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  • Report:  #69481

Complaint Review: Carnival Cruise Line - Miami Florida

Reported By:
- Lawrence, Kansas,
Submitted:
Updated:

Carnival Cruise Line
3655 NW 87 Avenue Miami, 33178-2428 Florida, U.S.A.
Phone:
800-819-3902
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
I booked a cruise with Carnival on the Triumph with a debarkation date of October 4th and an embarkation date of October 11th of 2003. I booked the cruise several months in advance because I wanted everything to go smoothly because Carnival was marrying us on the ship, it was our honeymoon and we were traveling with our 2 children. Our booking agent was to book 2 rooms for us; one on the exterior with a window and one across the hall on the interior of the ship.

We communicated many many times with our booking agent and discussed the fact that we were first time cruisers and that this was our honeymoon and we really needed 2 rooms. She, Lesley DaCosta the booking agent, explained the rule that one adult was supposed to stay overnight in the room with the children as they were ages 6 and 12. However, she said it wouldn't be a problem for us if we didn't have an adult in the room with the children because Carnival has too many passengers to check each room.

We discussed prices and I was assured that we had 2 rooms on level 6A of the ship. For those of you that have never cruised before, level 6A is NOT the floor level but rather a category of different room types on several different floors on the ship. So, with all things discussed, I paid 1/2 or the $2000+ up front and later paid the 2nd 1/2 via the telephone with my agent prior to the mandatory deadline for payment. At this point, we were very excited and felt our booking agent had given us a great rate on 2 rooms for our cruise.

So, we arrive early on the debarkation date due to the fact that we were getting married on the ship the day it set sail. We were escorted to our ROOM.... not ROOMS to give us time to shower and get dressed for our wedding ceremony. We complained that we were to be booked 2 rooms and that we paid for 2 rooms. However, the ship representative said they could not give us another room but would "upgrade" us to a category 6B. We couldn't tell the difference between the 6A and 6B and were not satisfied because we still weren't given 2 rooms for which we had paid for. We were told that they couldn't provide us a second room because they ship was full and were given a very short "sorry". The representative looked at our boarding passes and said we should have known we only booked one room because we are all listed on each boarding pass.

Again, for those of you who are first time cruisers, the boarding passes do not list room numbers or floor levels... only the category paid for, a list of passengers you have paid for and the amount you have paid. With that said, there was no way we could have known we were getting 1 room for the price of 2....particularly because we were first time cruisers.

When we returned home, I called Carnival's Guest Relations office to make a formal complaint. The representative expressed no true remorse and explained to me again that "we should have known our agent only booked us one room because all of our names were on the boarding passes. I explained that we had no true way of knowing that we only had 1 room since the boarding passes don't list room numbers and that there was no way this "misunderstanding" was our fault. I explained that I had had numerous conversations with the booking agent and that this was devastating to our honeymoon. After being put on hold, the Guest Relations representative came back with a "generous" offer of 15% off our next cruise if we book another cruise with them within the next 18 months.

Now, you can imagine how disgusted we were by their offer. We will never be able to relive our honeymoon, we paid the price of 2 rooms to only receive one and he was uncaring and actually believed we would WANT to cruise with Carnival again. he is sadly mistaken. We will NOT cruise with them again. they did not make it right with us and we will tell 10 people who will tell 10 more people what a scam company they truly are.

In addition for being taken for our money with regard to the room(s) we booked, Carnival's nurse in the infirmary should lose her job. While shopping in a store in the Cayman's, our oldest son fainted from heat exhaustion and dehydration. The people of the island were so compassionate and were quick to respond. They provided a fan, cool water, a chair, some smelling liquid to bring him to and a taxi to get us all back to the ship ASAP.

However, when we arrived in the infirmary on the ship, the nurse didn't want to be bothered. We explained that our son had passed out and had hit his head on the concrete floor and needed to be checked. She took one quick look at him from behind her counter. didn't even get up from her chair and proclaimed him a healty young man who just needed to go to his room and rest and drink some water. We explained that we really would like him to be checked due to the fact that he hit his head and may have a concussion. She said the doctor was out and wouldn't be back in till later and we just really needed to take him to the room and let him rest.

still she hadn't checked him for a concussion, didn't give him any liquids. didn't even check his vitals for that matter. The people of the Cayman Islands were much more compassionate and caring than the nurse in the infirmary for a cruise ship we paid good money to sail with.

We also made a formal complaint to Guest Relations and they said something would be done about it. weren't told what would be done. didn't receive an apology for the poor care we received. and haven't heard from them since.

I would like to also inform first time cruisers of some of "hidden" fees that they will get stuck with if they don't know in advance. The cruise line automatically docks you approximately $10 per person per day for gratuities, whether you eat any of their formal meals or not. If you want to have control of who and when you tip, you must request that the automatic gratuities be removed from your account with the Pursers Ofice on the ship. For us, if we hadn't done so, we would have paid $280 in tips for services we never used.

You should also know that the cokes and water that are provided in your stateroom everyday are NOT courtesy beverages. they charge your account for them every day they are provided to the tune of $12.50-21.50 for 6 soft drinks and 2 waters.

You should also know that they do not allow you to have a printout of your account when requested and only provide one the morning before your cruise is over. then if you have anything you disagree with, you have a very limited amount of time to get it corrected. We found on our statement that they had only removed the automatic gratuities on 3 out of 4 of us, so they gave us $70 and said it must have been an oversight.

Also, let it be known that the ship is beautiful as long as you stay in the public areas. Once you enter the halls of the staterooms it is a whole different story. The carpets are waterstained, half of the laundry machines don't work and the washers that do flood the floor approximately 1 inch deep. The laundry soap dispensers take your money and don't give you detergent. This isn't just on one floor, but all of the floors that have machines. we checked.

I also want to add that the walls of the staterooms are VERY thin. We had the loudest neighbors next to us and across the hall from us. they stayed up all night and spoke at the top of their lungs. We complained, but the ship couldn't really do anything but ask them to be more quiet. It's not like they could kick them off the ship. But, it made for several sleepless nights.

Also, BEWARE of the Excursion Packages. they are overpriced and you may be in for a HUGE disappointment. Carnival MUST profit in some way by pushing these excursions. Examples of some of the scam excursions are the following:

In Cozemul, Carnival offers an excursion package to see the "Mayan Ruins". these are NOT the true Ruins but are recreations to get tourists money. In addition, you have to book the excursions in advance and regardless of the weather or Carnival's ability to get you to the excursion, you have paid in advance and are not refunded your money. I am very happy we didn't book this excursion because Cozemul had just recently been pelted with rain and the "Ruins" were severely infested with mosquitos.

Also offered was an excursion to see "Hell". rock formations that supposedly prove the existence of the Biblical Hell. Some of the passengers that went on this excursion said it was a few boulders that were made of odd substances and nothing like what they were expecting to see based on the excursion package description.

The cruise ship tries to deter you from striking out on your own (there must be profit in excursion packages) and they use fear as the tool to get people to sign up for the excursions. We struck out on our own in Cozemul, the Caymans and in Jamaica and had wonderful experiences at each island. You just have to ask the right questions, barder when you feel overcharged and make sure whomever is transporting you around the island can speak English if that is your first and preferred language.

I hope this e-mail reaches thousands and thousands of people so that they might avoid being victims of the little tricks of Carnival Cruise Line.

Mary

Lawrence, Kansas
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Carnival Cruise Lines


10 Updates & Rebuttals

Nick

Chicago,
Illinois,
U.S.A.
Agent seems to be at fault

#2Consumer Comment

Wed, January 28, 2004

First of all a 12 year old is well old enough to look after a 6 year old. When I was 12 I was taking buses with my friends all over Chicago. Grow up. 12 year olds babysit. They can certainly be left overnight in a room by themselves. Especially when a parent is nearby. Just say "Pick up the phone and dial my cabin number" If your 12 year old is to stupid to know this heaven help him. When I was 16 I was in college with my own apartment. People baby kids. I work for hotels and it's done all the time people put their kids in one room and the adults stay in the room across the hall. Big deal. I have been to Jamaica and no it isn't the worst place in the world but if you use your brain and stay in decent areas it's quite safe. I guess if you're from Podunk Iowa this place could scare you. Finally it appears the travel agent lied. I would have taken the complaint up with them. Did you pay for two rooms? What did you T/A say about this? That T/A should make good if you really paid for two rooms. Something about the T/A doesn't sound right.


Amber

Newport News,
Washington,
U.S.A.
Carnival Not All Bad

#3Consumer Comment

Thu, January 22, 2004

Wow, Carnival sure has a lot of complaints here. While I don't mean to sound dismissive of anyone's poor experiences, but I would like to add that some families have a wonderful time. We cruised on Fascination last summer. The automatic tips thing is true. Also the drinks offered in the rooms are charged for. They are upfront about that, though. One annoyance I had is that the fancy dinners they tout are chinzy and not of particuarly good quality. Stick to the buffets unless you're a big fan of dining atmosphere. The rooms were tiny, but we didn't mind because we didn't spend much time in them. Wouldn't reccommend them for claustrophobic people, though.


Mary

Lawrence,
Kansas,
U.S.A.
we felt ripped off $1000

#4Author of original report

Tue, December 30, 2003

Hope you are enjoying yourself! You think you know me?? You don't. As for the FACTS about the cruise ship.... maybe you could stick to those. My children were safe and supervised at all times and would have been whether we had 2 rooms or one. As for the "never getting our honeymoon back again". It had to do with the fact that we felt ripped off $1000 (or another room) and were crowded in a very small room and didn't find out until right before we were to have our wedding ceremony..... I suppose you wouldn't have been upset about $1000 or not getting 2 rooms. I assume your mood about the trip wouldn't have swayed at all. As for the tipping issue... we tipped VERY well... actually more than they would have received otherwise. We made sure that our room attendant and photographer received much praise for their kindness, hard work and for the extra ways they tried to make our stay better. I believe people should be tipped according to the job they perform IF you indeed use their services and not automatically. You may not see a problem with that....ok.... that's you. There were many people who felt they should have had control of their tipping. Our children WERE drinking water all morning... it wasn't even during the heat of the day. We were told that some people are more suseptible to the dry climate than others. So, for those of you that are actually trying to read this as informative (and not as a Whose Who of Better Parenting)... it is REALLY easy to get dehydrated.... you can feel fine and then it just hits you. No amount of water is too much.


Sara

Livonia,
Michigan,
U.S.A.
Yes, you ignored the rules.

#5Consumer Comment

Mon, December 29, 2003

You admitted that you were going to sleep away from the children. That's why you wanted 2 rooms. That's why you said that your honeymoon was "ruined" in your report. It sounds like your issue is with the listing agent. Didn't you sign anything at all that stated what you were getting? I'm glad that you didn't get the second room, children that age should not be left alone for an entire night. Not that your supervisory skills are adequate, you let your son get dehydrated so badly that he passed out. Children are very susceptible to high temperatures and need to drink plenty of liquids. Then to top it all off, you decide to cut out the tips, and then wonder why you can't get the level of service that you desire. Maybe you should invest the money you saved by not tipping, and use it to attend parenting classes.


Mary

Lawrence,
Kansas,
U.S.A.
...Carnival is the one that advertises their ships as "family-friendly" cruises

#6Author of original report

Mon, December 29, 2003

It is obvious to me that you must either work for or be related to someone who works for Carnival Cruise Line. I find it interesting that you chose to ignore EVERYTHING in the complaint that addressed Carnivals Rip-Offs and Misinformation and tried to make us out to be bad parents to shift "blame". Carnival is the one that we booked our cruise with. Carnival is the one that advertises their ships as "family-friendly" cruises (including activities for the children). Carnival was the one that tried to convince us "no one would check to see if a parent was in the room with the children". Carnival is the one that told us that they admit to not telling their guests about the limitations on alcohol and tobacco products (tax-free) because they sell more that way. Carnival is the one that treated our child with ill-concern when he got overheated on the Cayman Islands. Carnival was the one that had lines of people upset with them because they didn't know they charged for tips automatically each day, that their rooms were flooding and that the machines (washers and dryers) on the ship didn't work. You may try to blame us and label us "bad parents" but we are quite the opposite. We wanted our children to have the experience of travel and we wanted our children to be IN our wedding. As for the "knocking boots" comment..... I assume you never have sex in the privacy of your own room with your children in the house with you (YES, we had planned on having sex when they were enjoying activities-god forbid).... because obviously that would be too selfish of you to do. In addition, the second room was supposed to be immediately across the hall from the one we all stayed in. Let me AGAIN remind you a parent would be staying in each room. If you HAVE been on their cruise ship you would KNOW that 4 people in a cabin is extremely crowded to say the least. So, maybe you have made yourself feel better in some weak attempt to shift blame.... GOOD FOR YOU! The intent of my complaint was to save others from the experiences we had by being misinformed. I'm happy for you that your cruise experience has been perfect in every way, however, there are many details that are left out that consumers need to know.


Mary

Lawrence,
Kansas,
U.S.A.
...Carnival is the one that advertises their ships as "family-friendly" cruises

#7Author of original report

Mon, December 29, 2003

It is obvious to me that you must either work for or be related to someone who works for Carnival Cruise Line. I find it interesting that you chose to ignore EVERYTHING in the complaint that addressed Carnivals Rip-Offs and Misinformation and tried to make us out to be bad parents to shift "blame". Carnival is the one that we booked our cruise with. Carnival is the one that advertises their ships as "family-friendly" cruises (including activities for the children). Carnival was the one that tried to convince us "no one would check to see if a parent was in the room with the children". Carnival is the one that told us that they admit to not telling their guests about the limitations on alcohol and tobacco products (tax-free) because they sell more that way. Carnival is the one that treated our child with ill-concern when he got overheated on the Cayman Islands. Carnival was the one that had lines of people upset with them because they didn't know they charged for tips automatically each day, that their rooms were flooding and that the machines (washers and dryers) on the ship didn't work. You may try to blame us and label us "bad parents" but we are quite the opposite. We wanted our children to have the experience of travel and we wanted our children to be IN our wedding. As for the "knocking boots" comment..... I assume you never have sex in the privacy of your own room with your children in the house with you (YES, we had planned on having sex when they were enjoying activities-god forbid).... because obviously that would be too selfish of you to do. In addition, the second room was supposed to be immediately across the hall from the one we all stayed in. Let me AGAIN remind you a parent would be staying in each room. If you HAVE been on their cruise ship you would KNOW that 4 people in a cabin is extremely crowded to say the least. So, maybe you have made yourself feel better in some weak attempt to shift blame.... GOOD FOR YOU! The intent of my complaint was to save others from the experiences we had by being misinformed. I'm happy for you that your cruise experience has been perfect in every way, however, there are many details that are left out that consumers need to know.


Mary

Lawrence,
Kansas,
U.S.A.
...Carnival is the one that advertises their ships as "family-friendly" cruises

#8Author of original report

Mon, December 29, 2003

It is obvious to me that you must either work for or be related to someone who works for Carnival Cruise Line. I find it interesting that you chose to ignore EVERYTHING in the complaint that addressed Carnivals Rip-Offs and Misinformation and tried to make us out to be bad parents to shift "blame". Carnival is the one that we booked our cruise with. Carnival is the one that advertises their ships as "family-friendly" cruises (including activities for the children). Carnival was the one that tried to convince us "no one would check to see if a parent was in the room with the children". Carnival is the one that told us that they admit to not telling their guests about the limitations on alcohol and tobacco products (tax-free) because they sell more that way. Carnival is the one that treated our child with ill-concern when he got overheated on the Cayman Islands. Carnival was the one that had lines of people upset with them because they didn't know they charged for tips automatically each day, that their rooms were flooding and that the machines (washers and dryers) on the ship didn't work. You may try to blame us and label us "bad parents" but we are quite the opposite. We wanted our children to have the experience of travel and we wanted our children to be IN our wedding. As for the "knocking boots" comment..... I assume you never have sex in the privacy of your own room with your children in the house with you (YES, we had planned on having sex when they were enjoying activities-god forbid).... because obviously that would be too selfish of you to do. In addition, the second room was supposed to be immediately across the hall from the one we all stayed in. Let me AGAIN remind you a parent would be staying in each room. If you HAVE been on their cruise ship you would KNOW that 4 people in a cabin is extremely crowded to say the least. So, maybe you have made yourself feel better in some weak attempt to shift blame.... GOOD FOR YOU! The intent of my complaint was to save others from the experiences we had by being misinformed. I'm happy for you that your cruise experience has been perfect in every way, however, there are many details that are left out that consumers need to know.


Mary

Lawrence,
Kansas,
U.S.A.
Bad Parenting.. did you guys READ what I wrote

#9Author of original report

Mon, December 29, 2003

We were going to have one adult in each room... it was Carnival who said it didn't matter. As for the misinformation... if you had read it, you would have seen that our agent WAS with Carnival.... not an individual agent. As for what kind of parents we are. We adore our children and made sure they were supervised. Part of the cruise is that there are activities for all ages of children. We just wanted to have 2 rooms so that we could have privacy in one while they were doing an activity and one in which they could access if need-be. You guys obviously cannot read. We were NEVER going to abandon our children. The true issue is that we were told by CARNIVAL that we were paying for 2 rooms and we only received one. If we were uncaring parents, would we have WANTED our children on our honeymoon..... GET A CLUE!


Paul Pickle

Raleigh,
North Carolina,
U.S.A.
What a poor excuse for a parent!

#10Consumer Suggestion

Mon, December 29, 2003

What kind of parent are you, that you would literally abandon your youngsters in a separate room of their own, so you can knock boots with your newleywed? Don't you think that a 6 YEAR OLD child needs parental supervision, especially aboard a cruise ship which is full of strangers and other dangers that could potentially harm your child? Don't you think that a 12 YEAR OLD child is a wee bit immature to be held responsible for a 6 year old all night long? It appears you have no cares at all when it came to your children's safety and well-being on this cruise ship. Your only concern was on yourself - and you are trying to blame Carnival for your misfortunes when it is clear that they have set their rules in favor of your children's safety in the first place! As you have stated that you are/were first-time cruisers, I sincerely hope that that was not only your first, but also your last, cruise. Parents like you do not need to be endangering your children like that on a cruise ship. Also passengers such as myself do not need to be bothered by unsupervised, ill-behaved little ones running about the ship.


Jennifer

Gunnison,
Mississippi,
U.S.A.
You shouldn't try to break the rules

#11Consumer Suggestion

Mon, December 29, 2003

I have sailed with Carnival twice and have another cruise booked for February 2004. We have never had any problems with our rooms. Carnival is NOT the one to blame for the confusion on your booking two rooms and receiving one. Your travel agent mislead you. She told you that Carnival requires one adult with each child...you just wanted to try to get away with it. As far as the shore excursions go- you should have done your homework like all other cruisers. Hell is a place to send postcards from. Not much else there. And Jamaica??? Very dangerous! If you have small children, I wouldn't even attempt going ashore alone. I understand that you are disappointed in your trip, but don't blame Carnival for the mishaps that your travel agent caused.

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