Princess Internet and Covid screwed up big time Princess are a joke

[Geoffa30]

18 hours ago, Alcairns said:

So the internet was working on all other Princess vessels with the exception of Regal which was also on a transatlantic. Are you saying princess have separate providers for each of their ships and  that they  changed the provider for Sky only? Sounds a bit far fetched to me! On Sky now and internet is working well. Crew  say that the problem was a problem with needing replacement equipment which they could only get and install on arrival in Europe. 

We are on Sky Princess now and the internet is dire. Cannot download emails and social media is effectively useless. Varying stories from the Communications Manager on what’s happening.

[dickinson]

I wonder if the OP never got the info at the beginning of the cruise asking if they needed testing upon arrival in order to fly home. 

[Alcairns]

1 hour ago, Geoffa30 said:

We are on Sky Princess now and the internet is dire. Cannot download emails and social media is effectively useless. Varying stories from the Communications Manager on what’s happening.

Agree - today it has gone for good to bad. Very intermittent. 

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, dickinson said:

I wonder if the OP never got the info at the beginning of the cruise asking if they needed testing upon arrival in order to fly home. 

 

If they didn’t, all they had to do was visit Guest Services to inquire.

 

 

3 hours ago, nbsjcruiser said:

My experience with Princess internet has been exceptional even last fall. Strange that they would make an excuse that too many people were using it when it was apparently equipment failure. It would seem to me equipment failure would be a much more viable and easier to swallow excuse than too many people using it.

 

This is what they sent us 3 days before the cruise.  No mention of “too many people” and no mention of equipment failure.  They blamed antennas and satellites knowing full well that other ships, other cruise lines, and apparently pre-covid/pre-upgrade, this wasn’t an issue.

 

“Regarding internet service levels, as you may be aware, as a ship moves across the Atlantic its antennas routinely shift between satellites that cover specific regions of the globe, which can result in low to no connectivity. 

Internet service will be available during your journey, but because there may be times when you may be unable to connect during your cruise we will refund the cost of pre-purchased MedallionNet^® Wi-Fi packages as onboard credit. For guests who purchased Princess Plus, we will refund $10 USD per day as onboard credit, plus any pre-purchased MedallionNet device upgrades.”

[dickinson]

@*Miss G* Apparently they didn't think of going to Passenger Services.  I was just commenting about one of their complaints and that they possibly missed getting a notice that other people mentioned they got.

 

BTW... I love your signature!

[FlaMariner]

On 3/28/2022 at 2:27 PM, Mikel1733 said:

Are you saying Princess did not offer testing in SouthHampton for those returning to the U.S. at the port?

 

I was on this cruise.

 

We were tested the day before arriving in Southampton and the test results were sent to our cabin later that night.

 

No lines, very well handled.

 

(We needed the test as we were flying out on debarkation day in Southampton)

 

This was our first and last cruise with Princess for reasons I will possibly explain in other posts but Princess was very well organized with the testing and the free test on the ship was appreciated.

[FlaMariner]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:13 AM, phillipahain said:

Fed up with idiots refusing to wear masks 

 

I was on this cruise. 

 

We were not required to wear masks on the Princess Sky cruise until the final day. I never wore one until then.....are you calling me an idiot for following the guidelines?   

[FlaMariner]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:13 AM, phillipahain said:

Sorry but long time Princess Cruisers will not be back again and we are definitely  not alone 

 

I was on this cruise....

 

We are first time Princess cruisers and are never cruising Princess again but has nothing to do with concerns over internet or Covid. 

 

(We will cling to the dark hulled Holland America Line ships and never cheat again)

[FlaMariner]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:13 AM, phillipahain said:

Just got off Sky Princess Miami to Southampton      12th March to 28th March 2022 

 

I was on this cruise.....we left from Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades. for the record. 

Edited March 30, 2022 by FlaMariner

[cruiser419419]

4 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

I was on this cruise....

 

We are first time Princess cruisers and are never cruising Princess again but has nothing to do with concerns over internet or Covid. 

 

(We will cling to the dark hulled Holland America Line ships and never cheat again)

 

Say more about why?

[Ronnieslady]

9 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

I was on this cruise. 

 

We were not required to wear masks on the Princess Sky cruise until the final day. I never wore one until then.....are you calling me an idiot for following the guidelines?   

Only if you test positive & complain.  I thought masking was optional ❓

[soccermommy]

This cruise was my first time on Princess, having sailed mostly on NCL and Celebrity. This was, in many ways, an odd cruise, maybe because it was our first transatlantic. 

We were over 3 hours late leaving Ft. Lauderdale because we were waiting for so many delayed passengers. The weather in the South had been horrendous, with many flights to Florida outright canceled. I don’t know the numbers, but more than a few passengers never made it to the ship. 
The weather the first two days at sea was pretty dismal, and the sea was rocking. I wasn’t bothered much since I never get seasick and this is, after all, the Atlantic in March, but no one could really enjoy the  outside and pool and as a result, there weren’t many places on board to sit and relax. Things got better weather wise, but the internet got worse. We had gotten a letter saying the internet could get spotty and Princess would refund$10/day, then offered free access for multiple devices, but , imo, 4x0 is still zero.  Spotty would have been an improvement! Even the Medallion app didn’t work, but my personal medallion did open my door ( at least to the final night, we got locked out of our room and had to get the night manager to let us in).

Ponte Delgada got cancelled due to weather, again, not much of a surprise in March on the Atlantic. However, that meant an extra sea day with no internet. I think most of us spent more time catching up with messages and work than viewing the beautiful scenery of Funchal. Then we lost internet again leaving Cadiz.

Casablanca got cancelled, I never heard exactly why. Either Morocco didn’t feel ready to reopen to the first ship to visit in 2 years, or Covid was more of a problem than we knew. But we were able to go to Gibraltar, which is a port I had hoped to visit on a cruise that never happened.

 

We also enjoyed Cadiz, even with the cold rain, and didn’t want to leave Lisbon. Apparently the ship didn’t either. We left around midnight, either because of bunkering or cleaning the ship of all that lovely Sahara dirt.

 

I think the internet problems began to overshadow much of what was great about this cruise.  The Sky is gorgeous, and the crew is one of the hardest working and downright  nice crew I have seen. We thought the food was very good, even the buffet was better than we expected. We even enjoyed the ship shore excursions, and of course, there was the joy of being at sea again.

Covid reared its ugly head toward the end of the cruise, I would guess 30-40% masked up on the ship. It was optional and we didn’t, except when visiting ports. Princess took care of the test we needed to renter the US. We only masked up on the ship the last day, Saturday, when cases started to become more noticeable. Other than that, I never felt the need to worry.

 

Princess has a major problem with the internet/Medallion issues on the Sky, and from what I’m reading, it’s an issue on the present cruise. I have to ask, why? 
 

Would I book Princess again? Yes, most of the issues we saw can happen on any cruise. We  choose cruises based on itinerary and value(to us). We have four cruises coming up on other lines, but are looking at late 2023 and 2024. It’s a great line and tries very hard to stay one.

 

[Daniel A]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:13 AM, phillipahain said:

Just got off Sky Princess Miami to Southampton      12th March to 28th March 2022 

Sky sailed from Fort Lauderdale.  How does someone who claims to be from the U.S. not know the difference between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, especially when they had to go there to board the SKY?

 

Princess did not test anyone at all 

There are several posts proving this statement to be false.

 

Apparently, CDC issued instructions that no one could enforce Hand Sanitisation 

Are we expected to believe that the CDC issued instructions that no one could enforce hand sanitizing?

 

Covid on board ...CDC   Red warning    told 100 but also more likely 700 

How can SKY be coded red when the CDC doesn't show SKY on their Cruise Ship Status Dashboard?

 

So, apparently at least three statements have been shown to not be factual in OP's opening post.  And I don't find the hand sanitization statement to be credible at all.  Judge the veracity of the OP's posts for yourself.  🤷‍♂️ 

 

 

[mnewhouse10]

We were on the sailing prior to the transatlantic - the eastern Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale that had to miss St. Thomas due to COVID cases onboard. 

 

Internet was spotty at best - if I had paid for it instead of it being included in my booking, I would have had issues with the service provided.   We were able to use the app for the most part but didn't expect much from it since it wasn't great to begin with.

 

The bigger issue was COVID.  The required testing prior to boarding clearly isn't/wasn't useful.  I felt great the entire cruise but returned home to a sore through and COVID+ test the day after disembarkation.  I have never had COVID and am obviously vaccinated and boosted. My symptoms were similar to a heavy head cold.  My guess is that the virus is running rampant through the crew which is then being passed onto passengers.  I wore a mask probably 60% of the time and I was in the minority when I was doing so.  The casino allowed smoking and was more than likely where I caught it; there or the dining room would be my guess.  I don't particularly enjoy masking but I believe it is a necessary evil in these situations to avoid sickness.

 

I feel for people who think this is safe, are being told it is safe, and then end up getting sick and stuck in a bad situation.  I was unlucky that I caught COVID on the ship but lucky in that I made it home before I even had a clue I had the virus.  

 

Bottom line: Princess isn't being completely honest/transparent and it is becoming very obvious.

[c-boy]

On 3/30/2022 at 8:29 AM, Geoffa30 said:

We are on Sky Princess now and the internet is dire. Cannot download emails and social media is effectively useless. Varying stories from the Communications Manager on what’s happening.

you are entering the Twilight Zone 

 

[emmak8]

I was on the cruise to Southampton . Agree with all that’s been said. I hope things get better for you. 

[caribill]

On 3/30/2022 at 8:28 AM, TXcruiser13 said:

I was on this Moroccan Passage cruise and the lack of internet also zapped the Medallion app plus made our cabin tv unusable much of the time.

 

 

The Internet is in no way, shape or form required for the Medallion app to work on board as it uses the ship's internal intranet.

 

If the app was not working, that would be proof the problem with the app is entirely due to problems on the ship, not with the Internet.

[dcrow72]

On 3/29/2022 at 8:11 AM, Jadn13 said:

Internet issues must be new, I was on the Sky in December and had 0 issues and even streamed content.

It most likely has to do with ship positioning and satellites, and not overall with the ship itself. 

they changed providers and apparantly all ships are having problems based on posts all over 

[dcrow72]

20 hours ago, c-boy said:

you are entering the Twilight Zone 

 

It's called lying.  They are trying to make excuses for their terrible customer service and cost cutting measures!  Have you seen their stock lately?  Not a good scene.  I won't be giving them any money in advance anymore.  I'll look for drop and go's when I'm ready!  

 

[rhino29]

2 hours ago, dcrow72 said:

they changed providers and apparantly all ships are having problems based on posts all over 

Where are you getting that info from?  The only thing I can find about the medallion net providers is a couple of years old.  If another company had won the contract there would be press releases all the the place
 

[Rick&Jeannie]

Unless there's been a very recent change, the supplier for Medallion Net Internet service is SES Networks.  Very little posted about this since it was first announced back in 2020.  Reading some of those press releases makes my cynical side cringe!  It just sounds too much like pie-in-the-sky!

[NSWP]

On 3/31/2022 at 7:15 AM, FlaMariner said:

 

I was on this cruise....

 

We are first time Princess cruisers and are never cruising Princess again but has nothing to do with concerns over internet or Covid. 

 

(We will cling to the dark hulled Holland America Line ships and never cheat again)

We would like to hear of your reasons  for not doing any more Princess cruises, apart from covid issues, internet and medallion issues.

[oldracer]

On 3/28/2022 at 10:13 AM, phillipahain said:

Just got off Sky Princess Miami to Southampton      12th March to 28th March 2022 

 

Just 2 days of internet only out of Madeira    Princess agreed new contract with ?.........??????   They agreed a Hopeless satellite at a 10th of previous contract 

 

No consideration for anyone who needed to contact family or arrange pre flight Covid tests before flying back to USA 

 

Without Internet could not even book Covid tests at Heathrow .....Princess did not test anyone at all 

 

Apparently CDC issued instructions that no one could enforce Hand Sanitisation 

 

What a total mess ?

 

 

Covid on board ...CDC   Red warning    told 100 but also more likely 700 

 

Fed up with idiots refusing to wear masks 

Way too many Walking around Hand sanitisers and even when officers are alerted NOTHING IS DONE 

 

Sorry but long time Princess Cruisers will not be back again and we are definitely  not alone 

 

 

I would say the problem is with the passengers, not Princess.

[DRS/NC]

RE covid test before leaving ship to fly to USA:

how long (hours, days) is that test acceptable? 

I'm doing a TA that arrives in Southampton on 6/13 but I'm not flying home until the next day (6/14).  Will my test still be acceptable?

Yes, I realize that things/rules could change by then.

Thanks!

 

[phillipahain]

On 3/29/2022 at 4:57 PM, *Miss G* said:

 

There was a form to fill in if you required testing for onward travel.  

 

Sorry but there were no forms or offers of tests given to our 2 USA friends ....they paid $100 to get them done at Heathrow before flying home next day