Disappointing to say the least

While this is only my first cruise I would have say I am disappointed in the overall experience. On arrival I had no idea on what to do or where to go. As a first time on a cruise, I would have thought there would be an orientation session to assist those who are first time on a cruise. Gratuity was automatically charged with no ability to decide on whether it was earned or not . To me gratuity is a reflection of service meeting or exceeding expectation. There were a few occasions I felt this was not the case. I brought the concern on 2 different occasions, once to the service desk and while was told someone would get back ,no one did. Follow up emails also have had no replies. Additionally, I had ordered some items for my wife to be delivered on the Sunday . When I called was told would be delivered later in the day which was not what I requested. Next I was asked why I had not called. Why? I had preordered these items

On first day ,had to locate the dinning area as no real indication. When arrived was told there was a 45 minute wait and person stated was not taking names for a wait list. The other room was not open and person stated it was first come first served. Only after further investigation I would found out ,could make reservations. Again it would have been nice if had been advised such as part of an orientation.

Overall pricing for services and some of the tours were expensive versus what was being offered.

Food provided as part of breakfast and lunch was tasty and great variety of dishes ( Deck 16) Staff in this area were very attentive to serving juice and coffee and for the most part we very friendly.

On board shows in the Princess Theatre were definitely a great experience and well worth seeing and in my and my wife’s opinion the best part of the cruise.

The excursions were something to participate in ,but important to look at the details of the tour ,as some are nothing more than shopping time versus trying to experience the local culture.

Onboard staff were friendly enough ,however no one went out of their way in meeting our needs or addressing concerns. A true customer experience should exceed customer expectations