Horrible App And Suite Perks

[keri2000]

On the Discovery Princess (started on Sunday) and the app is seriously horrible. Our excursions don't show anywhere and neither do our reservations. We can't book any specialty dining through the app either. Had a terrible experience at the Bistro Sur La Mer. It took an hour and a half to get our food and it was cold and extra salty. The waitress never came back and we ended up just getting up and leaving after the 2 hour mark. Is this the end of the season blues for the staff? 

 

There was hair and dust in the corners of the bathroom. I ended up wiping it up with my makeup remover wipes because it was just gross to look at. 

 

In addition, there are no longer suite or gold status embarkation perks. I guess that's no longer a thing? I expected more. 

[kywildcatfanone]

Princess, like all other lines, are devaluing loyalty benefits, and making cutbacks in quality and services while increasing prices on everything.  

 

It's a shame you had those bad experiences.

[PacnGoNow]

6 hours ago, keri2000 said:

On the Discovery Princess (started on Sunday) and the app is seriously horrible. Our excursions don't show anywhere and neither do our reservations. We can't book any specialty dining through the app either. Had a terrible experience at the Bistro Sur La Mer. It took an hour and a half to get our food and it was cold and extra salty. The waitress never came back and we ended up just getting up and leaving after the 2 hour mark. Is this the end of the season blues for the staff? 

 

There was hair and dust in the corners of the bathroom. I ended up wiping it up with my makeup remover wipes because it was just gross to look at. 

 

In addition, there are no longer suite or gold status embarkation perks. I guess that's no longer a thing? I expected more. 

If you didn’t visit the Internet Cafe or GS yet…try

 

logout.com

then

Discovery.Princess.com

 

Bathroom: definitely cabin steward should be told about it.

 

Bistro:  I’d let GS know or Hotel Mgr.

 

Embarkation:  There is no longer a separate Priority line for Suites/Elites that I know of.  All same line to get inside terminal and then, Green/Blue/Gray. Some exceptions in overseas ports, like Southampton.  However, there should an Elite/Suite lounge or holding area to board.

 

Don’t you have a concierge on Discovery?  They should handle these issues for you.

 

Sorry to hear about this, hope it improves for you.

 

[skynight]

Good idea to include these comments in the post cruise survey. It's sad. There is supposed to be priority embarkation. Princess has eliminated boarding times. Probably this has caused lots of confusion on who goes first. 

[PacnGoNow]

2 minutes ago, skynight said:

Good idea to include these comments in the post cruise survey. It's sad. There is supposed to be priority embarkation. Princess has eliminated boarding times. Probably this has caused lots of confusion on who goes first. 

They really should not have eliminated the priority “check in”.
That was a huge benefit in some of the ports.  

 

Now, all in the same line outside, just to get in the terminal, can cause huge wait times for certain ports.

The priority boarding, once checked in, is still intact, as far as I know, thank goodness.

 

 

 

[Steelers36]

8 hours ago, keri2000 said:

On the Discovery Princess (started on Sunday) and the app is seriously horrible. Our excursions don't show anywhere and neither do our reservations. We can't book any specialty dining through the app either. Had a terrible experience at the Bistro Sur La Mer. It took an hour and a half to get our food and it was cold and extra salty. The waitress never came back and we ended up just getting up and leaving after the 2 hour mark. Is this the end of the season blues for the staff? 

 

There was hair and dust in the corners of the bathroom. I ended up wiping it up with my makeup remover wipes because it was just gross to look at. 

 

In addition, there are no longer suite or gold status embarkation perks. I guess that's no longer a thing? I expected more. 

 

 

The App does have issues for some folks, but generally works well on board the ship.  Pre-cruise is another matter.  It reads like you were in a Suite.  Were you aware of the Suite Concierge and the Lounge room?  The Concierge could have arranged SD reservation, or call the DINE line.

 

I would have let someone in mgt know about the Bistro experience. 

 

I would have begun with the cabin steward in terms of cleaning and then escalated if it did not improve.

 

You are on an Alaska cruise.  You boarded in Seattle which doesn't have the terminal lines and congestion of Vancouver AFAIK.  When did you arrive at the terminal?  Were you Green Lane or Blue Lane?  Unless a guest arrives for check-in prior to start of boarding, there is no priority boarding for anyone.  If you are there ahead of time, then you would have had a designated waiting area for Suites and Elite level guests and this group boards first.  If you arrive after the waiting folks have boarded, then you and everyone else, just heads on board as soon as check-in is completed.  Unfortunately, Princess seems to have eliminated priority check-in at many ports, so there are no designated agents for Suites/Elites.  That said, check-in should be quite smooth at most ports and you can always pick the shortest line.  Hard to tell why you didn't get priority processing without more information about your experience. 

 

There really isn't such a thing as priority disembarkation because you and any guest can leave the ship anytime after disembarking commences up until they boot the last stragglers off the ship (say, no later than 9:30am).  There is a designated location on the ship for Suite and Elite guests to wait to disembark.  You will be informed about that. 

 

Speak to your Concierge about your concerns and see what happens.

 

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

Good idea to include these comments in the post cruise survey. It's sad. There is supposed to be priority embarkation. Princess has eliminated boarding times. Probably this has caused lots of confusion on who goes first. 

I do not believe boarding times or lack thereof has anything to do with priority embarkation.  No one is going to get priority embarkation unless they are at the terminal and checked in prior to the start of general boarding.  There is no such thing after the waiting crowd in the terminal has boarded since later folks just head onto the ship after check-in.

[keri2000]

5 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

The App does have issues for some folks, but generally works well on board the ship.  Pre-cruise is another matter.  It reads like you were in a Suite.  Were you aware of the Suite Concierge and the Lounge room?  The Concierge could have arranged SD reservation, or call the DINE line.

 

I would have let someone in mgt know about the Bistro experience. 

 

I would have begun with the cabin steward in terms of cleaning and then escalated if it did not improve.

 

You are on an Alaska cruise.  You boarded in Seattle which doesn't have the terminal lines and congestion of Vancouver AFAIK.  When did you arrive at the terminal?  Were you Green Lane or Blue Lane?  Unless a guest arrives for check-in prior to start of boarding, there is no priority boarding for anyone.  If you are there ahead of time, then you would have had a designated waiting area for Suites and Elite level guests and this group boards first.  If you arrive after the waiting folks have boarded, then you and everyone else, just heads on board as soon as check-in is completed.  Unfortunately, Princess seems to have eliminated priority check-in at many ports, so there are no designated agents for Suites/Elites.  That said, check-in should be quite smooth at most ports and you can always pick the shortest line.  Hard to tell why you didn't get priority processing without more information about your experience. 

 

There really isn't such a thing as priority disembarkation because you and any guest can leave the ship anytime after disembarking commences up until they boot the last stragglers off the ship (say, no later than 9:30am).  There is a designated location on the ship for Suite and Elite guests to wait to disembark.  You will be informed about that. 

 

Speak to your Concierge about your concerns and see what happens.

Our app on-board shows basic information but no dining reservations or excursions. I really think there's something wrong with both of our accounts. However there was murmur in the concierge lounge that no one had functioning apps. 

 

We are in an aft penthouse Suite, or whatever princess calls these corner rooms. The concierge has been helpful but now both of our specialty dining credits are gone. Maybe that's why I can't reserve through the app. 

 

As for the Bistro, we were tired, hungry and frustrated and there was no one to speak with at 9pm when we finally got up and left. They never fully cleared the plates and we certainly we not offered dessert. We will address it today. 

 

There Is still a pile of hair in one corner of the bathroom, under the toilet plunger. We will address that today as well. 

 

My debit card was hacked so when they tried to place the order for the medallion, it failed. I immediately called and tried to replace the order but it was too late so I was placed in the blue lane. My check in window in Seattle began at 11:30am. We were there at 11:20 and it was absolutely insane. We had our luggage tags printed but not stapled and we were told to go wait in the untagged line just to use a stapler. It was an absolute mess with no signage.There was nothing at all for priority boarding. No designated area for anything, just chaos. 

 

Overall for the ridiculous amount of money we saved for this trip and spent on this room, I expected better. Much, much better. 

[keri2000]

2 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

The priority boarding, once checked in, is still intact, as far as I know, thank goodness.

 

Once inside the ship, there were no direction given, other than to wait until 1pm for our room to be ready. It is a good thing we've been in suites before and knew to seek out the concierge lounge. It is wildly different than the last princess cruise that we did when everything was explained. 

[keri2000]

And if things weren't bad enough, the glass shelf in the shower smashed yesterday and cut my husband's foot. After the replacement yesterday afternoon, there is still glass dust and small shards all in the corners and around the edges this morning. Really, I'm so pissed I have no words. 

[JGmf]

Geez, when it rains, it pours.  Oh boy...

 

Definitely go to the Concierge and (calmly) demand a thorough cleaning and to speak with the General Manager.

 

Outside of getting a spotless bathroom and cabin, I'm not clear what else you'd be seeking from anyone except a general acknowledgement and apology for the snags and botched experience you've endured to date.  I suppose another specialty meal?

[memoak]

Seattle is the least organized port I have ever been embarked from. Just clumps of people no lines. 

[keri2000]

16 minutes ago, JGmf said:

Geez, when it rains, it pours.  Oh boy...

 

Definitely go to the Concierge and (calmly) demand a thorough cleaning and to speak with the General Manager.

 

Outside of getting a spotless bathroom and cabin, I'm not clear what else you'd be seeking from anyone except a general acknowledgement and apology for the snags and botched experience you've endured to date.  I suppose another specialty meal?

Yeah I suppose we could ask for one. I just really want things to be better, not even perfect. I'm posting here mostly because I don't want other people to feel alone if they have a bad experience. For the super high prices I truly just expected more since our other Princess experiences were fantastic. I guess this is the new norm. 

[JGmf]

7 minutes ago, keri2000 said:

For the super high prices I truly just expected more since our other Princess experiences were fantastic. I guess this is the new norm. 

 

I'm following along as I'm in one of those corner suites on the Enchanted this February.  I'm hoping your cruise experience turns sharply for the better.

[Guindalf]

I concur with just about everything above!

 

If you want some color commentary and more detail, read my review in this forum.

 

 

[LACruiser88]

I would strongly recommend going to GS and insist on speaking with the HGM.  None of the things you describe should be happening or are acceptable.

 

The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Seattle is the least organized port I have ever been embarked from. Just clumps of people no lines. 

So, how is that simplifying things for guests, as Princess says?

 

That’s really a shame.  

 

 

[memoak]

58 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

So, how is that simplifying things for guests, as Princess says?

 

That’s really a shame.  

 

 

Just boarded in Vancouver easy peasy

[BamaVol]

2 hours ago, keri2000 said:

Yeah I suppose we could ask for one. I just really want things to be better, not even perfect. I'm posting here mostly because I don't want other people to feel alone if they have a bad experience. For the super high prices I truly just expected more since our other Princess experiences were fantastic. I guess this is the new norm. 

It’s not the new norm if we won’t let it be. The service levels will remain (or return to) high if we insist. 

[startedwithamouse]

15 hours ago, keri2000 said:

On the Discovery Princess (started on Sunday) and the app is seriously horrible. Our excursions don't show anywhere and neither do our reservations. We can't book any specialty dining through the app either. Had a terrible experience at the Bistro Sur La Mer. It took an hour and a half to get our food and it was cold and extra salty. The waitress never came back and we ended up just getting up and leaving after the 2 hour mark. Is this the end of the season blues for the staff? 

 

There was hair and dust in the corners of the bathroom. I ended up wiping it up with my makeup remover wipes because it was just gross to look at. 

 

In addition, there are no longer suite or gold status embarkation perks. I guess that's no longer a thing? I expected more. 

 

Are you deep cleaning corners of the bathroom each day?

 

I don't expect perfection, and would just point it out to my overworked room steward, and not put it on blast. 

 

Sorry your cruise isn't perfect.

Edited September 26, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[JGmf]

10 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Are you deep cleaning corners of the bathroom each day?

 

I don't expect perfection, and would just point it out to my overworked room steward, and not put it on blast. 

 

Sorry your cruise isn't perfect.

 

Totally disagree.  Clean corners and edges are the sign of a tidy and well-maintained space, whether a random hallway or especially a private bathroom recently shared with another set of people.  It's standard cleaning protocol to check for those things as a routine part of custodial service. 

 

In this case, yes, the steward should be told directly; but the horrible, incomplete glass clean-up job by the maintenance staff was dangerous and incompetent.  That one deserves to be bucked-up to higher levels.