Gregg Gillis

Age: 48
Occupation: Technologist
Number of Cruises: 7
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Carnival Pride
Sailing Date: August 21st, 2003
Itinerary: Bermuda

Let me list the good thing about this cruise before I mention some of the other things that I think were not up to par. First, there was a great three piece jazz band that played in one of the lobby areas, terrific. And, well, that's it. Now, I'm not a nit-pickin' kind of person, but after having vacationed on several other cruise lines (including Princess and RCCL) I guess I'm spoiled. For someone who has never cruised before - The Carnival Pride cruise to Bermuda might be a terrific event. But to those having experienced holiday on other cruise lines, Carnival is a huge step backwards, and yes, I will explain.

The Pride is now leaving out of NY City. The terminal was in complete disarray, chaotic, and a mess. They are trying to fix this so others cruising later should have a nicer experience. Good for them, but I should have had a discount for having to go through this kind of mess.

Onboard: the ship was way overdone in cheap renaissance wallpaper - looked like newspaper pictures. Real tacky. The food was uninspiring, the dining room was so noisy you couldn't hold a conversation. The PA system kept coming on blaring this special sale or that - I thought I was in KMART. We caught glimpses of our room steward - she never introduced herself to us. Our rooms were dusty, dirty, and our bathroom was never really clean. The stuff in the corners... Ugh!!! If you wanted water in the room, to drink, you were charged over $3 for the bottled water - what a ripoff. We ordered our breakfast in every morning - and never once did they get the SIMPLE order right - I had to call twice on two mornings and then finally gave up. The entertainment was so-so... mostly lip-synched. But the volume was SO loud we actually had to leave two of the events (yes, and I used to go to see The Who in concert). On two separate occasions, I watched ship security following individuals that looked and acted like they had come off the sidewalks of NY City. Kudos to the security guards but geez it was creepy. Then the final mess: the children. Unattended, running free, up and down the halls all night, pounding on doors, playing elevator tag, throwing food, playing slot machines in the casino. We watched a dozen kids squirting ketchup and mustard all over the floors and walls in the cafeteria one evening - no parents in sight, crew members walking by not looking. What a mess.

So, let me just put it this way: the best part of the cruise was leaving the boat and going home. I will never ever consider Carnival again. For the same price, I can have a much classier, more relaxing cruise on any other cruise line. And, that I plan to do.

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