Ever been on a cruise?

[97guns]

 

[Addie]

I have thought about taking a cruise but, it is not easy to find one that will make allowances for a single person traveling alone. In most cases you are required to pay for two full fairs and although I understand it, I still think it is unfair.

If I do go believe me I will carry a buffet bag in order to get my money's worth!

Sorry Aunt Bea. I can't go as your roomie.

 

[bakechef]

Yup, a classic case where you get what you pay for. I've known people who got sucked into the prices but floating beer bottles in the pool and vomit in the public restrooms because of the party animals isn't my idea of a good time. I feel really sorry for the crews on Carnival.

I've never been anything but happy on Princess, and they have a pretty good bang for the buck.

I've been on Royal Caribbean, Princess, NCL, and Carnival (5 times). I've never seen conditions like you describe. I stayed away from carnival for a long time because of that reputation, but was pleasantly surprised on my first carnival cruise, actually kind of shocked. The ship was spotless, and the food some of the best I've had at sea so far. My most recent cruise was their oldest smallest ship on a 7 day spring break cruise with the youngest mix of passengers yet, mostly college students. Even on this trip I saw no out of control drunkenness.

Other lines have prettier ships, but the experience over all was far more similar than different. My best cruise was on Royal Caribbean, and my worst by far was on Royal Caribbean, Carnival hasn't come close to as bad as my trip on Voyager of the Seas, even as bad as it was we had a good time, because I'll salvage a situation any way I can!

I avoid any cruise less than 7 days, the cheaper cruises for 3-4 days attract a much more party hardy crowd.

 

[jabbur]

Jabbur it sounds like you're a perfect candidate for a river cruise as there's obviously no issue with sea sickness. We have been on some remarkable river cruises through Europe and this summer we'll be doing another one in Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

As far as sea cruises are considered, I used to get terribly sea sick before I discovered that taking meclazine every morning, even the worst of seas don't affect me anymore. It works like a charm without any side effects for me at all.

I know they have the patches for motion sickness. Just not sure how drugged I may feel. We have a few years to figure it out I guess. We had talked about taking one for our 30th but we couldn't swing it financially. We had just finished paying for college for our youngest and had too many things that needed repaired on the house that we'd been putting off.

 

[Addie]

Back in the 70's I took the ferry from Seattle to Kodiak twice. Does that count as a cruise? I went to visit a friend who lived there. I went when the salmon were running. Both times I never ventured far from her porch. I could see the grizzlies and they weren't that far off. I helped her with smoking the salmon. And I brought a mess of it home. I did get to see a very large piece of the glacier calve off and into the sea. It was just at the end of summer while it was still warm enough to be melting the ice. Now that is a sight to see. Also got to see pods of whales and Orcas. But I saw them in Puget Sound every year. I was more imprressed with seeing the glacier break off. Sure did rock that ferry.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I know they have the patches for motion sickness. Just not sure how drugged I may feel. We have a few years to figure it out I guess. We had talked about taking one for our 30th but we couldn't swing it financially. We had just finished paying for college for our youngest and had too many things that needed repaired on the house that we'd been putting off.

Motion sickness tablets are over the counter. Meclizine is the generic name. Buy a bottle and try it out on a weekend to see how it effects you. Then you will know how you react to it.

 

[ahoymatey2013]

I just love how Carnival gets a bad rap from people who never sailed with them. I like Carnival and enjoyed the food, the people and everything about our cruises. I've never seen any beer bottles in the pool or anyone throwing up.

I love the sea days more then being docked.

One thing I have learned though is that I won't do anymore Christmas cruises. We aren't into children and there were a lot of them on the Pride during our cruise.

For the week we did during spring break, I had south more fun watching the college kids having a blast but even then I never saw anything get out of hand. I did, however, had a blood sugar crash that left me look like the story above about unruly guests. It was bad and at the time my husband didn't listen to me about how I would need to be treated if something pile that happened. I could have died and he didn't know what to do. He knows now that diabetes is very serious but I'm sure people were talking about what a mess I was.

 

[Andy M.]

I just love how Carnival gets a bad rap from people who never sailed with them...

I'm glad you enjoy your Carnival cruises. But you just have to see a few horror story reports on the news make you think another cruise line might be a good idea.

Carnival has had well publicized sea going disasters. I believe if other cruise lines had similar problems they would have made the new as well.

 

[Kayelle]

Motion sickness tablets are over the counter. Meclizine is the generic name. Buy a bottle and try it out on a weekend to see how it effects you. Then you will know how you react to it.

To expand on that info a little: Dramamine is dimenhydrinate and is sedating.
Bonine is meclizine and is typically non sedating.

Meclizine is the generic medicine in Antivert (Rx med) for vertigo.

It typically will work in a short amt of time but max benefit may be obtained by taking for 24 hrs prior to travel. I take one every night before bed time when cruising.

Since we travel a lot I buy Meclizine in bulk on line as the brand name Bonine is expensive.
I would never be able to fly or cruise without it!

Ahoy, I'm glad to hear you enjoy Carnival and also glad you were not on the floating beer bottles cruise. I have no reason to believe my friends were making up a story however.

 

[Addie]

To expand on that info a little: Dramamine is dimenhydrinate and is sedating.
Bonine is meclizine and is typically non sedating.

Meclizine is the generic medicine in Antivert (Rx med) for vertigo.

It typically will work in a short amt of time but max benefit may be obtained by taking for 24 hrs prior to travel. I take one every night before bed time when cruising.

Since we travel a lot I buy Meclizine in bulk on line as the brand name Bonine is expensive.
I would never be able to fly or cruise without it!

I take the meclizine for vertigo. Only I take a really strong dose. I take 25 mg three times a day for vertigo. And that is every day. When that doesn't work, then my doctor puts me on promethazine. That knocks me out long enough for my vertigo to get under control. I wouldn't wish vertigo on an ex spouse. I can't look up at tall buildings, turn to quickly, even turn over in bed, or even go around a corner to quickly. I have to concentrate on every step I take.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I've only used the meclizine for vertigo, never for motion sickness and I know I can use it and still drive to work. But, I can't say the same for Shrek, it knocks him out every time.

 

[bakechef]

I'm glad you enjoy your Carnival cruises. But you just have to see a few horror story reports on the news make you think another cruise line might be a good idea.

Carnival has had well publicized sea going disasters. I believe if other cruise lines had similar problems they would have made the new as well.

Thing is, right now anything that happens on a Carnival ship, or any other ship is going to be all over the news. Things happen all the time, that most would never hear of.

Carnival has been in the news lately, no doubt. Azmara, an upscale cruise line had a fire last year and had to be towed. Royal Caribbean just had a fire. One of Royal Caribbean's newest mega ships had a fire recently that luckily didn't leave it disabled, I can only imagine what a ship of 6000 passengers would have been like broken down. Princess had a major fire that caused major damage a few years ago.

This is just a small sampling of accidents that aren't carnival issues. The stories that you heard of the Triumph on the news were quite a bit different from reality. One person published their travel journal and said that she didn't realize how much they were suffering until they watched the news. I looked for any info I could since I had a carnival cruise coming up. There was no sewage running down the walls or shortage of food. Look up the first hand accounts, they are out there. The conditions on the Triumph weren't ideal, but far from dire.

My point is, there are issues on every cruise line. These ships sail 7days a week 365 days a year with a year or more between dry docks. Since the triumph incident the news jumps on everything, things that you would not have known about before.

Here is a cool site where you can look up all kinds of issues. http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

 

[Andy M.]

...This is just a small sampling of accidents that aren't carnival issues. The stories that you heard of the Triumph on the news were quite a bit different from reality. One person published their travel journal and said that she didn't realize how much they were suffering until they watched the news. I looked for any info I could since I had a carnival cruise coming up. There was no sewage running down the walls or shortage of food. Look up the first hand accounts, they are out there...

How do you explain the first hand videos shot by passengers and shown on TV of food shortages and sewage running down the halls.

 

[Addie]

I have to agree with you bakechef. I have a friend that lives in Windsor, Ontario. Her husband is a cruise ship chef. When he is out, everytime they hit port, he sends her a letter. One time he mentioned the tonnage of food they had taken on board at their last call and now were going to replace it at the present port. The cruise ship companies have contracts at each port to replace what was used up between ports. So when they were saying that they ran out of food, I seriously had my doubts.

As far as the toilets overflowing with sewage, I had my doubts about that also. On big ships toilets flush into a large tank down in the bowels (no pun intended) of the ship and then pumped out when they are far out at sea. Non biodegradable items are not removed until they are in port. They are stored in locked containers.

Well fed passengers do not make for interesting news. Clean toilets are a subject of interest to no one except the user. I have the feeling that there was more of a party atmosphere than one of total discomfort and serious health questions.

 

[Addie]

How do you explain the first hand videos shot by passengers and shown on TV of food shortages and sewage running down the halls.

File footage?

 

[Andy M.]

File footage?

That must have taken all those videos on a secret Carnival cruise disaster and hid them away for when they might need it.

 

[bakechef]

How do you explain the first hand videos shot by passengers and shown on TV of food shortages and sewage running down the halls.

Do you have a link to those videos? Sure there were some stopped up toilets that people used regardless of them not working. My point is, the news made it seem like a floating sewer. Reviews from people on that trip tell a different story. There will always be people willing to exaggerate to get attention.

I read from a passenger that after they boarded the bus after departing the ship, that meals from the Honey baked ham store were passed out, she said "this would be the fifth meal of the day"

There was some food hoarding early on, but after that started happening, they started passing out food instead of the normal buffet style.

Reminds me of when the Splendor had trouble, the news was reporting that they were being airlifted Spam which happened to be untrue as well.

 

[ahoymatey2013]

I'm glad you enjoy your Carnival cruises. But you just have to see a few horror story reports on the news make you think another cruise line might be a good idea.

Carnival has had well publicized sea going disasters. I believe if other cruise lines had similar problems they would have made the new as well.

See, that the thing about CNN & FOX, Royal seems to have more jumpers then Carnival but they pick on Carnival about everything because they are the largest cruise line out there.

you never hear about the rescues Carnival do with stranded ships like the one that just happened again over the weekend where they saved a few men's lives that were stuck out at sea for a week or longer.

The way CNN covered the Triumph was totally out of hand. Go over to cruisecritic.com & read the Carnival board from people that were onboard that ship.

It wasn't nearly as bad as the news made it out to be. Carnival had opened up their bars for free so the fun could continue but guess who ruined that nice gesture??? That's right, the drunks who abused the free drinks. There was plenty of food but Carnival made the mistake of allowing the guests to take the food from the buffet lines so people were taking the meat & cheese out of the other sandwiches & leaving just the onions, again, not Carnival's fault that people acted like they had to go into full survival mode.

The so called sewage running on the floors came from the water that was used to put out the fire. Have you ever seen water that put out a fire? It's dirty.

Now, I'm not saying that this was a dream vacation cruise. There were complications especially for the handicapped people who normally stay on the lower levels. They were stuck on their decks because the elevators were not working so they did have a bit of a difficult time coping. Yes, Carnival made some mistakes & they have put forth better standards because they learned from it.

No one died but I do think 2 passengers had to be airlifted for medical reasons.

Carnival sets the costs for cruising for all the cruise lines just like Wally World does with other stores by trying to be the cost of items at fair price.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

No one died but I do think 2 passengers had to be airlifted for medical reasons.

A much higher percentage than that head to the ER on a daily basis on dry land...

 

[Andy M.]

Do you have a link to those videos?...

I saw them the old fashioned way, on TV. I'm sure if you check Youtube you'll find some.