We have just returned from an 8-day cruise on the Carnival Liberty. My wife and I are retired and in our fifties. This was our 10th cruise, the first with Carnival. We have cruised with RCI, NCL, HAL and Celebrity in the past. We purchased the cruise 10 days before the sailing date. We needed a holiday, the price was good, we live in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, we were curious about Carnival: all good reasons to cruise on such short notice.
Embarkation was a breeze. Due to advanced arthritis, my wife travels with her electric scooter. Carnival had been made aware that our party included a handicapped person. We were met at the counter by a very nice attendant, who made sure we boarded the ship as soon as passengers were allowed on board. The process could not have been more painless.
My wife can hardly walk anymore. Well, she may as well have been invisible while riding her electric scooter. Fellow passengers consistently showed blatant disregard for the scooter and her handicap throughout the cruise. They would cut across her path, sigh heavily when stuck behind her in the corridors and get impatient when she boarded or left elevators. I sincerely believe they would have attempted to jump over her, if they thought they could have gotten away with it. I have never seen that on another ship before. Our previous sailing experiences showed that people were caring, considerate and helpful. Could we have encountered a lesser quality of cruisers on that trip? One can only wonder.