Golden Princess 4/1/09 Hawaii-disappointed

[sassystyxfan]

Firstly, we had a GREAT time. We met some terrific new friends onboard and we always make the best out of our trips. I did want to share an exerpt from a letter that I sent to Princess and Carnival Corp. though:

 

"This letter is a formal response to our recent cruise and review comments on Golden Princess. We have sailed with Princess twice; our prior cruise being on the Island Princess. We have also sailed with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise lines.

We understand our sailing was the last cruise before Golden Princess goes into dry dock. We acknowledged the possible reasons for re-fit. We were prepared for some wear and tear on an older ship and understood Princess planned a dry dock to spruce up the Golden. We do not understand, however, the need for construction and dissemblance during our vacation. Princess Cruise Lines should have made its passengers aware of the lack of amenities we paid full price for: 1). part of the ship’s aft was tarped off and construction noise was more than evident (in other areas as well), 2). the casino was closed the entire return trip at sea to be stripped, and 3). decorations, plants, flowers and lighting were removed before the cruise was over. We do not appreciate being stripped of amenities and ambiance without prior notification and a discounted price. We paid the same amount as prior cruisers who received access to all areas of the ship and its activities.

We expected a much higher level of service from your company and are quite disappointed. We are considering whether or not Princess is a cruise line we will use in the future."

 

Now there were other things I mentioned such as a couple of crew members that we praised, but I think this is good information for future cruisers before a dry dock and another shot at Princess taking a look at how their customers feel.

If anyone would like to know more about this cruise, including ports, food, etc., I will be happy to answer any questions...

[Sea Fan]

Hi we were on the March 4th Cruise and all was well during those two weeks. I think I would also have been disappointed if they started dismantling during our long awaited vacation. My poor DH would have been very upset with the Casino being closed on our return to California. I think you have a valid complaint.

[Sillyjilly]

Good letter. Please let us know their response.

[RickEk]

The moral of the story... avoid the cruise before and after a refit. ;)

 

Seriously though, you have a very valid complaint and hopefully Princess will do the right thing.

[chrysalis]

Interesting situation....we are booked on the Tahitan Princess for the 32 days immediately prior to her drydock in Singapore....this is not an inexpensive cruise, and I would be very upset if they started to dismantle her while we were on board.

[lannp]

No casino? They lost a lot of money with it being closed not to mention the days around the islands. I would be disappointed not because I spend much time in the casino but you are at sea for 4 days and that's how some people choose to pass the time.

[Clutterlady]

I too would be upset!! Good letter, let us know the response:)

[DrivesLikeMario]

Can't blame you a bit for being upset. If the cruise was greatly reduced in price and passengers were informed of the changes going on while you'd be onboard, it'd be a different story.

 

Keep us posted on how they respond. I wonder what form letter you'll get? 52B? :p

[Sea Fan]

Interesting situation....we are booked on the Tahitan Princess for the 32 days immediately prior to her drydock in Singapore....this is not an inexpensive cruise, and I would be very upset if they started to dismantle her while we were on board.

 

And that's exactly it, the cruise after ours left March 18 returned on the 1st and said they had started work then. She said her biggest complaint was :

 

" The dry dock" work was taking place in advance on this cruise. Several days, as we sat on the stern area outside the Horizon Court to have a outdoor lunch, the sound of jackhammers and drilling on the deck above was overpowering. The arcade area was being dismantled throughout the cruise ( we didn't need it, of course, but it was one of the quickest passageways from aft to stern). Pools were closed for caulking and repairs, etc. We didn't pay less to be on a "working" cruise -- it wasn't expected and it wasn't right of Princess to get a "head start" this way, in my opinion."

 

Hope she doesn't mind me quoting her but it really concerns me.

How do you find out (Besides CC) when a ship is due in? Is it the Princess Web site?

[Toto2Kansas]

I commend you on a very well written letter to Princess.

And I totally see your point. I would have been unhappy had those things been done to a ship we sailed on also. And NO CASINO? With all those sea days and evenings? That would have really ticked me off.

 

I am sure you will receive a response from Princess, the letter was well written and not a rant! Best of luck, I hope you get a 'good' response from them (if you know what I mean) ;)

[49er]

Hi sassystyxfan,

I would be more then a little disappointed too. Great letter and I hope Princess does the right thing. I wonder if this is typical before a ship goes in for a major "refit". I was aware of the Golden's drydock schedule (thanks to CC) but I am sure the majority of the passengers on that cruise were caught off guard by the work initiated while still at sea! Good luck and be sure to let us know how things work out.

 

your neighbor "down the hill":-)

49er

[sassystyxfan]

Hi sassystyxfan,

I would be more then a little disappointed too. Great letter and I hope Princess does the right thing. I wonder if this is typical before a ship goes in for a major "refit". I was aware of the Golden's drydock schedule (thanks to CC) but I am sure the majority of the passengers on that cruise were caught off guard by the work initiated while still at sea! Good luck and be sure to let us know how things work out.

 

your neighbor "down the hill":-)

49er

 

Wow - we are neighbors! And I see you will be cruising on Golden in September. Please let us know how she turns out!

 

I'd also like to expand on issues that I didn't mention in the letter - just for your information:

 

1. The hammering and drilling everywhere was SO annoying.

2. The Internet cafe was moved into the card room on Deck 5. We could hardly squeeze by others to sit in the chairs in front of computers. The people who wanted to play games and cards were cramped as well.

3. The chapel was closed (also without any notice). We met people who learned this when they got on the ship. They had to renew their vows in the Wheelhouse Bar even though Princess was aware of their plans prior to sailing. I saw the chapel on the first day. There is no reason why they had to close it during the cruise. It looked fine - in fact there were still flowers in it when I walked by.

4. A funny story...A passenger ran up to a crew member and said, "Stop putting plastic over all the plants! I paid for those plants!" That is exactly how I felt.

5. We were at the adult pool and heard some noise above our heads (we were quietly reading on our lounge chairs). We were the only ones at the pool. We looked up to find crew members taking the lights off the cable that runs the length of the ship. That's part of what I meant about robbing us of our ambiance.

 

There were other little things, but I thought you would find these interesting.

 

Thank you all so much for responding and giving me a little more confidence in my letter writing skills. LOL!

[mauiedin87]

We were not sure if others felt the same way we did. It looks like we're not the only ones. (see my full review under ship reviews). Our cabin, specifically selected because of its location right above the wedding chapel, which we thought would be a quiet place, was o.k. and it was actually inexpensive, but we were more than surprised to be sitting on top of ongoing construction, with hammering, sawing, grinding, banging, tearing out etc. Judging from reading these posts, others also felt the same way about the cramped Internet Cafe (thank God we're skinny or we could never have squeezed into those chairs).

 

We knew about the Golden going into dry-dock beforehand. Our main complaint was the freezing temperature in all the public rooms. We were never comfortable (guess we should have thought of bringing heavy sweaters for a Hawaii trip ??!!) and actually both caught bronchitis. After 14 previous cruises, two of which were on the Island, this felt like Siberia! Also, we're more comfortable on smaller ships. With its 18 decks, the Golden is a "roller". I've never been seasick a day in my life, but I came close this time, even on a relatively low deck (Emerald) and amidships.

 

The parting shot was the chaotic disembarkation procedure, very disappointing after those on the Island. Our one suitcase managed to disappear under the wrong disembarkation color and wrong number. Others were frantically searching for their 4 pieces of luggage... Use the self-disembarkation option if you can! Much less stressful!!

 

We may go back to Royal Caribbean after this less than stellar experience.

[Colo Cruiser]

You both have very valid points. ;)

[kwcrnp]

We had a similar experience in 1996 on Carnival. It was a 10 day cruise and it was going to dry dock after our trip. I'm not sure why going to dry dock would limit the food, but they ran out of things like milk, sliced bread by day 7. They began chipping off cracked/peeling paint, at 5am! After many complaints, they backed it up to 6am. One pool was closed the entire trip for sandblasting and 1 outside bar and the ice cream bar were also closed. Several areas were tarped off.

 

We had a great trip, completely despite the actual ship/crew. But we'll not do Carnival again. I would definitely recommend avoiding sailings just before dry-dock.

[kooljamming]

I hope they offer you a decent credit for the inconvenience. Unless there was a specific dry-dock discount on this sailing, clearly you did not get what you paid or bargained for. For some this might have been the first or only cruise for a long time. It's sad that they could be this inconsiderate:( I think you should at least get the opportunity to go back and sail on the ship post dry dock, courtesy of Princess, of course...JMOP.

Good Luck!

[Squire5000]

We were scheduled to be on the 4/1 Golden cruise to Hawaii but canceled in January as our daughter got laid off and we felt we might have to help out. Also the overall state of the economy factored into our plans.

 

I feel for those of you that were inconvenienced on your cruise but we're so glad we canceled. A heads up for future cruisers booked before or after a dry dock.

[harlee3]

I hope princess, refunds you part of your fare. They should have discounted the fare, and made passengers aware of the situation.

I took the golden in nov. and had a wonderful time.

I will pay close attention if a ship is going into dry dock.

Maybe we should start a thread about dry docking ships.It seemed\the staff was not very caring towards the passengers.

Let us know, how it comes out.

elaine and george:(

[KevintheIrishDJ]

Years ago, Cunard did not finish the refitting of the QEII on schedule. They decided to go ahead with the next scheduled cruise and continue the work during th cruise. The horror stories were all over the papers. I decided that I would never go on another Cunard cruise given their total disregard fo their passengers.

 

I never thought Princess would be so stupid as to repeat this error.

[Cozzette2]

How dissapointing. It is like going to someones home for your Christmas celebration only to get there and the oven is being cleaned and all the decorations are being taken down. It is not what you bargained for or expected.

I sure hope they make it right.

[cherylandtk]

Thanks to all of you who posted your experiences; I now know to carefully check drydock schedules and change-of-itineraries before choosing my cruise week. I am sorry you had to suffer through a 'working' cruise, and would hope that Princess makes it right.

[judyjudy56]

We were on the previous Golden cruise and they were beginning the tear out of the video game area while we were on. I heard that the casino was going to be closed on your cruise and was surprised. Based on how busy the casino was on our cruise, I am sure Princess lost a lot of money. What a shame to have your cruise so disrupted. I hope Princess pays attention to your letter.

[Woodmnky]

Very well written letter. I commend you on articulately voicing valid complaints.

It makes no sense to me why Princess would upset this many people that I am sure they would like to keep as future customers.

If they would have notified people prior to booking the cruise that these things were taking place and take the appropriate steps (lower fares, OBC, free drinks, ect) people would be a lot happier. I can't imagine the number of people that got off the ship thinking that they would never cruise and/or cruise Princess again.

I will certainly check on refurb timing before I book another cruise.

[3k9zmom]

Can anyone tell me if there is a specific place on CC that lists dry dock dates? I guess we got lucky when we sailed on the Regal in 2001, and we were the last cruise before dry dock in Sydney. We had a wonderful time (except for our caberet singer dying from a massive heart attack mid-way through the cruise....) My mother cruises much more than my DH and I, so it would be nice to let her know these things.

BTW, Sassy, I live in PP as well! "Nature's Wonderland"

KATHY

[Toto2Kansas]

Can anyone tell me if there is a specific place on CC that lists dry dock dates? I guess we got lucky when we sailed on the Regal in 2001, and we were the last cruise before dry dock in Sydney. We had a wonderful time (except for our caberet singer dying from a massive heart attack mid-way through the cruise....) My mother cruises much more than my DH and I, so it would be nice to let her know these things.

BTW, Sassy, I live in PP as well! "Nature's Wonderland"

KATHY

 

Not that I have ever found. Most just post their ship and ask if anyone knows the date of the next scheduled dry/wet dock. ;)