bad sewage smell on star

[stewcrews]

We were on the Star last week. We smelled the sewer smell every day. Mostly when outside upper decks and it seemed more noticeable on on the starboard side. The smell is unpleasant and needs to be corrected.

[Fuzzzy]

Try writing to:

 

Alan B. Buckelew, President Princess Cruises.

 

Mickey Arison, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation.

 

Sir John Parker is the Chairman of the Health, Enviromental, Safety and Security (HESS) committee.

 

Carnival Place

3655 N.W. 87 Avenue

Miami, Florida 33178-2428

[rs12065]

I have been a Princess diehard since I first started cruising. We have been on the Sea, the Golden twice, and are leaving on the Crown on December 9th.

Howver, we sailed on the Star on 1/2005, and was very disappointed with the ship. The odor in question was pervasive everywhere, and first noticed when going to our cabin upon embarcation,

In addition, portions of the decking were chipping away, the chair hogs were the worst of any previous Princess cruises, much of the hot dishes on the buffet were cold, and the cold dishes were lukewarm, and bye the way, did I mention the horrible sewage odor?

 

I hope the upcoming Crown cruise next month will be more like the experiences I have had on other Princess ships. If not, my wife and I will try Royal Caribbean or HAL. Here's hoping for the best.

 

Dr. Bob

[cruiseluv]

I don't understand...

 

The last poster says that this smell existed as far back as 1/2005!!! If I was a passenger in a ship with this issue I would confront the Hotel Director or a high up officer if not the captain himself.

 

Don't understand just posting on a board, shrugging your shoulders and saying" Oh well, we just spent thousands on a vacation that felt like being next to a sewage plant...". Maybe I expect more from a cruise but to me it is unacceptable that apparently Princess has been running a ship with a pervasive sewage smell for over a year!

 

I have been following this issue with interest as my parents are leaving on the Crown in a couple of weeks and a while ago there were also comments of sewage smell on the Crown. Seems like a problem with Princess ships.

[jdvmd]

Just got off the Star yesterday. I apologize if the previous questions have been answered but I skimmed through the pages.

 

Yes, the smell is there but for us, it just comes and goes. You walk out of one public area and boom, get hit with it. We just kept walking. I noticed this around the deck area of the Vista Lounge, promenade. I cannot imagine having a balcony and having to deal with that.

 

Casino: I don't agree that it was empty 90 percent of the time. You wouldn't have any problem finding a machine or table to play however. We didn't stay very long the times that we went because the smoke was a bit too much.

 

Food: Some things were hit or miss in the Portofino dining room like the Chicken Kiev being too dry. Service was very good. Our head waiter was exceptional and worked so hard preparing extra things (never asked for either) Ususally, you only get the guy coming by to say hello or how was your day. He made the trip for us.

 

We were told that we weren't going to Grand Cayman because it was too dangerous to tender. There were five ships heading there. Three ships were allowed to tender in a different area -- Spotts Bay. The captain said these spots were determined on a rotational basis and it just wasn't our turn that day. The next day we found out that all the ships proceeded on their next port of call and no one attempted to tender there.

 

I figured we would get a spot in Cozumel at a pier since we proceeded on from Grand Cayman but nope. There were eight ships in port that day. The tendering at Cozumel was ridiculous and I have never experienced anything like it in 25 cruises. We followed the rules and had all of our party go up and get a ticket. This was 10 a.m. We were off the ship at 1 p.m. and finally the tender left at 1:30 p.m. We arrived in Cozumel closer to 2 p.m. I noticed people going up and getting eight tickets at a time but with only one person getting the tickets. Same way with Princess Cay.

The last tender leaving Cozumel was scheduled for 5 p.m. I talked to some people who were on one of the last three tenders to leave-- They were on the tender for one hour and 15 minutes NEXT to the ship and not allowed to get on. Princess said it was up to the Mexican ferry company, not them. Anyway, the lady I spoke to said, it was cold, dark, the tender was going up and down, children scared etc.

 

Anyway, we still had a great time despite a few inconveniences and wouldn't hestitate to cruise with Princess again. I'll post an extensive review later. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

 

Linda

[brovol]

we are back from our cruise, and i am happy now to disclose that we had cabins A-401 and A-341, mid ship, starboard side. our balconies were stinky every hour of every day. i complained every day; but each time, the pursers response was essentially that they would look into it. i am a platinum capt circ member, and i made sure they knew it (not that the problem should have been dealt with better for platinum cruiser than anyone else; but you would think they might be more responsive). not once did anyone ever get back to me---never. instead, they acted as if they didn't know about the smell; like they have never smelled it themselves, and i was the first person ever to complain about it. you can smell it right at the pursers desk. as i indicated on my previous posts, with the exception of the sewage smell, and bad weather, it would have been a good cruise. i must respectfully disagree with the other posters who said the food was bad. we thought the food was excellent; as was our service in the capri dinning room (no smell in the capri dining room). service in general (save pursers staff) was also quite good; as was, we thought, the entertainment. we have had poor luck with food or service on recent cruises lately (princess and other lines as well), but we were pleased with food and service on the star. having said that, i would never go on this ship again, unless princess acknowledges the problem, and actually repairs the condition. you could not "enjoy" a cruise in the cabins we were assigned. the balconies were rendered useless. i can deal with bad weather, and missing ports, or even with poor service or food. this smell, however, was BAD.

[KauaiKris]

Thanks for the update, brovol

 

There's been a lot said about this problem (and I'm one of those asking all the questions), but my question now is --

 

How many of us are either writing, emailing or calling Princess to complain or express concern? It seems to me that everyone on an upcoming Star cruise should be letting Princess hear their concerns NOW, rather than wait to see how it is that week on the ship. And anyone who found it unpleasant or offensive on their recent cruise should be voicing their feelings to Princess as well.

 

I can't understand why there is a problem this month, when it apparently wasn't a problem last month. But simply hoping it will be gone next month may not be reasonable.

 

I'm calling Princess about it. I hope I'm not alone. :)

[brovol]

trust me, kris, i will be contacting princess. i believe that the two balconies i paid for were worthless. we didn't use them. some effort should be made by princess; but, unfortunately, i have no confidence that anything will be done. Strong odors bother people differently. if i had another cruise booked on the star, i can say, without hesitation, i would cancel, if that was an option. on the other hand, i think there were other people on the same cruise who were apparently not bothered at all; perhaps cabin location made the difference. though it smelled in many (most) areas of the ship (some areas more than others).

[flvol77]

I am watching the situation close and I am going to print this entire thread out before we go and if there is any bad smells that linger and they act like this is something new then I will make sure this thread is in their hands...not that it will do a thing.

[RIGirl]

So who exactly are you writing to? I'm on a Jan Star cruise and I'm getting nervous hearing all this about an odor problem! I'll join your writing efforts. :)

[KauaiKris]

Fuzzzy posted the following in a previous post:

 

Try writing to:

 

Alan B. Buckelew, President Princess Cruises.

 

Mickey Arison, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation.

 

Sir John Parker is the Chairman of the Health, Enviromental, Safety and Security (HESS) committee.

 

Carnival Place

3655 N.W. 87 Avenue

Miami, Florida 33178-2428

 

Also, an email address that has been given is: 'starprincess@princesscruises.com'

 

And the fax number I have is: 661-284-4745

 

If anyone has additional information on where or who to write, call or email, I'd be glad to have it.

[Host Star]

Just got off the Star yesterday. I apologize if the previous questions have been answered but I skimmed through the pages.

 

Yes, the smell is there but for us, it just comes and goes. You walk out of one public area and boom, get hit with it. We just kept walking. I noticed this around the deck area of the Vista Lounge, promenade. I cannot imagine having a balcony and having to deal with that.

 

Casino: I don't agree that it was empty 90 percent of the time. You wouldn't have any problem finding a machine or table to play however. We didn't stay very long the times that we went because the smoke was a bit too much.

 

Food: Some things were hit or miss in the Portofino dining room like the Chicken Kiev being too dry. Service was very good. Our head waiter was exceptional and worked so hard preparing extra things (never asked for either) Ususally, you only get the guy coming by to say hello or how was your day. He made the trip for us.

 

We were told that we weren't going to Grand Cayman because it was too dangerous to tender. There were five ships heading there. Three ships were allowed to tender in a different area -- Spotts Bay. The captain said these spots were determined on a rotational basis and it just wasn't our turn that day. The next day we found out that all the ships proceeded on their next port of call and no one attempted to tender there.

 

I figured we would get a spot in Cozumel at a pier since we proceeded on from Grand Cayman but nope. There were eight ships in port that day. The tendering at Cozumel was ridiculous and I have never experienced anything like it in 25 cruises. We followed the rules and had all of our party go up and get a ticket. This was 10 a.m. We were off the ship at 1 p.m. and finally the tender left at 1:30 p.m. We arrived in Cozumel closer to 2 p.m. I noticed people going up and getting eight tickets at a time but with only one person getting the tickets. Same way with Princess Cay.

The last tender leaving Cozumel was scheduled for 5 p.m. I talked to some people who were on one of the last three tenders to leave-- They were on the tender for one hour and 15 minutes NEXT to the ship and not allowed to get on. Princess said it was up to the Mexican ferry company, not them. Anyway, the lady I spoke to said, it was cold, dark, the tender was going up and down, children scared etc.

 

Anyway, we still had a great time despite a few inconveniences and wouldn't hestitate to cruise with Princess again. I'll post an extensive review later. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

 

Linda

 

 

my son was on the star also last week.. he also followed the 'rules' on tendering tickets and wasn't off the ship till 1:15.. Hertz had already given away the jeep he had reserved and had none left.. he said the return tender to the ship took 55. minutes from pier to ship..they also complained about the odor , altho not inside their cabin if they went out on their balcony the smell was bad... they found the service, food and entertainment good ..

[perucho]

I just called to make final payment on my Feb. 10 cruise, and the agent claimed to not know anything about problems with the Star. I will be sending a letter, though.

[bethcollins]

We were on the Star in March the week before the fire. We had an outside cabin on Plaza Deck and noticed a continual sewage smell in the hallway. The odor never really permeated the cabin, but was definitely present throughout the cruise. I've been looking at cruises on Princess in April and came across this thread. It bothers me to hear that this problem continues. When we spoke with our cabin steward on the Star, he basically shrugged and said he knew about the odor. It's not a huge deal to me, but makes me just question Princess a bit.

[lyssa13]

Hi Guys!!

 

I am soooo worried!! I do not want ANY smells to ruin my trip. I just went ahead and started the process by e-mailing the star princess specific e-mail. Can anyone please respond if they have received any replies from their calls or e-mails? I will keep you updated if I receive a response. My next move will be to call..

 

Thanks...

[retired and cruisin]

We are set to sail on the Star Feb3/07 and this thread is of great concern. We are fairly new to Cruising ~` Disney/00, Infinity/06. We were considering the Navigator but went with the Star. I hope we won't be regreding our choice. Our cabin is inside on the caribe Deck. I would be interested in reviews from people who have just returned although it seems like this has been an on going thing. Is the smell bad out in deck?

Thanks CoCo

[sand and water]

It is unacceptable that Princess does not address this problem. If I paid to have a balcony and could not use it, I would be complaining. Princess is ignoring the problem. Would not even consider booking on this ship

[KauaiKris]

Hi Guys!!

 

I am soooo worried!! I do not want ANY smells to ruin my trip. I just went ahead and started the process by e-mailing the star princess specific e-mail. Can anyone please respond if they have received any replies from their calls or e-mails? I will keep you updated if I receive a response. My next move will be to call..

 

Thanks...

 

I have emailed twice, and my sister has emailed once. Neither of us have received any response so far. This morning I called. I was told they had received no complaints about the Star.

 

Hopefully many of those who have just been on the Star will complain, and if enough of us future cruisers express concern, they'll start to admit there is a problem.

 

Perhaps faxing a complaint would be more effective than the phone call.

[Jacqueline]

Hopefully this is one thread that the powers that be will read and attend to.

I would also point out to whomever you write to that this has become an issue on the CC board and they can see it for themselves.

Even if people do not post to this thread, they see it. They also can see that it is not just one person- but many people who have no ax to grind.

More publicity in any place that you can think of will probably get managements attention more than just a few letters.

Be creative and get the word everywhere !

Keep it on the first page till there is some response.

With 3.900 views it is not doing Princess any good. And not just for the Star but in general.

[nets33]

We are set to sail on the Star Feb3/07 and this thread is of great concern. We are fairly new to Cruising ~` Disney/00, Infinity/06. We were considering the Navigator but went with the Star. I hope we won't be regreding our choice. Our cabin is inside on the caribe Deck. I would be interested in reviews from people who have just returned although it seems like this has been an on going thing. Is the smell bad out in deck?

Thanks CoCo

I was on the Star on Nov 11.... the only time we smelled any odor inside the ship was occassionally in one of the elevators. The smell was occasional while sunning on deck but I never felt that it was horrific.

 

We had an oceanview room on the Plaza deck and never had any type of odor in our cabin.

 

I understand the concern and anger over the inability to use a balcony when you pay extra for it - but with an inside room I don't think you'll have the same problem. We had a great crusie on the Star! :D

[KauaiKris]

I was on the Star on Nov 11.... the only time we smelled any odor inside the ship was occassionally in one of the elevators. The smell was occasional while sunning on deck but I never felt that it was horrific.

 

We had an oceanview room on the Plaza deck and never had any type of odor in our cabin.

 

I understand the concern and anger over the inability to use a balcony when you pay extra for it - but with an inside room I don't think you'll have the same problem. We had a great crusie on the Star! :D

 

That's great. I want to hear the negatives I should be aware of about a cruise, but I also want to hear the positives, and the "it's not that bad" view points. I'm still hopeful that someone will say they had a forward starboard balcony cabin and that they didn't notice a smell of any kind! We're wanting to be comfortable spending time on our balcony!

[2manyplaces]

I just sent an email asking Princess for some assurance that this problem is being addressed. We'll see if anyone gets a response. Hopefully more people on future cruises will contact them so they will be responsive.

[RIGirl]

I was on the Star on Nov 11.... the only time we smelled any odor inside the ship was occassionally in one of the elevators. The smell was occasional while sunning on deck but I never felt that it was horrific.

 

We had an oceanview room on the Plaza deck and never had any type of odor in our cabin.

 

I understand the concern and anger over the inability to use a balcony when you pay extra for it - but with an inside room I don't think you'll have the same problem. We had a great crusie on the Star! :D

 

Nets33:

We are sailing on Star in Jan and have reserved an oceanview room on the Plaza deck. It's a catagory D room (I believe it's P311). How was the room and the location? I was a little surprised to see the 2nd highest catagory within oceanview rooms was down on the Plaza deck.

Thanks!

[RIGirl]

Btw, I also just sent an email regarding the smell aboard.

[Wileyd577]

Cabin D223 had the stink. I had booked an ultimate balcony dinner the

first day. It smelled like a sewage treatment plant in Ft Lauderdale. I

thought that perhaps they were "offloading" in port. The smell continued.

I had them cancel my $100.00 dinner and told them it was because the

Star stunk. They said very good and that was that. No answers. Nothing.

I put all of this in writing in what they describe as the very important

opinion form they give you at the end of the cruise. No response so far.

I understand things happen, and I am not going to let circumstances

mess up my vacation. (Jamaica-No problems mon, only situations). After

getting back and reading the reviews, and finding out that this has been

an ongoing situation that they have not addressed, I think they need

a wakeup call. There is a pink elephant farting in the living room, and

trying to act like there isn't is foolish and quite bad form in regards to

your PAYING guests. I love Princess and told them so. I have sailed the

Golden, Grand, and Carribean Princess. No stink. In the immortal words

of Albert Einstein, what up G?