I sent this letter to Princess a couple of weeks ago. They have chosen not to respond or acknowledge it in any way. I would like to post a copy here in the hope that someone at Princess is paying attention. What I really hope can be accomplished here is for the new president to understand the necessity of integrity and transparency to the passengers, as well as supplying what was promised.
I would like to bring your attention to some issues during our recent cruise. We were on Sky Princess leaving Fort Lauderdale on March 12th for the trans Atlantic relocation cruise. We arrived in Southampton on March 28th. This was our 39th Princess cruise and I feel compelled to bring to your attention a number of items. This was our 4th cruise since December 2021 so please do not try to use Covid as an excuse.
We were scheduled to embark between 12 PM and 1 PM. We arrived about 12:30 and found hundreds of people in line to embark. The embarkation process was very good and quite speedy but we were all in the terminal together with no social distancing. This is likely a contributing factor to all the Covid cases we ended up with on board and the reason we missed the highlight of the trip, Casa Blanca.
We purchased the all inclusive package with drinks, gratuities and high speed internet. Shortly before the cruise, we received an email stating that high speed internet may be “spotty” during the crossing and that Princess was refunding us $10.00 per day as a shipboard credit. In fact, internet was virtually non existent from the time we got on the ship to the time we got off. We had little to no internet at dock in Fort Lauderdale and it did not get any better. We make our arrangements around services we can get to meet our needs. We paid for internet and we needed internet. Just telling us at the last minute “oh well” just do without is not an answer. It is up to us to use the service for the purposes we see fit and it is up to Princess to provide the services they promise and charge us for. Giving us back the money doesn’t help. Princess knew before we left dock that the service was not just “spotty” but was unavailable. We paid for this service with cash, a shipboard credit means we have to purchase things that we do not need to use up this credit. It was a non refundable credit. Also, we paid full price for this service, giving us a $10.00 shipboard credit does not cost Princess $10.00 a day. When we spend it, it includes your markup so you get the money one way or the other. This is unacceptable. We paid for this in good faith. Please do not try to tell me it is because of satellite coverage over the Atlantic.
The morning that we reached Funchal we received a letter in our stateroom indicating that everyone had to fill out an online form to receive a QR code to enter mainland Portugal. We went to the guest services desk and asked how we were supposed to complete the form with no internet. They told us that they thought everyone would go ashore and find internet there. In the terminal building there was free internet but there were hundreds of people trying to access it. We spent the better part of our morning walking around Funchal trying to find internet to complete the form. That is not the way we expect to spend our shore days. Especially since we had missed the previous port of The Azores.
About a day before we were scheduled to reach Morocco (Princess’ title for this cruise) we were advised that Morocco was not accepting any cruise ships. It seems more likely that because of all the covid onboard, they would not accept us. It was greatly disappointing.
When we boarded Sky Princess we were in cabin C432. We opened the balcony door and the noise in the cabin was overwhelming. We thought it was the wind blowing in and just closed the door. It turns our that when the door was open many pieces of the cabin ceiling, such as near the recessed light, were loose and making noise. This went on for about 3 days. We paid for a balcony cabin so we could use the balcony and get some fresh air. Leaving the door closed for 16 days was not an option. We made a recording of the noise and went to the guest services desk. We were served by Mario who did a wonderful job. He found us another cabin on the same deck. When we went to see it, the noise was the same. He found us another one on Riviera deck and this one was fine. We had to go to all the inconvenience of moving. We found that throughout the ship there are many rattles and creaks. We were on Regal in December and did not find any of these problems.
For the first few days the staff members were ensuring that everyone going to the buffet washed their hands. They also ensured that the tables were properly marked and cleaned. That stopped after a few days. People just wandered in and out without any sanitary measures at all. Again, likely a contributing factor to why we had to miss Morocco.
When we mentioned these things to officers they talked a good game. They said how important the protocols are to them but then we would watch them stand by and do nothing when the protocols were not followed by the staff or the passengers. One passenger got on the elevator with other people and no mask and told everyone that she had 24 hours free. She said the medical staff had placed her husband in quarantine pending a test and they just let her roam around.
We found that the buffet on this ship is not in keeping with the other ships. On Sky, the most variety was at lunch time and not at dinner. We finally had to change our time for our main meal to lunch. The variety was very limited at any time. The same thing was being served over and over, day after day. I also have never seen a Princess ship that has a large Asian section on a daily basis. The quality of the food was okay but it was not up to Princess standards. Again, we were on Regal and Caribbean in the last couple of months and the buffet was far superior.
There is no Crooners bar on Sky and we, among many other passengers, missed it greatly.
To say that the Medallion app is less than useful is an understatement. It is an expensive, glorified room key. It did not work for most of the cruise. The staff at the bars etc. were asking for room numbers. We could not use it to order food or drinks. We could not use it to view our account. We could not use it to book tours. We just could not use it. It is unclear to me why you would introduce an app that is so clearly not ready for use. Seems like a sure fire way to upset the passengers instead of waiting until you have a viable plan. This was our 5th medallion cruise and it has never worked properly. It makes Princess look very inept. Just one more thing we were promised that does not work.
We took the Princess shuttle from Southampton to Victoria Station in England. There was no social distancing and no protocols in place. Again, Princess talks about it, but they don’t follow through.
We find that it seems to be a Princess mantra that lying to the passengers is the best course of action. When you ask a question or try to get information, you are usually presented with a lie. When you bring to their attention that you know they are lying, they just rework the lie. For example, we paid for specialty dinners prior to the cruise. When I went and printed the bill, I found that we were charged again. Okay, mistakes happen. I went to guest services and asked if we paid on a credit card if we made reservations from shore. I was told yes. I then explain I was charged again. I was then told we were not charged until the actual time of service. I had to then take the time to check my credit card statement on shore, and yes, we paid in advance. I went back and was told “you should know you needed a voucher.” He told me to talk to my cabin steward. I told him he should talk to my cabin steward as he was making up different excuses by the minute and it would not be a very good idea for them to have me contact Princess for the refund. This is just one example of the inaccuracies that we are told. Again, for example, the internet access. Why can Princess not just be up front and straight forward? This conduct has been going on for years but as your service deteriorates, the lies grow.
Princess has seen fit to start removing little perks from the Elite passengers. Little things like the toiletry bags, internet minutes etc. Those of us who have been loyal seem to be the ones to pay for Princess’ loses during covid. These issues with internet etc. will be the breaking point for many of us. You have left us with little to stay loyal to Princess for. If you cannot at least provide the things that you promise and that we pay for in good faith, then I see no reason to continue cruising with Princess. There are many other cruise lines out there.
We are booked on one more cruise with Princess. We are on Island Princess for the trans Atlantic relocation on May 26th Fort Lauderdale to Southampton. We have sailed on Island 5 or 6 times so we are very familiar with the ship and the services so this will be a good comparison. If we do not find an improvement this coming cruise, we are sorry to say it will be our last on Princess.
Thank you
Charles and Mary Kent
