Crown Princess arrival in San Pedro delayed 24 hours

[webjamn]

Well, the Morbus Princess (formerly the Crown) is headed for her berth.

 

The Captain did another of his blasts into the cabins and told us the number of new cases had dropped overnight (Thursday night). He did give specific numbers, that seemed very low though I do not remember them.

 

I do feel that the continued outbreak and how it was handled negatively impacted the cruise. Rather than engage in "feel lucky to be at sea", I shall leave it at that and submit a scathing survey. If I'm out of line, they can hit the delete button.

 

Looking at the bill, we were charged six days of autotip. We were credited $2.84 for missing Puerto Vallarta, in addition to the previously announced $50.

 

I'm just trying to figure out what the $25 credit for IN TRANSIT LUNCH is. Since it moved me from the red into the black (I cashed in all my credit very early on), I'm not complaining.

 

Good grief, I'm not sure if you're trying to be witty or just a regular PIA.

 

We were, of course, concerned about the virus...I'm not Pollyanna, but I think they acted appropriately and that we were compensated appropriately. A great, if shorter, cruise was there to be had if you didn't spend your days looking for the negative.

 

Blue skies, and great experiences both on board and on shore; while you're busy plotting your scathing survey I'll be looking at future cruise destinations.

 

Happy trails.

[jgeorgeBNA]

Just didembarked the shortened cruise, overall the Illness, delays and things beyond the control of Pricness did not bother me much. Stuff happens! Thank god the crew member that they turned back for received needed medical attention and is recovering well. To the person / persons that made that decision to turn back, may your forevery be rewarded!

 

They did the deep clean before we got on Sunday, it was evident in the white haze on everything you touched. The measures they took were more of an annoyance than anything. I did not mind that they served you in the buffet, and they way people touch things with their nasty paws it should be considered always. However, probably due to additional staff needed to serve, they only had one buffet line open at a time, causing major delays. Another annoyance which i did not totally understand was that they would not garnish drinks the entire week. No limes, pineapple, nothing! if they can prep other uncooked food and server with tongs, why couldn't the bartenders do that.

 

On Tuesday we met with the Matre'd about our chef's table experience and they thought it would be a "go" and that there was only 1 known case at that time. However by 8AM Thursday we received a call that there was a "number" of increased cases of suspected Noro, and they they would not be having Chef's table. (Bummer)

 

Finally on Thursday night we heard from the captian that they number was finally decreasing from the peak of 39 cases and things were looking better.

 

some interesting things were noted by friends while in the dining room, they crew cordoned off an area of 3 tables just after diners departed and they placed caution tapee around them, then crew came out in full protective clothing and put all dishes, napkins and cloths in a bag and removed them, and began sanitizing the area. (all of this while diners sat just a few feet away from the area) Hmmm, i think this could have been handled differently.

 

Also met a couple that had MAJOR plumbing issues in their cabin on first night and could not shower, then had to be moved the next morning. The ironic thing, and being in hospitality totally blew my mind... They charged them to move to a MiniSuite, $500! I am not sure iof the Noro threw them off their game or what, but if you move someone because of no fault of their own, you certainlky do not charge them because you don't have a stateroom in the same category. (But they did, I saw the room charges)

 

All in all it was a good cruise, and did not tarnish my opinion of Princess, HOWEVER, the sum of my last 3 cruises has definitly brought my attention to princess not paying attention to the details as I remember in the past. There is CLEARLY a decrease in the number of crewmembers doing the necessary jobs around the ship. It as caught my attention and will be mentioned in my survey.

 

Happy sailing!

[RickEk]

Good grief, I'm not sure if you're trying to be witty or just a regular PIA.

 

We were, of course, concerned about the virus...I'm not Pollyanna, but I think they acted appropriately and that we were compensated appropriately. A great, if shorter, cruise was there to be had if you didn't spend your days looking for the negative.

 

Blue skies, and great experiences both on board and on shore; while you're busy plotting your scathing survey I'll be looking at future cruise destinations.

 

Happy trails.

 

Well said...

[shredie]

Good grief, I'm not sure if you're trying to be witty or just a regular PIA.

 

Wehwalt is one of the wittiest guys I know. I think before we start throwing rocks at him, we should ask ourselves if we were on the sailing he was on where he formed his opinion based on his personal experience or if we formed our opinions based on second- or third-hand hearsay. If other passengers on the ship disagree with him, then let them start the rock toss.

[Wehwalt]

Wehwalt is one of the wittiest guys I know. I think before we start throwing rocks at him, we should ask ourselves if we were on the sailing he was on where he formed his opinion based on his personal experience or if we formed our opinions based on second- or third-hand hearsay. If other passengers on the ship disagree with him, then let them start the rock toss.

 

I think it's me just blowing off steam on the details. We're all adults here, we all blow off steam. The cruise was, in most respects, excellent as always. But I'll wait to join the Crown again for a bit. I just worry about the Norovirus, dodged it both times I've been on plague ships (Pacific Princess Westbound Transatlantic in 2012). It's not what I need.

[Candia]

Just didembarked the shortened cruise, overall the Illness, delays and things beyond the control of Pricness did not bother me much. Stuff happens! Thank god the crew member that they turned back for received needed medical attention and is recovering well. To the person / persons that made that decision to turn back, may your forevery be rewarded!

 

All in all it was a good cruise, and did not tarnish my opinion of Princess, HOWEVER, the sum of my last 3 cruises has definitly brought my attention to princess not paying attention to the details as I remember in the past. There is CLEARLY a decrease in the number of crewmembers doing the necessary jobs around the ship. It as caught my attention and will be mentioned in my survey.

 

Happy sailing!

 

 

 

Just got home from the Crown...I totally agree that the ship was understaffed in many areas. Our dining room waiter (Botticelli fixed dining) was overwhelmed and had to do most of the serving without an assistant. We asked why he was so busy and did not get much help....he said because they needed more staff to serve the BUFFETT lines! This does make sense to us, since we did not eat any meals in the BUFFET, we do not know if indeed the lines were very long at the "normal" times of lunch and dinner. We walked through the area a couple of times to get to the other side of the ship, we did not see many people in line, the times were about 7:00 pm when people normally have dinner on ship. Happy sailing to those getting on today and good luck! We did not get sick and did know see anyone sick on the ship.

[RickEk]

Wehwalt is one of the wittiest guys I know. I think before we start throwing rocks at him, we should ask ourselves if we were on the sailing he was on where he formed his opinion based on his personal experience or if we formed our opinions based on second- or third-hand hearsay. If other passengers on the ship disagree with him, then let them start the rock toss.

 

I think it's me just blowing off steam on the details. We're all adults here, we all blow off steam. The cruise was, in most respects, excellent as always. But I'll wait to join the Crown again for a bit. I just worry about the Norovirus, dodged it both times I've been on plague ships (Pacific Princess Westbound Transatlantic in 2012). It's not what I need.

 

I get witty, but the use of "plague" is what troubled me. That's way too strong of a word for what was occurring on the ship. If half the ship was sick, then maybe, but for 2% to 3% sick... not so much. ;)

 

We're sailing in three weeks on Crown Princess with three generations in my family, including my 92 year old mother. I am not worried. We'll take the normal precautions that we always take when cruising.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...But I'll wait to join the Crown again for a bit. I just worry about the Norovirus, dodged it both times I've been on plague ships (Pacific Princess Westbound Transatlantic in 2012). It's not what I need.

 

I was considering an upcoming cruise on the Crown, but decided to pass. My guess is there are crew onboard that are keeping it going. I doubt they have the space or the spare crew to isolate or disembark the sick ones for the 10 days or so it can be contagious. I have other health issues, so don't need Noro to complicate matters.

 

I hope Noro works its way off the ship soon. I was on a HAL ship once that had been in the news for Noro on the cruise just before ours, yet NO outbreaks were reported on our cruise. I have to wonder if HAL handles things differently, or if this was just happenstance?

Edited November 23, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[shredie]

We're sailing in three weeks on Crown Princess with three generations in my family, including my 92 year old mother. I am not worried. We'll take the normal precautions that we always take when cruising.

 

I"ll be on her in February. I'm not overly concerned. If the buffet turns out to be a nightmare, I'll avoid it. I would have no problem doing all my meals in a dining room. Now, if should come down with something, I might change my tune. ;)

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...I would have no problem doing all my meals in a dining room. Now, if should come down with something, I might change my tune. ;)

 

No worries, they'll just cordon off a table for you ;).

Edited November 23, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[Wehwalt]

I get witty, but the use of "plague" is what troubled me. That's way too strong of a word for what was occurring on the ship. If half the ship was sick, then maybe, but for 2% to 3% sick... not so much. ;)

\

 

Clearly the phrase is being exaggerated for effect. I met no one who had the Norovirus either (good thing) but after being on the Pacific last November and playing trivia the last day with a woman who, after the game, mentioned her husband had been in isolation for bronchitis for three days. I came down with it three days later, fought with it during an important business deal for several weeks, and eventually (after the deal closed) wound up in the hospital. So please forgive me if I am a bit acid about Princess's efforts on the Crown, I know how readily sickness can pass. My brother complains his kids' school is a giant petri dish. I think a cruise ship is much the same.

[rdsqrl]

Clearly the phrase is being exaggerated for effect. I met no one who had the Norovirus either (good thing) but after being on the Pacific last November and playing trivia the last day with a woman who, after the game, mentioned her husband had been in isolation for bronchitis for three days. I came down with it three days later, fought with it during an important business deal for several weeks, and eventually (after the deal closed) wound up in the hospital. So please forgive me if I am a bit acid about Princess's efforts on the Crown, I know how readily sickness can pass. My brother complains his kids' school is a giant petri dish. I think a cruise ship is much the same.

So a year ago, you think caught bronchitis from a woman who wasn't even sick herself and you're extrapolating that one so-called experience to assess the Norovirus prevention efforts aboard the Crown? Did someone call you witty above? You certainly are unintentionally hilarious, I'll give you that.

[suzyed]

I think there were less cases because people did not let the medical center know they had it because they knew they would be quarantined. Dh had it. I did not. If u are boarding be diligent in preventive measures. On ship now waiting to disembark. Decent cruise but strangest one we ever went one due to all the factors we had. Crew mostly all pleasant. Captain very good. Looking forward to next one. Blame most of noro on us passengers and not doing as should to avoid spread. Maybe someone can answer this. I drank and dh did not. Would that have any effect on the noro cooties?

 

I don't think so....DH had it and I didn't. I think I may have been a bit more diligent than he was with hand washing only because I was an OR nurse for 35 years and just so used to washing more thoroughly than most people do. We both drank, so I don't think that could be it! LOL!

 

I agree with you that some people don't report it, especially toward the end of the cruise because they don't want to spend the last few days of their vacation in quarantine. Of course this helps spread the virus because they are walking around with it and touching everything! :eek:

[caribill]

 

I agree with you that some people don't report it, especially toward the end of the cruise because they don't want to spend the last few days of their vacation in quarantine. Of course this helps spread the virus because they are walking around with it and touching everything! :eek:

 

Some may not report it, but when the symptoms are at their worst, nobody with it wants to be anywhere but in bed or in the bathroom.

[Loonbeam]

Two notes -

 

The dining room process you saw was something that happens when there is a 'biological incident' in the DR, especially during a Noro outbreak (or even if a server just observes someone being ill). Scary but no other practical way to handle it.

 

As to staffing, I have noticed an overall decrease, but do be aware that Code Red precautions really exacerbate it. Staff are shifted in the buffet plus some are moved to the decon and medical response teams, meaning the remaining staff have to take on larger loads. Assume that some of the staff is down or quarantined as well and service will suffer more than usual.

 

 

 

some interesting things were noted by friends while in the dining room, they crew cordoned off an area of 3 tables just after diners departed and they placed caution tapee around them, then crew came out in full protective clothing and put all dishes, napkins and cloths in a bag and removed them, and began sanitizing the area. (all of this while diners sat just a few feet away from the area) Hmmm, i think this could have been handled differently.

 

All in all it was a good cruise, and did not tarnish my opinion of Princess, HOWEVER, the sum of my last 3 cruises has definitly brought my attention to princess not paying attention to the details as I remember in the past. There is CLEARLY a decrease in the number of crewmembers doing the necessary jobs around the ship. It as caught my attention and will be mentioned in my survey.

 

Happy sailing!

[suzyed]

Some may not report it, but when the symptoms are at their worst, nobody with it wants to be anywhere but in bed or in the bathroom.

 

That's true, but I'm pretty sure there were some who had it on our sailing, felt sick for a day and then went back to enjoying the cruise. The quarantine is for 3 days! DH had it and felt awful the first day, but had to spend two additional days in the cabin.

The medical center calls throughout the day, I think to make sure you are still in there. They also come to clean and disinfect the cabin twice a day. If you don't report it, it is not terminally cleaned like that.

Another thing is...once you are quarantined, your cabin steward is not allowed to enter your room again. So, it you are not "officially sick", you are exposing your cabin steward to your cooties and then he is going to other cabins and possibly spreading it.

Edited November 23, 2014 by suzyed

[suzyed]

From what I understand, Princess will pick up airline change fees for those disembarking passengers that didn't have Princess Air. And they are providing free internet time so people can make those changes...

 

Unfortunately, "change fees" don't begin to cover the expense of changing your flight 3 days before you are flying. And if you used miles to pay for your flight in the first place, the airline is going to charge you many more "miles" on the new flight in addition to a change fee.

This was the case with us. We had to use an additional 68,000 miles(34,000 miles each)! Yeah, we had enough, much to my surprise, but having to use them for the changed flight, now made it that we could not use them for a flight at another time. If we were to purchase those miles from the airline, it would have cost us $1200!!

Now we are out the miles and Princess will not reimburse us for that. :mad:

[suzyed]

Yes that is why you buy insurance however they are compensating people who are on the ship now for their added travel costs. They have no obligation whatsoever to do that. Just like this situation. I'm hoping we will get equitable treatment.

 

And of course I don't mean that the individual princess agent at the other end of the line was lying to my travel agent personally. What I am saying is Princess at an institution was lying. Somebody decided what would be saidand they stayed with that for over a day until they decided to acknowledge what was going on. In that time people could have been making alternative travel arrangements.

 

No, they have not compensated people for the added travel costs, only for the change fees.

[suzyed]

Has anyone heard if there is in fact Noro-Virus on board?

 

Yes, without a doubt, there were over 175 reported cases of Noro Virus on this sailing.

[suzyed]

Great! :p. How long do the Noro precautions last?

 

3 days in the cabin from when it's reported.

[suzyed]

Seems like a strange outbreak. Normal incubation period for Noro is 12-48 hours. Apparently only 13 of the passenger cases and 3 of the crew cases occurred in the first half of the cruise. Wonder were it came from?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Pretty sure it came from the stop in Tahiti. We were there overnight too. Most of the cases (including my DH) happened on the way back to LA. And then, of course, we had the medical emergency.

[likeadisguise]

Unfortunately, "change fees" don't begin to cover the expense of changing your flight 3 days before you are flying. And if you used miles to pay for your flight in the first place, the airline is going to charge you many more "miles" on the new flight in addition to a change fee.

This was the case with us. We had to use an additional 68,000 miles(34,000 miles each)! Yeah, we had enough, much to my surprise, but having to use them for the changed flight, now made it that we could not use them for a flight at another time. If we were to purchase those miles from the airline, it would have cost us $1200!!

Now we are out the miles and Princess will not reimburse us for that. :mad:

 

Have you submitted to your travel insurance?

[suzyed]

Have you submitted to your travel insurance?

 

We got the final word from Princess corporate on Friday, and no, they are not paying the additional expenses. So now, over 2 months since we got back from the cruise, Princess finally gets back to us.

We will attempt to submit to our insurance tomorrow, but I think they were expecting us to submit a claim shorty after the sailing. We didn't do it because we were led to believe that Princess was going to deal with us "fairly". :confused:

[LovetheSea]

I had Noro Virus once and there is NO mistaking it for anything else. Very bad. I stayed in the hotel room for 4 days. Mostly in the bathroom. Then I was really weak for days afterwards.