Golden Princess Review
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Booked our flights with Princess and will never do this again. Appears Princess has a 'block' of space which is at the rear of the plane and there is NOTHING you can do to change it. I tried on two separate occasions to upgrade with Delta and more than willing to pay the difference but sorry, no can do. Checked with Princess to see if they could offer a solution but sadly, no. When we checked in at the Delta counter, the res agent said that it was too bad we couldn't have had the seats closer to the front for a possible upgrade of $29 each, but sadly there was nothing left. And she said it as if we could have accessed it all along! So we sat at the back of the plane with rows of screaming children surrounding us and specifically the little guy who sat behind me and kicked my seat all the way to LAX just to assure me he would be a constant presence. Never again. I will book directly with the airline.
Stayed at Crowne Plaza, San Pedro, via the very disorganized Prime Shuttle and after checking in, walked 2.5 blocks to Off the Vine which is an obscure wine store with limited offerings. Returning to the hotel, the concierge suggested a minimart about 2 blocks in another direction. Decent wine; decent prices, dusty, and owner has baseball bat in full view behind the counter!
Cruise Day One - Shuttle to pier at 10:30. Boarded the ship at 1 pm! Most disorganized embarkation ever. Greeter directed us to lounge for refreshments and we waited for over an hour. Pax were getting restless. Waited outside the lounge where others decided to stand/sit. Greeter now literally yelling at folks to move to the back, and was joined by another greeter who joined her in screeching and arm waving. Finally they yelled for the elite to get in line and then screeched for Group A. I had almost thrown my little slip of paper away as I wasn't told what Group A was - and so many others felt the same as they were looking through the garbage! When we finally queued up, among the cruisers mumbling under their breath how awful this embarkation was evolving, it then became confusing as to which line we were supposed to be in and then had a photographer jump out from behind a pillar with her camera - surprise! It truly was an awful embarkation.
Cabin Review
Our cabin steward needs some training in what 'clean' means. I followed up several times in ensuring the bathroom was acceptable by wiping faucets, etc. I had to ask if he would wipe the little balcony table. Room was rarely cleaned before noon regardless how early I put out the little card, and it was often on the door when we went to breakfast around 8-9 am. The Patter was rarely delivered in the evening - I like to read it in bed so we can plan the next day's activities but we often had to wait until morning and take it to breakfast with us. Water out of the cold water tap was ALWAYS warm. Bottled water should be complimentary in mini-suites and up.