Carnival Cruise Lines
Ecstasy Cruise Review
Western Caribbean

Frances Evans
Age: 59
Occupation: Manager
Number of Cruises: 8
Sailing Date: April 8th, 2006

Well I never thought I would ever have anything really bad to say about Carnival, but this cruise did it, we were amazed at the service and the crew< I had heard that they were training new staff but I think they should all go back and get a refresher course.

1. we were 5 adults 2 children I am maternal grandparent of the children, I went to sign the 8 year old and 14 year old for camp Carnival at the orientation was told only a parent has that right but I could be listed as 2nd adult only to pick up the children after the events of the day, seems a little backwards to me, but I could not drop them off and sign them in, but could pick them up duh!!! good thing my daughter was on the trip with me or the kids would be very disappointed, also they do not let you in on actives for the day unless you ask what's going on, there was a talent show and the two children, that were 8 years old wanted to join but did not know they had to sign up we all got dressed and marched down to the club for the show the 2 children were excited as they practiced their song on the lido stage all afternoon, when we got there counselor said they could not join the talent show as they did not sign up for it, or had a rehearsal, which none of us knew about, there were only 3 children signed up and they would not let the kids, do their song. anyway, it was not like there were 50 kids in the talent show there were about 16 people that were in the club watching. 3 of which were the talent show singers. more disappointment on the little ones.

2. I was sitting in the lido buffet, with the kids having breakfast when a little girl about 4 tables down dropped a chunk of cantaloupe in the middle of the buffet area, I watched as 4 crew service waiters walked over the melon, no one bent to pick it up, I stopped a supervisor pointed it out and told her 4 of her people just walk by it, and someone would slip and fall on that marble/slate floor, dirty dishes filled the tables out by the pool no one was there to bus and pick up glasses we were constantly clearing off tables of beer bottles dishes glasses, full ash trays, before we could sit and eat where were the service people I seen them all over the place but they never lifted any thing off the tables we cleaned them or we had the beverage seller take everything away, when ever he walked by, when we could get his or her attention.

3. we rented tuxes for the dinner and they were delivered to the room $132.00 total for what we rented the one Jacket and the men's shirt was all wrinkled, so we asked the steward on our floor to send it to be press, it came back just before Dinner with a Bill, we had to pay to get it pressed, I went down an confronted purser on that one, did get our money back for the pressing, but that was beside the point it should have been pressed and ready to go for 132 buckaroos, you think!!

4. the 3 girls went to the salon to have updos for Captains Dinner as it was formal night, the salon people, put fancy hairpins and boubles in your hair with out asking you if you want them or if you are willing to spend the extra 20.00 or more till after they are done, and then low and behold you look in the mirror and are embarrassed to ask them to remove them as you did not ask for them or were told there was a additional charge BEWARE!!!! a 45.00 updo now was 65.00 to 80.00 depending on what they placed in your hair.

5. Dinner what a mess, we only went the first 2 nights we waited as the waitress came back 3 times with wrong drink order, waiter got the dinners wrong, second night we brought 2 bottles of wine to table they brought an ice bucket and placed the wines in bucket we finally flagged down someone halfway through dinner to open and pour the wine. second night also dinners were serve wrong, we had enough we did the Buffet the remaining nights, we just did not think it was worth the effort to go back.

6. Our Room Steward was more then ok he was there when ever we need him, he answered all our pages and was a great service person, and went the full nine yards with us, thank you. Rico

7. the lido deck had a huge leak from pool dripping all over in buckets and bucket all over, by the desert table.

8. we did leave all the tips on the bill 350.00 all though we did toss around the idea of taking them off, except for our room steward, which now I wish we had, because I would have rather seen Rico and his helpers get the full 350.00

9. the lido deck was filthy dirty trash was blowing all over no one picked it up, I was just amazed at how the staff ran this ship, NEW or not, it was a disgrace to Carnival, I have other issues but it is from other family members that were on the cruise, I would be here all night writing if I listed everything, again I am not a Carnival basher I love their ships but this was by far the worst, I have been on in the last 8 cruises

10. the topper was an elderly guest was totally drunk and incoherent and slid down the wall on the lido deck and was babbling and could not move the crew walked past him for over a half hour before some one told security that the man was in distress, he was served at the bar on lido and not cut off they just kept giving him drinks and charging him He could not even say NO!!! that's how drunk he was they took him away in a wheel chair, and this was at 3 in the afternoon with children running all over the place, the bar tender should have known when to stop serving him, there was no excuse for that. the man could not even talk he was sitting 2 stools away from me and he was babbling, I knew he had had enough cut him off already!!!

11. tender departure big joke they request your family member all be there in the morning to get number, we went at 8:30 we left the other 5 at the dining room to wait for the 2 8 year olds to finish eating, I went up to get 11 stickers for the 2 families as we were all going ashore together was told that they all had to be present to get sticker, so we had to go down and rush them mean while after we all got stickers , I watched as 3 different passengers went in an got 10- 13 stickers for their family members who were not even in the room after I was told NO!! all would have to be present, which I followed the rule and we got all our stickers together, I confronted the women in charge and told her Why was it ok for other 3 passengers to get tender ticket while their families were not even in the starlight room, if you are going to change the rules do not do in the middle of the thing, what's fair is fair, make everyone follow the rules we were there early and could have gotten the #1 tender ticket, it really did not matter, as we were all on the same tender, its just the idea that they broke their own rules, constantly!!

Bottom line I would not take this ship again and word to wise once a ship is dry-docked, they come out with lots of problems, and new employees training, who are confused and do not know what they are doing, not enough supervisors to guide them.

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