Should I write Princess before we board

[happytovacation]

After reading several reviews about the mattresses, now I'm worried. I have to have a soft mattress or I'll never sleep correctly for the whole cruise. Should I send a fax to Princess about needing a mattress cover not a sponge top. Do you think it's wise or just wait till I board.

I hope they won't disappoint us with some of these new changes I'm reading about. No Blankets on movie night, etc.

 

Thanks everyone, we are going to be on the Royal this coming Saturday.

[paul929207]

Wait until you board. If the bed is not acceptable, talk to your cabin steward

[AZbeachboy]

When you board it would be appropriate, but you might try your cruise personalizer under medical needs.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

The mattress's on the Royal still seem to be in OK condition.

They also had blankets for MUTS. It was only on the Caribbean Princess that they went missing and from what I heard, they have returned.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Lovetocruiseprincess

[Colo Cruiser]

I would wait unrtil you board, your info will probably never make it to the ship. :rolleyes:

Just ask Stewart.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We were once going to be on a Princess ship for four months, and since four months on Princess mattresses had just about wrecked my back the prior year, I wrote to Special Services and explained my need for a firm, not broken down mattress due to the amount of time we'd be on board. It did nothing. We got on board and I had a horrible mattress. I asked the steward to help out and he said he could do nothing. I finally escalated it through Passenger Services and got a brand new mattress.

 

I recommend you wait until you see what you get when you board, and then quickly escalate your request if necessary.

[Thrak]

You can always buy a large piece of foam. Roll it up securely and put a luggage tag on it. Once in your cabin have your steward place it on top of the mattress. Just leave it in the cabin when you disembark.

[Colo Cruiser]

You can always buy a large piece of foam. Roll it up securely and put a luggage tag on it. Once in your cabin have your steward place it on top of the mattress. Just leave it in the cabin when you disembark.

 

 

Why? :confused:

[Astro Flyer]

Mattress comfort is subjective & I would talk to your cabin steward if it is too firm. I would suggest requesting a pillowtop mattress pad which was necessary for my comfort because to me the old broken down eggcrate mattress pads are worthless.

 

On a month long cruise we split our queen bed into twins to avoid bumping our heads in a quad inside cabin & our steward folded the queen size pillowtop pad in half for my twin bed. :)

 

One of the disappointing things for me about Princess is the lack of pillowtop mattresses in every cabin and hoping to "win the mattress lotto". ;)

Edited April 12, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[lolane1]

Mattress comfort is subjective & I would talk to your cabin steward if it is too firm. I would suggest requesting a pillowtop mattress pad which was necessary for my comfort because to me the old broken down eggcrate mattress pads are worthless.

 

On a month long cruise we split our queen bed into twins to avoid bumping our heads in a quad inside cabin & our steward folded the queen size pillowtop pad in half for my twin bed. :)

 

One of the disappointing things for me about Princess is the lack of pillowtop mattresses in every cabin and hoping to "win the mattress lotto". ;)

 

I just got off the Crown and the mattress had a pillow top and was still too firm for me. My steward was more than happy to keep putting egg crates on top until I was comfortable. It only took one. Wait and talk to you cabin steward.

[shredie]

I just got off the Crown and the mattress had a pillow top and was still too firm for me. My steward was more than happy to keep putting egg crates on top until I was comfortable. It only took one. Wait and talk to you cabin steward.

 

Princess and the pea? LOL.

[GradUT]

I agree that Princess will probably do nothing if you make a request prior to your cruise. But they may also do nothing after you board. While I like the very firm Princess mattresses, my daughter did not on our Christmas cruise and requested an egg crate topper from the steward. He said they were all out of them, so she had to cope with the mattress "as is".

[Pam in CA]

I agree that Princess will probably do nothing if you make a request prior to your cruise. But they may also do nothing after you board. While I like the very firm Princess mattresses, my daughter did not on our Christmas cruise and requested an egg crate topper from the steward. He said they were all out of them, so she had to cope with the mattress "as is".

I've had a pillowtop mattress on my last six Princess cruises on several different ships. I prefer a mattress with a lot of support and I've found the Princess mattresses very comfortable.

 

If your steward says they are "out" of mattress toppers, ask him/her to put two (or more) blankets or a duvet under the bottom sheet. It works.

[lolane1]

Princess and the pea? LOL.

 

Yes for sure!!! But I did melt away in the night with the Crowne Plaza's glorious mattress prior to sailing.

 

And let me add that the pillows on the Crown Princess were excellent. I am now inspired to go shopping for new ones now that I'm home. I was in C752.

Edited April 12, 2015 by lolane1
addition

[mellon1]

We were on for an entire month and I was told to write to Princess and I even emailed the medical area and they replied. We did this because we had terrible mattresses on Princesses before and my husband developed severe back issues, which took over a year to get back to normal. I thought they would take care of this for us based on the fact we were 1, staying in a suite for 30 days and 2 that we are elite with them and the cruise was 30 days and 3 explained what happened. As other poster stated, you get on the ship and nothing is done. So unfortunate.

 

It is our feeling once on board, Princess hopes time will pass and you will be gone....so in effect they do nothing. We were finally directed to Customer Service and were told that we had the best mattress available and there just were no new ones available. That was after the 9 days. I said we were going into port and to get one from another ship @ that time. They looked into this but said with customs they were not sure if this could be done or if one was available. It turned out that they did find one. That was after we had plywood under our mattress, a bunch of towels to get rid of the HUGE holes in the beds, various mattresses, and anything else they could think of....all of which didn't work.

 

They really need to get the air mattresses so that people can do their own level of comfort. I am sure with the advertising, the company would give them a sweet deal. We stayed at a hotel once that had one, loved it and turned around and bought one. Still have it, still love it.

 

I wish Princess would address this once and for all.

[CI66774]

The problem is everyone has varying degrees of back comfort. I've stayed in some incredible hotels where the mattresses ruined my back and stayed in some cheap ones where I slept like a baby.

 

OP - if your back is that sensitive, bring something with you. There is no guarantee Princess will (or even has the means) to make you comfortable in terms of your back. I find the Royal Princess beds perfect but I like a firm mattress (can't stand soft). So if you need soft, bring something to help. Princess doesn't profess to be in the back business. They buy mattresses in bulk and try to make reasonable accommodations - with an egg crate/topper. But you can't expect them (and I'm not saying you do) to accommodate every pax's varying back sensitivity. Good luck!

[Colo Cruiser]

They really need to get the air mattresses so that people can do their own level of comfort. I am sure with the advertising, the company would give them a sweet deal. We stayed at a hotel once that had one, loved it and turned around and bought one. Still have it, still love it.

 

 

Right, what do you think Princess will do when they fail?

The next passenger will be stuck at a setting they hate or a completely useless mattress that we can already find. :cool:

[DonnasMom&Dad]

Why? :confused:

 

Because it's an idea. :eek:

 

Cato. :)

 

 

Completed Cruises !

 

Pre-cruise Days - The Big Red Boat, 1993 ??

1st cruise - Coral Princess, 19 November 2008, 10 day Panama Canal, FLL to ACA

2nd cruise - Coral Princess, 15 May 2009, 3 day Repositioning, Los Angeles to Vancouver.

3rd cruise - Sapphire Princess, 25 November 2009? 7 day Mexican Riviera.

4th cruise - Golden Princes, 12 June 2010, 7 day Alaska. (Golden Anniversary Cruise)

5th Cruise - Island Princess, 04 October 2010, Vancouver - Los Angeles, Repositioning

6th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 05 January 2011, 10 day Mexican Riviera. LA to LA.

7th cruise - Golden Princess, 11 May 2011, 3 day, LA to Vancouver, Repositioning

8th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 14 May 2011, 1 day, Vancouver to Seattle, Repositioning

9th cruise - Coral Princess 19 May 2011 2 day, San Francisco to Vancouver, Repositioning

10th & 11th cruises - Coral Princess 02 July to 16 July 2011, round trip Vancouver - Whittier Alaska, B2B

12th & 13th cruises - Sapphire Princess, x2, Cabins, 18 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning

14th & 15th cruises - Golden Princess, x2, Cabins, 24 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning.

We have now reached Elite status with Princess Cruise Lines :D

16th cruise - Oasis of the Seas, 26 Nov. 2011, 7 day, Western Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale, Ret.

17th & 18th cruises - Crown Princess B2B, 03 - 10 Dec & 10 - 17 Dec 2011, 14 Days, South & western Caribbean

19th cruise - Grand Princess, 31 Mar. - 07 April 2012, 7 Days, Eastern Caribbean, FLL - FLL

20th cruise - Island Princess, 06-16 June 2012, 10 day cruisetour Vancouver - Wittier

21th cruise - Emerald Princess, 16 day, 10 - 26 Sep. 2012, TA, Copenhagen - New York

22nd cruise - Carnival Ecstasy 10 - 14 January, 2013, 4 Day Bahamas, Port Canaveral Ret.

23rd cruise - Sapphire Princess 30 March - 06 April, 2013, 7 Day Coastal LA - LA

24th cruise - Coral Princess, 19 May - 22 May, 2013, 3 Day Repositioning Cruise, LA - Vancouver

25th cruise - Royal Princess 16 June - 05 July, 2013, 19 Day Inaugural cruise, Southampton - Venice.

26th cruise - Emerald Princess, 06 - 16 October, 2013, 10 Day Canada - New England, Quebec city to New York

27th cruise - Royal Princess, 24 November - 01 December, 2013, 7 Day,Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale Ret.

28th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 20 - 24 Jan, 2014, 4 Days, California

29th cruise - Crown Princess, 03 - 10 May 2014, 7 Day, LA to Vancouver.

30th cruise - Pacific Princess, 05 - 12 Aug. 2014, 7 Days, Vancouver RT, Alaska

31st cruise - Golden Princess, 13 - 17 Oct. 2014, 4 Days, LA - Mexican Riv, RT,

32nd cruise - Crown Princess, 20 - 27 Dec. 2014, 7 Days, LA - Mexican Riv, RT.

[skf]

If your steward is unable to help with something, you can speak to the Supervisor/Petty Officer in charge of the section. Failing that the next step would be the Housekeeping Officer.

[portiemom]

Yes for sure!!! But I did melt away in the night with the Crowne Plaza's glorious mattress prior to sailing.

 

And let me add that the pillows on the Crown Princess were excellent. I am now inspired to go shopping for new ones now that I'm home. I was in C752.

 

Bingo! That's our cabin for Alaska in August!:D

 

FWIW, I like a firm mattress. No complaints from me about the one I had on the Island in 2012.

[jagsfan]

The personalizer seldom helps. First time ever, I decided to ask for distilled water for my CPAP. I usually just use the ship's tap water. I didn't get it.

Soon as we got into our cabin, I laid down on the bed....hard as a rock. I sat down and write a note for our steward, listing my upfront requests:

Pad to make the bed softer

Ice twice a day

2 extra pillows...back and hip problems.

She took care of it when she turned the beds down while we were at dinner.

Now if I could have convinced her to knock before bouncing into the cabin, she would have been perfect.

[pablo222]

I hope they won't disappoint us with some of these new changes I'm reading about. No Blankets on movie night, etc.

 

If things on ships were half as bad as they sound on cruise critic,

no cruise line would be in business.

 

If you think everything will be so bad, that you need to write to

princess in advance, just cancel now.

 

In my experience, you get the best results simply asking your steward

for what ever you need once you board.

[iceleven]

We were on for an entire month and I was told to write to Princess and I even emailed the medical area and they replied. We did this because we had terrible mattresses on Princesses before and my husband developed severe back issues, which took over a year to get back to normal. I thought they would take care of this for us based on the fact we were 1, staying in a suite for 30 days and 2 that we are elite with them and the cruise was 30 days and 3 explained what happened. As other poster stated, you get on the ship and nothing is done. So unfortunate.

 

It is our feeling once on board, Princess hopes time will pass and you will be gone....so in effect they do nothing. We were finally directed to Customer Service and were told that we had the best mattress available and there just were no new ones available. That was after the 9 days. I said we were going into port and to get one from another ship @ that time. They looked into this but said with customs they were not sure if this could be done or if one was available. It turned out that they did find one. That was after we had plywood under our mattress, a bunch of towels to get rid of the HUGE holes in the beds, various mattresses, and anything else they could think of....all of which didn't work.

 

They really need to get the air mattresses so that people can do their own level of comfort. I am sure with the advertising, the company would give them a sweet deal. We stayed at a hotel once that had one, loved it and turned around and bought one. Still have it, still love it.

 

I wish Princess would address this once and for all.

 

That would never happen in the cruise line industry but I do agree, the air beds are the best as for satisfying each and every person. We once owned a B&B (6 bedrooms) and had airbeds in each room. Our guests had great fun adjusting the beds and raved about them the next morning. We've had our King for 15 years and I find it very difficult getting OUT of bed in the mornings because it feels soooo wonderful. We did add a memory foam topper a couple years ago. Perhaps it's why I am such a whiner here when the topic of Princess mattresses come up. :o

[mellon1]

Right, what do you think Princess will do when they fail?

The next passenger will be stuck at a setting they hate or a completely useless mattress that we can already find. :cool:

 

Yes, that is a good point; however, it is no different than a mattresses that have huge hole in it, that no matter what the put under it, the mattress is just plain worn out and not acceptable for use. If you can put a line over it and there is a 3" drop, that will wreak havoc on anyone's back, whether they have back problems or not. Truth is, after sleeping on the mattress, they will have back problems.

 

We have cruised multiple times on RCCL and are Diamond members and have never experienced a bad mattress. Cruised multiple times on HAL and the mattresses were excellent.

 

Sorry, just feel it is not acceptable for any line to have substandard mattresses. No excuse.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes, that is a good point; however, it is no different than a mattresses that have huge hole in it, that no matter what the put under it, the mattress is just plain worn out and not acceptable for use. If you can put a line over it and there is a 3" drop, that will wreak havoc on anyone's back, whether they have back problems or not. Truth is, after sleeping on the mattress, they will have back problems.

 

We have cruised multiple times on RCCL and are Diamond members and have never experienced a bad mattress. Cruised multiple times on HAL and the mattresses were excellent.

 

Sorry, just feel it is not acceptable for any line to have substandard mattresses. No excuse.

 

 

I agree, but do you really think they will buy sleepnumber mattress's when they can't even keep up replacing the bad regular cheap ones? I doubt it.

And yes I have seen some pretty bad ones. You know its bad when Stewart meets you at your cabin door when you arrive and starts apologizing for the mattress of which you can see the large body divit in it already while its still made. :eek: