Gary
Itinerary: Bermuda
Sailing Date: December 22nd, 2010
Age: 53
Occupation: Information Technologies
Number of Cruises: 2
Major disappointment. My wife had never
been on a cruise, the Fantasy was leaving from
Charleston which was a 4-hour drive from our
home and this was going to be our honeymoon.
I suspect that the
cost of fuel, which is probably one of the
greatest expenses of operating a cruise ship,
played a significant role in the disappointing
experience we had on our cruise. My previous
cruise on a Carnival ship was very impressive,
but this last one has ruined me from ever going
on a cruise again. I'm sure that Carnival has
had to make cuts to stay profitable with the
rising cost of fuel and that is what I'm
supposing was the greatest contributor to the
poor experience.
Food:
Pitiful. They were cranking out the hamburgers
on the Lido deck but in the dining rooms, where
I expected expertly prepared foods as on the
previous cruise, the quality was dismal. I
suspect that Carnival has gone to a supplier
that offers better prices rather than quality.
Ship life:
Through no fault of Carnival, parents left
children unattended and running around without
supervision. I went to get on an elevator and
there were 5 little pre-adolescents holding up
the elevator, sitting on the floor and horsing
around. Carnival was responsible for long lines
for food on the Lido deck and seemed to be under
staffed in the serving areas. It doesn't help
that a significant number of passengers seemed
to feel like this was going to be their last
meal in life. Servicing seemed to be a problem
and dirty dishes were sitting around on tables
and on the deck left unattended. You couldn't
clean things up yourself because there was no
place available to place dirty items.
Excursions:
Don't do it. Get off the ship and grab a cab to
where ever you want to go. My excursion was SO
horrible that I don't have the time to get into
it. Grab a cab and go do what you want to do.
Don't buy a Carnival excursion that will cost
you twice as much and leave you wondering what
you just paid for.
Distractions:
It seems like Carnival was making an incredible
effort to increase revenue by trying to sell you
a bunch of crap. $70 for dinner with the Chef?
I should have taken that offer just so I could
smack the guy on the back of the head for doing
such a poor job. $80 to tour the ship? No
thanks. Would you like to have your picture
taken with a pirate, a local ethnic person in
port, on the gangway, with the little turds
holding up the elevator and running around under
your feet, squeezing ahead of you in every line
imaginable? I'll pass.
I don't think I
set my expectations to high. I've heard and
read others who had an outstanding experience on
this cruise. God bless 'em. I'm glad for them,
but I'm done.
