bad experience on Star Princess Sept 27.

We were on the Star Princess Sept 27. Unluckily this is the worst
cruise we've ever been on.

1. confusion at check in
Me and my parents are Canadian. At the line up for check in, when we
got to the top of the line, the lady ask if we are citizens. I said
"No we are Canadians". She directed us to another line on the
rightmost side. This line barely moved. Then we noticed that everyone
in this line was Chinese. One person went and asked someone in charge,
and apparantly the lady thought we were with a Japanese tourist group
who did not speak English and so sent us to the "Special assistance"
window.

2. no birthday for me
Sept 27 was my birthday. I indicated that on the web form. There was
nothing in the stateroom, nothing at dinner. I did get the song and
cake at dinner on the NEXT day. Luckily the cruise was NOT meant as a
celebration of my birthday (was arranged with other people and just
happened to fall on that day), otherwise I would have been really
bummed out. I saw other staterooms decorated with ballons on the first
day, and I would have liked to have some too!

3. luggage dropped in the sea
After we disembarked, we couldn't find my parents' suitcases (there
were about a dozen people also looking for theirs). Then we were told
there has been an accident, some luggage items were dropped into the
sea, but were retrieved. We found them dripping wet at the dock. At
the airport the cleaners were none too happy to see suitcases that
were trailing seawater, and the X ray handler disinfected his hands
and put on gloves after he touched the wet luggage. (We have claimed
damages.)

4. lost my camera on the flight back
nothing to do with Princess, but adds to overall disappointment of the
holiday!

The food - there were some nice dishes but overall pretty mediocre.
Afternoon tea was a big disappointment, coz the last time I had tea on
a cruise it was English High Tea. This Tea had tea that came from a
tap and served in ugly clunky pottery tea pots. The scones were the
colour of Yorkshire pudding (but they tasted OK). No smoked salmon,
watercress or cucumber sandwiches, but seafood salad, roast beef and
mustard, and ham and cheese. Never went back.

Well I could go on, but let me also put down some of the good things.
My mom really appreciated the sugar-free desserts! Service is very
good overall (except at one lunch and at the Southwestern eatery). The
three shore excursions were pretty good (althought the water at
Pelican Cove was not very clear for snorkeling). The "copy your
digital photo media to CD" service is a good idea but too expensive
($15 to start and $12 for each CD), but single digital prints are
cheap (37 cents). Speaking of which, I have to say the Black and White
portrait photos were ATROCIOUS. Really harsh. Don't know if it's the
photographer, equipment (digital), or the developing.

(Tippi) wrote in message . com...

The food - there were some nice dishes but overall pretty mediocre.
Afternoon tea was a big disappointment, coz the last time I had tea on
a cruise it was English High Tea. This Tea had tea that came from a
tap and served in ugly clunky pottery tea pots. The scones were the
colour of Yorkshire pudding (but they tasted OK). No smoked salmon,
watercress or cucumber sandwiches, but seafood salad, roast beef and
mustard, and ham and cheese. Never went back.

Hmmm, what you've described IS High Tea. Traditional High Tea is a
simple supper, with soft-boiled eggs and cold meats, nothing fancy
intended.

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, Dear Tippi!
Happy birthday toooooo yoooooooooooou!


and you should cc this to Princess' California office, with a statement
saying that their forgetfulness and poor service will not win you back for
future cruises. Also, let the travel agent know what happened. A song sang
to you the next day doesn't make up for poor service and lack of attention
on your actual birthday. If they are going to acknowledge your special day
as an afterthought, why bother. That stinks. My condolences for your
disappointing cruise, but I am pleased to wish you a Happy Birthday!
Another year of fun awaits you!

Cyndi

Tippi wrote (in part):
I saw other staterooms decorated with balloons on the first day, and
I would have liked to have some too!

Tippi,

The cruise lines do NOT do that out of their Heart due to your Birthday.

This is an "Optional" service that one has to plan and pay for,
pre-cruise.

Perhaps your Travel Agent or SO should have done this for you.

As far as the cake at dinner. One of your travelling mate should have
checked with the matre d' to insure your pleasure for this event.

The port personnel at check-in are, for the most part, contractual
employees. They are not to keyed-in on many of the fine points of the
check-in procedure for individual cruise lines. Also a minor complaint
of mine.

I'm sorry about your camera
hope you still have the film

Steve in FLL----knows it's a learning process, for each cruise!


Steve in FLL
Life is short. Make fun of it.
2003 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm
2004 http://www.motherofallgroupcruises

In article ,
(brousw1a) wrote:

(Tippi) wrote in message
. com...

The food - there were some nice dishes but overall pretty mediocre.
Afternoon tea was a big disappointment, coz the last time I had tea on
a cruise it was English High Tea. This Tea had tea that came from a
tap and served in ugly clunky pottery tea pots. The scones were the
colour of Yorkshire pudding (but they tasted OK). No smoked salmon,
watercress or cucumber sandwiches, but seafood salad, roast beef and
mustard, and ham and cheese. Never went back.

Hmmm, what you've described IS High Tea. Traditional High Tea is a
simple supper, with soft-boiled eggs and cold meats, nothing fancy
intended.

you are fighting a losing battle here -- the cruise and other commercial
industries have convinced Americans that 'high tea' is fancy crumpet and
clotted cream and strawberries and they will be damned if they are going
to have it called anything else -- although it has the general effect of
people sticking their pinky out when drinking tea because that is so
classy

Steve in FLL wrote:

As far as the cake at dinner. One of your travelling mate should have
checked with the matre d' to insure your pleasure for this event.

I was under the impression that they didn't do birthday/anniv cakes on
the first night of a cruise.

sue

Tippi wrote:
2. no birthday for me
Sept 27 was my birthday. I indicated that on the web form. There was
nothing in the stateroom, nothing at dinner. I did get the song and
cake at dinner on the NEXT day. Luckily the cruise was NOT meant as a
celebration of my birthday (was arranged with other people and just
happened to fall on that day), otherwise I would have been really
bummed out. I saw other staterooms decorated with ballons on the first
day, and I would have liked to have some too!

This is standard procedure. They don't do cakes the first night out on
most if not all cruise ships, because of all the confusion. And the
balloons and cabin decorations are something you order special and pay
for. Last year we went on the NOrwegian Dawn for my sister in law's
40th birthday, and we arranged for those things, but they cost about $35.

You're lucky you did not get the treatment she did! They had a cake, right
night, too (third night out) and they came and sang "Happy Anniversary" to
her and her husband! LOL!

Sorry about the stuff that went wrong on your cruise, but these things are
just the way it is.

Julie


--
Julie
**********
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm

To me, growing up in England, high tea was a major meal in itself.
Sandwiches, any kind, real jam, any kind, selection of 2-3 different
cakes, thick hunks of fresh bread, not pre sliced but sliced at home
Tea time, usually served 3.30-4.00 p.m. consisted of biscuits, cake and
sometimes crumpets. Who could afford clotted cream? Certainly not in
our neighbourhood.. High tea was usually served on a Sunday when supper
(not dinner) consisted of lots of dairy dishes.
and lots and lots of brewed tea (real kind, not tea bags) served with
real milk or cream.

SUNNY.......Never could drink tea with pinky extended. Needed whole
hand to clutch the beakers. Doulton china with blue periwinkles was
put aside to use when we had candlelight suppers:-)

S'nd I

In article ,
villa deauville wrote:

Tea time, usually served 3.30-4.00 p.m. consisted of biscuits, cake and
sometimes crumpets. Who could afford clotted cream? Certainly not in
our neighbourhood..

On the Princess cruises I have been on what they have served what they
call afternoon tea at 3:30 everyday, with small scones, jam, cream, and
little sandwiches.

--
Charles

From: Charles lid

On the Princess cruises I have been on what they have served what they
call afternoon tea at 3:30 everyday, with small scones, jam, cream, and
little sandwiches.


A truly delightful experience ... whether it is officially tea time like or not
....

Be seeing you
In the Village
Number 6