Two cruisers have taken to social media to publicly criticise Carnival Cruise Line after a deeply disappointing start to their first voyage with the brand – but praised the company’s swift and sincere efforts to make things right.
In a Facebook post published shortly after embarkation in Lisbon, Dan and Jay from Sail Away Magazine shared their dismay over the condition of their stateroom aboard Carnival Miracle, describing it as “revolting” and “filthy.”
Their complaints included pubic hairs on the bedside table, possible bodily fluid stains on the luggage mat, visible mould and bacteria in the bathroom, food smeared near electrical outlets, sticky surfaces, and what appeared to be urine and faeces under the toilet seat.
“This is a ship that has just come out of an ‘extensive refit’ in Cádiz. We’re struggling to see where that money went – because the cabins are dated, the ship feels run down, and we’ve never experienced anything like this in over 100 cruises.”
They also cited a chaotic three-hour embarkation process with no communication or apologies as the first red flag.
Carnival Responds Decisively
In a follow-up post the next day, Dan and Jay confirmed that Carnival’s onboard leadership team took immediate action after they raised concerns with guest services.
The ship’s Housekeeping Manager, Guest Services Manager, and Hotel Director personally inspected the cabin, acknowledged the serious lapse in standards, and offered profuse apologies.
“Each of them told us, in no uncertain terms, that NO passenger should ever have to endure a cabin in that condition,” the passengers explained.
They credited Duncan, the ship’s Hotel Director, with handling the situation with professionalism and empathy.
According to the guests, Duncan described the condition of the cabin as “the worst he’d seen in over 40 years at sea” and expressed visible embarrassment at the oversight.
Carnival Cruise Line then relocated them to a fully cleaned, upgraded cabin and provided a full refund for the sailing – a gesture that Carnival staff themselves described as “only fair.”
“We appreciate Carnival’s honesty and accountability in this situation. That’s what sets apart a company that truly values its guests — owning the mistake, fixing it, and learning from it.”
They added that they were then looking forward to the rest of the voyage with renewed optimism.
The viral post drew hundreds of comments from fellow cruisers – most of them sympathetic, though a minority accused the couple of staging the photos or exaggerating.
Despite the rocky start, Dan and Jay’s measured response and Carnival’s willingness to take ownership may ultimately be what this incident is remembered for.
Make sure you check out the Sail Away website if you want a copy of their magazine, or you can keep up to date with them across their socials:
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
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I think possibly what rubbed people the wrong way was that completely snobby preliminary in their post. The whole “we knew this wouldn’t be for us” despite them never cruising with Carnival before.
If my cabin was dirty I would get the steward in to look, tell him we were going fir a drink and the cabin better be gleaming when we got back.