Princess Diamond tender issue in Phuket

[Pushka]

Thank you for attempting... I hope you are loving your cruise! I hope the rest of it perfect!

 

 

Sadly we disembarked this morning in Singapore. We opted for disembark at 7.50am and we were called at 7.48 and off the ship, fast immigration and luggage collection and in a taxi and at our hotel within 30 minutes! Fastest disembark ever.

[RDC1]

Here is the blurb from the Princess website about the Langkawi On Your Own excursion:

 

"Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 tropical islands (with five more revealed at low tide!) off the northwestern coast of mainland Malaysia. As the first Southeast Asian landmass to rise from the seabed more than half a billion years ago, the islands have a spectacular geological landscape, which includes caves, sea-arches, ancient fossils, flat plains, forested mountains, and dramatic limestone and sandstone outcroppings. It is also a land of myths and folklore, and many towns, mountains and other natural features have an origin story based in legend.

 

The name "Langkawi" is believed to be a combination of two Malay words, helang (shortened to lang), meaning eagle, and kawi, meaning reddish-brown ? and indeed, the majestic sea eagle is a treasured resident of these spectacular islands.

 

This half-day tour begins with a motorcoach ride to the park at Eagle Square, also known as Dataran Lang, where the enormous statue of a red eagle taking flight welcomes you to the main island in the group, Pulau Langkawi. With beautiful fountains, bridges and a spectacular view of the harbor, Eagle Square is the perfect place to snap some postcard-perfect photos and be introduced to this island treasure.

 

From here, re-board your motorcoach for a short ride to vibrant Kuah Town, a shopper's paradise, where you will have two hours of free time to walk and explore. The name "Kuah" comes from the Malay word for gravy - the ancient legend behind the name is that there were two battling giants (who have the names of the island's two largest mountains) that overturned a pot of gravy, or curry, at the spot where Kuah now stands!

 

In Kuah Town, you will quickly notice that duty-free shops can be found everywhere, as Langkawi is a tax-free island, and many items, such as alcohol, chocolates, perfumes and some kitchenware, are especially good deals here! There are also many shopping outlet stores featuring major brand names. Take a stroll and pick up some souvenirs for friends (or yourself!), and stop into one of the restaurants to sample the delectable local cuisine. As you might imagine on a chain of islands, fresh seafood is abundant and delicious. And, in a nod to the town's name, you might want to try the curry!

 

With a full belly and a full bag of duty-free goodies, head back to your motorcoach for the relaxing ride back to the ship."

 

I imagine this was the tour Pushka went on. No mention of shops being shut on Fridays. In fact they make a point of stating how many shops and restaurants there are.

 

Usually it shows up as a note with the tickets. Sometimes in the patter. Sometimes with the paper sheets that are handed out that describe the excursions. The online description usually does not change (because it is for all cruises going to that port). The notices I have gotten is usually for the specific cruise that is there during a holiday and is usually done on ship.

[RDC1]

Princess (and possibly other cruise lines) needs to do quality control on its excursions by the sound of things. Sounds like the operator didn't give a damn.

 

The operators are paid to do a defined tour. Deviations would require approval by Princess, otherwise the vendor would be at risk. The vendor is in a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. As a vendor told me once " If I change the tour because the passengers want to change, and 1 person complains that I did not do the described tour I could lose the contract, if I do the tour as described then I have done what I have been contracted to do".

 

As he described it his only flexibility was to add a stop on the way back to the ship to allow people to get off in town. This was a discussion with a vendor in Wellington. Some friends of mine run a tour operation in Alaska that does business with cruise ships. They say the same thing. The contract is for a specific tour and deviations have to be approved by the cruise line in advance.

Edited January 8, 2017 by RDC1

[Pushka]

Except - which definition do you use for the defined tour? Is it duty free shopping or streets of kuah town. Sadly the shopping description (the one we based decision on) got the flick.

[RDC1]

Except - which definition do you use for the defined tour? Is it duty free shopping or streets of kuah town. Sadly the shopping description (the one we based decision on) got the flick.

 

If it was listed as "on your own" then the defined tour is transportation between defined drop off and pickup points. It sounds like they did that.

 

Now I would agree that Princess should have included a notice that the day in port was a holiday and that stores may be closed. But it also sounds like the vendor did the route as defined.

[TracieABD]

Hi Pushka-

Couple more questions...

 

1. Did you have or hear of air conditioning issues? There is some stir on Facebook about lack of air con in the staterooms on your specific cruise.

2. Did you notice any ruckus or untoward behavior by adults? Once again, there has been some talk about women attacking a woman over loungers by the pool. This involved punching, biting, and spitting. Another fight was also reported.

 

I get the whole idea behind over exaggeration and an individual perception. Your reports have been very even and fair. I just wondered what you thought.

[iancal]

We staying in Langkawi for a few days. We hired a taxi to tour us around. Our hotel was close to town. We did not really notice any low prices in this duty free area. The prices seemed normal until we moved on to Penang. Then we realized that Langkawi prices, especially for liquer, were indeed much lower than other places in Malaysia but about the same as we had been paying in Thailand.

 

It was our least favourite island. We originally intended to stay long but left after two nights.

Edited January 8, 2017 by iancal

[RDC1]

Usually it shows up as a note with the tickets. Sometimes in the patter. Sometimes with the paper sheets that are handed out that describe the excursions. The online description usually does not change (because it is for all cruises going to that port). The notices I have gotten is usually for the specific cruise that is there during a holiday and is usually done on ship.

 

In this case I suspect that the reason why there was not a notice is because it was not a special holiday, but a routine local schedule.

 

A quick internet search yielded

 

Shopping is another Langkawi pastime. Shops are open about 10am to 10pm and most are closed on Fridays (the Muslim weekend).

 

I have run into the Friday issue in other Muslim countries.

[Pushka]

Hi Pushka-

 

Couple more questions...

 

 

 

1. Did you have or hear of air conditioning issues? There is some stir on Facebook about lack of air con in the staterooms on your specific cruise.

 

2. Did you notice any ruckus or untoward behavior by adults? Once again, there has been some talk about women attacking a woman over loungers by the pool. This involved punching, biting, and spitting. Another fight was also reported.

 

 

 

I get the whole idea behind over exaggeration and an individual perception. Your reports have been very even and fair. I just wondered what you thought.

 

 

I did observe issues. Its difficult to post in a public forum and potentially be accused of racism. So I will try be factual and let you make some conclusions.

1. Air conditioning. I was likewise concerned pre cruise as I dislike heat. We were on Emerald deck. We found if you keep the curtains drawn during the day - the cabin attendant does this when making up the room first thing in the morning then the room stayed much cooler. Keeping them open in the heat of the day and one night we had ultimate balcony dining where the door was kept open meant the room became hot at night until the next day. We also shook the quilt so that the heavy quilt fell into the middle and we just slept each side under the two sheets.

 

2. Ok. The cruise was apparently marketed heavily in Europe, Australia and Russia. Aussies (myself included) numbered 1000 we were told. A Russian and Spanish TA took up another large batch. I think there were also 700 Russians on board and a large number of Spanish people. They both had their own notice boards etc. There were also English Canadians Americans and I suspect local Singaporeans onboard and a smattering of others.

 

Let's say I heard and personally observed numerous instances of undesirable behaviour. Even in the Singapore immigration line I was continually pushed from behind by a large woman and who was continually yelling out to people at the top of the queue who did not move quickly enough to the free immigration counter. Large groups forming. Taking over large public areas and refusal to let other people share the space. We heard but did not observe personally that areas were claimed as 'ours' and others told to get out. Personal items were dumped on the floor and people were told 'this lounger is mine/ours' if you just moved to go to the bathroom (no longer than 5 minutes). The spa area was the worst - heated seats? As we did not go there we just heard about it from others.

 

I was told to move from a window seat in the buffet as I was pointed at and given a thumb gesture to get out. I didn't. Kids ran a bit amok in public places.

 

The Sanctuary was worth it.

 

At the ice carving show for example. People would patiently line up to see it with a space between them and the ice mould. As soon as the show started that 'space' got filled by last minute arrivals who blocked those who'd been waiting in the sun for a while.

 

Complaints were made to crew but nothing seemed to change.

 

One woman apparently won 5 of the 7 raffle draws last night for the expensive jewelry onboard. One lady was entered for the raffle (you had to have bought something to get an entry) had attended the draw and was furious about how the raffle had been drawn. She told us of a lot of happenings onboard with a group of people.

We did avoid a lot of the issues because we did not go to the spa but saw it in the buffet and just generally around. I made comment about it in the survey.

 

I do not know about the biting etc so can't comment. But other issues were noted

Edited January 9, 2017 by Pushka

[TracieABD]

I did observe issues. Its difficult to post in a public forum and potentially be accused of racism. So I will try be factual and let you make some conclusions.

1. Air conditioning. I was likewise concerned pre cruise as I dislike heat. We were on Emerald deck. We found if you keep the curtains drawn during the day - the cabin attendant does this when making up the room first thing in the morning then the room stayed much cooler. Keeping them open in the heat of the day and one night we had ultimate balcony dining where the door was kept open meant the room became hot at night until the next day. We also shook the quilt so that the heavy quilt fell into the middle and we just slept each side under the two sheets.

 

2. Ok. The cruise was marketed heavily in Europe, Australia and Russia. Aussies (myself included) numbered 1000 we were told. A Russian and Spanish TA took up another large batch. I think there were 700 Russians on board and a large number of Spanish people. They both had their own notice boards etc. There were also English Canadians Americans and I suspect local Singaporeans onboard and a smattering of others.

 

Let's say I heard and personally observed numerous instances of undesirable behaviour. Even in the Singapore immigration line I was continually pushed from behind by a large woman and who was continually yelling out to people at the top of the queue who did not move quickly enough to the free immigration counter. Large groups forming. Taking over large public areas and refusal to let other people share the space. We heard but did not observe personally that areas were claimed as 'ours' and others told to get out. Personal items were dumped on the floor and people were told 'this lounger is mine/ours' if you just moved to go to the bathroom (no longer than 5 minutes). The spa area was the worst - heated seats? As we did not go there we just heard about it from others.

 

I was told to move from a window seat in the buffet as I was pointed at and given a thumb gesture to get out. I didn't. Kids ran a bit amok in public places.

 

The Sanctuary was worth it.

 

At the ice carving show for example. People would patiently line up to see it with a space between them and the ice mould. As soon as the show started that 'space' got filled by last minute arrivals who blocked those who'd been waiting in the sun for a while.

 

Complaints were made to crew but nothing happened.

 

One woman apparently won 5 of the 7 raffle draws last night for the expensive jewelry onboard. One lady was entered for the raffle (you had to have bought something to get an entry) had attended the draw and was furious about how the raffle had been drawn. She told us of a lot of happenings onboard with a group of people.

We did avoid a lot of the issues because we did not go to the spa but saw it in the buffet and just generally around. I made comment about it in the survey.

 

I do not know about the biting etc so can't comment. But other issues were noted

 

 

Thank you for your candid responses. I am a little concerned now. I am traveling alone. I wonder if our cruise will have the same issues with large groups of people traveling together. I was once on another cruise where there was a large faction of people for a certain geographic area. While there were no fights or bullying, they did take over large areas of the ship.

 

Did they let you book the Sanctuary on a day basis or did you have to book the whole cruise?

 

This is a bit worrisome indeed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Pushka]

Hi Pushka-

 

Couple more questions...

 

 

 

1. Did you have or hear of air conditioning issues? There is some stir on Facebook about lack of air con in the staterooms on your specific cruise.

 

2. Did you notice any ruckus or untoward behavior by adults? Once again, there has been some talk about women attacking a woman over loungers by the pool. This involved punching, biting, and spitting. Another fight was also reported.

 

 

 

I get the whole idea behind over exaggeration and an individual perception. Your reports have been very even and fair. I just wondered what you thought.

 

 

I'd love to read more though as to what others were saying. What terms should I search for to find it?

[Pushka]

Thank you for your candid responses. I am a little concerned now. I am traveling alone. I wonder if our cruise will have the same issues with large groups of people traveling together. I was once on another cruise where there was a large faction of people for a certain geographic area. While there were no fights or bullying, they did take over large areas of the ship.

 

Did they let you book the Sanctuary on a day basis or did you have to book the whole cruise?

 

This is a bit worrisome indeed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

If you go to the Sanctuary on boarding you can basically pick what you want. Make yourself known to them. It was never full. On port days it gets hot there but sea days are great. Get to know Jani, Indra and Hini and they will look after you beautifully. They also serve in the buffet at night and remember you. We did a mix of full days and half days according to weather etc. Once they know you they will totally work to suit your needs.

 

Don't worry. You will be perfectly safe. Just work out an avoidance strategy. We just observed and tried not to get emotionally involved too much but enjoyed the holiday. I wasn't even going to say anything as it was more observations than genuine concerns.

 

The working crew are fabulous and will look after you totally.

[TracieABD]

If you go to the Sanctuary on boarding you can basically pick what you want. Make yourself known to them. It was never full. On port days it gets hot there but sea days are great. Get to know Jani, Indra and Hini and they will look after you beautifully. They also serve in the buffet at night and remember you. We did a mix of full days and half days according to weather etc. Once they know you they will totally work to suit your needs.

 

Don't worry. You will be perfectly safe. Just work out an avoidance strategy. We just observed and tried not to get emotionally involved too much but enjoyed the holiday. I wasn't even going to say anything as it was more observations than genuine concerns.

 

The working crew are fabulous and will look after you totally.

 

Thank you so much for your kind reassurances. I will most definitely look to book in the Sanctuary. I am not a big swimmer in public pools. I will also give the Japanese baths a try. Hopefully, they will be quiet and staid as well.

[TracieABD]

I'd love to read more though as to what others were saying. What terms should I search for to find it?

 

Princess Cruises- Passenger Forum

 

:)

[Pushka]

Thank you so much for your kind reassurances. I will most definitely look to book in the Sanctuary. I am not a big swimmer in public pools. I will also give the Japanese baths a try. Hopefully, they will be quiet and staid as well.

 

 

Izumi was very quiet and peaceful. The rear pool for adults was also very good and never too crowded. The forward adult pool was always rather hot for some reason. Thankyou for the search help. :p

 

As I said we met lots of great passengers so you will be perfectly fine. And safe. And happy.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Pushka

[linanles]

I will also give the Japanese baths a try. Hopefully, they will be quiet and staid as well.

 

We sailed on the Diamond Princess a month ago and I went to the Izumi Japanese baths a couple of times. It's $15 per 2hour session. Each time I went, morning sessions, there were only two others there so you can have the sauna, steam room or hot tub to yourself and there is a large co-ed spa outdoors and I had that to myself both times as well. Give it a try, in my opinion it was worth it.

[Pushka]

Princess Cruises- Passenger Forum

 

 

 

:)

 

 

Mmmm. Can't seem to find it. Not Cruise critic is it?