Beware Of Princess Cruise Line

[Tarheelbelle]

"21 Days - Singapore to Sydney Dec 22nd- Jan 11th.

The 'worthless little town' was Cid Harbour."

 

aclay,

Was Cid Harbour the port where you were originally schedued to call? Or was it substituted for another one?

[KKB]

The Great Barrier Reef one of the grand wonders of the world and a once in a lifetime experience.

Don't count on seeing it when you travel on Princess Cruise lines. We did no get to experience the Great Barrier Reef because our excursion was cancelled the night before we were to arrive. The excrusion desk on board was rude, curt and unsympathetic. Not only did they not offer us a substiute excursion they didn't so much as offer us a glass of champagne. The reply to our question as to why this happened..."they said that there were mechanical difficulties and their contractor elected to not run the excursion. This is the reply we got from the paqssenger relation department of Princess when we returned home. Princess cruise lines accepts No responsibility and clearly places the blame on their contractors. When we went ashore that morning to roam around a tiny little worthless town (not the port we were to dock at) we talked to many tour companies that operate there own tours and were told that there were plenty of boats available to take passengers to the pontoon for viewing of the Barrier Reef but they were never contacted by Princess to make alternate plans for their passengers. Also, if we had been allowed to leave the ship earlier we could have made our own plans for an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. Clearly Princess does not care about their passengers. Funny, they should put in their brochure "Our passengers are our most valued asset and providing them with the best possible experience continues to be our primary goal". ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!!!! So thinking about a Princess Cruise???? YOU BETTRER THINK TWICE. This was on the Sapphire Princess but have had other Bad experiences on their other ships also. So BEWARE!!!!!

 

To be so rude as to put such a title over a cancelled tour??!!

IT HAPPENS, GET OVER IT!

 

NONE of our vacations have EVER been perfect...yet every one has been a blast!

 

It's all about attitude!:p

 

Give me a break.......

[KKB]

Your kidding, right? No seriously, you had better put on your flame-retardant PJs.

 

MAYBE the funniest line EVER on these boards!:D

(well, one of them, anyway!:) )

[KKB]

So I had to have a gut response...

Then scanned the other responses...

YOU GUYS ROCK!

I just LOVE the intolerance of intolerance (that really IS a compliment!;) )

 

Hmmmm...I also didn't catch a rebuttal...

 

A pirate here, or one fearful of the wet noodle lashing.....:rolleyes:

[dennbr9]

The key to a good cruise or any vacation is to be flexible and not let one event ruin the whole trip.

 

To let one thing you were planning on wreck the whole cruise is a little silly. On our last cruise, my camera fell off the open air bus, I had to get off the excursion bus and retrieve it for the memory card. My wife and I missed the only excursion we had planned and paid for - no refund. We found the camera, had a drink and lunch, went back to the ship and enjoyed the rest of the cruise.

 

Sh*t happens, let it go and enjoy life in spite of it.

 

FYI

Large block letters also have tend to turn people on these threads off, it is like yelling, and many don't care for someone yelling.

 

St John's Wort may help also.

[Herschel Dirtwater]

Herschel Dirtwater,

Just wanted to tell you that I like your "Salieri" avatar. Cool!

Chris

 

 

I'm just glad someone "gets" it. I'm a professional violinist, and I love that movie!

 

Back on topic, I stand by my original (now lost) reply. Belligerant (sp) guests should not expect hearts and flowers from the cruise staff (even though good customer service transcends rude customers). Some cruise staff simply do not suffer fools lightly, and at the risk of assuming, this might be the case......? :(

[dennbr9]

OOPs

Thread timed out and did not know it posted. Sorry, can I blame this on Princess:-)

[jbpinkie]

I'm just glad someone "gets" it. I'm a professional violinist, and I love that movie!

 

Back on topic, I stand by my original (now lost) reply. Belligerant (sp) guests should not expect hearts and flowers from the cruise staff (even though good customer service transcends rude customers). Some cruise staff simply do not suffer fools lightly, :(

 

I think you meant to say that you get more flies with honey than with vinegar.. and with that sentiment I agree. When I want something I ask as nicely as I possibly can... Like for example when I am on a ship with someone in let's say 23 days...... I will ask very nicely Sweetie, I really love that little bauble, may I please have it? :D

[cookie225]

i agree, no town is worthless...if so why do you visit?

[Next]

they didn't so much as offer us a glass of champagne.

 

So a glass of champagne would have made this allright. Let me see, that is about $4-$5 with tip. So for $5 max, you are pissed off? Oh wait, $10. you and your spouse. Ring me up. I'll send you a whole bottle.:D :D

[Herschel Dirtwater]

I think you meant to say that you get more flies with honey than with vinegar.. and with that sentiment I agree. When I want something I ask as nicely as I possibly can... Like for example when I am on a ship with someone in let's say 23 days...... I will ask very nicely Sweetie, I really love that little bauble, may I please have it? :D

 

 

And like a good sweetie, I say "yes."

 

And yes, the flies/vinegar thing was what I was going for, however, the fine Meritage seems to have got in the way...:eek:

[aclay]

"21 Days - Singapore to Sydney Dec 22nd- Jan 11th.

The 'worthless little town' was Cid Harbour."

 

aclay,

Was Cid Harbour the port where you were originally schedued to call? Or was it substituted for another one?

 

Actually I just reread my own review of the cruise:o

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=24891

and realised that yes, Cid Harbour was the originally scheduled cruise, but due to a film shoot going on the captain changed it to 'Airlie Beach', so technically speaking the OP's 'worthless little town' was Airlie Beach, not Cid Harbour.

It was a tender port as well, so I guess from the OP's perspective the following happened:

- he had looked forward to his GBR excursion, perhaps even to the extent that it was the expected highlight (or whole reason?) of his cruise

- been told it was cancelled the day before it was scheduled to happen due to a catamaran's mechanical breakdown

- been told that all other excursions were fully booked for that port

- had the further inconvenience of having to wait for a tender to Airlie Beach which was the only place left to visit,

- waiting for the tender and on the tender were probably others in the same situation which meant everyone compared their levels of anger. BTW it was a long, long tender journey as well since the shallow reef waters meant that the captain could not get so close to the shore.

- eventually got to AB with a faint hope that there may be other independent GBR excursions available

- found out everything was booked out (my cc mates can confirm that this was true- they even looked in to hiring a plane to fly them to the reef!) probably because it was too much short notice to book anything and the port just didn't have the infrastructure to cope

- so he just wandered around the 'worthless little town' in a very, very bad mood.

- back to the ship on the tender with the same disgruntled passengers = more anger

- Anger stewing for rest of cruise and journey home

- failed to get compensation from Princess directly, anger reaches boiling point

- came accross cruise critic four months later - time to unleash his disappointment:eek:

[denneym1]

I'm just glad someone "gets" it. I'm a professional violinist, and I love that movie!

 

 

With a name like Herschel Dirtwater, what else COULD you be but a professional violinist? :D

 

I understand the OP's disappointment, having been in a similar position on our first cruise, and the stop we missed was one we considered the highlight of the cruise as well. I was also somewhat bitter about it because it seemed as if Princess contributed to the problem with poor planning and a poor contractor.

 

In retrospect though, we had a great trip, even if we did miss one part of what we expected to do.

 

Next time (coming up in about a month!) we will know to be more relaxed, flexible, and just go with the flow. I agree with the precept that if you really MUST see a certain thing, a cruise is not the way to do it. There are just too many variables that can affect a cruise. But, when you want to relax, be waited on, and just take it easy and enjoy yourself, there is nothing better than a cruise, even if everything doesn't go exactly as planned. Its all in your attitude.

MD

[qld cruiser]

The Great Barrier Reef one of the grand wonders of the world and a once in a lifetime experience.

Don't count on seeing it when you travel on Princess Cruise lines. We did no get to experience the Great Barrier Reef because our excursion was cancelled the night before we were to arrive. The excrusion desk on board was rude, curt and unsympathetic. Not only did they not offer us a substiute excursion they didn't so much as offer us a glass of champagne. The reply to our question as to why this happened..."they said that there were mechanical difficulties and their contractor elected to not run the excursion. This is the reply we got from the paqssenger relation department of Princess when we returned home. Princess cruise lines accepts No responsibility and clearly places the blame on their contractors. When we went ashore that morning to roam around a tiny little worthless town (not the port we were to dock at) we talked to many tour companies that operate there own tours and were told that there were plenty of boats available to take passengers to the pontoon for viewing of the Barrier Reef but they were never contacted by Princess to make alternate plans for their passengers. Also, if we had been allowed to leave the ship earlier we could have made our own plans for an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. Clearly Princess does not care about their passengers. Funny, they should put in their brochure "Our passengers are our most valued asset and providing them with the best possible experience continues to be our primary goal". ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!!!! So thinking about a Princess Cruise???? YOU BETTRER THINK TWICE. This was on the Sapphire Princess but have had other Bad experiences on their other ships also. So BEWARE!!!!!

 

HI DUPED PRINCESS CRUISER....SO SORRY YOU HAD THE BAD EXPERIENCE REGARDING YOUR GBR TRIP, BUT PLEASE DON'T REFER TO MY PART OF THE WORLD...AS A WORTHLESS LITTLE TOWN...

THE WHITSUNDAY AREA OF QUEENSLAND IS BEAUTIFUL, AND THERE WERE PLACES LIKE WHITEHAVEN BEACH, HAMILTON AND DAYDREAM ISLANDS, CONWAY NATIONAL PARK JUST TO NAME A FEW.

YOU WALKED AROUND SO FULL OF ANGER AND HURT, YOU MISSED THE BEAUTY OF THE PLACE.

I HOPE YOU GET ANOTHER CHANCE TO COME DOWN UNDER TO DO THE GBR, AND THE REST OF THE WHITSUNDAYS, MY HUSBAND AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU AROUND.

KINDEST REGARDS, LORRAINE:) :)

[xke_uk]

The Great Barrier Reef one of the grand wonders of the world and a once in a lifetime experience.

Don't count on seeing it when you travel on Princess Cruise lines. We did no get to experience the Great Barrier Reef because our excursion was cancelled the night before we were to arrive. The excrusion desk on board was rude, curt and unsympathetic. Not only did they not offer us a substiute excursion they didn't so much as offer us a glass of champagne. The reply to our question as to why this happened..."they said that there were mechanical difficulties and their contractor elected to not run the excursion. This is the reply we got from the paqssenger relation department of Princess when we returned home. Princess cruise lines accepts No responsibility and clearly places the blame on their contractors. When we went ashore that morning to roam around a tiny little worthless town (not the port we were to dock at) we talked to many tour companies that operate there own tours and were told that there were plenty of boats available to take passengers to the pontoon for viewing of the Barrier Reef but they were never contacted by Princess to make alternate plans for their passengers. Also, if we had been allowed to leave the ship earlier we could have made our own plans for an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. Clearly Princess does not care about their passengers. Funny, they should put in their brochure "Our passengers are our most valued asset and providing them with the best possible experience continues to be our primary goal". ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!!!! So thinking about a Princess Cruise???? YOU BETTRER THINK TWICE. This was on the Sapphire Princess but have had other Bad experiences on their other ships also. So BEWARE!!!!!

 

 

[Beach4me]

Actually I just reread my own review of the cruise:o

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=24891

and realised that yes, Cid Harbour was the originally scheduled cruise, but due to a film shoot going on the captain changed it to 'Airlie Beach', so technically speaking the OP's 'worthless little town' was Airlie Beach, not Cid Harbour.

It was a tender port as well, so I guess from the OP's perspective the following happened:

- he had looked forward to his GBR excursion, perhaps even to the extent that it was the expected highlight (or whole reason?) of his cruise

- been told it was cancelled the day before it was scheduled to happen due to a catamaran's mechanical breakdown

- been told that all other excursions were fully booked for that port

- had the further inconvenience of having to wait for a tender to Airlie Beach which was the only place left to visit,

- waiting for the tender and on the tender were probably others in the same situation which meant everyone compared their levels of anger. BTW it was a long, long tender journey as well since the shallow reef waters meant that the captain could not get so close to the shore.

- eventually got to AB with a faint hope that there may be other independent GBR excursions available

- found out everything was booked out (my cc mates can confirm that this was true- they even looked in to hiring a plane to fly them to the reef!) probably because it was too much short notice to book anything and the port just didn't have the infrastructure to cope

- so he just wandered around the 'worthless little town' in a very, very bad mood.

- back to the ship on the tender with the same disgruntled passengers = more anger

- Anger stewing for rest of cruise and journey home

- failed to get compensation from Princess directly, anger reaches boiling point

- came accross cruise critic four months later - time to unleash his disappointment:eek:

 

Thank you for this post, aclay. A voice or reason and specific voyage experience rather than an uninformed attack on the OP. I hope the OP appreciates your well thought out possible explanation.

[Aussie Gal]

Ssssh! Don't let the facts get in the way of a good troll! ;)

 

 

I wholeheartedly agree with Globiliser. I believe that we have been duped. :confused:

 

The OP doesn't even mention the "small town" that the ship docked in. Does he even know the name of it!

 

If it were Cairns, then it is not a small town anymore and there is so much to do in that area. He would have been able to pick up a boat to take him to one of the closer islands such as Green Island for the day if he had really wanted to go.

 

The GBR is not a one day excursion anyhow like a lot of other touristy places. You need to spend a few days up there.

 

Sure, we can all be disappointed at missing out on a port. We did the Antarctica trip last year on the Regal Princess and missed three ports altogether. The one that I was sorry were the Falkland Islands, but as it was too rough to tender, we had no alternative. Things happen, but how fortunate are we to be able to cruise and have a wonderful time.:)

 

Jennie

[Aussie Gal]

To the OP - no worries - you didn't miss much!

 

Our son went to Australia for three weeks last summer with the People to People Student Ambassador program - a great experience for him (and one that I'm a wee bit jealous of!)

 

On the day that they went to the GBR, since he was one of the few in his group with a scuba certification he got to dive, while most of the rest snorkled. Since they were all in one group, the site they went to was no doubt not the same one they would have gone to on a diving only expedition. He has been diving in some pretty awesome places, so maybe he's a bit spoiled in that regard.

 

Anyhoo...in the ONLY communication we got from him the whole time, he sent me an email saying that he wasn't that impressed with the Great Barrier Reef. I didn't get the rest of the details until later, but we always kid him now by only referring to it as the Mediocre Barrier Reef! :D

 

I am sorry that your son dived in an area that wasn't up too much.

 

We have been to many reefs in this world and nothing compares with GBR north of Cairns. It is so beautiful and I am sorry he didn't see it in all its glory. Also, to fly over it from Lizard Island to Cairns on a sunny day is the most beautiful experience.

 

It is a very long reef which goes for thousands of miles so he may have missed the best area.

 

Jennie

[qld cruiser]

I wholeheartedly agree with Globiliser. I believe that we have been duped. :confused:

 

The OP doesn't even mention the "small town" that the ship docked in. Does he even know the name of it!

 

If it were Cairns, then it is not a small town anymore and there is so much to do in that area. He would have been able to pick up a boat to take him to one of the closer islands such as Green Island for the day if he had really wanted to go.

 

The GBR is not a one day excursion anyhow like a lot of other touristy places. You need to spend a few days up there.

 

Sure, we can all be disappointed at missing out on a port. We did the Antarctica trip last year on the Regal Princess and missed three ports altogether. The one that I was sorry were the Falkland Islands, but as it was too rough to tender, we had no alternative. Things happen, but how fortunate are we to be able to cruise and have a wonderful time.:)

 

Jennie

 

Hi Jennie, I think the op was referring to Airlie Beach.

kind regards, Lorraine:) :)

[doven]

OP,how old are you? If you get one bad meal at a restaurant, does it get bad reviews in the newspaper and you refuse to go again and let everyone know it. Good grief. I really am curious of your age.

[jlp20]

Try having the navigator on the Sapphire Princess announce in a public forum that the port we missed, after traveling halfway around the world, could have been visited.

 

Just don't cruise with them anymore. My greenbacks go elsewhere.

 

Former Princess Elite Passenger

 

 

 

You do know you agreed that Princess (and all other cruise lines)could change your cruise at any time, BEFORE you got your tickets.

 

7. RIGHT TO CANCEL, CHANGE TIME OF SAILING OR PORT, SHORTEN THE CRUISE; SUBSTITUTION.

Carrier may, at any time, without notice or liability for payment or compensation, cancel the Cruise, change the date or time of sailing or arrival, change the port of embarkation or disembarkation, shorten the Cruise or substitute ships....

 

So what did Princess do that you did not agree with before the cruise.

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Jennie, I think the op was referring to Airlie Beach.

kind regards, Lorraine:) :)

 

Hi Lorraine,

 

If he was referring to Airlie Beach then there are lots of excursions you can do from that part of the coast.

 

I am sure he could have taken a boat out to one of the islands in the Whitsundays or just walked around that lovely town. There is a lot to do up there and I know I could have filled in a day easily.

 

Jennie

[Sandytoes]

Glad you found CC.

:)

[Tropicalshowers]

[bUT PLEASE DON'T REFER TO MY PART OF THE WORLD...AS A WORTHLESS LITTLE TOWN...

THE WHITSUNDAY AREA OF QUEENSLAND IS BEAUTIFUL, AND THERE WERE PLACES LIKE WHITEHAVEN BEACH, HAMILTON AND DAYDREAM ISLANDS, CONWAY NATIONAL PARK JUST TO NAME A FEW.

 

Hi there Lorraine!

Yes, I was starting to get confused as to where they actually were....no township at/near Sid Harbour...or so I thought....Airlie Beach and it's surrounds is certainly not worthless & it's a shame so many had a bad experience in our beautiful north. The itinerary for that cruise included Cairns, so I am amazed that a reef trip was not on offer while they were here..maybe the arrival time didn't suit.

 

Anyway CC'ers, do continue to come over our way...we really are a welcoming bunch, even if our laid back townships are tiny.:D

P.S Pacific Princess is in dock in Cairns as I write....looking good!

 

Cheers

[qld cruiser]

 

Hi there Lorraine!

Yes, I was starting to get confused as to where they actually were....no township at/near Sid Harbour...or so I thought....Airlie Beach and it's surrounds is certainly not worthless & it's a shame so many had a bad experience in our beautiful north. The itinerary for that cruise included Cairns, so I am amazed that a reef trip was not on offer while they were here..maybe the arrival time didn't suit.

 

Anyway CC'ers, do continue to come over our way...we really are a welcoming bunch, even if our laid back townships are tiny.:D

P.S Pacific Princess is in dock in Cairns as I write....looking good!

 

Cheers

 

Hi Nerissa and Jennie. I suppose any reef tour, whether from Cairns or the whitsunday's need a full day,.. if ship is late or a mechanical problem.. that would end any day trip. but there are shorter trips available..from Cairns to the Low Isles leave quite regularly through the day.(green Island)etc.. from Shute harbour, there are the beautiful whitsunday islands....

I saw Pacific Princess on krooz cam.....I love her too.

I hope that CC'S come over and see our country.....as you say...we are a friendly bunch...

kindest regards, Lorraine:) :)