Live - From the Sweltering Hot Grand Princess 11/19/11

[Pumba's mom]

Please keep us updated on the status of the a/c as I will be traveling on the Grand for the first time this Saturday. Any other info appreciated.

[italian boater]

Does your screen name imply that you are a fellow Bills fan in South FL? What a no-show by the Bills yesterday :eek:

 

I spoke with the Circle Host this morning and she took lengthy notes that she input into her computer in what I assume was an email to facillities. The room is between cool and hot right now. Way cooler than yesterday afternoon, but still much warmer than it should be with the thermostat all the way down to cold. I will keep you posted on progress. We should be arriving in San Juan in another few hours, so we will be off the ship for the warmest part of the day.

We will be on the Grand after you get off. Sorry to hear of your hardship while on a cruise. Nothing to do but make the best of it. Hope things are getting better though.

Do you know if the Grand still has the special drink prices of 3.99 and what times? Also if you get the chance please check out the aft pool on the Aloah deck, wondering if it is still a adult pool and does it stay pretty well crowded? Let us know what you did in San Juan as we are planning to just walk around a bit. Would appreciate any input you can help with. Thanks...................Joya/B]

[jean s]

Please do update us. We are cruising on the Grand soon and I would have a very difficult time with a situation like this. I am really bothered by the heat and this would affect my entire vacation.

[OCruisers]

:o Keep us posted! Hopefully, it'll be cooler in your cabin soon ....

[shofer]

We were on the Grand 4 yrs ago and we never could get our cabin to really cool down.

We were in A 429. Next time we are in C309 and hope the AC is working.

 

How are the balcony floors on Caribe deck? Previous postings indicated painted metal and a tendency to flood. How do the room/bathrooms look?

 

Going on the Grand in 66 days, but who's counting. LOL.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

First never had a problem requesting a meeting with hotel manager, you might need to wait a day or two and give details of why, but have always

ben seen also had all issues fixed.

 

Have a cabin to hot, was offered another, also have had heating and vent.

officer attend cabin never met him, but card was pined to wall along with

flowers, wine etc and a sorry,

 

cabin went from to hot, to fridge.

 

yours Shogun

[CRLess]

Greetings from St Thomas, USVI. We are just an hour or so away from sailing for Princess Cays and I wanted to pop on here to bring everyone up to date on the A/C status and answer some of the questions you have asked.

The A/C is still an issue. As I type this, the A/C has been off in the room for the last few hours. I spent about 30 minutes with the Circle Hostess on Monday. She took a bunch of notes and put a formal complaint into the system. I was contacted by Francisco from the Passenger Services Desk to ask for more input. That evening one of the maintenance workers came by and made some “adjustments” to the sensor, which led to marginal improvement. Yesterday, I went down to visit Francisco again and he informed me that it is not expected to be resolved until later today (Wednesday). Apparently, the “Zone 2” system is going through a major overhaul. They are fixing the issues deck by deck, and deck 10 was scheduled for completion today. I heard the A/C in our room shut down around 2PM today. Francisco called the room about 3PM to see if the problem was resolved. I told him that not only was it not resolved, but the A/C was totally off again. He told me that the issue was expected to be completely resolved by 6PM today and that he would follow-up later today. I will let everyone know how this is finally resolved, if it ever is!

Cam – We have not gone to any of the shows yet. We caught the tail end of the comedian the other night and had a few laughs. We are planning to attend the Comedy Showtime starring Jean Boucher tonight, so that will be our first actual interaction with the cruise staff.

Italian Boat –Not sure about the cheaper drinks at night, but I do believe they are happening. I know they are offering the specials for the platinum and elite passengers with a drink of the day and appetizers. That is happening in Club One5 daily before dinner Because of how rough the seas were on the way down to San Juan, only a few of the pools were open. The far aft pool was the “Family Pool” not the usual Adult Pool. We are not fans of San Juan so not the best people to ask about what to do. We walked around for a while and had a Pina Colada at Barrachina’s.

Shofer – The balcony floors are metal. There is no blue padding on this ship on the balconies like on some of the newer ships. We have not experienced any flooding, although the entire balcony area is covered in salt due to the rough seas we had. The rooms and bathrooms are all in good shape. Having not been on the older Grand Class ships in some time, I forgot their layout was slightly different than the newer class of ships. This applies to the closet and bathroom area only. The room layout is identical from what I remember.

Oh my, the A/C just kicked on! Stay tuned for if it is truly fixed.

[TracieABD]

Keeping my fingers crossed that this resolves itself soon for you...:)

[italian boater]

Greetings from St Thomas, USVI. We are just an hour or so away from sailing for Princess Cays and I wanted to pop on here to bring everyone up to date on the A/C status and answer some of the questions you have asked.

The A/C is still an issue. As I type this, the A/C has been off in the room for the last few hours. I spent about 30 minutes with the Circle Hostess on Monday. She took a bunch of notes and put a formal complaint into the system. I was contacted by Francisco from the Passenger Services Desk to ask for more input. That evening one of the maintenance workers came by and made some “adjustments” to the sensor, which led to marginal improvement. Yesterday, I went down to visit Francisco again and he informed me that it is not expected to be resolved until later today (Wednesday). Apparently, the “Zone 2” system is going through a major overhaul. They are fixing the issues deck by deck, and deck 10 was scheduled for completion today. I heard the A/C in our room shut down around 2PM today. Francisco called the room about 3PM to see if the problem was resolved. I told him that not only was it not resolved, but the A/C was totally off again. He told me that the issue was expected to be completely resolved by 6PM today and that he would follow-up later today. I will let everyone know how this is finally resolved, if it ever is!

Cam – We have not gone to any of the shows yet. We caught the tail end of the comedian the other night and had a few laughs. We are planning to attend the Comedy Showtime starring Jean Boucher tonight, so that will be our first actual interaction with the cruise staff.

Italian Boat –Not sure about the cheaper drinks at night, but I do believe they are happening. I know they are offering the specials for the platinum and elite passengers with a drink of the day and appetizers. That is happening in Club One5 daily before dinner Because of how rough the seas were on the way down to San Juan, only a few of the pools were open. The far aft pool was the “Family Pool” not the usual Adult Pool. We are not fans of San Juan so not the best people to ask about what to do. We walked around for a while and had a Pina Colada at Barrachina’s.

Shofer – The balcony floors are metal. There is no blue padding on this ship on the balconies like on some of the newer ships. We have not experienced any flooding, although the entire balcony area is covered in salt due to the rough seas we had. The rooms and bathrooms are all in good shape. Having not been on the older Grand Class ships in some time, I forgot their layout was slightly different than the newer class of ships. This applies to the closet and bathroom area only. The room layout is identical from what I remember.

Oh my, the A/C just kicked on! Stay tuned for if it is truly fixed.

Thanks for the update on the AC situation. Sounds like keeping up with the problem is all you can do but I would think in the end there should be some compensation for the time spent on your cruise being not only uncomfortable but busy with taking time out to get the problem resolved, if it ever will be, as we may have the problem when we board on the 26th we are in A715 aft but don't know where the AC problem will come up next. I think it is good you are working with the Cruise Circle Hostess.

Thanks for the drink special update however we are just some of the lonely Golden members. If you get the chance and have time please check out the aft pool on the aloha deck.....Thanks.......Joya

[italian boater]

Thanks for the update on the AC situation. Sounds like keeping up with the problem is all you can do but I would think in the end there should be some compensation for the time spent on your cruise being not only uncomfortable but busy with taking time out to get the problem resolved, if it ever will be, as we may have the problem when we board on the 26th we are in A715 aft but don't know where the AC problem will come up next. I think it is good you are working with the Cruise Circle Hostess.

Thanks for the drink special update however we are just some of the lonely Golden members. If you get the chance and have time please check out the aft pool on the aloha deck.....Thanks.......Joya

Sorry I saw you already answered the aft pool question bummer we booked that stateroom specially thinking it was adult pool only. So much for the Princess info and deck plans...........Joya

[ellenstarr]

Thanks for the updates. How's the weather been? Any recommendations for can't miss things on the ship or in any of the ports? I've done this itinerary before, but it didn't include San Juan last time. I'll be getting on the ship Saturday, so excited!

[tothemall&beyond]

We had same problem a few years ago with 2 different inside cabins on Caribe deck aboard Coral during an early May Alaskan cruise (ie., 30 degrees outside). The sweat was dripping off our bodies as we tried to dress for dinner each night. We had to repeatedly complain for more than 3 days and they were never able to resolve problem. We wrote to Princess as soon as we got home, and they issued us FCCs.

 

Then had same problem on a Plaza deck inside cabin aboard Golden on a Hawaii cruise. That time, they were able to lower the temp after several tries.

 

I've heard it's purposeful - as a way to conserve fuel, they're keeping thermostats set higher.

[AliceS]

The name of the Hotel Manager would have been included in the patter on the first day. Send him or her a note and tell them about the issue and what your experience has been. I hope that it gets resolved for your sake and for mine, I'll be on Caribe deck in the 200's in January.

[shofer]

thanks for the update on the balconies. Hopefully they will be complete before we sail.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Nothing worse than your A/C not working properly.... I hate a hot and stuffy room... could you perhaps move to another room.... start jumping up and down and see what happens, maybe they have a vacant suite! :D

[TwinCruiserMom]

CRLess,

 

I've got my fingers crossed that your AC is finally fixed :)

 

Our cruise is coming up in 9 days and I had a few questions for you. I am pretty sure our cruise has the same schedule as yours with the same ships on each day.

 

Did you dock at Crown Bay in St. Thomas?

 

Was St. Martin very crowded?

 

What time did you arrive in San Juan? Were you on time at 4pm or did you arrive earlier?

 

How wide are the closets? I read your post about the closet/bathroom area being different.

 

I appreciate all of the information you have shared about your cruise. Hope you have good luck for the rest of your time aboard the Grand!

[Coral]

Sorry I saw you already answered the aft pool question bummer we booked that stateroom specially thinking it was adult pool only. So much for the Princess info and deck plans...........Joya

 

We ran into this on the Sapphire once. There were 2 Officers talking - I mentioned it to them and one said "of course it should be adults only" - this officer had just gotten on the ship -- and the other one didn't know. Within hours, they put signs out that said Adults Only.

 

It is worth a try. I would bring the documentation (Princess info) with you and maybe someone will work with you.

[italian boater]

We ran into this on the Sapphire once. There were 2 Officers talking - I mentioned it to them and one said "of course it should be adults only" - this officer had just gotten on the ship -- and the other one didn't know. Within hours, they put signs out that said Adults Only.

 

It is worth a try. I would bring the documentation (Princess info) with you and maybe someone will work with you.

For the life of me I cannot find Grand Princess info stating the Terrace Pool being a Adult Pool, but when I booked through Princess the rep. said it was a adult pool. Any help on were this is documented would be greatly appreciated. Thanks........Joya

[Coral]

For the life of me I cannot find Grand Princess info stating the Terrace Pool being a Adult Pool, but when I booked through Princess the rep. said it was a adult pool. Any help on were this is documented would be greatly appreciated. Thanks........Joya

 

I can't find any either.

 

When I mentioned it - I didn't have any documentation but said "every Princess ship I have been on have had signs".....

 

Maybe email Customer Service and ask and if they respond correctly, bring that with you.

 

If you are going during non-holiday times, it may not be an issue. Even with signs last Christmas on the Sapphire, I had a difficult time getting it enforced but eventually did!

[italian boater]

I can't find any either.

 

When I mentioned it - I didn't have any documentation but said "every Princess ship I have been on have had signs".....

 

Maybe email Customer Service and ask and if they respond correctly, bring that with you.

 

If you are going during non-holiday times, it may not be an issue. Even with signs last Christmas on the Sapphire, I had a difficult time getting it enforced but eventually did!

Thanks much, we are going on the Grand this Saturday, Eastern Caribbean so maybe not so much a issue. I would contact CS but probably not enough time for a reply. I did find something on the internet stating it's a adult pool but not on a Princess site. I will do my best if the situation arises.............Thanks Again.................Joya

[Coral]

Thanks much, we are going on the Grand this Saturday, Eastern Caribbean so maybe not so much a issue. I would contact CS but probably not enough time for a reply. I did find something on the internet stating it's a adult pool but not on a Princess site. I will do my best if the situation arises.............Thanks Again.................Joya

 

Enjoy your cruise! I was supposed to be on the ship this week and next but couldn't make it work with my schedule. I don't expect there will be many kids next week.

[SwissDave]

On the Grand in Europe (at least) it has never been consistent. One sailing the covered pool was adult only, then the next the aft pool was adult only.

[AliceS]

I'm on the Grand in January and we are to leave FLL at 4PM. Is that the time that your cruise left port? If so, when was the muster drill? Thanks Alice

[CRLess]

We made it back to our house around 9:30AM this morning. What a treat it was to step into a nice cool room! I don't want to leave anyone with an impression that we had a horrible time, because we didn't. It was the first time in many years that DW and I went away by ourselves...so that in iteself was worth the price of admission! There were many things that we enjoyed about the ship and a few things that we didn't. I will address all of that in a separate review when I get a few minutes spare time. I just want to bring everyone up to date on the status of the A/C problem in our room (and several rooms around us). Some of this will be repetitive, but I wanted to provide a total recap because there were some people on board that were extremely helpful and deserve praise, but the situation was well beyond their control.

When we boarded the ship on Saturday and got to our cabin (C227), one of the first things we noticed was how warm it was inside. When we talked to our Steward (Rolex) about this, he told us it was because there were so many doors to the ship open on turnaround day, Even after departure, it never really cooled down sufficiently and made dressing for dinner an interesting affair...imagine taking a cool shower and drying off, only to start sweating again. As stated previously, I went to the Passenger Services Desk on Sunday and expressed my concern. On Monday, after the advice of several of you folks on CC, I met with the Captain’s Circle Hostess, Dawn, and she fully documented the situation. The A/C issue continued for most of the week, with the system shutting down completely in the afternoon, a phone call to the PSD and then it eventually coming back on just as we were getting dressed for dinner. The only night that I recall it not being a “problem” was Thursday (Thanksgiving) as we were able to dress for formal night without sweating to death, although it still wasn’t really cool in the room. I received a call from Francisco at the PSD that afternoon and I told him the problem appeared to be better. By Friday mid-day, I received a call to come down to the PSD to talk. I was offered a small on-board credit to compensate for the issue. Within an hour of getting back to the room, the A/C crashed again. I immediately went back to the PSD and informed them that the A/C was completely off. Within a few hours, the room was the hottest it had been all week. I went back downstairs again, and this time, six days into the cruise, the Deck Manager (Manny) finally came to the room. He walked in the room, saw how incredibly hot it was, made a quick phone call to confirm our issue and went back into the hallway. He was immediately confronted by another passenger 2 cabins down, who really let him have it as she was having the same issue.

Last night before bed, Francisco encouraged me to write to the home office and this morning in the Platinum/Elite lounge Dawn suggested the same thing. I plan to contact the home office in the next day or so and will let everyone know how they handle the situation. I may have skipped a detail or two here, but I have good notes for when I communicate with the home office.

If anyone has any questions about the situation, or specifics of the cruise, I will do my best to answer them.

[jean s]

Please let us know what kind of response you get from the corporate office. I have a cruise coming up soon on the Grand and hopefully they will have fixed this issue.