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Joe Batrich

Age: 42
Occupation: real estate appraiser
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: carnival
Ship: sensation
Sailing Date: January 6th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

I just got back from my first and last cruise. I went on the Carival Cruise lines out New Orleans, a 4 day jaunt, and God forbid it would last another day!

We got into New Orleans the night before and partied late in the Quarter, the next day we got to the cruise ship, checked our bag and went to Ugelsich's for lunch, then walked back to the boat (about 1 mile, but worth the trip).

We got to the room, no bags, and they did not show for about more 3 hours so we could not change. The room was clean and the service below the deck was very good for the whole trip. The linens were always clean and service was prompt, good job!

The main deck was crowded, the people on the cruise area very similar to a typical Panama City Spring Break crowd, red and rowdy and all ages getting drunk.

The next day, we went to the gym for a work out, nice to be able to do so, and the equipment was OK.

After a workout, we returned to a cleaned room, showered, changes and went up to the Lido deck around 9 am where the pool was). As soon as we laid out our towels, we were asked if we wanted a drink, not 30 seconds later, another waiter asked if we wanted a drink. We opted not to get one, simply relax.....wrong, not on a cruise ship. Every two minutes or less (I'm not kidding) was another waiter asking what we wanted to drink, fine and dandy if you want to get drunk, but that was not our cause.

After a few hours we went to get a bite to eat, buffet style, food was average to below average, served similar to a Ryan's, GOlden Coral, or Barnhill's.

When we went up top once more, it was then we noticed empty cups and beer cans all over the place. It seems Carnival is very aggressive to "sell" you a drink, but not pick up after themselves. The bathrooms were disgusting and urine was all over the floor (you can imagine the smell), my girlfriend noticed the same uncleanliness in the women's room.

We went down for dinner and seated at a large table for about 10 people, but we were the only ones at the table that night and it felt awkward. The food was not good, similar to a swanson's frozen dinner (I guess it would be good for someone who likes frozen dinners).

We went to the after dinner show...lame, then went gambling for a while, however, there were alot of smokers there and it stunk so we did not stay long.

The next day, we were in Cozumel, went on the snorkeling trip and then to the beach, kind of nice.

Afterward we were back at the ship and had to go though the maze of "ship shops" to get a cab, who sent us to carlos and charlie's (another ship attraction), ate and went back to the cruise ship.

The next day, same thing all over again. We ordered a drink around 11 am, and it was strong, every 2-3 minutes, they were trying to sell you another drink, trying to get you drunk, and once again, litter everywhere. The pool was so small, you can forget about swimming, and there were so many kids in the pool anyway, that it was kind of scary just thinking about getting into that "large toilet for kids".

We ended up having a few drinks during the day, and as the day progressed, the drinks got weaker and weaker, in fact, several of us complained that the drinks tasted like there was no alcohol in the drinks late in the day (typical of Carnival and how cheap they are).

The following morning we got the bill! Holy S***! drinks are $6 plus gratuity!, cokes are $2.50 plus gratuity, and water $3 plus gratuity, in addition, there was an additional $100 of gratuity tacked onto the bill for other crew members (nice touch). The bill, including the snorkeling, drinks, and gratuities came to a shocking $400 of unexpected charges. The worst part is that we hardly had anything to drink.

All in all, the trip was a rip off. We felt like we were constantly hounded to buy drinks from them (at $6 a pop) and if we asked for a coke or water, it took twice as long as the other drinks. The ship was nasty, the food was not good, and many of the crew members treated the guests as if they really did not like their jobs much (although mostly European and probably did not understand). The cruise charges for everything, we referred to the card as "the devil". I would recommend taking a flask or bottle with you and getting a fun card (which allows you to get sodas without paying, but costs $25 per card and is not transferable), better yet, don't go.

My recommendation is; the cruise is an experience...once. I would have much rather spent $1,500 fling into a similar destination and staying at a resort for about the same amount of money.