I’ve been on a few different Carnival cruises and chose RC as a post-law school graduation cruise because I’d heard they were a step above. Unfortunately, that was not my experience.

Let’s start with the online check in. Overall it was okay, but then RC assigned our group a “Check-In” time of 1:30. Being the rule followers that we are, my friend and I didn’t arrive until one thirty and languished away in cold NJ for a few hours after our flight. We were less than thrilled when we discovered that no one cared AT ALL about this check-in time. It was not asked about once and we had to wait in the same line as everyone else despite the fact we had checked in online. So, off to a great start.

Next, we went to our room. Somehow we were blessed with a corner balcony room—it was a highlight of the trip. After the muster drill, we went to the spa for our pre-booked massages only to be told that my massage had not been paid for, but “don’t worry, we will give you the same price.” This set the wrong mood for a relaxing experience because my friend was positive that she had paid and had the bank statements and confirmation to verify that but the Spa staff wouldn’t look at—they told her she would need to go to guest services after the massage. So the massage itself was great, but it was marred by the stress of worrying about going to guest services after. As per usual on the first day of cruising, the guest services line was HUGE, we waited more than 30 minutes. Our issue was quickly resolved once we spoke with someone at the counter because all they had to do was call the Spa and confirm that we had paid. Why the Spa could not take the time to do this for us is beyond me. It completely boggles my mind. Read more