• Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines

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Overview

Carnival Cruise Lines has a rating of 1.59 stars from 222 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Carnival Cruise Lines most frequently mention customer service, cruise line, and guest services problems. Carnival Cruise Lines ranks 43rd among Cruises sites.

  • Service
    116
  • Value
    111
  • Shipping
    52
  • Returns
    57
  • Quality
    96
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 8%
Positive
7
Neutral
6
Negative
74
49
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What reviewers want you to know

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Critical highlights

  • If I wanted to dispute it contact Carnival Customer service.
  • At this point I have not faith in anything that Carnival Cruise has to say.
How would you rate Carnival Cruise Lines?
Top Positive Review

“Refund for fund”

Dekendrick J.
2/18/24

Hi my name Dekendrick Johnson I was supposed to sail ship Valor February 29 out of New Orleans booking Z0H4M8 I'm having to cancel the trip due to my wife passing away January 1,2024 to a heart attack.I was texting to see if I could get a full refund.

Top Critical Review

“Stay away from them!”

Manny M.
1/13/24

Same food every night which tasted terrible. We had a storm and they never warned us. Deck flooded people were in pool and ship tilted and all water came out. My mother almost got hit by rolling table and they didn't care. Water park was slippery kids sliding all over my daughter fell and hurt herself, They had the guts to charge her for medical for $325. They over priced, credit cards frauds. My advise go somewhere else!

Reviews (222)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (57) carnival cruise (49) cruise line (55) guest services (18) drink package (12)
Thumbnail of user davenorbraten
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 4th, 2024

We chose the carnival celebration because of its roller coaster and it was broken the whole week. The kids were so disappointed. Guest services couldn't even care in the least. Also my daughter won a voucher in a raffle for the spa and the spa manager said she could only use it for a few certain things. It was $75 so we didn't use it. Also there were people smoking on the balcony's and we couldn't sit out much. We paid a lot for our 1 week a year trip and felt very let down. We will be going back to Norwegian

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Thumbnail of user calvinphongcao
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 2nd, 2024

The ship very nice and clean, the food is ok, I love BBQ, Guy burger, Big Chicken. The staffs are unfriendly, special the lady who at Cloud Spa 9 at deck #6 her name is Anita, she so rude and so mean.

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Thumbnail of user jen2coffey0918
1 review
1 helpful vote
October 13th, 2023

This was my first cruise. The cruise overall was fun and people were nice. I am, however, very disappointed in customer service and guest relations not assisting me in a matter I felt could've been resolved quickly. Do not buy drink packages online because upgrading and issues are difficult to handle once onboard. After 4 visits to customer service on Day 1, my friend not being able to get her drink package, and being told 3 different things, we didn't get the drink package until Day 2. After they charged my card twice and I requested a refund because of the headache, they were not willing to refund me or give me on board credit. Even thought I agreed to purchasing a package because my cabin mate did, I also don't understand why I have to when I don't drink much. It's not fair. I will not be sailing Sunshine again. Your customer should come first.

Tip for consumers:
This was my first cruise. The cruise overall was fun and people were nice. I am, however, very disappointed in customer service and guest relations not assisting me in a matter I felt could’ve been resolved quickly. Do not buy drink packages online because upgrading and issues are difficult to handle once onboard. After 4 visits to customer service on Day 1, my friend not being able to get her drink package, and being told 3 different things, we didn’t get the drink package until Day 2. After th

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Thumbnail of user judyd743
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 30th, 2023

The cruise was overpriced considering we waited since 2020 to go on this cruise. We had 6 days at sea with 2 ports. Limon was a short stay.carnival needs to do a better job at the Panama Canal. They had a speaker who spoke limited English and expect a ship full of English speaking passenger to understand. Dining was a disaster you have to wait 1 to 1 1/2 hour to get into the dining room

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Thumbnail of user michaelb10628
1 review
1 helpful vote
July 7th, 2023

I will start with the ship interior design; as you can see from the attached pictures right outside of our cabin on all the walls, there are tons of inappropriate pictures and there's a huge nude statue in the middle of the ship. We have a 7 years old daughter who I have to explain that to her.
That ship should not be a family friendly instead you can state during booking that it is adult only ship.

Second, the customer service at the bar is not friendly and not as expected. My wife went to the bar to get us 2 drinks; when she asked for 2 strwas, the bartender gave her only one, responding to my wife that one the drinks dosen't come with a straw. Such a great service when the bartender tells you how to get your drink.

Third, the ship condition is in desperate need of repairs and maintenance. There's rust everywhere not only in the exterior but also inside the interior, even inside our state room (see pictures).

Also, during the cleaning of our room, the cleaning staff left a dirty glove on our vanity. That was disgusting.

Last and most important, we missed the last port of call. We paid to go to 3 ports. Missing the last port ruined our plans. Carnival only returned $18 for Missing a port.

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Thumbnail of user haek4
1 review
0 helpful votes
July 25th, 2022
Verified purchase

I don't have a original paper for citizenship. I apply passport 2 months ago. So I have a copy of citizenship. But they not accepted.
Me and my husband drove 8 hr.
Can I get full refund or another cruse?
When I have a phone with carnival. She told me bring the copy of citizenship.
Thank you my booking #B2R1S8

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Thumbnail of user dunmire12
1 review
0 helpful votes
July 15th, 2023

As many have said, this is the "walmart" of cruises. Very, very outdated! The room was always so hot and when I asked for a fan, I was told I could only get one if I had a medical condition. The drink stations were always broken...good luck getting a full cup of ice and water! The buffet was basic at best. Always the same and very few options. In order to get to Half Moon Cay, you have to stand in a line for over an hour to get a "shuttle pass". Then, you have to wait for your group to be called. My group was called at 11 and we had to get in line to return by 2. The food on the island was inedible. The teeny, tiny pool was always too packed to enter. The shows were so boring I never made it through a full one.

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Thumbnail of user kalim64
1 review
1 helpful vote
July 10th, 2023

We went on a carnival cruise in 2017 & enjoyed it. We booked again but then Covid happened & carnival gave us a refund no questions asked. We booked a 3rd time but had some guest complications where one guest couldn't go and then a second ended up backing out, so we attempted-after fully paying for 4 people- to change the guest a final time and they charges us not only the $59 fee for changing but another $1300 and their only response why this fee was so high was because its what we are charging now-but i'm looking at the website and it says $350/person?!? We cancelled and got most of our money back. Its cheaper to just go book elsewhere than to pay that crazy amount. Their customer service reps were nice and polite and they gave me a refund no questions but thats not how you take care of returning customers.

Tip for consumers:
I received 75% refund and put a claim in for the additional amount

Products used:
none

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Thumbnail of user jessical2015
1 review
0 helpful votes
May 30th, 2022

Just came off carnival sunrise went in with a negative Covid test came out with a POSTIVE test short staff AC didn't work properly got a perfume stolen out of my room went to file a report they answered me what would you like us to do they took extra cash out of my card said they gave me a refund and it will take 5 or more days food quality was very poor on a postive note shows were good half moon cay was beautiful and all my cruise cousins made my vacation wonderful cruise cousins meaning other quest I will not be doing the sunrise again but will still use carnival my last experience on sensation was Fabolous this one not so much

Thumbnail of user carmenm570
1 review
1 helpful vote
June 10th, 2022
Verified purchase

We went in Carnival Paradise on June 4th, 2022, got back on June 9th. We were a party of 6. We registered for 12:30, and when we got there, people from 1-1:30 were already ahead of us. Question? Why registered then?
Thank they did nothing t follow the guidelines, people were so closed to each other, scary!
There were a little y of activities and we were all too closed to each other.
The Casino, the Karaoke place, and others were also very crowded and people were no wearing masks.
From the 6 people on our party, 5 came out of the ship testing positive!
I called the nurse a couple of time to see if she can do a COVID testing around 7, she told me I have to wait until after 8. That was debarkation day, so because if my Muster station, I was supposed to leave the ship before that, which I did! Came home feeling really sick, coughing, head ache, running nose. Good thing I have tests at home, as soon as I tested myself it was positive. So did my two sons and a friend of mine! I bet there were more people that got the Covid, and did not say anything!
The Buffet at the Lido restaurant lines were too long and slow!
We weren't impressed with the food either at least at the buffet. Like I said before too crowded!
By the way we are all vaccinated. I have two booster, and so one of my son. We tested negative before we went on the cruise!

Tip for consumers:
Why doing the COVID test before your boarding, if they don’t follow the CDC guidelines inside the ships!

Products used:
Cosmetics, shoes , clothes

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Thumbnail of user bonnies757
1 review
0 helpful votes
July 11th, 2022
Verified purchase

Our booking# X61PB1.We flew into New Orleans, the airline was late with our luggage we were held at the airport for over an hour and half that cause us to be late and the port denied us to board the ship, we want to cruise again with carnival in September and we want to know if we could get a credit on our next cruise, thank you!

Thumbnail of user stefanies64
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
July 6th, 2023

We booked in February a cruise for April 2024. We payed the required deposit and added also insurance on it because things can change but no one told us that that had to be paid right away too. We was told it has to be paid before full payment of cruise. Now 3 months later we saw that we had to move the cruise for 2 weeks later ( that cruise would be even more expensive) guess what out of luck. We spoke with 10 different people. No help. Even if we had paid the insurance right away there would be no guarantee we get the deposit back. We did not even mind loosing the extras who came with the other cruise we just wanted that the deposit get transferred to the next cruise or a board credit ( which had ended up in their pockets anyway) but no, absolutely no help. So we canceled completely and lost our deposit 3months after we booked., but I refuse to give a company who cares so less about their customers or even keeping customers for their business any penny more. NEVER again Carnival

Products used:
cruise

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Thumbnail of user feliksg
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 6th, 2022

I Feliks Garunts, (VIP *******008) booked 1 cabin (8398) for 4 people of Panorama cruise to Mexico F6R1X8 and completed (including trip protection) all necessary boarding documentation (it was our anniversary to celebrate on ship). We arrived to terminal at 1:00 pm. Our luggage was taken right away to ship and we went for sail.
Unfortunately, my wife left her US citizenship certificate inside the luggage which was already on the ship. She showed her Driver license and copy of US certificate but her boarding was declined. We asked to get certificate from the bag and board Supervisor promised to send someone to get it from my wife's bag. After 2 hours they told us that there is not enough employees on board to help us. 2 of our companions all the time where already on the ship.
After all boarding officer told us that we are not allowed to get on the ship and our cruise will be rescheduled. Later on, I opened the paper they gave me and find out totally different content with only signature of Arlena Orozco - Carnival cruise line Supervisor. So I consider she lied to us. By the way, we know there was another couple in the same situation, but they were admitted.
I am 82 y. O. Disabled man who needs health care provider on the board due to poor health condition (heart stent and other). My wife managing my medications, and I can't travel apart of her. More over, I could not go on ship and leave her there alone.
Now, in spite the protection we booked, I have to pay penalty because I did not leave my wife alone and to go to ship.
Please understand this unusual situation and give me credit for the next my trips or for trip I booked by Radian ship to Mexico (HIV2P2) on Nov. 25
Thank you very much for understanding and help
F. Garunts
11/7/22

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Thumbnail of user ritag268
1 review
1 helpful vote
July 5th, 2022
Verified purchase

June 20th-25 we went on the Carnival Ecstasy we were In cabin E68 and it had a very strong smell, me and my husband moved the table and chair that backed up to the bathroom and it had mold all over the carpet. I went to quest service and asked to be moved that we would pay extra, they told me the ship was sold out. They sent someone In twice to clean the carpet. It didnt help. Finally on the 3rd night of our 5 night cruise one of the quest service ladys ask me about the smell, I had her walk in my room and she knew exactly what the smell was "mold". She offered to clean carpet again. Still didnt help. Last night of our cruise they sent a bottle of wine. This didnt fix our problem... to help us get through the smell I poured peppermint oil on the carpet and put the oil on a mask and hung it on the air condition vent... our booking number X41CT5

Thumbnail of user moniquee59
1 review
0 helpful votes
November 3rd, 2022

I booked a cruise on 09/18/2022. Paid full amount$223.37-due to the sailing date I had to pay the full balance. 10/17/2022. Representative issued a $100 credit to my balance due to a previous cruise cancellation because of COVID in 2022 (Total cruise cost prior to balance $3323. 27). On 10/04/2022, I received an email of a $73.27 REFUND. I call for clarification on the refund. They informed me my entire cruise was canceled due to a lack of final payment. That was extremely odd to me due to the requirement at booking to pay the full balance. I provided the representative with my credit card and she charged it for the full balance. I had to speak to several representative, neither were helpful or understanding. One in particular name Shemela (resolutions) was unfriendly, horrible and lack compassion. She made it seem like it was entirely my fault they cancel my cruise. Although it was a credit error from the representative that booked me originally. She stated there was nothing she can do and the ship was fully booked. I was extremely upset. I repeatedly explain that it was not my fault. I paid the full balance in order to book the cruise. As a customer service manager for a dealership resolving customer issues daily with value exceeding $30,000, Shemela approach to my concern was tasteless and unpleasant. I requested her manager. She stated she is a manager. She did not provide no alternative options. I advise her that it would be nice if she attempted to make the situation right. After going back and forth with her, I requested a higher manager. Stacy (Executive of resolution) clarified it was an error. She did inform me the cabin I selected was not available and the cruise is booked however, she will try her best to get me back onboard. She was able to rebook my booking. The unfortunate part is I still had to pay the $73.27 they refunded to safeguard my rebooking. I had to call back within 2 days to ensure I had a stateroom. After several representatives informing me the cruise was booked, Stacy was able to make the situation right. To say the least, the entire experience was horrifying and unnecessary. She issued a $100 credit however, that clearly was not enough due to my experience with more than five representatives. I had an $100 promotional credit already applied at the time of booking, The emotional distress it caused was draining. Although I was never looking for any incentive prior to this incident, I personal belief after hours of attempting to rectify the situation, I should have been compensated with a free booking. My sail date was a week away. Instead of being overjoyed with excitement, I was vastly stress. This was my first solo cruise for my 32 birthday. My onboard experience was amazing. Despite someone stealing my cruise card and buying $100 worth of pictures. I had to go to guest service who called the photo manager. The photo manager asked a photographer to come and verify he did not take my picture. That was very embarrassing. It was almost like accusing me of lying. I was in a state of panic worrying if the theft would spend more money. The photographer confirmed he did not take my picture. They refunded the amount to my cruise balance and reissued me a card. I figure since we took photos at check in, my picture would be associate with my cruise account and no one would have the ability to use it. However, I guess it was not due to someone fraudulently using my card. I have cruise with Carnival several times. This by far was the worst. All the employees on board were amazing and the food was great.

Thumbnail of user claudiew
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 10th, 2022

MY BOOKING NUMBER IS L86BB3. I PLANNED THIS FAMILY CRUISE BACK IN 2020 BEFORE THE COVID HIT. SO WE HAD TO RESCHEDULE. WE GOT OUR VACCINATIONS AND THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS OK. WHEN WE GOT TO THE PORT, WE COULDN'T GO BECAUSE MY SON WAS ONE DAY FROM BEING FULLY VACCINATED. I HONESTLY DIDN'T NO THAT. MY GRANDDAUGHTER SAW THE SHIP DOCTOR, AND WAS RETESTED, WITH RESULTS NEGATIVE. SHE WASN'T ALLOWED TO GO, CAUSING HER PARENTS HAVING TO NOT GO. IT WAS A FAMILY CRUISE. TO MANY FAMILY MEMBERS COULDN'T GO. MOST OF THE FAMILY NEVER BEEN ON A CRUISE. A LOT OF MONEY WAS SPENT THAT WE DIDN'T PLAN ON SPENDING. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED. ALSO WE HAD A NEWLY WED COUPLE WITH US. THEY HAD BEEN MARRIED TWO DAYS. MY BROTHER WAS DURING THIS CRUISE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, HE DONT EVEN WANT TO GO BACK. HE LOST HIS WIFE, SO I WANTED HIM TO GET AWAY, SO I BOOKED HIM ON THE SAME CRUISE WITH ME. MAN THE LOOK ON THEIR FACES. EVERYONE GOT QUIET, AND KNEW THEY WERE VERY ANGRY AND DISAPPOINTED, AND IT WAS INCONVENIENT. I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO GET A FUTURE CRUISE CREDIT. SO WE CAN STILL TAKE OUR CRUISE. MAN I WALKED AWAY FEELING VERY INCONVENIENT AFTER ALL I WANTED TO DO THIS CRUISE BECAUSE IM 70 YEARS OLD, AND I WANTED TO START SPENDING TIME WITH MY FAMILY. ONE NEVER KNOWS WHEN THE END MIGHT BE. LIFE IS SO UNPREDICTABLE FOR ALL OF US. WELL THERE'S MORE, BUT I'LL STOP THERE. THE REST IS UP TO YOU GUYS! THANKS FOR YOUR TIME! CONCERNED CUSTOMER!

Thumbnail of user johnnys117
1 review
1 helpful vote
December 9th, 2018

One of the worst carnival ships i have ever been on, service was bad customer service was bad, food was so so, dinning room service was awful, had to wait on a table an average of an hr and a half in the your time dinning room, my room its self was ok except in the shower there was some mold in it on the ceiling, toilet quit working, had to get maintenance to come fix it.up on the lido deck it leaked in the buffett when it rained, the outside of the ship on the hull looked old and needed painting. This is the third carnival ship to have some mold in the shower, overall this ship is thoroughly outdate and in poor shape. Worst ship i have been on. Wasnt enough activities to do.

Tip for consumers:
Dont go on the miricle

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Thumbnail of user robk38
1 review
2 helpful votes
December 2nd, 2016

We love carnival cruise but after canceling trip was shocked to learn that we lost half of our money.My wife had a heart attack, cardiologist said it would be russian roulette to go on trip knowing what could happen if something goes wrong such as hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and no one will insure her knowing that she at risk. I think we should be credited in full or credit off next cruise for the difference as this was our third cruise and I think it is an understandable reason to cancel thank you. Its not like we planned it! We happen to love Carnival Cruise lines, and hope you help us to make it something we will book again. Thanks for any help. R. K.

Thumbnail of user colleenf9
2 reviews
4 helpful votes
March 24th, 2017

We have been on 42 cruises and 19 of them have been on Carnival. We have great memories with Carnival... traveling with friends and traveling with our children thru the years when they were young and now grown with families of their own. We experienced Carnival when it was at its height of popularity. The boats were unique with larger than usual rooms in the industry. The food was delicious and abundant; the entertainment was fun and varied, their casinos huge. Fast forward... we rarely choose Carnival and now probably wouldn't even consider it as an option. We began to see a decline in the ships as they aged. It appeared Carnival had their best staff on the newer ships and better leadership... so we began to only sail on Carnival on their new ships... now even that doesn't offer a good experience. A few years ago we went on the Breeze s(a new ship) and had a great experience! We thought maybe we would go back to Carnival more... but not any longer. We went on the Carnival Vista last month with a family of seven... included were 3 children ages 1 to 9. First the good things... the entertainment... which included evening musicals and Dr Seuss character breakfast were all outstanding! The Cruise Director was named Matt. Out of 42 cruises, he wins the award by far of the best one we have ever sailed with. He was everywhere and led everything, He started the sailing with dancing and music at the pool area. Young and old on 3 full decks looking down joined in. It was by far the best sailing ever. Most people just went to the decks to watch the boat leave port, but ended up dancing, laughing and smiling. Last, our cabin steward did a great job... but unfortunately, we were told by him that there were cutting the staff (keep in mind this is a full boat) and each team of 2 stewards would now be responsible for 32 rooms. I can imagine the Norwalk Virus will be an unwelcome effect from this cut back. It gets worse from here on... As a family, we dress and attend the main dining room. The food was poor, the wait staff just seemed to be going thru the motions... and not very well. One might think we would develop a rapport with waiters since we were there every night... you would think. They made no attempt to connect with us nor the children. Our children are used to dinners out and are well behaved and stay seated from start to finish. They have had great staff over the years but this staff confused them... they wouldn't really talk to the children at all nor did they try to tailor service to accommodate their age group. Next... THERE WAS NO BAR SERVICE! If we wanted a drink we had to find a bar on the way to dinner to get a drink to bring with us. I tried to get have our waiter get me a glass of wine... but I got it when I was having dessert. Also, bar waiters POOLSIDE were hard to find... we saw 3 our entire week! We had to go up to the bar ourselves. I don't know if this is the result of people buying the drink packages and Carnival wants to avoid having the liquor available or what the issue is. Is a self service draft beer where you have to swipe your card and pour up your own draft. It seems they have cut back their staff at lido buffet too... tables are full of dirty dishes and tables going out to the pool area are especially dirty. The staff seem dulled and lead me to conclude they are less than happy at their jobs. I know times have changed... heck, years ago there was a nightly midnight buffet night... then only one every cruise... then, a buffet luncheon once a cruise... now nothing. Room service was available free 24 hours with the full menu... now menu decreased after eight and there is now a service charge after 11! Lastly..., The casino... they have a non smoking section... which means nothing. The smoke is so thick and floats into the main dining room. It smells like an overfull ashtray. I was a smoker for 35 years but this is ridiculous. It's the only cruise line that I am aware of that still allows smoking in the casino... so I think possibly smokers choose this line because there is still smoking... and there is ALOT of smoke! It's difficult to demonstrate the decline of this cruse line but I hope I was able to portray some of the issues... one last tidbit... it probably seems small to most but... my granddaughters look forward to finding a chocolate on their pillow every night... and as you may have guessed by now... they were disappointed.

Thumbnail of user frankc50
5 reviews
7 helpful votes
November 17th, 2014

I had a very bad experience with booking and they took my money and never refunded it. I would never book through carnival or advise anyone to book with them.

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