Dawn Princess 12/10-12/20 Mex Riv Review

[maximus0630]

Hi--

I just returned from my 1st cruise for my 40th birthday and had an awful experience with the transfers.

We got to the airport- was told the bus would come in 10 minutes - over 2 hours later it showed up with 8 seats left for 30 people.......

The driver said he was going to do a "raffle" for the seats - he did not consider taking the people waiting the longest---- ridiculous!!

 

Then, it was a 25 minute ride from the airport to the pier.... however, our driver GOT LOST and it took 1 1/2 hours......

 

We also had horrible service at one bar if we did not order alcoholic drinks - treated awfully. And had a bad experience with an excursion being cancelled, going on another one that we were told would be the same price, but they charged us for it, then called us liars when we asked for the $25 difference back.

 

The food was also never hot at the buffet.....

These were not things I expected on a Princess Cruise at all.

 

There were alot of things we did like - the entertainment was awesome - the variety of things to do was fantastic - our room steward and cruise director were phemonanel!!!!!! The quality of the pictures was awesome - we bought $200 worth :)

 

The Patters were completely filled and they do still have the Bar Hop card.

 

This was the Dawn to the Mex Riv 12/10-12/20 -

if anyone wants more info from my cruise, let me know !!

[bdjam]

Before anyone makes any derogatory remarks, I'm asking these questions for clarification. Yes, I am a cheerleader and as such, I would like to understand why the original poster has made these comments.

We were on the same ship? Can I ask a couple of questions because your experience was totally different than mine?

Which bar treated you awfully if you didn’t order alcoholic drinks and how were you treated? I saw people ask for soda without so much as a please from a busy bartender and he treated them with utmost respect. It would be interesting to know where this happened. I never saw any rude behavior from any of the bartenders that I frequented.

Did someone in Princess’ Shore Tour office really call you a liar? If your tour was cancelled, did you have the original tickets with the original price on them as proof of what you paid? Was this a Princess sponsored tour? I don’t believe that Princess wouldn’t refund you the difference between the two tours – that’s sort of un-business like. Are you sure you understood correctly?

When did you eat at the buffet when the food wasn’t hot? I ate breakfast there every morning and because the food was so hot, it made it difficult to hold onto the plate.

[maximus0630]

It was the Atrium Lounge at nite only, and only by two specific servers - I do not recall their names. We complained about it after taking it for 10 days and nothing was done about it.

 

Yes, I am sure my husband and I, along with another person, understood correctly. We had a Princess Excursion booked in PV and waited in the Vista Lounge, where Brian told everyone that we would all make our excursions, none would be cancelled - even though our excursion started at 9 and we were still on the boat waiting to tender at 9.......

We got to Port at 10 and our excursion was indeed cancelled. The Princess rep at the port told us we could go on another excursion for the same price - my husband and I are not stupid people - we reiterated back to him what he told us and he confirmed.

On disembarkation day we checked our account, and we were charged the $25 higher fee. We spoke to Brian who told me I was making it up - that I was never told that because I could not remember the name of the rep who told me this, even tho Brian was at the port with us. Brian was extremely pompous and condescending. He told my husband it was not the ship's fault we were late, and we did not have to take an excursion. He had no customer skills whatsoever.

 

As far as the buffet, we ate there mostly every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner - we could not hold the plates either, but that was only because the PLATES were the things that were hot - not the food itself. The soups were the only food consistently hot.

 

Don't get me wrong, like I said - there were MANY things I thoroughly enjoyed about the cruise; however, my first and last impressions were not good, and those impressions last the longest.

[bdjam]

It was the Atrium Lounge at nite only, and only by two specific servers - I do not recall their names. We complained about it after taking it for 10 days and nothing was done about it.

 

Yes, I am sure my husband and I, along with another person, understood correctly. We had a Princess Excursion booked in PV and waited in the Vista Lounge, where Brian told everyone that we would all make our excursions, none would be cancelled - even though our excursion started at 9 and we were still on the boat waiting to tender at 9.......

We got to Port at 10 and our excursion was indeed cancelled. The Princess rep at the port told us we could go on another excursion for the same price - my husband and I are not stupid people - we reiterated back to him what he told us and he confirmed.

On disembarkation day we checked our account, and we were charged the $25 higher fee. We spoke to Brian who told me I was making it up - that I was never told that because I could not remember the name of the rep who told me this, even tho Brian was at the port with us. Brian was extremely pompous and condescending. He told my husband it was not the ship's fault we were late, and we did not have to take an excursion. He had no customer skills whatsoever.

 

As far as the buffet, we ate there mostly every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner - we could not hold the plates either, but that was only because the PLATES were the things that were hot - not the food itself. The soups were the only food consistently hot.

 

Don't get me wrong, like I said - there were MANY things I thoroughly enjoyed about the cruise; however, my first and last impressions were not good, and those impressions last the longest.

Sorry that you had these issues. I had a couple myself and they were taken care of politely and efficiently – that’s why it’s difficult to believe that we were on the same ship. I had pre-dinner cocktails in the Atrium Lounge nearly every night and never encountered anyone rude – in fact the servers were so polite and soft spoken that was very impressed. In my review I mention the You Made a Difference cards and one went to one of the Bar Stewards in the Atrium Lounge. Who did you complain to?

As for the shore excursion mix up, I guess I would have gotten some documentation from the Princess rep on shore to ensure the $25 difference was credited to my account. I’m not saying that “Brian” was correct in what he did, but when dealing with that many passengers, it might be easy to forget what was said. I didn’t deal with any of the ship sponsored tours, so I can’t comment on any of the administration of those tours. If he said to your face “you are making that up,” you certainly have grounds for a complaint. I’ve never heard a Princess employee have that kind of tone with a passenger before – and I’ve seen some of them take a lot from passengers who are irate or upset.

I will disagree with you regarding the buffet food, however as I didn’t experience cold food. Right – the plates were fresh out of the dishwasher and hot to handle. I would go to the Egg Station, place my order, wait for it, then go and pick out the other items I wanted. The eggs were of course hot, but the other stuff I got was as well – by that time the plate itself had cooled down. Time between the food station and the table will of course cool the food off.

Good luck on your next cruise. Hopefully all will be well for you.

[asctony]

Not to agree or disagree. Food at any buffet, cruise ship or a land buffet is not what I would consider hot. It also depends on when the portion was placed out. So, in reality, this is one thing that can be hot and/or cold. LOL

Merry Christmas to All! Happy Cruising to All, too!!

[Coral]

Not to agree or disagree. Food at any buffet, cruise ship or a land buffet is not what I would consider hot. It also depends on when the portion was placed out. So, in reality, this is one thing that can be hot and/or cold. LOL

Merry Christmas to All! Happy Cruising to All, too!!

 

I agree with you. I can't seem to think of any buffet that I have been impressed with. Now, on all of my cruises - I eat the vast majority of my meals in the dining room and I have been extremely pleased with the food and the service. And for the most part, it doesn't seem to take any longer then at the buffet after I have to run back a few times to get the things I forgot the first time. If I am truly in a rush - pizza or burgers works great for me.

 

It amazes me people that say that food wasn't very good only to find out that they didn't like the buffet or only ate at the buffet but then continued to eat there and not try the dining room....

[cruiseman111111]

The dining room is half the cruise.

 

Jim

[Pastor Shane]

No disrespect intended to anyone, as I don't know any of you. But the original poster needs to be realistic in terms of making generalizations. A person who has never been on a Princess cruise (or any other line for that matter) could read the original post and make the asssumption that the soda card is a waste of money because you will be ignored by the bartenders on your ship. I don't doubt your bad experience, but we all need to realize that we are not the only people on a cruise and whether we are ordering tonic & lime or gin & tonic, bartenders can only take one order at a time. Furthermore, they are making a 15% automatic tip on the alcoholic beverage, but nothing on a pop order from someone like myself, so it should come as no surprise that they don't jump at the chance to pour our pop. Keep in mind that they are just trying to earn an honest living, the same as all of us.

 

As for the buffet food being warm, what can you realistically expect? I moonlight as a cook for a catering company to make a few extra bucks, and regularly cook for functions with 250-350 people. I know cruise kitchens are big, but the only way to guarantee HOT buffet food is to take the food out of the ovens shortly before service and no kitchen has enough oven space to be able to do this. Yes they have food warmers, but there is a balancing act between how long you can leave food in those warmers before the food quality suffers (mushy vegetables, overcooked meat, rubbery shellfish etc...). One of the reasons you find heated plates at a buffet is so they will help to keep food warm. If hot food is a priority, then the dining rooms are open for all three meals of the day and should be taken advantage of.

 

I am not telling people how they should view their cruise experience (or any other hoiliday for that matter), but an ounce or two of patience and a dash of understanding goes a long way toward determining whether a cruise that costs a lot of money is full of fond memories or indifferent (and at times bitter) complaints.

 

Merry Christmas to all.:)

[Coral]

I usually do get the soda card on my cruises - I don't drink alcohol so this makes sense for me.

 

Maybe I am unusual in my behaviors - but I realize these waiters make money off of tips and obviously prefer to bring "real drinks" to people - so I just go up to the bar and ask for a large sprite on my own. There are bars through out the ship and I never seem more then a minute or two from a bar. A large soda will last me a few hours or as long as I am at a location.... I have ordered them through waiters before and not had problems but for the most part - I just go to the bar after I grab my pizza and head back to my lounge chair.

 

The bartenders have no problems filling a large glass if you ask them.

[leeuwarden]

I too was on this cruise and recieved both excellant & poor service form the bar waiters. We got excellant service at the Atrium lounge from "angel" & "tantapong" and we filled out make a diferance cards for both. We did drink achohol there but did not witness any rude behavior from any of the staff. We were on the pool deck at a sail-away party & had brought a bottle of Gatoraide and asked for ice. Got rude service from the waiter with a bad attitude.... no napkins or return when our friends joined us who wanted alcohol. We did complain & got what I call "reluctant compliance" from him.

I also thought the food at the buffet was cold by the time I navigated the "islands" and searched for an open table. Was very tasty & the desserts were outstanding.

We had a very bad expieriance at the Florintine Dining room on our last PM meal. We had went to the passenger talent show and went to dinner rather late. Our traveling companions were also late and are slow eaters & like their bottle of wine. The service we recieved was slow, slovenly, & rude. My wife ask for mayonaise on her shrimp cocktail & recieved a god-awful dollip where she had to dig out the shrimps.The waiter flung our food in front of us. My primerib was ice cold by the time I got it & the baked potato would not melt the butter. When we got up to leave the waiters in that area sarcastically sang "we are the champions....no time for losers..." Our companions emediatly went to the pursers and complained resulting in them canciling all dining room staff tips.

We also could not believe that Princess service would slip this bad.

 

Larry

P.S Never again will we use Anytime Dining.

[bdjam]

P.S Never again will we use Anytime Dining.

Maybe a good idea – hopefully you noted on your comment card that you preferred Traditional Dining. Again, the type of behavior you describe is so foreign to anything that I’ve experienced on my 15 Princess cruises…if I had, I wouldn’t have cruised Princess so much. As I said in my review, the service I received in the dining room was outstanding – polite and reserved and efficient. The food while not steaming hot, it was hot and tasted good to me.

It’s unfortunate that your companions cancelled all dining room tips – that means the people who gave you good service the other nine nights, and those behind the scenes in food service who share in the tip pool all lost out…

[ccrain]

We were on the Dawn in October and I have to admit, the bar service was better than average. There is always the occasional person who does not like to bring no tip drinks, water and coke, but we only ran into 2 people who did that. We typically see more, but I think Princess has taken steps to reduce this problem. I even saw wait staff bringing trays of water and cokes to pass out.

 

After a couple of days we always find a bar for our pre-dinner drinks that has a particular server who is friendly, quick and efficient, and then sort of make it a habit to be there. For this cruise it was Magnum's.

 

As far as cokes and water, we usually just go up to the bar and order direct. It just cuts down on the hassle. The Riviera bar always has the largest size plastic coke glasses and ordering direct gets you one quickly.

 

I have to say that as far as the buffet goes, the Dawn was just so-so as far as selection and taste. (The best buffet was on the Island in January 2004. It was actually really, really good.) But then I never have great expectations about buffet food.

 

My biggest concern is PC dining. We typically get 2nd traditional. We've always had a great time and great food, but it just conflicts with so much of the activities and entertainment, and other dining choices, we're going to try PC in May. BUT, 75% of the complaints about a Princess Cruise include a problem with PC dining. At least on the Island we will have several dining venue choices and having learned on past cruises that the Maitre'de is typically pretty responsive, I bet we will only have a problem once.

 

Next year the Dawn will be doing 11 day Mex-Riviera cruises. That Itin interests us, its inexpensive, cheap flights and closer than Florida. Anyone interested in semi-organizing a large CC group in late 2006 or early 2007?

[LaChico]

We were on the Dawn in October and I have to admit, the bar service was better than average. There is always the occasional person who does not like to bring no tip drinks, water and coke, but we only ran into 2 people who did that. We typically see more, but I think Princess has taken steps to reduce this problem. I even saw wait staff bringing trays of water and cokes to pass out.

 

After a couple of days we always find a bar for our pre-dinner drinks that has a particular server who is friendly, quick and efficient, and then sort of make it a habit to be there. For this cruise it was Magnum's.

 

As far as cokes and water, we usually just go up to the bar and order direct. It just cuts down on the hassle. The Riviera bar always has the largest size plastic coke glasses and ordering direct gets you one quickly.

 

I have to say that as far as the buffet goes, the Dawn was just so-so as far as selection and taste. (The best buffet was on the Island in January 2004. It was actually really, really good.) But then I never have great expectations about buffet food.

 

My biggest concern is PC dining. We typically get 2nd traditional. We've always had a great time and great food, but it just conflicts with so much of the activities and entertainment, and other dining choices, we're going to try PC in May. BUT, 75% of the complaints about a Princess Cruise include a problem with PC dining. At least on the Island we will have several dining venue choices and having learned on past cruises that the Maitre'de is typically pretty responsive, I bet we will only have a problem once.

 

Next year the Dawn will be doing 11 day Mex-Riviera cruises. That Itin interests us, its inexpensive, cheap flights and closer than Florida. Anyone interested in semi-organizing a large CC group in late 2006 or early 2007?

 

might be interested as we have deposited for a future cruise with princess & are searching for a 20th anniv. cruise for late in 2006.... we like to go down to Ixtapa & Acupolco. Is that where the 11 day goes?

[ccrain]

Yep,

 

You get Acapulco and Ixtapa for the extra ship day.

 

Right now Expedia is reporting a $100 credit for the 11/20 cruise which brings the price down to about the same as this year's 10 day trips.

[momoftwins+]

We also just arrived home (yesterday) from our first cruise on the Dawn and we had a wonderful time. We chose PC simply because of our kids. We could go anywhere at any time and had no problems. The longest wait for the Florentine dining room was about 10 minutes for dinner at 7:30 pm. And this over Christmas!

Our girls also raved about the soda service. I think the ONLY criticism that I can think of was the drink service in the Horizon court dining room, particularly when the seas were rough. The day time staff tended to stick to the outside areas, and not venture into the interior at all (which is where my kids preferred to sit, so they could watch everyone walk out of the buffet area). The evening was totally different, and everyone seemed incredibly friendly.

We loved it and we're looking forward to another, as soon as possible!

[SunsetAlley]

Hi,Kim,

 

Did you have much rough seas on your cruise? We were on the Dawn the sailing before you and all was well until the last two days.

[bdjam]

Hi,Kim,

 

Did you have much rough seas on your cruise? We were on the Dawn the sailing before you and all was well until the last two days.

I was on the same cruise and I thought only the last day – San Diego to San Francisco – was the rough one. I think if the ship had driven a bit harder through the current, we would have avoided the rough seas…but then we’d have been in San Francisco 12 hours early.

[momoftwins+]

We had rough seas the first night just out of the GGate, but it was raining and we expected it. It really didn't slow down until we were near LA. Then north of LA on the way home as well--but we knew about the storms here at home, so the SO started taking his ginger tabs in advance!

 

Kim

[yancycruiser]

We were on the Dawn Mexican Riveria Cruise Nov 10-20. It was perhaps the best of the seven we have been on and believe me, we enjoyed all of them.

 

We don't use the bars, therefore, can't comment on that. The meals in the dining rooms were outstanding.

 

Personnally, my DW and I don't understand why everyone doesn't eat in the dining room for all meals unless they have an early or late excursion. As one poster stated, it is truly half of the experience.