I would highly recommend Celebrity, American/Hawaii, Princess and
Royal Caribbean cruise lines to you. I have never
had a problem on any of these cruise lines.

My, my what an enticing trail I have found! I was reading Fielding's when I came upon the SueS.A. saga and had to come here and read more for myself. It was worth it to find this sight and see such lively debate. I must agree with the opinion that different lines are for different clients. My wife and honeymooned on the Festivale, a former Carnival ship, and I enjoyed it. We recently went on a Holland American cruise that I can only describe as a retirementlong term care facility on water. I did enjoy it ,but only by looking forward to the next port. Old men with cigars terrifying me by walking to close to their fellow passengers oxygen bottles. Shuffle-board crazed cruisers jamming elevators to their limits, and some complaining about the noise of the "rock"band in the show lounge, were only quaint for a couple of hours. Our next voyage will take place on the Carnival Destiny in a night-owl cabin. Some genius forgot about the disco located below a few of the cabins when building the ship and created a haven for cheap bastards like myself to enjoy half-price cruising. The disco closes at 2am so we'll just be up till then BIG DEAL I say bring the noise. If the woman with the 300-400 dollar cruises would contact me I'll even sleep in an upper berth next to the turbines.

It seems that nobody is getting the point that I am trying to make. It isn't the ships, or the crew, or the food or anything else that is important here. It is the fact that we were treated so rudely on a cruise that was not a "Low Cost" venture by any means. We are not old, or anything like that. It is the fact that other cruise lines stand behind their product/services and we felt that Carnival would not do that. If you would read the very first posting on this subject, you may understand that the point that we were trying to make is that "If you have a problem, please settle it before leaving the ship, that will be the only chance you will get to air your greviences." We have sailed on other lines and admit Carnival was not our first choice, but we had been on them before and never had been treated like uninvited guests. It was not the problems that occured, but the way that they handled the situation that was the problem.

reply to S.A. You were happy with your first cruise on Carnival and the last one on the Tropicale you were upset. So what?
Now you will go on other lines and will no longer have any problems. Great.
Are you going to beat this dead horse until the millenium. What will give you some peace of mind so you can move on. It seems to me that you will only let it rest if Carnival washes you feet with tears and the cover them with diamonds.
Any marriage counselor will tell you that after the divorce, it is time to move on so you can enjoy life on your other favorite cruise lines. Stop looking back because you will drown yourself in sadness.

Here is a recent story about just how far some of the 'low end' cruise operators will go just to make a buck off of cheap minded vacationers like yourseleves.....................

There's nothing like a little systematic fraud....



MIAMI (CNN) -- On the eve of a major court battle with the U.S. Justice Department, Royal Caribbean Cruise International has agreed to admit to
polluting the sea by dumping waste oil from nearly half its cruise ship fleet,CNN has learned.
The settlement is expected to total millions of dollars, sources said. Royal Caribbean -- the world's second largest cruise line with 12 ships
traveling to ports in the U.S, Caribbean, Europe and Asia -- was scheduled to face the first of two trials in both Miami and San Juan starting Tuesday.
The settlement covers 11 charges accusing the cruise line of systematically discharging waste oil from five ships, lying to U.S. law enforcement investigators, falsifying records, tampering with witnesses and destroying
evidence. Royal Caribbean was charged with bypassing required pollution control devices that separate engine waste oil. Normally, used oil is kept in holding tanks aboard ship for proper disposal onshore. The cruise line is accused of
dumping that discharge into the sea.

The U.S. Justice Department named the following ships as part of its cases:
The Sovereign of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas, Song of America, Nordic Prince, and Nordic Empress.

Terms of the plea agreement are expected be made public before U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks in Miami Tuesday. Cruise line
spokeswoman Lynn Martenstein declined comment on the settlement. She said the company would make a public statement on Tuesday.

Evidence includes infrared video of an oil discharge made by a U.S. Coast Guard infrared camera.

I have to respect S.A.'s comments here. No matter what the situation, it's not the experience but the manner in which the providers handle it that really counts. Anyone looking for advice would be wise to consider cruise lines with no complaints as opposed to those with a multitude of negative comments. Sure, there are lots of folks who enjoy being unhappy, but this does not mean that their comments are not meaningful. Besides, once having paid the fare, one can reasonably expect the vendor to live up to their slick and glossy brochure full of promised expectations! Why should you settle for anything less? They're making a huge profit off your hard-earned dollars. Why cut them any slack? Would the excuses they give you ever work when you need them? Anyone whose room does not match the photo in the brochure and experience falls short of that which was promised has a perfect right to be just as bodacious with their complaints as they like...

I have found it very interesting to read all of the messages that have been posted on here about the different cruise lines. I believe it really depends on the type of person that is looking for the cruise & what kind of cruise you are expecting. I personally think cruising is great!! I mean where can you get all the food you want,room,activities,shows, destinations & everything else that comes along with it for such little money. I have been on the Carnival Destiny, Carnival Ecstacy, & The Majesty of the Seas. Carnival is what their logo says "The Fun Ships" if you are looking for a fun no hassel vacation then this is good for you. Now on the other hand if you are looking for a more serious (or as I see it boring) vacation then something like Royal Caribbean may be for you. I personally did not like RCI at all, my vacation was dull and the fact that the food was good really did not change the fact. On the other hand on my Carnival cruises I had the most fun I have ever had on a vacation!! I am sorry to hear this has not been the same for some of you, but I mean really, the Tropicale is Carnival's oldest ship,not to mention one of the smallest. I am sorry to say this, but I really think S.A. went a liitle far in saying that the cabins were flooded!! I don't know about the rest of you,but that sounds a little far fetched? I really think you can not base your decisions on what other people's experiences were. The only way to know is to experience it for yourself. As for me, I will not cruise on any other cruise line that is not Carnival. The service was great, the food was great, the shows were great, the activities were awesome, and the ports of call are beautiful!! For those of you wondering I am not a teenager, I am 45yrs old!! Thank you very much..

<BR>Hey, I am a travel agent and might as well put in my 2 cents worth. I see I am respondent #48. <BR>I have been on 48 cruises, mostly great, very few bad. <BR>I cruise Carnival at least twice a year. I have NEVER had a real bad experience. I love the line. I am 62 years old. If I wish quiet, I fnd a quiet place on the ship, there are many. Find the piano bar if you do not like disco. Find the quiet pool if you don't like the hairy chest contest or he live band. <BR>I find Carnival the MOST RECEPTIVE of my customer's complaints. And I do get complaints about all cruise lines. <BR>I was on the Sensation last month. <BR>Everything was perfect. I find the food improving monthly. The new fancy menu, just inaugarated, was wonderful. Listening to complaints, they all come from the senior Tampa, St. Pete old ladies that complain for a hobby. <BR>I was on a Holland America Ship where the toilets backed up, what a mess. Things happen. Things happen at Marriots and Sheratons too. <BR>Carnival is the BEST VALUE and is truly the MOST POPULAR cruise line, hands down. <BR>Paul

We have cruised on 11 different lines on over 24 cruises and we have enjoyed most of them from Carnival to Cunard.We sailed on Carnival once (Holiday)and have chosen not to repeat,the ship was fine and clean but the service was just fair and food adequate.I found nothing really negative but also nothing that would make us repeat(we were in our 30s).There are plenty of other lines which have a better product without so much controversy,'if there's smoke something must be burning'.Also I would suggest not taking advice from travel agents who say that Carnival is the best etc. Remember they are probably shills for that company and are invited back for their free cruises every year.The best critics are the passengers who paid the full fare and want value for their money.

I think the key here is S.A.'s first statement that instructs "please look carefully..." You should look carefully into anything you purchase whether it be a travel related product or any other consumer product. Anyone who understands economics knows there is no free lunch and an efficient market will regulate itself...you do not get Halekulani service from Motel 6. Why anyone would expect that there would be no differentiation between cruise lines when there is such a wide range of prices....come on S.A., I suspect you shopped price and either Carnival was the cheapest you could buy or your consumer research was faulty and inadequate...face it..they Carnival makes money on volume...you know,like McDonald's .... don't they say "billions served" rather than billions satisfied? I myself have cruised on the old Sitmar line and Carnival...I was completely satisfied on Sitmar but I had a good time on both lines...this year I want something a little nicer so we are going to try a Celebrity Transcanal (with a killer 56% off deal)...moral, find the product that suits your needs, then and only shop price. If you cannot afford the price, then you have to make some compromise on which product you purchase.

<BR>So I put my 2 cents in and I get beat up. No, I do not receive a larger commission from Carnival. Also travel agents do not get any free cruises. We just save our commission, which on Carnival is small, due to the fact that it is priced so reasonably. While I am on the subject of reasonable cruises, try Costa, their prices are comparable to Carnival and sometimes cheaper. Of course passengers will have something to complain about Costa also. I find cruisers who complain about cruise ships complain about everything. I had a customer who just came back from Europe on the Grand Princess. The flight left late due to bad weather. People missed their connecting flights and Princess had to put them up in a hotel (with food). Do you know, most people complained and blamed Princess. <BR>Do you all want to know why I have so many Carnival customers? It is because the name of my company is "Affordable Cruises & Travel." I would love to book more Crystal Cruises, I would make a few more bucks. NO ONE complains about Crystal, but then the cruise is the cost of an automobile. <BR>Happy sailing, Paul

HEY PAUL I LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE. MY FIANCEE AND I ARE TAKING A CARNIVAL CRUISE FOR OUR HONEYMOON ON THE IMAGINATION NEXT YEAR. THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST CRUISE AND WE'RE GOING INTO IT WITH THE ATTITUDE THAT YOU MAKE YOUR OWN FUN!!! CAN YOU OFFER ANY FURTHER ADVICE?

Just returned from 7 days on the Sensation and had a wonderful time. This was our third cruise and we are 50. The food was better than Royal Carribean or Norwegian, the room was much larger than Royal Carribean, about the same as the Norwegian Crown. Sometimes a situation is what you make of it but we felt the staff went out of their way to make our cruise a real vacation.

My goodness. A year and a half and this debate is still going on. I can hardly believe I ran into it by chance. It is amazing to me the ones who answer but didn't really read the initial posting close enough to understand it. <BR>I originally posted this because we had just returned from a horrible Carnival Cruise from Hawaii. We had our cabin flood with sewer water, everything we owned became wet, and lots of items ruined. Carnival did absolutely nothing to compensate us even for the items that were no longer useable. Compensate heck, they didn't even want to hear about it. Then there was the horrible entertainement, the food, the very rude staff.........I could go on and on, but will not start this debate again. <BR>My initial post was just to let future passengers know that if there was ever a REAL problem aboard a Carnival Ship, take care of it before you disembark because they will not even want to hear from you when you return home. Thats all I was trying to do was to pass the word to save someone the frustration that we went through. <BR>Just for information purposes. That cruise was my 8th cruise and I had never complained before about any other cruise that I had taken. Since then I have been on three more cruises (2 Princess and one Premier) and had a fantastic time, not one complaint. BUT, I will never sail on Carnival again, at any price.

<BR>Hi S.A. <BR>I do not understand why Carnival did not address your complaints. This is a first for me as a travel agent. <BR>Since I was not your travel agent, I can not go to bat for you but my advice to you would be to sit down and document each an every bad instance of your cruise from hell and draft a letter to: <BR>Bob Dickinson, President <BR>CCL <BR>3655 NW 87th Avenue <BR>Miami, FL 33178-2428 <BR> <BR>Be sure to list your booking number and date of sailing. <BR> <BR>I'm sure you will receive a positive response. <BR> <BR>Paul

We just returned from the carnival tropicale this week. We have sailed on Royal Carib and Celebrity. Never, never again said my husband. Staff seemed to be in a daze and some of them I would not have asked anything of for my life. Our dinner waiter and busboy were great and we had a good bar waiter (good thing since Carnival won't let you have any booze in your room). Overall we had a bad experience. The phrase "you get what you pay for" certainly applies here.

To Paul: The reason Carnival would not do anything is because we were amoung hundreds on this cruise that had problems. Our entire deck flooded, along with most of the cabins. Everyone was skipping meals or bringing food back to the ship to eat from the Islands. I mean most of this stuff was non-eatible that they were serving. The staff was so rude, just for instance. If you were trying to have breakfast out on deck, you often had to stand with your food and wait for the crew to finish and vacate a table so that you could sit, and they definitely didn't hurry. If you attempted to talk to anyone about the problem (the flooding or the food) they would tell you that there is no one available but they would send someone to your cabin within the hour that was in charge. One afternoon we waited for three hours and no one came, when we called to check, they would just tell us, they didn't have time. I could go on and on. It was an absolute nightmare! The passengers on the ship came up with a greeting when they would me you that quickly spread throughout the ship. "Camp out in style-Go Tropical". That is because a large number of us had agreed that we had more fun camping with a lot less water in our tents. <BR>The real funny thing was after we returned home, while shopping in a large department store, I overheard a lady telling the clerk about her cruise from hell. I had to ask. She was on the same ship, the cruise before ours and had the same experiences. What a coincidence. <BR>to dbeck: My sympathys go out to the two of you. As the old saying goes "Been there, Done that" but will never do that again! <BR>

<BR>Hi Sue. <BR>This is getting more like the "twilight zone" everytime you write. <BR>I book hundreds of customers on Carnival and I have NEVER heard of anyone not having their problems rectified. <BR>If so many passengers had this terrible experience, I can not understand why the press did not pick up on the incidence. <BR>Also, Carnival would be liable for quite some damages. I'm sure some attorneys would immediately initiate a class action suit for millions. <BR>Carnival would NOT let this happen. They would immediately make restitution. <BR>Something is strange here. You should have received another cruise at no cost or a full refund. <BR>This is not an ordinary complaint. <BR> <BR>Many times there is a breakdown of some sort on many cruise lines. If it affects many passengers, some one on the ship either owns a newspaper or works for one or is in the news reporting business. This would hit the press like you know what hits the fan. Some ships have problems with air conditioning, some cruises are cut short due to food poisoning, etc. This hits the worldwide press as soon as someone gets to a phone. If the press does not get notified, all the travel agents do. WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. Paul

Hi Paul: Let's put it this way, it was the very last time that I will book a cruise through a local company in this part of the U.S. Small town America isn't the best place for knowlegeable cruise agencies. <BR>I did forget to mention, we started taking pictures of the ship after the flood. We included them with our letter's to Carnival Cruise Lines. These pictures totally backed up our story as to what we had to live with on this ship. Carnival kept telling us that they never received them, so I finally started to send them registered mail and got a signature as to who excepted them. Even though I sent them to the address that they gave me and had a signature as to who received them, they still told us that the pictures never arrived. Figure that one out? <BR>Anyways, we finally just backed off after our attorney told us it would be a minumum of $5,000.00 for him to start any proceeding. We just gave up, but as you can see, we didn' t shut up. <BR>As to this posting, I again remind whomever might read this that it doesn't really matter what happened to us. Its what happens to the next passenger that is important. Just make sure to take care of any major problems before you leave the ship, you will never have another chance. <BR>Sorry to burst your bubble about Carnival Paul, but if I went into detail about that awful cruise, you wouldn't believe it anyways. <BR>

I've never cruised before, scheduled a late August, 4 day sailing aboard the Carnival Exctasy for myself,husband and 3 kids. It was very affordable. Then I stumbled on to a web site, Cruise2.com. and a couple others already mentioned. You get what you pay for is the underlying theme!!! CNX that trip, spending $1700 more and have higher hopes for our first cruise to be a memorable one onboard the Century Horizon to Bermuda.

Before anyone replys..It's CELEBRITY Horizon. Gosh, I hope I get on the right ship! My point being, check out Cruise2.com. It's got great cruising public imput and opinions.

Paul, Wow I started reading this and got hooked. I will start with my background. I am a former travel agent, specializing in cruises and have taken 4 cruises. Holland America, Premier, Celebrity and Carnival. I think cruising is the best vacation ever and will continue to cruise however I must admit to having a similar experience on Carnival. <BR> <BR>I was on the Elation in September. Everything started out wonderfully. The ship was absolutely gorgeous. I went on Carnival because we were three families. One couple, One couple with three kids 15,13,10 and my husband and I with our two children ages 2 and 4. Carnival seemed to have the most variety for our group. This was all true, childrens program wonderful, teens loved it etc... <BR> <BR>This all broke down when there was a storm watch. We missed two of our ports and the entire cruise staff fell apart. I can go on and on about the probelms encountered but will say that this was reported to the media by numerous passengers, I watched the entire thing on the evening news. We were given that infamous 25% disc towards a future CCL Cruise within one year. <BR> <BR>I returned home and wrote a letter to Bob Dickenson who never replied. I also send mine registered mail. I received a very insulting form letter back with absolutely no apology from CCL. They kept blaming the weather. I stated numerous times that my problem was not with the weather but with how things fell apart after the storm watch. <BR> <BR>I wrote a second letter to CLIA and CCL and got a letter saying they were sorry and that was that. I had three suites on the Elation and couldn't believe how their customer service treated us! <BR> <BR>I have read so many positive things about CCL and loved the ship and our waiter cabin steward that I'm willing to try one more time. I am going on one of the inagural sailings of the Triumph from NY. <BR> <BR>I'm curious to hear your reply and could fill you in with many more details if interested. <BR>

<BR>Dear Betsy, <BR>As I said I have been on many (now 52 cruises). <BR>You are correct, CCL gave you 25%, (about standard refund), for another cruise and I am glad you will take advantage of it. The Triumph, which I inspected last Saturday is fabulous (I am booked in September). <BR>I think the 25% is wonderful and I still do not know why poor Sue did not receive same. <BR>Carnival IS better than other lines. Example: I just returned from a cruise to Bermuda on the NCL Crown (see my input, Fodor's Forum). All passengers received a lousy $50 per person onboard credit and free drinks for one day during the blackout. Many passengers planned a mutiny (real smart). Quite a few passengers were put up at the Southampton Princess (not too shabby) until their flooded cabins were re-done. Some whose cabins were not re-done were flown home. I do not know if they received a full or partial refund. <BR> <BR>Vacations are an adventure. Paul

Paul, <BR> <BR>I saw your response, glad to hear you saw the Triumph. I am definately looking forward to going in October. The reason I am trying Carnival again is because they have so many positive things to offer, especially for large families or group vacations. I'll be on the 4 night sailing and booked a category 7, I'm sure this will not compare to the suite I had on the Elation but.... (only 4 days). <BR> <BR>I hope to someday have gone on 50 cruises as you have. I really do think it's the most wonderful way to travel. <BR> <BR>thanks, <BR> <BR>Betsy

You really need to see how old the ship is before you take an "economy"cruise. The new Elation by Carnival is really lovely and we had a marvelous time with our entire family.

I've been on 6 Carnival cruises - just returning one month ago from an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Paradise - and I have nothing but praise for the ships and staff, whether on-board, past cruisers reservations staff, customer service on-line or dockside. They were all pleasant and helpful. As for being ignored, that's not true. As a past Carnival cruiser, I constantly get notices of discounts for future cruises. I have even received customer survey forms over the past few years. And on board ship, they even have special invitation-only parties for past cruisers. Why not give them another chance? You may be pleasantly surprised!

We've been on 7 cruises, the most recent one being the Celebration out of Tampa and being our first Carnival cruise thought it was worth the price. The ship is older than most, but all in all was ok. It wasn't as glitzy as the Monarch of the Seas, but compared well with the Holland America cruise. We did have a problem retrieving my daughters bag at the end (someone else picked it up) and had to wait a month to get it back, but Carnival paid for the return. We plan to go on Carnival again (Jubilee) in December.

We have just returned from the Western Carribean on the Paradise (CCL). This was our first and will be our ONLY cruise. I should have read this web site first. Mechanically and climatically everything went well but the entertainment, food, activities and staff attitude did not. If one of us was not ambulatorily challenged we would have debarked in Cozumel, the first port, and taken CCL up on their "guarantee" and flown back to Miami. It will be very hard to convince me that this experience is not typical and even harder to get me out on a CCL cruise or any other for that matter.As a small example: there are no confortable chairs on the ship and no place to read where there is both sufficient light and a reading chair. Staff could not and would not help. The so-called library has spot lighting which is not conducive for reading and is set up for kids to play board games noisily.

Paul, please don't judge all cruises by CCL's standard. My first cruise was on CCL as well and it was horrible. We seriously considered not cruising again, but decided to give it another try and sailed on Celebrity's Zenith. It was like night and day from CCL and we had an unbelievable time! You might consider trying Princess since many of their ships are WELL equipped for physically challenged people. My father has Parkinson's disease and cruising is nearly the only way he can travel anymore (his "hotel" is always close by this way) and I don't know what my parents would do without this type of vacation since my mother doesn't have to cook or lift a finger the entire time. I sure hope after some time goes by that you'll reconsider and try again on either Princess, Celebrity, or Royal Caribbean (my personal favorites).

Paul: Please don't judge all cruise lines by CCL. We have had many delightful cruises on Princess, Royal Caribbean and even Premier. They are so different in every way. I myself love to cruise but felt the same way after that awful Carnival Cruise we took. It took me almost a year and a half before I ever got on another ship, and we usually cruise at least twice a year. I am glad that we decided to try it again, but never again on Carnival. <BR>We love the service and relaxing atmosphere that most ships give. It really is a fantastic experience if you pick the right line. Sue

Bad experiences are had on all cruise lines. Some cruisers are going to have an unsatisfactory trip. The question to consider is whether Carnival has a higher than average number of dissatisified customers. If it did, I don't think cruisers would rank it as high as they do in many surveys and reviews. Following are the results of a recent survey: <BR> <BR>SOURCE: Carnival Cruise Lines <BR> <BR>Carnival Cruise Lines Big Winner In 'Porthole Cruise Magazine's' 1999 Annual Readers' Choice Awards <BR> <BR>MIAMI, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise Lines received nine platinum awards in ``Porthole Cruise Magazine's'' ``1999 Annual Readers' Choice Awards,'' topping more categories than any other cruise line. <BR> <BR>Several thousand readers responded to the magazine survey by visiting the Porthole Web site (http://www.porthole.com ) or completing mail-in ballots, ranking cruise lines in a variety of different categories. <BR> <BR>``Porthole Cruise Magazine'' is the number one source for cruise-travel information for savvy consumers and is <BR>distributed internationally by Time Warner. <BR> <BR>Carnival's nine platinum awards, the highest honor given, include: <BR> <BR>•Best Family-Oriented Line <BR>•Best Bang for the Buck <BR>•Best Singles Line <BR>•Best Entertainment <BR>•Best Children's Program <BR>•Best Onboard Activities <BR>•Best Disco <BR>•Best Casino <BR>•Best Tropical Drink <BR> <BR>The cruise line received awards in four other categories, as well, including, Best Fitness Center, Best Decor, Best <BR>Eco-Conscious Line, and Best Midnight Buffet. <BR> <BR>``'Porthole Cruise Magazine' has an extremely educated readership comprised of consumers who are highly <BR>familiar with the various cruise lines and the type of vacation experience each one provides. To be recognized by <BR>this elite group of consumers in so many different categories is a tremendous honor and one that all of us at <BR>Carnival can be very proud of,'' said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president. <BR> <BR>He further stated that Carnival's emphasis on quality in such areas as service, activities, entertainment, and ship design are reflected in the scope of categories won. ``A concentrated focus on detail, which ranges from <BR>providing quality activities and personnel within our ''Camp Carnival`` children's program to the best <BR>entertainment afloat, has a huge impact on the overall 'Fun Ship' experience,'' Dickinson added. <BR> <BR>``Today's Carnival has shown outstanding achievement at all levels of contact with their guests. Our readers' <BR>recognition of Carnival clearly reinforces the notion that Carnival has found the recipe for what cruise vacationers desire,'' said Bill Panoff, Porthole Cruise Magazine, publisher and editor-in-chief. <BR> <BR>

Go for it sweety, it's all yours. <BR>There are enough of us out there that we won't miss you a bit. Bob

STAY AWAY FROM CARNIVAL CRUISES <BR> <BR>I just recently came back from a trip aboard Carnival Triumph <BR>The child care for 9+ is a joke. When a problem arose on the ship , <BR>getting any help finding my son who went missing from their care for <BR>over an hour was any parents NIGHTMARE - there was no help <BR>Trying to talk to their Corp HQ in Miami was a JOKE - - I might as <BR>well have talked to the TOADS in my garden. <BR>THEY NEED A SERIOUS ATTITUDE OVERHAUL <BR>TAKE YOUR KIDS SOMEWHERE WHERE YOU CAN BE SURE OF THE SAME LEVEL OF <BR>CARE YOU WOULD GIVE <BR> <BR>DON'T EXPECT ANY ACTION ON ANY PROBLEMS YOU MIGHT HAVE IF YOU <BR>ULTIMATELY DECIDE TO GO ON CARNIVAL <BR> <BR>THIS IS NOT SOUR GRAPES - - ALL THE AMENTIES WERE FINE - - - THEY <BR>SHOWED AN UTTER DISREGARD FOR ASSISTING IN THIS CHILD SAFETY MATTER <BR>WHILE ON BOARD THE SHIP AND SINCE. <BR>

The Tropicale finally made it back to port and the TV cameras saw passengers with signs asking for help - not working toilets, no hot water, very low on drinking water. Carnival said everything was alright - no problems except the engines! This is a lot worse than Carnival led us to believe. <BR>I hope they get sued! The treatment these passengers endured was inexcusable!

Well, S. A., it seems you have finally been redeemed. Carnival fans gave you the devil for daring to say what you did about the Tropicale and low and behold -- the darn things catches fire. I dare say there will be many lawsuits from this one.

I would stay away from Carnival for the simple fact that they flag their ships in Panama. Panama is known as a "flag of convenience". That means it is easy to flag there and very few regulations. Panama has not signed the international Safety of Life at Sea treaty (SOLAS). You need no training to recieve a Panamanian license to operate a ship, all you need is money. If that wasn't enough just look at how often Carnival is in the news for some sort of mishap. I'll sail elsewhere thank you.

After almost two years, some on you are finally believing me, I can't believe it. Kind of strange that except for the fire, it sounds like the ship is in the same condition as it was when we sailed on her. <BR>I was only trying to warn you from wasteing your money. I love to cruise, but after that trip I almost swore off cruiseing forever. <BR>I tried to warn you, but you just considered me a Carnival Basher. <BR>Re-Read the original post in this message, I just thought it would have been nice if someone would have warned me. S.A.

I just found this site but since this is a longlasting forum I'll add a few lines. <BR>We took the Tropicale last April because it was the best deal for the money. We went with another family and had 4 cabins total. Keep in mind, when you travel as a family of 5, even a few hundred dollars per person adds up to over a thousand to the bottom line. We had a great time and found the staff to be courteous when we needed them. But some of the passengers were pretty bizarre. Like they jacked up a bus station and floated it to Cozumel. I think after the fire they'll dump this tub and stay with the newer and larger ships. My kids had a great time, too but they did not do any of the organized activities. One more thing, if you go on a Carnival cruise over spring break, expect the elevators to be regularly polluted by barfing college kids. Ah, the good old days !

<BR>Its time to discard old responses, ASAP. Boring!! We cruised on the Carnival Inspiration a few years ago when the ship was less than a year old. It was my 21st birthday present. Although my parents are in their 50's they are young and fashionable. We are all very friendly with a good sense of humor and can communicate with people of all ages and life styles, as long as they are friendly and not stuffy. Since this was our first cruise, my mother did a lot of research before she choose the Carnival Inspiration. We stayed in a Cat.12 which was a lovely suite with a balcony. We found all the staff and crew members to be very courteous, accommodating and friendly. The ship was immaculate and beautiful. Teens and children were obviously happy with Camp Carnival because the only time they were in view was in the dining room. The dining room menu was not necessarily superb. Although we did find if we ordered something we were not satisfied with, the waiter was more than happy to bring us other choices. Their buffet had many good choices and was available and suitable to your daily scheduling. The ship had a variety of daily activities and diversified nightly entertainment. We found all 6 islands we went to enjoyable, with many choices of things to do, offered to us from Carnival Capers, their news letter. Our Carnival Cruise experience on the Inspiration was fantastic. I highly recommend it. Research and ask your travel agent a lot of questions before you book. Try to be sure you needs will be met. You can then certainly avoid some unnecessary disappointments. However, perfect is a strong word to fulfill. Try to overcome negitives by focusing on making them into positive experiences. Every day of our life is another challenging experience. My mother went to a conference in Dallas, TX several years ago. During her stay, there was a power outage that affected the hotel she was staying at. The hotel is well known and very expensive. Because the hotel used key cards the guests were unable to enter there rooms. After the power was available the rooms were extremely hot and humid while they dressed for a formal affair. Although she was quite annoyed she said, I can't focus on the negitivies. Life is a gift and it is far from perfect. Unfortunately it is sometimes quite costly.

<BR>Dear Jen, <BR> <BR>What a wonderful letter. We need more people like you on this site. <BR> <BR>Paul