llarsen

Hi, We were on the "dreaded Crown" for the Aug 6 sailing to Alaska. Worst vacation experience ever. Worst cruise ever, and we have taken 28 other cruise vacations. Princess told us there were no changes to OUR cruise itinerary for our sail date. In fact, they continued to sell that original itinerary up until July 23rd when they finally decided to notify us of the itinerary changes. We arrived later to Juneau, completely missed Ketchikan, didn't get to see Margerie Glacier because the captain turned back after consulting the Park Rangers and deeming it unsafe due to fog (not Princess's fault) but the sailing prior to ours received a letter in their stateroom notifying them that they would receive 20% FCC + $400pp refundable OBC for missing Glacier Bay! We received nothing! Even though they sold us an itinerary they KNEW they could not deliver. I am so disappointed in Princess. I wrote letter to John Pagette, Mario Siebaldi and Collin Steinke Aug 22, 2022 but have not heard back from anyone. I feel they need to issue FCC to everyone on the Crown Princess for this Alaska cruise season. They knew of the problem and that they would not be fixing it until drydock in October, yet continued to deceive us. They also informed us of the $$$ in cancelation fees if we were to cancel or switch to the Discovery! This was a bait and switch in my opinion. I am wondering if you have received FCC from Princess for your sailing? I know many said they received a letter informing them they have FCC towards another cruise. We have not received anything. Not even a survey...

You'd think they would know if that was the case, but who knows??? lol. That sure would have been a lot easier! There were many levels of service there trying to get their door working but no one mentioned the battery. Makes sense though. The crew was fabulous in our opinion. Always friendly and going out of their way to accommodate people from what we could see. I felt sorry for those working in Guest Relations / Customer Service. I'm sure they heard many complaints, and none of it was their fault.

I'm sorry to hear that you are another victim of Princess deceit. The amount of time at sea really got to us. It was so boring and just not enough entertainment. Bingo is quit expensive to play on the ship. If you and your friend enjoy cards/puzzles/games or reading...that will certainly help. We did see people playing cards or a game in the Crown Grill during the day and at various places inside where they found a place to sit at a table. A day in Ketchikan would have made a big difference. We had really looked forward to the forest hike and hoped to see a bears and salmon on a tour. But it was just another loooooong day at sea. I look at my photos and I have nothing. This was an Alaska drive-by. The Chillkoot tour we took on our day in Skagway is the only day I actually have photos of. By the time we got into the ports of Juneau, (Icy Straight was a joke) and Victoria, you really don't have much time to do anything. The shops at Buschart Gardens closed at 6:00pm before we even got there! I really hope you have some sunshine on your cruise, and that you see all of Glacier Bay or something to make it more exciting than what we experienced. Please post about your experience. Wishing you the best.

I sure will. Thanks!

We are back from our Crown Alaska Cruise Aug 6-13...and Disappointed I'm sorry to say this but this was the most disappointing vacation we have ever had. Our cabins were Deck 10 Aft Balcony cabins C718, C722 and C726 (I believe) and we all felt the vibrations the most when we were in open water and at night. Which makes for a good headache in the morning. The Medallion app worked very well for ordering drinks and food, and they deliver everything right to wherever you are seated. It worked well for 3 of us locating our travel companions, but never worked for locating companions on the other 3 devices. The Medallion did not work on day one for opening my brother in laws stateroom door. The management could get in with their key cards but could not get their Medallion to unlock the door. After 3 hours they issued them key cards for their stateroom door (after they waited in line an hour at customer relations). When they came back up with their key cards....THEY DID NOT WORK! They ended up moving them to another stateroom. They also sent them flowers for the inconvenience. Our first day out of Seattle was really the only sunny and enjoyable day for us. We could not sit outside or enjoy our balcony the rest of the cruise. For us (we are from SoCalifornia) it was just too cold, foggy and wet. Fog horns blaring is not my thing. We arrived in Juneau at 2:00pm instead of 12:00pm due to the itinerary change. We went whale watching and spotted several whales. To us, it was cold and cloudy, but I see someone here posted it was "Sunny, warm, and beautiful" which is okay too! lol. After the whale watching we walked around town and ate. It wasn't as cold and windy like Skagway (burrr) but I do like some sunshine in my ports. In Skagway we booked Chillkoot Charters: Yukon Klondike Bus Adventure to the Yukon. As soon as we came over the border into Canada....there was SUNSHINE! It was a nice day there and I highly recommend them. We booked online and it was very easy. They had asked for our passport info in advance and all we had to do was hold it up when the border officer came on board the bus. It took him 12 seconds to clear us, the driver timed it. We had 12 of us on the tour and the driver stopped at various places we were all interested in seeing, which kind of gave us a custom tour. We were originally booked on the Discovery and switched early on to the Crown Princess for Glacier Bay. Well....Glacier Bay was another disappointment. This was no fault of Princess, but due to heavy fog and safety the captain headed back out and we did not get to see the next Glacier. Which brought us to Icy Straight at 5:00pm. There was not enough time to do anything here. We could see a zip line down the mountain and there was a small hiking trail (but my brother in law who is ill with cancer couldn't walk up it) so we took the tram to the shops and we were back on the ship by 6:30pm. We arrived in Victoria at 6:00pm and hired a driver with van to Buschart Gardens. The weather was nice and there was some sunshine! The gardens are beautiful and we enjoyed seeing them. The driver charged $95pp and included our ticket. Sailing at sea was boring and seemed endless with the itinerary time changes they made, and by taking Ketchikan from us. It felt like we hardly set foot on land and the gloomy, foggy drizzly weather prevented us from even sitting outside. As for the food...Our first meal in the buffet and main dining room were very good. My husband ordered fish in the MDR which he said was excellent and I ordered a Beef Short Rib in bbq sauce which was very tender and good. The mashed potatoes were also really good! But as the trip progressed the food grew old and quality seemed to decline. The buffet selections were a joke. Do you know this is the only cruise ship I have ever been on where you could not find numerous variations of chocolate cake? No chocolate cake! My sister in law pointed one out in the pastry/coffee bar, but when I asked for a slice they said I could order it for $35 but they needed 24hrs notice. Are you kidding me??? REALLY? One night we stopped by the buffet and I found a piece of chocolate cake with a light chocolate mouse. I was saved. I also found 1 chocolate cookie...just 1. A woman eyed it on my plate and I felt so bad telling her it was the only one! I had already nibbled on it or I would have offered it to her. We have sailed on many lines, Carnival, Holland America, NCL, RCCL, Princess, Celebrity and Oceania. Princess was always a decent product although we have been sailing mainly on Celebrity and Oceania for the last 10 years because of their more port intense itineraries. As you probably already know, the Crown has had problems since it returned to service in May for the Alaska season. The ship has had propulsion problems, which I learned about ONLY from this forum. Also vibration at the back of the ship. We had been watching and reading reviews trying to find out if it would be resolved by our sail date. Surely a reputable company like Princess would not keep a limping ship in service for an entire cruise season! I called Princess when I saw the itinerary changes for the July sailings and were told there would be no changes to our itinerary! We kept checking their website and sure enough...Princess was selling the ORIGINAL itinerary for all of August with no changes! Hurray! They must have fixed the problems with the engine! And then it happened...right before our trip we received the email: ITINERARY CHANGES due to "Operational Reasons". Princess knew the problem would not be fixed until after the cruise season when it goes into Drydock and yet they continued to sell the ORIGINAL itinerary (at a discounted price) right up to July 22nd. The price had dropped for our cabin by $1,400 and Princess refused to issue any FCC or compensate us in any way. It was too late for 6 of us flying from different parts of the country to change our airfare and switch ships. We feel Princess deceived us by not being truthful and cheated us out of money. The only way Princess will ever get us on another one of their ships is with a FCC to see if they can regain our trust. For us, $4,200 is a lot to spend for a 7 night cruise (WHICH WAS NOT THE ITINERARY WE BOOKED!) plus when you also add airfare, hotel and tours to this, it's just very disappointing. I know others on the Crown said they received FCC after the returned home. Well, we will see if Princess offers this to us on our August 6-13 sailing. In our opinion it's simply the right thing to do.

THANK YOU! Very much!

Thank you!

Wrong! We were told there were no itinerary changes to our cruise! We saw on their website that the July sailings all had itinerary changes, but they were still selling our Aug 6th cruise and all of August/Sept sailings with the ORIGINAL itinerary. When we called to verify...we were told there were NO CHANGES TO OUR SAILING. None of us were notified until 11 days before our sailing that our itinerary had changed, and others here on CC said they never were notified. 11 days is not enough time to rebook another ship, especially with 6 family members arriving from different states. Airfare changes alone would have been a nightmare, let alone booking balcony cabins together. $1,400 is price difference in what we paid for our balcony and the price they were now selling it at after all the problems arose. And your opinion of whether or not you think we should be entitled to a refund is insignificant.

I went to the customer relations desk to ask for contact info, but I have a feeling the number he gave me is the main Princess phone number. He admitted he was saddened by what is going on with this ship and the way Princess has handled it. The crew have been outstanding. It’s Princess that I have a problem with.

Hi, Could someone tell me who to contact at Princess to complain? I feel like we are on the cruise from Hell aboard the Crown Princess in Alaska. They did not notify us of the itinerary changes until right before we sailed even though they knew this ship was limping along since May. I feel they were dishonest selling the original itinerary up until they notified us of changes, as they knew it would be revised due to the engine problems and they could not make the ports.. They should have taken this ship out of service! And of course…our cabin is at the back of the ship with all the vibration issues. The only way Princess will get me on one of their ships again is with a FCC. The price dropped by $1,400 and they refused to issue us a credit. Any help with email contact info or who to write to would be appreciated.

Haven’t heard anything but will ask about it. Vibration woke me up last night several times, but I am a sensitive sleeper.

Hi, I will try to update our journey on the Crown Princess to Alaska this week. We stayed at the Moxy in downtown Seattle last night. It was nice. We took an Uber to pier 91 this morning to board our cruise at 11:00am. Check in was very quick! We had completed our Medallion app and were in the Green Lane, but for some reason we still had to show our Passports, Vaccine Card and Negative Covid tests! The Medallion app worked great for ordering drinks, and I even ordered a slice of cheesecake which was delivered to where I sitting. The food has been very good so far. We had a nice buffet lunch and just finished dinner in Di Vinci dining room which was very good! Service is also excellent. We are on deck 10 at the back of the ship and definitely are feeling vibrations. I will let you know how it goes tonight.

When was this landslide? I know there was a landlslide in June in Skagway.

I completed the final required documents in the Medallion app today for my brother in law who we are sailing with this Saturday. Even after uploading their negative covid tests... they are still in the Blue Lane. They already received their Medalllions, have their arrival time...couldn't find anything that wasn't filled out...but couldn't get them out of the Blue Lane.

We leave Saturday on the Crown to Alaska with the revised itinerary (which they waited until July 22nd to inform us that it had changed.) They were continuing to sell this cruise with the original itinerary up until then, which in my opinion is very dishonest. I am very disappointed with Princess not notifying ALL sailings on the Crown of the problems it has had since returning to service in May. We should have been given ample time to make changes if we chose to do so, but more importantly....Princess should have taken this ship out of service! Our stateroom is on deck 10 at the back of ship...hope we don't feel the shaking in our room.

Hi, we are on the Aug 6 sailing with you. I just read yesterday on these boards that others were notified on board that they will not be going into Skagway! Sitka was substituted! Skagway is the only port we have an excursion booked (with Chilkoot) due to the itinerary changes. I emailed Chilkoot and they said the rockslide at the pier in Skagway was in June, and most cruise ships have continued to visit Skagway, but Princess did cancel some visits this week. Soooo...are they going to be honest with us about this or inform us at the last minute? And I totally agree with you, they continued to sell the original itinerary knowing that they would be changing the itinerary. We will end up spending more time on the ship then we will in the ports.

Yes, that is my feeling too...that Princess has been dishonest. They were still selling August sailings with the original itinerary up until a few days ago, when we finally received our notice of itinerary changes. It's not the right way to do business.

We contacted Princess yesterday and my brother in law (who will also be on our cruise) spoke back and forth with a Supervisor for 1.5hrs. They said they notified everyone in May of the problems with the ship and possible itinerary changes... which is a lie. When asked to provide the information they supposedly sent, they could not provide it. They would not even reprice our cruise which has gone down in price by $1,332 for our exact cabin with the same perk package. I would be very satisfied with 50% FCC. It's the right thing to do for everyone who has sailed on the Crown, which has been experiencing problems since May. Princess has continued to take everyone's money knowing the problem would not be fixed for this Alaska season. Can I ask who you contacted and their contact info for the FCC? Thank you!

I'm so sorry you also had changes which impacted your cruise. I wish we could just get our money refunded and not go at all. They knew they would be changing our itineraries...they never fixed the ship! Why do this to people? For us, our balcony cabin was a lot of money to spend on a 7 day cruise. We've gone to Europe for 10 nights for less! Aug 6th would be our first time to Alaska and 4th time on Princess, but I'm so over it I don't even want to go and will never count on Princess again. Celebrity, Oceania and Royal are wonderful!

Well, I just got my email notification at 9:02am with our itinerary changes. There is nothing we can do at this point, and we will enjoy seeing our travel companions. But my disappointment is that we selected this ship for the ITINERARY. We were originally booked on the Discovery and switched to the Crown for the ITINERARY. An itinerary that Princess has known since May that they would not be able to keep. Princess loves to say "Thank you for your Loyalty." It goes both ways, and I wish I could say "Thank you for your Honesty."

The only email I received yesterday was about the "Entertainment for everyone." Not one word about itinerary changes. We had called Princess a week ago to make a change to a birthdate for one of our travel companions and asked if there were going to be any itinerary changes for our sailing date. They said 'No itinerary changes." I am so disappointed in Princess. They have known about this ships problems since it's first return to service in May. Ketchikan was the port we were most excited about. We planned to see the bears and salmon with a forest hike. There better be some serious future cruise credit for their deceit. Although I don't think I would trust planning another trip with Princess.

I can't believe it. I received an email yesterday that says "It's almost showtime. Entertainment for everyone" Not one mention that our itinerary has changed. We are traveling with 2 other couples and have not spoken to them yet today, but I think they would have called me if they had received notification because this has been the subject of our conversation many times.

Nope, they are still having the problem they have had since May with propulsion and just hang people out to dry by not being honest with their passengers.

Yep. This is ridiculous. We had to call Princess to correct one of our travel companions date of birth and asked if there were any itinerary changes planned for our sailing and they said "No itinerary changes". Ketchikan was the port we were most excited about. I am beyond disappointed in Princess that they would wait so long to notify passengers about a problem they have been well aware of, since this ships first sailing in May.

I just looked on my account and the itinerary shows the original journey. But when I searched it as if to book a new cruise it shows the new itinerary with changes! Princess has not notified us! And you are correct, Glacier Bay and then onto Icy Strait.