Jump to content

I've tried cruising twice and don't think I like it


MelAMes
 Share

Recommended Posts

Am I the only one? I love to travel, and I've only been on two cruises - both with Princess Cruise lines. The first was to Mexico in 2010 and the second was to Alaska a couple months ago. After the first, I said I'd rather not do it again, but so many people convinced me to give it another shot. Unfortunately the Alaska cruise was the worst travel experience I've ever had. The customer service was UNBELIEVABLY BAD! I had such a traumatizing experience, all I could think about upon disembarking was contacting Princess Customer Relations. I thought for sure they would be appalled and send me an apology letter or something. But after 6 attempts, they are still ignoring me. If I were to behave this way in my own business, I'd surely be fired. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this probably isnt a place to find a lot of sympathy as most will be avid cruisers. even my "bad" cruise was still a winner for me, and that had me down with a tropical storm(cant remember if it got full tropical storm or just below, but it was rough) triggered migraine seasickness for the first 2 days. i call cruising "vacation in a bag" because you go to sleep and ake up somewhere new everyday, you can do as much or as little planning for excursions as you like and still have a great time, good food, always things to do on board (ok maybe at 4am you might be limited in activities, but you could still find something)

 

your op doesn't really outline what you found upsetting about your cruise, that might help us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You may get some advice here but most of the crowd in this forum are multiple Princess cruisers so we generally like what we get. Obviously cruising does not appear to be your cup of tea. That's okay as there are many alternatives in travel. We went over 25 years from cruise 1 till cruise 2. Some years we cruise multiple times, others not at all. You do not specify your issues but from what you say I doubt there is much the cruise line could do to satisfy you at this point.

Just plan to see the world by land. Beware though that air travel and has its own set of current issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only one? I love to travel, and I've only been on two cruises - both with Princess Cruise lines. The first was to Mexico in 2010 and the second was to Alaska a couple months ago. After the first, I said I'd rather not do it again, but so many people convinced me to give it another shot. Unfortunately the Alaska cruise was the worst travel experience I've ever had. The customer service was UNBELIEVABLY BAD! I had such a traumatizing experience, all I could think about upon disembarking was contacting Princess Customer Relations. I thought for sure they would be appalled and send me an apology letter or something. But after 6 attempts, they are still ignoring me. If I were to behave this way in my own business, I'd surely be fired. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Hello, MelAMes. Welcome to Cruise Critic. Please be aware that many people will dismiss your complaints because you are a first-time poster. It is normal to wonder who this person is and what is the motivation for criticism.

 

I myself must wonder when the rhetoric includes "UNBELIEVABLY BAD" without explanation and "traumatizing experience" without elaboration.

 

Still, cruising isn't for everyone. If you can tell us more about your experience it would help.

 

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love hiking and camping, my husband doesn't like either activity. I enjoy flying, he doesn't. Not all of us have the same interests. You've tried cruising twice and didn't enjoy it. OK. I can live with it. Find something that you like to do and do it. All of us would rather have you do something that you enjoy rather than be miserable doing something that doesn't please you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kind of hard to comment when a first time poster supplies no details of the dislikes at all ?

Why bother ?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

What I was wondering. That said, MelAMes, some folks like land vacations and don't care for cruising at all. Cruising may just not be your cup of tea. Nothing wrong in that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only one? I love to travel, and I've only been on two cruises - both with Princess Cruise lines. The first was to Mexico in 2010 and the second was to Alaska a couple months ago. After the first, I said I'd rather not do it again, but so many people convinced me to give it another shot. Unfortunately the Alaska cruise was the worst travel experience I've ever had. The customer service was UNBELIEVABLY BAD! I had such a traumatizing experience, all I could think about upon disembarking was contacting Princess Customer Relations. I thought for sure they would be appalled and send me an apology letter or something. But after 6 attempts, they are still ignoring me. If I were to behave this way in my own business, I'd surely be fired. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

 

Would be nice to know what Alaska cruise you took. What ship? What time frame? What were your major complaints that you contacted Princess 6 times and they still ignore you.

 

Any bets on whether the OP returns with more information?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first cruise on the (then) Tahitian Princess was not particularly good...and yes, Princess ignored my complaints. Subsequent cruises have been better. It helps that I now know the Princess cruise product and what to expect. Before deciding that cruising is not for you, you may want to do research on specific ships, itineraries, and cruise lines. The more you know, the more likely that you will chose a cruise that "fits" you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello, MelAMes. Welcome to Cruise Critic. Please be aware that many people will dismiss your complaints because you are a first-time poster. It is normal to wonder who this person is and what is the motivation for criticism.

 

 

This seems to be a frequent happening, which would account for CC posters possibly having this thought.

 

OP, you don't have to like cruising. Different strokes for different folks! But you'll probably find that most of us do or why else would we be here? Enjoy your land vacations. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like cruising may not be for you. You gave it a fair shot by sailing twice and it sounds like you didn't really love it either voyage so it is unlikely that you would feel much different if you booked a third time.

Hopefully your next vacation will be more to your liking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really disliked my first cruise, and the second one, two years later, was much more to my liking. However, I waited another 7 years before trying it again, as I had decided in that seven year hiatus that cruising really wasn't my cup of tea. I came off the second cruise feeling like I needed a vacation from the vacation. The first one was just plain awful. The third one I was a little older, looking for different things, more relaxed, and different itinerary. I will say, I was unmarried and went with a family member on the first two cruises, and was married and went with my husband on the third one. Maybe it depends on who you go with, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've actually had one pretty bad cruise ... and it was on Princess ... but that experience was out of dozens of cruises, and most of those have been on Princess.

I did lodge my complaint with Princess but spelled out the details of the mishaps on my cruise and didn't just give a general statement that it was incredibly bad. I did get a reply from Princess within a couple of weeks and they offered me considerable compensation if we were willing to sail on them again. At first I wasn't going to and that would have been my loss. As a matter of fact, I picked the same ship and so glad I did. I had a great time!! But, if I recall, that original experience was my very first post on Cruise Critic ... and not without a little bit of flaming in the subsequent comments. That's ok, though ... I got over it and have written many positive aspects of cruising ever since. This site has been invaluable for researching everything related to cruises to ensure right decisions are made, as well as savings and tips to maximize my overall experience.

 

As far as not liking cruising ... that is absolutely fine! My brother and wife went with us and he just didn't love it. He didn't have a bad time, but he just has no interest in cruising again. Friends have gone with us and, like us, they are hooked for life. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. And sure, in over 50 cruises, there have been incidents that were definitely less than optimal. It is when all these occur on one single cruise, they then to build upon one another and oftentimes are hard to ignore. That is what prompted me to submit a complaint letter on the cruise I mentioned above. But, in this letter I sent, I was succinct but listed important details, such as the dates / times and gist of the incidents without getting into any attacks or personal feelings. They did respond within a reasonable time frame.

 

I would encourage the OP to outline the negative experiences that made it so incredibly bad without going into every little annoyance so it doesn't sound like a rant. Be patient and give them ample time to respond. I would say anywhere from 2-4 weeks is reasonable. You may have already done this, but if it is without any detail as in your post, you may not get a response or apology.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think cruise lines are always that responsive towards complaints. If you come back, we might be able to help you determine if what you didn't like was simply because cruising isn't for you (it is too upsetting to worry about missing a port due to weather, you prefer to have 2-3 days in each city to get a real sense of it) or if you might be on the wrong cruise line (you'd prefer not to be on vacation with small children or hate crowds, in which case the really expensive suite only lines might be a better fit).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only one? I love to travel, and I've only been on two cruises - both with Princess Cruise lines. The first was to Mexico in 2010 and the second was to Alaska a couple months ago. After the first, I said I'd rather not do it again, but so many people convinced me to give it another shot. Unfortunately the Alaska cruise was the worst travel experience I've ever had. The customer service was UNBELIEVABLY BAD! I had such a traumatizing experience, all I could think about upon disembarking was contacting Princess Customer Relations. I thought for sure they would be appalled and send me an apology letter or something. But after 6 attempts, they are still ignoring me. If I were to behave this way in my own business, I'd surely be fired. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Wow can you explain more what was traumatizing. I can think of a few things in my life that were truly tramatizing but never a vacation or cruise. Truly only serious things could to that to me.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow can you explain more what was traumatizing. I can think of a few things in my life that were truly tramatizing but never a vacation or cruise. Truly only serious things could to that to me.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

If you were on the ship with the death at the hands of her husband and were close to that situation, yes that would be tramatizing.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...