As someone (potentially) in the space passenger travel business, I'd like to know more about this story.

Any confirming links would be appreciated, but until then, Carnival Cruises remains in the "alleged" column.

A while back when I was looking to take a Caribbean vacation I checked out the possibility of a cruise. Most travel sites I checked indicated that the cruise ships leaving Galveston ports receive marginal ratings. Most reviews indicated that the ships were smelly and old. The ships out of Miami are the best ones to travel on for a Cozumel/Cancun trip. I believe New Orleans has a few ships that are in good shape but have to still be cautious as I believe some of the cruise liners alternate between Galveston and New Orleans.

In the end though when I look at what a cruise entails I saw that nothing on a cruise ship really floated my boat. In the end I just ended up catching a special fare from American Airlines to St. Marteen = 2 round trip tickets, 6 nights for $900. Then, caught a $25 ferry to Anguilla where we (my girlfriend and I) stayed at the La Sirena for a manager discount special price of $125 a night for a 2 story suite. Being that this is a off the beatin path location of the BWI we had an entire white sands beach all to ourselves nearly the whole time we were there.

We did Celebrity and had a good trip all around. But I agree, cruising the Caribbean just wasn't our bag. We _hated_ "sea days", which is apparently the day that everyone gambles. We don't gamble. The next time we do that area we're flying directly into St. Lucia and St. Marteen.

But as far as cruises go, definitely do the Alaska thing. That was just damn amazing. Killer whales swiming beside the boat. Pulling up to glaciers. "Sea days" were spent cruising the Inside Passage with beautiful scenery. I've also heard equally good things about the Greenland/Scandinavia cruises.

And if you do Alaska, don't eat on the boat if you can at all help it. They always ship in non-local food from staging facilities. The best food is in the ports.

I have taken 2 cruises on on the Rhapsodey of the Seas, A Royal Caribean Ship, from Galveston. Both Cruises were trouble free with no surprises. The ports of call were nice, and we had a blast. The ship was very nice and we probably enjoyed the at sea days more than the port days. There is plenty to do, and the crew was always pleasant, and effecient.

The only negatives I have with the cruise are:
They aren't Cigar friendly. Although they have a Cigar lounge open in the evenings, they don't allow cigars in smokeing areas except on the outside decks. A very minor inconvienience, But I would have liked to have had a smoke in one or two times. Stil its the new millenium:

They won't allow you to bring your own alcohol on board. Smuggling a few bottles isn't all that difficult, But it seems petty that they attempt to force one to pay big bucks to allow one to have a couple of drinks in ones cabin.

I wouldn't cruise on Carnival. They seem to be targeted to a younger group, and the cabins and facilities don't seem to be as luxurious as some of the other lines. They are a little cheaper, and if I were watching my money a little closer I would reconcider this.

A cruise vacation is a crap shoot, weather, mechanical breakdowns, and even politics can effect the quality. Still I think most people, have a wonderful time, and most trips go flawlesly. When things go badly though It can they can be pretty awful.

The p-a-g-e-s in my url is questionable:(

Wasn't Carnival cited a few times for illegally dumping raw sewage? I once drove over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel at a very inauspicious time. A cruise ship was going under the bridge just upwind of me. I neglected to roll my windows up. The stench hit me like a brick wall. In the dusk, I couldn't tell which line it was, but I wouldn't trust any of them anyway.