Deanna Rodriguez

Age: 24
Occupation: IT Professional
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Fascination
Sailing Date: May 7th, 2001
Itinerary: Supposed to be Key West, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen. Instead went to Bahamas

I would like to begin this letter by stating that 9 other passengers and myself are tremendously dissatisfied with the way Carnival has conducted its business. The service was very poor and our complaints were not handled in a timely manner. Additionally, passenger and staff communication was derisory and contemptible!

Below I have included the events that transpired starting on May 7, 2001:

o       Upon arrival to Port Canaveral, we discovered that our destination had been altered. We were scheduled to sail to Key West, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel. Instead we were told at the last minute that we were sailing to a TOTALLY different island! We were also not notified of this change until our arrival at the port.

      The above outlines a breach of contract. We, in good faith, remitted payment of $1500.00 to Carnival Cruise Lines for a trip to Mexico. The contract was broken by a change of venue by Carnival Cruise Lines without consent of both parties (for details under which both agreed upon).

o       On May 8, after remitting payment and booking the, "Swim with Dolphins" tour, we arrived in Freeport, Bahamas.  The tour director told us that Carnival never notified the staff of any tour bookings for that day. We were also told that it was too late to book any subsequent tours because they were fully booked by the Disney Cruise Lines.

o       On May 8, we were scheduled to see a Broadway show while on the cruise. Heavily anticipating the viewing of the show, we were once again disappointed when told that the show had been CANCELLED due to "technical difficulties."

o       The food was inadequate. There wasn't a very large selection of food to choose. Additionally, the dinner portions were very minute and unfulfilling.

o       Customer service was at an "all time low" during the trip as well. Our steward was very unfriendly and uncooperative when called upon to assist us with the safe in our room.

·       Lastly, it was also interesting to learn that the Fascination was in dry dock for 2 weeks in what was obviously a failed attempt to fix a broken engine. The above indicates that Carnival not only knew of the very real possibility that the ship wouldn't make the trip to Mexico, but also never forewarned the customers.

The above only constitutes half of the events that contributed to a very abhorrent experience. There are other many unpleasant things that cannot be verbalized or written that has made a lasting bad impression on Carnival's passengers.

Lastly I was shocked to find out that Carnival has a deplorable record with the Better Business Bureau, which states, "The Bureau opened its file in July 1999. Our file experience shows that this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau. Specifically, our records show a pattern of no response to customer complaints brought to its attention by the Bureau and a pattern of failure to eliminate the basic cause of customer complaints brought to its attention by the Bureau."  It is sad to see that Carnival Cruise lines doesn't hold their reputation in high regard and doesn't take proper measures to correct its bad reputation.

I work very hard for my money and look forward to a relaxing vacation. I only get 2 weeks a year and I just wasted one on aggravation thanks to Carnival Cruise lines. Not only did the level of service spoil my vacation, but also my anniversary. I also believe that some form of retribution is in order to compensate for our loss.

In closing, needless to say, I am disappointed with Carnival Cruise Lines and do not plan to use the service in the future.

In the business world, reports of quality service get around fast but deplorable service gets around faster. Many businesses generate money through reputation..

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