More bad news on Sea Princess

[Gatsby121]

My Dear Wife and I sailed on Sea Princess in 2012 from San Francisco to Sydney and I will NEVER AGAIN sail on her.... She was in need of refit then and (some of) the staff were ignorant Pigs.... I asked for pizza from the pizza restaurant and was told that I HAD to eat it in the restaurant....... by a waiter from Portugal...! Told him to get out of my way or I would walk over him....! At dinner that evening the Matre D had the audacity to challenge me over where I could eat or not eat a PIZZA.... I am Italian (by extraction) Pizza is for "Fun Food" to be eaten in the park with your Grandchildren and enjoyed with your fingers for utensils.... Not in a freezing cold restaurant alone (as everyone on the cruise was avoiding it like a plague).......

 

Rust was a huge problem onboard it with large flakes falling onto the balcony of my mini suite....... quickly cleaned up by steward (who was just the best thing about the whole cruise)

 

The Chef onboard was German....... Could Not Cook to Save his Life..... Don't know where they found him, but PUT HIM ASHORE!!!!. One of the reasons people cruise is for the culinary delights. Not on Sea Princess!!! Certainly not on that voyage. Dear Wife asked for the Asian Menu item on an Asian Night, beef with black bean sauce. What she got was a strip of very over cooked beef, with pasta, a piece of broccoli dry.... no black bean sauce...... Certainly not even close to being Asian. Asked Table waiter to please take it back as It was not edible..... Waiter was shocked and told her she could not replace it as that was what was prepared and that was it!!!

 

Went to see the The Captains Circle about a Pre-Paid Cruise only to be told that she was too busy....... But I'm a CUSTOMER.....! where is the customer relations?

 

No..... I'm very sorry Princess, You have one more go at my wallet onboard Diamond Princess in October/November when I return to Oz from a China Holiday. If you aren't a great deal better.... That's it....I'm Gone. As can be seen from my profile, I have also cruised aboard Carnival Spirit.... Much better ship than Sea Princess!!!!! But that would not be too hard!!!!

[MicCanberra]

No..... I'm very sorry Princess, You have one more go at my wallet onboard Diamond Princess in October/November when I return to Oz from a China Holiday. If you aren't a great deal better.... That's it....I'm Gone. As can be seen from my profile, I have also cruised aboard Carnival Spirit.... Much better ship than Sea Princess!!!!! But that would not be too hard!!!!

 

terrible experience for you on the Sea Princess but I am sure you will enjoy the Diamond much better, hope you have a great cruise.:D

[icat2000]

No..... I'm very sorry Princess, You have one more go at my wallet onboard Diamond Princess in October/November when I return to Oz from a China Holiday. If you aren't a great deal better.... That's it....I'm Gone. As can be seen from my profile, I have also cruised aboard Carnival Spirit.... Much better ship than Sea Princess!!!!! But that would not be too hard!!!!

I've only sailed on the Sea Princess once, it was the last four days of the world cruise. But it was fine and all the world cruisers were happy and that was a good thing after 100 days. However, I wouldn't be booking on her anytime soon knowing she has these problems.

 

You will like the Diamond Princess she is a much nicer ship than the three sisters (who are getting on a bit). It has four dining rooms and you can choose either fix or anytime dining. Had the fabulous Calvin Joy and his deputy Angela (who was on the Ruby Princesss when I last cruised and she remembered me, nice tough). Too bad he's on the Emerald now cause I think he is Princess best CD and I've cruise with Ron Goodman twice.

 

Thanks for your comments re Spirit I'm trying out Carnival in about 20 days.

[windsor26]

My Dear Wife and I sailed on Sea Princess in 2012 from San Francisco to Sydney and I will NEVER AGAIN sail on her.... She was in need of refit then and (some of) the staff were ignorant Pigs.... I asked for pizza from the pizza restaurant and was told that I HAD to eat it in the restaurant....... by a waiter from Portugal...! Told him to get out of my way or I would walk over him....! At dinner that evening the Matre D had the audacity to challenge me over where I could eat or not eat a PIZZA.... I am Italian (by extraction) Pizza is for "Fun Food" to be eaten in the park with your Grandchildren and enjoyed with your fingers for utensils.... Not in a freezing cold restaurant alone (as everyone on the cruise was avoiding it like a plague).......

 

Rust was a huge problem onboard it with large flakes falling onto the balcony of my mini suite....... quickly cleaned up by steward (who was just the best thing about the whole cruise)

 

The Chef onboard was German....... Could Not Cook to Save his Life..... Don't know where they found him, but PUT HIM ASHORE!!!!. One of the reasons people cruise is for the culinary delights. Not on Sea Princess!!! Certainly not on that voyage. Dear Wife asked for the Asian Menu item on an Asian Night, beef with black bean sauce. What she got was a strip of very over cooked beef, with pasta, a piece of broccoli dry.... no black bean sauce...... Certainly not even close to being Asian. Asked Table waiter to please take it back as It was not edible..... Waiter was shocked and told her she could not replace it as that was what was prepared and that was it!!!

 

Went to see the The Captains Circle about a Pre-Paid Cruise only to be told that she was too busy....... But I'm a CUSTOMER.....! where is the customer relations?

 

No..... I'm very sorry Princess, You have one more go at my wallet onboard Diamond Princess in October/November when I return to Oz from a China Holiday. If you aren't a great deal better.... That's it....I'm Gone. As can be seen from my profile, I have also cruised aboard Carnival Spirit.... Much better ship than Sea Princess!!!!! But that would not be too hard!!!!

 

 

Sad you had a bad cruise with lots of problems but it was over 2 years ago and I am sure that the staff will have moved around to other ships and from recent reviews most things - except for the engines - are good

We will have a great cruise this August 2014

[ozmonkeyboy]

Sad you had a bad cruise with lots of problems but it was over 2 years ago and I am sure that the staff will have moved around to other ships and from recent reviews most things - except for the engines - are good

We will have a great cruise this August 2014

 

We sailed on the Sea Princess in June (Queensland coastal) and the cruise was great overall. Staff good, food good and no disruptions to schedule due to proximity of ports, even though the ship was limited with speed.

Overall condition was still pretty good, given her age - staff was always quick to tender to any maintenance issues. Common areas kept in great condition, the most noticeable part of wear and tear that I saw were definitely the room balconies, but not a big issue in my view.

In the Princess Fleet I've sailed on the Ruby, Diamond, Sea & Dawn and would rate them in that order when comparing the ships appearance, amenities and staff, but as we all know this is just a part of what makes for a great cruise - what we expect and do ourselves also counts for a lot.

[Witchymob]

Hi All,

I am on the Sea Princess at the moment. We have been on since Fremantle and have been given $300.00 for missing Lombok and for the time changes to other ports. Other than the fact we are going slow no sign of any problems. Our food has been fantastic in the dining room (don't do buffets). Entertainment is patchy some good, some so so, Cruise director too fond of the sound of his own voice. Engine problems must be expensive to fix, cocktails prices were increased in Singapore from $11.00 to $13.95 a rise of $2.95 in one go! Beer and mixed drinks have also gone up mid cruise. Lots of unhappy passengers, apparently orders of increases have come from head office, interesting to know if other ships have had similar increases. Engine parts were off loaded in Singapore on pallets (looked like engine parts), perhaps they are being fixed and being reinstalled next cruise who knows. Princess seem to be developing a split personality, the service in restaurants, bars, and by cabin staff has been great, food delicious, but penny pinching evident, half size trivia paper, only enough room for one word answers, small sukodus, two lots of bingo a day, casino open all night and now the drink raises. We are elite so we get free laundry mini bar etc, but I think Princess need to watch out nothing to stop other cruise lines not owned by Carnival coming to Oz and providing a comparable or better product.

[The_Big_M]

Sad you had a bad cruise with lots of problems but it was over 2 years ago and I am sure that the staff will have moved around to other ships and from recent reviews most things - except for the engines - are good

We will have a great cruise this August 2014

 

True - some of them don't even sound like problems. While the poster wanted 'take-away' the restaurant doesn't offer that. That doesn't make it bad service. Not even land restaurants always offer takeaway, and I daresay if you wanted sushi from Izumi on RCL, or Silk Harvest on Celebrity you would also only be able to eat it in their restaurant.

[The_Big_M]

Engine problems must be expensive to fix, cocktails prices were increased in Singapore from $11.00 to $13.95 a rise of $2.95 in one go! Beer and mixed drinks have also gone up mid cruise. Lots of unhappy passengers, apparently orders of increases have come from head office, interesting to know if other ships have had similar increases. Engine parts were off loaded in Singapore on pallets (looked like engine parts), perhaps they are being fixed and being reinstalled next cruise who knows. Princess seem to be developing a split personality, the service in restaurants, bars, and by cabin staff has been great, food delicious, but penny pinching evident, half size trivia paper, only enough room for one word answers, small sukodus, two lots of bingo a day, casino open all night and now the drink raises. We are elite so we get free laundry mini bar etc, but I think Princess need to watch out nothing to stop other cruise lines not owned by Carnival coming to Oz and providing a comparable or better product.

 

Unfortunately, it's going around. Celebrity's just also had a bunch of drink price rises (which set passengers offside as they initially excluded many drinks from packages already paid for, until they copped too many complaints and reversed most of the exclusions for now), and lots of other cost cutting in evidence.

Edited July 27, 2014 by The_Big_M

[MicCanberra]

I think Princess need to watch out nothing to stop other cruise lines not owned by Carnival coming to Oz and providing a comparable or better product.

Let us hope that the standards on all the ships no matter what cruise line improves and the competition drives some of the prices down.

:D

[OzKiwiJJ]

Hi All,

cocktails prices were increased in Singapore from $11.00 to $13.95 a rise of $2.95 in one go!

 

That's a 26% price increase! How can they justify that?

[The_Big_M]

Let us hope that the standards on all the ships no matter what cruise line improves and the competition drives some of the prices down.

:D

 

The triumph of hope over reality! :D

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

Hi All,

I am on the Sea Princess at the moment. We have been on since Fremantle and have been given $300.00 for missing Lombok and for the time changes to other ports. Other than the fact we are going slow no sign of any problems. Our food has been fantastic in the dining room (don't do buffets). Entertainment is patchy some good, some so so, Cruise director too fond of the sound of his own voice. Engine problems must be expensive to fix, cocktails prices were increased in Singapore from $11.00 to $13.95 a rise of $2.95 in one go! Beer and mixed drinks have also gone up mid cruise. Lots of unhappy passengers, apparently orders of increases have come from head office, interesting to know if other ships have had similar increases. We are elite so we get free laundry mini bar etc, but I think Princess need to watch out nothing to stop other cruise lines not owned by Carnival coming to Oz and providing a comparable or better product.

 

must be the same CD we had at Christmas time! He was a borish pest at best!!! :D

 

:eek:those drink price hikes are big! Guess they gotta get their OBC back out of their cash cows some how hey? :rolleyes:

[MicCanberra]

must be the same CD we had at Christmas time! He was a borish pest at best!!! :D

 

:eek:those drink price hikes are big! Guess they gotta get their OBC back out of their cash cows some how hey? :rolleyes:

 

Perhaps the price hike was just due to being in Singapore, I know they have big alcohol taxes there. I suppose once the prices go up, they stay up.:(

[MMDown Under]

Perhaps the price hike was just due to being in Singapore, I know they have big alcohol taxes there. I suppose once the prices go up, they stay up.:(

 

On my cruise from Singapore, I was told, by continuing passengers, that they put the prices up in Singapore for the leg to Australia.

 

It was my first cruise where I didn't buy any duty free, because the prices weren't competitive.

 

Guess the OBC will be spent quicker!

[MicCanberra]

On my cruise from Singapore, I was told, by continuing passengers, that they put the prices up in Singapore for the leg to Australia.

 

It was my first cruise where I didn't buy any duty free, because the prices weren't competitive.

 

Guess the OBC will be spent quicker!

Sounds like a general price increase then and nothing to do with Singapore's taxes.:(

[Gold_Coaster]

The triumph of hope over reality! :D

I hope the Penny Pinching at the Carnival Corporation is not because Mickey Arison (The CEO) has unloaded over $400 Million worth of his shares in the very recent past. Rumour has it that he needs the funds to buy Aston Villa Soccer team. He is already worth $6.5 Billion personally (Forbes Mag.) ,dont know why he needs more cash.?

[icat2000]

I hope the Penny Pinching at the Carnival Corporation is not because Mickey Arison (The CEO) has unloaded over $400 Million worth of his shares in the very recent past. Rumour has it that he needs the funds to buy Aston Villa Soccer team. He is already worth $6.5 Billion personally (Forbes Mag.) ,dont know why he needs more cash.?

Maybe he was cash poor. Might be worth $6.5 billion but its all tied up in assets.

[The_Big_M]

Maybe he was cash poor. Might be worth $6.5 billion but its all tied up in assets.

 

Nah, he gets a really nice divi out of all those shares. Even bumped up the distribution a year ago, to get extra benefit before the tax laws changed.

 

Lots of cash coming in.

[Seadog & Sea Hag]

I got off the Sea Princess today and i paid the same price for a beer yesterday on the Sea Princess as i did in January this year and the same as the cruise before that on the Sun Princess so the prices aren't all going up at all.

$6.50 for a beer is reasonable when you make fair comparisons.

Maybe you should check the prices in night clubs and you might get a shock:cool:

[windsor26]

I got off the Sea Princess today and i paid the same price for a beer yesterday on the Sea Princess as i did in January this year and the same as the cruise before that on the Sun Princess so the prices aren't all going up at all.

$6.50 for a beer is reasonable when you make fair comparisons.

Maybe you should check the prices in night clubs and you might get a shock:cool:

 

What was the attitude of the staff - were they happy - some other cruisers have said they were bad tempered because the cruisers were disappointed at the loss of ports etc

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Why did Sea Princess stay overnight in Fremantle?

From the port cam it looks like she did not sail till this morning.

Was this planned ?

 

 

[suey]

I got off Sea Princess yesterday after a 26 night cruise, it was a great cruise. Only spoilt by whinging passengers, I can't believe how people can find every little thing to whinge about in stead of making the best of everything. Staff were all fantastic and activities varied and enjoyable. I do not allow small things to spoil my cruise.:)

[windsor26]

I got off Sea Princess yesterday after a 26 night cruise, it was a great cruise. Only spoilt by whinging passengers, I can't believe how people can find every little thing to whinge about in stead of making the best of everything. Staff were all fantastic and activities varied and enjoyable. I do not allow small things to spoil my cruise.:)

 

That is good new as l make lemonade and intend to enjoy my 26 days

[Seadog & Sea Hag]

I thought the crew were fabulous and should be commended for putting up with all the whingers:rolleyes:

[silverwillow]

cocktails prices were increased in Singapore from $11.00 to $13.95 a rise of $2.95 in one go!

 

Wow that's a bit steep, perhaps they saw the prices charged (or overcharged) in WA and thought the passengers would just take it.