Carnival Doesn't Care!!
Written: Sep 27 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Price, Staff and Comfortable Beds
Cons: Overall Disregard for customer satisfaction and fire codes. Appearance of ship. Ventilation System. Room/Luggage Service.
The Bottom Line: Not Recommended because of Carnival's blatant disregard for their customer's overall satisfaction.
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| dtfaniam's Full Review: Carnival Imagination |
It's obvious that Carnival is doing well financially on this economically priced cruise because their customer service at a corporate level is hideous (and they have absolutely no concern for my or my family's well being).
I was intending to write a somewhat positive review (3 stars) regarding the Imagination, but that was BEFORE the end of the cruise. Now, once the cruise had ended, and I've returned home I felt compelled to write a review which exposes the negatives of this trip to potential ticket buyers before they made their purchase.
As for the staff of the ship, in most cases they were excellent! From the sisters who work the cigar bar to the Kid's Club (in which my 5 year old thoroughly enjoyed) to the dining room staff - all were superb. But the most important thing - Guest Satisfaction - on an overall level is what I feel that Carnival overlooked on our cruise. In fact, it was downright atrocious.
For starters, the embarkation and disembarkation procedures are extremely haphazard. Try hard not to carry any luggage onto the ship because, if you do, plan on carrying it for a while (unfortunately checking your baggage is even worse -- read on...). I know that the Terrorists made it very difficult, in all capacities, for boarding in airline and cruise ship travel but Carnival literally acted like kids on the first day of t-ball practice. What a mess!! This, unfortunately, set the tone for things to come.
The disembarkation was an extremely disorganized fire hazard. So unsafe that it is a catastrophe waiting to happen. We were stuck for over an hour (yes, over an hour) in the ship's narrow hallway with over 1000 people waiting to disembark. Our luggage was thrown about and we found our garment bags lying on the floor of the cargo area of the port twisted and mangled (so much for the dry cleaning I just paid for).
As for the ship itself, it is old and worn and severely OVERBOOKED! The event and buffet (no shrimp included) lines were long (Disney World like). The public bathroom's septic tanks became so full that they could be smelled throughout the ship on the final days of the voyage. The ventilation system is severely outdated and most of the ship was HOT throughout the cruise. Plan on bringing a fan to get a good night's sleep because the cabins are uncomfortably hot (thank God the mattresses were surprisingly comfortable). Smoking is allowed, so plan on smelling like an ashtray in many parts of the ship.
The ship's water-system based beverages have a foul aftertaste (Carnival doesn't provide free soft drinks -- I wonder if they purposely allow the drinks to taste this way so they sell more beverages). The pools were standing room only (bring your ear and nose plugs) and there was no where to sunbathe because the decks were overfilled. It sounded like I was at a rap club or a college frat party because all they played was loud hip - hop (where the hell are the Calypso bands - this is a Caribbean cruise, isn't it?).
The dining was enjoyable and the service was excellent. Although ALL of the meat dishes were overcooked, the seafood was superb! Lobster night made us really happy and we were able to always choose more than one entree at a time. Our wait staff was professional and courteous. My children enjoyed the 24 hour pizza and ice cream counters.
Don't order room service unless you have an hour to kill or you enjoy sending your order back to be corrected.
The cabins were larger than I expected and the beds were extremely comfortable. Our cabin steward was no where to be found throughout the cruise - I guess that was because he was paid in advance for our stay (although he did make cute animal figures with the towels).
All of the bars were fun places to hang out - especially the cigar bar because of the entertaining bar staff that turned out to be sisters. They were a riot and, on several occasions, got yelled at by management because they were too loud!! Too loud!! Imagine that, partying too much on a "fun ship" - the bars close down at 1:00 which, in my opinion, is ridiculously too early for a fun ship.
The whole concept of this cruise is that it is an affordably fun trip. Unfortunately, because it's affordable, the trip comes off as almost CHEAP - like a Kissimmee tourist trap for those who have been there.
I recommend spending several dollars more and cruise on Royal Caribbean - where their attention to detail is flawless and their cruise is exceedingly fun with a touch of class to boot!
Sorry for the nitpicking and negativity but I thought I should share with you my disappointment with Carnival.
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
dtfaniam
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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