bad sewage smell on star

[Gator83]

I also stayed away from the Roll Call on CC boards. IMO - they DID seem obsessed with the smell. They wrote poems/songs replacing the words with smelly type words, someone wrote letters to Princess before the cruise trying to negotiate compensation such as free wine and excursions "if and when" they happened to smell bad smells on board.

 

I have cruised probably 5 times more then you have and have experienced more bad smells on other cruise lines than I did on this sailing.

 

 

The poem/song was done as a joke....just showing some creativity.

 

As it has been mentioned before, just because you did not smell anything on this cruise and you smelled worse on other cruises does not mean that others did not smell it. It's time to lighten up about this and let others deal with it if they encounter it. End of discussion.

[Coral]

The poem/song was done as a joke....just showing some creativity.

 

The moderators of this board obviously thought it was done in poor taste also as when it was posted on the Princess board, it was quickly removed.

 

As stated by several on this thread, several people choose not to participate in the roll call due to the negativity.

 

As it has been mentioned before, just because you did not smell anything on this cruise and you smelled worse on other cruises does not mean that others did not smell it. It's time to lighten up about this and let others deal with it if they encounter it. End of discussion.

 

I agree - lighten up. The vast majority of the people on the ship last week had a great time. You really don't need to ruin the cruise expeience for others. And Princess may have corrected the problem as someone said they experienced it in my cabin the week before and there were no problems in that same cabin the week I was in it.

[DebbieLynne]

Hello to all,

I just wanted to post a note due to the fact I had been told I was mentioned (not in a positive light) on this thread and might want to clear up any misunderstandings. I'm truly sorry if there were any difficulities between anyone at ANY time during my postings. I was unaware of any problem, and would certainly have fixed it if I had been made aware. For all who don't know me, please read the roll call of Star Princess from 12/16-12/23 to assess my personality and intentions for yourself; I feel I have been misunderstood and misrepresented which is confusing to me and makes me extremely sad. To Hulagirl, Casey, and Coral, if I upset any of you in any way I am truly sorry, it was never my intention. I was (and still am) very excited to meet you, or anyone else I am getting to know from the boards.

 

Regarding the letter to Princess, I posted it and at no time wanted ANY compensation before the cruise, I merely wanted to let them know I had heard there was a problem and if I was unable to use my balcony was hoping to find what kind of compensation (free wine, an upgrade on my next trip??? whatever) that Princess might want to do about it. Handling things before they become a problem is something I've been taught to do as a teacher and a businesswoman and my contact with Princess is posted for all to see on the board (as well as their response).

 

With regards to talking about the smell on the ship, the person who dined with a "Debbie" must not have been me because I only spoke of the smell once to anyone at the tables and it was to a woman who was in A305 who was telling all the table about a smell so bad she couldn't use her balcony. After she mentioned the problem I told her to check our roll call board so she could get the contact info for Princess so she might be able to contact Princess from there. She was very relieved that I could help her out, as she was quite distressed. This is the only time I spoke of the matter. Frankly, otherwise, I didn't think about the smell much because I didn't have much of a problem. You guys have talked about it here seemingly more than I did, although I think that's fine and it's your right to do that. Apparently there is a problem and my main problem with regard to the smell was the fact that at first Princess seeme to be denying it, which would probably bother anyone. That's why I wrote the letter, to cover my bases in CASE there was a problem, which apparently there is (for the A305 woman) but I didn't really have much of a problem.

 

To whoever insinuated I might be that "Debbie," please be careful about accusing someone of something...especially since it would have been very easy to check with the source...me. I did not talk to anyone about the smell during the cruise except this one lady who brought it up first. I don't even know you, and it made me very sad to think you would accuse me of something without checking with me first to ascertain the accuracy of the information. If anyone else has any problems, please know I care about working them out and I think most people would consider my board postings a combination of: heartfelt, funny, fun, and tenacious. Any negativity at any time was never intended.

 

Again, I care more about the truth than I do anything else and so I'd like to please encourage anyone curious to read my threads and assess for yourselves. I hope it will be clear my intent was never to antagonize Princess, or anyone else on the boards. In the end, I did not have a big enough problem with the smell to go forward with compansation for it, (for which I was glad). The only true negative was that my luggage was stolen on the last day and my computer with it, so that is a big concern for me and I'm dealing with it now. I didn't book with Princess so I'm working with my agent to determine what to do.

 

In closing, please know that I care about accuracy of information and goodwill in relationships, so please take the time to check with me (or anyone else) before posting something about them on the boards. I had a good time on Princess (I posted my comments on the site recently, which run the gamut of good and not so good) and overall I enjoyed my cruise. I met a lot of great people, CC and other, and look forward to getting to know more of you through continued postings.

 

Please let me know if there is anything more to clear up, otherwise we can wipe the slate clean and start anew. If it's something personal, I did give my company's name which can be googled on the Roll Call Star Princess 12/16 thread so you can contact me directly if you like. Again, my apologies to any I may have inadvertently offended.

 

Take care and have great cruises.

Debbie

[Oryx]

Hi, Debbie -- we were just down the hall from you on the Star. I found out about this board from your sign on the door, actually!

 

My own experience: we smelled nothing even remotely hinting of sewage. All we smelled was oil/gas, and only when in port. I have an exceptionally fussy nose and things like this don't escape me. No one else in my party (my family took up three cabins in the A500 section) noticed it either, and they're all similarly fussy. I have no explanation.

 

I hope your bags are found! I can't imagine how horrible that must be.

 

Take care!

[T&J]

I also stayed away from the Roll Call on CC boards. IMO - they DID seem obsessed with the smell. They wrote poems/songs replacing the words with smelly type words, someone wrote letters to Princess before the cruise trying to negotiate compensation such as free wine and excursions "if and when" they happened to smell bad smells on board.

 

I have cruised probably 5 times more then you have and have experienced more bad smells on other cruise lines than I did on this sailing.

 

You got to be kidding me about the compensation demands part?:rolleyes:

So if someone farts in front of me from time to time and I catch a downstream or a wiff do I get compensation as well?

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[T&J]

The only true negative was that my luggage was stolen on the last day and my computer with it, so that is a big concern for me and I'm dealing with it now. I didn't book with Princess so I'm working with my agent to determine what to do.

 

Debbie

 

FYI, Debbie read the Passage Contract terms and conditions with your cruise ticket....Princess is ONLY responsible for up to $250.00 for stollen/missing luggage. You may want to look into the possibility of an insurance claim with your homeowners policy. Your Travel Agent shoul be explaining to you the limits of liability against the CruiseLine.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

[VaBeachCruisers897]

Just about any room on any ship could experience this unique condition & I do not work for the cruiselines... The primary problem stems from several thousand passengers eating 24 hours a day but that does not mean that you a guaranteed to have a bad experience.

 

WIND & Wind Direction.... Under a light to moderate wind condition the ventilation of sewage\cooking odor etc. will properly ventilate. Under extreme wind conditions (25+ mph) there is not much that can be done.

 

A forward room would be least susceptible but there are no guarantees. Example: If the ship is heading North and there are strong winds from the West\North-West the port side of the ship will experience quite fresh air while the starboard\aft portion of the ship will catch the air being pushed over the mountain which is your cruise ship.

 

Think about it.... On these same windy days when you try to open your states room door you just about start a tornado in the hallways when you open your door, all of the air is being sucked through the ship because of balconies being open etc...

 

Its part of being on a ship... you take the good with the (unpleasant).

[azsunshine]

You got to be kidding me about the compensation demands part?:rolleyes:

So if someone farts in front of me from time to time and I catch a downstream or a wiff do I get compensation as well?

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

 

Only if the ship was responsible for serving brussel sprouts to the passengers in the main dining room! ;)

[azsunshine]

You got to be kidding me about the compensation demands part?:rolleyes:

So if someone farts in front of me from time to time and I catch a downstream or a wiff do I get compensation as well?

 

Tony

 

Only if Brussel Sprouts were served in the main dining room for dinner. ;)

 

There are limits you know. :rolleyes:

[DebbieLynne]

FYI, Debbie read the Passage Contract terms and conditions with your cruise ticket....Princess is ONLY responsible for up to $250.00 for stollen/missing luggage. You may want to look into the possibility of an insurance claim with your homeowners policy. Your Travel Agent shoul be explaining to you the limits of liability against the CruiseLine.

 

Tony

:cool: :eek: :cool:

 

Tony,

Thanks, I will check into that. The travel agent I booked with is researching now regarding what insurance covers to help me. Meanwhile, some have suggested to check with the credit card company as well. I'm just running my options and hoping. Thanks for the tip.

Debbie

[DebbieLynne]

Hi, Debbie -- we were just down the hall from you on the Star. I found out about this board from your sign on the door, actually!

 

My own experience: we smelled nothing even remotely hinting of sewage. All we smelled was oil/gas, and only when in port. I have an exceptionally fussy nose and things like this don't escape me. No one else in my party (my family took up three cabins in the A500 section) noticed it either, and they're all similarly fussy. I have no explanation.

 

I hope your bags are found! I can't imagine how horrible that must be.

 

Take care!

 

Hey,

You should've knocked on the door and said hi!!! Alan and I met a ton of fun passengers on the ship and would've loved to meet you. Yeah, we didn't have much problem with smell where we were, but the lady in 305 said she had trouble and couldn't use her balcony. So, maybe it's just in the front of the ship or something...no matter, I'm back home now and our room was fine. We kept the door open a couple of nights to hear the ocean...which was awesome. And, thanks for the sentiment about the bags, it is a bummer but we're just trying to do whatever they tell us with regard to the protocol/procedures and such. It's sort of out of our hands but I'm hoping for some help to replace the computer. I'm a teacher and so I'll need it for next semester for sure!

 

Take care,

Debbie

[bjs1234]

We are booked on the Star 8th April 07 and of course the smell thing could be a worry.

I am disappointed in the thread and amazed with the number of people that have not given their deck and cabin number.

We might be able to narrow things down by keeping a simple record.

Cruise date

Cabin number / location

Smell in cabin or balcony yes or no

Just an idea

[DebbieLynne]

We are booked on the Star 8th April 07 and of course the smell thing could be a worry.

 

I am disappointed in the thread and amazed with the number of people that have not given their deck and cabin number.

 

We might be able to narrow things down by keeping a simple record.

 

Cruise date

Cabin number / location

 

Smell in cabin or balcony yes or no

 

Just an idea

 

Alan and I were on Aloha (A629) and we were able to keep our balcony door open and night and such! Yahoo! But the lady in A305 said she could not use her balcony. Personally, I do not have any need to talk about the smell anymore (or ever) but I do care about the truth of any matter, and if some of my experience can help others then I am happy to help. Also, anyone who gets a chance to see Sarge on the Star is in for a treat! He was awesome. If you're going, don't miss this gem. We went early for his second and third shows to make SURE we got good seats. He's worth it.

Take care,

Debbie

[Sumps68]

I was on the Star last week and did not experience any abnormal smell that has not been present on the other two Princess ships that I have been on. On all of the ships there has been an interminttent smell on the open decks usually on the sun deck area aft. And this was usually in windy conditions.

 

If you watch the stacks from the generators when the wind blows a certain way across the ship it creates a down draft and the diesel smoke will flow downwards and everthing else that is vented there is going the same way.

 

This time we had an interior cab but we met some people with a balc on the Aloha deck there was no sign of the smell on their balc.

 

If you think about it, this ship is hauling around a small city with almost 4000 people considering there are like 1100 crew members in addition to the 2600+ passengers. Its a marvel that this ship and crew can supply food, water, including bath. and take care of all the waste that all these people create.

[stewcrews]

Just about any room on any ship could experience this unique condition & I do not work for the cruiselines... The primary problem stems from several thousand passengers eating 24 hours a day but that does not mean that you a guaranteed to have a bad experience.

 

WIND & Wind Direction.... Under a light to moderate wind condition the ventilation of sewage\cooking odor etc. will properly ventilate. Under extreme wind conditions (25+ mph) there is not much that can be done.

 

A forward room would be least susceptible but there are no guarantees. Example: If the ship is heading North and there are strong winds from the West\North-West the port side of the ship will experience quite fresh air while the starboard\aft portion of the ship will catch the air being pushed over the mountain which is your cruise ship.

 

Think about it.... On these same windy days when you try to open your states room door you just about start a tornado in the hallways when you open your door, all of the air is being sucked through the ship because of balconies being open etc...

 

Its part of being on a ship... you take the good with the (unpleasant).

 

My father and sister were in a forward mini suite and could not use their balcony. We were on port side and had no smell all week.

[loveJake]

Nice theory about the wind, only thing is while at sea I only noticed the odor a few times and it was really mild. The worse times were while we were docked on port days. When returning the odor would overcome you at first, then after living with it the smell seemed to go away. We were in B235, starboard. Nice try though it was impressive. As I said before unless you are in a balcony forward, starboard on the Star you do not know what you are talking about.

[DebbieLynne]

Hey,

I know it's a bit off topic, but does anyone know if the "deals" are really worth it when you book over and over on the same line? Alan and I got a "gold card" for next time (the Star on Dec 16-23 was our first cruise). Wondering if staying loyal is really worth it for benefits and such??? How many times would we need to sail to really see some savings or some amenities? Tony, you'd seem to know since I see your lineup is all Princess. Anyone? Advice...

 

Thanks,

Debbie

[spongerob]

Hey,

I know it's a bit off topic, but does anyone know if the "deals" are really worth it when you book over and over on the same line? Alan and I got a "gold card" for next time (the Star on Dec 16-23 was our first cruise). Wondering if staying loyal is really worth it for benefits and such??? How many times would we need to sail to really see some savings or some amenities? Tony, you'd seem to know since I see your lineup is all Princess. Anyone? Advice...

 

Thanks,

Debbie

Sometimes it would be better to start a new thread with a question, rather than just drop it in the middle of an existing thread discussing a different topic. It keeps the board active, too.

 

There really aren't any "deals" that I can see that result from staying loyal to one cruise line - monetarily, anyway. Princess has a good past-passenger loyalty program that gives decent benefits after 5 cruises and excellent benefits after 15 cruises.

[kosmo]

Does anyone know how the smell is on the Lido deck? Our stateroom is on the starboard side and I'm really hoping to enjoy our balcony ... without the stench. Anyone know what we can expect? TIA!

[DebbieLynne]

Sometimes it would be better to start a new thread with a question, rather than just drop it in the middle of an existing thread discussing a different topic. It keeps the board active, too.

 

There really aren't any "deals" that I can see that result from staying loyal to one cruise line - monetarily, anyway. Princess has a good past-passenger loyalty program that gives decent benefits after 5 cruises and excellent benefits after 15 cruises.

 

Thanks for the tips (both of them).

[Wileyd577]

I think it only fair to post. I received a letter from Princess this date

that a problem with black water emissions may exist. Princess has

made a nice offer in the way of future cruise discounts. I did not ask

for anything other than someone at Princess to stand up and say, "something

smells bad on the Star". I am satisfied with their response. I have always

loved the product Princess offers and this cruise was the first one with

any real negative. I am quite happy to be restored to Princess. I will book

with them in the future, just not on the Star. As far as I am concerned the

company did stand by their product. I wish the response had been a little

quicker, but nevertheless, they did the right thing at last. For me,

case closed. Good luck and pleasant journeys to everyone.

[Wileyd577]

I think it only fair to post. I received a letter from Princess this date

that a problem with black water emissions may exist. Princess has

made a nice offer in the way of future cruise discounts. I did not ask

for anything other than someone at Princess to stand up and say, "something

smells bad on the Star". I am satisfied with their response. I have always

loved the product Princess offers and this cruise was the first one with

any real negative. I am quite happy to be restored to Princess. I will book

with them in the future, just not on the Star. As far as I am concerned the

company did stand by their product. I wish the response had been a little

quicker, but nevertheless, they did the right thing at last. For me,

case closed. Good luck and pleasant journeys to everyone.

[DebbieLynne]

Wileyd-

Great. I'm glad it worked out for you. It was the same with me in that I was more upset by the lack of "standing up" and admitting something was wrong than I was concerned about renumeration or anything else. I had personal friends that were on the Star previous to my trip and they had said the smell was not horrible where they were, but was worse and more noticeable than any cruise they had previously been on (of 8 cruises). So, I felt that was a pretty good perspective. I'm glad you got it worked out for you and that they are giving you some kind of discount for future booking. That's such good business sense on their part and I'm so glad to hear that. It restores my faith in Princess as well, so thank you for sharing.

Take care,

Debbie

[NorcalGuy]

Thanks for the report Wiley,

I'm just concerned that the "black water emission" problem will ever actually get fixed.

Does anyone here with ship enginering knowlege think that a solution is actually likely (or possible)?

[DebbieLynne]

Yes, also, not to be an idiot, but if anyone has a lay definition of "black water emission" that would be great too. I'd like to learn more about it.

Thanks,

Debbie