Ultimate Ship tour reflections

[Colo Cruiser]

This may be nieve, but I'll ask anyway since I don't want the grumpy captain on the CB in July...

I have an email from Princes "from the captain" and it's from Marco Fortezze... does that mean he'll be on CB when I sail in July?

 

Yes Capt Fortezze.

[cruiser113]

We were on the CB this past week (May 2-9 San Juan to NYC) and made sure that our first stop upon embarkation was the purser's desk to sign up for the Ultimate Ship Tour.

 

On Thursday we received a letter from Captain Pickford informing us that we had been selected to pay $150.00 to take the UST. We were instructed to show up outside of Churchill's at 1:45 on the last day of the cruise; to plan a minimum three hour tour and to bring the attached (and signed) waiver form.

 

The tour began when Donna showed up and unceremoniously checked off our names, took our liability release forms and said "follow me". A security officer (who followed us during the entire tour) and a photographer were also part of the contingent.

 

We had 11 participants---one person was a no-show.

 

The first stop was behind stage and getting a tour of the operation of the theatre, the costume area, etc. It was very interesting and the staff that presented information about this area were very gracious and passionate about their work.

 

We then moved on to the Galley and the food prep areas, freezers, coolers, etc. This was the highlight of the tour for me. The Chef was gracious, welcoming and incredibly proud (rightfully so) of his operation. He explained everything, right down to how often they clean the french fry machines.

 

He was particularly proud that the CDC had just given the CB a 100 percent rating. He showed us how everything is logged, temperatures maintained, etc. We went into the baking area and once again were greeted by smiles and employees who were very interested in questions we may have.

 

The Chef and the Director of Food and Beverage took us down to the freezer/refrigerator area and explained the process of making sure each cruise has adequate provisions. We went into a 20 below zero freezer (for a moment)---I felt at home; I'm from Wisconsin. Then into a produce refrig.

 

What was notable is how spotless everything is. EVERYTHING---right down to the stairs leading into the "underground" areas of the ship. The smell of fresh paint was noticeable in several areas of the tour; a testament to how things are being continually maintained. The Chef was great. Before we finished

 

We then went to the Engine Control Room. While interesting, I found this to be a little on the boring side (how many computer screens can you look at). The Chief Engineer, however, was a delight and has a great passion for his work. He was very impressive.

 

You were bored by the engine control room? So sorry I thought it was incredibe and have done the UST twice.

 

Next to the Photoshop where the 18,000 pictures are processed every week. Once again, very interesting to see where all those pictures that suddenly appear come from.

 

We then went to the print shop where the Princess Patters, menus and anything else printed for delivery to staterooms is printed. The printers had prepared a pad of personalized stationary for all participants in the UST and told us it would be delivered to our staterooms (unfortunately, they didn't tell the delivery person that it was PERSONALIZED)

 

Have done the tour twice and thought the personal stationary was teriffic, no problems.

 

Our next stop was the medical center with a brief tour of the facility. I was impressed with the sophistication of medical center. We also learned that there was a three person morgue on board.

 

We then proceeded to the laundry area---what an amazing operation. We forget that every towel, every sheet, table cloth, etc., needs to be laundered multiple times a week. Now I know how they do it. The technology is incredible---especially the ironing/folding machines.

 

We were all presented with a Plush Terry Cloth Princess robe (to be delivered to our stateroom)

 

Next stop---what should have been the highlight and turned out to be the low point of the UST was the bridge.

 

Donna---our cruise director staffer that lead the way---had called up to the bridge and told them we were on the way. When we arrived, she was yelled at and told to "close the door". We were left standing in a small hallway between the passenger area and the bridge for 5-10 minutes until someone opened the door and barked "OK". Donna was embarrassed by this as was the Security Officer.

 

Now to the major disappointment of the UST.

 

Captain Pickford came out and said "welcome to the bridge. If you want to see the statue of Liberty tomorrow we will be sailing past at 6:15 AM. I will leave you with the 3rd officer to answer any questions." AND HE WAS GONE. He didn't even stick around for the obligatory picture--even though Princess had sent a photographer with us. We were obviously an unwelcome intrusion in his day. It seemed clear to me and several others on the UST that Captain Pickford is not a proponent of the UST.

 

So sorry to hear this. Sailed to Alaska and the fog was terrible , the captain and the staff were dedicated to getting us through the fog , but were most gracious during our tour of the bridge. Maybe something was a safety issue that you were not aware of.

 

(Note to Captain Pickford: Your being a Princess of Captain is because of the passengers. You expect (rightfully) appropriate respect because of your position; we (the passengers) should be able to expect the same.

 

Where you also respectful??

 

The Third Officer, a very kind young man is the Junior officer of the Ship and the Log Author.

 

He did his best to answer any questions we had. I would not be surprised if this is the first time he was put in this position, as he seemed very nervous.

 

By this time, our Cruise Director staffer (Donna) had disappeared. The Third officer allowed us to take pictures (and the photographer also took pictures).

 

The fog during Alaska made the captain be more focused on the fog but the other team members were awesome.

 

The cruise staff may have had something else pressing, been on two UST and camera was not allowed during tour. Consider youself lucky!

 

What was most uncomfortable though, was the disdain that was very visibly shown by the First Officer. When some of us said "hello" to him he simply sneered and brushed us off without even a return "hello". Occasionally, he would glance over at us with a disgusted look---shaking his head (almost as if the say, "JUST GET THE H**L out of here"

 

Was this the perception of the whole group or just you??

 

Champagne, juice and canapes were served off to one side of the bridge and after a few minutes of mingling with fellow passengers it was time to leave. Unfortunately, The Junior officer did not know if we had to wait for the cruise directors staffer and the security officer seemed perplexed as well. We hung around for a few more minutes and finally we all asked the security officer punch in those magic numbers that would open the door and let us off the bridge.

 

Early in the evening there was a knock on the door. The Chefs Jacket, Bathrobe and personalized stationary were being delivered. The only problem is that the two pads of stationary were for someone else. I really felt sorry for this delivery person---he didn't understand that they had been personalized and had just been delivery any pad of stationary to the rooms. He told me that he didn't understand the names and was only going to room numbers he was told.

 

Finally I was able to show him, using his list, how the mistake had been made. A couple of hours later my pad of stationary appeared, but my partner's is still missing in action. (Note to Princess--write the cabin number on the top of the pad of stationary before sending it out for delivery)

 

Would I do the UST again---absolutely.

 

My suggestions are simple and hopefully Princess will take this as a sincere suggestion: The Cruise Director staff person needs to be more than a traffic cop and should not in mid tour abandon the group--especially on the hostile bridge.

 

Secondly, The bridge is an important place and we are fortunate to get to visit it. Princess, having made the decision to make this part of the tour, however, should make it clear to employees on the bridge (INCLUDING THE CAPTAIN) that we are the guests and not the intruders.

 

I walked away from the bridge totally unimpressed with the Captain and his staff, with the exception of the Junior officer who tried mightily to salvage a very uncomfortable situation.

 

 

If you are willing to do it again it must have not been such a bad experience??

[rakaia]

When I shook hands with Captain Pickford at the most recent Welcome Aboard Member's Cocktail party he didn't even look me in the eye and almost slapped my hand away after the obligatory handshake. Which was rather limp. Yuk.

Really poor impression. Last year on the CB I think that we had Marco Fortezze as the Captain and he was great. Very personable.

[VibeGuy]

Yes, that's quite the handshake he has...

 

My charming husband was a maritime professional in a former life, and we found the captain substantially more engaging when we briefly discussed the new ship announcement and the various decisions Princess faces associated with the newbuilds. I too noticed he travels with his wife, and saw him make a *run* for the other dining room when Coral was a little busy.

 

He's clearly an introvert in a job whose duties have been seriously colored by the Merrill Stubing version of the gig. ;0)

[gregjm]

If you are willing to do it again it must have not been such a bad experience??

 

My point in posting was to share my opinion of the UST--nothing more, nothing less. As stated I would do it again and would recommend it to anyone. My post was intended to bring attention to the poor customer relations skills of this particular Captain and First Officer---behavior that made the tour of the bridge the low point of the UST.

[ReaganSkyesdad]

Very saddened to hear that your UST went so poorly and that Captain Pickford was not hospitable. We were on the April 25th sailing with Captain Guerrini. We did the UST on that sailing. We also had the pleasure of meeting Captain Guerrini personally in Aruba while he perused the wares at the local's market. He stopped, posed for pictures with us, etc. and was very personable. On the UST, we spent a good 45 minutes with him and the Bridge Officers just chatting (there were only 6 of us onthe Tour). He was extremely engaging.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Donna was a delight and Dan even showed up briefly as well. It was very informative and the gifts certainly offset the cost. The "Behind the Fun" Tour on Carnival is $99.00 and you get a $2.50 ballcap and little interaction, no refreshments, etc. Donna handled our tour very well, did not "disappear" but did excuse herself once Captain Guerrini took over. The Chef was waiting for his inspection as it had been a year since it took place, so I understand why he was excited about his 100! I did find it odd though that at 2:00PM there was no activity what-so-ever in the kitchen or prep areas. I was amazed at how clean it was as well having just completed service.

 

With guests going "backstage" all staff members, crew included-no matter what position-should be on their best behavior. They are well aware of the UST, timing, etc. So rude behavior is inexcusable. Unfortunately, the tone is set by the Captain and if Pickford is an introvert, starched-drawers kind of "executive" it doesn't take long for the staff to be put off and this translates into how they do their job. Princess should be made aware of the issue. Maybe it was just the fact that he is new to the ship or still trying to get acclaimated to CB on his first sailing on her (or return). I see from other posts that the next day, the ship had a very rough docking and that there was no communication from Ship's personnel to passengers about this. Again, not a good thing. We flew Spirit to San Juan and both our outbound from Orlando, and again as we were leaving San Juan, we were forced to sit for over an hour while repairs were made to planes. In neither instance were we informed of the issue. In fact, the pilot made things worse on the return trip by telling us we were returning to the gate for engine problems but not following up by telling us what happened or if it was fixed. Princess is not a "low-cost" cruiseline and I'm sure they want to know about these types of issues. I would recommend using the Customer Relations email and letting Princess know how the Captain and Bridge Crew behaved. This was our first experience with Princess and we were thoroughly pleased. I would hate to think that one bad apple could cast aspersions on an otherwise wonderful ship.

[Pam in CA]

I've taken the UST as well and thought it was fabulous; worth every dime. It's unfortunate that Captain Pickford wasn't able to be there longer. He's really a very nice, charming person. As I've read on other threads about the winds and delays returning to port, perhaps by the time you arrived at the Bridge, they were concerned about the ship's arrival, etc. I'm not trying to dismiss bad behavior but there might have been unanticipated circumstances that made it difficult for them to have people on the bridge at that time.

[chocolady88]

Thanks for the info. I thought that it's not available anymore. On the next cruise we'll definitely sign up for that !!! by the way....how does one include previous and future cruise info? I thought it's automatically part of the signature.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the info. I thought that it's not available anymore. On the next cruise we'll definitely sign up for that !!! by the way....how does one include previous and future cruise info? I thought it's automatically part of the signature.

 

Go to the user CP at the top of the page and adjust/add to your signature accordingly then save it.

[5waldos]

How much is the tour on Princess? And when does it usually happen? It does sound like a fasinating experience.

[Colo Cruiser]

how much is the tour on princess? And when does it usually happen? It does sound like a fasinating experience.

 

$150 pp happens on a sea day.

[dfields1814]

The behavior you described is unacceptable especially after paying $150 for the experience.

 

My experience on the UST on the Diamond last January was just the opposite. Captain Sagani was really nice. He explained everything to us in detail and even had snacks delieved. It was the best part of the tour.

 

I even got got to blow the horn like in the commercial .... just kidding.

[red4u2]

Very saddened to hear that your UST went so poorly and that Captain Pickford was not hospitable. We were on the April 25th sailing with Captain Guerrini. We did the UST on that sailing. We also had the pleasure of meeting Captain Guerrini personally in Aruba while he perused the wares at the local's market. He stopped, posed for pictures with us, etc. and was very personable. On the UST, we spent a good 45 minutes with him and the Bridge Officers just chatting (there were only 6 of us onthe Tour). He was extremely engaging.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Donna was a delight and Dan even showed up briefly as well. It was very informative and the gifts certainly offset the cost. The "Behind the Fun" Tour on Carnival is $99.00 and you get a $2.50 ballcap and little interaction, no refreshments, etc. Donna handled our tour very well, did not "disappear" but did excuse herself once Captain Guerrini took over. The Chef was waiting for his inspection as it had been a year since it took place, so I understand why he was excited about his 100! I did find it odd though that at 2:00PM there was no activity what-so-ever in the kitchen or prep areas. I was amazed at how clean it was as well having just completed service.

 

With guests going "backstage" all staff members, crew included-no matter what position-should be on their best behavior. They are well aware of the UST, timing, etc. So rude behavior is inexcusable. Unfortunately, the tone is set by the Captain and if Pickford is an introvert, starched-drawers kind of "executive" it doesn't take long for the staff to be put off and this translates into how they do their job. Princess should be made aware of the issue. Maybe it was just the fact that he is new to the ship or still trying to get acclaimated to CB on his first sailing on her (or return). I see from other posts that the next day, the ship had a very rough docking and that there was no communication from Ship's personnel to passengers about this. Again, not a good thing. We flew Spirit to San Juan and both our outbound from Orlando, and again as we were leaving San Juan, we were forced to sit for over an hour while repairs were made to planes. In neither instance were we informed of the issue. In fact, the pilot made things worse on the return trip by telling us we were returning to the gate for engine problems but not following up by telling us what happened or if it was fixed. Princess is not a "low-cost" cruiseline and I'm sure they want to know about these types of issues. I would recommend using the Customer Relations email and letting Princess know how the Captain and Bridge Crew behaved. This was our first experience with Princess and we were thoroughly pleased. I would hate to think that one bad apple could cast aspersions on an otherwise wonderful ship.

 

Welcome back from you trip! it sounds like you had a great time, i had that same plane malfunction once when getting ready to depart Maui- not a good feeling. have you posted your review yet?

[Shiraz49]

Just in case you're considering this option ... do it, it is worthwhile.

 

We did the UST on the Dawn Princess back in Feb and just a couple of things may be worth noting for those considering this package. These things didn't spoil it but just show things could have been better.

 

.... The day of the UST also happenned to be the highlight of the cruise through the Milford Sound .... that's right we missed it all, luckily my wife did not do the tour and took plenty of photos. I know a ship is a busy and complex place but with 3 sea days back to Australia why this day ?????

 

.... Photos - although they say that you cannot take your own, several of the head staff suggested we take pictures if we wished (not on the bridge).

 

.... Photographer - although he did take 4 'group' snaps they were pretty ordinary with no thought of people placement or best location to take in where we were. He also snapped off photos to his hearts content at every location, at he time I thought, great, we'll get a copy of these .... not the case they were obviousy for hs own collection and no doubt later sale.

 

Apart from those 'gripes' no problem, my suggestion, take your camera (you can make up some excuse as to why you're carrying it) and if the opportunity arises USE IT. The cost is adequately covered with the few 'freebies' they throw in .... Just do it and enjoy.

[Poohjo]

If you are willing to do it again it must have not been such a bad experience??

 

 

I don't necessarily think he was saying it was a totally bad experience. I think it was more of a disappointment from the treatment he received from the captain and other members of the bridge. 30 minutes out of a 3-31/2 hour tour isn't enough to totally ruin ones opinion of the U.S.T.

 

Me and my DH had the privilege of doing U.S.T. on the Emerald Princess a couple of weeks ago and it was amazing. Our tour had 13 people on it and lasted a little over 4 hours. Captain Fortezze was amazing and took the time to answer all questions. We had 3 children on our tour who ranged from 11-16 and the Captain took the time to answer all the questions that the 11 year old presented. (which was many)When we came into the Bridge, the Captain was there waiting for us. He shook everyones hand, did a group pic and then did individual family/couple pics. He introduced his officers and all other personnel that was in the bridge and they were all very personable. Awesome experience. Would highly recommend this experience to everyone and anyone.

 

Penny

[albertiger]

I was also a participant in this UST and have to agree with all of greg's observations.

Shaun, the 3rd officer did the best he could with a difficult situation. A lot of responsibility for a 21 year old!

We were not allowed to visit inside the funnel due to the high winds, unfortunately the part I was looking forward to the most.:(

Also have to agree with Greg's assesment of Chef Antonio, he was positively beaming!:D

All things considered it was fun, however, be aware that the participants are chosen by lottery. I was 3rd to sign up but not guaranteed a slot, the sign up remains open for 24 hours-if more than 16 sign up it goes to the lottery drawing.

[kenexx]

The behavior you described is unacceptable especially after paying $150 for the experience.

 

My experience on the UST on the Diamond last January was just the opposite. Captain Sagani was really nice. He explained everything to us in detail and even had snacks delieved. It was the best part of the tour.

 

I even got got to blow the horn like in the commercial .... just kidding.

 

I agree. Dino Sagani is wonderful. He was on the Diamond when we did the UST between Singapore and Darwin last November The view from the bridge over table top smooth equatorial seas was stunning. I'm going to sign up again on the Ocean later this year.

[caribill]

.... Photos - although they say that you cannot take your own, several of the head staff suggested we take pictures if we wished (not on the bridge).

 

 

The only place we were allowed to take pictures on our UST on the Crown was while on the Bridge.

[chocolady88]

Go to the user CP at the top of the page and adjust/add to your signature accordingly then save it.

 

Thank you. I did and it didn't work. I think that originally I really didn't save it. After realizing it I added it again.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thank you. I did and it didn't work. I think that originally I really didn't save it. After realizing it I added it again.

 

 

Looks good. ;)

[ReaganSkyesdad]

Welcome back from you trip! it sounds like you had a great time, i had that same plane malfunction once when getting ready to depart Maui- not a good feeling. have you posted your review yet?

 

Hello! Nice to hear from you. Been out of town. Yes, I must get the review done and get the UST included. I do recommend this excursion to everyone. I know there was a bit of a hiccup with Captain Pickford for one cruiser, but don't let one bad experience dictate the decision, I think those of us with good experiences are in the majority!!:)

[Murrumbeena]

Wow this Captain Pickford sounds interesting:eek:

[lizmit]

What a bummer when the captain is an ass. We were lucky to have an accommodating captain (William Kent) with a very dry sense of humor who spent plenty of time answering our questions on the Star in April.

 

Hopefully your comments will slap some sense into the rude officers who should realize that without us they don't have a job.

 

Happy sails!

~ Liz

[loriva]

We are on a cruise that is packaged by Princess as a longer and shorter voyage. The longer-version of this Pacific Princess cruise starts about a week before ours in Athens and then we join in Rome. They both have official voyage numbers--in other words, we're not joining informally in the midst of a cruise.

 

Does anyone know if under these circumstances Princess will offer a UST for the Athens to Rome segment and then have a new sign-up for the voyage starting in Rome?

 

Thanks,

[caribill]

Does anyone know if under these circumstances Princess will offer a UST for the Athens to Rome segment and then have a new sign-up for the voyage starting in Rome?

 

Yes, there should be a signup just for your segment.

 

However, there is the chance that people doing both segments may get to the signup sheet before you do.