I have some unexpected advice that I
need to give stay away from the Cloud 9 spa on Carnival Cruises this is very
important they are not part of the Carnival Corporation they are not part
of Carnival Corporation Carnival Cruise Lines they are a random business partner
and they are not a good one as a birthday gift I bought Mindi something
called a fire and ice treatment some sort of pedicure thing and I prepaid on
my credit card the charge went through and everything the day it was supposed to
happen they call our cabin at 8:20 in the morning and wake all of us up and
say that she has to come an hour early versus the time that was selected so she
rushes she gets ready she runs up there she gets there right on this new time
this hour early time and they say that she’s been double-booked and that she
has come back an hour later at the time that was originally scheduled she gets
there and they don’t give her the treatment that I paid for they don’t
even give her the option they don’t even tell her that it’s not an option they
just start doing a completely different thing and she speaks up and they tried
to sell her things, they try to sell her oil and massages and all these different
sorts of treatment now when they had screwed up on the time and she had shown
up the hour early they requested and told her to come back they said we’ll
throw in a massage for the inconvenience well that didn’t happen so instead she
got some different treatment nothing that we ever wanted or booked and she
never got this free massage thing that was supposed to happen in compensation
and round and round we go with complaints trying to sort this out and
she’s up there she’s speaking to the manager all this kind of nonsense
they’re refusing to own up to it all this other kind of stuff the whole time
they’re trying to sell her things even while she’s complaining here’s where I
get involved again they randomly decided to charge my sign
and sail card even though I had already paid with my visa so I was upset with
this and I went to guest services guest services on a Carnival Cruise cannot do
anything about the spa not a thing short of maybe apologize they are
different companies and they do not have a fluid business relationship all they
can do is they can call the spa for me and hand the phone over so I’m speaking
to the person at the spa and they said that oh well Mindi said to charge your
card again I don’t know how that would make sense to anyone oh the guy who’s
already paid for this charge him again even though I didn’t receive what I
wanted where’s the logic there and how can you be allowed to charge something
to another person’s card I think the spa has some security issues
that knowing somebody’s cabin number and their first name is sufficient to charge
something to your card I go up there and I have to talk to these people and they
explained to me that when you booked online even though it’s the carnival
site Carnival isn’t the spa and so you can book your bottomless bubbles on the
carnival website and it’s fluid it’s seamless you show up and it’s it’s on
your account and you’re ready to go there’s no funny business but with the spa
apparently when you go on when you get on board they credit the amount you’ve
paid onto your sign and sail card and then when you show up they charge it so
it nets against it and that makes for a very confusing sign and sail account to
say nothing of a confusing experience to the customer when I was presenting them
with the fact that they had charged me for something that I already paid for
now they had credited her account because it was in her name it was a gift
so you don’t have to be sailing to buy these things for people this could have
been some friend who’s never been on a cruise ship could have gotten it for her
for a birthday present they wouldn’t been here to help solve
the problem and so I’m up there and I’m saying he charged my card without me
here without my permission I never set foot in the spa and they were able to
charge me that’s interesting no signature no card swipe just charged
they’re explaining to me how the shoreside sends them a printout and
that’s carnival shoreside is cloud 9 jargon code for Carnival they call it
shoreside watch out for that so they say Oh shoreside gives us a printout and
that’s all we ever have to deal with when there was an issue we tried to make
sure the right person got charged the right amount and so we called accounting
now they didn’t say whether accounting was cloud 9 spa accounting Carnival
shoreside accounting or I don’t know maybe a third entity but they said
accounting wouldn’t let them charge it the way it should be charged so they had
to put it on my card and then they said that Mindi told them to do it that way
when really it was this accounting I have to go round and round with Emma the
manager here on the Carnival Dream at the cloud 9 spa before she’ll even
consider correcting it so she finally corrects it and I explained to her that
like I shouldn’t have had to come to the spa to fix their mistake
I shouldn’t have to know that they call Carnival shoreside I shouldn’t need to
know the jargon just get them to fix their mistake well she can’t do anything
she’s just the manager of the spa she’s not empowered to do anything no no and
it’s not her fault it’s not cloud 9’s fault it’s the website that’s managed by
Carnival it’s shoreside sending them bad information it’s accounting refusing to
allow them to charge things you know in a sane manner it’s absolutely ridiculous
she said I’ll send that feedback tomorrow but you won’t hear anything but
I’ll send that for you take that on faith because they’ve screwed up so
far now it’s the time to take things on faith. I go to Carnival guest services
and I need to let them know that their business partner is screwing with them
and treating their guests like crap Emma the manager of the spa is up there
wearing a carnival nametag saying I don’t work for Carnival how is that not
misrepresentation? How is that not borderline fraud I don’t know so
I complain to guest services here on the Carnival Dream and they take some notes
and they- I say I want to file a formal complaint no I don’t want to speak to
the spa people again because they weren’t able to do anything about their
screw up other than just remedy it they’ve wasted a bunch of my time
they’ve made me literally run from one end of the ship to the other end back
again once to go complain then I’d go back and get Mindi because they were
saying that she said things she never said and she had to be there to refute
the lies before they would correct it and so I’ve had to do all this and have
this negative experience I said it’s my 12th cruise I have one more booked
I have plans to book three more in the coming year at least and I’ve been doing
nothing but introducing new people in the most positive light possible to Carnival
Cruises you watching my videos know that I’ve become quite the Carnival fanboy and free advertiser I said you know that’s a problem she took some notes she
wasn’t even gonna take my name I handed over my sign sail card I’m like don’t
you need my information the spa wasn’t able to do anything I need some sign
from Carnival this isn’t acceptable behavior to them because otherwise you
have to rethink things Sam wants to book the breeze for November seven-day
sailing I wanted to do a balcony after this I don’t know that I want to go at
all I don’t want to inconvenience Sam Sam’s blameless in all of this he’s still in
love with Carnival and I don’t blame him I would like to be back in love with
them if they can make this better but it’s service recovery time it’s time for
them to step up and tell us what they’re all about I did customer service
training for eight years I trained people sometimes in their first ever
jobs on how to deal with service recovery you take ownership of the
problem no one’s done that you say you’ll fix it no one’s done that I’ve
received a few apologies that’s about it this is the test now the thing about
service failures is they’re not all bad this can be an opportunity this will be
the test that will tell me what they’re truly all about
it’s easy to do a good job when nothing goes wrong but when things start to go
wrong that’s a test of character but let me tell you they make this right I’ll be
a bigger fan of theirs than I was before and I can’t imagine what that would look
like that’s the opportunity that they have now they’ve gotta give me a sign
I’ve had issues with Hilton and when it got escalated to corporate they made it
they did it maybe they didn’t do it perfect they didn’t you know maybe they
didn’t even make me feel whole again off of what I had lost but there was always
a gesture and it wasn’t just an apology it was a gesture of some substance and
some meaning and so that tells me there’s a corporate structure at Hilton
that doesn’t believe that my experience was acceptable and so when I booked at
Hilton even if there’s maybe not the best reviews online I have confidence
that it will be made right and that the things online maybe they’re anomalous
maybe they’re before the service Recovery’s kicked in
you can’t expect things to be perfect all the time absolutely not
but when things go wrong it’s time to man up fortify whatever you want to call
it this is carnival’s moment what will they
do how will they respond I really really hope they come through because I’ve
invested a lot of my time and money traveling with them I’ve leveled up in
their loyalty program to gold I was looking forward to platinum by the end
of this year it was my new year’s resolution for God’s sakes so I really
don’t wanna see this relationship trashed but you know you can go back and
look at our old videos we do road trips well we do Vegas well we you know we we
know how to have a good time without carnival if necessary so hopefully it
doesn’t come down to that but I’m going to need something I’m gonna need a sign
something of some substance that says this is this isn’t us this business
partner this Cloud 9 Spa doesn’t speak for us or represent us and the thing is the
spa can do very little to make things right with me short of you know some sort
of a refund or something I don’t need spa services I’m not interested in it
and from everything I’ve heard it’s you know short of Mike’s massages which he
enjoyed it’s massive sales pitch it’s a
timeshare without the free stuff so I can’t imagine a thing that they would
have to offer me it needs to be outside of their limited scope because they had
some mission creep and the screwed over a guy who wasn’t actually a direct
customer but a guy who gave them money I think carnival needs to make this
right their business partner screwed up and when that happens you have to take
responsibility even if you weren’t the cause in my years of customer service I
can’t tell you how many times I’ve done that and you say I’m going to make this
right I haven’t heard that from anyone yet when I was speaking to the person at
guest services I said I’m willing to cancel my next cruise over this and I
asked them can I cancel it on board can I do it now they said no you have to
wait till you’re back on shore before you can cancel a future cruise which is
disappointing you can book all the future cruises you
want but you can’t cancel when you’re on the ship so that’s awfully convenient I
hope that they take it with some degree of seriousness but it’s completely out
of my hands now it’s up to them all I can do is try and picture the best
outcome and hope that reality comes to match it I think there’s a lot of really
low cost options for them to substantively show me that this is not who they are
this is not what they’re about there’s a lot of things that they could do all I
can do is wait no sense in speculating much more than that and again this is
the spa people it’s Cloud 9 spa stay away I don’t trust them I would not give them
money I would not trust them to give me a good experience the jury is still out
on Carnival so I hope they come through stay tuned and in terms of the spa
situation I did contact Carnival afterwards and despite the fact that
they’re separate companies Carnival made an effort to make it right they followed
up through through email and so they did offer some sincere apologies and so I
appreciate that I do feel that the spa in the way that it behaves and it’s
arms-length structure from the carnival organization does do damage to carnival’s
brand but at least in that instance Carnival was too willing to go the extra
mile to make it right and so that was that
was good
Yeah, their notorious for this (up-selling)…I hate that you and your wife had this experience but this makes me second guess my services. This is insane and crazy.
Let us know how this situation pans out…
Wow! I will definitely stay away from the spa! That's terrible!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO BECAUSE I WAS ABOUT TO BOOK SOME SPA SERVICES…I AM STAYING AWAY. I really thought they were one and the same. It's such a money thing. you can't even use the steamroom and sauna for free. We already paid enough with our hard earned dollars. Thank you.
Thank you for this! I was weary of booking some spa services on my upcoming cruise…
Hmm am just asking a question here but why are you so close to the camera?
I'm booked on the Carnival Miracle in June and was thinking about reserving some spa time for my Daughter. You have answered all my questions and I don't think I'll be booking any treatments now. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Thanks! won't be using the spa on my next cruise. I hate when companies try to get over on consumers.
Could you put the camera a little closer to your face?
Thank you for the time and very clearly explained rip-off the spa on Carnival inflicted on you. Wow, they really are scum. Cancelling the spa for my girlfriend. Not worth the hassle or risk of ruining our vacation experience.
Just wow, friend. They really gave you the runaround and I'm glad you're sharing your bad experience AND the outcome.
In this digital age, most people won't book a vacation without checking the reviews from seasoned cruisers.
Pay attention, Carnival: due to this man's experience, I won't be booking the couples massage and beauty treatments I'd planned for my cruise next week.
I love Carnival but they really need to get their act together.
We spent 3 hours on our last day of our ncl cruise trying to fix a $300 charge to our account for photos we got as a free package and we went back and forth .So stressful and they froze our account so we couldn't even go for dinner in Cagneys like we had planned.
I have had many treatments at the cloud 9 spa (on two ships) and have never had a problem. Sorry you had a bad experience!
Soon to be x-Carnival cruiser. We are not happy with their maintenance, the changes in food and mattress quality, guest service, or how they deal with sexual assaults from crew. There are the shady business partners, as you mention. I heard people that took the bait from Diamonds International, being advised on the ship that tanzanite is a lucrative flip back home. While Park West Gallery has a questionable history, I had to file a BBB complaint with Carnival itself, for not releasing a refund.
The Could 9 Spa was horrible on the Pride last March. After asking for my hair to be cut to my shoulder blades, the stylist cut it an inch past my ears. When she saw what she did, she started laughing at me, "Oh you can still do a little man bun, if you have to have one of these." While I got a refund, I was pissed! I'm back to the awkward stage of growing my hair out, at least 18 months to grow it to where I asked. The spa manager did not want to meet with me, phone only, but when I mentioned another guy who got a botched shave, she flipped out on me. "Who is he? What's his name! You tell him to come meet me up here. I want his name!" Of course when you get a $35 shave, you should need to finish the job back in your cabin.
Unfortunately, this person may have had some issues but I a diamond member and have never encountered this crap. The spa is managed by a company called Steiner which is a HUGE partner for the majority of cruise lines. This person is obviously upset and I can guarantee something that he did caused all of his issues. This video is nothing but crap.
my wife and i have been cloud 9 spa many times. never had a problem. We are even booked in spa cabins, I'm not sure why he has so much issues. But, i have booked massages with them 2 to 3 times with them. yes, they will ask you about buying stuff.I just said no and thank you. Going to be in spa balcony on Vista in November
I’m glad that Carnival made this right. We were thinking of doing a couples spa treatment, now we are not sure we will.
Thank you for posting this video I can safely say I totally agree with you as this happened to me on fri from the carnival breeze.
I got a gift for a reduced rate on a massage while on the Dream this past summer and they pressured me to buy their products like crazy at the end. I just wanted out of there. Said no several times and just had to say I want to leave now. I got out of there okay but it was like a crazy nightmare timeshare tactic the last 10 minutes.
U will never be happy in ur whole life… U have lots of problems to create issues. Nobody Will believe u.
I have been on Carnival Dream 3 times after the last one I’m done will fly in and stay at a rated resort and get the full value of my trip
Thank you for sharing. I've had my share of good and bad experiences in the spa. One question I've always had was the auto gratuities in the spa and what that went towards. Each time I would have a treatment, they gave me a hard sell on product (even if I put on my sheet, no selling please). They always find a way to push. After the treatment they charge an automatic gratuity of about 20% then the crew member always pushes for additional tips saying that the spa is separate from Carnival. When I've asked Carnival what the auto gratuity was for they would just send me a link to the regular gratuity breakdown (cabin, restaurants etc.). I also find that if no issues arise, Carnival can be great. If there is an issue Guest Services and Guest Care after the fact does a poor job at rectifying the problem. I was considering trying the spa on the Dream next year but this is a reminder that maybe it's not the best idea. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
So I watched this whole video and my head just hurts. They dragged it. Once upon a time the customer was always right smh. You should’ve gotten a full refund!
I understand the issue. I had that double spa charge happen too. I dealt with the Spa company directly after I got off the ship and it was resolved within 72 hours. I wasn't going to spend my time on a cruise fussing about their nonsense. I didn't get and still don't get the double charge thing. Bad business. That said, I wouldn't have gotten this bent out of shape. Plus, your face is way too close to the camera. I think you like attention. lol
We have had a few bad Carnival cruises experience and will never go back on Carnival……. Sadly I was also a fan no longer…. If they offered me an On Board credit it would be unacceptable for I will never travel with them again…. I hope the credit for the future travels was Considerably more than what you spent and dealing with this Situation….
The Spa is bull crap!! On my last cruise on the Valor we received a call on the first night saying we won a free massage during a drawing, So I book a 9am massage for my fiancé for the next morning. So we go down there the next morning, everything goes well until later on we check our sign and sail and we were charged $100 from the spa. So basically we got the run around just like you did and we were told by the spa manager that they do not give free massages and that they didn’t call my room…. I was pissed but I let it go and I promised that I would never step foot in the spa again. But I still love carnival
did the exact same thing to us
I feel for you , the same thing happened to us , double charged we thought , cut out the funny stuff , get your crap together . Will never go to the spa again . The sales talks are ridiculous !
Why the fuck was this a close up of your face the whole time you spoke?
Stay away from your close up videos
I was trying to find a video to learn about the best spa massages on Carnival Breeze. I was about to book one, but after watching this video, why would I want to give myself that headache! No spa for us!
So has this been resolved?
There is only ONE company that operates the spas om ALL cruise lines. Each line contracts with this company and they do business under whatever spa name the cruise line uses. The same goes for the casinos on cruise ships: all one company.
Did they ever take care of this matter?
Back up from the camera mate!
That's how women operate Buddy ! very hard and difficult to deal with – the worst . If it were a man he would handle it better. Women should not be left unsupervised.
Customer Service ? Women hardly give good service . Women are always at War with somebody . First thing they do is to deem you an enemy and then proceed to deal with you accordingly.
Maintain the relationship Bro , Get the Platinum . Anyhow do not take the Spa thing too serious. Enjoy Life buddy — Dont take yourself too serious. Breathe – Relax ! DONT CANCEL !!!
Thanks much for the warning
I think I will go straight to the spa when I board the Horizon because I'm really wanting to try it out
Maybe this is why on the Carnival Australia website doesn't show any information or allow guests to book spa treatments online. They're a lot stricter here. Have you been to the spa since on subsequent cruises?
This makes me so angry what they did to you 😡
There is NO way this guy is making this up with such details…im never booking on carnival cloud 9 spa.
OMG … thank you for sharing and for keeping it real. Going on my first cruise and was thinking about booking spa treatments. WOW, I feel your frustration and I want no parts of that🙀
yes I'm know I'm late posting. But this is a simple Carnival and Spa scam kickback.. Carnival is in on it. Take care
I was about to book the spa on carnival pride in Jan. Hell no!!!! And why are ppl so worried about how close you are to the camara??? Such idiots!!!! Giving valuable info and they worried about how close u are to the damn camera smdh!!! Ppl are just stupid!!!!
Dude, back up! Extreme close up not needed.
WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Thank you. Getting ready to book my 1st cruise. I will avoid the spa. And never prepay.
I'm not a big fan of Carnival. My Experience with them this last October was good, but with one issue I can not forgive. The first nights dinner in the Main Restaurant I was treated most rudely by the Maître D. This was the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore. This is the same person that comes out dinner your dinner and sings to everyone. He thinks he's Frank Sinatra. I booked the table reservation 3 months prior for a table of 2. However, after sitting us at a table for 4, I was advised that we would also be sitting with 2 strangers. I was not happy with this. So I went to discuss it with the Maître D. He could care less, and told me that it was too bad and he would not change our seats. I told him he was a jerk! I'm trying Carnival Pride again next month, I hope the Jerk has been moved to another ship! 🙂 I really do prefer NCL. But I expect that none of these Cruise Lines are perfect.
Why would you book on the same ship again that gave you a lot of trouble?
Thank you very much for your review and update. We're taking our 2nd Anniversary Bae-cation on Carnival in just a few weeks and have our 3rd cruise booked for Aruba next year.
We're planning to add the spa package we saw on the carnival website as a special treat however we follow reviews very closely.
I must say initially I was Leary listening to your experience. Being as you actually included an honest update my faith is restored in Carnival . Not sure if I'll book the spa package just glad I don't have to throw the baby out with the water..
Had no problem with the spa. It’s their job to try to up sale. They should have billed the correct card and would have been no issue. It was blown out of proportion. And you should have stopped the service when they were not doing the correct treatment.
I cruised on Carnival for 30 years and taken 24 cruises with them. They have gone way down hill over those 30 years, not just the spa. I've recently switched to Norwegian and after my first cruise I have already booked 2 more cruises with them. Even though I've been platinum with Carnival for many many years, I am moving on to a better cruise line.
They charged my sign and sail card twice when it was a cloud 9 spa special buy one get one free on carnival breeze I will never go to the spa again they are so rude I had the cruise director get it removed and he handled the situation instantly
I have cruised 13 times on Carnival, used the Spa at least once on every cruise and NEVER had any issues. I have even won a $150 spa gift card on one of the cruises. They do offer the products they use on you for purchase, but there is no obligation. I LOVE the Elemins foaming bath and muscle gel they sell.
Good info. You are so dramatic 😝