A very rocky start, which we had hoped would be smoothed over, but alas no one on the ship cared enough to address the issue. We sought out the assistant hotel manager who had to be lead to do anything to compensate for many errors made on behalf of her staff and Princess. We were never welcomed or made to feel at home. We preordered bathrobes, but had to ask for them on the ship. What is the point of the cruise personalizer if the items requested are not presented? I paid for an anniversary package months before boarding, but was told we did not have one. I had to show the receipt, and then they set it up for the day we disembark! If I had not asked about this we never would have received it, but were charged quick enough. We attended (paid for) a wine tasting, and my husband's seat did not receive the plate of hors' duerves. Attention to detail was lacking. After ten minutes a plate was brought, but did not have everything the other plates had. And as I previously mentioned we were given cruise cards valid for one day, which prevented us from leaving the ship without a lengthy trip to the staff desk to get new cards. I will also mention here that the letters we received were addressed to another couple and ourselves. I felt obliged to ask and make sure we were not paying taxes and tips for this phantom couple. Attention to detail.
We enjoyed the ports very much, as well as the ship itself, but the staff left us feeling under appreciated and welcomed. We are hoping it is the Royal ship and staff and not across the Princess line. We sailed on the Crown Princess to Alaska three years ago and do not remember any of this type of behavior. We remember everyone knowing our name and treating us with respect and appreciation.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
We landed in Paris, but due to weather the ship went on to South Hampton,, England. Completely understand this, but Princess hindeered our travel to the next port rather than helpful. We were told to wait for 4 hours for assistance, and then gave none! We landed 7 am, and were told to wait at another location until a reprensentative arrived to help, but all the rep said was, "You re on your own and have to get to South Hampton." In the four hour stall all flights directly to South Hampton were booked, so we were forced to wait until 7 PM to catch a flight that tooks us to Manchester, and then change flights to get to South Hampton. Lack of communication and help caused a very rocky start to the vacation.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The main dining halls tend to fall short due to the distance the food has to travel to reach our table. It is always over cooked. Soups are usually good. The specialty restaurants are better, because the kitchen in right there. Loved Crown Steakhouse. The wine pairing at Sabatini's had the best food we had on board, but having to listen to someone talk about the glass of wine for 20 minutes before tasting was not rewarding. We paid for another night at Sabitini's and my lobster was over cooked, but my husband's food was good. Breakfast for Suite owners is great at Sabitini's. We had freshly cooked eggs every morning. We did enjoy the buffet on occasion for food that could sit, such as chips and dips or cheese and meat platter. Potatoes hold well on a buffet too. Aside from the wine pairing th ebest food was room service. We ordered pizza and it came timely and delicious. We had burgers another time and they were great, as well as the french fries. The fries were actually crispy.
Vines Bar
4 out of 5
Always had lovely music.
Crown Grill
5 out of 5
Truly enjoyed the food and staff.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The casino was my greatest entertainment. There were many happy winners. Staff was friendly and inviting.
Casino
5 out of 5
I love that Princess doe snot charge you a fee for gambling like Norwegian does.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Our concierge was a bit scattered and left a lot to be desired. The second day we tried to deboard, and were told our cruise card expired! We had just boarded the night before at 10 PM due to having to get ourselves to South Hampton from Paris. Why would they issue us a card for one day?! We still cannot understand that one, but at almost every turn there seemed to be ineptitude. The disembarkation crew seemed confused most of the time, like they had never had to deal with wheel chairs and strollers versus ambulatory people. There would be long delays for one group or the other while they figured out what to do. Many of the bar servers seemed more interested in anything other than turning around and helping customers. The general hotel management had no desire to try to make up for our troubles or their own staff's ineptitude. Our Suite stationery came addressed to an unknown couple. When I showed this to the conierge, she said it was a computer glitch. I say it is inattentiveness, which seemed prevalent thoughout our journey.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Ship tip
Chose another ship. The staff needs retraining and a course in hospitality.
This sounds like an exception to the rule. We have been on a number of different Princess cruise and sure an occasional issue but it never over shadowed the trip. We have always had a great. Sometimes people get back what they reflect out to others. We love Princess.
This worries me. We spent a lot of money for the cruise tour for 4 day land and 12 day cruise. I don't take kindly to rude employees. I better not get this kind of treatment. We are celebrating our 30th anniversary. I have high expectations for this trip.
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