Very poor experience

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 24

Review summary

For starters, I am a seasoned cruiser having logged over 200 nights at sea among a handful of lines...So I know already to temper my expectations on Carnival as they are known to be the budget cruise line, but this was truly the worst end f the budget spectrum. First and most significantly, I was appalled by the lack of basic first aid training of the staff. My young son tripped in his sandals catching his big toe on an exposed steel edge of a step in the main stairwell (more on condition of the ship in a moment). I sat my son against the wall and ran to the Pixels photo booth to summon help and an emergency kit. The young man attending the booth could barely speak english but I told him my son had a large gash on his foot and was bleeding profusely. I asked for a first aid kit and for a medic to be summoned. The man simply said, "infirmary, floor 3". I explained I knew where the doctor was and that would be our next stop but he was bleeding heavily and could not walk down six flights of stairs or wait for an elevator without first controlling the bleeding. Again he repeated, "Infirmary floor three". At that point I just yelled, "Call the doctor now!!!"... He attendant shrugged his shoulders picked up the phone but then put it back on the receiver..saying again.."you need infirmary". In my frustration, I scooped up my son and began to carry him down the 6 flights of stairs. Since our room was only down one flight, I opted instead to carry him back to the room where I had my own first aid kit. I was able to clean the wound, remove the large flap of skin and control the bleeding after about 20 minutes. Fortunately no further medical attention was necessary once the bleeding stopped and the wound was dressed. I get that this wasn't necessarily a heart attack or anything but thank God it wasn't since the staff is so grossly ill-equipped to handle even the most basic of medical needs. Secondly, this ship is a dump. They say the vessel was renovated in 2014 but I saw no evidence of it. Floorings were extremely worn, bare metal was exposed on the stair treads, the pool ladder was broken, the aft elevator bank was out of service, one of the only two coffee machines was broken in the Lido cafe and several hand dryers and urinals were broken in the bathrooms, broken deck railings were being replaced with cheap pine 2 x 6's and the whole ship smelt of urine. I think a fellow passenger summed it up best when I overheard her "they need to sink this ship and turn it into a reef...it has seen better days." As is typical on all Carnival cruises nowadays, food was sub par. Blue Iguana taco/burrito meats were salty and dry, Guy's burgers were burnt, Lido deck buffet was borderline school cafeteria quality and closed at the most inopportune times (including times they published as beIng open!!!). The main dining was only slightly better featuring poor cuts of beef, dry chicken on less expensive seafood (tilapia and shrimp). Room service is now no longer free unless you are looking for a PB&J or Turkey Sandwich. Chicken strips, a salad or even a side of fries will now cost you (even though they are free on the lido deck). The positives were the Seaday Brunch and our nice young cruise director, Gary (surprisingly only three weeks on the job, but very engaging and present). All in all, this was a very poor experience and will likely mark our last Carnival Cruise as we explore other lines for that right balance of budget friendly and quality experience.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Charleston, South Carolina

Nassau, Bahamas

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Disembarkation

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