| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
 Debbie from Devon sailed on Airtours Carousel with
airtours
on a singles holiday.
There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 4
2005 |
Debbie
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness |  | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Debbie said: Hi, I worked on the carousel about 6 years ago and can honestly say that the hygiene care on the ship is excellent, any crew found with any kind of illness is automatically quarantined for 48 hours to keep any contagious illnesses at bay, sometimes though, other passengers bring illness on with them and that is mostly how it spreads, not from poor cleanliness as you will see the ship is constantly being cleaned!
The carousel is much smaller than a lot of cruise lines, but you will find it more friendlier and also get to know the staff more too..
I worked on shore excursions and had a great rapport with my passengers. So to anyone who is slightly worried...don't be...with cruises you will find you will either love it or hate it, there is no in between!
Food--- yes there is far too much of it and yes you will put on weight, but if you have sailed before you probably won't pile your plates so high this time as you will know there is food almost 24 hours a day!!
The entertainment is always great fun
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shona naysmith from stonehouse sailed on Airtours Carousel with
airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 4
2005 |
shona naysmith
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| shona naysmith said: Having just been on the Carousel and very worried about the "virus" reports i am very very pleased to say that i found the ship spotless and the crew forever cleaning and polishing. there had been an outbreak of some kind of illness but apart from a few passengers suffering from sea sickness there was no sign of the dreaded virus when we sailed. This was our second airtours cruise and they will be most certainly missed for first time budget cruising. |
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Joanne Carey from Glasgow sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Sun Cruises/My Travel
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 4
2005 |
Joanne Carey
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment |  |
| Joanne Carey said: I have just returned from a week on board the Carousel (April 12th). I had visited this website before I went and was horrified to read all of the reports about the "virus" and how terrible the ship was - WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!
The ship was absolutely spotless (I was scared to sit in the same place for too long incase I got polished or varnished). The food was fantastic, and the staff cannot be praised enough. I usually sail with Thomsons, and I found this ship/company to be of the same standards in every way - excellent value for money.
There was no sign of this "virus" whatsoever, and I agree with one of the reports I read which suggested that choppy sailing conditions and too much all-inclusive may have been to blame for some of the sickness that these people are reporting.
It seems that people are all too willing to voice their complaints and look for the smallest faults to moan about, and not enough people speak out about their good experiences.
Please do not let the reports on this website stop you looking forward to your holiday on board the Carousel.
I couldn't fault a thing (other than a week on board this friendly little ship is simply not long enough!)
And to everyone who moaned about the decor, and size of their cabin - what do you expect for a budget cruise??!! If you're that stuck-up and fussy about these things, spend more money and go with P&O next time!
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colin snell from glasgow sailed on Airtours Carousel with
airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 4
2005 |
colin snell
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness |  | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| colin snell said: Please help,
myself and my partner and her daughter are due to travel to tenerife on the the 5th april and board the carousel on the 12th, we have read all the poor reports since december last year regarding the alleged virus on board the ship,
we have contacted airtours about this and they categorically deny any problems on board apart from a problem in early december last year which they say only lasted two days, and that all derogatory reports on this website are bogus,
we have asked them to put it in writing which they have agreed to do but as yet have not received anything from them, personally i believe the comments written on this website and that they are lying, we have tried to cancel but to no avail.
Please visit the Cruise forum rather than posting your mobile details on the website |
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Douglas from Scotland sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 1 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 3
2005 |
Douglas
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Douglas said: Having booked the Carousel Canaries itinerary (29 March) at the last minute, I was devastated to read the reviews about the "virus" onboard.
WHAT RUBBISH! No sign of anything of the sort.
Having cruised lots of times before (P&O. Royal Carribean, Princess, Thomsons & Airtours) I have experience of cruise ships across the price ranges. I found the Carousel to be spotlessly clean, the staff committed to customer service and the entertainment superb.
The Carousel will be taken off soon with the demise of Sun Cruises and some people who have sailed on her before did say there was a slight sense of "winding down".
I would suggest that the "virus" was no more than the Atlantic Ocean in the winter/combined with too much to drink/eat.
Perhaps the "all inclusive" option hd a lot to do with "the virus" too!!
No one would compare The Carousel to any of the P&O ships for as we all know you get exactly what you pay for.
Our week on the Carousel was worth every penny. They call themselves "the friendliest ship afloat" and I have no argument with that! |
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Carol & Alan from Cheshire sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 3
2005 |
Carol & Alan
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Carol & Alan said: This was our first cruise. Had a cabin on the Main Deck, bigger than expected, room for all clothes.Food on board was excellent as was the service. the ship was continually being cleaned and painted. Our cabin staff were great and always around. Entertainment was very good, 2nd sitting for food best, give you more time on deck. We found the ship rolled at night and sleeping was difficult. Flying to Birmingham and a dozen people were sick,as the lady next to me just before landing. We were not allowed off until a doctor came to check the ill passengers, who were taken off by paramedics, and they were all off the cruise! We did not hear of anyone being sick on the boat. On the whole we really enjoyed the holiday, but next time may choose a larger ship. |
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Susan from Derby sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Cruise Control
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 3
2005 |
Susan
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness |  | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Susan said: Returned 29th March 2005, have sailed on Carousel 18 months ago and could not belive it was the same ship this time round. Had read the revues before we sailed and did not belive them. Traveling home was a nightmare. Would not have made it without my husband. A stomach bug made me so ill, the renching from being continually sick and having to travel while feeling so ill. My husband thought that I would have to be hospitalized before we made the plane butI was determind to to get home, here I am next day almost human again. Not many got the bug and you could say that with over 1,200 people together a proportion of them will be ill,at any given time. The chap next to me at the dinner table table came aboard the some sort of stomach bug and the people next to my husband came aboard with really bad colds which he caught.So are these reports the ships fault or the passengers. After saying that the crew were First Class as was the entertainment. |
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f peters from ayr sailed on Airtours Carousel with
my travel
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 3
2005 |
f peters
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| f peters said: Just returned from cruise on 22.3.05. Had a lovely time on board. No sign of any people suffering from a virus. Crew were fab with us all especially the kids. The ship is old and needing refurbished but it is kept very clean. The food was excellent and plentiful. This was our first cruise and we look forward to cruising again in the future. |
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Judy and Alison from Truro sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 3
2005 |
Judy and Alison
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Judy and Alison said: Have just returned 22nd March from 1 week cruise. Having sailed on Sunbird before found Carousel to be a smaller version. Everything very similar and just as good. Had a good week and are sad to know the Sun Cruises family are being broken up.
We heard about this website from a fellow traveller and are just relieved that we didn't look at some of these comments/complaints before travelling.
Guess What? Mum came down with a 24 hour virus on disembarkation day, which meant travel home was traumatic and daughter suffered 36 hours later. |
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Anne Flynn from Belfast sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
Anne Flynn
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Anne Flynn said: Having cruised before with Royal Caribbean in September 2004 which we thoroughly enjoyed. .My friend and I decided to have a Winter Break and booked Airtour Cruise- Atlantic Islands . This was the worst Ship I have ever travelled on. Very Shabby and should be taken off the Seas . We asked for an upgraded cabin which we paid extra for and were allocated Cabin P61 on the Promrenade Deck. The air-conditioning Control Room was located directly above this Cabin and because of the constant noise from this we could not make full use of this Cabin. We requested a change of Cabin but this could not be provided. Other passengers on this deck were also complaining about the noise from the swimming pool which was located above some cabins. The upper deck was not very clean and smelling around the tea and coffee area. We have lodged a complaint with Airtours and as usual they do not want to know. Said they did not have any other complaints. Would not recommend this Cruise Ship and would not travel on it again. |
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Mary,Jodie, Heather, Carly from Bangor. N.Ireland sailed on Airtours Carousel with
My Travel
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
Mary,Jodie, Heather, Carly
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Mary,Jodie, Heather, Carly said: Having traveled with sun cruises before 3 on sunbird & once before on the Carousel however the rest of my party were 1st time cruisers and this seemed like the perfect starter cruise. We had a fantasic week of fun and met some lovely people. Having read the most recent reveiw from Judy & Allison, they shared our table at dinner along wih another fantastic couple. The crew are superb, our waiter Ferdinand and assistant Cassi treated us like royalty, lovely guys. The officers, pursers desk staff were great especially Sue, the guest relations manager. She is sush a lovely person who just loves her job and this is very evident in the manner she carries out her duties.Cruise enertainment staff full of fun and really friendly. OK so the ship is getting old, but the happy fun atmosphere makes up for it.During our week on board the Carousel we couldn't fault it but like our dinner partners all suffered from the dreaded virus.
First victim was on disembarkation day, shortly followed on the day we got home by the rest of my party and by the next morning we were all in bed ill! Two days after being home the virus is now hitting other family members who weren't on the cruise. Pity this happened but in many ways I'm so glad that it didn't strike during the holiday as it is such an awful illness it would have been terrible to try and cope with it on the ship! |
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Ferriday from Hereford sailed on Airtours Carousel with
MyTravel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
Ferriday
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Ferriday said: Joined this ship on 1 March. There was no sign of virus on board. Crew were always cleaning. The ship is looking very tired and is in need of a facelift but everyone did there best to make our holiday a good one. The waiters were excellent and the food good. The weather unfortuately was shocking but that was not their fault. |
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Williams from Brighton sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
Williams
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Williams said: My husband and I have been on five airtours cruises before including the "Carousel" we had a great time on all of them except the last one, we boarded the Carousel on Tuesday 22nd February 2005 for a weeks cruise, in the early hours of Friday 25th February I became violently ill with a virus, I soon became to weak to walk and spent three days in my cabin surviving on nothing but bottled water,it completly ruined the last four days of our holidays, the ships doctor who saw me said I had a virus, it seems about a third of the passengers were infected with this virus.
To us the ship appeared clean, and staff were always cleaning and disinfecting,and as always the food was good onboard, staff were friendly and helpfull.
I have written a letter of complaint to Airtours and waiting a reply.
I think the Carousel should be taken out of service and fumigated to stop all the unnecessary suffering.
The Carousel is sold to another company and goes in May, If Airtours hadnt sold all their ships, I would definately not cruise with them again. |
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sinclair from richhill sailed on Airtours Carousel with
mt travel
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
sinclair
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| sinclair said: just back and am still off work with the VIRUS, fell ill luckily on the Monday before we came home not everyone was a lucky one couple at our table the husband was ill from the friday, we met many nore on the nightmare journey home.
I feel qualified to comment on the holiday as we did this trip last Jan 2004 with my parents and had a fab time top marks for everything,
we noticed a difference the minute we stepped on board the smell of drains outside our cabin (maindeck) and in our bathroom, we were told it was a port problem. The cling film surrounding the self service food on deck, on complaining, we were told it was for hygiene reasons and the school dinner type of service available absolutely awful, not portion control but could it be trying to stop cross contamination of passengers already affected with the virus?
i am still of work and was almost admitted to hospital by a late night emergency doctor last thursday.
The issue or one of the issues i have is that my elderly parents are due to go back and cruise again in April an hearing our tales of woe have only been offered 70% of their money back.
I too saw the mattresses being off loaded and thought it strange.
We met quite a few fellow passengers would had been ill and would not cruise again.
We will but will now use this site to review
I have contacted Cruise Control (booking agent) and my letter is in the post.
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Mrs J Jackson from Stafford sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
Mrs J Jackson
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness |  | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Mrs J Jackson said: Arrived on board the Carousel on 8th Feb. Unfortunately had not read any of these reviews and contracted the "virus" three days into the holiday. I was so ill that my husband fetched the Doctor, who was very arrogant and rude and tried to make out that we had brought the bug with us from England. The same night my husband became ill as well. We spent the remainder of the cruise confined to our cabin where we could only manage to drink water. We had paid for the Drinks unlimited package when we booked the holiday and because we were having to drink the bottled water in the cabin we were charged for it!!!!
We received a Medical Invoice from the Doctor which stated that I had an "Upset Stomach". It appears that other people with the same symptoms had "flu" put on their invoices even though they had received the same injections that I had!!!
When we arrived in Gran Canaria on Monday 14th Feb, there were trailer loads of new mattresses being loaded onto the ship and the old ones being thrown into skips.Surely, this should have been done on disembarkation, not when the same passengers were going to be sleeping on them for one more night.
The entertainment staff were really good at their jobs, however the waiter/ess service was appalling. You could wait up to an hour to be served a drink.
My husband and I are still suffering from this holiday now and would urge anyone who sees this review who has booked this cruise, CANCEL NOW!! We will never ever book another holiday through Airtours again. |
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Chris from Leeds sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours Carousel
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
Chris
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Chris said: We sailed on the carousel 1 Feb to 8 Feb a lot of passengers were taken ill with a virus i was ill for three to four days. six passengers on the same fight home were very ill including two children. |
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Val from Northern Ireland sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Air tours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 2
2005 |
Val
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Val said: I had read the reviews of the ship before I left and so was very apprehensive about the bug. However my mum and I have just returned from a really relaxing holiday where we met loads of friendly people. Having said that the dreaded bug affected 1/3 of the ship but more of that later.
The whole ship is suffering a bit from an end of term syndrome - I gather its been sold - and for that reason I wouldn't want to be one of the last on board as morale will no doubt get lower. However the staff looking after us were lovely , cabin steward , waiters, wine waiters couldn't have been kinder ( Its not just the tips although these people aren't paid well and appreciated their efforts being recognized) The cruise director Martin was the only fly in the ointment - devoid of personality he thinks the only thing women do is shop!! He also made little effort to get the rugby for those of us keen to watch. The assistant cruise direcotor John is a real comedian though - the nights he introduced the shows were great.
And the dreaded bug - well a third of the ship got it so a lot of people had a ruined holiday. If you are booked and worried here is what we did and we were fine. .
Don't eat meals on the Lido deck ( My belief is the bug starts as food poisoning - food gets put out here at 12 ish and there are no thermometers measuring the temperature!! Especially avoid the chicken) It may be a pain to go to the restaurant and more formal but the food is hot.
Don't use the public toilets. Use your cabin. Other passangers hygeine may not be as good as yours and this is how bugs spread. Equally wash fruit and wash your hands before eating.
Common sense I know but those on ship who did this returned healthy and had a great time.
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Susan from Worcester sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 1
2005 |
Susan
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Susan said: Our holiday was a week on Tenerife - starting Jan 25th followed by a week on the ship.Our problems startedon Tenerife as our hotel was suffering an outbreak of sickness and diarrohea which the Airtours rep advised us was an airborne virus - has anybody in the medical profession heard of that!I was seriously ill at the hotel for 2 days but strict starving and water only meant the problem soon passed although I like many other guests was left feeling very weak. When we boarded the ship I am sure people from our hotel were boarding with "the bug" and the reps knew this but said if you felt you were over it you could go.
Once on the ship it was obvious that people were falling like flies to some sort of gastric problem. My husband and I were scrupulously careful in our hygiene and selection of food. However by the next to last day of the holiday the bug got him and he was very ill for 24 hours.
The ship definitely had a problem that it was struggling to deal with - I don't think it would be an exagerration to say that more than 20% of passengers were affected in fact I believe it was probably nearer a third. The crew seemed to be doing their best to keep the ship clean but the standards of some people make such a task pretty well impossible.
Our holiday was the worst we have ever experienced purely as a result of this sicky bug - it was all people seemed to talk about.
With regards the entertainment - it was poor to okay. |
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Silje from Aalesund sailed on Airtours Carousel with
My Travel
on a family holiday.
There were 5 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 1
2005 |
Silje
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Silje said: Sailed from Tenerife the 25th of January. This was my second time traveling on this ship and third time cruising (first time was with Seawing).
The weather wasn't great, but the days on board was fantastic! :) I loved the staff - they were really great! :) Steve has an amazing and really good sense of humuor! Kate and Emma also did a fantastic job with Singing Legends :) I think it was a lot more this time:) Lee and the rest of the dancers and singers were great as well and very friendly:)
I also had a great time singing together with Chris Hill! :)
But the one making the biggest impression on me was definitly Sasha Lawrence!! She has an amazing voice!! My favourite artist! :D I'm so glad I bought her cd!:) She gave me a lot of good advice and inspiration! :) And I can't describe my feelings when she ask me to sing togehter with Chris! :) Thanks a lot Sasha, you're the BEST! :D Love you! =)
The food was also exellent, and the waiters very good :) The girl making up our cabin was very nice, and always smiling! :)
All the shows were good. Especially The Last Dance At the "something". Thanks to Lee (the lead vocalist) for recommending it to me!! =)
I really love Carousel and the people workinhg there.. and I hope I get the chance to go back there one day.. :)
My dream is to work there.. it seems SO nice! :D Thanks to all for making my trip so good! :D I'll nevner forget you :)
- Silje (17) from Norway |
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Sue Robbins from Dudley West Midlands sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 1
2005 |
Sue Robbins
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Sue Robbins said: We travelled on the Carousel from Tenerife on the 5th January 2005. The holiday was completely ruined by sickness and diahrrea that was going round the ship. I became ill on Friday 7th Jan.05 and that effectively ended my holiday as I was too ill to enjoy it. The next day my sister-in-law was taken ill and two days later my husband became ill due to the same thing. I am very angry with AIRTOURS because they obviously knew there was a problem on the ship since early Dec.04 but they chose to ignore it. They should have given us the choice, of either going or not, in view of the ongoing conditions on the ship, but they chose to let future passengers suffer. We will certainly never travel with such a selfish company again. |
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phil and karen from lancashire sailed on Airtours Carousel with
airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2004 |
phil and karen
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| phil and karen said: Our first cruise and the most appalling holiday we have ever had. We were on board Christmas week and it was the most miserable Christmas ever.
The ship was extremely shabby, our cabin was filthy on arrival and remained that way even after complaining, the bathroom flooded with waste water after every shower. The staff at the Pursor's desk treated us with contempt and were obviously tired of all the complaints. Most complaints were not logged and we were told that they had run out of complaint forms.Entertainment was very poor apart from 2 hours of Bernie Flint in the whole week.
The food was disgraceful particularly on Christmas Day. I was really ill and had to buy tablets for "seasickness", many passengers really suffered.
Worst of all, Airtours have been totally dismissive of all of our complaints and do not want to know.
DO NOT GO ON THIS CRUISE!!DO NOT BOOK WITH AIRTOURS!! |
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Mr S Muir from Falkirk sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a singles holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2004 |
Mr S Muir
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Mr S Muir said: A group of 11 of us sailed on The Carousel on December 21st looking forward to a wonderfull Christmas together as family. My wife and I had previously travelled on the ship some 5 year ago and had an excellent time. Unfortunately it was not to be this time, with our troubles starting before we even boarded "delayed to due to sanitisation process to eradicate winter vomiting virus". Two days later my wife came down with this virus and had to spend the almost the rest of the holiday confined to cabin which was incredibly noisy and initially smelly due to plumbing problems. Incidently the Doctor's report suggested she had indigestion. My son also took ill with Bronchitis and had to face the fearsome Doctor who sent him into hyperventalition with his "Bedside manner".My sister in law came down with the virus on the final day of the holiday. In addition to this we had lots of other issues with cold food,wrong food, and general service etc, etc. We raised all these with The Hotel Director and My Travel Manager who did there best to resolve however it was too late by then. The My Travel manager admitted that he though people would have been made aware of the virus issue prior to travel. Has anyone been informed prior to travel?.For your information more than half of the staff left the ship when it was transferred to The Lewis Group. You may also be interested to know that a firm of solictors(Irwinmitchell)is taking out a group action on a CFA agreement (no win, no fee) for more than 100 passengers who have taken ill on board the ship recently. Their phone number is 0870 1500 300. |
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Deborah Pollock from Lancaster sailed on Airtours Carousel with
my travel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2004 |
Deborah Pollock
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Deborah Pollock said: We travelled the first week of December on the carousel. A extremely high proportion of holiday makers went down with a very bad sickness bug. Staff were very rude and unfeeling for poorly passengers. As a qualified Nurse I was apauled at the lack of hygiene and acknowledgement of the problem on board. Over 5o of us are taking legal action with irwin mitchells over this issue. I advise all affected to do the same. holidaytravelwatch.com are helpful in finding no win no fee solicitors as we are using. I will never never use this ship and company ever again, even if they offered me a free holiday! Good luck anyone who ventures on this vessel you will need it! |
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p hurst from pontefract sailed on Airtours Carousel with
airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2004 |
p hurst
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| p hurst said: we sailed early dec. i became ill 2 days into cruise as did a lot of my fellow passengers. we got no sympathy from any of the pursers desk staff when we complained i have wrote to airtours but i have not had a reply. thank goodness this ship is goin. |
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David Udberg from North Shields sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Cruise Control/Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2004 |
David Udberg
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| David Udberg said: We travelled on the Carousel from Tenerife on the 14th December 2004. (I presume that "Bev" in the previous review has got her dates mixed up because it sailed again on the 21st, not the 19th as she stated)
What would should have been a fantastic holiday was ruined by the sickness and diahorra bug that was sweeping the ship. People were dropping like flies but apparently the ships doctor wouldn't acknowledge that there was a problem. Talking to other passengers, it appears that he would make all sorts of excuses for the illness. He said to one gentleman that the fault lay with the medication he was taking although he had been on the same medication for seven years. He told others that it was seasickness and even wrote on one persons medical report that the sickness was down to high blood pressure!
It was a timbomb waiting to happen because there is "nowhere to hide" on a ship and it completely ruined the cruise for us. The fact that a lot of the cleaning staff were wearing masks hardly filled us with confidence.
I became ill the second last day of the cruise and my wife was so worried that she called the ships doctor. He was an absolute prat. He said that he "sees passengers all the time like me and the next day they are up and about dancing and drinking alchohol". Not what you really want the hear from a doctor. (For the record,I was ill for over a week)
He kept asking if I were on medication (see above!) and seemed very disapointed when I told him that I wasn't. He did, however charge me over a hundred pounds for the treatment.
The next day, the day of departure, a note was passed under my cabin door to say that I was fit to travel. You felt that they just wanted rid of you as quick as possible.
At the airport I met a man from our table who had just contracted the illness and he looked dreadful. Surprise, surprise, he had a note from the ships doctor to say that he was fit to trave.
There were rumours going around the ship that the virus was rife amongst the crew the week before, so why were we put in that position?
It appears from the other review that another load of passengers were put in the same position.
I have sent a very strongly worded letter to Airtours and would be very interested in anyone who has a similar experience.
The virus on board the Carousel has been going on since last summer and I think it is a disgrace that the ship owners and Airtours are continuing to send passengers on this cruise. I and many others are seeking legal advice.
Please ensure discussions regarding cruises take place in out forums which you can access from Here. This area is for reviews only not discussions. |
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BEV from OSWESTRY sailed on Airtours Carousel with
MY TRAVEL
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2004 |
BEV
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| BEV said: My mother and her partner sailed from Tenerife on 19.12.04. They had problems embarking as the ship was being disinfected after a virus outbreak on previous cruise. They along with over 200 people left on dock in pouring rain and very windy conditions. Were you a fellow passenger.
Many passengers complained once boarding had taken place, but the ship left on time, despite the great holdup at dockside.
My mother and her partner were taken ill five days into cruise, spending last two days confined to cabin with sickness and diahorrea. Apparently at least a further 20 passengers had been taken ill. Were you on that cruise.
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garry from kilmarnock sailed on Airtours Carousel with
travel choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2004 |
garry
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| garry said: the ship is starting to look a dated now but was kept spotless by a very hard working crew who were even painting the hull when we stopped in madeira.
MAIN RESTARAUNT:the food was plentiful and a great choice and if you tryed something different and did not like it the waiters were quickly at youre side to see if you wanted something else nothing seemed to be to much trouble.the food in the midight buffts looked to good to eat,but we had to try some.
THE LIDO:again good quality (especially the burgers) and great choice.
FOOD OVERALL:no complaints at all apart from the fact there was so much and too easy to pile on the weight i dont know how anybody could not be anything but happy with the food.
STAFF:friendliest staff i have ever dealt with i think our cabin steward (marlyn) walked about the corridors watching for people leaving their rooms so he could tidy and clean youe cabin.our waiter (jesse) and assistant waiter (tony) could not do enough for us,even if they were only working for a tip they really deserved one.
ENTERTAINMENT:one of the grumbleweeds did a couple of great shows in the showboat but the best show was one night some of the staff sung in the carousel which was vey good,overall good.
overall:great holiday and would do it again only real complaint was that there was a bug went round the ship with around 100 people affected and we all got put off the boat early on our last day so the ship could be fully sanitised even though we found out there were people affected the previous so surely it should have been sanitised the week before. |
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Hamrag from Glasgow sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10
2004 |
Hamrag
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Hamrag said: Ship is very dated, therefore difficult to keep clean although the staff try their best with what they have.
We did not have one meal where you could say that the food was hot enough, both in restaurant and Lido cafe the standard is "warm".
By far most of the staff were friendly and courteous, although a few would not muster a smile. Do bear in mind that the waiter and cabin staff are "working on their tip" from the moment you arrive, therefore it pays them to look after you.
Entertainment is mixed, but overall OK.
This is budget cruising at the budget end, but we still enjoyed the 7 day cruise as a great part of the holiday is to see each of the destinations.
We were on the Island Cruises ship in June which we felt was a standard higher than the carousel in every category at similar prices. |
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Jane Elliff-Glennon from Doncaster sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours on Carousel
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 9
2004 |
Jane Elliff-Glennon
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Jane Elliff-Glennon said: I really enjoyed my experience on Carousel, as I have done on Sundream, Sunbird and Seawing. The cruises were excellent value for money and I go on board to have a good time, not to moan about a chip on the toilet or other trivial faults that some moanalots come out with. Plush and extravagent does not make a good holiday - the itinerary is what counts first and foremost and meeting people from all different walks of life. Does the decoration on a ship really add to an enjoyment of a holiday - you must be sad if you think it does. The crew from the Captain down to the waiters and cabin staff were extremely friendly and I think it is a shame Airtours have finished with cruising. |
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Keith & Wendy from Aberdeen sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours Suncruises
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 9
2004 |
Keith & Wendy
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Keith & Wendy said: We have just returned from our first cruise and had the most wonderful time ever.
The whole experience from checking in at Glasgow, to collecting luggage on return at Glasgow was extremely smooth, well organised and very stress free. What a refreshing pleasant change.
We could not pick out any highlights as the whole week was simply wonderful.
The first night at sea (Sat) was very rough, so much so that things were flying off dressing tables, drawers opening etc. This being our first cruise we thought this was the norm. How wrong we were. Turns out it was one of the roughest nights for a very long time and unfortunately alot of people were seasick (not us though!!). On Sunday the wind dropped and the weather was beautiful for the whole week.
We were lucky to be upgraded to main deck cabin. The cabin was small but adequate for our needs. Being at the aft it was a little noisy, especially the door which contantly rattled. We mentioned this to the asst Purser and the problem was immediately solved.
The food was plentiful (put on so much weight in 1 week) We were AI for drinks which was well worth it.
The waiters were absolutely brilliant and the service we received was unbelievable. These waiters had so much talent, singing, playing instruments, origami etc. We thoroughly enjoyed being entertained after dinner by them. Special thanks to our waiter Jerome and Moises for looking after us so well.
Fabulous entertainmenton board. We had Berni Flint (remember him from 1977 winning opportunity Knocks??) He was absolutely FANTASTIC, a great singer, guitar player and very funny comedian. There was also another singer Clare Andress who was also very good. Good shows were also put on by the Carousel Cast.
Then there was the disco. I dont think we were in bed any night before 2.00am!!
Ports of call were La Goulette, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Villefranche and Barcelona. One thing we did learn was when we do our next cruise we will keep away from the populated tourist areas like Rome and Pisa and spend more time exploring the smaller towns. Livorno was beautiful, very Italian, inexpensive shops and no tourist tat. We wished we had stayed there instead of going to Pisa. Sadly we were ripped off by a taxi driver going to Rome. We were set to go DIY via the train but 3 couples were organising a taxi (people carrier) and shouted to the people queuing for the shuttle bus did anyone want to join them. We went over and they said they had negotiated a fee of 250 euros, we would have the driver all day and he would take us to all the tourist sites in Rome. He took us to the Vatican (1 hour) the Colisseum (1 hour) then he took us back to the ship!! We were back on the ship for 14.30. So basically for our 70 euros (our couple share) we got 2 hours in Rome!! We were just unlucky with that taxi driver though as we did hear of others who did get the full day and had fantastic service.
All other ports we did DIY and encountered no problems.
The people on the cruise were mainly British, Scandanavian and Canadian and we met some wonderful people.
The Carousel was spotlessly clean and you constantly saw the staff cleaning, polishing sweeping etc. They ALWAYS had a pleasant smile and "hello" for you. The bar staff was first class too, very attentive, very friendly.
To summarise - Wow, what a superb holiday. We are so sad that Airtours have sold their cruise ships now that we have found them. I would go back tomorrow. For the first time ever in a holiday, I did not want to come home. We are now busy researching our next cruise as we now have the bug.
A very big THANKS to Suncruises for the most fantastic wonderful holiday
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Kerry Hilton and Paul Simmons. from Newmarket , Suffolk. sailed on Airtours Carousel with
My Travel.
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 9
2004 |
Kerry Hilton and Paul Simmons.
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Kerry Hilton and Paul Simmons. said: Ship Cleanliness...It was spotless, the staff were never seen standing around doing nothing, they kept the boat immaculate and looked like they actually took a pride in their job.
Ship Food...Well i have put 9lbs on in 7 days (disgusting).
You have a choice when you eat here, breakfast, lunch, elevenses, dinner, snacks, midnight feasts.......
Breakfast can be taken in the restaurant with waiter service, but we chose to eat at the Lido Cafe. This is a buffet, and it offers something for everyone from cut up fresh fruit, yoghurt, toast, waffles, cheeses, cold meats, cereals and of course full english brealfast. tea coffee and a range of fruit juices are available for you to help yourself. By the way if you have an appetite like a horse you can pile up the plate and noone even notices.......
You can eat at different places on the ship at different times of the day, you can also use the same Lido cafe for elevenses and afternoon tea and dinner, this is the most popular during the day as it is situated around the pool area near all the sun lounges.
Evening meal was eaten by us each evening at the resaurant with waiter service,the choice was varied and delicious, some of the things we ate were, duck a l'orange, steak, roast turkey, lamb shank, red snapper, salmon all served with fresh seasonal vegetables.
Desserts were equally delicious.
Midnight buffets showed off the talents and quality of further foods on offer, the amazing presentation was a real highlight. they made the most amazing things out of melons pinapples etc......
If your going on board for two weeks i would start off with one size clothes and keep your "big comfortable" clothes for the end of the fortnight.....you have been warned.
The Staff well what can i say... they just all work so hard and never once did i hear any of them moan.
At dinner in the resaurant you have a head waiter (Manuel) and an assistant waiter (Zeus) who cant possibly do any more to help, they told jokes and showed us tricks, made swans out of napkins and made us roses out of paper tissues....... each waiter and assistant looks after about 4 tables of approx 6 to 10 people on each table,and they are very attentive but not intrusive.
At dinner each evening after dessert and during coffee, all the waiters (about 50) all stop what they are doing and stand near their tables and sing, at first i was a bit embarrassed but by the end of the holiday everyone is singing (some dancing) along with them, it really breaks the ice.
Our room attendant (ceasar) was so good at his job if you went the bathroom for too long he had been in and done your room!!!!!!!
Onboard entertainment was great, normally i wouldnt go for this type of thing but they really were good and energetic!!!!!
The dancers did a different thing every night from "Last night at the palais""Wet and Wild" etc wonderfull.
The singer Sasha Lawrence was entertaining and very personable as well as being a damn good singer.
Our Comic was (gorgeous) hilarious and had us giggling even now at the thought of some of his jokes.
During the day there were many different things to do watching a make up demo, watching the chefs make ice sculptures, dancing lessons, games, aerobics, water polo, bingo, golf putting, port talks, movies on the big screen, quizes, casino lessons etc.............
Our itinerary was Palma, At sea, La Goulette,
civitavecchia, Livorno, Villefranche, Barcalona, i wont go into detail unless anyone wants to email me on Kerry.hilton2@btinternet.com. and i will happily tell you what you want to know.
I had a brilliant time and would recommend it to anyone, just remember its not the Q.E.2.
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P.McIlroy from Belfast sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 6 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 8
2004 |
P.McIlroy
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| P.McIlroy said: The Carousel is a ship which is probably showing its years. We have just returned from our first cruise and it was excellent.
The attempts to keep the ship clean were happening all the time. There was particular attention paid to the Lido area.
The food was excellent and the entertainment from the waiting staff at dinner was very good.
Onboard entertainment possibly could have been better. Singer who talked too much and a comedian who sang too much.
All staff who were involved with our party were more than helpful and could not have been less attentive.
Thank you Sun Cruises it was a very enjoyable first cruise and hopefully not our last |
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GrahamCouch from Burnley, Lancs sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 7
2004 |
GrahamCouch
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| GrahamCouch said: Well here we are again another sun cruise aboard the carousel, we booked with this ship because the flights from Manchester had only this one left. We would have like another one like the Sunbird, which we have also been on before, anyway the cruise itinery took us from Palma, on to Cadiz in Spain, that night up on deck was incredible, the air was so still as was the sea and it was so quiet as we passed through the Gibraltar Straits, the sky was just full of millions of stars, and a few shooting stars to boot, I stayed up till 1 o' clock as it was so incredible.
Cadiz was a very nice place, the harbour is a short walk into town but there some open topped bus tours for 10 euros which is worth it as you can get on and off all day long, apart from the shops and a lovely beach that is about all there is here but it is very nice.
Next day onto Casablanca in Morocco, what a dirty smelly dump this is, as we came into the harbour at 6 in the morning it was completely shrouded in fog and was very eerie indeed, it was two hours until it lifted to reveal a big noisy dirty city, we was advised not to make your own way in because it can be dangerous, so wee booked the excursion off the ship for 14 pounds, they took you into the city and left you for 3 hours to look around, what a mistake, it stunk, we were pestered all the time by people trying to sell fake watches and the like, which was very intimidating, some were so persistent you hade to be rude to make them go away. There is an excursion to Marrakech from the ship but is an 8 hour round trip and we didn't fancy all day on a coach but some people who went on it said it was very good. There is a Mosque in Casablanca which is the biggest in the world and it is truly breathtaking but that is about all I enjoyed about this place, avoid like the plague!!
And on to Gibraltar, as you will know it is British and was my favorite place of all, it is about a 10 minute walk to the town from the harbour but there are taxis at the dock and some even do tours of the island for about 7 euros, I would recommend you do this as they include everything, it is too big to walk around in the time that you there, we walked into town and got the cable car to the top of the rock and saw the apes which was fantastic, don't take food though you cannot feed or touch them, sometimes they will steal food off you though which was great fun. The view from the top is unbelievable; it is so beautiful from up there. In the town there are plenty of places to eat and drink and they all talk English too, the duty free is also very cheap. Gibraltar was my favorite place it is clean and very friendly.
Next is Almeria in Spain, a nice typical Spanish town, it is a 5 minute walk into the town from the harbour, not a lot to see though there is castle up on the left of the town which has some beautiful gardens at the top but is quite a climb to get there, it is over a 1000 years old as well which interests me a lot but my wife was not impressed as the climb nearly put here lights out. There are a lot of places to eat out but there is not much English spoken here as it is not on the tourist map and communicating is a problem.
And Finally on to Ibiza, the ship parks virtually in the town centre so walking is not a problem, this town is very nice and was very hot, it is a typical Spanish tourist resort but a bit up market from the usual, there a lots of places to eat and drink and buy souvenirs and is a lovely walk around the harbour.
This itinery was not as good as the mainland itinery which we went on last year, we just didn't seem to see many interesting places, I like to visit famous big cities and historical landmarks, but there you go that is my opinion, I still love the Carousel but noticed the standards of food had fallen slightly, the breakfast outside was a little basic and overcooked but I still ate it, the food in the restaurant was as usual fantastic and the service was second to none but the servings seem to be smaller than last year, some of the staff really go a long way to make sure you enjoy yourself. All in all another excellent cruise from Mytravel I would certainly go again with them as it good value for money, the ships are a bit dated but are immaculately clean and the staff are so good, the evenings entertainment was also excellent the cruise staff do a fantastic job to say that they are not professionals. Look out for Carmen from Romania one of the drinks stewards, she looks like Celine Dionne and is a real pleasure to know, she is a bit dippy with the drinks but her personality outshines everything, say hello from us. If there are any questions that you want to know about any aspect of this cruise please e-mail me and I will be glad to answer it best I can. Please use this link to see my photos of the cruise.
http://groups.msn.com/NeboshNightout/carousel2004.msnw
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John W from Camberley sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 7
2004 |
John W
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| John W said: Cleanliness
The ship was clean throughout - albeit they need to pay a bit more attention to the areas around the open deck galley - but still give it 5!
Food
Overall, the food was fine but the queuing around a L shaped counter for lunch did cause some confusion and, at times, some of the less abled bodied had a problem navigating, supporting a tray and reaching across to the food.
Ship Staff
Always smiling and friendly - and just don't know they can work the hours the do ..
Onboard entertainment
The resident dancers put on an excellent show but the choice of comedian and singer was not my cup of tea/ Still, it was free and gave the opportunity for the bars to do a brisk trade but a comedian who starts with a comment that it's quiet here and is still talking about the same topic 15 minutes later should ask himself why ...
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Gail and Colin from Great Yarmouth sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Suncruises
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 6
2004 |
Gail and Colin
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Gail and Colin said: This was our first cruise. It is true the ship is old but we enjoyed it so much that I would like to do another cruise.
The staff could not do enough for you and their smiles made you feel so welcome. We visited Cadiz, Morocco, Gibraltar, Almeria and Ibiza. We took different excursions every day and really enjoyed them. We loved Gibraltar and thought that Morocco was very smelly but exciting in a way. We went to Marrakech and that was an experience not to be missed.
The food on board could not be faulted and again the waiters could not do enough for you. I still have my rose fashioned out of tissue paper. All i all it was a good way to introduce us to cruising which we will definitely be doing again. It is so sad though that Suncruises are no more having being sold.
Cruising is not just for older people but for all generations. In my opinion go for it you will love it. |
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Alan & Aileen from Falkirk sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 3
2004 |
Alan & Aileen
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Alan & Aileen said: TOUR OF THE CANARIES IN MARCH 2004
CABINS A BIT TIGHT BUT FUNCTIONAL, DECOR A BIT DATED BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR A BUDGET CRUISE. STAFF EXCELLENT. ENTERTAINMENT WAS FIRST RATE. FOOD AND SERVICE (WILLIE THE WAITER)IN THE MAIN RESTAURANT WAS ALSO FIRST CLASS ALTHOUGH BUFFET FOOD ON THE POOL DECK NOT AS GOOD. ONLY COMMENT TO MAKE IS THAT THE £100 EACH DRINKS PACKAGE IS TO MUCH...DIDN'T SPEND ANYWHERE NEAR THAT AMOUNT. ALSO THE EXCURSIONS ARE EXPENSIVE. IF YOU ARE REASONABLE COMFORTABLE TAKE A LOCAL BUS OR TAXI INTO THE RESORTS IT MUCH MUCH CHEAPER.
WOULD DO IT AGAIN! |
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Susan & Nigel from Derbyshire sailed on Airtours Carousel with
My Travel (Airtours)
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 1
2004 |
Susan & Nigel
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Susan & Nigel said: Could not put 2005 on listing but it is 2005, we have just arrived back off the Carousel, on January 11th after a 7 day Cruise around the Canaries, we did experience problems with our cabin on B deck, I would strongly advise folk to pay a bit more and go on M deck our cabin carpet was wet through when we arrived we thought it had bee shampooed, this being our 1st Cruise!!! next day it was still wet we went to Pursers desk and they plaed a big industrial dryer in the cabin we could not get into our room for it and it blew all the bedding in the air and the curtains.
No change next day still as wet and noticed sores on my feet and that the paddling of water was "Brown" again dryer put back in, then an offensive smell was noticed like a dirty baby nappy smell again saw Purser dryer back in and cleaner said she was told to put powder down to mask smell, saw others on that deck and they said noticed things similar.
Head cleaner ordered "Shampooing of carpet" asked to see Guest relations manager "Sue" was told she would ring our cabin at 6pm she didn`t so went to find her, was told she would be giving us a letter and I said I wanted to see her, she did see us and said she had read report about what we had endured for 3 days she said it was "Totally unacceptable" she said she had one cabin l left on M dek and we was moved, after this we heard 8 had to be moved from B deck once some had embarked at different Ports, we know it was the drains they were blocked and this was "Sewage" we were treading in it was dripping from the ceiling last off on B dek and from what we gather they just over it up till the next guests come they don`t solve it with a 6 hour turnaround till next guets arrive
We had a man hole cover outside our cabin my husband told them to get that up they di but not to our knowledge as they play it all down making out no problems on the Ship, apparently other guests said they stripped our room even panels off wall once we had gone and up to us coming off the ship their was dryers on B deck as I took a look before I left, A deck was affected in the end and they refused to give out any complaint forms so I had to fill one in with a rep at Tenerife Airport
Lots of folk ill with sickness and diarrhoea many had hefty Drs bills, like other posters have mentioned and on speaking to other guests the Dr wasn`t up to much, the Ship seemed more interested in covering problems up than getting to the root of them, I just feel sorry for the guests that took up their cabins on B deck yesterday because I am sure they will face same problems as we did, and I am sure this is something which repeats itself week after week, with the guests arriving non the wiser.
The Phillipean waiters and bar staff are very helpful and pleasant they rely on your tips and work 7 days a week with only 4 hours a day off for £70, the food was alright but would have preferred more basic meals at times, enertainment not bad again they use staff to entertain you with only 3 acts booked which were average
The ship as been sold to Greeks and does not operate after May so get the impression they are just seeing the process through, other guests and the Ships compare made our holiday we have managed to have plenty of laughs despite our problems, and we was told it had been bad weather for the last 5 weeks, we had glorious weather, which helped a lot, some nice bargains in the Duty Free £6.99 Jim Beam Whisky, watches bracelets £6.99 cigs around £24 for 400. This ship is tired and needs plenty of overall wether or not it gets it is another matter, be careful if you go to Playa de Ingles in Gran Canaria, some Black African Ladies surrounded us trying to tie knotted bracelets to your wrists, even though you are trying to get away and grabbed 7euro out of my hand my husband said he was fetching police they laughed and said Police were their "Friends" apparently the bar owners said they gave police some of their money so they turned a blind eye, what a practice!!!! |
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kev&jill from cheshire sailed on Airtours Carousel with
air tours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2003 |
kev&jill
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| kev&jill said: This being are first cruise we were unsure what to expect. Right from the check-in at M/chester we knew we where on to a winner,privert check-in/free on bord drinks/free news paper etc.The next time we seen our bags they were in our room on the ship, no fuss.The ship its self was old, but clean and tidy and we found the staff only to happy to help,one member of staff even went the lenth of the ship just to get my wife a coke on the hotest day of the cruise.The food could not been better (so much) do not miss the midnight feast its a must.Entertainment briliant,and yet more food as the acts finnish.Dont for get to have a go on the casino, Im not a wizz with cards but i must have been lucky. We did not opt for A/I for drinks as I mentioned early on my wife only driks coke but we found the prices ok,the ship gives you an ID card for any transactions(no cash on board) settel up daliy or weekly.Trips out briliant. Take a 110 dc hair dryer. |
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Karen from Whitley Bay sailed on Airtours Carousel with
My Travel
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2003 |
Karen
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Karen said: We had never done a cruise before and decided to have our christmas on board this ship. Our first impression on the room was it was a bit tired but it was very clean. Our cabin waiter was great he looked after everything and even turned the beds down every night and put a towel display on it, they were very amusing. we took our 2 sons aged 17 and 20 and they had just the best time and made some good friends who still keep in touch with them. The food was great and the service was fantastic. The drinks were very resonable so unless you dring like a fish we didnt think the unlimited drinks card were worth it. It was quite a choppy journey between ports so do take some sea sickness tablets with you. I would do this trip again. |
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morrow from northern ireland sailed on Airtours Carousel with
airtours/suncruises
on a 18-30s holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12
2003 |
morrow
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| morrow said: While I would sail on the Carosel again, my 19 year old son refuses too....he maintails, it is not a cruise ship at all...this i can understand,having cruised Disnet,P and O ,royal carribean etc.
However ,for a cheap,three stay week at sea, it if fine.
very basic, yes, but operation wise very good, and friendly. Except for the main maintainance man, who treats the hard working cabin staff like slaves!!!
This is of course three star all the way except for the cabins, that are really very very poor indeed, with old fashioned showers etc.
For someone wanting to pick up a quick winter week in the sun, fune....we were offered departure on New years Eve....for £379 from Belfast.....so really no complaints.....but do NOT go on this line if you expect the style of real cruising, there are horses for courses, and if you are willing to negeociate te jumps on the way...then give it a go.
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Anne Marie Bromley from Nottingham sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Direct Holidays
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11
2003 |
Anne Marie Bromley
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Anne Marie Bromley said: This was our first ever cruise and was booked as a surprise for my husband's birthday. We enjoyed every moment of it. The best thing is waking up somewhere new every day without having to pack and unpack cases.
We started our trip in Tenerife and went to Lanzarote, Morocco, Maderia and Grand Canaria. We didn't enjoy our day in Morocco as you are constantly harassed by people trying to sell goods and it can be very intimidating. My favourite place was Maderia, it was a lovely island and worth going back to for a holiday.
The ship was very clean, cabins small but all you do is sleep in them so no problem, the cabin staff were great and did everything they could to make you feel welcome, including turning two towels and a coathanger into a hanging monkey.
Food and restaurant staff fantastic, we were entertained all the time with singing waiters and demonstrations of napkin folding, etc. Midnight chocolate buffet was sheer heaven.
Onboard entertainment good, Mick Miller appeared twice and kept us all laughing, also dealt with the lady who kept heckling him very well, remembered it was a family ship.
We would definitely cruise again and feel that the Carousel was a good introduction to cruising. It had a very comfortable feel to it. We always thought that cruising meant dressing up every night but here there were just two formal evenings and then most of the time it was smart but casual.
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Disillusioned from London sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 9
2003 |
Disillusioned
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Disillusioned said: We actually went on this cruise in September 2001 not 2003 (the review wouldn't allow 2001 to be input). But, we are surprised that the ship is still being used as the senior crew who sat on our table each evening told us it was too old and being scrapped later that year.
The asian crew were great and couldn't do enough for you. Unfortunately, the europeans were not at all helpful and often downright rude.
We paid for 'Prestige' which among other things meant that we had express check in when we met the ship in Palma. Then, despite our protests, we were turned away from the express check in and the girl refused to look at the piece of paper which showed our entitlement. So we joined the long queue but after consulting another of the crew we returned to the express check in. When she saw us she shouted 'I told you to go away' but this time we persisted but no apology when she found we were right. Not the way you expect to be treated after paying around £950 each for a week.
We had chosen a cabin at the front on the advice of Airtours which avoided the noise from the engine and the lifts. They did not say that the air conditioning on the other side of our wall was far worse. It was impossible to sleep. When we complained and said that we might as well sleep on the deck, this was greeted with the usual lack of sympathy in a loud voice saying 'You're not allowed to!'. They did eventually send a man who was holding a big spanner, he entered the air conditioning room never to be seen again.
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Graham Couch from Burnley, lancs sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 9
2003 |
Graham Couch
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Graham Couch said:
I will let you into a secret, this is our 2nd cruise with Mytravel/Sun cruises and could not fault either of them at all, but we don't want everyone to find out about it as they will fill up to quickly. I would give the cruise a rating out of 100, 99.9%. We could not fault anything, ok the Carousel is a bit old but the service, staff, frindliness, facilities all get top marks. I will start with the food service, 7 course meals at all sittings and the standard of food was unbelievable, I have never had any better service even at the best restaurants, our waiter was first class we never waited or wanted for anything, they got all our food spot on and was piping hot and always with a smile, they made paper roses for us all and showed us demonstrations of napkin folding. At the end of the meal it was show time when all the waiters would start singing and dancing around the room and making everyone laugh so much. On deck the buffet food was delicious and plentiful, the bars serve drinks all day from 10 am and had a selection of cocktails all day as well, for 119 pounds for the week you can have unlimited drinks which is good value if you drink a lot. All the entertainment was fantastic from the singing, dancing and the comedian who was Mick Miller from TV's The comedians, who we made friends with and had a few drinks. We also met some lovely people from all walks of life not one wrong word was said and were all so polite, there were two formal nights and others were casual. Everyone was treat with the utmost politeness and courtessy, even the captain was so approachable and nice to talk to. To sum up our cruise I think Suncruises has got it just right, I have not heard anything bad about it ever and at such affordable prices! They have got the mix of enjoyable cruising to such a good standard that we will not be cruising with anyone else, why should we? this cannot be bettered.......ever! But don't tell anyone we will keep this our little secret.
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Simone Webb from Woodley, Berkshire sailed on Airtours Carousel with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 9
2003 |
Simone Webb
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| Simone Webb said: I found this to be an excellent cruise ship. As a first timer as far as cruises are concerned we were not sure what to expect but it was fantastic, The staff could not have been more friendly and helpful and your cabins are cleaned about 3 times a day, as well as your bedding being turned in the evening with an itinary of the following day. The food was lovely with a choice of places to eat. The one thing I will say is that it can be a little noisey in the cabin when the ship is docking, but this is a small price to pay for being able to catch the views when you do dock -Would recommend this. Not pretentious, only 2 formal nights. |
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sam griffiths from stockton on tees sailed on Airtours Carousel with
airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 6
2003 |
sam griffiths
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| sam griffiths said: i could not fault this holiday at all, it was the best holiday i have ever had. The ship was kept spick and span at all times of the day and the cabins were cleaned and tidied every day.
The cabins were slightly out dated but had everything you needed with great views from the portholes.
The food was fantastic and the drinks were reasonable. We made loads of friends and met up with them in one of the several bars each night. I could not fault the staff and they would do everything possible for you if needed.
The entertainment was ok and appeared to provide entertainment for all ages, which is a difficult thing to do!!!!
We had a fab hol and waking up in a different port everyday was great, excursions a little pricey but so what. Would definatly do this again!!!!!!!!!! |
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j thompson from belfast sailed on Airtours Carousel with
my travel
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 4
2003 |
j thompson
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| j thompson said: we sailed on this ship and had a real good time the staff where rwaly nice and helpful and the food was just great and p;enty of it we also took out the all inclusive drinks pffer which was great value for money the cabins where small but very clean and the cabin staff could not do enough for us the tips we give the staff was nothing for wat the staff did for us the entertainment was good but some nights i thought it could have been a bit better but the staff did there best our head waiter was realy nice to all of his guests all was his assistant waiter i real enjoyed it so much we traveled on the ship again the same year in september we done the med this time as we done the canaries on the april and once again it was realy fantastic we have booked it again for april again and hope to have as good a time as we have had the last 2 times we where on board before so i would realy recomend this ship looking forward to april |
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j thompson from belfast sailed on Airtours Carousel with
my travel
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 4
2003 |
j thompson
rated the Airtours Carousel as follows:
| Ship Cleanliness | | | Crew | | | Ship Food | | |
| Onboard Entertainment | |
| j thompson said: we sailed on this ship and had a real good time the staff where rwaly nice and helpful and the food was just great and p;enty of it we also took out the all inclusive drinks pffer which was great value for money the cabins where small but very clean and the cabin staff could not do enough for us the tips we give the staff was nothing for wat the staff did for us the entertainment was good but some nights i thought it could have been a bit better but the staff did there best our head waiter was realy nice to all of his guests all was his assistant waiter i real enjoyed it so much we traveled on the ship again the same year in september we done the med this time as we done the canaries on the april and once again it was realy fantastic we have booked it again for april again and hope to have as good a time as we have had the last 2 times we where on board before so i would realy recomend this ship looking forward to april |
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