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Jump Ship Now by
Shunta M from Somewhere, AZ Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: Our cabin steward was friendly. Cons: The staff was rude, the food was poor, the ship leaked and the ship broke down in the middle of the ocean. This wasn't Disney, but I still expected to see smiles, not frowns. Many of the workers walked around looking as if they were "mad with the world" and their attitudes matched their faces. I encountered many workers aboard the ship and out of the ones that I encountered only four seemed to truely understand the meaning of hospitable customer service. The majority of the workers I encountered gave off an air of "don't ask me because I don't feel like being bothered." Kris, at the front desk, was perhaps the most upsetting for me. While I had heard sarcastic remarks being made by other crew members, especially during the spa "fun facial" event, I hadn't been as annoyed as I was when Kris condesendingly spoke to me as if I were a two year old he had the right to talk down too. I have a low threshhold for condesending remarks and I informed him that the problem was still out on deck three and to send security to take care of it. My tone was not harsh, but I wasn't my usual "sweet voiced" self either. The interaction with the crew, for me, was like pulling teeth--difficult, exasperating and painful.
Working Order
Beyond the crew problems were the ship problems. Perhaps the later is more important than the former. Carnival Destiny is an older ship, built in 1996, and shee has probles to show for it. It rained our first full day at sea and leaks were noted in the spa (the aerobics room), also in the Deck 9 Sun and Sea resteraunt. When pointed out, a crew member in teh resteraunt simply said it was nothing at all and we could move to another table. We did move, as having water dripping into our food was not the ideal situation. There was another leak over where we moved to, but this leak was dripping onto the floor in the walk isle, so we were able to eat without the added health hazzard.
The ship had "technical" problems on the way to the second island causing it to slow and us to be late by an hour and a half. They were unable to fix the problem and we were all informed that techs would be flying in to the third island (Nassau) to try to repair the problem. Unfortuantely we all later found out the problem was not fixed when we received a late night letter under the cabin door informing us that we would be three and half hours late into our final port - Miami. Panic followed because people with early flights were told they would miss them and would need to reschedule. For guest who were booked on flights after 2:30 p.m. on Carnival's FLYAWEIGH program the letter noted that their flights would be re-scheduled. For all other guest with independent air arraangements on American, Delta, Northwest and Southwest airlines departing prior to 2:30 p.m. they were to take the letter to the ticket counter at the airport and try to re-schedule their flights. The one thing I have noticed is that people who want to get home, don't like upsetting news letting them know they're going to miss their flight and may have to 1. fly stand-by and 2. pay an intial fee to reschedule. The letter also mentioned that Carnival would reimburse any incurred fees for rebooking. The passenger simply had to send in the receipt upon their return home. For people who may have booked this cruise while still employed, only to lose their jobs and not be able to cancel the cruise, finding out you may incur a fee you can't pay in order to get home is not comforting.
Compounded on top of the ship leaks and propellar problems was how often the outer portions of deck three had to be closed. One closure was so they could wash down the lifeboats. I have crusied before and that type of maintenance was not done during a cruise. The other few times I went up the outdoor areas were closed, but I saw no explanation as to why. The final time they chose to do maintenance on the outer portion of deck three they didn't close it. They simply started painting over spots up between the next deck and the lifeboats. The pervasive smell of the paint was a sure sign that this is one Ship QualityLeaks that I saw in the spa area and the Sun and Sea eating areas. Dining/FoodNot a very good selection; breakfast on the Lido Deck seemed to have the same selection each morning. Dinner in the dining room needed a better variety of dining options. One positive is that there was a vegitarian option offered for the main course on each night. Stateroom QualitySheets had brown stain in them. Our cabin steward did his best to keep the room clean and he was very nice. Ship Staff QualityAll that I encountered, except for four people, were rude. Entertainment & ActivitiesThere was something offered on board even during the days when we were at the islands. This made it possible to have something to do even if you didn't go ashore. There didn't really seem to be anything spectacular about the entertainment options, however.  7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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  If you've been on one Carnival Cruise by
Tina R from Kentucky Sailing date: Dec 2012Pros: Port of Call Cons: Food If you have been on one Carnival Cruise, you've been on them all. This was my second time cruising with Carnival. All activities scheduled was the same as the previous cruise. I'm not sure why Cruise Directors are needed because the schedule of activities were the exact same. Ship QualityPart of the ship's deck was closed for repairs. Also inside was roped off for repairs also.
The water slide only opened on the last day of sailing. Dining/FoodThe food in the Main dining room was the exact same menu as my previous cruise. Nothing special and rather balnd.
The buffet dining on this ship was rather unorganized and poor quality. Stateroom QualityThe balcony room was excellent and very roomy. Entertainment & ActivitiesEntertainment was the same as the other cruise I went on. 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Mediocre followed by disappointment crui by
Kris L from Fernandina Bch, Fl Sailing date: Nov 2012Pros: Having a balcony Cons: The outdated stateroom Our 4th cruise, this one was for our anniversary. Our first impression was that the ship was outdated but were fine with that. What we were not okay with was the need to ask multiple times for something to be taken care of, the sewer/sulfer smell in the hall, construction going on a few doors down or the plastic covering the carpets on our hall and the elevator area. Would have been nice to know ahead of time that the ship was going to be renovated in Jan. 13' Ship QualityThe ship was the largest we have sailed on and was nice, things were pretty easy to locate. It was clean. Dining/FoodWe had brought a bottle of champagne for our anniv night and Anthony, our headwaiter, chilled it ahead of time for us! Food was decent. Stateroom QualityOur actual room was okay, size was fine, balcony was fantastic, will never sail without one again! The closet door was broke, took me asking several times and was finally fixed later the next day. No bathrobes in the room, had to ask for them. Location was good, room was clean, beds were comfortable. Shower curtain was too small for the shower so it made a mess every time you showered. The couch was sticky and they tried to clean it but didn't work, ended up covering it with towels. Ship Staff QualityWe are used to staff being overly friendly and helpful but this time was different. A couple of the Pool Bartenders, Anthony, Kendal and Henry- give them all 5s, everyone else just didn't seem like they wanted to be there. Our stateroom attendant, he seemed to be bothered and put out by us. I accidentally broke a glass in the room and when I told him he said he would get it later. I ended up picking up the big pieces and requesting that the room be vacuumed hours later. I had to ask multiple times for the closet door to be fixed. Had to ask for bathrobes. Entertainment & Activities
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Disappointed by
April H from Columbia, SC Sailing date: Oct 2012Pros: Ports Cons: Hot Room, smoking in to many public areas, no adult only deck, long food lines Very disppointed in this cruise. Our room was hot when we asked about a fan we were told once we going more rooms would cool down but he would check back on us later. We never saw him again. Bigger ship lots lots of people, food areas in the back and long lines to get food. several restrooms were closed one room on our floor was flooded from a bathroom and the door was opened and the loud floor drying fans on the whole cruise and room smelled when you walked past. Smoking was allowed in several of the public areas of the ship. No adult only deck. 4th cruise we have been on and this has been the worst. Ports were great, had lots of fun there. I also witnessed on a few different incidents of crew members being very ugly to guests. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodYour time dining was a great option. Dining room is upstairs to the normal dining times area and wait for a time was only a few minutes. Great to be able to go when you wanted to and not have a set time. Stateroom Qualitysize of room was good, room was HOT!! Ship Staff Quality
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Noisy, crowded & inconsistent by
A Traveler from New York, NY Sailing date: Feb 2012Pros: Guitar player, dining room service, comedian, kids activities Cons: crowds, lines for buffets, lines to sign in kids for camp carnival This ship is best for partiers. There are few quiet spaces on the ship, and even the adult pool was full of loud, obscenity-spouting drunks by the end of the days at sea. By 9 a.m. most of the deck chairs are reserved, despite signs saying they can't be. Lines at food stations are annoying and make it difficult to enjoy any of the specialty dining options. Ship QualityA bit too las vegas style but clean and well laid-out Dining/FoodFood was generally good and some options were surprisingly delicious. However, lines at buffets and specialty food stations were long. We had a defined dining time for dinner which worked great, and the dining room staff were incredible. Those with "your time dining" looked like they had to wait in LONG lines to get tables. Stateroom QualityStateroom was great. A few minor problems were fixed right away. Had a balcony stateroom on verandah deck, 1 floor below pools, very convenient. Ship Staff QualityHad great interactions with dining staff and room stewards. Activities staff were overwhelmed and not very accommodating. Guest services staff were unable or unwilling to help with problem situations. Entertainment & ActivitiesLoved the comedians. Some musicians were fair, some excellent. Children's ProgramsUnderstaffed but kids had a great time. 0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Disappointing Cruise by
A Traveler from Delray Beach, Florida Sailing date: Oct 2010Pros: The Carnival Destiny was very nice - clean, comfortable room, excellent food in the dining room Cons: Ship broke down; didn't take us on the cruise we booked; instead of the Cayman Islands, we went to Key West, Florida (I live in Florida and have been to Key West a dozen times!) The ship itself was iimpressive - if only we got to go on the cruise we signed up for to the Cayman Islands. The ship lost its propulsion - Carnival needs to do a better job maintaining their ships. The cruise line also did a poor job of communicating the problems they were having. Would not recommend based on the way we were treated (very poorly). Ship Quality
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George Town, Grand CaymanWould have loved to see Grand Cayman - the only place I really wanted to go. The only problem was the cruise line changed the itinerary at the last minute because the ship's engines broke down. Unbelievably disappointing.
Ocho Rios, JamaicaIt was okay, if you don't mind being continually hassled by the locals. VERY annoying
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Carnival Destiny - Not a Good Cruise by
MG from New York City Sailing date: Aug 2010Pros: Half Moon Cay Cons: Entertainment on the cruise ship the entertainment was very poor. they need to review the demographics and provide more entertainment accordingly. the food was not as good, i have had better in other cruise ships. the carnival destiny though it was refurbished it still shows its deteriotated years of existance. the teen club was a disaster for my teenage daughter, extremely small next to the younger club (12-14) which was totally unsupervised, at night they would sneak into the teenage club and run around as if it was a playground!! Entertainment & ActivitiesPoor entertainment. Not enough to do and they had a two comedians. One was absolutely terrible and thank God the other was great. Children's ProgramsTERRIBLE!!
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Grand Turk Islandvery nice beach.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)BEAUTIFUL!!!
Nassau, Bahamas
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COULD BE BETTER by
A Traveler from Cape coral, fl Sailing date: Jul 2010Pros: LARGE CABINS Cons: THE REST It seems that the price goes up and the service gets worse. The cabins were large and the crew friendly but the rest was 2 out of 10. Would I travel with them again, only if I had no choise. My wife and I cruise about 3 times a year, this is our second carnival cruise and by far the worst. we just booked with Royal. Ship Quality
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won't do another carnival cruise by
A Traveler from Denver, CO Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: Dinner staff was very nice; good stateroom service Cons: majority of ship under-staffed, and rude staff. below average food The ship layout was confusing and choppy. On multiple occasions had other passengers ask directions, ended up in the wrong area, etc. I'm not sure if it was a function of the economy, but much of the staff seemed over-worked and not pleasant and the food quality was generally poor. There was only 1 towel check-out girl for the entire ship (over 3000 passengers) resulting in long lines. It seemed like they forced every opportunity to get additional money out of the passengers - including pushing photos at dinner and debarkations. Ship QualityLayout was confusing. no trashcans in hallways. Decor was a little 70s/80s loungeware. Dining/FoodThere were a few good items at dinner, but in general the hot foods were warm and the cold foods were warm. the majority of the food was reminiscent of College dorm food. The selection for main buffet was repetitive. on multiple occasions the alternative dining spots were not open when the schedule indicated they should be. Stateroom QualityWe had an upgraded balcony suite - the room was a good size, the balcony was nice. However it would have been nice if the rooms also had a non-smoking side. we couldn't leave our door open because of our neighbors smoke and every day we were cleaning off other peoples cigarette butts and matches off our balcony. Ship Staff QualityDinner staff and stateroom staff were exceptional. the majority of the remaining staff were rude or did the minimum. The optional dining staff were not friendly. the gym staff were un-helpful. in one instance there was an apparent misprint from the ship schedule to the gym schedul and instead of honoring the classes, the gym staff sat on the couch and chatted. Entertainment & ActivitiesFavorite main performance was the passenger talent show. the main dance crew was like watching a beginner dance recital with a lot more 'bottom bearing'. One of the comedians was entertaining, the other was like a bad Andrew Dice Clay impersonator.
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Grand Turk IslandBeach was rocky. only real interest was margaritaville - food and service were horrible. the other shops had little to offer and were basically 'cruise owned'.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)Another Cruise owned port, but the beach was very nice - lot's of space, clear water, white sand.
Nassau, BahamasIt happened to be a holiday the day we were in port so many of the shops were closed. The Atlantis resort was nice, it was just difficult to get there through the parade and the water taxis were definitely on 'island time'.
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Will not return. by
Mike from Southington, CT Sailing date: Aug 2007The dining time really ruined our trip. When we were not accomodated we had to rush to get to dinner or we were not able to go. The clientel on this ship was not what we were expecting. People were rude, pushed through food lines, etc. The food lines for the buffet averaged 30 minutes which we felt was rediculous. Dining/Food
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