Beware of Golden Princess - Poor dining service

[chasetf]

......I will NEVER cruise on Princess again, but if you think I'm a whiner and my complaints are not important to you then by all means, go on Princess. I'll wave to you from my lovely Royal Caribbean cabin.

Well, guess there is only one thing to say...................................BYE. :D

[dlp252]

We have been Blue, Gold, Platinum and black anf the level of service has remained the same, however, we do often get "nice to see you back" from some of the staff.

 

Ron

 

Yeah, even as a blue and gold cruiser I've had pretty good service...not perfect, just overall very good.

 

Have you ever sailed on a different cruise line or just Princess? Would be good to know so we can put your comments in perspective. You don't know what you don't know....and if you've only sailed on Princess, well, that is a big clue. :cool:

 

Sorry to stick my nose in here...but I will, lol. The original post wasn't about comparison to other lines it was a statement about a specific ship. I've only sailed on Princess and I'm the first to say they are not perfect, but neither is anything else in life, and I'm quite sure the other lines also have their down points. Still, overall, my dining service (and other service as well) has been very good.

[vplsh]

I noticed a few of you cruised on the Golden Princess a LONG time ago. Trust me, a lot has changed on Golden. We chatted with an older couple who had completed 10+ cruises with Princess and they agreed 100% the Anytime Dining service on the Golden during the busy March/April spring break 2008 season was the absolute WORST they had ever seen. They actually were apologizing to me and other passengers while we waited for dining tables and told us "Princess is usually very good, we've never seen anything like this. I'm so sorry, this is not up to Princess standards." Please don't discount others opinions based on one Golden cruise that you took years ago. ;) I wouldn't take the time to make this post if my comments were anything but completely true.....I think others need to know what to expect on Golden nowadays!

 

We sailed the week before you and I can't believe the service/food changed so dramatically overnight! We had the best service of any cruise (definitely better than our Navigator cruise in December) and some terrific food. You really seem to have met some negative people as well- guess negativity breeds negativity.

[coiran]

I don't know if this was the OP's first cruise, but perhaps, she went aboard with higher than usual expectations. This can happen if you read all the brochuress that the cruiselines put out.

Ron

[Ethel5]

We have been Blue, Gold, Platinum and black anf the level of service has remained the same, however, we do often get "nice to see you back" from some of the staff.

Ron

 

If I didn't get good/great service while I was Blue/Gold, I would have never stuck around to reach black!!!:D

[spongerob]

If I didn't get good/great service while I was Blue/Gold, I would have never stuck around to reach black!!!:D

Well I agree, but in fairness to the OP, one of the worst dining experiences I have had on Princess was on the Golden, but prior to that trip, one of the very best I have had was also on the Golden. Go figure.

 

One week on a ship isn't enough to judge an entire cruise line, just that particular cruise.

[LARGIN]

I agree with Rob.. We have not been on Golden but we have been on the Dawn 3 times. Twice the service and food were fantastic, the third time not so good. Would I stop sailing on Princess? Nope!

[spongerob]

Dining is only part of the story. The biggest reason we've stayed with Princess is all the great people we have met, and the chance to meet more in the future.

[coiran]

Dining is only part of the story. The biggest reason we've stayed with Princess is all the great people we have met, and the chance to meet more in the future.

 

You haven't met us yet!!! However, we are looking forward to the day we do meet!!

Ron

[nijh]

Water glasses not being filled? I have 2 ways of rectifying that - both fixed to my shoulders!

 

Yeah - I pay money to be waited on, but if I'm thirsty I'll pour the drink and not think twice about it, and not think the waiter is remiss either.

 

Forgetting to bring a drink ordered from the bar is something that really does irk me though.

[Colo Cruiser]

You haven't met us yet!!! However, we are looking forward to the day we do meet!!

 

Ron

 

 

In the Parallel? :)

[newmexicoNita]

I remember you, Nita! I'm trying to think what cruise we might have in common. I noticed you sailed on NCL in 2005. Same here. The Star to Alaska. Now THAT'S a ship with poor dining service! Among other things. :eek: Anyway, I hope I can recall how I happened to "know you" here. :)

 

Hi, I may have met you or you may have just read my many posts, my mouth is always flapping: no, we didn't do the Star in Alaska, we did do her to Mexican Riv last fall. Our service was middle of the road on her. Certainly nothing like you must have experienced, but we have had better. it was hit or miss; in the past 7 years I have cruised: NCL Star, Sun (3 times) Jewel, Sea, Star, Sky, HALs Amsterdam, RCI, Princes, and the Golden. I think that is it as far as I can remember. Oh, no, also Celebrity's Conny and Zenith.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

Water glasses not being filled? I have 2 ways of rectifying that - both fixed to my shoulders!

 

Yeah - I pay money to be waited on, but if I'm thirsty I'll pour the drink and not think twice about it, and not think the waiter is remiss either.

 

Forgetting to bring a drink ordered from the bar is something that really does irk me though.

when I see this gripe and I do often on other thread (my water glass wasn't filled) I wonder if these cruisers have a tongue? if they do, all the have to say is< more water please when you have time.

 

Nita

[coiran]

In the Parallel? :)

 

Hopefully in the Positive Parrallel world!!

Ron

[lv2cruiseanywhere]

We were on the Golden Princess March 22/29 with a party of nine cruising to the Mexican Riviera. We were cruising with three grandkids for the first time, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What great service! Renzo, from Italy, in early fixed-dining went out of his way for us. Our grandson, age six, only likes strawberry ice cream for dessert and Renzo made sure Troy had it each night, without exception.

 

The whole dining experience for us was wonderful. Six adults and kids age 11, 6 and 3. They also loved the Princess Pelican and Shockwave programs.

 

We had been on the Golden two years ago in New England and have booked the Golden for Hawaii in January 2009 using a FCC.

 

Sorry you had a bad experience.

[karatemom2]

Gosh I almost missed this thread since I was too busy getting great service on the Golden this last week. We had Anytime Dining and we NEVER waited. We were seated immediately upon entering the dining room each evening of our cruise and we never made a reservation this trip. We had different servers most nights and they were all very efficient, brought our drinks, kept our water glasses filled and delivered our food nice and hot, (well except for the chilled soups.;) ) I can say without hesitation that the food quality on the Golden was the best we have had on any of our cruises. None of us had one bad meal. Usually I can look back at a cruise and think of one or two items that I didn't like or didn't meet my expectations, but that honestly is not the case with our cruise on the Golden last week.

 

It's too bad the OP's experience was so different, but I can say with complete sincerity that it sounds like they were on a different ship.

[coiran]

It's too bad the OP's experience was so different, but I can say with complete sincerity that it sounds like they were on a different ship.

 

Same ship but it probably was the Golden that exists in the other parrallel world.

 

Ron

[PescadoAmarillo]

It is not about PARALLEL worlds.

 

As I posted several pages ago, 12 out of 14 of our Anytime Dining experiences on the Golden in January were very good to excellent. Two were quite bad, and at one of those, our tablemates stated that that had been their experience every night.

 

Really, folks, there ARE bad dining experiences to be had on the Golden Princess, and, I'm sure, on every ship and every cruise line.

 

Is it so impossible to understand that, if someone had that same bad experience every night, or even the majority of nights, they might feel compelled to honestly say so on these boards?

 

Is it so hard to accept that every bad dining experience is not a reflection of the diners' attitudes, but sometimes even IN SPITE OF the diners' attitudes?

 

Can't some of you understand that the OP saying that their experience was bad does not detract from the veracity of your statements that your dining experience was good or excellent?

 

This is not a contest. There is not only one winning opinion.

[coiran]

It is not about PARALLEL worlds.

 

As I posted several pages ago, 12 out of 14 of our Anytime Dining experiences on the Golden in January were very good to excellent. Two were quite bad, and at one of those, our tablemates stated that that had been their experience every night.

 

Really, folks, there ARE bad dining experiences to be had on the Golden Princess, and, I'm sure, on every ship and every cruise line.

 

Is it so impossible to understand that, if someone had that same bad experience every night, or even the majority of nights, they might feel compelled to honestly say so on these boards?

 

Is it so hard to accept that every bad dining experience is not a reflection of the diners' attitudes, but sometimes even IN SPITE OF the diners' attitudes?

 

Can't some of you understand that the OP saying that their experience was bad does not detract from the veracity of your statements that your dining experience was good or excellent?

 

This is not a contest. There is not only one winning opinion.

 

I understand your comments, but, how do you explain the fact that there were several other people on the same ship, same cruise that had excellent service and food? Why was just one person given bad`sevice and subpar food?

Ron

[bdjam]

It is not about PARALLEL worlds.

 

As I posted several pages ago, 12 out of 14 of our Anytime Dining experiences on the Golden in January were very good to excellent. Two were quite bad, and at one of those, our tablemates stated that that had been their experience every night.

Hence my recommendation to stay away from inconsistent Anytime Dining experiences. If you want the freedom to dine when you want, then you take your chances.

Really, folks, there ARE bad dining experiences to be had on the Golden Princess, and, I'm sure, on every ship and every cruise line.

It's not the experience that is the issue with this thread, it's the way it was communicated in the first post - the second more reasonable one would have resulted in an entirely different thread.

Is it so impossible to understand that, if someone had that same bad experience every night, or even the majority of nights, they might feel compelled to honestly say so on these boards?

What is impossible to understand is why they didn't do something about it on the ship rather than coming back here to complain. The way the tale was told, it seems that Princess doesn't give a damn about its passengers or the service provided on board - we all know that's not true. And if it is, we're stupid to pay the cruise fare.

Is it so hard to accept that every bad dining experience is not a reflection of the diners' attitudes, but sometimes even IN SPITE OF the diners' attitudes?

Yes it is. Those who work the dining room have many years of experience in crew and officer mess halls before they get out into the main passenger dining room. The way the original post was written, there didn't seem to be much room for any variations in experience - it's only after the original poster got pummelled that she relented and indicated that it might be a management issue rather than a service issue (i.e., didn't remove auto tips).

Can't some of you understand that the OP saying that their experience was bad does not detract from the veracity of your statements that your dining experience was good or excellent?

Huh?

This is not a contest. There is not only one winning opinion.

Right - everyone's got an opinion...some are based in fact, some are not.

[BJS]

I understand your comments, but, how do you explain the fact that there were several other people on the same ship, same cruise that had excellent service and food? Why was just one person given bad`sevice and subpar food?

Ron

 

Apparently the table that the OP was sitting at contributed to their experience. From what I'm reading the waiter was not able to cope with his assigned tables "basically seemed like very junior employees who were still learning the dining room routine". Occasionally we have had substandard service but we would never allow ourselves to be seated at that wait station for a second night because continual service of that quality would detract from a positive cruise experience. Yes, they do have to learn but that is what breakfast and lunch service is all about and not dinner service. As for food that is not hot that is the wait staff's problem - they should have returned the food and obtianed hot food for the OP.

 

I agree just because of the OP's experience that shouldn't be the guage to judge the entire ship. The OP had a bad experience and wants everyone to know about it. Reading other's opinions or about their experiences should only broaden ones knowledge of what they might experience and never should it be assumed that they will have similar ones.

 

The several others that posted opposite view points apparently had qualified servers and a positive experience just like the 139 in the poll who answered that they have.

 

.

[bdjam]

Yes, they do have to learn but that is what breakfast and lunch service is all about and not dinner service. As for food that is not hot that is the wait staff's problem - they should have returned the food and obtianed hot food for the OP.

Just to reiterate, the staff in the dining rooms start training in the crew and officer's dining rooms on board - once they've become accomplished, they are moved to the dining room. The same thing happens with room stewards, they start on the crew and officers.

 

All that being said, I think Princess does stretch their crew and staff so that if everything doesn't go almost perfect, service issues result. Most of the time, Princess is able to control things so they run almost perfect. The question becomes whether people want to pay a little more so that Princess can more adequately staff it's fleet - or whether they want to live with the few service abnormalities that crop up - and that really shouldn't detract from the overall cruise experience if the passenger knows how to deal with them.

[junglejane]

This is not a contest. There is not only one winning opinion.

 

No, it's not a contest. But the OP did decide to attach a POLL to the thread. A poll with only two choices: Golden Dining is "awful" vs. "we were pleased." That contributed to the thread taking on an us vs. them appearance. I've followed this thread and think it's interesting that the percentages have held pretty steady throughout: 10% saying they had an "awful" experience and 90% saying they were pleased.

 

--Junglejane

[PescadoAmarillo]

...and that really shouldn't detract from the overall cruise experience if the passenger knows how to deal with them.

Perhaps you should educate everyone who cruises with Princess how to deal with every sub-stellar experience they might encounter, because apparantly you feel qualified to repeatedly criticize the way that people have or haven't dealt with issues while onboard.

 

Perhaps you should lay out guidelines so that every passenger can determine if a bad wait staff experience in the dining room is a "management issue" or a "service issue" (as if the distinction really matters...they're ALL management issues).

 

Sorry, but I stand by my opinions (which, by the way, are based on the facts as I've experienced them). People are speaking honestly when they say they've had excellent dining experiences on the Golden. Those that state otherwise are also telling the truth. To anyone with an open mind, it's entirely understandable.

[coiran]

We have, on a few rare occassions had slow service, however, it was not the wait staff. The dining room headwaiters do not always fill the tables properly. It sometimes takes them 30 minutes to fill a table which should not happen, especialy when you are at a half filled table and they start seating at tables adjacent to you. The wait staff, then, unless told will wait till the table is filled to start serving courses.

 

Ron