Just Off the Golden to Alaska, RT Seattle 6/7-14/2014. Buckle Up!

[monk888]

Just returned yesterday from sailing the Golden Princess RT from Seattle. We left last Saturday, June 7, and returned yesterday, June 14. We visited Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and Victoria. Before I begin, a little background.

 

I have sailed on Princess three times in the past: Caribbean Princess to Eastern in 2004; Caribbean Princess to Western a couple of years later, and then the Caribbean Princess to New England a few years ago. For the record, my reviews of each still appear on the Cruise Critic Forum. My family and I loved each one. Plenty to do, great ports, great food and good entertainment.

 

I have also sailed on Royal Caribbean twice. Enchantment of the Seas from Ft. Lauderdale, and Brilliance of the Seas from Tampa in 2012. I have sailed the Celebrity Solstice, a gorgeous and stunning ship, from Ft. Lauderdale as well. When I was 19, I sailed the Carnival Carnivale from Miami, but that was so long ago, it doesn't count. Suffice to say I am no stranger to cruising, nor to Princess, which, until now, was my favorite cruise line overall. Well, it gives me no joy to say that this was my last Princess Cruise. The mighty have fallen, and fallen far. Not in every respect, but in enough important areas to where I will no longer "vote" for this line with my hard fought dollars. I shall now endeavor to "call it as I see it." You be the Judge:

 

1. Embarkation: Boarding the ship in Seattle was no picnic. We pulled up in a cab right in front of the ship. There were no porters there to take our luggage from us. Not one. I was with my 20 year old son and my 55 year old lifelong pal. The Wife stayed home on this one as she is not the best flyer in the World, and Seattle is a long way from Tampa, Florida.

 

I am 53 and in good physical condition. It's a good thing that our luggage has wheels since we had to tote all of it ourselves from curbside into the enormous terminal building. Once in there, you wait on a security line, just like in an airport. Every piece of the luggage you check goes onto the conveyor and into the scanning equipment on site. You lift it onto the belt yourself. Just a warning to older folks out there. (Hear that, Princess? You should have someone there to assist people in lifting those heavy bags onto the conveyor. It's part of being the "Consummate Host" that you claim to be 300 times during the week!).

 

Once you dump those bags, you go through security, just like at the airport. You know the drill, so I won't bore you with the details. Then, once you get through that, get in the snaking line and wait your turn to be called. We got to the port at just about 12:15. The lines were enormous. No, they did not move quickly, although the representatives did try. They had people with signs that said "Next Please" which they would hold up in front of the next available representative as soon as they finished with the last one. I applaud this effort as it did get things moving a bit faster. Our turn came. We were checked in with courtesy, speed and efficiency. We got our Cruise Cards and exited the lines. We waived off the boarding photo of the group and headed on to the ship.

 

2. The Ship. First Impressions. I have never been on the Golden Princess, but it is a standard, Grand Class ship. Understated elegance in all respects. No flashing neon here. Marble and real wood paneling. Some reviews mentioned that the ship was rusting and needed painting. Thanks for complaining, because they heard you and painted the whole ship. They had people painting all over the place all week. They were also scrubbing deck chairs, polishing brass, etc. (Princess, you missed a BIG SPOT! The stern of the ship where your name is needs a painting right away. Get someone down there with a boat and a roller on a very long pole and get it done on your next port of call!) Otherwise, the ship looks excellent, inside and out. I still love the Grand Class ships. Very classy.

 

3. Our Cabin. We were in a mini-suite on the Dolphin deck, D510, on the Port side. It was in excellent shape. I love the layout of the mini-suites on Princess. The beds were extremely comfortable and the linens fresh and very clean. The pullout was not very thick, but we fixed that by immediately requesting an "egg crate" for it, as well as having the steward place two (2) extra comforters on it just under the fitted sheet. Plenty of room in the bathroom for everything. The towels are no doubt durable, but are not very comfortable. The toilet paper is among the worst I have ever used. More like sand paper. If you value your "comfort" in that area, bring the quilted stuff or wish you had!

 

Bring a power strip as available plugs are in short supply. We did and used every one with three cell phones, two tablets and some other gadget my son brought. If you don't like to use tiny soaps to shower with, bring a full sized bar of your favorite soap too.

 

Our balcony was good size and essential for the true Alaska experience. I spent many hours out there and have the tan to prove it. The weather was wonderful, for which we thank the big guy above. There were two lounge chairs with matching foot rests that fit underneath each chair for convenient storage as well as a small table. We asked for a third chair as soon as we met our steward, but were told that there were no extras. This was the first in many "NO's" that I received on this cruise, something I never experienced on ANY cruise line before. (Princess, a guest if the ONLY reason for your existence. As anyone in customer service will tell you, the answer is NEVER NO. The answer is either YES or "I'll look into that for you right away." IT IS NEVER NO. Do some training, for God's sake!!! (I want to be clear about this. Our steward, Jay, was excellent in ALL respects. I am sure that he was told that there were no extra chairs and that he was simply conveying the company line on this issue. No disrespect to him as he was wonderful and did a sterling job. He was definitely one of the BEST stewards I have ever had and a true bright spot on this cruise.)

 

The balcony on Dolphin deck is completely exposed to the floors above, but I knew that going in and it didn't bother me. However, if you value your privacy, don't book a mini-suite on Dolphin Deck.

 

Plenty of room to store all of your bags under the beds. Plenty of hangers in the closet. Plenty of drawer space all over the place. Love the storage space. Everything worked. Hair dryer mounted to the wall next to the bed. Plenty of lighting. Comfortable couch and chairs. Great location midships near the stairs and lifts.

 

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Edited June 15, 2014 by monk888

[monk888]

4. The Horizon Court...Just Say NO! Inedible. Absolutely inedible! Yes, I know it's just a buffet. Yes, I know that you can't expect perfection at a buffet. Yes, I know it's the "lowest common denominator" of flavors and spicing to appeal to the most people. That being said, this food was offensive.

 

As my buddy said, there was simply no rhyme or reason to it. It was clearly whatever was left over from the dining rooms a night or two before, reconstituted, cut up, ground up, whatever, and made into something else. You want an example? Scallops and shrimp with oriental vegetables. Sounds good, right? Not. The scallops and shrimp were mushy, tasteless and disgusting. A woman I spoke with called it "Gross." I agree. It was gross. I placed small servings of several other dishes on my plate, figuring I would try them and come back for whatever I liked. I found NOTHING I liked. Nothing. I ended up leaving the entire plate and getting a salad instead. The salad was good.

 

Even if you could get the food down, what lunatic has "reorganized" the Horizon Court? Princess cruisers know that one side is usually open while the other side is closed, being cleaned, being re-stocked, whatever. On this particular voyage, some genius closed down 3/4 of the Horizon Court, with just 1/4 open. Then, there is only one way to go In and one way to go Out. If you try to go In the Out, you get a lecture and are re-directed to the "proper" way In. Then, when you go In, you MUST stop and use their hand sanitizer before entering. Even if you just washed your hands in scalding water in your cabin, you MUST stop and use their hand sanitizer. They have someone standing right there to stop you and give you a lecture if you don't use the sanitizer. Yes, a lecture. (Princess, don't lecture me! I spent $5,400 on this one week cruise for three people in my cabin. I don't need you to force your employees to lecture me on cleanliness. I'll use the sanitizing machine if I want to. Get out of my face!!!)

 

If that isn't bad enough, they actually used the "velvet ropes" to rope off several areas within the 1/4 sized Horizon Court buffet area! God forbid you cross over from one pre-ordained station to another. We can't have that. These are the rules from above. There will be no deviations! (Princess, if you think this approach is endearing you to your guests, you are sadly mistaken.)

 

Here is my advice: I could go on and on with what I feel is the abomination that has become the Horizon Court, but I won't. Suffice to say don't bother eating in the Horizon Court. Don't even waste your time. Princess, fix it! Fix it now!!!

 

5. The International Cafe. Now, for a change of pace, and for a positive experience. The International Cafe in the Atrium is excellent. There are two sides to it. On the left is coffee. Delicious, freshly brewed, life-giving coffee, every minute of the day. Yes, they NEVER close. Advice: Buy the Cafe Selects card if you love coffee. All of the free, freshly brewed coffee you want, all day, every day. Plus, you get 16 (I think that's right) specialty coffees during the week. That's Cafe Latte, Cappucino, Cafe Mocha, etc, freshly made to order. Courteous, excellent, friendly staff. Consistently good coffee.

 

Now, right next to them are the pastries and small sandwiches. Any time you want, you can walk right up and choose from all kinds of tasty, delicious desserts. Cherry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, chocolate filled pastries, creme brulee, and on and on and on. No charge. Yours for the asking. And they are good. Small, but good.

 

Also, why eat that recycled slop, yes, I said slop, in the Horizon Court when you can have a tasty little ham and cheese sandwich on croissant (or two or three!), little cuban sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, brie sandwiches, mozzarella and tomato sandwich, etc., as many as you want, any time you want, for free at the International Cafe? God bless you hard-working guys! You really saved me on this cruise.

 

6. Prego Pizza. In my prior reviews, I sung the praises of Prego Pizza up by the pool. It used to be great. Now, not so much. I don't know if you're using a cheaper sauce, a less expensive cheese, or if the dough is not as good, but man, the taste has gone waaaay downhill. (Yes, I do know pizza, being an Italian born and raised in NYC.) That cheese pizza tasted awful. Just awful. The pepperoni was just OK. Step up your game boys, big time.

 

7. The Dining Room. We had Anytime Dining in the Bernini Dining Room. Excellent service. Excellent food. Classy and beautiful dining room. The salmon I had was very good. My buddy's New York Strip perfectly cooked and delicious. The Love Boat Dream Cake was just as dreamy as always. (See, no complaints when it's good, lest you think I'm just some negative clown who can't be pleased.)

 

8. The Crab Shack. This is a relatively new addition to Specialty Dining. They don't even have their own restaurant for it. They carve off 1/4 of the Horizon Court a few nights a week and put in the Crab Shack. Advice: Pay the $20 each and book a meal in the Crab Shack. The guy who runs the place is Arthur. We love Arthur. He just got promoted to it and is eager to please. A wonderful personality and a credit to the line. Folks, the food is delicious and plentiful. You start off with "Popcorn Shrimp" and hush puppies. The shrimp is actually not popcorn, but nice, big shrimp fried in a sort of tempura batter and is wonderful. You get tartar sauce and a seafood dipping sauce with it. Then, you get a bowl of Manhattan (Red) Clam Chowder. Very good. Then, you get to take your pick on one of four buckets of seafood. We opted for the one with the King Crab, peel and eat shrimp, corn on the cob and potatos. Absolutely loaded with seafood and delicious! You end with dessert. Very good meal. Other than Sabatini's, the best meal on the ship!!! Good work, Arthur! Keep it up.

[monk888]

9. Sabatini's. What can I say about Sabatini's that hasn't been said a thousand times before? The moment you board, book Sabatini's. The best meal of the week on board. Period. Fried calamari appetizer; wonderful. Artichoke appetizer my son had; wonderful. Shrimp cocktail appetizer my buddy had; wonderful. Lobster three ways entree I had; divine. Bread served at the table; crusty and delicious, with extra virgin olive oil. Desserts; worthy of being the last thing you eat on Earth. Service, superlative. Again, no complaints when it's good!

 

10. Bands on Board. My son, my buddy and I had to suffer, yes suffer, through a week of being deprived of any level of musical competence in Explorer's Lounge and in the Wheelhouse, and it's now my turn to give it to Princess. Yes, to Princess. I don't mean to hurt the band members themselves since they did their best. It's not their fault that someone at Princess heard them play (or did they?) and hired them. They should never have been hired in the first place!!!

 

I owned a record label for a decade. I used to sign bands and release their records. I have been to hundreds of major concerts and have the hearing loss to prove it. This was some of the worst music I have ever heard. Yes, I am going to name names.

 

a. Sol Play. This was clearly the better of the two bands. The bass player can play. The singer can sing. That's where it ends. The guy on the keyboards can barely play and THINKS he can sing. He can't! OMG, he is bad!!! The guitarist can play, but not very well. At least he doesn't sing much. That's enough against them. Princess, who decides which bands you hire? DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THEM BEFORE YOU SIGN THEM??? There must be 10,000 cover bands out there right now that are far better than Sol Play. Find one and sign them instead. Sorry Sol Play, I know you are working hard and that this is a tough gig, but come on, you know you are not up to this. Go get your chops and then come back. Really.

 

b. B Aires. I saved the worst for last. This one is personal and is directed at you, lead singer. YOU CAN'T SING! IS THIS A JOKE? DO YOU HAVE A STAGE MONITOR? LISTEN TO IT! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN SING? FLG, PRINCESS, TERMINATE THIS MUSICAL TRAIN WRECK TODAY AND GET A JAZZ TRIO IN THERE THAT CAN PLAY SOMETHING, ANYTHING, BUT THIS HORRIFIC SOUND FROM HELL!

 

Passengers passing by the Wheelhouse Bar broke out into open disbelief and hysterics upon hearing the dissonance emanating from within. No, I'm not exaggerating. No, I'm not kidding. Yes, it was that bad.

 

Off melody, out of tune, improper pitch, OMG! Make it stop!!! Her back up musicians, and I use that term very loosely, were reading their music while they played. Hey, guys. Ever thought about rehearsing your set until you can play it without needing to read along with every note? You guys are a joke. Stop holding yourself out to the World as musicians if you are going to disrespect the profession.

 

I know I'm being harsh, and may pay for it on this Board, but I am making a point. The Entertainment on this cruise is waaaaay below par and needs major correcting. Princess, and/or the Cruise Director needs to get their act together, fast.

Edited June 15, 2014 by monk888

[Coral]

I know I'm being harsh, and may pay for it on this Board, but I am making a point.

 

I think the main issue is that you have not sailed Princess since 2008. Since then, Princess has made several changes (declines IMO). I noticed a huge decline on my cruises starting in 2009 with Princess (of the cruises/ships I have sailed). Princess isn't what it used to be. Probably no cruise line is but Princess is what I have the most experience with.

 

I experienced the same problems you did at the Seattle pier in 2010 I believe. I think this is a pier issue and not necessarily Princess but am not entirely sure. I had some friends drop me off and they said a porter would come - well, they didn't drop me off close and hauling the luggage in was a pain IMO.

 

I agree 100% about the buffet. I avoid it as much as I can.

 

The quality and quantity of live music has also declined. I think it is pure budget cuts in the entertainment area. I think they would prefer if everyone would go outside and watch movies. You didn't mention the shortened production shows. Not sure if you experienced that or not.

Edited June 15, 2014 by Coral

[Jim Avery]

Monk, thanks for taking the time to tell it like it is for your trip. Makes me glad we chose the Pacific for Alaska. Have not been on Golden but they are not all good all the time. Looking forward to hearing the rest.:D

[cr8tiv1]

Monk, thanks for taking the time to tell it like it is for your trip. Makes me glad we chose the Pacific for Alaska. Have not been on Golden but they are not all good all the time. Looking forward to hearing the rest.:D

 

Thank you Monk for posting your thoughts. I have been on the Golden many times and am planning another short cruise on her before she moves to Australia. I do believe the Cruise Director is an all important factor in the entertainment that is aboard a ship. Did you mention the (awful) bands to him/her?

 

I also found the Seattle terminal one of my least favorite places to embark on a ship. As others have mentioned on other threads, port personnel are not employees of Princess. Please do not hold this against them.

 

i just returned on the Coral to Alaska and had a fantastic dance band in the Wheelhouse (Phoenix Rising).

 

I personally stay away from the larger (mega) ships like the Royal, Regal, Crown, etc. I don't know what it will take for you to give Princess another try, but I wish you smooth sailings on your next voyage.

[monk888]

11. The Crown Grill. On Wednesday night, we ate at the Crown Grill. For the positive, the Black and Blue French Onion Soup was unique and good, with Bleu cheese on it. Very interesting, different and good. The meals that my buddy and my son had were very good. Unfortunately, I had a few problems.

 

I love mussels in white wine sauce. They had it on the menu as an entree, but I only wanted an appetizer portion, so I asked the waiter for an appetizer portion of mussels. Surely, that wouldn't be a problem since they were on the menu and I was paying the $25 per person upcharge for the Crown Grill, right? Wrong. The answer was NO. Not, I'll ask the Chef or, better yet, Of course, Sir. He explained that the mussels come in a portion bag, whatever that is, and that he could only serve them as an entree. Here's a wild idea: How about making the customer happy and serving a half portion, and adding the rest to the next entree, making that customer ecstatic??? NO. Just plain NO. Not nice.

 

 

I ordered a Porterhouse steak, which they listed as a chop. I ordered it Medium Rare. They first brought out my vegetable without my steak. It was asparagus, which was cooked perfectly. However, I would have preferred it with my steak? Then, they brought out my steak. It was well done, not medium rare. I informed the waiter. He took it back and told me it would just be a few minutes.

 

While I waited for it, he brought out my Bernaise sauce for the steak. Of course, without the steak to eat, it was a bit premature.

 

By the time my steak came out about 10 minutes later, my buddy and son were done with their meal, so I ate my entree alone. Just after I started eating my steak, the waiter comes over and hands my two dining partners the dessert menu! Yes, handed them the dessert menu just after I have been served my entree. (Princess, do you train your staff at all?) How about waiting until all have been served and finished their meals before you hand out dessert menus, or is it all about turning tables? Oh, sorry, it is all about turning tables quickly. That left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

 

I ate my dessert just as I had eaten my entree, alone. I paid the bill and we left. So much for the Crown Grill.

 

12. Sundaes. Sundaes is an ice cream place on the Lido Deck. My son loves the stuff and wanted, of all things, a Sundae. He and I went there. He ordered a sundae. The answer was, as you probably guessed by now, NO. What? Why not? "Because we don't serve sundaes here, just cones," he said. "But your name is Sundaes. Why don't you serve sundaes?" "Sorry. Next!" Is it just me, or are we starting to see a trend here?

 

13. Comedian. Al Katz, the comedian, finally got a show on Thursday night in the Princess Theatre. Where have you guys been hiding the talent? Where was he Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, when we were starving for entertainment? What do I mean? Suffering with Sol Play, and B Aires, and the "Try to Catch an Egg from the third floor of the Atrium without breaking it" contest. Oh, no, I am not making that up. That's what passes for entertainment. Don't believe me? How about the "Throw a shoe from three floors up and try to get it to land on top of this table with the Red table cloth" contest. Now, that's entertainment!!!

 

Anyway, Al was good. He did two shows Thursday and two shows Friday. Finally, a competent act. They also had British Invasion show in the Princess Theatre, but I did not see that. Others said it was very good, so we'll go with that.

 

Summation. Thank God for the great ports and scenery of Alaska. But the boredom, sheer boredom, onboard, day after day, was just too much. It's Royal Caribbean or Celebrity for me. This one was just too much. My advice is that if it's not too late, switch to another vessel. They all go to the same places for the most part. Glacier Bay was truly an awesome sight, and is why I picked this cruise on Princess, but knowing what I know, I would have gone on the Celebrity Solstice which went just about everywhere we went except Glacier Bay.

 

The Monk

[shredie]

Thank you for washing your hands, but is it possible you may have touched something on the way to the buffet? Perhaps it's the gestapo guards at the hand sanitizer pumps insisting you use them that is the problem, but those things really are there for a reason. I use them even if I have just washed my hands. For the bands--I think I may have been on a ship recently where the Wheelhouse singer was performing. We walked by and I started wailing about Karaoke (which is the worst idea in the history of mankind) but then my husband pointed out that was a professional singer doing a regular gig. My ears may have bled if I stood there any longer. It does performers no favor to tell them they are great if they aren't. It's really kind of cruel, actually.

 

Happy to hear about the Crab Shack.

[sfo2008]

Thanks for an honest review. Just one thing the Horizon Buffet can definitely be hit or miss but just from a factual standpoint all of the food you found inedible was freshly prepared for that period, not a retread.

[geoherb]

Thanks for the informative review. I'm glad the negatives you mentioned are things that aren't that important to me. I never go on a cruise to listen to bands. Most of the time, I find them distracting. I also avoid the Horizon Court, except for an early morning cup of tea or a glass of iced tea in the afternoon. Once in a great while, I'll eat some fruit. I can't remember the last time I had a full meal in one. We eat all of our meals in the dining room (when it's open) or in the International Café.

 

I'm also happy without many activities planned. As long as they have a morning and afternoon trivia, I'm happy. The other activities are always hit or miss for me. Sometimes they're fun to participate in or watch, but give me a good magazine to read or a chance to walk around the Promenade Deck, and I'm happy.

 

Glacier Bay is the big reason why people should pick this ship over Celebrity.

[cdngrl]

Thanks for the informative review. I'm glad the negatives you mentioned are things that aren't that important to me. I never go on a cruise to listen to bands. Most of the time, I find them distracting. I also avoid the Horizon Court, except for an early morning cup of tea or a glass of iced tea in the afternoon. Once in a great while, I'll eat some fruit. I can't remember the last time I had a full meal in one. We eat all of our meals in the dining room (when it's open) or in the International Café.

 

I'm also happy without many activities planned. As long as they have a morning and afternoon trivia, I'm happy. The other activities are always hit or miss for me. Sometimes they're fun to participate in or watch, but give me a good magazine to read or a chance to walk around the Promenade Deck, and I'm happy.

 

Glacier Bay is the big reason why people should pick this ship over Celebrity.

 

thank you, you said (much more eloquently) what I was thinking.

[lpops]

Thank you for a very articulate assessment of your experience.

 

Our family (wife, son, daughter-in law, daughter, son-in-law, and 4 grandchildren) cruised on the Golden RT from Seattle to Alaska during August 2013. We had a great time mainly because we had each other for company.

 

We did not find the buffet quite as bad as you did but did eat more salad and the like as these items are less likely to be prepared poorly. Sabatini’s was just as you mentioned it – great. We loved the International Café for the reasons you indicated.

 

I won’t even mention entertainment except to ask what entertainment? We can honestly say we were never entertained.

 

As you said – the ship was in generally good condition. Our steward was a genuine pleasure. Alaska was great (this was our 2nd cruise to South Eastern Alaska).

 

This was our 2nd Princess cruise and 5th cruise overall. We are ticketed for another Princess cruise, this time on the Diamond in April 2015. We are optimistic that our next Princess cruise will be better.

 

Thank you for your honesty – it may attract some attention at Princess.

[elliair]

As a seasoned cruiser, we don''t expect staff to act in a way we wish, nor do we think a meal should be prepared in such a way especially after we told the waiter "it's not to my liking." To come on board and expect to be treated in certain ways as you think, and it doesn't happen, well that's the beginning of the end. One would go on a campaign to pick the cruise all apart. Survey other passengers and their take might be opposite. All seems trivial to me.

[RoxnDox]

Interesting read... My wife and I were across the ship from you, in D424, on our very first cruise. Seems we must have been seeking different things, though. We thought the ship herself was fine. Sure there are a few spots in need of some maintenance work, so what. Every working vessel will have that to some degree. We arrived a bit earlier for embarkation and it went smoothly enough, minimal confusion and enough helpful people that nothing held us up long.

 

We enjoyed the food prepared in the Horizon Court. While it wasn't as fancy as the MDR meals, it tasted good and had enough choices for us. We found the fresh air and views agreeable. Since our assigned dining room was the Canaletto, at the stern of the ship, we certainly preferred it on the at-sea days when we had more wave action. That MDR was not a good one when in those conditions... The HC was busy, but staff were polite.

 

The scenery we passed through was gorgeous, the weather gods smiled upon us and gave us lovely clear skies when we needed them, and a long awaited trip was a great crashing success. We had a great bunch of random people at our table, we had fun excursions, and nothing ever rose above the level of a very minor annoyance. So, while I am sorry you didn't seem to enjoy your trip as much, I would just say that OUR experience was very positive.

 

Jim

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[caribill]

Thanks for your honest report.

 

The toilet paper is among the worst I have ever used. More like sand paper. If you value your "comfort" in that area, bring the quilted stuff or wish you had!

 

The TP used on the ship will help keep their sewage system from plugging up. You will find similar quality TP on other cruise lines these days.

 

The Horizon Court... Even if you just washed your hands in scalding water in your cabin, you MUST stop and use their hand sanitizer. They have someone standing right there to stop you and give you a lecture if you don't use the sanitizer. Yes, a lecture. (Princess, don't lecture me! I spent $5,400 on this one week cruise for three people in my cabin. I don't need you to force your employees to lecture me on cleanliness. I'll use the sanitizing machine if I want to. Get out of my face!!!)

 

Other cruise lines such as RCCL also "force" passengers to use the hand sanitizer when entering the buffet area.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

As a seasoned cruiser, we don''t expect staff to act in a way we wish, nor do we think a meal should be prepared in such a way especially after we told the waiter "it's not to my liking." To come on board and expect to be treated in certain ways as you think, and it doesn't happen, well that's the beginning of the end. One would go on a campaign to pick the cruise all apart. Survey other passengers and their take might be opposite. All seems trivial to me.

 

In total agreement.

 

What I don't get is when people complain about sea days. Hello, didn't you look at the itinerary?

[Keith1010]

Thanks for your review/report.

Keith

[VirtualRain]

Great review.

 

I've experienced many of the same things you mention on various a Grand class ships but the thing I have to agree with the most is the horrible food in Horizons. You're not the first to notice that MDR products end up in Horizon dishes the following day :). Thankfully, I only ever eat in there for breakfast. Fortunately the food elsewhere is pretty good.

 

Entertainment on Princess has gone downhill as well. Cruise directors seem ridiculously loyal to acts that are long past their due date, although, like you, I wonder how some of them get hired in the first place.

 

As for embarkation, I've never gone through Seattle, but I learned a lesson on my first cruise to never be over-eager to board at the first opportunity. It's all hurry up and wait... for checkin, security, access to your stateroom, and dibs on the slop in Horizons ;). I'm never in a rush to board... There's invariably a better place to have lunch and a cold drink on shore while everyone else battles to be among the first on-board. :)

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[pablo222]

Even if you just washed your hands in scalding water in your cabin, you MUST stop and use their hand sanitizer. They have someone standing right there to stop you and give you a lecture if you don't use the sanitizer.

 

If they don't have the sanitizer, people complain about it here.

Seriously.

 

What has disappointed me about the crown grill, is that the service

is never special.

[JF - retired RRT]

Interesting viewpoint. As others have mentioned in the past, your trip is what you make of it. You were unhappy at the port, so everything went downhill from there for you. Unfortunately, the port does not belong to Princess and they probably have very little control over how embarkation is handled.

[IdahoCruises]

I appreciate your review.

 

I must say that we have cruised Princess 2 -3 times and have never had a bad meal (no matter what the venue) nor had bad service. Some food was better than other, some service better than other.

 

A cruise is what WE make of it, and we cruise for the experience.

 

Having been a large yacht owner, anything in salt water needs continual maintenance. No matter how hard we tried to maintain, there was always something needing attention.

 

Since these ships are continually at sea, it is hard to keep up the exterior surfaces.

 

Sorry to hear your experience wasn't what was expected, but to discount a cruise line on one particular cruise is a little harsh.

[Colo Cruiser]

Interesting read... My wife and I were across the ship from you, in D424, on our very first cruise. Seems we must have been seeking different things, though. We thought the ship herself was fine. Sure there are a few spots in need of some maintenance work, so what. Every working vessel will have that to some degree. We arrived a bit earlier for embarkation and it went smoothly enough, minimal confusion and enough helpful people that nothing held us up long.

 

We enjoyed the food prepared in the Horizon Court. While it wasn't as fancy as the MDR meals, it tasted good and had enough choices for us. We found the fresh air and views agreeable. Since our assigned dining room was the Canaletto, at the stern of the ship, we certainly preferred it on the at-sea days when we had more wave action. That MDR was not a good one when in those conditions... The HC was busy, but staff were polite.

 

The scenery we passed through was gorgeous, the weather gods smiled upon us and gave us lovely clear skies when we needed them, and a long awaited trip was a great crashing success. We had a great bunch of random people at our table, we had fun excursions, and nothing ever rose above the level of a very minor annoyance. So, while I am sorry you didn't seem to enjoy your trip as much, I would just say that OUR experience was very positive.

 

Its all about perspective.

I agree that the OP's experience went downhill from the time they arrived at the pier.

[monk888]

Its all about perspective.

I agree that the OP's experience went downhill from the time they arrived at the pier.

 

Actually, no. I arrived at the pier in Seattle expecting the same, excellent cruise on Princess that I received the last three (3) times I had cruised with them. That's why I booked my Alaska cruise with Princess in the first place. That's why I paid $5,400 of my hard earned money for this cruise. I came aboard ready to have a great time. I fully expected a wait at the pier. Been there, done that. I did not let it ruin anything.

 

If you read my review, I sing the praises of several things about the cruise, i.e. Sabatini's, the International Café, the ship itself other than a minor paint issue on the stern, my cabin, my steward, etc. However, in my personal opinion, the low points were the food in the Horizon Court and the incredible lack of decent entertainment from Saturday until Thursday. I stand by those observations. I see that others have echoed my opinion on the all but non-existent "entertainment."

 

I used to say the same things I read in response to my review, like "Your cruise is what you make it," etc. Yes, to a large degree, that is true. However, some things are objectively wrong and need correcting.

 

At the end of the day, my review is just my personal opinion of my experience. I have given it here for what it's worth to others, trying to remain factual. While I am not a "hard core cruiser" like many who cruise several times each year, I have been on enough cruises now to feel that my opinion may have some limited value to others, having been on several different cruise lines.

 

I wish everyone a great cruise, wherever they may go, and on whatever line they choose.

[Colo Cruiser]

Actually, no. I arrived at the pier in Seattle expecting the same, excellent cruise on Princess that I received the last three (3) times I had cruised with them. That's why I booked my Alaska cruise with Princess in the first place. That's why I paid $5,400 of my hard earned money for this cruise. I came aboard ready to have a great time. I fully expected a wait at the pier. Been there, done that. I did not let it ruin anything.

 

If you read my review, I sing the praises of several things about the cruise, i.e. Sabatini's, the International Café, the ship itself other than a minor paint issue on the stern, my cabin, my steward, etc. However, in my personal opinion, the low points were the food in the Horizon Court and the incredible lack of decent entertainment from Saturday until Thursday. I stand by those observations. I see that others have echoed my opinion on the all but non-existent "entertainment."

 

I used to say the same things I read in response to my review, like "Your cruise is what you make it," etc. Yes, to a large degree, that is true. However, some things are objectively wrong and need correcting.

 

At the end of the day, my review is just my personal opinion of my experience. I have given it here for what it's worth to others, trying to remain factual. While I am not a "hard core cruiser" like many who cruise several times each year, I have been on enough cruises now to feel that my opinion may have some limited value to others, having been on several different cruise lines.

 

I wish everyone a great cruise, wherever they may go, and on whatever line they choose.

 

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate you honest review.

We too have had some of the issues you mention.

However we go with the flow and try to make the best of things if bumps in the road appear. ;)

Edited June 16, 2014 by Colo Cruiser