Complaint Review: Carnival Cruise Lines - Miami Florida

I have cruised on 4 different mass-market cruise lines, and numerous small lines.  Carnival is, by far, the worst of cruise lines.  They are consistently the cheapest to book, and the crowd that attracts reflects so.  If you want a cheap, kid-filled, booze fest, sail Carnival.  Otherwise, choose from among the numerous other cruise lines for a much better experience. 

By the way, Carnival has more man-overboard incidents than any other cruise.  Their 2009 numbers are equal to every other cruise line combined.  Coincidence?  Nope. 

I totally disagree with the naysayers who are bashing MY favorite cruise line. Yes, it is true that some guests have problems with their vacation due to the location of their cabin or a misunderstanding with their travel agent. I have sailed 4 times and hope to sail again next month. One VERY helpful piece of advice...DO NOT BOOK A CRUISE WITHOUT A CONFIRMED CABIN NUMBER! You might save a little money by letting someone else choose your cabin, but you will be happiest if YOU select the cabin which best meets your specific needs - near the dining room, near elevators, away from Camp Carnival, etc. Also, remember that the Guest Services Desk is open 24/7 and the staff makes every effort to ensure guests' satisfaction with their vacation experience. Last, but not least, try to arrive EARLY at the dining room for the best experience at dinner. I ALWAYS get to the door about 15 minutes early. I stand in line while my husband looks at the menu and we then switch places. Knowing what we want before we're seated makes the waiter's job just a little easier.

I completely agree... DO NOT SAIL ON CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES!!!! You can book on Norweigian or Royal Caribbean for the same money.

I have taken many Carnival Cruise Lines and have had very little problems with them. I have been on 5 to date and am currently saving for my 6th either this winter or spring of 2009. My latest cruise was on Carnival Freedom during this past New Years. I can relate to the extreme vibrations and noise. Our stateroom was on the rivera deck at the very front of the boat. Not sure what the room number was anymore, but it was the forward most room available. What happened is everytime we went into port, arriving very early most times, the ship would have a very loud rumbling noise that came in waves lasting anywhere from 45 seconds to over 3 minutes at a time. This was more than just noise - it literally shook the entire stateroom! I'm not kidding. Items left out on our nightstand fell to the floor. The water in the toilet splashed around. Anything that was not fastened down to anything moved around during the shaking. I had orginally thought it was the side thrusters used to help maneuver the boat onto the pier during docking. What was insane about all of this is the fact that this continued for at least 30 minutes to sometimes and hour AFTER we were docked. I mean there was nothing happening. I went outside to look and there was nothing. The boat was moored or roped up and not a churn in the water from anything of the ship's systems. I have no freaking clue wtf this was or why it was the way it was. I mean waves of rumbling/rattling and loud noises over and over again in 5 minute or less bursts? Totally lame! I have been in the back of the ship before on the lowest level and that does tend to be a bit noiser due to the engines. That is not a problem at least the engines produce a constant noise, which can be rather soothing at times, but this was unreal. Three days in a row at around 6 or 7 we were woken up just like an alarm clock as we arrived to our port of call for the day. The day of debarkation was the worst since we arrived into Miami at 4am since we were to be off the boat early morning around 8 or so. So even though I was not planning on getting up until 6:30am I was rudely awakened at 4am with this earthquake! Look ships are massive and have complex systems. I get that. Carnival should just let guests staying in these rooms know that during docking you may experience a brief time where it will not be all that great. Also for some reason it is only limited to the first 10 staterooms or so. We had friends 22 rooms back that felt and heard NOTHING! Who knows what the hell it was, but all I know is I would have liked and explanation and perhaps an apology for the minor inconvenience it did cause. I had an awesome cruise so I'm not really that pissed about it, but it is at least fair for them to mention it to you if you are assigned the first few rooms I believe. Just let people know so they don't wake up thinking wheres my life jacket!

First off, on oceanview room is not "premium" price. It is only one step up from an inside. The word "premium" should be reserved for the higher end balconies and suites. Furthermore, if you were assigned a room by the cruise line, you must have booked a guaranteed room in that category, which is the cheapest way to book. That being said, when you book a cruise, you should look at the floor plans and book the specific room you want. When you book a guarantee and leave it to the cruise line to place you in a room of that category (the cheap way to go), you will be stuck in a room that no one else booked (meaning, no one else wanted). If you didn't know you could choose your room from what was available, your T/A should have explained it to you. As for the rest, you get what you pay for. You cruised Carnival. The name of the company should have been a clue. Next time, pay "premium" and go on a better cruise line.