Posted on 02/24/2013 7:40:22 PM PST by willk
I had a GREAT time on my first cruise!! And yes...I was on the Triumph!! It was NOT THAT BAD!! It was akin to camping in one's own backyard as a kid. The crew was great, we were well treated, food was plentiful, water was restored quickly and the toilet issue was a minor inconvenience.
To expound a little on the camping analogy......Imagine camping in the backyard as a kid, the septic tank has a little bit of an issue on the other side of the yard, and mom hasn't been to the store in a couple of days. You could avoid the "squishy" part of the yard, and you may not have found what you wanted in the pantry...but there was food. Make sense?? There was NEVER any solid waste in the floor (unless someone defficated there on purpose somewhere) . There were some spots with some grey water overflow, but most was due to people not managing their water use considering the angle of list on the boat. We were never out of toilet paper....nor was anyone that we spoke to (which probably numbered well into the hundreds over the course of 5 days). We ran out of towels and all we had to do was (gasp) ask for more. Those that made the DELIBERATE DECISION to IGNORE the directions to NOT USE the toilets were susceptible to overflow when they pressure tested the system while trying to repair it. Those incidents were a DIRECT RESULT of people doing what they were specifically told NOT TO DO...but they thought "oh....it'll be ok just this once" and as a result of THEIR actions...they suffered more than others.
Addressing the food situation, there was AMPLE food. Even with the hoarding that some were doing, there was plenty of food available 24/7. Lines were lengthy for things like hamburgers, hot dogs and desserts,..... but the lines for sandwiches and fruits/veggies and things were very reasonable. As for the "they were making us eat onion and cucumber sandwiches" story.....yes, there were onion and cucumber sandwiches AFTER other passengers had come along and REMOVED THE MEAT FROM THEM for themselves!!! If you are gonna tell the story....tell it in it's entirety!! There were people walking around with trays of juice and water constantly. Servers were EVERYWHERE! It may not have been in a bottle, but it was bottled water served in cups and it was readily available at EVERY SINGLE BEVERAGE STATION and from a dozen or more servers at any given time!
I fully understand that not everyone goes camping and there are people that are a bit more emotionally sensitive than most, but it was not the emotional travesty it is being made out to be. If anyone has ANY sense of self preservation, it was no big deal. To those that have become nothing more than a "social dependent"... It was probably a bit more of a shock. There were some elderly that were having a hard time with all of the stair climbing that was necessary, but they come from a different generation....one that wasn't steeped in the "entitlement" mentality that recent generations seem to have. The elders on the boat, although having a hard time, were some of the most positive people I encountered!!
I would get back on another Carnival boat tomorrow, and I FULLY intend to be on the Triumph as she makes sail for the first time after her repairs are completed! Kuddos to Carnival staff, all the way from the bottom of the ladder to the top for making every effort to handle this incident as best as possible.
There is no contradiction between sincerely hoping that Carnival won’t make a habit of allowing such failures and wanting to see proof of that before patronizing them again, and meeting the failures with the best spirit you can muster if they DO happen.
Life without the grace of God is a bitch, please pardon my English.
Our photo was meant as a negative, however it kicked up fond memories of past cruises.
I enjoy team-building w my fellow passengers, occasionally ending in the Sports bar til 3-4-5am talking life experiences. Made some friends I would have never known otherwise. A couple times I made my way to the cabin on my own, other times I’d have the bartender call security to lead me to my cabin, one time I untied a lounge chair on a forward deck and slept under the stars until the sun woke me. In the 1-2 hours the sun was up, the crew had cleaned the deck around me but never woke me, I had a blanket over me and my head was resting on a pool towel.
The best was the pre-9/11 days when we had to queue up on the ship to go threw customs. We are talking 1-3 hours and the entire family had to be there for customs. So I told the wife I was going to bathroom and for her to wait in line for me. I followed the line to the lounge where the customs agents were sitting. I promptly laid down and slept on a two person chair like a loveseat right alongside the customs line so my wife would not miss me. My wife woke me saying that at least we’ll never see these people again and she was right. Both incidents were on different cruises and on the FunShips. Though not booked yet our Oct cruise will be #23 for the wife and I.
Hey tuber, make sure you get that valving correct.
Perhaps you can't afford a cruise? Maybe you should save up. They are great fun. Sure, there is an occasional slip up. But not everyone on a cruise is a moron. Your wife must love the cook-outs in your backyard. Such fun. So romantic. Maybe that explains why you have no children.
Me, I avoid large groups and crowds like the plague.
But feel free to spend your free time on some floating apartment building....Whatever spins your spokes katy.
Pure BS.
No one enjoys being stranded with no toilet. Ship designers who don’t think emergency power sufficient to operate the running water deserve to be and will be sued out of business. Its a 14 story hotel, folks. they could put anything they want on board, including enough back up power to run the water and a small city. If they wanted to, of course.
Carnival is just darned lucky that there was not an outbreak of cholera or typhoid.
I sure hope you are never on a cruise that I am on asshole!!!
Well, there ya go! :) All you had to say from the start is you think cruises are stupid and even a successful voyage sounds like your very own version of Kafka's hell on earth. No need to fuss with cruise lovers (like K and K) over this news story. Asking you to see the bright side of a failed cruise, considering your views, would be silly! And that's totally cool too.
I loved our Alaskan Cruises. Our kids were entertained, so we got lots of grown up time. The scenery is like nothing I have ever seen.
We also went on a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. I didn’t like that as much but it was an easy way to see 4 islands.
I really love all the food choices. It’s hard to please our whole family, but cruises seem to be a good fit. Even my nature loving, introverted husband likes them.
Amazing how many posters whine like sue happy democratasses
Amen
Pathetic to see, some here so litigious
Dayum
U fight good for a newb
I salute u
LOL!
Big difference between what you experienced and what is looking like a lack of maintenance of a ship... which the passengers were captive to. In a land tour you can pretty much bail on the tour if they are not living up to expectations. On a ship you are captive to what they provide you.
I figured I’d get a snarky comment from somebody.
In the years before airplanes, rich people took cruises - because they had to in order to travel abroad. In more recent years, cruises have become status symbols for the poor and middle class. I guess I don’t get it; know that people who take cruises regularly swear by it, but not for me.
Sometimes things break.
Its easy, don’t go on a cruise.
You mean people DON’T sleep and sun themselves on the deck during a cruise?
Heck I thought that was why most people went.
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