Golden Princess -Dec 5th

[DOUGLASH]

Just got a response from Princess regarding the Dec 5th sailing on the Golden Princess out of San Juan. Overall the cruise was good with the highlights being the overall ship facilities, food and service. In my opinion the entertainment and shipboard activities fell considerably short compared to NCL, Celebrity, and RCL. (The Champagne Waterfall palled in comparison to the midnight desert/chocoholic buffets on the other cruises.) The reason for my letter to Princess was to express my extreme disappointment in the canceling of the port at the last minute (La Guaira-Caracas) with no backup plan. We specifically chose the cruise because it had 5 ports of call and were looking forward to exploring the city of Caracas on the ship's tour though we would have been content on spending time in Margarita Island or any other port. We previously cruised out of San Juan on the Celebrity Constellation (my favorite cruise to date) and the Norwegian Sky. The response from Princess was very business like stating that the cruise documents specifically state the ports of call can change at the last minute and the cruise line is not responsible for such changes and offered no compensation of any kind. I would have been content with an onboard credit for a future cruise. My argument, which I clearly stated was Princess prematurely decided to change the itinerary back to La Guaira from Isla Margarita, given the political situation in the region, which had not improved with no contingency plan. Hence I feel Princess holds some responsibility for the canceling of the port, which the Captain stated, was due to some conflict between the local harbor and port master. I can't say I will never cruise Princess again but it definitely won't be my first choice. Right now looking at RCL Voyager of Seas to Bermuda and NCL Jewel to Western Caribbean. BON VOYAGE...

[crisp1]

I feel bad for you and all those on your cruise.Since that week the Golden has switched to Isla Margarita, which has mixed reviews. With only 4 hours in port, it makes it difficult to see the entire island. What is perplexing to me is the fact that Princess still has La Guaira listed as the POC. For those who don't check out boards like this, it could become a major disappointment. I agree that Princess should have offered a token for the change, but didn't they give you some credit etc. during the cruise?

[DOUGLASH]

To answer your question they did not provide any token for us on the extra day we spent at sea. We did stay in Aruba an extra couple of hours the next day. Instead of departing at 5p we left at 7p. which really didnt make a big difference. I totally agree with you Princess is advertising this cruise under false pretenses by enticing cruisers that they they will be going to an exotic South American port when in fact this far from the truth.

[crisp1]

I think the ship is also spending an extra hour or so in Grenada now