Loved the cruise but it is not 5 star

[D-ma]

I am just back from my 5/23/12 cruise. It was a great trip but the service was not anywhere near 5 star service. I had many people complain to me that they had horrible service in the dining rooms. I found that it depended on the waiters that you got and which restaurant.

 

The free alcohol was great but they generally had only one bar opened at a time so service was very slow. I only had a waiter ask to get me a drink in the pool area once. I almost always had to get it myself. I only had help carrying my plate to my table a handful of times.

 

I really do not care if I have to do things for myself but if you are going to say that you have 1.2 staff per 2 passengers than your service better be top notch. I found that the service was below Celebrity Cruise line.

 

All that being said there were many positives. I will be writing an extensive honest review of my experiences in the next few days. French Polynesia is like living in a dream and everyone should experience it's beauty at least once.

[DGK]

Looking forward to reading your review and sorry to hear about the service issues. If you did a pre or post cruise stay can you please include in your review. We are currently considering the IC Moorea pkg. through PG ( cost and dates are not available yet ). Thanks so much.

[Tikiintahiti]

Interesting ......... way different than what the vast majority say.

 

I never waited more than a few moments to get a drink. I never expected someone to carry my plate from the buffet to my table. Never sat around the pool so I can't say anything there.

 

Remember this is FP and as such things are much more casual than most ofther quality ships. Personally I love the casual aspect of the ship, no big formal nights ......... more personal service with big smiles, you can tell they love their job, it shows in their faces.

 

Sorry for your situation as this is not the norm for this ship which has a great reputation of wonderful service with personal smiles.

[2animallvrs]

We too were on the 5/23 cruise & had a very good time. We loved the area & enjoyed meeting many new friends due to the smaller size of the ship, & there were many other positives (Francisco for one), but overall, we didn't think it was a luxury cruise experience. Maybe our expectations were too high. :confused:

[Familygoboston]

Wow, this is worrisome!

I wonder specifically what the bad service in the dining room was? Sometimes the pacing of dinner is different in different places and that "culture difference" can cause a disconnect between expectations and experiences. I do hope you post the full review, with details, as we all know PG does monitor and possibly can correct any deficiencies!

[avalong]

I can remember reading posts which described how PG staff would deliver a passenger's favorite drink poolside without even being asked to do so. WHAT has happened? I was looking forward to that kind of personalized service. I will be bummed if it's as D-ma described.

[Emdee]

What constitutes 5 star?

Its hard to say. We were introduced to the PG when it was Regent and it was run like a 5 star ship. Since then Regent has still maintained its luxury rating but honestly I find them hit and miss now. They have tripled their prices whilst PG has kept them reasonably steady with a small increase for 2013.

 

In my 6 PG cruises there is 1 that I found the service lacking but every other met or exceeded expectations.

 

My fondness for the ship is mixed with love of the staff and the location.

 

I hope that those of you that are still to go have a wonderful time.

[stephenandrew]

I would not say that the entire PG experience is 5 Star, but it we found all of it to be very, very nice. I thought the service was nearly universally good, but there were some hicups. For example, one evening, we had a dinner reservation for two in the Veranda Restaurant; we met some friends right before we were about to eat, and thought we might all dine together. When we asked the Maitre'd if he could accomodate a party of 4 instead of 2, he said it was not possible. Fair enough--we did not have a reservation for 4, and our friends insisted we go on without them. We were seated at a Table for 4, and I would say 1/3 of the restaurant was empty. I really could not see how the addition of 2 people in these circimatances would have been a problem. Also, there were a few instances where I felt the service in the bars was on the slow side, but it was not because of a lack of effort on the staff's part, but rather there were just insufficient staff available to accomodate the number of people in the bar. With those two exceptions, I found the crew to be very accomodating, friendly, and they made us feel very comfortable. Service in the restaurants was always good, and the pacing of courses was perfect---never had any lenghty waits, nor did we ever feel rushed. When we ordered room service, we got speedy delivery, and orders were always correct.

 

With regard to the accomodations and public rooms, I would not say they are the most contemporary or luxurious, but certainly very comortable. Our Cabin on Deck 7 was more than adequate in terms of space, certainly lots of storage, and wear and tear on the furniture was minimal. Bed was very comfortable.

 

I thought the food was generally very good. I would not say that it equaled the best land-based restaurants that I have been to, but I always enjoyed the breadth of selection, and the preparation of everything was well done.

 

I think when you put the whole package together--the intinerary, the serivce, the food, the accomodations, and consider the price (which, while expensive, is not stratospheric for what you get), PG offers a very fine product. I know we would not hesitate to rebook.

[D-ma]

I agree with Stephenandrew. I felt that Pg was very understaffed in some areas. The bartenders were working very hard but simply could not keep up at times. I do not fault the staff. I also found that La Veranda was always kept under booked with guests which put extra pressure on L'Etoile. The waiters at L'Etoile were always busy and at times were doing ten things at once. This is where many diners complained that they had long waits in between courses and sometimes desserts took too long to arrive so they left. I found the staff very nice but I really feel that they must have had some kind of staffing issue.

[Emdee]

I think that PG has a new chef so food may take a longer time. Fotis the pastry chef was abysmal the first year an I was thrilled to see his products last year. Sad to hear they have a staffing issue . Last year we were choc en bloc but the service was still good. I have to admit though that we usually get our pick of waiter ( Michael) though I did tell him he needed rollerskates as he had quite a few tables.

 

La Veranda is never filled at any one time - it has a small kitchen and staff and they have staggered reservations. This is normal even here in Toronto with top restaurants - they want to serve food a la minute.

 

What really separates the PG from the rest of the pack is their service so I sincerely hope that they fix this and give it their full attention. That being said I am also wondering if it is the time of year when they were between people going home and returning. If one or two waiters dont return for whatever reasons the cruise especially if full can be challenged.

[Tikiintahiti]

Good point Emdee, yes, it was transfer time for a bunch under contract, I noticed this on the ship's FB account.

[sita]

also, wondering if there was a large group onboard (large group of related travellers); on one PG cruise in the past, there was a large business group (90 people) and the service was clearly impacted.

[stephenandrew]

La Veranda is never filled at any one time - it has a small kitchen and staff and they have staggered reservations. This is normal even here in Toronto with top restaurants - they want to serve food a la minute.

 

I would only mention that we ate La Veranda 5 or 6 times on our cruise (2 weeks)---and while I don't recall every meal, there were several instances where the dining room was full or very nearly full. In the instance that I described earlier where they said they could not accomodate 2 more people, it really was a "light" night in terms of dining room occupancy. Again, just to be clear, we only had a reservation for 2 not 4, so PG was certainly under no obligation to accomodate us; we were asking for a favoer/special request that they apparently would not accomodate.

[JetAway]

Whatever the star rating, the PG is far and away the best ship available for sailing around French Polynesia.

[D-ma]

Yes that may be true Jetaway but do not tell me that you are serving me filet mignon and then serve me a hamburger. I loved many things about this cruise but the service on my cruise was sub-standard for any cruise line no matter the star rating.

[Tikiintahiti]

Well you have Princess which call there R4 ships who go to FP a few months every year ........ ah ............ 4 stars

 

I've been on multi Princess ships in FP, none were even close to my experience on the PG.

 

So if PG isn't 5 stars and is only a 4 star according to some here I guess Princess is under 4 stars then :eek:

 

As many of us have stated you must of just had a 1 in a hundred situation as this isn't the norm for the PG.

 

I also notice you had a major fight regarding the pre-cruise stay at the IC when you were booking. Are you sure you didn't have a bit

of a chip on your shoulder when you jumped on the ship?

 

You've made your point, we heard you.

 

Please let us know when you will stop the beat down of the ship/crew we love ........ ;)

[rcandkc]

I just want to support D'ma. I was also on the 5/23 cruise. We had a great time, but the service was hit or miss. Sometimes great, other times very average. I felt they were working hard but understaffed. I also felt they were responsive even if a little slow, but not proactive. Elmo was the exception, he was excellent.

[avalong]

Well you have Princess which call there R4 ships who go to FP a few months every year ........ ah ............ 4 stars

 

I've been on multi Princess ships in FP, none were even close to my experience on the PG.

 

So if PG isn't 5 stars and is only a 4 star according to some here I guess Princess is under 4 stars then :eek:

 

As many of us have stated you must of just had a 1 in a hundred situation as this isn't the norm for the PG.

 

I also notice you had a major fight regarding the pre-cruise stay at the IC when you were booking. Are you sure you didn't have a bit

of a chip on your shoulder when you jumped on the ship?

 

You've made your point, we heard you.

 

Please let us know when you will stop the beat down of the ship/crew we love ........ ;)

 

Tikiintahiti -

While Jetaway's comment was entirely correct, so was D-ma's response.

I, for one, consider D-ma's continued observations to be entirely welcome on this board.

[Emdee]

Tiki

Donna has a right to have her say. Its her experience she is talking about. Its important that the PG takes note of the varying opinions or if you and me and Motu Islander have only good things to say about them then its likely they will rest on their laurels.

 

I also think that yes Donna has a bit of a chip before and then the bad experience pre cruise and this can somewhat sour things. However she seems to give credit where it is due and likely due to a smaller number of staff the service issues were felt.

 

I am the wrong person to talk of service same like Motu or Paris Lady or Tattoo Boy as we are known so automatically get the best service from our favourite staff. Its people like Donna and yourself or Island Retriever who were on for your first time who can truly bring perspective.

[Tikiintahiti]

I guess what got my hair up was the comment, "I only had help carrying my plate to my table a handful of times."

 

Lets just say I prefer making lemonaide out of sour lemons, it helps put a smile back on your face :)

 

We have a saying on the TripAdvisor French Polynesian forum ........

 

The worst day in paradise (French Polynesia) is better than most good days back home ;)

[Emdee]

I often have to temper expectations that the ship is older and not swanky at all and the shows are different but just as wonderful as I do know people who were very disappointed with the 'night life' on board.

 

And yes cruiselines like Regent and Azamara mean you usually dont have to carry your plate back but on the other hand I waited 25 minutes on the Seven Seas Navigator for someone to take my breakfast order. I have to admit that usually on the PG I have to fight off the staff from taking my plate from me. Arnold last year would have none of me carrying my plate to my table though I am perfectly capable and insisted that I was!

 

Last year we were in La Verandah and it was a rockin and a rollin and I had to visit the Ladies room. The moment I stood up Ivan very gallantly came to my chair and offered me his arm which prevented my falling into someone's soup and he was there to escort me back as well.

[rcandkc]

I just want to support D'ma. I was also on the 5/23 cruise. We had a great time, but the service was hit or miss. Sometimes great, other times very average. I felt they were working hard but understaffed. I also felt they were responsive even if a little slow, but not proactive. Elmo was the exception, he was excellent.

 

Excuse me, but I said nothing about the shows or carrying my plate....it is a simple fact that the service was hit or miss on our cruise....did not ruin our cruise by any means. Had a good time. We are trying to give honest opinions of OUR cruise...not yours.

[Tikiintahiti]

The staff a few times tried to carry my plate but I wouldn't have anything to do with it.

 

I think we need to look at this whole thing as just a fluke. I would venture to say if you asked 100 past cruisers of the PG about their experience the vast majority would give glowing reviews, thus this particular cruise was just a fluke.

 

I also must say some of the upper tier cruise lines wouldn't get my business, I prefer the causalness of the PG, I prefer the Gauguins verses some broadway show. No formal nights .......... me like.

 

Lastly I would say that the PG has one of the highest loyalty groups I know of. Many return year after year and look at some of the staff as almost extended family.

 

As I said, must of been a fluke ......

[mllcal]

Okay, so we were on this cruise, too. I felt that the staff was a bit light and sometimes things were slow. Francisco was FABULOUS, remembered everyone's name and favorite drinks immediately. We had to let him know early on that we like variety, as the same after dinner drink arrived the second night and we wanted something else. After that he always asked what we wanted, would ask if we had a preference for wines (rather than what was offered), etc. That said, the pool bar was slow, I missed having my iced tea refilled automatically, and service was slow sometimes in the dining room. Discovered late in the game that we could order off the menu for breakfast and lunch rather than rely on what was on the buffet. I don't care if anyone carries my plate or not, but that's just me. The food was very good, if not excellent, and we were satisfied with it. Wine selection and cocktails exceeded our expectations. Our experiences in La Veranda were that there were many empty tables each time, which took the pressure off the staff and made it a more intimate experience. I didn't like the noise level in L"Etoile and preferred La Veranda, but the menu was changed only once.

 

Emdee, you're going to love what they did to the ship. It was completely redone early this year and is gorgeous. I had no complaints there. Don't know what it looked like before.

 

This is a wonderful ship for seeing Polynesia. 5 star? Perhaps not, but it's worth the price because of how expensive French Polynesia is. If we'd done a comparable trip on our own, adding in meals, transportation, lodging, we'd have spent a great deal more on the trip. We'd go back in a heartbeat if we didn't have so many other things on our bucket list.

[Emdee]

Francisco is a sweetheart isnt he!