Paul Beaulieu

Age: 33
Occupation: Sales
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Carnival
Name of Ship: Inspiration
Sailing Date: December 1st, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

This review is for the most part, a reflection of the poor cruise we received from Carnival Cruise Lines. My wife has been on other cruise lines, so she has something to compare this to.

We booked our honeymoon cruise to The Western Caribbean on Carnival Cruise Lines. We had a Stateroom which was nice because once we arrived at the ticket counter level in Tampa, FL, we were able to board in the first boarding group, no lines, no waiting. Cruise was off to a good start.

Food/Drink Quality: We found the food quality and portion size to be poor. The food was so bad in the dining area that we only had 2 meals in there for the entire 7 day cruise. 2 dinners and 1 breakfast. Our waiter was not the most pleasant of waiters. One evening they were offering a prime rib for one entree and lobster tails as another. Being from New England, we wanted to enjoy a little surf and turf. Our waiter took our order, then returned with only the prime ribs. When I asked about the lobster, I was told he could only serve one entree per person at a time. He returned with the lobster tails and placed them in the wait station. He served them when we were finished with our steak. The lobster tails were cold, undercooked and tasteless. The prime rib was decent.

We ordered room service the next day before dinner, we had the late seating. I called and ordered cheese and crackers and some grapes. What arrived was very shocking. 3 saltine packages, cheese that was hard around the edges, perhaps leftover from the buffet table and the grapes were not fresh.

We made one more attempt in the Mardi Gras dinning room the next morning. We were worried something might have happened with our waiter, so we expressed our concern to him, and he apologized and said he was not a morning person. Our breakfast arrived cold. This was the last time we visited the Mardi Gras Dinning room. It was also the last time 3 other couples from our table sat in the dinning room. We all ate our meals in the Brasserie Grill. We met many other couples who were doing the same thing. The common consensus was that the food on this particular cruise was the worst they had experienced on all of the other cruises they had sailed one. We met a 70 year old couple from Florida, this was their 7th cruise. Same comments. We also met a Cruise Travel Agent who expressed she was not going to be sending her group in January on this Cruise Line.

The food in the Brasserie Grill was better than the dinning room, however it was not the first class food one would expect on a cruise ship from a 16 Billion Dollar Company either.

On-Board Entertainment. Did not attend the shows, they did not appeal to us. We did try to enjoy a couples massage. We payed for a 50 min massage and received a 30 min massage. Did not know the 15 min relaxation time at the end of the massage was included in the 50 mins. Also, the young ladies were whispering and giggling throughout the experience.

Sail and Sign Cards. These were pitched to us as a resource for everything. We used them for drinks which was convenient. They were also pitched as a means of using in the on board casino. However, when I went to join the blackjack tournament using my sail and sign card, I was told there would be an additional 3% charge. I would have preferred to have known this prior to signing up. They should disclose that when they are pitching these cards so heavily for the casino.

First port of call, Grand Cayman. We embarked on the Stingray Sandbar Excursion. We took a 15 min bus ride to the dock, then a 30 minute ride to the Stingray Sandbar itself. Well, we arrived, and were told the tide was too high and too dangerous for a crowd of this size (75-80 people). We're heading back to shore. Now, we were reimbursed for this charge, and it is no way Carnival's fault the tide conditions were not right. However, a good captain would have known this by the tide charts, and that would have given us an extra 1-1/2 to enjoy Grand Cayman. Bad vendor selection on Carnival's part. The name of the boat we boarded was Free Willy.

Captain's Party. Warm white wine and whiskey sours, hors d’oeuvre that tasted like they were taken out of a frozen freezer section, not well prepared at all. Another point to note, the captain did not greet his guests at the door. He showed up three quarters of the way through the party.

Drink Quality. I was a bartender for many years, the drinks were weak. Spend your money where you know what you are getting, beer and wine.

We do think our room steward did a great job, the room was always clean and he was very responsive. When I booked for this, the travel agent indicated that this was an older ship, and yes, she does show her age on board with the rugs and color schemes, however, age of the ship does not mean the food should be second quality. That is a result of the products bought and how they were prepared.

We have made several attempts to contact Mr. Micky Arison, the Chairmad and CEO of Carnival, only to be transferred to Guest Relations. We have sent certified letters and made several phone attempts. They have offered a discount on a future cruise, however this was a honeymoon, and a discount on a future cruise simply isn't good enough. They did not even acknowledge our special occasion on board.

My wife had a wonderful time on Norwegian Cruise lines prior to us meeting. I'm sure there are people who have had their share of bad experiences on there as well, it is all how the company handles these situations that determines if I will give them any future business.

Good luck, and we hope that your future cruises are filled with blue skies and joyous times!