Carnival Cruise Line Reviews 449

TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

1.5

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. Many customers expressed significant dissatisfaction with the service, finding it disorganized and lacking in care. They frequently encountered issues with staff, describing them as unhelpful, disrespectful, and having bad attitudes. Customer service was a major point of contention, with many reporting difficulties in resolving issues and feeling unsupported. Reviewers also felt that prices for various amenities and excursions were excessively high, leading to a sense of being "nickel and dimed." Some people also felt that the holidays offered were not as expected, with changes to itineraries and a general lack of effort to ensure a pleasant experience. However, a few other people also felt that some staff members were courteous and helpful, and a small number of customers had positive experiences with their room attendants.

What people talk about most

Service

People report negative experiences with service. Many consumers describe the service as subpar, citing issues... See more

Staff

Clients share negative opinions on staff. Many reviewers report rude and unhelpful staff, citing instances of... See more

Customer service

Customers consistently express strong dissatisfaction with customer service. Many reviewers report issues... See more

Holidays

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of holidays. Many customers express disappointment, citing issues like... See more

Price

Users describe negative interactions with price, frequently citing hidden charges, unexpected fees, and high... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

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 r... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

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 r... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

We are currently on the Carnival Vista from February 7th to 15th in cabin 2297, and we’ve had serious water damage for days. The carpet has been soaked, and despite multiple requests, guest services... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Avoid at all costs. Found glass in food, had food poisoning due to food the first couple of days, extremely poor engagement (if any from staff). Cabin of poor quality. Carnival UK more interested in... See more


Company details

  1. Cruise Agency
  2. Cruise Travel Agency
  3. Tour Operator
  4. Travel Agency

Information provided by various external sources

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Contact info

1.5

Bad

TrustScore 1.5 out of 5

449 reviews

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Crooks and perverta

Very fraudulant cruiseline
They lied to me
Took $100
Were NO HELP booking and rude
I was told they are the bottom of the barrel cruiseline and after a waiter was sexually a pig propositioning my girlfriend i would NEVER recommend carnival

March 21, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Item left in cabin

I Saul with Carnival at least twice a year and have never had a bad experience until I had to deal with post cruise customer care. This is the first time I have ever left an item in my stateroom. First off I’m just figuring out that you can’t speak to anyone. You have to fill out a form for lost item. So I did. 4 days later they send me another email that they are still looking for my item (iPad). In the meantime I was able to contact a lady that was on the cruise ship on the sailing right afte I debarked. She went to guest services and inquired about my item and they showed her that they had found it. They kept telling her that I needed to fill out the form, which I had already done. She checked again before she debarked and gave them my list item report number and they told her they no longer had the item. I say all this to say that I’m really disappointed in this process. It’s very frustrating that there is no one to speak to. I notices all inquiries post cruise are all forms to fill out. You can’t speak to anyone but they sure have someone to speak to while they’re trying to get your money to book the cruise.
This is just a warning to anyone who cruises to please check and recheck your cabin before you debark because it will be a nightmare trying to get your items back. And for Carnival…..you should really consider revamping your post cruise customer care policies. I cruise a lot but after this I may have to stick with Royal Caribbean.

March 8, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

My Horrific Experience with Carnival…

My Horrific Experience with Carnival Cruise Line – A Story of Neglect, Mistreatment, and Cover-Ups

I never imagined that a vacation meant for relaxation would turn into one of the most degrading and traumatic experiences of my life. What started as a simple misunderstanding of Autism escalated into blatant mistreatment, false accusations, and outright human rights violations by Carnival Cruise Line.
• I was denied food, water, and basic hygiene items like soap and water in my room.
• My phone was confiscated, cutting me off from any outside help.
• I was not allowed to contact the Coast Guard or police, despite requesting to do so.
• My partner was charged with taking care of me as if I were a child, while staff asked her what Autism even is.
• I was falsely documented as saying I wanted to die—a complete lie used to justify their treatment of me.
• They revoked my partner’s alcohol privileges (for no reason), only to reinstate them later, which had NOTHING to do with my situation.
• Instead of addressing the harm they caused, they tried to cover it up with free specialty restaurant meals—as if food could undo the damage.
• They pressured me to take Ambien instead of simply allowing me to walk around to wind down (something I need due to Autism). They never checked my weight, health history, or whether the drug was even appropriate for me.
• After all of this, they banned me from ever sailing with them again by placing me on their Do Not Sail list.

This was nothing short of a complete abuse of power, discrimination, and a cover-up. Carnival had no knowledge of Autism, made false claims about my mental state, and treated me as if I were mentally incompetent. This isn’t just about a bad vacation—this is about mistreatment, medical negligence, and a blatant disregard for basic human rights.

I am sharing my experience so people can see how dangerous and untrained this company is when it comes to dealing with neurodivergent individuals. This should never happen to anyone else.

February 27, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Be careful when you go on the Carnival Cruise Australia, it's to relax and enjoy yourself, not to get sick because of someone's negligent behavior.

Carnival Cruise Liner, what a shame, I am 58 years old, I have been on many cruises with my wife, the management simply does not care about maintaining quality, they only think about making a profit, the buffet on 10 day cruises is of poor quality, almost always the same menu every day, disgusting hygiene at the buffet, no one washes their hands before entering the buffet and in other restaurants, the staff do not even care, after 4 or 5 days I start to see people with masks coughing, many people get sick, all this happens because there is no hygiene, what they do is cover it up so that the rest of the passengers are happy and continue to spend money. I say this because this is my second experience with Carnival, it is very easy to catch bacteria at Carnival. I was sick on two trips. 2023, trip from Sydney to New Zealand, got Covid 19. 2025, Queensland, I got Influenza, they charged me 1124 dollars for the medication and 10 minutes of consultation with the doctor, me and my wife together. Is this normal? I don't think so. I don't have this problem on other cruise lines, only on Carnival, Cloude 9 Spa Disgusting, I saw a naked man in the corridor where women and men enter all the time, they don't have wet wipes to clean seats and beds, it's very easy to catch bacteria, anyway, there's a lot more to say but I'll stop here, for me, never again on this cruise ship and where I have so much to choose from with different companies and companies with better reputations.

February 17, 2025
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Carnival Ruins Cunard's Legacy with QM2

What’s really disappointing is that Carnival bought Cunard with the intention of helping its financial struggles, but instead of preserving Cunard’s legacy, they turned the QM2 into just another cruise ship. They stripped it of its true ocean liner features and turned it into something entirely different. What could’ve been a majestic successor to the great ocean liners became another generic vessel. Cunard deserves better, and so does the legacy of the QM2. Honestly, this brand would be better off just giving it to Cunard its self.

:)

March 21, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Very Disappointing Experience

Very Disappointing Experience

I had high hopes but was left extremely disappointed. The food quality was subpar, and the variety was very limited. Honestly, it felt like a complete rip-off for the price. If there's one positive, it’s that the meals are so unappealing that if you’re trying to lose weight, this might be the place for you. The lack of flavor and excitement means you’ll likely end up eating less, but that’s about the only benefit. At list stuff very friendly

February 6, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Poor dining experience

My husband, myself and 2 children cruised on the Celebration Jan 19-26, 2025. For the most part we had a great time. The food service and quality was a repeated let down. The first night I was a few minutes earlier than everyone else. They wouldn’t serve me anything without everyone there. Fine I get it but a kind explanation from the server or some sort of dining etiquette handbook beforehand. If this is a major rule that they have I feel like it should’ve been broadcast. The waitstaff made me feel like the 2 shrimp cocktails I ordered were for people that didn’t exist. Instead of explaining the policy they just ignored me until the rest of the party joined me.
The second night we made our reservation and the 10 minute time limit expired as we were standing in line to check in. They wouldn’t seat us and we had to start a new reservation for a 40 minute wait.
One of the other nights I made a reservation and service ends at 9. My table showed it was ready at 8:59. They wouldn’t seat me even though the entire restaurant was full. It was just myself because the rest of my family was sick
with norovirus. I worked in restaurants for many years, no one wants a table one minute until close. But a single person with an entire room still full, c’mon. The whole dining experience really was disappointing. This meal service was included in our cruise package but man they weren’t accommodating and we felt like if we weren’t buying the up charge meals they didn’t want anything to do with us.
There were a few fantastic and fun bartenders. Again the service however lacked. They would take our drink order and then take 5 other people’s
order at the same time. Fine, except they didn’t give drinks in the order they were taken. There were multiple times I received my drink after other people when I ordered first. If you get chatting with any of the employees they are more than happy to tell you that they work 14 hour shifts for 9 months with no days off and are only paid tips. Come on Carnival treat your employees better. This cruise was very apparent that the employees were burnt out. We had fun family time don’t get me wrong but it was daily that we encountered some type of negative service. The ship itself had lots to do and any other food experience was pleasant. The sit down dining experience just left a poor impression.

January 19, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

My cruise in December I pre-pay $250 to…

My cruise in December I pre-pay $250 to use on the cruise. I put it in the wrong box I put in the box that’s it entertainment. I thought the casino was entertainment because they said I couldn’t use it. They kept my $250

December 12, 2024
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolutely horrible experience

Absolutely horrible experience! Rude staff. Incapable management. Archaic processes. Detestable food. Complete rip off! Avoid like there is no tomorrow! Disgusting experience! So many other fun pleasurable alternatives available that do not result in memories so bad that will last for a lifetime! Heed my advise

January 31, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Carnival luminosa & Whitehaven excursions

The treatment of our family and the reason for the cruise was absolutely disgraceful. Extremely unprofessional! They had absolutely no idea the mangers on board. Won’t be rushing back!

Not to mention the day excursion we did to whitehaven beach was an absolute was of money. Whitehaven beach absolutely stunning worth the visit. But we had 11 family members doing the day trip, time wasted signing the waivers resulting in lost time snorkeling which was the reason we were doing it and to only have 30mins snorkeling and was very disappointed. One member was a big boy now he was disrespected to be told he wasn’t able to participate as they don’t have a suit to fit no apologies nothing no compensation offered also not to mention discrimination. If there is a size limit then this needs to be clearly stated which it was not. I sent an email to the cruise line and no response whatsoever.

January 8, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Appalling company

I booked a short 5 day cruise with friends, taking advantage of the part payments that Carnival offer. I now find that they have cancelled my booking, did not take subsequent payments and did not send me any emails to follow up. The call centre is adamant they sent emails but I know how to check a spam folder. The customer service person was rude, unapologetic and unhelpful. Will never use Carnival again.

January 5, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

We paid for 10 days trip with including…

We paid for 10 days trip with including visits of 3 islands but because of missing risk management of the cruise ( 2 passengers sickness) we wasn’t able to finish our trip.
The passengers insurance was mandatory ( paramedics, helicopter, doctors.. ) , so there’s not excuse for the captain.

December 29, 2024
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Carnvail magic curise line Dec 14-21

Carnvail magic curise line Dec 14-21
hot tubs were disgusting,
our water in our hotel room ran brown yellow for a good 30 seconds . the second night in our hotel room my 17 month old daughter had a drug or medication in her mouth not from our own bringing. the customer service is horrible.

December 14, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Completely taken advantage of

This is the worse cruise line. The ships are dated and everything is a money grab for these people. I cruised with them in September of 2024 to the Bahamas. The room was terrible (two twin beds pushed together), the food was horrible and the staff at Halfmoon Cay were really
RUDE! That being said it's not the worst of it. I ended up getting another cruise for NYE to celebrate my brother's birthday, because he wanted to go. I paid 1300 to fly to Long Beach CA. I put my flight times in the AP, so they were aware. I was cutting it close but it said on the Ap that I would be fine. When I arrived in CA on Monday 12/30 it took along time to get my luggage. I arrived at the doc at 3:05. We were told to talk to Jesus Mota because our cutoff was 3:00. He was disinterested and unwilling to help us. I observed him also treating someone else with disinterest whose luggage was lost.
The only thing Jesus told us was that we couldn't get on the ship. We were
stranded in Long Beach and left on the doc because of 5 minutes. The
rest of our party were on the ship. We were told to call 1-800- Carnival. When we called they said there was nothing they could do, mind you the ship was still there the whole time
After looking up what ootions we had we called Carnival back to see if we could meet the ship at Catalina Island (the first stop) they said no. They said if it was their fault or a flight delay they would do it but, no because it wasn't those things. They refused to work with us and had the nerve to hold money on my account for sign and sail even though I wasnt on the ship. They couldn't help us but they could hold my money? This Jesus Mota had no empathy or concern for paying customers. If you ask me he was on a power trip. It was
ridiculous. Another 1000 later and 14 hours my husband and I got home. It was the most disappointing and hurtful trip. This cruiseline is not interested in anything but taking your money and providing subpar treatment. We lost our vacation time( I'm self employed, no work no pay),
airfare, cruise fare and the additional expenses to stay somewhere until we could get out of Longbeach. Stra drd and tired what a way to usher the new year in. Carnival is an unethical company.They dont care about their customers. I'm a hard working person who makes very little so a vacation is a splurge for me. This really hurt. Don't use this cruiseline if you want a quality vacation. I would give them 0 stars if I could.





December 29, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

GUEST SERVICES

Carnival Celebration, December 22 to 29, 2024, room 8256:
Restaurant, including management, (Mr. Alex , Festivale floor 6)
and Leslie (waiter) are going the extra mile to serve their guests. Nopiani, the room steward, might have been the best we ever had on a Carnival cruise ship.
But a chain is as strong as the weakest link.
Guest services is another story. First visit on the first day about 4 pm I was treated so rudely (“you talk too much. You are keeping me from my lunch”). I was so disappointed, that I went to sleep with my eye lenses on. That resulted in a medical visit and I felt sick for 3 days. I tried to avoid visiting “guests annoying services” but had to on the 4th day. There was Amanda, who told me that I am trying to run guest services and when I told her that I will never board a Carnival ship again, she approved. Guest Annoying Services” confirmed that there is no special waiting line for suite guests. You should just wait in a 100 persons line. My idea was to have fun and think about business decisions. Well, if I am not welcome by such an important department of a cruise line, I would be very stupid to book another cruise with Carnival again. Will never ever do that whatever happens. Nobody with a right working mind looks for trouble while paying over US$ 5.000 for it.

December 29, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Never again!

I booked a 4-day family cruise with Carnival for my birthday; unfortunately, a week before the trip, my husband suffered a major heart attack and we were unable to travel. Since I was paid in full and the cruise date was so close, they refused to refund me my money. They would not even consider giving me a credit to use the cruise in the future! Disgusting customer service. Buyer beware! Book using a credit card that will insure your purchases!

December 16, 2024
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I was attempting to purchase my drinks…

I was attempting to purchase my drinks package but because I live in Ireland their system couldn't process my card. 4 hours later with a huge cost for my phone bill, they are useless. Now the prices have increased and they told me there is nothing they can do. They don't care. I wouldn't advise going with this cruise line as you will get no support and to be honest it's tainted the holiday as it's been such an ordeal.

December 5, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The ship's condition (Magic) was a disaster

The ship's condition (Magic) was disgusting. Dirty.
7am wake ups from the ship's entertainment director isn't necessary to tell us how happy he is to get us another great day on the sea where they can charge us $14 for a drink and charge us 3% for us to access our money to gamble away at their casino. Duh?
No problem hearing over the PA system that Mr & Mrs ABC want to meet their friends at the XYZ, but when I was concerned about my wife because I could not find her after searching the entire 10th, 11th and 12the floors, their "Security" people wouldn't make an announcement on the PA system until a threw a fit about their attitude.
Imagine inf you will, a cabin so small that in order to access one side of the bed, my 73 year old wife had to climb onto the bed and roll around until she could get to her side. Really?
The swimming pool was ice cold for half the trip through the Caribbean, and the hot tub forgot to get HOT.
It used to be our favorite Cruise Line. But then money became more important for them than the people. Now we won't get on their ship again.

November 16, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

BEWARE when booking a Carnival Cruise

BEWARE when booking a Carnival Cruise. A cruise was booked in March 2024 for my children. When booking, they advertise “vacation protection” which is more of a scam. A deposit was made and “Faster to the Fun” was purchased. Later, and without notification, Carnival cancelled the cruise without any notification whatsoever. I was specifically told by a customer service representative of Carnival to file a claim because the cabin I reserved was now taken. I filed a claim and was denied. Carnival refuses to accept responsibility. Carnival then charged double to renew my cruise. Their business practice is fraudulent. If you’re looking to go on a vacation where you don’t have to worry about financial loss or the rug being taken from under you, choose another cruise line. You can rest easy and will be grateful you did.

November 14, 2024
Unprompted review

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