I arrived at the cruise terminal by myself and went to check in. They were handing out paper work that needed to be filled out and information for the cruise. I went up to get the papers and the lady said that I did not have to fill one out. I said I thought I did. She said no and that they would fill it out for me (they being some people I was standing next to). I told her that I needed one, she responded that it was only for people over 18. I said I was over 18 and I needed the form. She just looked at me and handed me the form and did not give me the other information. I say this now because it is a little funny, but it sets the stage for what I think (being young, or looking really young) was one of the key factors for the service I (and my husband along with the other couple) received.

When I got to the room it was very dingy and not welcoming (no towel animals, candies, flowers, or anything that lights up the room when you first come in). We booked a cheap cabin because we did not plan on spending much time in it and when we booked the same class room on Carnival it was nice and we received the same treatment as those who booked better rooms. The room was so grimy, depressing and smelled that I went up to the desk to see if I could pay for an upgrade; they said it was a full ship and they had no rooms available. This was the start of my cruise; due to my expectations I felt a little disappointed. 

Making up the room:

In front of our room there was a wheel to turn to indicate what you wanted for your cabin (make up, turn down, welcome, do not disturb). I am a morning person (therefore I drag my husband out of bed when I get up) and start the day fairly early (7am). Every day on the cruise we woke up at this time and turned the wheel for our room to be made up. With the exception of the last day, our room would not be made until 11 at the earliest; the last day they entered the room at 8am (did not knock and we had do not disturb on). Similarly, turning down the room occurred late and we would often either leave or have to wait because we saw them coming down the hall. I expected cute little towel animal every day; we got one towel folded in half with black paper dots for eyes. The service for our room was obviously not individualized as they would have you think with the signs. My husband and I kept comparing this to Carnival where there were no signs, but you would leave for breakfast and come back and the room would be immaculate and when you come back from dinner your room would be turned down with elaborate towel animals (I know…I really thought they were a nice touch and looked forward to them).

Service by the crew:

Casino: I went to the casino for a promotion they were advertising all the time. I did not go right away because I figured it would be busy so I waited until what I thought would be a random and not busy time. When I went to get the promotion, the lady said they were out and to come back later. The promotion was that I would give them 10 and they give me an additional 10 so they could not be out? I pointed this out and she said rudely come back later and turned away. I was REALLY taken back; I was never treated like that on Carnival nor at ANY casino.

Cafeteria: The food was the exact SAME everyday for every meal. The dishes were sometimes unavailable or not located by the food. For example, there was one bowl left for oatmeal so I asked the lady for bowls. She looked at me and handed me the one bowl that was left. I handed it to my husband and said I would wait. I waited and she never seemed to go for more bowls. So I asked again, she pointed across the cafeteria and said there was bowls over there and she continued to just stand there! My mouth dropped; I went over and grabbed as many bowls as I could carry and brought them back so others did not have to deal with this. On a positive note, they were very fast at getting the plates and keeping the tables clean and the food area clean. Also, the people they have to spray your hands at EVERY entrance to a food place where good at making sure they got you, even if you were just passing through. (HMMM… NORWALK virus; I wonder what it was like before).

Lounges: The shows where held in lounges where they sold drinks (cheapest $6.50 typically $9 for adult drinks and $2 for soda; all which had an additional 15% gratuity added for “our convenience”). It was in these areas that the service was really attentive. Every 5 minutes someone would come over and ask if you would like a drink. Once you had a drink, they would constantly check and as soon as it was almost done they would offer you another. I must say this was the best service on the ship (if I wanted it or not).

On/Off the boat: Getting off the boat was an adventure. We were typically late coming into port so a lot of people had to run to get to their excursion. There were very long lines; one day we were SO late that they had to call all people with excursions into a room and then walk them off the ship before letting the others exit. The fact that we were late in getting into ports REALLY upset me; I cruise only to see the places and get a feel if I would want to spend more time there; I really could do without all the ship time. Ok, back to getting to or from the ship. Considering we were late and people were waiting to get off the ship, you would think they would make this process as smooth as possible. NO! NCL had their picture people waiting for you to get off the ship to pose and get a picture; which they insisted and people would have to really push through them to not get their picture taken. This really slowed things down (but it brought them $15 a picture). Getting back on the boat was not that bad. You would place your bag through a scanner and would go through a metal detector. What were they looking for; guns and knives, no… tequila! For example, I was getting back on the ship after walking around all day. I was carrying a bottle of water with me. When I got back on they screened my bag and said I had Tequila in it. I said no, and my husband pointed out my water bottle and said that was probably what they saw. They said no, I had tequila and they rescreened it. When they rescreened it they STILL insisted I had tequila. At this point I was furious, they were being very rude and treating me like a criminal. The guy would not let me on insisting I had tequila. I then began to rip my bag apart and said LOOK no tequila. After I ripped apart my entire bag showing him I had NOTHING, he just hissed and then let me by. I was so angry, first of all, I did not have any alcohol and I guess because I was young he assumed that I could not get it or afford it (that was partially true) so I had to be sneaking it on the ship because I NEEDED alcohol?!!?!. Second, if I was going to bring alcohol on to consume I would either mix it in a bottle of Gatorade or something similar, or I would get a plastic bottle and put it under my clothing. I was very insulted that he thought I would be stupid enough to just put it in my bag knowing that was the only thing they cared about. Furthermore he never even checked my water bottle to see if the water was really water (which it was indeed water). I just felt he was targeting me and giving me an unfairly hard time because of my age.

Overall, this was THE WORST vacation I have been on. I think the main reason was due to unmeet expectations and horrible service. (In addition the boat accident I was in due to the NCL transfer boat hitting the scuba boat I was on; the 3 mile NCL booked excursion I paid for turning out to be 0.5 mile walk; the overly pushy picture NCL takers all over the boat; the not so “free-style” cruising; arriving late to ports which reduced the overall time we could spend there). My husband feels the same way; he could not believe the overall cruise and how poorly we were treated. I went into this cruise with certain expectations and when they were not met I felt let down. The service experiences I had where what really made me dislike this vacation. My husband said he was planning on writing a letter to Carnival and thanking them for such a great cruise and say how sorry he was he did not sticking with them. I laughed, I said I was taking a class and it was all about service and that this vacation will serve as a great entry on what service should not be.

                This experience made me realize that sometimes to get good service you have to consider what the service provider is going through.  In this case I was really not complaining, I just wanted to figure out a way to get a ride to my destination.  When I went up I did not consider that the stewardesses probably had a lot of other customers coming up saying they too were going to be late. When I finally realized this, I understood why they were reluctant.  It was not their fault the engine was not working, they could not fix it and they had no control and nothing they could do could get people to their destination.

Side note:  I ended up missing my bus, BUT they sent me by taxi and I arrived before the bus did.

When our meal came out, she only had one plate in hand.  She set the plate in front of me and said that the meal my husband ordered looked burnt and she refused to serve it to him and requested the chef make another.  We said that was fine and not a big deal.  As I was trying to wait for my husband’s meal to come out; I noticed that my meal was missing an ingredient: spinach.  I had no plans in sending the meal back (I really could not wait again and it tasted fine even without the spinach) but I wanted to let her know so the cook could be informed.  When she brought my husband’s meal back I said that everything was good, but the cook forgot the spinach. She said that she was sorry (not that it was her fault) and would bring spinach out.  I said not to worry that the meal was good even without; but she insisted.  When she came back she brought a plate and said, I asked the chef for a side of spinach and he must have miss understood.  Here she brought a raw plate of spinach for my cooked meal; I said thank you this was fine.  She seemed upset and frustrated with the whole situation.  When we were done with our meal she came out with a big piece of chocolate cake.  She said it was on her for everything that happened. Honestly, we knew it was not her fault; we could see that the hostess did a poor job of spreading the incoming customers out over the sections and that the cook was possibly new. We did not think it was a terribly bad experience, we understand things happen.  We were happy with our meal and the quick service despite a few mishaps.  However, when the waitress brought out the cake, I thought that was a nice gesture.  I was going to right the experience off as a rough night for the restaurant, but when the waitress brought a dessert out without us complaining or saying anything this impressed me.  It is really great when a company (in this case the waitress) realizes their (as a whole) shortcomings and is proactive about making sure the customers have a good experience. 

          When I got married my husband and I had to get one insurance company; he had Erie and was happy with them.  We decided to choice which ever company (State farm or Erie) had the lowest price to insure our cars, which turned out to be Erie insurance. When I bought my house I wanted to go with State farm for home owners insurance, but because Erie offered a discount for car and home; it was cheaper to get it from Erie.  I went to the Erie insurance office is Hummelstown (this is NOT the office my husband deals with but because my home is in this area, I needed to deal with a local representative).

           Now, before I continue the story, I will say my husband and I have an alternative living situation (we have two houses) due to my schooling and his residency requirement; but this is our choice. So I went to the local office in my area (Wagner's Insurance Agency, Hummelstown) to get home owners insurance.  When my husband and I arrived in the office, it was messy and not well maintained.  We spoke with a receptionist and she introduced us to a gentleman. When we sat down at his cluttered desk I started explaining that I needed homeowners insurance for my house.  ALL his responses and questions were directed at my husband; despite me being the one talking.  This was irritating, so I told him that it was my house and I was purchasing the insurance.  He then started to question our living situation and then made judgments on it! I explained that I was in school and my husband had a living requirement.  He then started to refer to me as “Hun” and kept saying that I was a nurse, which I am not.  Every time (5 in total) he referred to my job as a nurse, I or finally, my husband would correct him. Then, IF, he spoke to me, he would start with “Hun…”  My husband kept looking at me in shock.  When the agent excused himself for a moment my husband turned to me and said “I can’t believe it, he keeps calling you a nurse despite our corrections and refereeing to you as Hun; and you did not kill him.” (My husband was not able to get married at the church he grew up in because I was “too opinionated,” so this was very out of character for me)

          In a typical situation I would have told the guy off, went to the manager and complained, and would have not purchased the insurance through them.  BUT, my settlement was in 5 days and I had to get the insurance that day (they already inspected the house and there was no way I could get another company in the time I needed to).  I told my husband I had no alternative at this point.  When the guy came back, and referred to me as Hun yet again, my husband turned and said her name is Renee.  I walked out of the store shaking with rage. 

          I think I told this story to EVERY person I came in contact with for the next month and then every time a subject would come up where I could incorporate it.  I could not believe that this person would judge our situation and treat me like I did not exist or like I could not make a decision.  I think my emotion was MUCH stronger towards my negative service experience which is why I will bring it up. 

Automated phone service generally makes me want to scream; thank goodness we have the internet!!  IM chats are so much better than the phone option.