<BR>This Fodors Message Board is really depressing. I have never read so much negativity. <BR> <BR>Someone sails the Marco Polo and expects a ship built in 1965 should be the jewel of the Nile. Apparently this person has never traveled in a foreign country and experienced the food and service. It is not the USA. <BR> <BR>Same with the person that sailed the beautiful Costa Atlantica. A five star cruise line no less. Here again one would have a language problem and the food along with the service is definitely European. These ships are not for everyone. <BR> <BR>As far as Carnival it only stands to reason that when it is voted the most popular cruiseline in the world it must be, no matter wwhat is said about the line. The people that call it a drunken party boat are talking through their feet. This is not only my rating of the line it has won just about every award from passengers that subscribe to all the travel magazines and vote. <BR> <BR>Granted some people have problems with their cruise vacations but people also have problems with the airlines, hotels, auto rentals, etc. <BR>Things happen. Not only on Carnival but on other lines as well. <BR> <BR>The people that complain about the food also do not know what they are talking about. Maybe they didn't like the mushrooms in their gravy, maybe their steak was overdone, maybe they only ate at the buffet, who knows. All I know is that the food is rated up there with the upscale cruise cruise lines. Again this is not only my observation it is of the majority. <BR> <BR>Again, the ones that state I make more money selling Carnival ..... I will state these people are idiots. Read some of my other posts that praise other cruise lines. If I make extra money, as I have explained in the past, I pass it along to my customers. <BR> <BR>I wish all of the complainers on this forum would visit other forums where you would read some terrific and true observations. <BR> <BR>I am a terrific travel agent. I am an expert on travel. I am a keynote speaker at many vacation symposiums/conferences worldwide. I know what I am talking about. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR> <BR> <BR>

Paul I am sure you are a terrific TA. I couldn't dispute the fact that the negativity on the boards is awful. Being from Canada and the exchange in our monies is so high when I go on a cruise and I hear some one say they cruised for $800. I get a little upset at my travel agent too.(Not her fault the exchange is l.52)The brochures and the quotes are so vastly different, I have phoned my TA(husbands' niece) X 2 for adjustments due to a lower fare offered. I just found out a cabin 6c on the Carnival Paradise on our sailing is now selling for $629. and we paid $720. and because we have now paid in full we can't get a credit. Kind of need to blame some one so TAs most likely will get the hit. Just my opinion. Have a good year and sell lots a Carnival Cruises! Happy Cruising!

Paul; With all respect. I do not feel you are completely accurate re/ Carnival's critics. <BR>Yes, there are people who could sail on Seabourne and find something to complain about.Yes, I have sailed with people who always seemed to find something or someone to complain about. <BR>I do not dispute that Carnival is the most popular cruise line in the world.They lead the way in firsttime cruisers, and I do feel they have tried hard to get away from their past image as a drunken party boat. <BR>As I had previously mentioned, I have sailed 10 times on Carnival,so I feel I do know a good deal about them.In one sense, they do have one of the best deals going re/cruises.They have modern,up to date ships,the food has improved and generally good routes. <BR>However, I do have to say that I have never seen people on Princess throwing up in the hallways or stepping on an elevator that was covered in puke where some idiot had dumped it. <BR>I do have to say that I can't remember being awakened at 3a.m. on Holland America by a mob of unruly drunks coming down the hallway. <BR>I can't remember seeing people on Holland America or Princess in the Lido buffet for lunch with dripping wet bathing suits on and nothing else, stretching their dripping armpits all over the food in front of you! <BR>Yes,Carnival is a large cruise line that attracts a lot of people.Carnival is a great line--it's just the clientele <BR>thats attracted to it thats the problem. <BR>Please don't jump to the conclusion that I am saying everyone who sails on Carnival is bad: That's certainly not the case, as I said before, I went on 10 cruises with Carnival.But I will say on average, you will find more rowdier,louder and in general,less traveled people on Carnival. <BR>Once you try other lines like Princess and Holland America, you can easily see the difference. <BR>A final note to all of you going on Carnival, may you have the best vacation you ever had. <BR>Ron <BR> <BR>

<BR>You are correct Ron. On a mass- market ship with family prices you will see a varied amount of passengers. The good, the bad and the ugly. <BR> <BR>You will also find this at any Days Inn, Ramada, Super 8, etc. <BR> <BR>You will also find this problem on Royal Caribbean Voyager. But, let me tell you, that ship was the most fun I ever had. Of course the price of the cruise eliminates most of the riff-raff. <BR> <BR>What I am attempting to say here is: Do not let the minority ruin your cruise. Same as your opinion Ron. <BR> <BR>I have found that 99% of the passengers that throw-up on a cruise are stomach sick due to the rocking of the ship. I have observed crew members throw-up, and I have seen this occur on all cruise lines. <BR> <BR>Paul

I'm glad to see people posting their negative experiences. I am sick of people drooling about vacations and how wonderful they are. I for one have listened to these people and have come back having a totally different experience and thinking I must be nuts. Keep up the negativity folks so people can make truly informed vacation choices.

The difference between a bad experience at a budget motel vs. a budget cruise ship (which is the category we all seem to agree Carnival falls under) is that one can easily leave the hotel. A passenger on a ship doesn't really have that option (although there is the 'get-off-at-the-first-port-of-call-and-get-a-partial-refund' deal). The hotel is also a lot less of a monetary investment, so the two really can't be compared. <BR> <BR>I think the 'most popular cruise line' hype probably means that Carnival is one of the most widely booked due to its relatively low fares. Having experienced Carnival firsthand and talked to fellow passengers and its staff, and having visited many cruise bulletin boards and read many cruise reviews, I doubt very much that Carnival is 'most popular' due to the quality of the vacation, ships or service it offers. Also, keep in mind that statements like 'the most popular cruise line in the world' are generally crafted by a company's PR folks. <BR> <BR>And to those who feel that an open forum discussion about people's personal impressions and experiences should be negativity-free, I ask, doesn't that defeat the purpose of an open forum? An informed consumer is an educated consumer, and others have the right to hear the good AND the bad, and then make their own informed decision.

Thank You so much Robi, you just said what we have all been trying to put into words. <BR>These open forums are for consumer's to place their experiences so that others can make informed choices. <BR>I remember before the Internet, the only information that you could get was from your travel agent, and they just want to sell their cruises, so they were not very impartial. <BR>One question I have for you. Have you ever known anyone who actually took advantage of the Carnival guarantee in reference to getting off the ship at the first port if you are disatisifed? I know someone who tried it and they were refused, so much for that guarantee. I think it is pretty much a PR ploy.

Somehow I'm not surprised, although I haven't personally spoken to anyone who tried to end an unfortunate cruise at the first port of call in exchange for partial refund (perhaps hope springs eternal in the heart of a cruiser?). <BR> <BR>My party, which travelled on Carnival in January, considered comandeering a lifeboat and heading for the nearest land mass after our ship didn't even make it's first scheduled stop at Grand Cayman. It might have been interesting to see what would have happened if we instead demanded to disembark at the second port of call, and asked for the same refund.

In fairness to Carnival (see my 1/31 <BR>posting on this same subject) I will say <BR>that WHEN I could get some food, it was <BR>actually quite tasty! The dining room food was actually a little better than on RCCL (Monarch) -- however, that was just about the only redeeming thing from that trip -- that's why I've just <BR>booked a cruise on Celebrity.

I beg to differ. RCCL has got to be the worst vacation I ever experienced. In a short synopsis. Their food is horrible. The rooms are poorly insulated for sound. There is no dress code enforced. They charge you extra for everything(imagine being charged 0.76 cents for a cup of coffee). And there night life experience is nil. If you have any questions. Feel free to e-mail. There is a whole lot more.

<BR>Hi Folks, <BR> <BR>1% of the Carnival passengers have left the ship at the first port-of-call and they are refunded the full cost of the cruise. Carnival is the only cruise line that has this vacation guarantee. <BR> <BR>IF the ship misses a port the next port will suffice. <BR> <BR>The person or persons that did not receive a penny must have been thrown off the ship. <BR> <BR>And how can intelligent readers who rate their cruise experience be PR hype? <BR> <BR>Paul

RE: How broadly publicized cruise ratings may be hype... <BR>Most of these survey/rating type deals are filtered through a PR or Marketing department (someone has to compile the research and/or tally the results); thus, they can quite easily be 'shaped' to deliver the message most flattering to the company.

I will never sail that dreaded cruisline Carnival again. While the food was tasty, the crew were just so obnoxious. They couldn't care less about our comfort.

I have had really good experiences with CCL. I am not posting this info to get skewered by the rest of you who feel otherwise. I am also very aware that I could have a bad time in the future. I can't dog this line because someone took the last piece of beef on the buffet line or because the ice-cream machine broke. These are the things that happen in life. I like reading about your experiences. It really gives the rest of us food for thought, pardon the pun.

RE/ Carnival. <BR>I have had,in the past good cruises on Carnival.I think one of the best cruises we ever had was on the Sensation <BR>,eastern route,in Sept. of 94. <BR>We just was on the Victory this past Jan.7-14, and it was not good!Probably the worst cruise we ever were on. <BR> We had e-mailed them, in addition to filling out the "score sheets" at cruises end.I just got a letter Friday <BR>saying how sorry they were,ec, etc, <BR>and they were enclosing certificates for a discount on any future cruise. <BR>This is the fun part--- there was no certificates enclosed with the letter! I didn't care,but I did think it was sort of funny!! <BR> Happy sails to all.

I will be on the victory in less than a week! Why was it not a good cruise? ( Yikes!!)

I also received those discount certificates after a terrible cruise on Carnival. I don't know if you realize it, but if any of you write and complain about ANYTHING on a Carnival ship, you will recieve discount certificates, it's there way of getting your money again. I promptly sent them back "registered mail" just to make sure they received them, with a note that said "Thanks but no Thanks". <BR>I didn't want any part of Carnival. There are just too many other lines out there and for a few extra dollars (and I mean only a few), you have a much better chance of a great holiday. Holidays come to few and far between to risk another ruined one on a Carnival Ship.

I've been reading these cruise reports for a while, and I can only conclude that Carnival must have problems. Too many people report awful things for this not to be true. <BR> <BR>As for Paul, he seems to blame the passenger if the passenger has a poor experience. Paul says the Carnival food is rated excellent like more up-scale lines. Well, could that be because the low-brow Carnival cruisers wouldn't know a good meal if it bit them in the behind? These cruise rankings don't mean a thing about whether a cruise is a quality experience or not. As for awards, anyone can bestow an award on anyone for anything. Doesn't mean a thing. Just marketing. <BR> <BR>I don't know about the rest of you, but Paul's "blame-the-victim" attitude is not what I'm looking for in a travel agent.

Don-re/Victory; <BR> My experience with/on the Victory was <BR>that the ship,although new,appeared dirty,our wait staff in the dining room(pacific, late seating,table 438)was probably the worst on the ship. <BR>The waiter himself was just slow,but was really overworked.To make it worse,his asst.truly was worthless!As a rule,we couldn't get coffee after dinner.The first night after asking twice we finally did get it.The second night, we finally had to get the head waiter to fetch it.After that,the asst. <BR>waiter would bring a large pot of cream, but no coffee!We all(8 people) just made a joke of it and served ourselves. One night we asked the head waiter if we could have some coffee to go with our cream.He couldn't catch on. <BR>The food itself wasn't bad,but was slooow getting to the table. <BR>Also,on promenade deck where there are padded lounge chairs and is a good place for handicapped people to go in wheelchairs,was always almost always closed off for some reason or other,and when it was open,the chairs were normally piled in large stacks,left in hap-hazard fashion,making in almost impossible to worm your way around the mess. <BR>Add to the above the loudest,rudest and <BR>crudest group of people I have ever seen on a ship and you get the picture. <BR>Take heart-- your cruise can't be that bad.

Thank you for your reply, Ron, as I am going during spring break, I expect it will be even noisier, you do not give me much hope, but did you find any quiet spots to relax? How about the library? And could one at least get coffee in the café?