Why isn't Princess doing a better job with ship upkeep.

[Colo Cruiser]

PCL no longer gets it. We cancelled 2 cruises (one with pre-cruise tour) on the Crown because the ship was simply unsanitary.

 

Oops. I meant the CB was unsanitary prior to drydock. After reading reviews of the CP, we opted to cancel. If we had not seen it all on the CB, we would not have feared it on the CP.

 

Were you onboard before the dry dock?

You canceled because of reviews?

Unsanitary? How? :confused:

[Woobstr112G]

Maybe because itsin salt water 24/7

 

Naw, that's too obvious of an answer.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[Kamloops50]

We have sailed with Princess 19 times and 51 overall.

We've been noticing especially on the Caribbean Princess very poor upkeep on the ship. Worn out carpets and furniture, lots of rust, deck chairs badly soiled.

 

We are thinking of a Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess or Island Princess later this year but have read reviews and they are horrible on both ships as far a upkeep and cleanliness and we might sail with Holland America instead.

 

I realize both ships are not brand new but Princess needs to step it up on upkeep on their ships.

 

For comparison sake, we sailed on the RCCL Rhapsody of the Seas last month, she is over 20 years old and we thought we were on a fairly new ship. She was spotless and very well maintained.

 

 

You looked closely , all cruise-ships except ones that are less than 3 years old have similar problems. If you look carefully HAL, Celebrity , RCI , Norwegian and even luxury lines have the same issues. salt water is very hard on steel . salt can corrode metal in days if not painted right away.

[GUT2407]

Naw, that's too obvious of an answer.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

Yeah I know, I was being silly.

[Chief02]

Were you onboard before the dry dock?

You canceled because of reviews?

Unsanitary? How? :confused:

 

We were given a $250 FCC per person given our only negative feedback, ever. We have since decided to ignore it.

 

Where do I begin.?

 

We always stay in MB's (MA's majority) or above. As such, we have had several balconies in the past that were so degraded that we thought they needed attention, but this one was beyond control. This, for us, was a last minute getaway over the holidays, so we took what we could get. (GTY, Balcony Caribe - 1st time GTY)

 

As such, any cabin on the ship should be well maintained. Period. Truly, it should have been taken out of service.

 

The cabin smelled, the cabin floor was filthy, the bathroom was beyond cleaning and in such a state of disrepair with the tile and toilet . . . and that is/was in no way the Cabin Stewards problem.

 

I bought a pair of flip flops onboard to take a shower or walk in there. It was truly beyond reproach.

 

The sliding glass door for the balcony could barely be opened unless by the Incredible Hulk and the balcony and it's furniture should have been swapped out years ago. We would not sit on it. PS - I am not Felix Unger!

 

There was an Electrical Closet behind the cabin that was banging and clanging all night until it was finally addressed (3 days). The cabin door lock did not work one day, even to open to get out. That was fun! But they did respond.

 

The Spa Treatment Room had a backed-up, filthy overflowing sink. It also had a shower that had no drain cover, to which I almost cut my foot on as it was tilted up against the side of the shower. And the shower, like the sink, was filthy. Oh, and the fixtures did not work appropriately.

 

Many, and I mean 8-10, of the Women's Locker Room lockers that I counted had masking tape on them stating "Not Working". Great. Not to mention, the Ladies Room stalls had not been cleaned in a dog's age, coupled with the fact that the doors did not have functional locks. Lovely.

 

The metal at the base of the stall doors looked as if they had been bent outward and kicked. It was 3rd world to me, as well as layered in grime at the base. Not to mention, in any given public restroom, there was a minimum of one or two stalls out of service with the same issues. Also, there were no Sign-Off sheets in the restrooms for the cleaners that used to be there . . . and it showed.

 

In all, I guess that's what I mean by unsanitary.

 

Also, we came upon a blind man on the forward elevator who was trying to get to the Medical Center. We went to deck 5 with him and guided him to the mid-elevators and then down to the Medical Center. When we guided him into the MC, the MD was on the phone complaining that she had called "three times" to get a door fixed and "when was this going to happen?". Followed by, "how many times do I have to call?" That said enough to me. We weren't alone.

 

I could go on and on, but that was a neglected ship. Like I said, we have been on ships prior to drydock, but have never experienced anything like this on Princess. In fact, in San Juan we went to a Walgreens/CVS/Whatever and purchased disinfectant spray for the carpeting in our cabin.

 

This also was the first cruise where my husband sent his dinner back . . . and they brought out the same plate; not twice, but 3 times. The food and buffet are so dumbed down that it was sad.

 

 

So, when we read similar concerns on the CP, we cancelled. Again, we are Elite and have NEVER complained, except for this cruise. We have chosen not to use the aforementioned PCL offer going forward unless they up their game.

 

 

We did not become Elite on Princess because the cruise line was bad. We just don't like where they are now. And yes, had we not seen for ourselves what reviews were stating, we would not have cancelled.

[RRFan]

We were on the Crown for 28 days in April. I thought it was typical Princess upkeep (we have over 30 cruises on Princess). We're on HAL's Amsterdam right now and WOW, huge difference! Very clean. But the Lido buffet if 1000 times better than PCL. Food looks delicious, great variety and all workers are prompt and very happy. PCL needs to send their Lido managers to HAL to learn how to run a well-managed buffet. MDL is great too. Princess has definitely put profits over passenger pleasing and they may start seeing a landslide of Elites cutting them off.

[Colo Cruiser]

We were given a $250 FCC per person given our only negative feedback, ever. We have since decided to ignore it.

 

Where do I begin.?

 

We always stay in MB's (MA's majority) or above. As such, we have had several balconies in the past that were so degraded that we thought they needed attention, but this one was beyond control. This, for us, was a last minute getaway over the holidays, so we took what we could get. (GTY, Balcony Caribe - 1st time GTY)

 

As such, any cabin on the ship should be well maintained. Period. Truly, it should have been taken out of service.

 

The cabin smelled, the cabin floor was filthy, the bathroom was beyond cleaning and in such a state of disrepair with the tile and toilet . . . and that is/was in no way the Cabin Stewards problem.

 

I bought a pair of flip flops onboard to take a shower or walk in there. It was truly beyond reproach.

 

The sliding glass door for the balcony could barely be opened unless by the Incredible Hulk and the balcony and it's furniture should have been swapped out years ago. We would not sit on it. PS - I am not Felix Unger!

 

There was an Electrical Closet behind the cabin that was banging and clanging all night until it was finally addressed (3 days). The cabin door lock did not work one day, even to open to get out. That was fun! But they did respond.

 

The Spa Treatment Room had a backed-up, filthy overflowing sink. It also had a shower that had no drain cover, to which I almost cut my foot on as it was tilted up against the side of the shower. And the shower, like the sink, was filthy. Oh, and the fixtures did not work appropriately.

 

Many, and I mean 8-10, of the Women's Locker Room lockers that I counted had masking tape on them stating "Not Working". Great. Not to mention, the Ladies Room stalls had not been cleaned in a dog's age, coupled with the fact that the doors did not have functional locks. Lovely.

 

The metal at the base of the stall doors looked as if they had been bent outward and kicked. It was 3rd world to me, as well as layered in grime at the base. Not to mention, in any given public restroom, there was a minimum of one or two stalls out of service with the same issues. Also, there were no Sign-Off sheets in the restrooms for the cleaners that used to be there . . . and it showed.

 

In all, I guess that's what I mean by unsanitary.

 

Also, we came upon a blind man on the forward elevator who was trying to get to the Medical Center. We went to deck 5 with him and guided him to the mid-elevators and then down to the Medical Center. When we guided him into the MC, the MD was on the phone complaining that she had called "three times" to get a door fixed and "when was this going to happen?". Followed by, "how many times do I have to call?" That said enough to me. We weren't alone.

 

I could go on and on, but that was a neglected ship. Like I said, we have been on ships prior to drydock, but have never experienced anything like this on Princess. In fact, in San Juan we went to a Walgreens/CVS/Whatever and purchased disinfectant spray for the carpeting in our cabin.

 

This also was the first cruise where my husband sent his dinner back . . . and they brought out the same plate; not twice, but 3 times. The food and buffet are so dumbed down that it was sad.

 

 

So, when we read similar concerns on the CP, we cancelled. Again, we are Elite and have NEVER complained, except for this cruise. We have chosen not to use the aforementioned PCL offer going forward unless they up their game.

 

 

We did not become Elite on Princess because the cruise line was bad. We just don't like where they are now. And yes, had we not seen for ourselves what reviews were stating, we would not have cancelled.

 

 

Got it, thanks for the clarification.

[jb008]

Just off Coral and DW and I agreed that the ship seemed a little... worn. Multiple spots where carpets were torn or pulling away from walls, lot of rust on balcony, main hallways had some weird dips in the subfloor, lovely stained carpets in cabin and public areas, and a worn out and sagging mattress.

 

We still had a lovely cruise, and would sail Princess again, but for an itinerary that the Captains Circle rep talked about how many new cruisers it brings to P'cess I would have expected them to put a better foot forward on it.

[zahav1]

We were on the Island Princess in February and yes, there were areas where the ship was in poor shape. Outside our cabin, the hallway wall paper was peeling and there were large worn spots. the couch in our mini suite was sinking and we needed a board inside, the carpet was old, etc. It just didn't feel top notch and yes we complained and wrote a long email to them.

 

 

we heard that the Island will be having some repairs done during drydock in November. I hope they'll take care of all the issues.

[Colo Cruiser]

We were on the Island Princess in February and yes, there were areas where the ship was in poor shape. Outside our cabin, the hallway wall paper was peeling and there were large worn spots. the couch in our mini suite was sinking and we needed a board inside, the carpet was old, etc. It just didn't feel top notch and yes we complained and wrote a long email to them.

 

 

we heard that the Island will be having some repairs done during drydock in November. I hope they'll take care of all the issues.

 

They should have taken care of it during the major dry dock 2 years ago. :rolleyes:

[Kamloops50]

Rust can form in less than three months on a ship. Steel and salt don't mix.

 

 

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[dreaminofcruisin]

Just off Coral and DW and I agreed that the ship seemed a little... worn. Multiple spots where carpets were torn or pulling away from walls, lot of rust on balcony, main hallways had some weird dips in the subfloor, lovely stained carpets in cabin and public areas, and a worn out and sagging mattress.

 

We still had a lovely cruise, and would sail Princess again, but for an itinerary that the Captains Circle rep talked about how many new cruisers it brings to P'cess I would have expected them to put a better foot forward on it.

 

VERY Odd that you had a worn out and sagging mattress!!!!

Did you complain to guest services about it while you were onboard? The Coral supposedly replaced all their mattresses with the new ones already. I know we had one of the new ones in February and it was lovely. You should have complained. :(

[Colo Cruiser]

Rust can form in less than three months on a ship. Steel and salt don't mix.

 

 

Try in a matter of days.

[Colo Cruiser]

VERY Odd that you had a worn out and sagging mattress!!!!

Did you complain to guest services about it while you were onboard? The Coral supposedly replaced all their mattresses with the new ones already. I know we had one of the new ones in February and it was lovely. You should have complained. :(

 

Yes they were supposed to all get upgraded.......

No way to tell if they all got changed out. IMO I believe they are still doing it as they go. :(

Swapping out mattresses is still an ongoing challenge on all ships in the fleet.

[riclop]

Try a newer ship.

[Kamloops50]

Even newer ships will have issues with rust and carpents. When you have 2500 people walking on the carpet . The carpets get dirty and stained very quickly.Rust a ships biggest enemy. Salt playes havoc on steel very quickly no matter how new the ship.

[Kamloops50]

Those dips in the hallways are covers that they can open if need during dry dock. Seen dips on all ships we have cruised on.

 

 

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[Kamloops50]

Yes they were supposed to all get upgraded.......

No way to tell if they all got changed out. IMO I believe they are still doing it as they go. :(

Swapping out mattresses is still an ongoing challenge on all ships in the fleet.

 

 

I've seen them changing them on port days.

 

 

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[neverbeenhere]

Seen dips on all ships we have cruised on.

 

 

100% Agree.

[Kamloops50]

I don't think that people will be convinced that all ships have similar issues.

 

 

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[jb008]

VERY Odd that you had a worn out and sagging mattress!!!!

Did you complain to guest services about it while you were onboard? The Coral supposedly replaced all their mattresses with the new ones already. I know we had one of the new ones in February and it was lovely. You should have complained. :(

 

Didn't seem worth it to complain to guest services, I didn't want to lose my cabin and the mattress wasn't impeding our sleep (exhausted by all the fresh air & late night - early mornings). We've been on multiple cruise ships, and I do like Princess (and will happily sail them for future cruises) but the ship condition on Coral just felt more... "worn" than other previous ships. <shrug>

 

I wasn't out to play "gotcha" so I didn't take pictures of some of the rips and tears, but if one is looking they're definitely around. Doesn't ruin the vacation or anything... just an observation is all. I felt the same way about one of the other ships we were on relatively recently... probably Summit since we sailed her a few months before her last dry dock (sailed Jan, 2016)

[Chief02]

Princess has definitely put profits over passenger pleasing and they may start seeing a landslide of Elites cutting them off.

 

I'm beginning to think that this is what they want.

[RRFan]

Chief02, I think you're right in some respects. They really need to revamp the loyalty program. It's not that hard to become Elite (especially if you live in or near a port) and seems like most cruises we're on now the Plats & Elites are majority. BUT I think Princess will find that alienating their core passengers could sink them and right now I'm really impressed with what I'm seeing on HAL. We'll continue cruising but PCL may not be our first choice any more.

 

 

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