One star

Thanks

Hi.... Embarking on Coral Princess in about a week. I am expecting that the issues resulting in a less than enjoyable experience by those that sailed on the cruise immediatly following the Coral's shipyard visit will be resolved by then. Have sailed with Princess a number of times during the past decade, and have had a pleasant time on board each trip. Cruise ships are scheduled years in advance for time spent at a shipyard for maintenance, repairs and refurbishment. The number of days alotted in the ship's schedule for shipyard time is 'set in stone' . If a cruise ship is delayed getting 'back to work' a great number of issues can arise that can adversly affect future sailings. (A missed cruise by a large ship carrying thousands of guests is a 'HUGE BIG BUMMER' for everyone involved. Not to mention re-arranging use of port facilities, canal transits, etc. may be next to impossible on short notice.) It would not be unusual for some refurbishment and maintenance work to continue on board during first cruise after leaving a shipyard. These tasks are generally planned in advance to not interfere with guests overall experience, though some on-board services and amenities may not be immediatly available after departure. For example: For technical reasons, there may not have been time to generate the quantity of fresh, treated water needed to fill pools and spas once the ship was again functional and at sea. Also.... Shipyard time is a rare opportunity to schedule major changes in personnel (hotel staff, entertainment and ship's company) which can result in a short period of time where some guest services and experiences may not be 'up to par'. (Once the new staffers get 'settled in', service should quickly improve to the level expected.) And... Experienced technicians generally accompany a ship on it's first sea cruise after shipyard work to ensure that all systems perform as expected and to diagnose problems as well as facillitate adjustments or repairs. Unfortunately, port delays en-route to accomplish these tasks may be unavoidable in the relatively rare instances that issues involving critical equipment are detected. So... The less than expected experience by guests on the cruise in question was unfortunate, though in general guests on other Princess cruises have had a very pleasant cruising experience as evidenced by their comments on this website. Please consider a future cruise with Princess. (Though, perhaps, not immediatly following a sheduled visit to a shipyard.) Gary... BTW...I am not associated with Princess cruise line at any level, other than that as a satisfied guest. (I work for a railroad.)