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.
Hmmm...Our orange trees are full, flowers blooming, garden started...Today in Southern California it was about 72 degrees, (a bit chilly for me) sunny, with unlimited visibility and a lazy on-shore Pacific breeze...
I guess cruises, or what I call, floating apartment buildings, might appeal to those forced to live in nasty climates.
Maybe next winter won't be so bad for ya!
You bet and the reason I personally avoid floating amusement parks, jammed with obnoxious tourists.
But I can understand why they might appeal to some factory worker in Ohio in the dead of winter..
Cheers!
I have never been on a cruise myself. My wife wants to take an Alaska cruise, but I am ambivalent.
We’ve been on 3 Norwegian Cruises with freestyle.
You do have to make reservations for the specialty restaurants, but you can make them the day you want to eat.
You pay a little bit extra ($10 or $20), but not that much. My husband and I would pay for ourselves to eat at the specialty restaurants. I love the French Bistro restaurants on the Norwegian cruises, and have some of the best meals of my life there. We would get so much food: escargot, great soups, great salads, great main meals and great desserts. We would try tons of food because you could as much as you want.
The buffets were good food, but not great. They had made to order pasta, roast beef, and other standard fare. All good, and my kids loved it.
The main dining rooms were sit down affairs. They just took a long time to eat. Some days that worked, and others it didn’t. I tried unusal things like a duck asian salad at lunch. I typically tried unusual food that I would never get at home, and I loved it. I thought the Asian choices were always really good. They had steak and lobster, but it wasn’t as good as in the specialty restaurants. They also had great souffles and creme brulees for desert!!
LOL! ...You seem angry dale...
Look, if ya want to take your vacation on a floating amusement park, jammed with other obnoxious tourists, feel free dale.
I have no problem with that.
I love the ocean, love going out on a boat and really enjoy salt water fishing...I'm just not into the group tourist thing, be it on land or water.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.