I've cruised three times on Norwegian (and I have a fourth already scheduled). I've cruised ONCE on Royal and I have another one scheduled. This was my 4th Carnival cruise (counting the B2B). And will be my LAST Carnival Cruise. All previous times I was disappointed in Carnival and each time I would vow it would be my last. But THIS time I mean it. I WAS very happy with the Veteran area. I've never seen anything like THAT on ANY other cruise line I've been on. But the food was recycled and we kept eating leftovers. Never experienced this.on any other cruise line.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Stressful
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Food was recycled. Leftovers. Main dining room dish had to be sent back several times. Steak was overcooked, stale and drenched in sauce to make it look fresh. Children were allowed to mess over buffet as well as shirtless and shoeless people. Hand sanitizing was NOT enforced. People sneezing over the buffet while staff watched.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I enjoyed the Sky Ride. I had a spa balcony. I went into the spa and was treated horribly by one of the staff members. I needed help with working the locker. When I asked for help, one of the staff members acted as if she didn't hear me, walked RIGHT past me and proceeded to help a CAUCASIAN couple.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
If it wasn't for the excellent DJ and the WONDERFUL Cruise Director, I would've given this section a #1 rating.
Children's Programs
Wasn't travelling with children
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
If not for my WONDERFUL and attentive room attendant, I would give this section a #1 rating as well.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship itself was BEAUTIFUL. Very clean. There were some minor issues with the ice machine but that's expected on a new ship as they work out the kinks.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
My cabin was smaller than I expected for a spa balcony. Cramped. I advise removing the oversized sofa and coffee table when setting up for two people with double beds. Wouldn't be so bad if it were a king room. We were looking forward to spa decor. Our cabin was on the 11th floor so although it was a spa cabin, there was NO spa decor. VERY small. My cabin steward kept our room impeccably clean, though and she always had a smile on her face.
Ship tip
Do NOT expect too much. I was on the Back to Back Inaugural Cruise. It didn't feel like it, though. It felt like any old Carnival ship.
Cabo San Lucas was ok... I was just REALLY stressed out with the locals basically RUNNING ME DOWN to purchase merchandise. I understand this is how they make their living but it was quite annoying. I purchased quite a few things from people who basically let ME come to THEM. They smiled and said hello. THIS made me feel more comfortable and stress free which I why I spent money with THESE specific vendors. No shore excursions.
Beautiful! I woke up, opened my balcony curtains and expected to see water. How SHOCKED I was to see a MALL right outside my balcony! We pulled right in the middle of the city. I thought that was pretty amazing. No excursion but I DID visit the mall and the city.
I hated how we had to get ALL the way off the ship, go BACK through customs and reboard. Also, there should be special procedures set in place for dealing with veterans with documented, proven mental health issues to make sure excess stressful situations associated with de/embarkation is not triggered. I was overwhelmed. I asked one of the staff workers if I could go into the priority line to avoid being triggered. Even offered to pay a fee. He was dumbfounded and didn't understand PTSD So he just sat me and my party in a corner until embarking.
Possibly cruising isn’t the best fit for you. Things haven’t always gone perfect for us but we realize there might be some hiccups and try to overlook them so we don’t spoil our cruise. A cruise is always what we make it, I always try to remember that.
I am sorry that your PTSD was triggered at the Long Beach terminal. It most likely was not Carnival's fault that you had to be rescreened. This was CBP making the call. Sadly, this happens in airports all too frequently. And since it probably doesn't happen much with cruise ships, I can imagine it can be hectic for anyone because of it.
My husband has PTSD and we've never experienced any issue with "triggering" his problems cruising out of Long Beach, and we've been there since they remodeled. But he also has ways he has learned to cope in chaotic situations. It's difficult for Carnival, or any other cruise line, to make accommodations for every single disability, mental illness included. And if someone gets so triggered by unforeseen circumstances, vacationing where there are substantial crowds and the potential for chaos is not an ideal vacation.
I'm not being insensitive to your situation either, because my husband and I both have disabilities, along with his PTSD, so we do understand the issues that come along with traveling. But your review is the only one I've read so far that's been so extremely negative. It's almost like you were looking for things to be negative. Well thankfully, I never go by negative reviews for anything I do, because every experience is made by what you get out of life in general.
While Carnival is a bit lower than many other lines, I wonder at some of your marks, especially when you mark the ship as a one for something they have NO control over. It is the PORT that dictates how B2B cruisers are treated, and Long Beach is not one of my favorite ports.
I would agree with people needing to wash their hands and have it enforced. Princess is very strict about that and a lot of people got sick because kids and adults weren’t hand washing and not covering their mouths
It definitely sounds like cruising is probably not for you since you seem to be stressed out by a lot of things. Most people love it, but it’s not for everyone. We have been on cruises on several cruise lines, and I’ve always found a good variety in good quality food in both the dining room and the buffet. It’s not 5 star cuisine because they are feeding several thousand people three meals a day, but I do find it hard to believe that they were serving leftovers and recycled food every day
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