Overall Experience

My husband and I took a Carnival cruise on the Destiny from 1/16/2010 through 1/21/2010. We boarded the ship anticipating a four o'clock departure. We didn't leave the pier until eight pm and when we left they had to start and stop the engines 4 times before we were released from the pier. Instead of moving forward we sat in the water for several minutes before setting sail. We were informed before we left that our late departure was due to waiting to load potable water on the ship. After we left they said we left late because of a medical emergency. On 1/17/2010 we were informed that there was a problem with the ship's propulsion system and that we were going to skip our stop at Ocho Rios but we would make it to Grand Cayman. At this point we had only been traveling at just over 11 knots. My father who is well-educated in navigation said that we would never get as far as Grand Cayman because there were too many nautical miles to cover. They issued a letter that tests would be completed by 2:00am and we would be informed on whether or not we would make it to Grand Cayman. My husband was on our balcony at 10:00 pm and witnessed the ship turning back north at that time. On 1/18/2010 we were informed that we would be unable to reach Grand Cayman and that we would be going to Nassau. The captain, Pier Paolo Scala came over the intercom to tell us how lucky we were to be going to Nassau and that we could have just gone back to Miami if he so chose. So much for damage control! We felt a bit like a 3rd grade class being scolded. During the cruise, information from other passengers who had researched the problem on the internet and had heard by word of mouth revealed that the ship's starboard prop had been severely damaged in September and that they had been unable to satisfy many itineraries since then. Many people on previous voyages had been informed on arrival to the pier of the problem and changes and had been given discounts on future cruises. We had never been told anything of the sort and unbelievably, the cruise director had the nerve to give shore excursion talks on ports that at that point we would never be able to achieve! Apparently the damage to the prop is so major that the ship will have to be dry docked in order to fix the damage. Carnival continues to take passengers out on their damaged equipment and in the case our our trip, without any knowledge to the passengers.The ship also has many areas that reek of raw sewage. On the second floor there was also an incident of some rooms that were flooded and crew members were going in and out with masks and the hallways were covered in plastic. I have contacted Carnival by phone with my complaints and they refuse to grant any refund. Please contact the Florida State Attorney General and the SE Florida BBB. This cannot continue.

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