I had a Hawaii cruise booked on Princess that I canceled today. I wrote to them on four separate occasions about the crucial need for my husband to have vegan or vegetarian food, and to my dismay, did not receive a single reply to any of my emails (I believe waiting three months for a reply is more than reasonable). We had a previous experience, about 5 years ago, when we took our first cruise with Princess. The 'vegetarian' options on the menu contained parmesan cheese, which is made with rennet, an enzyme taken from the stomachs of cows or sheep. The kitchen did try to accommodate us, but since they could not disclose the ingredients, it led to a very distressing week. When I returned home I wrote to Princess and received a reply from customer service that was both unsettling and alarming. I was informed that they offer what they consider to be vegetarian food and that passengers consume the food they offer at their own risk. I should emphasize that my husband has a condition that could potentially lead to hospitalization, as it had done in the past, so the concern about meeting dietary needs was not trivial.
I looked at Princess again and thought that perhaps after five years, things had changed. To be proactive, I wrote to Princess explaining his physical condition and our past cruise experience with them. Silence. There was no response to my initial email or the three follow-up emails.
I recently booked a Holland America cruise to Hawaii and specified the dietary restrictions. I received an email back with the email address of their special needs department. To my pleasant surprise, within 24 hours, I received a personalized, detailed response outlining exactly what they would do to accommodate the diet and who I should speak to when we boarded the ship. They assured me that they take dietary needs very seriously, a stark contrast to my experience with Princess Cruises.
I know that many people here have had wonderful experiences with Princess. Our friends are very loyal to Princess. I'm also sure that others with dietary needs have had excellent experiences with Princess. But as they say, "Once burned, twice cautious." It could have been a redeemable situation had they responded to my emails.
This posting is not about the merits of Princess vs. Holland America. I did not cancel our Princess booking because" cruise line—they're not. They're a very good cruise line in all respects except for this. This posting is about listening and responsiveness to needs. I canceled based on personal experience and their lack of response to me. I canceled because, for our needs, I simply don't trust them.