ArgoZ Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 ^They took really good care of them! I still didn't see the need to do the repair at all. Missing an hour in Nassau and St. Thomas is no big deal! It has to be repaired some time though as engines are not running at full speed. RCC states no changes to Western Caribbean cruises, because it will be ready for those long trips,,,,, which I just booked! Arriving a few hours late, say for Cozumel, would result in a cancelation of my excursion that day. It is already a jam packed snorkel day. Dealing with lateness in every port would really put a dent in people's vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmeister Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I just got back from a cruise with Carnival on the Elation. For starters I'm definitely not the biggest fan of Carnival. Having said they did a wonderful job on my twin brother's wedding so I do have to give them credit for that. In truth my brother and the bride chose Carnival for a number of reasons and I do think it was the right choice. That's not why I'm posting right now however, I'm posting because of the pathetic state of their take on Baked Alaska! Now Carnival being Carnival, I know how terrible their food is. I'm convinced that the majority of their desserts are made from Jello brand pudding mix and I think the Eggs Benedict I had this cruise was several hours old! But the Baked Alaska is horrendous! It literally looked like a thin slice of neopolitan ice cream sandwiched between WonderBread! I don't even think the meringue was a real meringue, it looked like they just whipped raw egg whites and spread them along the top! I wish I got a picture, but I forgot in my disbelief. Years ago I had a proper Baked Alaska on another cruise line (can't remember which), so I was just shocked, even for Carnival standards. I think the worst thing though was when my Mom and Grandma's cabin flooded with grey water twice and they gave them around one hundred dollars shipboard credit in compensation. They even refused to move them until after it flooded a second time! I guess none of this should come as a surprise. I'd do Carnival for a wedding, but I don't think I'll ever sail on them again if I can help it. Hoping to do either Oasis or Allure of the Seas this summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 ^ Hearing Carnival stories like these never gets old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmeister Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 ^ Hearing Carnival stories like these never gets old! There's a book called Cruise Ship Confidential that I just read. It follows the only American to ever make it through a whole contract as a waiter with Carnival. The tales from that book are terrifying. It all sounds like one big drunken orgy for the most part. But besides that the living conditions for the crew were shocking even for cruise line standards. It's an entertaining read that I highly recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I just got back from a cruise with Carnival on the Elation. For starters I'm definitely not the biggest fan of Carnival. Having said they did a wonderful job on my twin brother's wedding so I do have to give them credit for that. In truth my brother and the bride chose Carnival for a number of reasons and I do think it was the right choice. That's not why I'm posting right now however, I'm posting because of the pathetic state of their take on Baked Alaska! Now Carnival being Carnival, I know how terrible their food is. I'm convinced that the majority of their desserts are made from Jello brand pudding mix and I think the Eggs Benedict I had this cruise was several hours old! But the Baked Alaska is horrendous! It literally looked like a thin slice of neopolitan ice cream sandwiched between WonderBread! I don't even think the meringue was a real meringue, it looked like they just whipped raw egg whites and spread them along the top! I wish I got a picture, but I forgot in my disbelief. Years ago I had a proper Baked Alaska on another cruise line (can't remember which), so I was just shocked, even for Carnival standards. I think the worst thing though was when my Mom and Grandma's cabin flooded with grey water twice and they gave them around one hundred dollars shipboard credit in compensation. They even refused to move them until after it flooded a second time! I guess none of this should come as a surprise. I'd do Carnival for a wedding, but I don't think I'll ever sail on them again if I can help it. Hoping to do either Oasis or Allure of the Seas this summer! Haha! You can't make this stuff up! And people wonder why we rip on Carnival so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 It all sounds like one big drunken orgy for the most part. That would make sailing on Carnival much better than it currently is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrouse Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 The Condé Nast Traveler Readers poll just listed their 20 favorite large cruise ships. DCL and RCCL were both well represented. All 4 of DCL's ships were in the top 5 in the Large Ship class and 8 of the top 20 were RCCL. (Spoiler Alert) Not a single Carnival ship made the top 20. All 20 were Disney, Royal, Celebrity or Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B&MBoy1982 Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 On January 15th, I set sail on a 2 night cruise on board the Bahamas Celebration. Here is my review as posted on Cruisecritic.com Wall of text coming... "I'd Rather Have Taken The Titanic.... It's been 24 hours and I can still smell the fresh raw sewage stench lingering through the 3rd deck hallways. The sheets had obviously been slept in. The china has never seen a decent meal served on them- ever. How was that for a Titanic-esque intro? Seriously, though, we had a good time on the cruise. We knew going in that the two-day cruise was an introductory special, and not to expect too much. That said, we walked on board with our expectations somewhat lowered, since this wasn't an $8,000 three week cruise around Cape Horn, and we understood that. We did get our money's worth out of the excursion, but we did many things to cut corners. We arrived at the West Palm Beach terminal and had valet park the car for us. This was $15 per day, and got us prepared for the never-ending onslaught of fees upon fees upon even more fees. Apparently, as we were from out of town, getting around the valet service at the port was going to be nearly impossible, so we gave valet the keys. As soon as we get our boarding passes, we put our credit card on file to allow for payment of the cease-less fees. They required $100 per passenger up front. Next, we headed up the gangway to the ship. Before we get to the gangway itself, first we were required to make dining reservations. My immediate response was, "Which is the included meals?" They replied with "Rio's and the Crystal Restaurant," and they immediately put two diners on the reservation list for each night. Next stop, was the table selling bottles of wine and all sorts of other liquids to imbibe ones' self, causing a complete cluster f*ck as people drooled over the selections. We were asked if we'd like to purchase, illiciting a declination, after which we were quickly ushered on our way, as it was apparent they weren't going to get any more money from us. Next stop was the guy at the desk with the computer whose job it was to swipe our guest card. Immediately upon approaching HIS desk, my immediate question was, "What are YOU selling?" He swiped our cards, and then we entered the boat, whereupon a rather foul raw sewage smell literally smacked us in the face and turned our stomachs. We found our cabin. Small, simple and austere, as we'd imagined. We weren't expecting a five-star resort quality room. The tiny complete bathroom was about the size of two phone booths put together, with the sink in the middle. Hardly enough room in there to fart, let alone shower one's self, but we managed. It looked as if a blind person had painted the room, as white paint was all over everything, including the single lamp shade. We'd requested a double bed, but we found that all we had were bunks. So much for a romantic cabin getaway. We set sail shortly after dark, then found our way to Rio's for our first dinner of the night. Seating space was at a premium, so they sat you literally with the prior party they had just seated who had entered the room before you. So unless you were a hermit, you pretty much had to make dining friends FAST. We were actually impressed with the food at Rio's. We both had the Chicken Fetuccini. We settled for iced water and tea, as anything else- and I mean ANYTHING else, was an extra charge (sodas, alcohol, etc.). Next we toured the ship, which was what we expected for a ship 31 years old. Nothing extravagant, but not the pits either. Then we turned in and hit the hay. We were so tired we didn't even notice the slight tossing of the ship on the waves. The sewage smell gradually dissipated over the course of the evening. Next morning we grabbed some grub at the top pool deck. It was buffet-style, and apparently was included in the deal. One of us commented that the scrambled eggs looked like something that had been scraped off the bottom of the ship. The eggs were repugnant, but everything else was edible. We knew there would be a $9/ day per passenger fuel surcharge and a $12/day per passenger gratuity. More and more fees. One thing we did to cut down on the fees was to keep the little "Privacy Please" insert in the cabin door card reader, eliminating the need for daily room service. I think other passengers on prior cruises were charged $25 for this very same daily service, which never appeared on our end-of-the-cruise charges settlement. Every off-ship excursion had a fee attached. Duh, right? We opted for the $51/ person bus ride to Freeport, to Lucayan beach. It included a bus ride to & from, and use of an upscale resort (the Grand Lucaya Resort) for the day. We didn't actually use the rooms there per se- just the facility and its beautiful oceanside beachfront. The sand was pure white, just like in the pictures. As it was off-season (January), so the place was practically deserted, with no one there but those of us who had taken the bus there from the cruise ship. Lunch was included, which consisted of several buffet-styled dishes of fried chicken, pasta, pizza, steamed vegetables, and, of course, iced water and tea. Fecal matter from two birds flying around inside the large circular dining hall where lunch was served covered seat backs of the dining area. As my partner and I were the first to make it to the lunch, we saw the larger bird helping himself to the sweet frosting of the desert cup cakes also at the buffet line. No one seemed concerned that two birds were inside the glass room, flying around, helping themselves to lunch and leaving "deposits" all over the room. We enjoyed the beach at the Grand Lucaya, and made friends with a couple very interesting and inquisitive white fish. I have no clue what types they were, but they were identical, and about the size of my hand. What made them so interesting was their interaction with us in the water. They proceeded to do "circle 8's" around our legs, and casually "slapping" our legs slightly with their tails as they glided past quickly. We totally were not expecting this. This went on for about an hour and a half. They would come and go, playing with my partner and I. We enjoyed their company, as it seemed they did ours as well. We didn't want to get out of the crystal-clear ocean water. A five minute walk outside the resort was a collection of small shops, boutiques and kiosks of vendors selling locally-made wares, trinkets, wood carvings, souvenirs and everything else one could imagine. I walked away with a $40 hand-carved walking stick as a gift for my dad. Soon it was time to head back to the ship on the bus. After a couple more hours of exploring the ship and relaxing a bit and watching the sun set one final time, it was time for dinner. It was Rio's again. Shortly after we were seated (this time at a table for two by itself), another group of four was ushered in. One member of this group was a young woman of about 22 who was so completely sloshed, I don't think she even knew her name. She was loud, obnoxious, and made a complete ass of herself. No doubt if someone had a hidden camera aimed at her, the video would have gone viral on YouTube. She was a complete mess. The three other people in her party seemed hardly to notice that everyone in the room literally was watching this drunk make an ass of herself, which she did so easily, loudly, and quite proudly, and they did little to try to restrain her. My partner said, "Someone needs to throw her overboard," and I think everyone else in the room was thinking the same thing at one point or another during her rambunctious ravings. She was an utter walking disaster, but somewhat entertaining in her own little way. If nothing else, she showed others the dangerous social ills that plague society, and the dangers of appearing in public with absolute zero control of one's senses. After dinner it was time to head back to the room to pack, in preparation of disembarking the following morning. We would soon be asleep while the ship tossed and turned through the night on its way back to port at West Palm Beach, Fl. At some point during the night, we awoke in our bunks to cabin temperatures in the 90's. The ship AC had failed- at least the part pumping cool air in to our room. Other rooms may have been affected. We called the ship's guest services, and, lickety-split, like greased lightning, 35 minutes later a member of the staff arrived with a fan to circulate the warm air in the room. "Better than nothing," we thought, and soon went back to sleep. At some later point, the AC kicked back on, and we awoke to a pleasant 66 degree room. It was too chilly to eat on the upper exposed deck for breakfast, so we gathered some edibles on to plates and then scurried inside to eat. This second day's breakfast wasn't as good as the previous day's. They did try to offer a degree of variety, with nothing on the first day's breakfast menu being duplicated on the second. I was amazed both days that OJ and coffee were also free. Even in the lowest of the low of state-side restaurants are OJ and coffee chargeable beverages. After breakfast we returned to the room to wait for the call to head back through customs and wait for valet to find our keys and bring us our cars. During the process of leaving the ship and getting in to our car, we must have made 20 corners and passed through 20 hallways, rooms and passages. I felt like a lab rat going through a maze looking for the prize pellet at the end. A few other side notes: although ship entertainment was included, it seemed to us to be mostly cut-rate "comedians" and other entertainment of similar ilk. We declined the on-board entertainment. While we went to the Grand Lucaya Resort on the island, a few members of the ship staff also went, and were in charge of offering entertainment and supervising the lunch. The entertainment provided wasn't too exciting. I mean, come on... a bean-bag race for the kids? LOL! I am being serious here: that was one of the modes of entertainment offered to the youngsters. There was also a ping pong table and an impromptu volleyball game arranged by the cruise ship staff. Needless to say we declined to participate. We enjoyed the company of the two fish over any of the provided and "scheduled" entertainment. All in all, I have to say that I wasn't at all disappointed with the cruise, the amenities, the service or the food. Sure, things could have been better, but it was, after all, a low-end cruise, and, as the saying goes, "You get what you pay for." " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 ^^Seems pretty accurate. ^That's terrifying that you went on that ship! I didn't think actual people went on it! We always felt bad for that ship when we would see it in crappy Freeport! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 ^And without alcohol...yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B&MBoy1982 Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 I wish I had read reviews on cruisecritic.com prior to booking the cruise. As soon as my husband puts the video of the two fish on Youtube, I will post it here. It really was the best part of the entire trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexinla Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Not good Caribbean cruise ended after outbreak of illness Cruise line ends 10-day Caribbean cruise after illness outbreak sickens over 500 people news.yahoo.com/caribbean-cruise-ended-outbreak-illness-033110452.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandallDuell Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Saw this on the local news last night - clicked in here and didn't see multiple new pages. Was curious, then remembered that it wasn't Carnival (who would have elicited crazed posting here). The Carnival haters here would have appreciated the static image that they used, though. As the anchor, sitting at the desk, prepares to throw it to a taped segment the graphic has a picture of the ship (RC) with the Carnival logo next to it....with TROUBLE AT SEA underneath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 ^I don't think we would have made a big deal if this was Carnival either. The truth is, it's just not that big of a deal. There are always cases of Noro going around on ships and even more cases off of ships. This is obviously a bigger than normal case (I blame New Jersey, where the ship came from!) but statistically it's still not like ebola death or something! My parents just got off of a Royal Caribbean ship today with no cases of Noro. This certainly won't stop me from cruising, but it will remind me to wash my hands even more frequently because humanity is gross! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Stratosphere Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 A look at the webcam of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, she is looking great!! A link to the webcam is below. www.meyerwerft.de/en/meyerwerft_de/werft/das_unternehmen/webcam/webcam.jsp Quantum of the Seas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Turbo Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 ^I can see the room I will be in next January Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 A look at the webcam of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, she is looking great!! A link to the webcam is below. www.meyerwerft.de/en/meyerwerft_de/werft/das_unternehmen/webcam/webcam.jsp Are you sure that's not a Carnival ship just about to leave on a cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Saw this on the local news last night - clicked in here and didn't see multiple new pages. Was curious, then remembered that it wasn't Carnival (who would have elicited crazed posting here). The Carnival haters here would have appreciated the static image that they used, though. As the anchor, sitting at the desk, prepares to throw it to a taped segment the graphic has a picture of the ship (RC) with the Carnival logo next to it....with TROUBLE AT SEA underneath. I agree with Elissa. Every cruise line gets hits by Norovirus outbreaks. That's just what happens when you have thousands of people in a confined space. People who go on shore excursions, share buffets and common areas, etc. You could, however, argue the reason cruise line troubles make national news now is because of Carnival's recent troubles. Producers discovered how good the coverage can be because of that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu K Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Wow Quantum looks great! One think we do on Cruises is take the stairs alot to help with the amount of food we eat on-board. Was Pointed out be a friend that lots of contact with had rails on stairs we should be washing our hands every time we use them lol. Stu K 39 sleeps till 1st NCL Cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WFChris Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Article about the RC illness: Link www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-cruise-ship-docks-20140129,0,5288966.story#axzz2rrIUV7VM BAYONNE, N.J. -- At first he thought it was the fish.Maurice Weizmann, a Montreal businessman on a Royal Caribbean cruise with his wife, started vomiting on the second night of the 10-day voyage after eating dinner and watching a show on the ship Explorer of the Seas. His wife did too. Soon they learned the reality: They were only two of hundreds of passengers sickened by a yet-unidentified gastrointestinal illness that shortened their cruise by two days and created a floating sick bay on the high seas. The Weizmanns and the roughly 3,000 other passengers on board disembarked from the ship Wednesday to a frigid New Jersey wind and a scrum of media. Passengers described a crew that was overwhelmed at first by the illness, but then responded well, handing out food and treating the sickest passengers with an anti-nausea shot that abated many symptoms. “At the beginning, they didn’t know what to do, but after that, they took care of us very well,” Weizmann said. Royal Caribbean says that 630 of the 3,071 guests reported symptoms, and that 54 of the 1,166 crew members got sick. By the time passengers disembarked, seven were still sick. The Centers for Disease Control took samples from patients when the ship docked in St. Thomas on Friday; it is expected to identify the source of the illness within the next few days. Sue Rogustki was expecting to spend her birthday, Jan. 30, on the cruise ship. Instead, she was back on land, feeling much better after three terrible days of vomiting and diarrhea. She started feeling sick at 2:30 a.m. and began vomiting a few hours later. She became so sick that her husband took her down to the sick bay. She was then quarantined in her room for three days; her husband stayed with her and got sick too. They’re both registered nurses, and both got flu shots long before they embarked on the cruise. “I had three days of sickness and quarantine, and of course you had to stay in your room, so that you didn’t infect others,” she said. “That’s three days that you didn’t get to enjoy.” Royal Caribbean is offering a 50% refund of the cruise fare to all guests and is also giving them 50% future cruise credit. Passengers who were quarantined will receive an additional credit of one future day for each day they were confined to their rooms. “In the end, the exceptional disruptions caused by the early wave of illness meant that we were unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting,” the company said in a statement. Passengers disembarked Wednesday and immediately boarded buses that took them to a large white tent, where they picked up their luggage and headed toward their cars. Many said they had a great cruise despite the illness, although some, like New Jersey resident Kevin Corcoran, who didn’t get sick, said it was disappointing to see so many people sick. In his group of six, only his brother-in-law got sick, but it was hard to escape the image of doctors and nurses hurrying around the boat, he said. "You could tell people were missing," he said. The company is now performing a "barrier" sanitization, the third sanitization procedure it has undertaken since passengers were sickened. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-cruise-ship-docks-20140129,0,5288966.story#ixzz2rrLfPRaY As usual, it looks like RC handled the situation very well. Go RC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperShawn Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Quantum is coming along well, hoping that I might just get to take a cruise on it one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 In the cruise ship enthusiast community they're all FURIOUS that so little information has been released on Quantum. I compare it to the new Harry Potter Coaster where you can see the outside and you have an idea, but you can't see the inside and since nothing has been announced no one knows! People who are booked on Quantum had their dining preferences removed a couple of months ago that has now led to crazy speculation on a whole new system of dining and dining options. We're booked on it and don't really care! I'm sure it will be fun and interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 In the cruise ship enthusiast community they're all FURIOUS that so little information has been released on Quantum. I never knew there was a cruise ship enthusiast community but I'm sure they're saying the same thing about us. Personally I like going into things without knowing too much about it. It's rare in the age of the internet but it makes for some great experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 ^It's WAY bigger than the coaster enthusiast community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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