Disappointed and Let Down

I am so happy to share that the cruises my sister Sherit and I have taken over the years with Carnival Cruise Lines have been enjoyable and memorable. From our cabin stewards to our servers at dinner and the Guest Services staff, all have rendered stellar service. We’ve enjoyed the shops, restaurants, and a plethora of entertainment options aboard the ship. Truly the customer service has been some of the best I’ve experienced.

On December 04-11, 2016 my sister and I embarked on a 7 day cruise with Carnival aboard the Pride, sailing from Baltimore, MD to Port Canaveral, FL, Nassau and Freeport Bahamas. We paid for unobstructed balcony accommodations (Rooms 8188 and 8190) to really enjoy and take full advantage of our cruise. However, our overhang/balcony ceilings were decayed, falling, and ladened with rust stains. Our understanding was that the Pride had been refurbished. We reported the damaged balconies to Guest Services, and repair men did attempt to fix the problem. They were not successful, as the damage was too great to correct while we were at sea.

While we appreciate the gesture of a $410.00 credit issued to us, it is only about 25% of our cruise cost. We were informed by Guest Services that we could accept this credit, or reject it and continue the exchange with corporate after the cruise. Flying blindly into this experience thus far, we decided to accept the $410.00 credit, not knowing how corporate would address this problem.

We feel very strongly that our balconies being in disrepair throughout the entire cruise made for an unpleasant experience. My sister and I planned this trip a year in advance. We purposefully chose side by side balcony suites to be in close proximity to each other and to enjoy our views of the ocean, the balmy climate and the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We intently set out to take full advantage of all that our unobstructed balcony cabins were supposed to afford us. However, with every sunrise, sunset, and repose out on the balcony, our eyes first took in the view of corroded, weather-beaten, collapsing ceilings, and poorly painted, eroded overhangs. It was the precursor to every view; even while we lie in our beds looking out onto the ocean, the “unobstructed view” was anything but.

When we began planning our vacation, we were taken in by the on-line accommodation renderings on the Carnival website. At no point did Carnival’s advertisements and illustrations of the ship show rust, caked on paint, or the rotting, decomposed overhangs of the balconies.

We paid for the beautiful unobstructed balcony cabin that was advertised; however, Carnival Cruise Lines did not deliver that to us. And, if only 25% of our vacation had been affected by this, then $410.00 would suffice and be appropriate. Of course this was not the case.  

I do not write this letter to be harsh, callous, or scathingly snide; rather, to lucidly and effectively communicate how my sister and I were impacted by Carnival’s blaring failure to provide the dream vacation it promoted, and for which, indeed, we paid.

Pictures are below.

I welcome and await your response.

Very truly yours,

Diane