Carnival Cruise Line Reviews 450

Costa Luminosa (Jan 2026) turned into a nightmare of theft and hidden costs. First, my $500 backpack disappeared from my cabin.
​Second, the Spa is a total scam. They promised a package for $430, then secretly charged us $560. They handed us fake $0 receipts to hide the theft, and then—without any authorization or signature—stole money from my partner's account instead of mine. This is not just "bad service," it’s financial fraud and lack of basic security for guest property.
​Guest relations on board refused to help, shamelessly pushing the problem to corporate. If you value your money and your belongings, STAY AWAY from Carnival/Costa. They don't protect your privacy, your signatures, or your luggage.

STEALING LYING THEIVES
i left my jacket in my cabin closet i realised after i got off the ship and asked if it could be retrieved before i had to get my flight i was told no not until all passengers have been vacated by 10:28am i got an email advising my jacket had been retrieved and would be sent to me by post that was on the 29th december after coming off the carnival conquest i emailed the liaison who said it was fond and would be sent and they said they had no idea what had happened to it and to repost it lost to lost and found.

I have done this and they have replied we do not have it and cannot find the jacket.

Horrible customer service and thieves for stealing my jacket.

DO NOT USE THEM

I’ve sailed with Carnival before and had great experiences, which is why I had plans to continue cruising with them. Unfortunately, after this experience, I will never book or sail with Carnival again.

I had an upcoming cruise booked under my own Carnival account.. I made the booking and handled everything myself. Somehow, the reservation was canceled by my now ex. I was never notified of the cancellation. No email. No call. Nothing.

After speaking with multiple Carnival representatives, I received no real help or resolution. What’s alarming is that Carnival allows any adult associated with a booking to call and cancel it, even if they are not the account holder or the person who made the reservation. That means your entire vacation can disappear without your knowledge.

There should be stronger confirmation and security measures in place, especially when multiple adults are listed and the booking is tied to one primary account. The lack of protection and accountability cost me my entire vacation, and customer service made no effort to fix it.

Be very careful booking with Carnival. In my opinion, this is a major flaw in their system.

My mother and I sailed on the Carnival Venezia (Jan 11–25, 2026). Prior to sailing, our travel advisor verified that life-saving medical needs—a medical refrigerator for insulin and a power supply for a CPAP machine—would be accommodated.

​Upon boarding, Guest Services was completely unprepared. Instead of assisting us, the supervisor labeled our medical necessity a "lie" and threatened us with immediate debarment (removal from the ship). We spent our entire vacation under extreme duress and fear for our safety.

​Corporate Admission of Fault:
On January 22, 2026, I received a written admission from Gary Rodriguez, Carnival Office of the President (Case #INQU-SS-VX-01202026-1). He admitted that Carnival failed to verify our medical needs and confirmed that we were "threatened with removal rather than supported."

​Desired Resolution:
Despite this written admission of guilt and negligence, Carnival has yet to issue a refund. We are seeking a full refund for the cruise fare due to breach of contract and failure to provide a safe, accessible environment for a passenger with a disability.

The ship itself was the Carnival Venezia, and we were booked in cabin 2487. While the ship's layout was beautiful, the lack of basic medical training for the Guest Services staff made the entire 14-day experience stressful and unsafe for a passenger with a disability.

The price wasnt bad but they are a trash company that doesnt adhere to there own schedules. we went to multiple shows and most did not start on-time the debarkation is the worst multiple people missed flights bcz of there unorganization just trash carnival has gotten so greedy and ran by incompetent people. they could careless as long as they are making millions. as much as they do this you would think they had some type of order to there madness when your an hr waiting past your time to get off and flight leaves in 2.5 hrs is just ridiculous. i have read alot of reviews and i see that of all cruise lines carnival has the worst reputation which they have rightfully earned so the reviews do nothing they won't change just trash only reason i gave 2 starts is bcz they were cheap enough for our whole party to afford to go

Just booked our winter vacation. The rep was super nice and accommodating. Very excited!

I purchased a cruise from Carnival to cruise to Papua New Guinea on April 19 2027. I paid a $400 deposit. The cruise line then completely changed the itinerary of the cruise from Papua New Guinea to Vanuatu. My husband and I really wanted to go to Papua New Guinea and have no interest in going to Vanuatu. I called Cranival and asked them to either give me a $400credit towards a different cruise in the future OR a full refund of my $400 deposit. They completely refused to work with me or compromise. They told me I either have to go to Vanuatu or I lose my deposit completely. This is illegal. Under Australian Law, "they MUST provide a fair outcome, especially for major changes that spoil the core purpose of your cruise as seen in cases such as Moore v Scenic Tours."

What this cruise line has done is a bait and switch. It is akin to me buying an airline ticket to New York, having the airline change it to Los Angeles and then expect me to wear it and not complain or get my money back!

I have opened cases with three consumer organisations to get my money back.

STAY AWAY from Carnival Cruises Australia

First and last cruise with Carnival. Absolute shocker starting with there misinformed web site, alcohol must be in your carry on baggage not checked (even if you follow the type and size of beverage rules). The contents will be confiscated and not returned on disembarkation. Waiting almost 2 hours for your meals, not seated at meal time with other members in your party and disorganised chaos at best. Not even worth 1 star, absolutely useless mob of clowns. Never again.

I was unable to board because I could not find my birth certificate. Baggage was already checked . Staff was rude and did not make a good effort to find it . I was left at port 1,000 miles from home no keys no medications. No phone charger. No money. I called pleading for help. I had to sleep in the parking garage . Make no mistake this company left me to die . Don’t risk it ! Pay more and go on a better cruise line please !

Early December 2025, me and my husband took the Carnival Conquest for our honeymoon, and it will be our last time on a Carnival cruise ship! Our room had dust piled high on all light and lamp switches, mirror, phone and remote which indicated that the entire room was filthy! We complained and housekeeping didn't clean it well, didn't change the bedding & towels in the bathroom. We complained again & to ensure I wouldn't have an asthmatic attack, I made sure to change bedding myself. Our honeymoon decorations was snatched off our door and housekeeping put our double sided tape on the wall of the bathroom. Those working the buffet line, some were coughing without covering their mouths. The lemonade and juices were watered down except on the 1st day and last day of the cruise. Also why take us to an island that you're still working on? There was a huge metal rig of some sort, sitting in the ocean near shore. I huge eye soar. Carnival does not care anymore. The only compensation we got was a paid shuttle ride to the airport! UNEXCEPTABLE! I've been on that ship several times throughout my life, and have frequent Carnival since 2008. It has certainly gone down in quality. NEVER AGAIN!

I am a long time customer of Carnival since 1995 with 12 cruises with them. My last cruise a well meaning porter took our bag and put it on the wrong ship as there was 2 Carnival ships next to each other- we discovered his mistake and found him. He said no worries this has happened before and they a system in place to handle this. He called the man in baggage and assured us we would get our bag. We then got in line and boarded our correct ship. No bag was delivered for our entire 4day Bahama cruise. This was my friends first cruise we had no clothes and could not participate in any of the activities let alone enjoy the water options available. I took her shopping for formal night, white night, and 70's night. The are yet to find my luggage and offered no compensation on any of the mistakes they made. No one will talk to me and keep sending me automated responses we returned on December 4,2025 it should not take this long to resolve this issue!!!!

Carnival cruise canceled are shore excursion. When we called customer service no one can help us. After a cruise you can only get help through their email. We have done all that. Still no response or refund from them after all most 2 months!

Horrible experience in this last trip that we took.

The pros: entertainment was great. The staff is always friendly and available to help. The slots were friendly.

The cons: canceled ports due to weather. Understandable. What isn't is that we were charged the fee still for tender boats to the canceled island.

For too many teenagers booked. Lack of respect and never stop eating causes buffet lines to be too long. The pizza line is accommodating to their requests also. Meaning that most reasonable people are asking for a couple slices while the kids request the entire pie. Also long line there because they can't keep up with that.
Buffet food quality went down greatly. Powered eggs, cold meat, hard bread, fewer choices.
Because the kiddos have unlimited ice cream cones expect sticky floors. Especially in the elevators.

Strick smoking policy? I don't think so. Could constantly smell weed down our corridor from other rooms.

Our room was expensive. Sleep is hard when your room is above the boat prop and below staff storage room with carts rolling back and forth all night. How did we get an assignment so low when we paid upper tier pricing by choice.

Betting tables. Oddly unfriendly. Not just one night either. Far to coincidental over 5 days.

Locked in a bathroom at 1am on Lido deck because there was no inner handle to open it back up.

Won't do carnival again or suggest it.

Our family's six-day Christmas cruise aboard Carnival Firenze in adjoining staterooms 8271 and 8267 turned into a serious health and safety nightmare with confirmed bedbug activity and poor handling afterward from Carnival.

A live bedbug was found and confirmed in stateroom 8271 on December 25 after returning to our stateroom from dinner. We attempted to reach Guest Services and received no response. We called Housekeeping who thankfully came to the room, confirmed the issue, captured the bedbug, and helped coordinate the inspection. A dead bedbug was also found during inspection. The room was treated with chemicals as a result. We were displaced from our cabin and forced to relocate.

After inspection, an unused personal hygiene item not belonging to us was left in the room, raising serious sanitation concerns. Paid specialty dining leftovers from Christmas dinner less than 2 hours prior was ruined due to chemical treatment exposure.

Carnival assured us our clothing would be washed and heat-dried. Instead, our belongings were returned unwashed, damp, mixed together, and foul-smelling, which is not appropriate bedbug protocol.

Most concerning, we later learned another family was placed in the same stateroom on December 27 without disclosure. Carnival has minimized this as a minor issue and offered inadequate compensation. This experience completely undermined our trust in Carnival overall.

If I can put a zero I would Antonio and Patta of carnival cruise paradise decided not to service African Americans they decided to serve every person that came to the bar AFTER US ANTONIO was ignorant decided to separate himself from colored and PATTA decide to ignore US I asked 3x she said give her a minute I gave her minutes before other ppl arrival to serve us and she decided to service 7 people before she got to us which we was there FIRST I don’t like the feeling and wish to broadcast their behavior to prevent anyone else feeling the same way.

We were forced to cancel our cruise due to circumstances completely outside of our control, yet Carnival showed no understanding or flexibility.

We are U.S. green card holders born in Iran. After consulting with immigration attorneys, we were advised that it was not safe to travel due to U.S. government–related restrictions. In addition, I provided Carnival with a doctor’s note clearly stating that I was medically unable to travel.

Despite submitting legal and medical documentation, Carnival refunded only $350 and forced us to lose $1,250, while refusing to offer even a future cruise credit. We were not asking for a full cash refund — just the chance to use the credit later when travel is safe and allowed.

This caused significant financial loss and emotional distress, especially for our two children, who were extremely disappointed after having their long-planned family trip canceled.

This was not poor planning or a voluntary cancellation. It was due to medical necessity and government restrictions. The lack of compassion and fairness in handling this situation was extremely disappointing. I would not recommend Carnival to families who expect reasonable customer service in difficult situations.

I have cruised on several occasions with Carnival. I have two cruises booked in the future and am looking to book more. I have read many of the one star and two star reviews on this site. Some appear legitimate bit many appear to be Karen's demanding special treatment. These people want to blame their own ignorance or incompetence on the cruise line. Read and research before purchasing any product. You Tube has many bloggers to answer your cruising questions. Buy travel insurance, return to the ship on time when in port, research guides not associated with the cruise line. Main dining room takes time, enjoy the experience. There are thousands of videos available to help you plan your cruise and avoid rookie first time cruise mistakes, I see many reviewers complaining about. Children and some adults make getting in a hot tub akin to taking a dip in a cesspool. With so may things to do I would suggest never getting into a hot tub that have been used by strangers. You can read cruise ship company policy on every website. They have a policy to covering almost every situation that has ever arisen. New problems are rare but when they happen they will be added to the company policy. I am tired of coming to this site looking for trustworthy reviews and finding one and two star reviews written by people that want the world to bow down and give them everything they ask for no matter how unjustified. My experience with Carnival has been wonderful. They have taken care of every legitimate issue I have ever had.

1st time ever cruising 4 days Sydney to morton bay they ran out of supplies of simple things how can you run out when you know exactly how many are coming on board Certain things dont open till after 9pm eg casino and you ask workers in that are they dont know anything found out by a passenger Staff friendly but if you work in a area you should be verse on your area Food lines could be worked on it was mad we had to state times early or late dont know why because it did not seem to matter Then last day at sea Friday could not buy certain items at it stopped at noon why we did not even get told I can say if I got offered a free 4 day cruise again I would pass if it was with carvinal

Carnival Radiance:
First off, we booked a suite for 5 people through AAA. 11/14-11/17
When we walked into the room there was a "king size bed" which was two twin mattresses pushed together. The mattresses were very hard and not comfortable at all. Plus a gap in the middle of the teo mattresses made it hard to sleep.
Then there was a sofa and we couldn't understand how it would open into another bed. We had to call guest services which told me the room attendant would fix it when we set sail. That took about 2 hours. The attendant came and the sofa did turn into a bed and was made with blankets,sheets and pillows. But they didn't put the extra bed for my step son. My step son ended up sleeping In his cousins room, which happened to be on the same cruise. But we were charged for the 5 people in our room.
The food in the buffet is mediocre. Not much choices and bland for the most part.
On the second night we went to the reserved dinner at the sit down restaurant. We ordered food and they brought my father in law the wrong dish. But exchanged it. We all ordered dessert. They brought us our desserts but brought my mom in law ice cream.(which she didn't order)
So she asked for the cheesecake which she originally ordered. But the server confronted her like she was a witness in court. The server Showed her the paper with the orders and said "Leoni: ice cream. Here is the evidence "
Nobody expects to go a cruise and made to feel like you're lying about a dessert and treated with so much confrontation. That experience ruined our plans for the next evening since it was supposed to be the Night to dress up In formal attire. Very disappointing to say the least.
On our way out when we had to disembark, my room key was scanned and I was able to leave. They stopped my mother in law and father in law before they could leave and told her them they needed to go to guest services. We were told it was because of the gratuities. But earlier guest services told me the bill was all clear and we could leave when I called.
So there's a lack of communication and it caused undue stress. I did like the Cruise Director who was very upbeat and social and entertaining. But I doubt she would even address our experience to rectify it somehow. Her name is Vanessa.
All in all our bill was $390! We didn't get any drink packages or anything special.
We did spend $22 at a gift shop and that's all.
But $390? Without an explanation of what they're charging us for! This is the biggest scam! They sell you a dream of a perfect cruise, which turned out to be a nightmare!

We had tried Royal Caribbean before and only had positive experiences with them. I will never come back to Carnival as it was the worst experience ever!

If I could leave a minus I would, cancelled our cruise and we lost over a grand, because when they transferred from P&O they didn't transfer my payment plan and it lapsed, they sent me an email that went to spam, Lame! Wouldn't want to travel with them anyway judging from their awful reviews.