Carnival 2.5 stars. Keep in mind Elation had just received a $200 million makeover, after housing some Katrina evacuees. Royal Carribean's Monarch of the Seas is an older ship which does the 3 and 4 night discount cruises to Ensenada. RC was still nicer; fancier decks, better food and service, better cleaning and maintenance, etc. Your mileage may vary but this is my experience.

Answer 2

You will never find any cruise line or ship that has all good reviews. Some people are born complainers, others have ridiculus expectations.

Carnival is the biggest cruise line in the world - they didnt get that way by providing bad food, service and bedbugs....

http://www.insidecruise.co.uk

Answer 3

We took the Conquest in March, 2007 and will return in June, 2008.

We found her to be a very nice ship with good service and good food.  

We booked 4 cabins for the '07 trip for 14 guests and no one was the least bit disappointed.  

The Conquest was built in 2002 and refurb'd in 2005.  She does get alot of guests.

We have sailed with Carnival several times and have always had good service.  You have to be aware that most of the service personnel on the cruise line are from different countries and English is not their native tongue.  Sometimes, their "rudeness" is just not being able to communicate easily as well as their own countries perception of professionalism.  For example, we dealt with a Purser that was from Germany.  She was efficient but not overly warm.  No big deal.

I can understand people being very passionate about giving cruise reviews.  You spend alot of money and you have certain expectations about what the trip will be.  For example, we will not sail Royal Caribbean again because of a single bad experience on the Rhaposody of the Seas.

You can probably find bad reviews on all of the cruise ships.  Enjoy your trip.  If you have issues, go to the purser's desk for assistance.

Be sure to have a Warm Chocolate Melting Cake in the dining room!  It is awesome.

Answer 4

Like they say, to each his own. There are lots of people who love carnival cruise line. Personally I think they're horrible. I cruised with them once and that was enough for me. The customer service on there ships is lacking. Its obvious they don't treat their staff well because it shows in how they treat the guests. A lot of the ships are also outdated. When I cruised with them I had issues with my room and it took a lot to get someone to come and see about the problem. Even after that they never fixed the issue and instead gave me a couple of soda coupons. Another thing I disliked was the food, it was mediocre at best. My friend and I avoided the buffet at all costs because the food was horrible. It was often cold, old, and the menu was the same everyday. My cruise with them was a seven day cruise and it seemed like an eternity. The days at sea were the worst because they had no activities besides overpriced bingo and port shopping classes. I actually slept during the sea days because I was so bored. By the end of the cruise I was more than ready to leave and did not want to cruise again. Luckily though I did try it again a couple years later, on Royal Caribbean and had an excellent experience. Royal Caribbean to me was a better value for my money, lots of activities and the service and food were excellent.

Answer 5

I have traveled on 3 different ships on Carnival (Triumph, Destiny and Fascination) and I was pleased with all three. I never encountered a rude staff member, the food and the entertainment have always been to my liking. Everyone is different though and some people just like to complain about things, I read on a cruise board and this lady said she was disappointed n the islands they visited. AHhhh so that's the cruise lines fault??? Geez. In any case, I would say keep on asking around and if you do decide to go try your best o enjoy it it's your honeymoon (CONGRATS).

FYI, if you visit cruisecritics.com they have boards that you can ask questions on and find people that may be traveling on the same date as you. Or maybe even people who have been on the Conquest before who can tell you first hand expeiences.

Hope i helped & Good Luck.