It will take some serious apologies from Carnival for me to cruise again with Carnival. I was tripped down the stairs by unsupervised kids and injured my foot, hand, and shoulder and when I went to the infirmary I was ignored, and all guest services could say was; "We are so sorry that happened to you!"
Embarkation
3 out of 5
We boarded the ship at 11:30 but had to wait until 1:30 to get into our room and had to wait until 6:30 before our luggage arrived. My advice to you is to make sure you keep a few things on you if you want to change.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Nothing is very diabetic friendly. The salad bar is only open during lunch and dinner hours so if you want anything healthy outside of those times you have to go to your cabin and order a salad from room service which I might add is the only thing diabetic or healthy that you can get from room service. They don't even serve soup.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Couldn't enjoy the pools due to unsupervised children acting like heathens. The Serenity deck was for adults only but only had 2 hot tubs which were always full, and you couldn't get a seat for all the people.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Our Room Steward Aris was amazing!!!!! I hated being bugged nonstop for photos especially in the dinning room.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Everything was OK but I think the adults only area need to be bigger and the casino needs ventilation and no smoking sections!!!!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was the only reprieve from kids!!!! Loved watching the water from our room.
Ship tip
Watch out for the unsupervised kids and don't use the infirmary.
Well, it isn’t Carnivals fault. The staff can’t do their job and police everyone’s children. I mean, if you don’t want to deal with a lot of children(which is fair) why sail with Carnival?
What was guest services supposed to say?
As far as being ignored in the infirmary? I’m a nurse and I’m going to give it to you straight: It’s a clinic, ma’am. In a clinic/emergency setting, energy goes where it’s most needed. Clinic staff are trying to handle pts with real medical issues: pts with cardiac issues or respiratory issues...pts who forgot their meds...etc...
Not someone making unnecessary demands on staff attention in order to create a paper trail and sue the cruise line. No one has time for that.
Your injury? I see no mention of a break or sprain or mobility issues- and unfortunately skin abrasions aren’t grounds to call a code.
Exactly how much money did you waste on that infirmary visit? Next time take Triple AntiB ointment and some bandaids.
It is not Carnival's fault that you tripped due to the actions of someone else children. Carnival owes you nothing in that regard.
As far as the luggage getting to your room late, 6:30 is NOT that bad at all, some people don't get it until much later and you must have missed the suggestion to bring a change of clothing in your carry-on just for that reason. Paradise mainly does 4 or 5 day cruises and when I was on her, just carried my luggage with me.
If you had gotten Faster to the Fun, you would have been able to get into your room when you boarded at 11:30, I highly recommend it - so again - you must have missed that part of the contract that stated that rooms would not be ready until after 1:30pm. Again that's on you for not doing your research.
I know plenty of diabetics, even have a few in my family, and when they cruise they have NEVER had any problem with the food. When I was on Paradise a few months ago I thought there was enough variety for those with dietary restrictions, and all you needed to do was talk to the maitre"d.
I agree about the Serenity Deck, in that it is too small, however I have never had a problem finding a place when I was on that deck. Maybe the exact chair I wanted wasn't available some of the time, but there was plenty of places to relax.
Did you know that when the Paradise was launched she was supposed to be the World's first smoke free ship, you can still see the no-smoking emblem on her stern (at least until dry dock) however that ban was lifted years ago due to lack if interest by non-smokers, Yes you can smell cigarette smoke in the casino, but I find that an issue on any cruise ship or even many lad based and Las Vegas casino's so maybe you should avoid them as well.
Oh and while were avoiding places try to avoid Disney Cruise Line and any of the Disney Theme Parks, they are notorious for children. Actually just stay home and eat your salad in your smoke free zone without the kids.
TOhcruisers; I’m sorry. That should have been Vikings, MSC, and Holland of America. I do a lot of research but many people who cruised princes claimed it doesn’t offer much for children. I travel with children, so I do my research. No, I don’t let my children run wild. They don’t even like the teen clubs, they prefer to hang out with us. Old souls, I suppose
Holland Is definitely an older crowd. We sailed with them to Alaska during summer vacation. I read that those cruises had the most kids on that line. The only kids we saw were there with their grandparents. My husband and I felt like kids and we’re forty somethings. My son had to hang out with us the whole time. Very nice cruise otherwise. I recommend Holland for people that want peace and quiet. Not for kids.
Naomieg125 it bothers me that you mention Princess and Holland as old people and no kids and you are so wrong. We took our kids 6 or 7 times and no issues with plenty of kids on board. First class cruiseline and yes demographic is mid 30’s and older. Can’t speak for Holland but don’t understand how you could judge either when you haven’t been on one.
I'm with Frog on this. It is terrible that you were injured, but it doesn't sound like it was Carnival's fault. As for special-needs food options, if you are in the MDR they can help with that. And honestly, I find it hard to believe that salad was all that was available. We have met people on cruises who were diabetic, and while I wouldn't have thought to inquire about what they ate, they thoroughly enjoy cruising on Carnival.
I totally agree with you on having food for a light lunch .. a different soup a day or just some light food would be good .. you have no control over unruly kids as some kids are feral and have zero respect.. carnival do not have enough staff so can not baby sit peoples kids ..
11.30 is ok for boarding as long as your room was clean thats fine i would rather wait an extra hour and have a sanitised room than get on early just to put your bag in the room and have the staff rush the rooms... luggage must be a massive job but that does seem an excessive time to wait but really whats the rush you have plenty of time to unpack ... your on vacation i would not stress about little things like that .. 😎🍹👋
I'm sorry, but other than the advertised kiddie program, Carnival is NOT running a day care! The people you should actually be pissed at are THE PARENTS who weren't supervising their kids! And I hate to say it, but you're gonna find this problem on EVERY cruiseline. And as for your complaint about the food, I have been an Insulin dependent Diabetic since 2004 and I've never had a problem finding suitable food to eat. Sure, you're not going to have as many options as you have at home in your own kitchen, but then IHOP, Applebee's, and Chili's don't have the same amount of options either. When I cruise I always carry on my own 12 pack of sparkling flavored water and I tuck some diabetic friendly snacks in my checked in luggage. I also let Carnival know that I'm a brittle Diabetic and they always see to it I have a sharps container waiting in my room along with a fridge or an electric cooler to store my Insulin.
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