Ports Excellent Ship Old and Tired

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 6

Review summary

I'm writing this letter to discuss and convey my concerns, and disappointment on the condition of the Grand Princess ship. My wife and I have worked very hard to achieve "Platinum" status on Princess and are very proud in our accomplishment. We have never questioned which cruise line that we sail with since discovering Princess years ago. But since taking this last cruise to Alaska we now have second thoughts. The overall condition of this ship was nothing less than deplorable, and here are a few reasons why we feel this way: • Never saw anyone disinfecting any common areas that hands would touch including the Buffet tables, chairs, and railings. • Inside windows especially those of the Piazza, Buffet, and Dinning room that we ate in were filthy. • Our state room was so dirty and unkept that we needed to call our cabin steward in after he had cleaned it for a couple of days to clean and disinfect the toilet because of the bad smell. The little ledge on the top of the shower above the shower head looked like it had never been cleaned as it has a brownish mold on it. • Behind the curtains had a pile of sandy like dirt that was there for our entire stay, so obviously it hadn't been vacuumed for quite some time • The windows both inside and out were very dirty and looked as if they had not been touched for a while. • After he had just vacuumed our carpets there was still debris between our beds. • A lot of carpeted areas the carpets were coming away from the walls • Elevators appeared as if they had been completely ignored and neglected. • The entire ship was so cold we (and many others) had to wear jackets in order to stay warm. • By the time we sat down to eat our Buffet breakfast everything was stone cold including our coffee. There was only one day that we had heat in the buffet. • Food other than 3 meals that we received from the Crown Grill was mediocre at best. We actually lost weight on this cruise as the food was so bad. On Lobster night our table couldn't eat the lobster as it seemed to be under cooked. The waiters in the Buffet (although very polite) seemed to be under trained and lost in performing simple tasks. I blame the training staff and dept. heads for this. • In one case in the Buffet we were seated near the coffee dispenser / dirty dish return area we saw a server (lady) eating and finishing a dessert with a couple of spoonful's out of it that I had just returned as I couldn't eat it. This happened at another seating with the same lady server. She looked around to see if anyone was looking then devoured the un eaten portion of that dessert. On the 13th. of May we contracted Covid 19 and were of course quarantined and to say the least we were treated like Royalty. The Medical Dept. was outstanding in the performance of their duties. They ere kind, considerate, compassionate, and very concerned of our well being, and met our every need. Well done Medical Staff.(5 Stars) After receiving medical attention and given a few drugs we were presented with an invoice for service rendered for $415.35 despite the "Platinum" medical coverage we purchased from Princess. After consulting with the on board Head Public Health Officer, we were assured that that cost would be reversed and deducted from our statement. It wasn't. In summation, the overall condition and lack of preparation of this ship prior to sailing was well below Princess's high standards and is not what we have become accustom to over the years. There were several decks with broken water pipes and soaked hallways and lobbies We understand that the last 2 or 3 years have been most difficult for the cruise industry, but in saying that this ship is old and tired, and should have been upgraded or moth balled long befor it was recommissioned for this season. There are only two main things that Princess out shines the rest (in my opinion) and that's Food and Service They failed miserably on both. I would be hard pressed to give this ship a 3 out of 10 score. I'm not looking for any compensation, I just want to be heard and responded to.

Embarkation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia

Ketchikan, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska

Cruise Glacier Bay

Cruise College Fjord, Alaska

Whittier (Anchorage), Alaska

Disembarkation