Pacific Pearl - to cruise or cancel?

[oskarNZ]

Okay, so I got a response from Carnival Australia which was unhelpful and barely addressed my complaint. Unfortunately it's just further confirmed to me that the customer service of P&O/Princess Australia is below what it should be.

 

I'm a bit embarrassed by the whole situation to be honest, but I thought I'd email the issue on here, just in case it saves anyone else the future disappointment it has caused me.

 

As a preschooler my son is too young to sleep on the upper bunk in a cabin. Knowing this, I was prepared to sleep on the bunk instead. However, having recently seen a picture of these upper bunks, I began to question how strong they looked. As well as being very tall, my partner and I are also both overweight and at 104kg, I was the one who was going to sleep on the bunk.

I looked all over the Princess website to see if there was mention of weight restrictions on the bunks , but found nothing. I tried going through the booking process to see if warnings came up when I indicated that there were more than 2 in the cabin. Also, nothing. So feeling a touch embarassed, I rang Princess to find out if I was going to be too heavy for their bunks.

 

I felt really gutted when the woman said that the maximum weight limit was 100kg (220lb). This is after first having to go and check the answer with another staff member as she has obviously never been asked this question before. Based on this I can only assume that no one would have checked my weight had I been ringing to make a booking. Instead I would have turned up on the day of sailing only to find I had nowhere to sleep.

 

I asked her if there were any other options such as putting a mattress on the floor between the two beds, to which she said there were none. Basically unless I could afford a mini-suite (which I can't), there were no options available on the Diamond for my family and I.

 

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention approx 1/3 of Americans are obese and roughly another 1/3 are overweight. With many other countries showing similar trends, I guess I just assumed that the travel industry was doing everything they could to accommodate this. That's not to say that I don't expect negative consequences every now and then for being this weight. It's just that I still fit comfortably in an airline seat, I can still go on almost every ride at a theme park and the last place I expected to be turned away from was a cruise ship of all things.

 

Anyway, if I can't cruise, I can't cruise. It's just that because there was no readily available information explaining this at the time I started researching, I let myself get all excited over nothing. I dread to think how many hours I spent researching a cruise I was never able to go on in the first place. If I’d known this information from the start, I probably would have just gone on a diet to shake those extra few kilos. But finding it out now has just left me annoyed.

 

Anyway, I can’t remember the exact wording of our conversation, but I went on to question the woman on the phone about whether or not this problem is something they are trying to address. I pretty much asked “Doesn’t this cause problems every now and then for other families with young children. To which she replied something along the line of “No, not really. Families with young children don’t usually cruise on Princess”

 

I was horrified. The implication was basically being made that Princess boats aren’t the best choice for young kids, when every review I’ve read of their kids club suggests otherwise. At that moment, I not only felt unwelcome on their ship because I am large, but also because I have a young child.

[oskarNZ]

I illustrated all my above concerns in an email to Carnival Australia and this I the response they sent me today.

 

Thanks for you email.

 

I have confirmed with our head office in the States that the weight restriction is 220lbs which is roughly 100kg for upper berths onboard Diamond Princess.

 

It is a recommendation only that children under the age 9 are not permitted to sleep in the upper berths.

 

Kind regards,

Xxx

 

No “Sorry we can’t offer a safe option for your family”

No “Sorry we don’t make these weight restrictions available on our website”

And certainly no “Sorry our staff member led you to believe that Princess cruises aren’t family friendly”

 

Come on Carnival Australia, sort yourself out. Perhaps some professional development is needed in how to deal with customers in a sympathetic and considerate manner?

 

Anyway, sorry about the rant. I am now looking onwards and upwards with new, and even more exciting travel plans afoot on a family (and weight) friendly ship.

 

But I wanted to post his incase it prevents others from feeling the same disappointment I did.

 

Thank you again for all of your help. While no longer useful to me, your advice was very much appreciated.

[Bella cruiser]

Hugs to you, that doesn't sound fair, I bet heaps of others have never checked and gone ahead anyway.

 

I don't know about Princess but on most P&O ships you can book a twin with a cot or rollaway for your child/toddler (no upper berths).

 

I hope you find a logical conclusion and can find a suitable cruise. (funny if you end up back on the Pacific Pearl LOL)

 

Jenny

[oskarNZ]

Thanks Bella Cruiser for your kind response.

 

Lol, no intention of going back to the Pearl.

 

Since my boy was born, it's been my dream to get him to Disneyworld before he's too old to believe in the magic. I also dream of taking him on one of the beautiful new Disney ships. With families in mind, even their cheapest cabins have pull-out sofas and baths in the bathroom. Unfortunately it involves an ambitious savings plan and impatience always causes me to book something cheaper and closer to home.

However, I'm taking this whole Princess/P&O thing as a sign and I'm more determined then ever.

 

Watch for me in a few years time on the Disney cruises board. :D

[silverwillow]

Oh that is a shame about the cabins and bedding arrangement on the diamond. I think a Disney cruise would be wonderful especially on their new ship which looks amazing.

 

Good luck choosing. :)

[karoo]

I think it's sad that you cancelled a cruise due to other people criticizing it. Everone's experience is different. My very first cruise I read so much negative feedback before I went I was all prepared to have a really bad time, but I had the time of my life. I met amazing people, the cabin steward did a fantastic job with my cabin and I enjoyed the food-so much choice. I've foundd on cruises if you don't like the meal that's okay-just order something else. Food likes and dislikes are so individual. The waiters are always helpful as long as you're polite and friendly about it and don't treat them like servants. Often a great cruise is about the people and the fun you have.

 

I believe to always go on a cruise with a positive attitude, look at 'the half full' nothings perfect, be polite and friendly to the people serving you. It always amazes me the people who winge about the food and yet they're eating from a plate piled high with food. If the serving isn't big enough order anothe entree or main. And a saying I borrowed from Americans I met on a cruise

-'We always have a great time on a cruise and if we're not we make it happen.'

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I wonder at times if we over research the cruise , or ship we are going on.?

 

It is important by all means to find out as much as you can, to help you make a decision,

but once that has been made ,

you just have to go with the flow.

[oskarNZ]

I think it's sad that you cancelled a cruise due to other people criticizing it.

 

Karoo, as I said in earlier posts, it was not just the criticisms that put me off, but rather P&O's response to them. Had it purely been a case of bad reviews about the food, I would most certainly still be sailing.

 

At the end of the day I have come out of the situation without any loss of money. I feel satisfied that I have made the right decision for my family. I am looking forward to putting that money towards something else, and I don't think I would classify the whole situation as 'sad'. In fact, with the help of some wonderful people on this website, I'm feeling pretty positive about my choices. The glass is half-full so to speak.

 

Have a happy day.

[oskarNZ]

I wonder at times if we over research the cruise , or ship we are going on.?

 

It is important by all means to find out as much as you can, to help you make a decision,

but once that has been made ,

you just have to go with the flow.

 

David, funnily enough I think this whole situation arose due to LACK of research.

 

I am a passionate, bordering on obsessive, traveller, and I've lost count of all the hours I've spent on Trip Advisor or other travel websites researching a holiday. For me the research is part of the fun.

 

Usually before I book a hotel, attraction, cruise etc I do enough research to make sure it's something that my family and I will enjoy. I read the good, along with the bad, and if it still appeals I go ahead and book. I feel like I go into all of my holidays with eyes wide-open and I have never regretted a holiday yet.

 

The difference with the Pearl is that it was such a new ship, I booked it before any reviews were available to the public. The cruise appealed because it was affordable and over Xmas, so I impulsively jumped into a booking when I perhaps would have been better to wait.

 

However, luckily I had nothing to lose by cancelling. Going "with the flow" would have been ignoring all my instincts and, in my case, I can't see how that would have been the better option.

[oskarNZ]

Oh that is a shame about the cabins and bedding arrangement on the diamond. I think a Disney cruise would be wonderful especially on their new ship which looks amazing.

 

Good luck choosing. :)

 

Thanks Silverwillow.

 

Part of the fun of travel is choosing what to do.

 

Happy travels with your cruise on the Diamond.