Grand Celebration Review

4.0 / 5.0
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First time cruiser- Unbelievably Disappointing Experience!!!!

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Grand Celebration
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mtburnett
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

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Sail Date: Jan 2020

I chose this line because of the great photos, seemingly thoughtful shore excursion itinerary, supposed comprehensive packages with enticing pricing, and plenty of perk inclusions. I was so very wrong. This was my first cruise and my fiance's birthday gift. I was completely underwhelmed in regards to my own experience and more importantly, extremely embarrassed this ended up being a gift full of disappointments for my fiance. After a long drive to reach the port we were greeted by cold showers before dinner. The dining facility- Stellar Prime which was to be our planned dinner was closed both days. We only found out of the second night the Admiral Club was to be the alternative option. We were not looking forward to a buffet or poolside grill items for our first meal. I know weather cannot be controlled by the cruise line but trust me the heavy rocking and rolling was insane. We watched several people throw up in the dining area. Even those who said they had been on many cruises on other liners said this was by far the worst rocking they had experienced. You honestly had to hold on to the walls and railings struggle to stand upright. This went on the entire night. Upon waking on day 2, cold showers again, and we found a notice outside of our door stating my card was declined for on board purchases. We quickly scarfed down a breakfast bite and made our way to customer service to attend to the matter before the departure of our shore excursion. There was a long line of others in front of us who also has card issues. Once we finally made it to the desk the representative stated to me in a very rude manner and without taking 30 seconds to really look into it, there must be a problem with my funds and I find another card to use. Of course I knew this was not the issue, and asked to use the phone to phone my financial institution. I was advised by my bank that the issue was the cruise line was submitting all of the charges with an incorrect expiration date. I hung up presented my card again to the representative. She typed something on her screen, advised me it was all taken care of now and I was free to go. We went upstairs and waited over 15 min for a young man at the Grand Cafe who said he was in training and working alone to figure out how to make a simple espresso. Once I gave my room card again he said it was declined. I said I just left your front desk and everything should be fine. I offered cash or another card just to get it done until we got back from the excursion. The answer was no. So now I am at the counter with what is a long line and audience behind me, totally embarrassed and now have to go back down 4 flights to the front desk again and we are running very close to departure. I go back down, speak to the same woman who tells me that she absolutely did not make a mistake and I need to contact my bank to figure it out. I used the desk phone again and was advised they were still using the wrong expiration date and in that 15 minutes we were upstairs, they had run my card 14 times!!!!!! so they blocked it for my safety. I asked them to stay on the line, handed my card to her again and said my bank is on the phone they can see the transactions you submit in real time and asked her to please check her work, update the info and rerun the card again... She finally did and the first attempt, IT WAS STILL THE WRONG expiration date she had in the system. I told her the bank is seeing this in real time and telling me it's still the wrong expiration date they are submitting. She finally actually looked at the card in her hand, changed the date, and it went through just fine. When it was all said and done we ran back up 4 flights with just 2 MIN before our group departed. We went on the Grand Bahama get away which ended at the beach It was a sad sight. Everyone is forced to sit on hard plastic straight back chairs. No umbrellas because of the wind and no lounge chair to actually relax or tan because they hadn't been replaced after the last hurricane. We can see the next activity center a little further down the beach, Guess what they had... lounge chairs.. We make it back and opt for a massage to relax. I was excited because I purchased the roaring twenties package and should get 20% off the massage only to be advised no, we cannot use any of those discounts because the packages are low prices already! To top it off, as I said it was my fiances birthday and was advised and it was on my ticket, we would get a birthday cake for him. It never materialized. In a nutshell, This was an AWFUL experience!!! I would definitely not recommend this cruise line to a friend or family member or foe!

Response from ChristineK, Social Media Team @Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line

We were very disappointed to read your experience during your stay in our Gd Celebration whilst an apology will regrettably not alter the outcome of your experience on this occasion, please...

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