BEWARE PAUL THERAULT
 

A warning to anyone on this site. Do not listen to Paul Therault. It appears Mr. Therault is paid by the cruise industry. He surfs this site, and others, and encourages travelers with poor informaiton. I encourage you to omit his opinions when considering your next vacation.

<BR>Dear Julie, <BR> <BR>Are you finished now or are you going to post every hour for the rest of your life? <BR> <BR>Paul

Anybody ever notice that Paul doesn't deny her allegations. Paul let's see it in print. And don't dance around the subject. Do you or do you not work for CCL outside of NORMAL fees for TA service? Remember libelous statements in your line of work could be considered fraud.

I AGREE WITH JULIE AND XXX...SO LET'S HEAR IT PAULIE BOY...DO YOU WORK FOR THE CRUISE LINES? ARE YOU PAID IN ANY WAY BY THE CRUISE INDUSTRY OR MARKETING INDUSTRY? COME ON IDI0T, LET'S HEAR IT!

Did you notice that usually a comment or question is made, and your bound to get a comment by Paul. Now that people are questionning his credibilty and his possible ties to the cruise lines he has nothing to say. He's doing what the cruises lines are famous for and that is trying to avoid the subject and sweep it under the carpet. Shhh, maybe it will go away. <BR> <BR>By the way even if she did post everyday for the rest of her life she would still never catch up to you!

I swear he works for Carnival.

Julie, et al: obviously Paul is an alien and is part of a giant, cynical plot to take over planet earth. <BR> <BR>Sheesh - don't you guys have anything better to do? This board should be sharing information about cruising in a respectful, adult way. Of course some people on the board are TA's or are affiliated with the industry. Just take everything you read with a grain of salt and weigh it against your own experience - is that so hard?

People, quit obsessing with Paul Therault. If you don't like his posts, ignore them. By now Paul has become a celebrity on these boards, so posting warnings every hour seems redundant.

To Bobcat and Bruce. The point these people are trying to make is that Paul pretends to be something he is not. <BR> <BR>He portrays himself as an objective opinion on cruises. Where in reality he works directly for them. The novice cruiser doesn't know this and is thereby given false or skewed information. We're are not talking about buying a shirt here. There could be a lot at stake. A family outing, a honeymoon, etc... <BR> <BR>So you see this guy goes beyond just being a TA. I would say infamy not celebrity is Paul's status. He is a modern day con man. A grifter. And what makes it worse is that he is paid by specific cruise lines to do it. <BR> <BR>Sheesh guys! We would like to go to this board and get honest opinions from laymen not conmen, and Paul is the biggest.

Guys he is on every channel. You can't just, "ignore" him. He posts on every possible thread on this web site. If you don't believe me try text search with his name. <BR> <BR>Originally people coming to this site were people who had never cruised before. How are you supposed to weigh what he says against your own when you have nothing to go buy. Come on man think! He portrays himself as this kindly old gentleman doling out advice to the uninformed. Where in reality he is feeding them heavily biased information prepared by the cruise companies he works for. If you're going to step into the middle of a conversation i.e. this post, at least have all your facts straight. When Paul is banished or leaves of his own accord we will be able to use this web site the way it was intended.

Bitching about the problem has finally become THE problem.I'm to the point that I(shudder)would rather listen to Paul then all of the damn complaints.I know,I know, I don't have to read it but its getting to the point where every other thread is dissing Paul or Carnival and is hard to ignore.Please, give it a rest!!!!

M.M. there is plenty of topics to keep you occupied other than the paul/carnival posts. If your not part of the solution your part of the problem. Another thread is either up or down a mouse click away.

Hey Trudie have you and the rest of the moaners thought of crossword puzzles,jigsaw puzzles or perhaps solitaire for a new hobby,tis more of a challenge then moaning.

As a newcomer to this site I have to say I like Paul's comments. I just wish his detractors would stop cluttering up the board with stupid anti-Paul raving! After reading threads for a month or so, I'd have to say he has a lot more credibility than you people do!

M.M. take your own advice. And Susan. Read my earlier post. Since your "new" you don't know any better. <BR> <BR>I still have noticed the key element here. Paul with all his sanctimonious ranting has not disputed Julie's comment. If someone was making libelous statements about me, I would want to address them. Of course if they were true I would keep me my mouth shut and wait for it to blow over.

As a long time cruiser I think I would prefer to ask questions and recieve the opinions of someone that has been on more than one cruise. Paul is not always correct ( who is other than just a few of you guys?? ) but he does have a lot of experience. He has never portrayed himself as anything other than a travel agent that enjoys cruising. I have a mind of my own and would never rely on his or anyone else opinion totally but I certainly do value it. At least he adds some information instead of just bad-mouthing and making rash statements that have no basis like so many of you. When you say he gives wrong and poor information what exactly do you mean? Be specific!! As to the idea that he recieves money from the cruise lines.....well, gosh, I sure hope he does! ( I believe they call it commission ) My car dealer gets money from the car maker and my husband is paid by the insurance company he represents but that doesn't mean they don't know anything about cars or insurance.

Hi Kay. I don't want to be one of the bashers but are you familiar with the scam that Sony pulled concerning movie revues? They had puppets that they used to give themselves favorable revues on movies that otherwise would have been considered flops. If you look at Paul's comments towards Carnival they are all favorable whereas a large portion of the cruise community says otherwise. Conversely he comments negatively upon their competitors. What these people are eluding to is that Paul is being subsidized by Carnival to do this. That is not how TA's of reputable character make their money. To use your own analogy. Do you trust the used car salesman? Does your husband claim to be the one and all authority on insurance? <BR>Does he openly slam his competitors? No. Because a good salesperson knows not to badmouth his competitors because he loses credibility in doing so. <BR> <BR>The problem with Paul's comments is that people that are first time cruisers may believe him,because they have nothing to use as a gauge and therefore cannot make an informed decision on spending their money. <BR> <BR>If he is making comments based upon favorable relief from Carnival then he is not making his comments based upon his opinions, but upon the opinions of Carnival. And that is not what the web site is supposed to be about. <BR> <BR>In closing, Paul what is the deal? Let's hear it straight from the horses mouth. I'm just curious to hear how you respond.

I'm a travel agent so am not about to list my real address. I do want to pop in here though with a bit of info that some may find interesting. I've been on two Carnival cruises. The first was a 4 night on a bit older ship and I was not pleased at all. Our service was poor, the entertainment mediocre, ship was not in good repair. The food was very good though. The other cruise on their line was awesome! I have not one negative thing to say about our 7 days on the Victory other than the weather was a bit cool two days. I know that on this board that is also Carnival's fault but I just don't buy that. The other thing I wanted to say is that I hear so many negative things here about the line but I really so have more happy clients on Carnival than anywhere else. I just had three couples come back from a cruise on the Imagination and they rate is as one of their best. They have all cruised several times on RCCL, Celebrity, Costa, and Princess. Enough said but apparently there is a reason that Carnival has a lot of repeaters other than cheap rates. These people did not go cheaply.

John so what you are saying is that half the time you were on Carnival even you thought it was poor. I would have to say that if you can't tell me you had a good time with all you know, why in heck's name would I risk my hard earned time and money on a vacation that MIGHT be good. <BR> <BR>Still the question on this thread is Paul T's involvement with Carnival. Is it just as a TA or is there something more here? I guess only he and Carnival will know the answer to that question and neither is making any comments to address these allegations.

I seriously doubt CPT (Carnival's Play Toy) is employed by Carnival. It has way too much savy. However, it could well be that he gets added perks from Carnival for this constnat shilling for them. Perhaps Carnival will have a Paul Therault cruise so all of his admirers can listen to him lecture twice a day for severn days.

Wow,so this is what it was like in Salem when they were lighting a match to witches.No one has offered one iota of proof to the baloney about Paul T. but one yahoo plants the seed and the rest of the nitwits pick up the ball and run like hell with it.Some say to run a search using Paul T.'S name and see how many posts he's had,well most of the ones that turn up with his name are the ones posted by the moaners/winers. You folks are a perfect example of mob rule.

<BR>I thought this thread would die but I was incorrect. This is like a "B" movie. No sense but a lot of laughs. <BR> <BR>What the heck ..... I will address Julie: <BR> <BR>Of course ..... I get $100,000.00 a year from Carnival for defending the line on this forum. <BR> <BR>Now if you all will open up your pea-brains you will see how far-fetched this is. <BR> <BR>Continue ..... <BR> <BR>

M.M. what is your interest in this particular subject matter? Why are you so concerned what people think of this man? In Salem the people were innocent! Plus the proof comes in the form of Paul's favoritism to Carnival which is by this web pages posters one of the least desirable lines. <BR> <BR>And as usual Paul you don't answer the question. You dance around the issue with a smart ass reply. A simple no I don't get benefits, perks, or money as a result of my comments towards cruise lines would suffice. <BR> <BR>Billy jeff what a great idea. If they love Paul so much they can all sit around for seven days and chant the mantra, "I love poor service, I love poor service". When they're all done they could hand out flyers at competing cruise lines and share the wisdom of their great guru Paul. By the way payola is payola wether it comes in the form of cash or perks. Other wise athletes wouldn't have to worry about that free Lexus right before the playoffs. <BR> <BR>

I hope none you of posters have children. You're not a cut above I can tell you. Actions like this come from small children. What's your excuse? I'm not for or against Paul T. You're all bickering about some guy who you don't like and say he gets kick back from Carnival. First...who cares? For me, he's about as worrisome as a cloudy day, but for most of you, he's the red headed step child that you loved to pick on in school. It's like you resent that Paul likes to have the last word and want to be the one. Don't preach to your children morals and ethics if you can't FIRST be the one to show it. Grow up. You want him gone? Ignore him. He keeps on posting because you won't stop with the assinine comments. Show him who's more mature or live with the "snide" comments.

Tom said..... <BR>"A simple no I don't get benefits, perks, or money as a result of my comments towards cruise lines would suffice." <BR> <BR>YEAH RIGHT !!!!!

Actually teaching a child good morals or ethics requires that they know the difference between right and wrong. <BR> <BR>Accepting or looking the other way when something is wrong is both morally and ethically unacceptable. I never knew it was morally/ethically correct to "ignore" or problem. <BR> <BR>As far as a simple "no" would suffice. Yes it would for me. The man has never wronged me in any way, but I am still curious to see a more mature response. <BR> <BR>If you know something or someone is committing fraud against their common fellow isn't it your resposiblity to call attention to it. <BR> <BR>I don't know what you teach your children, but I don't want mine doing that. Um, officer no I didn't see a thing comes to mind. <BR> <BR>I do think it is the responsiblity of people to expose someone if he/she is falsifying information that could be detrimental to the well being of others wether financially or otherwise.

Kyle I agree,however since this all began no one( NO ONE!)has offered any proof.It's always,he must,I bet,he probally does,I wonder if he works for CCL etc.,etc.,still no facts or proof to back it up.Guilty till proven innocent it is, I guess.I for one think that he's offered some good advice on cruising in general and see nothing wrong with his posts.If there was a problem I believe that Fodors would have removed him by now.Of course the mob mentality may win out when our host,Fodors,get tired of the moaning and groaning,it worked at least once before with Maui Heidi. Peace !!!!

M.M. I know I'll probably regret this but what's a "Maui Heidi"?

Sorry Lyle for misspelling your name.Most Fodorites(ones who've been around awhile)remember Maui Heidi who was another travel agent on the US topic board who offered worthwhile advice on the island of Maui.She wasn't selling anything but could offer opinions on were to stay,what to see and do on Maui according to the questioners needs.She was badgered sort of like what's happening here until Fodors became tired of it all and deleted a lot of good info from the archives.Hope that answers your question and I hope you're not to sorry that you asked.Peace !!

There is a big difference between Maui Heidi and Carnival Paul. She was trying to give worthwhile advice on an island, not increase a corporations earnings per share. <BR> <BR>Unless you can prove otherwise Carnival is the most hyped cruise line out there, and Carnival Paul is part of that! <BR> <BR>Maybe we'll get lucky and THEY WILL remove him from this board. Then just like Heidi's(unfortunate)demise all HIS(Carnival's) opinions will dissappear.

I really do not understand what the problem is with Paul's opinions. Many of you dislike Carnival and that is your opinion but don't assume that no one else will like them. We have had great cruises on Carnival and Celebrity. We have been on fairly new ships and had good food and very good service as well as a really fun time. I'm sorry if your experience hasn't been as good but that doesn't mean mine doesn't count. Are those of you that are so hostile people that went for the cheapest you could find and then grouch because you didn't get treated like a VIP on a pricier line? <BR> <BR>I do not believe for a minute that Paul is being paid by Carnival to give good reports on them. My TA who happens to be a very good friend says she has more repeaters there than anywhere. It is amazing how some people jump on a bandwagon and decide that someone is guilty of misrepresenting or guilty of doing something underhanded just because they don't agree with the opinions offered. Which of you have actually given any constructive and informed information. I thought that was the purpose of this board....to help other travelers, not to bash the opinions of those offered. Remember that is what we all have..just opinions and maybe some helpful information.

<BR>Excellent post Janice. People like you are in the majority but are relunctant to post on this forum for fear of retribution. <BR> <BR>One poor fella attempted to explain the other cruise-lines that Carnival owns and was called a "snake oil salesman." <BR> <BR>You see what a strange world this is when most people just like to aggravate. <BR> <BR>I repeat,it does not bother me and I would rather see this caption die. <BR> <BR>I believe Carnival is a great value cruise line but by no means the best cruise line (please read other captions). <BR> <BR>I have been on 71 cruises and have traveled all over the world not only on cruises but land vacations as well. If anyone can beat my experience, I will listen since their opinion is valued. <BR> <BR>I do not try and sell Carnival and only Carnival, my job is to sell cruises. Upscale cruises preferably (it only stands to reason). <BR> <BR>Here we go again ...... <BR> <BR>Paul

As usual Paul you did not answer the question. I have found throughout my career that when one of my employees did/could not answer honestly they would usually have some sarcastic quip that grazed the issue. <BR> <BR>What is so difficult with answering this question. Do you in any way receive benefits as a result of your comments on certain cruise lines? As Tom put it, "A simple no would probably suffice".And please no more Bill Clinton like answers(i.e. I did not nor did I ever have sexual relations with M.L., oh well, I did, but that doesn't count). <BR> <BR>If you want others to stop playing games maybe you should set the tone of how you want this discussion to continue or end.

Janice: My problem isn't with Paul's love for Carnival. He's entitled to his opinion, and obviously many agree with him. I've never cruised with Carnival, so don't have an opinion. What bugs me about Paul, however, is his constant demeaning of anyone who claims to have had a problem with Carnival. I've watched this board for a couple of months now and often when people have valid complaints Paul dismisses them as the traveler's own fault. He rarely suggests that Carnival may have been to blame.

To the other posters what Kerri has stated is a mirror of what the rest of us having been complaining about all along. <BR> <BR>Paul is entitled to his opinion (if it is his) about his love for Carnival. The problem is that he always finds fault with people making legitimate complaints about Carnival. he then trys to divert attention away from the complaint and make it seem like it's their fault. <BR> <BR>This is why so many people think he is, "in bed" with Carnival. If he would just leave it alone when people air their grievances people would not be so quick to, "jump on the bandwagon" and hang him out to dry. <BR> <BR>PAUL stop antagonizing people and stick to what your good at disseminating useful information not disinformation.

I am a first time user of "travel talk" and turned to it for some insight and guidance on cruise lines. I mistakenly thought that was the purpose of this site. Silly me.

Yeh and you just happened to click on this thread, and jumped in with the same mental cadence as the other negative posters. Give me a break!!! You and Paul must be related.

<BR>I attempted to make light of the negativity here and possibly some of you would use your brain. It did not work. <BR> <BR>So here is my last statement: <BR> <BR>I do not get paid by Carnival! <BR> <BR>Bye, bye, <BR> <BR>Paul <BR> <BR>

Paul what you consider making light of a situation comes off as being a smart mouth to the rest of us. If you had just done this in the first place in stead of the wise cracks maybe so many people would not have enjoyed replying to your comments in the same tone. Learn from this. Remember people cannot hear the tone or inflection of your voice so a lot of what you say can be easily misinterpreted. Try to soften up your ascerbic attitude. You know the old saying honey/vinegar/flys. Anyway, have a pleasant trip on your next cruise.

OK Paul..here's my final statement. And I'm sure most of the users of this site agree. <BR> <BR>Get lost!