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In reality the problems began before we reached Ft. Lauderdale when the Cruise Critic board had info our travel agent didn't concerning the delayed boarding. Princess denied the delay to our TA on the phone, then sent out an e-mail the next day! The advisory, which threatened to turn away cars which arrived in port before 2pm, should have told us that things were a bit awry at the self-styled "Consummate Host". There was no one available at embarcation to direct us to the proper line. We were fortunate to be undercover but still outside when the torrential rain came down all over the stacked up baggage.
There was no Welcome Aboard Princess Patter in our cabin, so we had no idea of optional/mandatory activities. Rumors circulated about postponed sailing, so having to return to the cabin for the lifejacket to attend the safety drill was a surprise. The Patter finally came after dinner. The pattern of wrong information and lack of information continued throughout the cruise.
In general the crew tended to ignore problems and hope they would go away. If you asked a question and received an answer, it would later turn out to be the wrong answer! I think if the Captain had frankly addressed the passengers and said, "we did this badly, and we apologize" it would have gone a long way towards making passengers feel that they weren't being ignored.
On the plus side, we felt the production shows were wonderful. We'd seen them all before, enjoyed them all again! The port lecturer was excellent, and I attended every one except the first (because we'd already been there before and knew our plans.) The food in the dining room was generally very good, though I kept wishing it could be served hot -- not just warm.
We enjoyed the perks of booking a full suite, such as the room service steward laying down a tablecloth on our coffee table before setting down our breakfast & lunch. But even in the top digs, some of the finer points were missing. The balcony table was disassembled and the balcony dirty. The door between balconies was unlocked and banging back and forth in the wind. The DVD's we requested never arrived (and no one could help us, other than suggesting we order different ones). Dining room menus in the cabin are supposedly a special feature, but we didn't receive them until we asked for them. Certainly not major complaints, but not up to par for cabins that are top tier.
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