overall it was a great cruise, and I will post a detailed review later this week. I did want to point out several issues, though, where I thought Carnival could/should do better.
most of our issues involve "Fly Aweigh". our TA suggested that this was the best way to book airfare. we did save money, but....I will NOT do "Fly Aweigh" again. In the future I will book my own air and ground transportation
1. booking "Fly Aweigh" meant that Carnival chose our flights, including the airline and departure/arrival times. I started reading this board AFTER we booked our cruise and flights, and everyone here seems to think it's better to fly to your departure port a day before you sail. when I tried to change our booking to fly down to Miami the day before our cruise, Carnival was inflexible.
2. Our arrival in Miami International Airport was NOT FUN. Carnival booked us on American Airlines. Once the plane lands, it's a good 20 minute walk from the AA gate area to the baggage claim area. After we met the Carnival representative and collected our luggage, it was another lengthy walk from the baggage claim area to the Cabana Coach bus booked for us by Carnival. I could not help but notice that other cruise lines had their buses closer to the baggage claim area.
3. Our arrival at our ship was NOT FUN either. We sailed on the Valor. We shared a bus with passengers bound for the Glory, which is berthed next to the Valor. The bus stopped at the Glory first to discharge passengers before continuing on to the Valor. By the time we actually boarded the ship, the photographers taking the "Welcome Aboard" photos had closed up shop and the crew was announcing "muster drill in five minutes". I felt pressured to race to our cabin and drop off our carry-ons and then race to our muster station. This was NOT how I pictured my arrival on the ship!
4. We also had trouble with the flight home. Not with the flight itself (I love Jet Blue). No, our problem stemmed from a lack of information. When we got our cruise documents, a month or so before we sailed, our flight information was included -- American Airlines JFK to Miami, Jet Blue from Ft. Lauderdale to JFK with a stop in Raleigh. We were given a "record locator" for American Airlines so that we could print out our tickets and boarding passes. All we were given for Jet Blue was a flight number for each leg of our trip. we never received any confirmation from jet Blue that we were actually booked on the flight. when our TA called Carnival to get a "record locator" (so that I could print out our boarding passes on the ship), she was given an incorrect number! I am not willing to simply show up at the airport and hope my name is on some manifest, I really like to have proof that I am a ticketed passenger before I get to the airport. In fact, on the website, Carnival tells you that:
Quote:
Fly Aweigh® guests must check all documentation prior to sailing to ensure tickets correspond with the correct ship and sailing date. Guests or travel agents should request advance seat assignments and boarding passes directly with the ticketed air carrier(s) after airline tickets or your airline e-ticket confirmation have been received. Guests should reconfirm flight numbers and times within 48 hours of departure directly with the assigned carrier.
It took several phone calls to Carnival and Jet Blue -- while we were on the ship -- to get the correct information. And then it took almost 45 minutes for the gentleman in the internet cafe to actually print out the boarding passes for us -- he was quite frustrated by the time he finished the job. The situation was frustrating and time consuming and did not set a good tone for the cruise as a whole.
5. we also had a problem with one of our shore excursions. we booked the River Wallace-Altun Ha tour in Belize. the overall experience was a positive one, but it was not without its frustrations. the ship arrived late in Belize, and we did not board a tender for our excursion until some 15-20 minutes after the time stated on our tickets. the river tour was very interesting -- we saw manatees and crocodiles and iguanas and howler monkeys. but our 30 minute lunch break turned into a 45 minute break because the buses were late to arrive. once we arrived at the archeological site, our tour guide repeatedly reminded us that "time is short, we have to hurry" through the site. her tour presentation was excellent, but we had no time to wander about the site ourselves and no time to shop at the site. my signifcant other is a high school social studies teacher, and the visit to the ruins was supposed to be the more important aspect of the excursion, so to be rushed through the site was disappointing. to complicate matters further, the bus ride back from the site to the pier took at least 30 minutes longer than we were told, leaving us no time to shop or explore the pier area before we had to tender back to the ship.
6. a brief mention of a problem on Roatan. we booked the Discover Roatan tour. I enjoyed the tour, found it to be interesting and entertaining. I would have enjoyed the tour a bit more if I didn't have an issue with the bus transportation. the aisles of the bus are EXTREMELY narrow. so narrow, in fact, that anyone larger than a 10 year old child will have difficulty maneuvering down the aisle to their seat in the bus. a larger person, or someone with mobility issues, will find the aisle almost impossible to travel.
as I said earlier, our overall experience with Carnival was positive, and we will likely cruise Carnival again. but next time we will book our own flight and ground transportation, since that aspect was very frustrating. I will book other excursions direclty with Carnival, but I really think they need to discuss some issues with the tour companies.
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