Great destinations but disappointing ship and staff
Caribbean Princess Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America
10 Night Panama Canal W/Costa Rica & Caribbean-New Locks (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 28, 2022
Ship: Caribbean Princess
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
Just returned Dec 9 from 10 day Partial Transit Panama Canal out of Ft Lauderdale. Booked balcony mini suite which was great until we returned from a rain filled all day shore excursion to find our room completely torn apart because they decided to do upgrade work that was best suited for the shipyard, not while guests onboard. All I wanted was to shower and change since we had reservations that night in the Crown Grill. After a rude assistant to the Hotel Manager offered me a free drink( mind you we bought the drink package) I insisted that the Hotel Manager, Antonio Romano, seek me out. We met him ashore the next port call and he agreed with me that it was rude to perform shipyard style maintenance while guests were onboard. He upgraded us to club class dining and offered us $1,000 future cruise credit, which I asked to have in writing. He did email us a letter to that regard. On Dec 7 we decided to book another cruise with Princess. I paid $200 with my credit card and produced the credit letter given to me by Romano. For the past month I have inquired of Princess why my account only shows $100 credit card deposit and why I do not se the $1,000 credit. Call after call both to my travel agent Vacations to Go and to princess no one could iunfderstand the difference between a genuine cash credit and an onboard credit. We were given a cash credit for future cruise, not an onboard credit. We paid $200 not $100 on the credit card. I finally gave up in disgust and cancelled the trip. After 4 bookings with Vacations to Go they have lost my business, as an email to the boss, Mr Fox yielded no response. Once again, a company, Princess, has gone the route of hiring offshore telephone operators that do not understand English well or US business practice. Theywill never get my business again, not Vacations To Go evidently do not care how important repeat business is, and that it is the most cost effective means of ensuring a company's success.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
don't
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Panama Canal (Cruise Into Canal)