Mrs. Michelle Hunsicker-Blair
202 E 5th St
Frederick, MD 21701

RE: CARNIVAL PRIDE, 12/27/09, 4149/34L7Z6, 4147/34L6Z8, 011727730A

Dear Mrs. Hunsicker-Blair:

Your email to Mr. Cahill regarding your family’s recent cruise was forwarded to my attention for a response.

We’re delighted Carnival was your holiday gift to your parents. I’m so happy to hear that you had such wonderful experiences with the dining. I know how important this must have been to you and Mr. Blair, so we’re glad to learn how happy you both were with this part of your vacation. All of the staff members mentioned in your email will receive proper “kudos” on your behalf and we’re glad they each contributed to the enjoyment and relaxation of your cruise.

We know that fab food and great service combined with lots of fun are the main ingredients in our recipe for an awesome cruise. However, we’re very concerned to hear of the problems encountered on board the Carnival Pride.

Therefore, I must extend our apologies for the item that was left behind in your bathroom and missed by our cabin steward. Obviously, this is not the first impression we want to make. Plus, the condition you’ve described of both cabin bathrooms is not up to Carnival’s standards and is uncharacteristic of our product.

Also, thank you for telling us about the issues with the dishes and silverware. We maintain a high level of cleanliness on all our ships and need to know if our guests ever find areas needing improvement. All issues have been reported to our VP of Food & Beverage as well as our VP of Hotel Operations for follow up with the vessel.

We know that a speedy, hassle-free debarkation process is key to the ending of your vacation and we always try to make it as easy as possible. Yes, mother nature threw us a curve ball, which proved to be a bit of a challenge but we still strive to have our guests’ cruise end on a high note.

The fact that the cruise was a gift and that you sailed with your parents does add an extra dimension to the situation and we understand why you would’ve liked for things to be perfect. You have every right to expect things to be top notch.

Mrs. Hunsicker-Blair, please don’t let this particular vacation curb your whole opinion of us. We’d really love for you to reconsider returning to Carnival.

Sincerely,

Kay Merrill
Special Advisor, Office of the President

—–Original Message—–
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 2:37 PM
To: Cahill, Gerry (CCL)
Cc: Leypold, Peter (CCL)
Subject: feedback on recent sailing

Dear Mr. Cahill,
I recently sailed on the Pride on December 27, 2009 in stateroom 4149 with my parent’s stateroom 4147. This cruise was my Christmas present to them. I want to start off with what your crew and officers did well. My husband is a pesco ovo vegan and allergic to Milk. Starting off with Peter Leypold your line’s executive chef the entire dining experience was tremendous sans the need for us to bring his special products (soymilk, dairy free margarine, bread and soy sausage). Marketta, who serves as the dining room hostess, was Alan’s special food handler the entire cruise. She is AMAZING!!! I have never been able to actually relax about his food on any other vacation. I felt totally comfortable knowing she was watching out for him. She not only did this with a very conscientious nature but with a pleasant demeanor. Her generosity and grace is a model for all of your employees. Suci his handler for Breakfast and Lunch is also a model for your employees as well. She made certain Alan had a great meal each time. Despite their work load of several other passengers Alan felt as though they were taking care of him and him alone. Maître’d Andrea was wonderful as well. Attending to our requests and greeting us by name with a smile and kind word every night. Mladen our waiter was also fantastic. His service was impeccable. I have received this service only in the best restaurants in DC.
Chef Wellington prepared fabulous meals for Alan. His attention to us as we boarded the ship was welcomed. He took Alan’s food and insured proper storage and preparation. His pleasant nature and desire to please the customer was evident at every encounter. He even exchanged recipes with me from the ships menu and my soon-to-be published vegan food pairing guide. My parents, seasoned cruisers (13 voyages thus far), were very impressed with the food. They felt it was much better than one of your leading competitors.
With all of this praise you may be wondering why I am not a completely satisfied customer. I have attached the pictures of the shower in our stateroom which had mold and mildew in it. Filthy is the only way to describe it. As a matter of fact the entire ship was very dirty. At Breakfast my mother was served water in a glass with lipstick on it. She was also served a drink at Raphael’s bar which had a chip on the rim o f the glasst. My husband was also served a glass with a strawberry baked to the outside of it (about the size of a dime). On the Leido deck I also received a fork with food on it, a dirty plate and a coffee cup with milk baked into the bottom. Needless to say the dishwashing needs work. I must say the most disgusting encounter I had was the dirty undergarments I found on my stateroom bathroom floor.
After a cruise filled with disappointments when we entered the port of Baltimore they began the debarkation process which lasted 4 hours. We stood in a hallway for 4 hours with our luggage getting few updates and no real assistance. I don’t think brooms are adequate tools for removing 4 inch thick ice from the hull of the ship. We finally debarked the ship dodging falling ice. Not exactly a relaxing way to return home.
I have to say that I would have a really difficult time paying $5000 again for a cruise on this ship or any Carnival ship. The cruise was a gift I gave to my parents. I feel terrible that I gave it to them. This was supposed to be a celebration. I feel like it was a complete disappointment. I am certain they would hesitate to cruise Carnival again.
Thank you for your considerate attention.

THANK YOU CARNIVAL :)