Bruin Steve Posted December 31, 2014 #1 Share Posted December 31, 2014 We have a three night cruise scheduled for THIS Saturday on the Crown Princess. We had planned to get there early, eat lunch on board, relax a little, hit the muster drill, then do a Meet & Mingle with our Roll Call group, return to the room dress for dinner, get to dinner early to avoid the typical lines and crowds in Anytime...then go to the 8:15 show...and then on to one of the later night activities before retiring to bed... Today, less than 72 hours from sailing, Princess sent us an e-mail telling us that boarding has been delayed until 5:30 pm with some decks being told to show up to board AFTER 8:00 pm! The excuse was that the ship needs to be disinfected due to an outbreak of Norovirus. Problem is that, since I regularly read Cruise Critic, I know that there is NO CURRENT outbreak of Norovirus. The last Norovirus outbreak reported on the Crown Princess was back in MID-NOVEMBER... So, I called Princess for an explanation. The agent I spoke with had no clue and was unaware of the delay. She put me on hold to go find the "official" word, then came back with, basically, the same explanation as on the e-mail. I told her that there was NO current outbreak and she admitted that I was correct...but there had been an outbreak recently. I told her that it was over a month and a half ago...and she admitted that I was correct, but that Princess decided to do this cleaning NOW in response to that... So, what Princess has decided to do, in response to a situation that passed several cruises ago, is to arbitrarily ruin OUR cruise experience on less than three days notice. The cruise is already a very short one as it is. This delay basically makes it that much shorter. They expect us to forego the first afternoon...arrive at the pier at 8:00 pm...rush to the likely overcrowded Anytime dining room for what will be for us a very late dinner...sneak in a muster drill (still required, of course, as our evening's entertainment...and go to bed, hopefully with our luggage showing up to our cabin sometime or another... For those flying in and with transportation and flight arranged, I suppose they are expected to wait for several hours standing in the San Pedro parking lot... A wonderful first day of only three...Thank you, Princess Cruise Lines! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare TracieABD Posted December 31, 2014 #2 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Ouch! If you are Platinum or Elite, you could board at the earlier time, around 5 pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDC1 Posted December 31, 2014 #3 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) How do you know that there is no Norovirus on board? This is peak season for Noro. According to the medical officer on my last cruise the ships go enhanced measures anytime they have more than 15 cases on board. That is considerably less (by a couple of orders of magnitude then what the CDC classifies as an official outbreak. Sounds like they have some cases and the number, while still low is increasing and they have decided to be proactive. The only way to know for sure is to talk with someone on the ship and see if they are doing any enhanced measures. Customer service would not know and realistically has no way to easily find out. All the person you talked with has access to is their supervisor and whatever advisories in on their computer. As far as waiting, thus the reason for the 72 hour advance notice. San Pedro does have indoor waiting space. One can also go over and checkout the Battleship next door. If they are saying delayed until 5:30 they will usually start board 30 minutes to an hour earlier. Edited December 31, 2014 by RDC1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey12 Posted December 31, 2014 #4 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Maybe there really is an outbreak of Norovirus on the Crown. It is not like Cruise Critic is the expert on the current status of the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holomoku Posted December 31, 2014 #5 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) I would think that this is not just an arbitrary decission made by Princess alone. L.A. is famous for having the spot inspections by the INS and CG that take quite awhile.:eek: The crew has to stay in their rooms and cannot begin cleaning until all have been verified by the INS and everywhere else has to be perfect for the Health inspection and equipment inspection. I just can't get my head around PCL desiring the ire of a whole load of PAXs just to do it, that makes no sense.:confused: Sorry about the loss of those hours, you need everyone of the hours on a short cruise like that.;): Edited December 31, 2014 by Holomoku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill B Posted December 31, 2014 #6 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Normally, I would say the delayed boarding is not such a 'big deal'. However, on such a short cruise, I agree with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M4dC0w Posted December 31, 2014 #7 Share Posted December 31, 2014 But noro is reported on cc everytime in real time. We all know everthing on the internet is 100% factual. Sorrybthe cruise us shortened, but if yiu get noro, you would be in your cabin the whole cruise anyhow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Msail Posted December 31, 2014 #8 Share Posted December 31, 2014 If you are complaining this badly about a late start then how badly would you complain if you got the norovirus because they didn't disinfect the ship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzsnooze Posted December 31, 2014 #9 Share Posted December 31, 2014 It is a disappointment. Why not consider making reservations at Sabitini for the 6 PM time frame in hopes you board at the earlier time of 5:30. If you do that there will be no waiting and your evening can go more the way you want it to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Govantrueblue Posted December 31, 2014 #10 Share Posted December 31, 2014 as the crown seems to be the ship with the recent outbreak of noro that at some point they would need to do repeat deep cleans as to avoid more out breaks i understand you have a routine but an extra couple of hours to wait for a relaxing cruise or 3 days in bed with d+v i know which one im going for sorry they picked your cruise but it has to be someones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickEk Posted December 31, 2014 #11 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I was on the 12/13 cruise. There had been an outbreak two cruises before ours. On our cruise, the crew was constantly disinfecting the ship. Maybe they are being proactive because the upcoming cruise is the first of many short cruises in January... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitecap Posted December 31, 2014 #12 Share Posted December 31, 2014 We have a three night cruise scheduled for THIS Saturday on the Crown Princess.We had planned to get there early, eat lunch on board, relax a little, hit the muster drill, then do a Meet & Mingle with our Roll Call group, return to the room dress for dinner, get to dinner early to avoid the typical lines and crowds in Anytime...then go to the 8:15 show...and then on to one of the later night activities before retiring to bed... Today, less than 72 hours from sailing, Princess sent us an e-mail telling us that boarding has been delayed until 5:30 pm with some decks being told to show up to board AFTER 8:00 pm! The excuse was that the ship needs to be disinfected due to an outbreak of Norovirus. Problem is that, since I regularly read Cruise Critic, I know that there is NO CURRENT outbreak of Norovirus. The last Norovirus outbreak reported on the Crown Princess was back in MID-NOVEMBER... So, I called Princess for an explanation. The agent I spoke with had no clue and was unaware of the delay. She put me on hold to go find the "official" word, then came back with, basically, the same explanation as on the e-mail. I told her that there was NO current outbreak and she admitted that I was correct...but there had been an outbreak recently. I told her that it was over a month and a half ago...and she admitted that I was correct, but that Princess decided to do this cleaning NOW in response to that... So, what Princess has decided to do, in response to a situation that passed several cruises ago, is to arbitrarily ruin OUR cruise experience on less than three days notice. The cruise is already a very short one as it is. This delay basically makes it that much shorter. They expect us to forego the first afternoon...arrive at the pier at 8:00 pm...rush to the likely overcrowded Anytime dining room for what will be for us a very late dinner...sneak in a muster drill (still required, of course, as our evening's entertainment...and go to bed, hopefully with our luggage showing up to our cabin sometime or another... For those flying in and with transportation and flight arranged, I suppose they are expected to wait for several hours standing in the San Pedro parking lot... A wonderful first day of only three...Thank you, Princess Cruise Lines! I too am wondering how it is you "know" what is currently taking place on the Crown. I follow the Crown often because of our experience in Feb 2012 when we left Ft. Lauderdale, floated around for two and a half days before being ordered back to Ft. Lauderdale because of a severe outbreak. Boarding for that cruise was delayed until 10:00pm to allow for a "complete cleaning" (which didn't do any good). If they are already scheduling a cleaning, my guess is there is an outbreak and they are trying to get ahead of it. Go, have fun! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruisey Posted December 31, 2014 #13 Share Posted December 31, 2014 We have a three night cruise scheduled for THIS Saturday on the Crown Princess.We had planned to get there early, eat lunch on board, relax a little, hit the muster drill, then do a Meet & Mingle with our Roll Call group, return to the room dress for dinner, get to dinner early to avoid the typical lines and crowds in Anytime...then go to the 8:15 show...and then on to one of the later night activities before retiring to bed... Today, less than 72 hours from sailing, Princess sent us an e-mail telling us that boarding has been delayed until 5:30 pm with some decks being told to show up to board AFTER 8:00 pm! The excuse was that the ship needs to be disinfected due to an outbreak of Norovirus. Problem is that, since I regularly read Cruise Critic, I know that there is NO CURRENT outbreak of Norovirus. The last Norovirus outbreak reported on the Crown Princess was back in MID-NOVEMBER... So, I called Princess for an explanation. The agent I spoke with had no clue and was unaware of the delay. She put me on hold to go find the "official" word, then came back with, basically, the same explanation as on the e-mail. I told her that there was NO current outbreak and she admitted that I was correct...but there had been an outbreak recently. I told her that it was over a month and a half ago...and she admitted that I was correct, but that Princess decided to do this cleaning NOW in response to that... So, what Princess has decided to do, in response to a situation that passed several cruises ago, is to arbitrarily ruin OUR cruise experience on less than three days notice. The cruise is already a very short one as it is. This delay basically makes it that much shorter. They expect us to forego the first afternoon...arrive at the pier at 8:00 pm...rush to the likely overcrowded Anytime dining room for what will be for us a very late dinner...sneak in a muster drill (still required, of course, as our evening's entertainment...and go to bed, hopefully with our luggage showing up to our cabin sometime or another... For those flying in and with transportation and flight arranged, I suppose they are expected to wait for several hours standing in the San Pedro parking lot... A wonderful first day of only three...Thank you, Princess Cruise Lines! I was reading only a day ago about the outbreak on that ship. Princess wants to make certain everyone has a healthy holiday. Sorry but I am on Princess's side. Have a Happy Healthy New Year:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skf Posted December 31, 2014 #14 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Perhaps (only guessing here) an inspection uncovered something that needed correction. If the Public Health Service says to do it, they mean right away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCC retired Posted December 31, 2014 #15 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Should have never booked such a short cruise if you can't handle a delay for your own protection . 3 days is about what a typical Noro virus will knock you for a loop if you get it. What is with the Crown . More Noro reports than any other ship ( we got it in 2013 on the Crown). Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpj Posted December 31, 2014 #16 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I think this is what u would refer to as a sick ship. I know they have a problem and are trying to prevent more problems from happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddingtonbear Posted December 31, 2014 #17 Share Posted December 31, 2014 If you got Noro the title of your post would be the same. Such a shame to miss part of your short cruise but better to be safe than sorry, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigchid Posted December 31, 2014 #18 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I don't know why they would want to inconvenience you for no reason:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shredie Posted December 31, 2014 #19 Share Posted December 31, 2014 This stinks, I agree. I have gotten to the point where I am shocked if a ship sails on time out of San Pedro. If I were on this sailing I would be miffed but not surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VenusLady Posted December 31, 2014 #20 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Better to be safe than sorry. I guess Princess just want to make sure everyone is ok on further cruises. It would be worse if you boarded early, then get noro and spend the 3 days Ill I know which I would prefer. Happy new year and have a safe cruise! Edited December 31, 2014 by VenusLady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VibeGuy Posted December 31, 2014 #21 Share Posted December 31, 2014 "the worst" would be them knowing they needed to do this and then springing it on unsuspecting guests arriving at noon. Especially when they aren't using Berth 93 for this sailing. With three days notice, people can make a plan, go have a fun afternoon and arrive when the ship is ready for them, rather than linger with 2500 other people in a terminal that is not exactly a private club of luxurious appointment. I'm disappointed as well, but I think erring on the side of transparency is smart. We have had situations boarding in Vancouver where they had >12 hour notice if > 4 hour delays and were not open and honest in their communications to stakeholders. I'm curious to see what Princess does to make up for this. One particularly aggrieved group might be those with inclusive beverage stickers - $50 for cocktails from 6-bedtime sort of alters the value equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpcv77 Posted December 31, 2014 #22 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I have no blind loyalty to Princes (or any other cruise line), and I'm not about to speculate about Noro or any other reason for such a delay. However, I can't imagine that any cruise line arbitrarily creates a delay. The ill will it generates is too great, so I assume that there must be a very good reason for the delay. I am sorry that you will be effected, especially on a short cruise, but these things happen. Princess probably doesn't want the delay anymore than you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted December 31, 2014 Author #23 Share Posted December 31, 2014 How do I know what is actually happening on the Crown? I have now spoken with three different people at Princess' HQ. The first one admitted to me that there was No current outbreak. The disinfection and timing thereof was Princess' decision and in response to the "outbreak" in Mid-November. It is not required by Los Angeles health inspectors in response to an inspection. The third person I spoke with claimed that there was a "slightly" higher than usual number of reported cases of "gastrointestinal" illnesses on the current voyage...but still less than 15. Some of you may want to "side with Princess" on this...but, many loyal Princess cruisers here seem to "side with Princess" every time anyone has a complaint. Truth is that I may actually know a little bit more than your speculation here. As it is, Princess' current stance is that there will be no compensation in any form for the shortened cruise. Face it, Princess isn't charging a lot of money for these, at least in a comparative sense, so they really don't care if they short change their customers on the cruise/itinerary/timing. They'll save money serving no lunches and a much lesser number of dinners... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchinski Posted December 31, 2014 #24 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I feel that the problem is that this is a short cruise and "some" if the passengers are "first timers" and fail to do the common preventive measures. WASH your hands. Hope they get under control. I am doing a B2B in January. Sent from my XT1080 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custompcsys Posted December 31, 2014 #25 Share Posted December 31, 2014 As it is, Princess' current stance is that there will be no compensation in any form for the shortened cruise... Finally we get to the crux of the issue...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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