Timewarp
3rd Level Red Feather
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2004
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It's been a while since my last rant. I've been thinking my rants have few real experiance to draw from and is mostly based on preconceptions. So this time my rant will include my first trip to Mexico on Carnival Cruise Line. Believe me, you're not going to go on that cruise after you hear this true story, (Unless you're rich, bastards). 🙂
I can saftly say that one of the dreams all people want is to go on a fancy trip to a foriengn land at least once in their life. And to think how excited when I found out my family was going on a cruise trip to Mexico. Incrediably thrilled? Yes I was. But alas all good things come at a price, and there was no extent how far my sorrow debts sinked after this experiance. Let's divide this up into section, possible having a small story in each. (Warning: Lots of words ahead).
1. Security: No matter what transportation method you take, you have to go through a whole s*** load of red tape. Entering the security station at the bay of Oceanside, I was completely flaberghasted at this huge line to get our pre-boght tickets. Fortunatly my aunt was with us and she's handicapped so we got to cut the line 🙂. But still we had to go through other stations. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was at the airport. It was just the hour long line waiting period. But all that aside we finally got onto the ship.
2. Rooms: The lobby was so friggin awsome. Fine carpet and wood walls, floors upon floors of shops, a beautiful bar in the middle, yes it sure was awe inspiring...the first few hours. So the family and I decided to fins our rooms. Would you believe our room was not only in the back but 5 floors below the main deck? Oh yeah I sure love excersise cause it's so relaxing. So upon finding our room at the end of the tunnel, two things crossed my mind. The room was not facing outside the boat, and next door is only a few feet away. So entering the room I was struck with dread. The room was as big as closet, or a japanese hotel room I assume. The closet was 2ft from the bathroom and the bathroom was probably 5x10 ft long. There were only 4 beds, bunk beds and we need another cot cause there was 5 of us. And the icing on the cake, a fake window with shades included. To induce the illusion that there might be something behind it, which was a wall. We were actually suppose to have two rooms but In short it was crap.
3. Ship exploration. Day 1-3: So after leaving the sardine can I decided to explore. So after a mile of walking back to the lobby I made some observations. First if I wanted a drink, i needed to spend 22 dollars to buy unlimited drinks. 22 DOLLARS! Okay I knew this might be pricy but for a coke pass it was a bit of a rip off. Every store I saw had increadibly expensive prices for stuff I can buy for 88% less on shore. If I wanted to use their internet, It would cost 5 dollars a hour, which is about the price of AOL for a month in 4 hours. Reading their brochaure every single thing or activity cost at least above 20 dollars and did I mention I was broke? On deck was nothing but a sea of white or black people on lawn chairs, making my family the only mexicans not employed by the cruise line. I thought the pool might be half decent but they used water they pumped from the sea and nothing says clean like sea water heavy in salt.
3. Dinner time: Okay, skip ahead to dinner, we had to dress up for dinner and the only thing I had were cargo pants and a Hawiian shirt that didn't fit, so I was very unconfrotable. Oh it got worse. What they don't tell you is you have to share your table with another family. And oh man were these people as white as snow. We nicknamed them the Startrecks cause they looked like them even though i've never seen the show. All they did was talk about their fancy careers and drank. Okay so I thought maybe dinner would at least be enjoyable. After playing with the 52 or so unnesscary amount of utensils I choose items on a menu that I could not decipher in my language and prayed they would be good. Oh no. Can I say that lobster bisque is the nastiest soup you can ever try not to throw back up? It was like a white milky liquid that they probably is used as a pratical joke. So after resorting to just eating dinner roles I thought desert would be good. I don't know what "Dessert" means in cruise talk but it must mean "show not eat". I was handed a plate and all there was was two pieces of small fruit and what looked like a first graders first squibble lines on the plate. I never ate there for the rest of the trip.
4. Mexico: (I'm ommiting the good part cause this is a rant and giving the you the most rediculous, scandlistic, true events that happened the day after word). If you thought it couldn't be any worse, my aunt decided to sign us up on a trip to a silver mine. Disembarking in what had to be the worst slum i've ever seen, we crowded onto a bus. Only 5 mins after leaving port, we had a blow out, indicating how bad this was going to be. So after 45 mins of waiting , we finally got back on the road to our first part of the tour, a brick factory. You think that's interesting? Wait it get's worse. We disembarked into an open area with just one man making clay bricks on the ground. And that's when it hit me, this man IS the BRICK FACTORY! Even worse, some kids were holding out their hands for handouts. Now the good in me told me to give my only 10 dollars I received from my father, but then I relise this is all I have in the hellhole we've been going through. So getting back on the bus we spent the next hour or so driving. Look at everyone on the bus they were either sleeping or had the face of ARRRGGGGGGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Our next stop, the furniture factory. But this time there was actually a building! Unfortunatly half of it was outside, with bugs and goats, and barely any furniture. Back on the bus again and here we go at least to the silver mine...town. Apparently the tour guide wasn't updated because when I asked when we were going to the mine, the tour guide said it has been closed to the public for a year! Is there no low to how desperate Mexico or Carnival needs money? Returning to the ship I spent the rest of the trip on deck or watching Daredevil, over and over for 3 days! DAYS!
4: Freedom: We finally reached good ol USA and we had to wait 3 hours to get off the ship and another hour for security and finding our laugage. My family or I couldn't have been more happy to get off that floating coffin. I actually spent the rest of the day at home playing Diablo till my eyes got sore.
Okay let's sum this up for those who couldn't read all of that and leave out the good parts, (Sorry you have to read it to see it). Cruises are bad, very bad. Never go on one if you can barely afford the tickets to get on. And don't go to a country where a factory counts as one person.
(Leave you commets here, or money, which ever one I like better).
I can saftly say that one of the dreams all people want is to go on a fancy trip to a foriengn land at least once in their life. And to think how excited when I found out my family was going on a cruise trip to Mexico. Incrediably thrilled? Yes I was. But alas all good things come at a price, and there was no extent how far my sorrow debts sinked after this experiance. Let's divide this up into section, possible having a small story in each. (Warning: Lots of words ahead).
1. Security: No matter what transportation method you take, you have to go through a whole s*** load of red tape. Entering the security station at the bay of Oceanside, I was completely flaberghasted at this huge line to get our pre-boght tickets. Fortunatly my aunt was with us and she's handicapped so we got to cut the line 🙂. But still we had to go through other stations. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was at the airport. It was just the hour long line waiting period. But all that aside we finally got onto the ship.
2. Rooms: The lobby was so friggin awsome. Fine carpet and wood walls, floors upon floors of shops, a beautiful bar in the middle, yes it sure was awe inspiring...the first few hours. So the family and I decided to fins our rooms. Would you believe our room was not only in the back but 5 floors below the main deck? Oh yeah I sure love excersise cause it's so relaxing. So upon finding our room at the end of the tunnel, two things crossed my mind. The room was not facing outside the boat, and next door is only a few feet away. So entering the room I was struck with dread. The room was as big as closet, or a japanese hotel room I assume. The closet was 2ft from the bathroom and the bathroom was probably 5x10 ft long. There were only 4 beds, bunk beds and we need another cot cause there was 5 of us. And the icing on the cake, a fake window with shades included. To induce the illusion that there might be something behind it, which was a wall. We were actually suppose to have two rooms but In short it was crap.
3. Ship exploration. Day 1-3: So after leaving the sardine can I decided to explore. So after a mile of walking back to the lobby I made some observations. First if I wanted a drink, i needed to spend 22 dollars to buy unlimited drinks. 22 DOLLARS! Okay I knew this might be pricy but for a coke pass it was a bit of a rip off. Every store I saw had increadibly expensive prices for stuff I can buy for 88% less on shore. If I wanted to use their internet, It would cost 5 dollars a hour, which is about the price of AOL for a month in 4 hours. Reading their brochaure every single thing or activity cost at least above 20 dollars and did I mention I was broke? On deck was nothing but a sea of white or black people on lawn chairs, making my family the only mexicans not employed by the cruise line. I thought the pool might be half decent but they used water they pumped from the sea and nothing says clean like sea water heavy in salt.
3. Dinner time: Okay, skip ahead to dinner, we had to dress up for dinner and the only thing I had were cargo pants and a Hawiian shirt that didn't fit, so I was very unconfrotable. Oh it got worse. What they don't tell you is you have to share your table with another family. And oh man were these people as white as snow. We nicknamed them the Startrecks cause they looked like them even though i've never seen the show. All they did was talk about their fancy careers and drank. Okay so I thought maybe dinner would at least be enjoyable. After playing with the 52 or so unnesscary amount of utensils I choose items on a menu that I could not decipher in my language and prayed they would be good. Oh no. Can I say that lobster bisque is the nastiest soup you can ever try not to throw back up? It was like a white milky liquid that they probably is used as a pratical joke. So after resorting to just eating dinner roles I thought desert would be good. I don't know what "Dessert" means in cruise talk but it must mean "show not eat". I was handed a plate and all there was was two pieces of small fruit and what looked like a first graders first squibble lines on the plate. I never ate there for the rest of the trip.
4. Mexico: (I'm ommiting the good part cause this is a rant and giving the you the most rediculous, scandlistic, true events that happened the day after word). If you thought it couldn't be any worse, my aunt decided to sign us up on a trip to a silver mine. Disembarking in what had to be the worst slum i've ever seen, we crowded onto a bus. Only 5 mins after leaving port, we had a blow out, indicating how bad this was going to be. So after 45 mins of waiting , we finally got back on the road to our first part of the tour, a brick factory. You think that's interesting? Wait it get's worse. We disembarked into an open area with just one man making clay bricks on the ground. And that's when it hit me, this man IS the BRICK FACTORY! Even worse, some kids were holding out their hands for handouts. Now the good in me told me to give my only 10 dollars I received from my father, but then I relise this is all I have in the hellhole we've been going through. So getting back on the bus we spent the next hour or so driving. Look at everyone on the bus they were either sleeping or had the face of ARRRGGGGGGHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Our next stop, the furniture factory. But this time there was actually a building! Unfortunatly half of it was outside, with bugs and goats, and barely any furniture. Back on the bus again and here we go at least to the silver mine...town. Apparently the tour guide wasn't updated because when I asked when we were going to the mine, the tour guide said it has been closed to the public for a year! Is there no low to how desperate Mexico or Carnival needs money? Returning to the ship I spent the rest of the trip on deck or watching Daredevil, over and over for 3 days! DAYS!
4: Freedom: We finally reached good ol USA and we had to wait 3 hours to get off the ship and another hour for security and finding our laugage. My family or I couldn't have been more happy to get off that floating coffin. I actually spent the rest of the day at home playing Diablo till my eyes got sore.
Okay let's sum this up for those who couldn't read all of that and leave out the good parts, (Sorry you have to read it to see it). Cruises are bad, very bad. Never go on one if you can barely afford the tickets to get on. And don't go to a country where a factory counts as one person.
(Leave you commets here, or money, which ever one I like better).
