My Crown Princess Christmas Cruise Misadventure

This is my mini-review of my Christmas cruise on the Crown Princess. It’ll be a mini-review of the actual cruise because unfortunately I broke my leg in Mazatlan and had to disembark early. Apparently I have bad karma for Christmas cruises. Our family took a Christmas cruise to the Mexican Riviera in December 2012 on the Sapphire Princess, and on Christmas Day I got norovirus and spent the next 30 hours or so in cabin isolation, suffering the effects of the gastrointestinal illness. I missed my Ultimate Ship Tour and whale watching tour in Cabo, but nevertheless overall thought the cruise was very nice. (Here’s a link to my 2012 review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1758629) So this Christmas we decided to take the same cruise on the Crown Princess, a Christmas cruise on the Mexican Riviera. After all, the norovirus incident was just bad luck and surely this Christmas cruise would go smoothly, right? Well, not exactly.

We are a family of 4: me, DH, DD#1 (age 18) and DD#2 (age 13). This was our 9th time on Princess. We booked a balcony cabin midship on Caribe for me and DH, and an inside across the hall for the girls. We had late traditional seating. Here’s a quick overview of general comments:

Good stuff: embarkation was very quick and easy, cabin steward and dining room waiter/assistant waiter were excellent; food was fine as always; very nice dinner in Crown Grill; shows that we saw were good (Comedian Miguel Washington and the production show that I can’t remember the name of).

Bad stuff: bath robes in our cabin were ridiculously shrunken, the nightstand drawers in both rooms were either stuck and hard to open or literally broken; public bathrooms seemed to always have broken toilets and broken sinks, sections of ceiling lights out in the Botticelli dining room. Saw men in bare chests and bare feet walking through the Horizon Court, and a woman at Afternoon Tea in a swimsuit and skimpy coverup and baseball cap. Sigh.

While we enjoyed the night time entertainment, I thought the daytime activities on the first two sea days were half hearted and lame. We enjoyed trivia as always. But the other activities seemed to consist of things that were either sales pitches (for acupuncture, flatter stomachs, etc) or unhosted get togethers for various special interest groups: veterans, car enthusiasts, mahjong, bridge, LGBT, bible study, etc. Those things are all fine, but they were all unhosted “do it yourself” activities. In the past I have seen more effort put into the activities by the staff. For example, in the past we have gone to interesting navigational lectures by the bridge staff, or port lectures about art or history (not shopping), etc. There was none of that this time around.

Also, DD#1 was disappointed about the lack of effort to do anything for the 18-20 year old group. This was her first cruise since turning 18. As a teen, she would always go to the teen meet and greet the first night. Even if she didn’t participate in the organized Remix activities, she would at least meet other teens onboard and hang out with them as the week progressed. On our 2012 Christmas cruise, there were definitely activities in the Patter for what they called “Club 1820” including a meet and mingle the first night. DD#1 was looking forward to something like that on this cruise. When she didn’t see anything in the Patters, DD#1 left a note at the Passenger Services Desk on the first night for Neil Rose, the Cruise Director. She asked him to consider putting something together. She never got any response. Finally on Christmas Day, the 6th night of the cruise, a get together was listed in the Patters at Skywalkers for the 18-20 year olds. This was a significant disappointment for DD#1 because the cruise was definitely full of people in her age group, but she didn’t know how to go about meeting them. And by the 6th night of the cruise she had disembarked with me.

So on to our port stops. In Puerto Vallarta, we took a taxi to the Malecon and enjoyed walking and shopping along the beach. We had a fantastic lunch at Tapas Barcelona. Tapas Barcelona has a spectacular view and excellent food and service. I highly recommend it. http://www.barcelonatapas.net/

We arrived in Mazatlan on Christmas Eve. We had booked the “Panoramic Hiking Views of El Faro Lighthouse” tour. This tour involves being taken by van to the foot of El Creston Hill. From there you hike up a winding trail to the Lighthouse, where you get a wonderful panoramic view of the area. It’s really a very nice view. Unfortunately for me, on the way back down I slipped and fell. The trail is winding, and a bit steep and rocky/gravelly. Anyway when I was about 90% of the way back down, I just slipped and felt my left leg twist as I went down. I also distinctly heard and felt my bone snap. I knew immediately that it was broken. The tour guide, my husband and fellow passengers were immediately by my side as I lay on the trail, shielding me from the sun and generally comforting me. The tour guide called for help and it didn’t take long for the Mexican police and an EMT to show up. They ended up wrapping my leg in a sort of Velcro splint. Then I was hoisted side saddle onto the back of an ATV, where I clung on for dear life while a policeman drove me down the rest of the way on the bumpy trail. That was a bit scary because I was worried the ATV would tip over, but we safely got the rest of the way to the bottom where a Red Cross ambulance was waiting. The ambulance took me and my husband to a Mazatlan hospital, where we were met by the owner of the tour company. In the meanwhile, our two DD’s went back to the ship with the rest of the tour group, including a nice family of fellow Arizonans who offered to help escort them back to the ship.

At the hospital, the tour company owner was very helpful in translating with the hospital staff. It didn’t take long for them to X-ray my leg and confirm that I had broken both the tibia and fibula. Fortunately there were no breaks in the skin. The doctors told me that I would definitely need surgery and should get it done soon. They put a splint on my leg that went from the bottom of my foot, up the back of my leg and above my knee, so that I couldn’t bend my knee. It was all securely wrapped in gauze. We have the Princess Platinum Vacation Protection, but that coverage is secondary so for now we had to pay $600 by credit card to the Mazatlan hospital. They also gave me crutches.

The tour owner coordinated with the ship and my husband to see if I could fly home from Mazatlan. But there wasn’t time to make it to the last flight of the day to Phoenix which left at 2 pm. So they decided that I should fly home from Cabo the next day. The tour owner drove us back to the ship in his van. He was able to drive us in a side entrance, get past security and drive us right up to the gangway. The Princess staff were waiting at the gangway with a wheelchair as well as our DD’s, and I went back onboard the ship. I went back to my cabin and basically stayed on my bed with my leg elevated. I was probably back in my cabin by 3:30 pm, well before sailaway. The rest of the day involved a lot of phone calls and filling out of forms to arrange the early disembarkation. We considered flying the entire family home, but our car was at the cruise terminal in San Pedro. So we decided to have me fly home with DD#1 and let DH and DD#2 finish the cruise and drive the car home from San Pedro. DH was able to book a coach seat for DD#1 and a first class seat for me to fly home on Christmas Day from Cabo. I visited the Princess Medical Center and got some pain medicine from the Princess doctor. Security came to the cabin to interview me and filled out an incident report. They were obsessed with asking about the shoes I was wearing -- understandable since it is an uneven trail and the tour materials said “wear good shoes.” But I was in fact wearing good cross-training athletic shoes. Still the Princess people took two sets of photos of those shoes.

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep very well that night. We got up bright and early to be ready to ride the tender to the marina in Cabo for our 12:45 pm flight to Phoenix. Tendering started at 7:00 and we called Passenger Services at 7:30 and said we were ready to go. But Daniel, the Princess administration officer told us that we didn’t need to go until 9:30 am, and that he had coordinated with the Mexican port agent in Cabo. He gave the impression that we were safe waiting until 9:30 because his arrangements with the port officials ensured that everything was arranged to go smoothly. He took the passports for me and DD#1. At 9:30 were picked up at my cabin with a wheelchair and escorted to the tender. Getting hoisted onto the tender was a bit scary but less so than the ATV ride down the mountain. DD#1, DH and I basically got a private tender ride to the marina with Daniel and other staff. There was some drama because, contrary to representations, the Mexican port officials acted like they had no idea about our 12:45 pm plane flight and no concern with our need and desire to move quickly. So we sat around the marina for an hour, feeling very nervous, until about 10:45 am, before our passports were reviewed and returned to us. Daniel then escorted us to a taxi which took me and DD#1 to the airport in Cabo, which is distant. We arrived at the airport only one hour before this international flight. It worked out OK but that part could have gone more smoothly.

All in all I have to say that despite this unfortunate end to my cruise, I felt well treated by the tour guide, the tour company owner, the EMT’s, the Mazatlan hospital doctors, the Princess personnel, as well as the staff at the Cabo airport. I had to be hoisted up to the plane on an aisle chair. Even the flight attendants went out of their way to make me as comfortable as possible. I couldn’t bend my knee due to the splint, so the flight attendants jury rigged a footstool for me and let me poke my foot out into the aisle (I was the only passenger in Row 1). I returned to Phoenix about 3 pm on Christmas Day and went straight from the airport to the ER of my local hospital. By Friday night I had had surgery to repair the fracture. Now I have many weeks of recovery ahead. Hopefully I will be fully recovered in time for my Baltic cruise on the Caribbean Princess! And I guess I will see how my claim is processed by my Princess Vacation Protection plan. I expect it will take a while to sort out what is covered and what isn’t.

You poor thing! :(

Oh my gosh! I wish you a speedy recovery! You're whole family will never forget that vacation.

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to you. Wishing you all of the best for the New Year.

happy to hear you made it home safe.

Oh, I'm so sorry! What a (mis-)adventure! I can't imagine the pain you were in. I'm sure that the bouncing ATV and the plane's pressurization and depressurizing were excruciating. :(

Please let us know how the insurance works out. It'll be educational for others. Based on my experience, Berkley Care will eventually pay up after you demonstrate that none of your other insurances pay even a portion.

A suggestion for the future since I know you travel with your family is to get MedJetAssist. They will fly you in a medical jet anywhere in the world to anywhere you need to go as long as you are 150 miles from home.

I'm happy to hear that you are home safe. I can't imagine the pain that you were/are in. Get well soon. Happy new year to you and your family.

I'm so very sorry! What rotten luck!

Pam, as for Medjet Assist, it appears that they have maximum age... I checked them out for my husband, but apparently, he's too old... he's a very young 82... do you know if that's correct?

A suggestion for the future since I know you travel with your family is to get MedJetAssist. They will fly you in a medical jet anywhere in the world to anywhere you need to go as long as you are 150 miles from home.

I second the recommendation for MedJet Assist! It is well worth the cost, both for peace of mind and the coverage it offers.

I am using Princess Protection coverage on my next couple cruises, so will also be interested in hearing how the claim process went.

Best wishes to the OP for a full recovery in time for the next cruise!

...as for Medjet Assist, it appears that they have maximum age... I checked them out for my husband, but apparently, he's too old... he's a very young 82...

I hope Pam doesn't mind my answering your question to her, but I recently purchased MedJet for a family member who is a young 84 ;). They have a special plan (I believe it is called Diamond) that can be purchased up until your 85th birthday. It can only be purchased for an entire year, not on a per-trip basis, though, and your MD does have to fill out a form stating that you are okay to travel. They give an AARP discount also, if you request it :).

I second the recommendation for MedJet Assist! It is well worth the cost, both for peace of mind and the coverage it offers.

 

I am using Princess Protection coverage on my next couple cruises, so will also be interested in hearing how the claim process went.

 

Best wishes to the OP for a full recovery in time for the next cruise!

And I also recommend MedJet Assist.

Sorry about your leg. This summer we spent some time at some national parks and did some hiking. My dh had to hold my hand as I was so afraid of falling. Lots of steep switchbacks and little pebbles. I was shocked to see some people in sandals doing this.

It is so easy for something to go wrong. Glad you had insurance. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Speedy recovery and happy future sailing.

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Sounds like Princess had everything under control, unlike my experience on RCI in June when I broke my arm on board. One bad experience is not going to stop me from cruising. I much prefer Princess, now I know why. :)

My Son Donald Remembers your Daughter and says HI!, ( fellow debate geek) Hope you can recover at home. We didnt cruise this year ( started as work commitments for DH and ended up a blessing because my cancer came back- treatable but last place I needed to be was a cruise ship with all the germs)

Abqmommyof4, I remember you from 2012 as well. So sorry to hear your cancer came back but glad it's treatable. You would not have wanted to be on our Xmas cruise because there were 17 cases of noro that we heard about from the Captain. The ship was definitely on noro precautions, like no serving yourself in the buffet. Not an ideal place to avoid germs.

Gosh - I'm so sorry you broke your leg. Hope it heals well and you have fun on your Baltics cruise. I had a fab time last April/May on the Royal Princess. The ports are exhausting but well worth it. Please let us know how the insurance works out.

Hi there

sorry to hear about your mis adventure, thank you for taking the time to post

yours Shogun

So sorry this happened to you! But what a great attitude and your story telling skills tell a cautionary tale that has been shared on 2 other threads in the last couple hours!

Have a speedy recovery and enjoy your Baltic cruise :)

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I am so sorry to hear this. I am glad you made it home in one piece and you are on the mend. I hope you repair fully and quickly!

What an awful time for you! So sorry! :(

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

LuLu

Sorry about your leg. This summer we spent some time at some national parks and did some hiking. My dh had to hold my hand as I was so afraid of falling. Lots of steep switchbacks and little pebbles. I was shocked to see some people in sandals doing this.

 

It is so easy for something to go wrong. Glad you had insurance. I wish you a speedy recovery.

I find that a lot of people wear "tennis shoes" or "sneakers" or "cross trainers" or... Pick your name for them. I find those to be quite slippery on the type of terrain you are speaking of and I have sandals that really grip nicely. I'm much safer and more secure in good sandals than I am in that type of shoe. For hiking around I will wear my boots or my sandals but hardly ever the sneakers if the terrain is going to be uncertain.

I'm so sorry you went thru all of that! It does sound like everyone tried their best for you, though, so that is encouraging! Last year was the first year we purchased insurance, and we ended up using it due to my brother passing away. We will never again go without it!

I hope you heal quickly!

I'm not sure I've ever read a review of a Christmas cruise that was positive, however, most of the time it's due to unrealistic expectations rather than broken legs.

I'm not sure I've ever read a review of a Christmas cruise that was positive, however, most of the time it's due to unrealistic expectations rather than broken legs.

I love it! Great review in a very strange and weird way ;)

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