Not really paradise

Thanks for the review and thanks for putting it up so quickly after returning. The issues you spoke of about the kids running rampant are things I have experienced and mentioned in posts here before. I could never understand the rude approach some parents have when it comes to boarding with their kids. They seem to have an "all about me so screw you" approach to other passengers onboard. Kids pressing all the buttons in the lifts, sitting and blocking the stairways and running up and down the halls at all hours of the day AND night.

We had one situation on the Carnival Pride a few years ago where this 5 year old (or so) kid was allowed to run around the dining room while dinner was being served. He acted as though it was his private playground and almost knocked over 3 servers carrying big trays of passengers meals. While all this was going on, the parents said and did NOTHING!! It wasn't until the kid tripped on the leg of a chair and fell that the "fun" ended. Then, with child crying, "mom" comes running over yelling at the top of her lungs because nobody got up to help the child. The kid wasn't injured, just shocked by the fall. That just proved to me how these "parents" feel that the care of their kids are everyone's responsibility EXCEPT theirs!! Which leads me to my next point. The crew most likely did nothing out of fear of the parents complaining to the head staff managers about them trying to control the unruly kids. I witnessed a crew member on the Carnival Ecstasy ask a kid that was running around to please sit down and the parents yelled at the crew member asking him who he thought he was for trying to correct THEIR child!! See what I mean? The crew have assigned duties. Except for the baby sitting services provided on most ships, baby sitting is not one. That would be the parents responsibility. As for the iron, we have a travel iron that is both 110/220 volt that we use on our cruises for the exact reason you mention. There were too many times we couldn't get to iron in the laundry room because their was usually only a few and they were all being used. And we iron clothes as we need them. Parents MUST understand that a cruise ship is NOT "Chuck E. Cheese" or "McDonalds"!!! It is a vacation vessel with hundreds or even thousands of other people that have worked and waited for their cruise as well. They need to be realizing that when onboard with kids. I bet you'll make a lot more friends onboard if your kids are polite and respectful to others!!! At least you seem to have had a good time on your cruise and that's the important thing. And I also agree that timing is everything when cruising especially if you don't want to be confronted by unruly kids. My rule of thumb is "If schools in session, I'm cruising". That time frame is usually between September & May.

Yes, unfortunately during the summer months, kids will be in abundance, and I think this is especially true with the shorter cruises, which are more affordable for large families traveling together. In fact, the only cruise I remember there being a large number of unruly kids and teens was aboard the Carnival Imagination 5-day western Caribbean from Miami back in 2003 - probably for the same reasons. I also believe that because it's a smaller ship, you're more likely to run into them everywhere - and there's not enough to keep them occupied as there is on the big mega ships.

bigb1762 ... Sorry you didn't find much good about this cruise. A strongly worded letter to Carnival should at least get you some onboard credit for your next cruise (it did for me!). As for being nickel and dimed, unfortunately, this is more and more common all the time, not just Carnival but all the cruise lines (the liquor policy does state that there will be a corkage fee to open your own wine in the dining room).

I hope you were able to at least have a good time in port!

I too am sorry to hear that thiswas such a disappointment. Its like time and money wasted. We once took a summer Caribbean cruise on the Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan and there were a bunch of kids running amok as well, even pushing to get in the elevators b4 people could get out of them.

I am so sorry that this cruise did not live up to your expectations and to the wonderful experiences that we have had on Carnival.

We use to cruise during the school holidays and summer months. We tend to shy away from those times (if we can avoid them) and cruise after school has started. I'm sure we will still encounter children, but certainly not as many.

Definitely write Carnival a letter. You should also have an opportunity to express yourself in the electronic survey that they send to you. Because you experienced rudeness from particular staff members, try and be specific. If applicable, praise someone who went out of their way.

My hope is that this experience does not keep you from cruising again.

Sooooo, now I've discovered another great thing about cruising in October! Last year there were some kids (well behaved though), but they were extremely outnumbered by adults.

I'm expecting, and praying, for the same luck this year.

Sooooo, now I've discovered another great thing about cruising in October! Last year there were some kids (well behaved though), but they were extremely outnumbered by adults.

I'm expecting, and praying, for the same luck this year.

I've already warned my 26-year-old daughter that she may be the "baby" on our mom-daughter cruise coming up in October.

Thanks for your review, bigb1762. Sorry that you had those issues to deal with, but glad that you still enjoyed your cruise. On our last Carnival cruise we also had some unruly children running up the hallways, even at night, and playing with the elevators...I also wonder where the heck are the parents. Some young children were all alone in the elevators pushing the buttons, and going up and down. Anyone could have kidnapped them away...don't know how any parents could let their kids run wild, and not even know where they are on a big ship with so many strangers.