Grand Princess A417 *warning*

[papalance]

Just returned from Hawaii and had worst experience with staff. Most of the sea days were very rough and our room apparently was under a pool that kept emptying itself and the waves would "slap" hard right by my head at 1am every night, actually it was more like a sonic boom! Night Manager wouldn't grant request to be moved. We begged them to empty pool so we could get some sleep. We complained on a daily basis till an Engineer finally came to listen. His only solution was to keep pool full! So funny that we were initially told we could be moved then they said no because passengers were boarding in Hilo, then half way through the cruise they'd leave messages saying we need to understand that it's rough seas. I thought the cruise included a good night sleep! Needless to say I did not "come back new"! So very disappointed!

[Kenswing]

I looked in the cruise contract and didn't see anything about a good night's sleep..

 

Seriously though, sorry you had a rough cruise..

[lovevacadays]

I'm sorry to read about your bad experience. Unfortunately, you learned the hard way not to book under the Lido deck pool.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

We have taken 3 cruises to Hawaii. Yes, the sea can be rough both directions. We experienced flat seas and HIGH seas where the pool was sloshing and they wouldn't let anyone on deck because of the high winds.

 

Personal responsibility is the key word here. You were awake and could have changed your attitude and made other choices.....like watch a movie, wander the ship, had a snack etc. You don't have to go to work the next morning so you could have taken a nap the next day.

 

It is not the fault of the crew, manager, engineer that the sea was rough and they didn't stop the noise for you.

[ar1950]

Any cabin under the Lido (or any deck), especially under a pool or any public space, probably not the best idea. Or, even over some entertainment venues. There may be a reason some of these cabins have the best prices at the time of booking.

 

Sorry to hear that you had a problem. Hope you have a better experience on your next cruise. :cool:

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Any cabin under the Lido (or any deck), especially under a pool or any public space, probably not the best idea. Or, even over some entertainment venues. There may be a reason some of these cabins have the best prices at the time of booking...

 

I agree. I try to book only cabins with other cabins above and below. Some book cabins below the Lido deck thinking they are convenient to pool areas, but I'd advise only heavy sleepers to consider it.

Edited April 8, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78

[Sillyjilly]

I've been under pools and have never experienced the noise the OP has. I have however had to deal with "water hammer". It sounds like what happened to you. A sledgehammer sound at regular intervals that shake the walls?

 

It was on a Princess cruise and they tried to tell us it was the tide. Really? Mid ship on Caribe deck in an inside cabin? Hubby works at a power plant and called them on it. They hung their heads in shame.

 

Only way we got them to change our cabin was for DH to go to sleep on the Atrium floor near the piano player. "Suddenly", a cabin was available. We were drawing too much attention and the crowds were being swayed our way.

[SadieN]

Blame Magellan.

He named it Pacific (peaceful) because he was so happy to see calm water after going under South America. It's all relative. Caribbean cruisers almost always complain about the Pacific. On our HI cruise the west coast pax had no problems, the Caribbean pax were complaining. :p

 

The Atlantic and Caribbean have some breaks in the currents. The Pacific has nothing but direct currents from Alaska.

Edited April 8, 2015 by SadieN

[ceilidh1]

We were on the same cruise - the pool was CRAZY some days. I was shocked that it was not only kept open, but there were young kids in it with no sign of any adults nearby! We had no noise in our cabins on baja deck, but the leaks and mold smell were unpleasant. One of our rooms (B744) was unusable for the first few days due to the intense smell bringing on an allergic reaction. Luckily we also had the owners suite booked and that one was just fine! We didn't ask to be moved, just mentioned it to the room steward when he asked why we were all staying in one room. He immediately got a huge fan and dried out the other cabin - there was still a smell, but nowhere near as bad as it was! :o

[pris993]

Even in the CArribean, under the pool deck is a big mistake... we did that booking a mini suite years ago, every morning around 3:30 or 4:00 am, it sounded like some one was rolling a cannon across the deck above us. Complained... Customer Service acted like t hey did not know what we were talking about... realized the crew was cleaning up there... normal routine. Live and learn... we have all been there.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Keep in mind that some of those inside cabins "under" a pool (like those sideways cabins on the Grand Class ships) are actually next to the pool. The water is adjacent to the cabin walls. It makes sense that you'd hear water moving and splashing...it's probably not more than a foot or so away from the cabin wall.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes I agree, cabins above and below is the best way.

[Pam in CA]

Keep in mind that some of those inside cabins "under" a pool (like those sideways cabins on the Grand Class ships) are actually next to the pool. The water is adjacent to the cabin walls. It makes sense that you'd hear water moving and splashing...it's probably not more than a foot or so away from the cabin wall.

I agree. Plus, any cruise to Hawaii is likely to experience moderate seas. We sure did on the Grand in February/March to/from Hawaii. People were literally surfing in the pool next to the OP's cabin:

 

[kovhanperl]

There may be a reason some of these cabins have the best prices at the time of booking.

[robandana]

We have taken 3 cruises to Hawaii. Yes, the sea can be rough both directions. We experienced flat seas and HIGH seas where the pool was sloshing and they wouldn't let anyone on deck because of the high winds.

 

Personal responsibility is the key word here. You were awake and could have changed your attitude and made other choices.....like watch a movie, wander the ship, had a snack etc. You don't have to go to work the next morning so you could have taken a nap the next day.

 

It is not the fault of the crew, manager, engineer that the sea was rough and they didn't stop the noise for you.

 

I'm very sorry but I DO NOT agree with you!

 

I don't care how many cruises anyone has been on...you pay good money to go on vacation and part of that is a decent nights sleep...this is basic and was not provided. Every cabin on the ship must provide a decent stay...(shouldn't be noisy, smelly, damp, toilet should work, you should have decent water pressure, TV should work...) Princess is not some 3rd world cruise line....

[Brisbanelionsfan]

We have taken 3 cruises to Hawaii. Yes, the sea can be rough both directions. We experienced flat seas and HIGH seas where the pool was sloshing and they wouldn't let anyone on deck because of the high winds.

 

Personal responsibility is the key word here. You were awake and could have changed your attitude and made other choices.....like watch a movie, wander the ship, had a snack etc. You don't have to go to work the next morning so you could have taken a nap the next day.

 

It is not the fault of the crew, manager, engineer that the sea was rough and they didn't stop the noise for you.

 

That's one of the worst responses I have seen on CC. A reasonable nights sleep is not asking too much. I would have wanted to change my cabin as well, and I love the story about sleeping near the atrium. Must remember that one if needed in the future.

By the way we always book with cabins above and below.

 

Cheers

[cougaraz]

I'm very sorry but I DO NOT agree with you!

 

I don't care how many cruises anyone has been on...you pay good money to go on vacation and part of that is a decent nights sleep...this is basic and was not provided. Every cabin on the ship must provide a decent stay...(shouldn't be noisy, smelly, damp, toilet should work, you should have decent water pressure, TV should work...) Princess is not some 3rd world cruise line....

 

Smelly, damp, toilet, water pressure and TV are all well within the control of the cruise line and ship and should work 100% of the time. Noise on the other hand is a much more complex issue. It is simply not possible to design, operate and sail a ship that will be quiet under all conditions. In some respects, cruise lines are their own worst enemy in this regard because people have come to view it is a giant hotel that has an ever changing view. In fact, it is a ship and the best staff and crew on earth are powerless to overcome the might of the ocean.

[pablo222]

Personal responsibility is the key word here. You were awake and could have changed your attitude and made other choices.....like watch a movie, wander the ship, had a snack etc. You don't have to go to work the next morning so you could have taken a nap the next day.

 

Most people expect to be able to sleep in their cabin, not

find something else to do, and take a nap later.

 

Further, as the ship had several days at sea, it could be just as

loud the next day, when you propose napping.

[sunshine nana]

We have been on 5 great Princess cruises and have another one booked,but we flew to Hawaii and cruised around the islands on NCL because I knew I would get motion sickness crossing the Pacific (and DH would have been stir crazy with so many sea days). As long as you avoid the MDR with specialties or the buffet, it will be fine. Having an NCL suite is also great as you can eat in a small dining room for breakfast and lunch and have other perks.

[cpcanuck]

Smelly, damp, toilet, water pressure and TV are all well within the control of the cruise line and ship and should work 100% of the time. Noise on the other hand is a much more complex issue. It is simply not possible to design, operate and sail a ship that will be quiet under all conditions. In some respects, cruise lines are their own worst enemy in this regard because people have come to view it is a giant hotel that has an ever changing view. In fact, it is a ship and the best staff and crew on earth are powerless to overcome the might of the ocean.

 

For the most part I would whole heartedly agree with you other than when you say that all the "Smelly, damp, toilet, water pressure and TV are all well within the control of the cruise line and ship and should work 100% of the time." Yes, the ship crew do need to do everything in their power to take care of these things, but to expect that everything works 100% of the time is a bit of a challenge I would say.

 

Ask yourself this question: Does all the plumbing, toilets, taps, appliances, TV, eavestroughs, etc in your home work 100% of the time without fail? Stuff happens and rarely do you get a heads up on it. I'm sure every cruise line would like to say that everything on their ships are working 100% - but that's not realistic. Yes they do have the responsibility to work hard at correcting and fixing problems - but I suspect it is a never-ending task in terms of upkeep on a ship that is constantly rolling and bouncing on the sea, with thousands of people coming and going all the time.

[jpurdy]

Oh boy, tough thing for sure to learn the hard way. We snagged a coveted back of the ship balcony once and it was the worst cabin for me. I was badly seasick one morning. The beautiful balcony was not going to help me because of that 'sway'. I immediately got dressed, went up to the Lido deck, grabbed a coffee and danish and within 1/2 hour I was just fine with something in my stomach and fresh air. Took a brief nap using the swim towels provided and I was ok the rest of the day. My point is, I agree that once you realized the cabin was going to be an issue due to the seas/pool water, there really isn't much you can do except to fend for yourself and find a quiet place to rest. There are plenty of areas and while we all should have working facilities, etc., we can't expect the cruise line to move someone for the OP's reasons.

[VTX-AL]

Just returned from Hawaii and had worst experience with staff. Most of the sea days were very rough and our room apparently was under a pool that kept emptying itself and the waves would "slap" hard right by my head at 1am every night, actually it was more like a sonic boom! Night Manager wouldn't grant request to be moved. We begged them to empty pool so we could get some sleep. We complained on a daily basis till an Engineer finally came to listen. His only solution was to keep pool full! So funny that we were initially told we could be moved then they said no because passengers were boarding in Hilo, then half way through the cruise they'd leave messages saying we need to understand that it's rough seas. I thought the cruise included a good night sleep! Needless to say I did not "come back new"! So very disappointed!

 

Hmmmmm ...... when we heard this story related to us aboard the Grand by the OP, we were told that after complaining, the ship's staff emptied the pool to about half way down, which cured the "sonic boom" problem - different version now !

 

...VTX-Al

[Thrak]

It's indeed unfortunate that the OP had this problem. However, I feel certain that others have stayed in the same cabin without having this problem. The condition of the weather and the sea isn't something the cruise line can control.

[Pam in CA]

It's indeed unfortunate that the OP had this problem. However, I feel certain that others have stayed in the same cabin without having this problem. The condition of the weather and the sea isn't something the cruise line can control.

Actually, IMHO, the design of the ship is at fault. Just like the cabins directly beneath the gym. I had a cabin on Marina deck on the Royal beneath the HC and there was loud banging, slamming and noise from 3:30am onwards every single day. These are design flaws. Not much the crew can do about them now but they should not exist.

[happy cruzer]

A guaranteed night of sleep means different things to different people. There are some very light sleepers who can't even tolerate foot traffic in the hall, should they get moved to another cabin?

 

If there were rough seas, there were probably lots of people wanting to change cabins because they were ill.

 

I wish the cruise line could have accommodated the request but I don't think that they should be expected to. And yes I've been there in a porthole cabin forward in rough seas - very loud. And a cabin over the theater - lots of bass.

Edited April 8, 2015 by happy cruzer