Have things improved on the Enchanted

[CineGraphic]

2 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Ours isn't cheap by any means, and we are in an inside cabin... But we still have about 10 days to back out before final payment.

 

We were not comfortable paying full price for the sub-par product Princess is currently struggling to provide, so we cancelled our 2 week sailing in October.

We've seen/heard nothing great things about Virgin Voyages, so we're sailing with them instead.

 

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, QueenieA said:

Rooms B624 (I think)  and C515.  Both were nice cabins apart from smells (although B624 does get a lot of ‘vibration’ coming up through the bed).   Hopefully by now they will have sorted the ‘smell’ problems.

GS were pulling their hair out liaising with Hotel Management (were given room numbers and when they took us there to see if OK - already occupied - were taken to 4 Rooms before we got our final one).  Were given a nice bouquet of flowers.  

As I said - GS were doing their absolute best.  When we asked to speak to Restaurant Director - they said ‘no need’ - so many complaints and people wanting to see him (her) he’d stopped seeing people but was aware of all the problems so we wouldn’t be giving him any new ‘constructive criticism’ (a Rose by any other name .......) 

Our pre-booked time dining time was 19.20.  Arrived just after 19.00.  Decided to go early the 3rd day as they said this would help.  Went about 18.30 - no queues - but then realised doors closed.  When stepped inside they said they were not letting people queue and no more availability until 19.45.  Asked if we could reserve - “No”.  Tried Amalfi - long queues.  Couldn’t get into Specialities.  Went back to Capri (I think about 19.30) and as I said a shorter queue and wait - but didn’t gain anything as they had a row of tables for 2 (about 6+) but until all were filled they didn’t take orders and then all meals came up at the same time - so those that only ordered 1 Starter were waiting for their Entree until others who had ordered Soup, Starter and Salad (some 2 ‘first’ courses, some ‘3’ and some like us just ‘1’.)

As I said - we gave up after the 3rd day so I don’t know if it got any better.

So, they say all the DR issues are due to understaffing?  

[Roberto256]

54 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

We've seen/heard nothing great things about Virgin Voyages, so we're sailing with them instead.

 

I know several waiters who moved from princess to virgin, so you may see people you know!

[johnnylikely]

5 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

We were not comfortable paying full price for the sub-par product Princess is currently struggling to provide, so we cancelled our 2 week sailing in October.

We've seen/heard nothing great things about Virgin Voyages, so we're sailing with them instead.

 

Let us know what you think of VV

Whilst their food is exquisite and staff are perkier, they don't come close to the more established lines in many respects

[Pack Leader]

18 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

I like your solution.

Instead of waiting to hear back from the F&B, drink what you like instead of settling for the substitute-swill they expect to you accept, and ask for an adjustment after the fact.

Additional charges are starting to appear for the wine which is above our Plus package.

So today, wandering around the ship we ventured into Santorini MDR and found they are open from 5.30pm and had been from 2 days into the cruise. No announcement has been made and Santorini does not appear on Princess Patter! Talk about poor communication. We think this ship is a reflection of the management on board and will report such when we are home. Will try Santorini tonight. 

5 Skies production a technological marvel but overall not the most entertaining show. Rock Opera on last night. Was good last time on Sky.

Evening theatre last night was Phil Tufnell. V funny, even though I do not like Cricket. Had the audience in stitches. La Coruna today. Not much to write home about. Back on board afternoon just 2 hours. Have our disembarkation notes today. A bit early! 2 days before 

[Pack Leader]

13 hours ago, johnnylikely said:

Let us know what you think of VV

Whilst their food is exquisite and staff are perkier, they don't come close to the more established lines in many respects

Have watched several YouTube videos on VV. Just not my cup of tea, bit too Ibiza for me. They have their market though and I reckon they will do well if they don't try to have too many ships, as it may be a bit niche.

[villauk]

21 minutes ago, Pack Leader said:

Additional charges are starting to appear for the wine which is above our Plus package.

So today, wandering around the ship we ventured into Santorini MDR and found they are open from 5.30pm and had been from 2 days into the cruise. No announcement has been made and Santorini does not appear on Princess Patter! Talk about poor communication. We think this ship is a reflection of the management on board and will report such when we are home. Will try Santorini tonight. 

5 Skies production a technological marvel but overall not the most entertaining show. Rock Opera on last night. Was good last time on Sky.

Evening theatre last night was Phil Tufnell. V funny, even though I do not like Cricket. Had the audience in stitches. La Coruna today. Not much to write home about. Back on board afternoon just 2 hours. Have our disembarkation notes today. A bit early! 2 days before 

 

Let us know if you are able to use Santorini dining room as I’m sure QueenieA reported that it was only open to suite guests on their sailing.

[CineGraphic]

51 minutes ago, Pack Leader said:

Have watched several YouTube videos on VV. Just not my cup of tea, bit too Ibiza for me.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25Cq5Ls11Lg

 

 

[Cash123]

22 hours ago, Pack Leader said:

Have watched several YouTube videos on VV. Just not my cup of tea, bit too Ibiza for me. They have their market though and I reckon they will do well if they don't try to have too many ships, as it may be a bit niche.

Here in the Uk there has been a program over 8 weeks about VV,called The Cruise I watched the 1st episode and thought no not for me, a lot of the staff just seemed very unprofessional and not sure if the program did Virgin any good or not.

[Pack Leader]

On 8/10/2022 at 2:05 PM, villauk said:

 

Let us know if you are able to use Santorini dining room as I’m sure QueenieA reported that it was only open to suite guests on their sailing.

Yes Santorini open. Suite and Club right side Dine my way left side entrance. Staff obviously more experienced and v attentive. Queued 30 mins to enter however. Still not included on list on Patter. Friend told this cruise was close to being cancelled due to low staff numbers however cannot believe that - they would have only needed to cancel a few hundred pax to rebalance the numbers.

V windy today. Going home to warmer temperatures than our cruise destinations seems weird!

[Pack Leader]

2 hours ago, Cash123 said:

Here in the Uk there has been a program over 8 weeks about VV,called The Cruise I watched the 1st episode and thought no not for me, a lot of the staff just seemed very unprofessional and not sure if the program did Virgin any good or not.

Agreed 100% with you on that 

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Pack Leader said:

Yes Santorini open. Suite and Club right side Dine my way left side entrance. Staff obviously more experienced and v attentive. Queued 30 mins to enter however. Still not included on list on Patter. Friend told this cruise was close to being cancelled due to low staff numbers however cannot believe that - they would have only needed to cancel a few hundred pax to rebalance the numbers.

V windy today. Going home to warmer temperatures than our cruise destinations seems weird!

At what time did you arrive at the DR door?

[Pack Leader]

About 8.15pm

[texasgirl29]

Another good source if you're wondering about Virgin, is Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travellers. 

 

 

[texasgirl29]

A great series on YouTube right now is with Ben and David on Enchanted. They have been cruise vloggers for a several years, but this time they are taking Ben's mom on her first cruise and she's blown away by the ship, the food, the service, the cabin, the scenery. She says she regrets never having taken a cruise before. This first one is a tour of the ship and it's very well done, but you should watch the others with Ben's mom. 

 

[villauk]

1 hour ago, Pack Leader said:

About 8.15pm

And you still had a 30 minute queue at that time - good grief 🤯!

[villauk]

2 hours ago, Pack Leader said:

 

V windy today. Going home to warmer temperatures than our cruise destinations seems weird! First time for everything 🤣.

Yes, it’s been so hot here and worse because most of us don’t have air-conditioned homes 🥵.

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, Pack Leader said:

About 8.15pm

That would be very surprising if it were a majority of Americans aboard but seeing that the ship is in Europe they tend to eat much later.

 

[Hlitner]

I think it is pretty obvious that Princess (and many other lines) are suffering from a combination of staff shortages (made worse when onboard staff are quarantined for COVID) and more passengers.  Princess admitted as much when they recently cancelled cruises because of staffing problems.  

 

But I do think folks can do themselves some good by using a little common sense and trying to make the best out of a tough situation.  When it comes to dining on Princess, a majority of folks get into a schedule where they dine early (generally before 7).  But what happens is that there are many folks who go to eating venues as soon as they open.  The restaurants are understaffed and overwhelmed.  Then others show -up a half hour or an hour later (while that initial crowd is still in the MDRs) and make the crowded situation worse.   

 

So what to do?  Try dining when things are not overly crowded.  On Princess this means going to dinner after 7:30 (8 is much better) when the early diners are long gone, things have settled down in the MDRs, and the staff is under less pressure.  With the lunch buffets, go about 1or 1:15 and you will usually find short or no lines, available tables, etc.  I sometimes think that there is a segment of society that just loves waiting in lines because that is how they spend much of their day.  We simply leave the lines to others and normally practice a line avoidance strategy.   I should add that it is also true with the main shows on Princess.  The show that is intended for the early diners is often packed.  But the shows designed for later diners are often not near full.  So if they have a 7pm show, just head to the theater about 6:40 and get yourself a nice seat.  After the show (about 7:40) stop at one of the bars and relax with a pre-dinner cocktail.  Then head to the MDR a little after 8 and you will not have much of a wait and service will be more relaxed as later diners are usually not in a hurry and the MDR is not very crowded.

 

If this sounds like common sense (and it is) we often have heard cruises say "but we like to eat dinner at 5:30 or 6,   Ok, be stubborn and stick to your usual schedule and then you can complain about the lines, service, etc.   I always wonder what some of these folks do if they are spending any time in a country like Spain when many of the better restaurants do not even start serving dinner until around 9pm :).

 

Hank

[villauk]

24 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I think it is pretty obvious that Princess (and many other lines) are suffering from a combination of staff shortages (made worse when onboard staff are quarantined for COVID) and more passengers.  Princess admitted as much when they recently cancelled cruises because of staffing problems.  

 

But I do think folks can do themselves some good by using a little common sense and trying to make the best out of a tough situation.  When it comes to dining on Princess, a majority of folks get into a schedule where they dine early (generally before 7).  But what happens is that there are many folks who go to eating venues as soon as they open.  The restaurants are understaffed and overwhelmed.  Then others show -up a half hour or an hour later (while that initial crowd is still in the MDRs) and make the crowded situation worse.   

 

So what to do?  Try dining when things are not overly crowded.  On Princess this means going to dinner after 7:30 (8 is much better) when the early diners are long gone, things have settled down in the MDRs, and the staff is under less pressure.  With the lunch buffets, go about 1or 1:15 and you will usually find short or no lines, available tables, etc.  I sometimes think that there is a segment of society that just loves waiting in lines because that is how they spend much of their day.  We simply leave the lines to others and normally practice a line avoidance strategy.   I should add that it is also true with the main shows on Princess.  The show that is intended for the early diners is often packed.  But the shows designed for later diners are often not near full.  So if they have a 7pm show, just head to the theater about 6:40 and get yourself a nice seat.  After the show (about 7:40) stop at one of the bars and relax with a pre-dinner cocktail.  Then head to the MDR a little after 8 and you will not have much of a wait and service will be more relaxed as later diners are usually not in a hurry and the MDR is not very crowded.

 

If this sounds like common sense (and it is) we often have heard cruises say "but we like to eat dinner at 5:30 or 6,   Ok, be stubborn and stick to your usual schedule and then you can complain about the lines, service, etc.   I always wonder what some of these folks do if they are spending any time in a country like Spain when many of the better restaurants do not even start serving dinner until around 9pm :).

 

Hank

 

Agreed, but the above cruiser stated he had a 30 minute wait at 8.15pm! I don’t think I’d be very happy if I had booked a restaurant on land for 8.15pm and I was still waiting outside for another 30 minutes. It would be different if I hadn’t pre-booked and just turned up, but I was under the impression that we were being asked to pre-book on the App to prevent situations like this occurring 🤷‍♀️. We’re quite adaptable but I know other pax who, for example medically reasons, wouldn’t want to start their dinner at 9pm.

[billco]

43 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

If this sounds like common sense (and it is) we often have heard cruises say "but we like to eat dinner at 5:30 or 6,   Ok, be stubborn and stick to your usual schedule and then you can complain about the lines, service, etc.   I always wonder what some of these folks do if they are spending any time in a country like Spain when many of the better restaurants do not even start serving dinner until around 9pm :).

 

Hank

We like to eat dinner at 5:30 in the aft dining room. Often we will spend some time in Vista Lounge during the Elite/Platinum Happy Hour and then go down when the Dining Room opens. On the last few cruises, (two on Enchanted, two on Regal) this gave us a chance to chat with our servers before things got too busy. We haven't had any of the complaints I have been reading about, other than listing to our servers how stressful it gets later.

 

We are pretty much common folks and seldom go to better restaurants in the countries we visit.

[Hlitner]

31 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

Agreed, but the above cruiser stated he had a 30 minute wait at 8.15pm! I don’t think I’d be very happy if I had booked a restaurant on land for 8.15pm and I was still waiting outside for another 30 minutes. It would be different if I hadn’t pre-booked and just turned up, but I was under the impression that we were being asked to pre-book on the App to prevent situations like this occurring 🤷‍♀️. We’re quite adaptable but I know other pax who, for example medically reasons, wouldn’t want to start their dinner at 9pm.

When we cruised on the Enchanted (20 days in Dec) we used the app, every day, to make dining reservations.  But at that time the ship was only about half capacity and they only were operating 2 of the 3 MDRs.  The reservations (usually ranging from 7:30 to 8:15) were honored with very little waiting.  But it is pretty obvious that most ships are now struggling with staff shortages.  Even when we recently cruised on a 600 passenger ship that was fully staffed, there were some staffing problems because more than a dozen of the crew were out of service due to COVID.    Talking to the hotel manager (on another line) we were told it is a nightmare.  Cruise ships do not carry extra crew and everyone has their assignments.  When a few get sick the supervisors can normally deal with it by rescheduling and reshuffling crew.  But when they lose more than a few crew, and the ship is near capacity, problems do develop.  And now we also have a situation where many of the ships are not fully staffed!    But now, Princess has cancelled 11 sailings of the Diamond Princess which frees-up much of that crew to be reassigned to other ships that are short staffed.  It is a temporary fix but is a big bummer for folks booked on any of those cancelled sailings.

 

Hank

[bradleyr1]

On the Enchanted now heading back to Southampton. In short, the ship is beautiful, but is overcrowded, understaffed and you have to queue for everything. Most the time I gave up. 

And don't even think about getting a sunbed after 7.30am!

[MissP22]

20 minutes ago, bradleyr1 said:

And don't even think about getting a sunbed after 7.30am!

I stake out a claim for 2 seats early in the morning before my husband gets out of bed and read. After he finishes his breakfast we switch places & he sleeps till I get back. 😉

You would be surprised how many people do likewise. 

[Pack Leader]

Penultimate day queued 20 minutes at 7.45pm for Santorini. This morning queued 15 minutes for final breakfast, in Capri. Service slow but we know they are understaffed