Live from the Crown Princess Return to Service Cruise May 7 2022 to Alaska

[pkt1976]

5 hours ago, Mike & Zen said:

Thank you again Paula for doing an excellent job in organizing two meet and greets, and for your “live” postings with great pictures!

 

Mike

It was a pleasure meeting you, enjoy your journeys ahead! 

[Mike & Zen]

We are making approximately 18 to 20 knots, which is about 2.5 to 3 knots faster we were making at this time last week.  In addition, there is less vibration.   I had heard from a non-engineering department manager that one repair needed for one of the engines had been made and would be trialed.  Perhaps that’s what we are doing now.  The ship has a better “feel” at this moment in time, with this speed, but we shall see.  If there’s any changes in schedule, etc, we onboard will update.

[Kninkovich]

Pkt, I appreciate your niceness and your optimism.  It was great meeting you and others at the meet and greet with my wife, Rachelle.  

 

This cruise was an abysmal disappointment, though, and to couch it as less than that is lipstick on a pig. This felt like such an incredible bait and switch job that I'm just flat out not taking Princess again.  Period.  They can take their 20% FCC and shove it- that's a slap in the face as far as I'm concerned.  

 

As many posters have said, this is a trip of a lifetime/first trip in years/not sure if we can do it multiple times type trip, and they:

 

a) knew about issues beforehand

b) covered or disguised them until the last possible second

c) sleight of handed when they couldn't otherwise fool us outright

 

The excuse of 'the tides' as being part of the reason we were going to be late to Ketchikan was laughable! The tides? If *only* we could have known what the tides would be!

 

I think the reason we're infuriated the most is because we basically convinced our friends (first time cruisers) to do this trip with us.  The money part is irrelevant to us (well, not irrelevant, but certainly not the biggest reason for us, anyways) the part that gets us is that we put our necks out and Princess completely dropped the ball.  There wasn't even a ball, they just kicked us in ours and then said here's some credit to allow us the opportunity to charge you more in the future!

 

Our friends spent $2,200 for an inside room, full package.  So let's say they get roughly $300/pp in FCC- great! That same $2,200 again in the future would be $1620, so now they're essentially in it for $3820 at a minimum, while the first cruise was an incredible disappointment.  Unacceptable.

 

There's just no way we're coming back after this unless they reach out and try to make it right (they won't, we're sure of it).

 

Mike, it was fun being on your trivia team in Fusion- we almost won!  

 

Glacier Bay National Park is an absolute treasure and the gods blessed us with incredible weather.

 

We lost out on our whale watching tour in Juneau (supposedly one of the best areas in the world at this time of year) we went half way on our train in Skagway, we sat in lukewarm hot tubs (the 2 out of 6 that actually worked) and the gangway went down at what, 8:50 in Victoria?

 

This was absolutely a cruise- a cruise without ports.  They took the money and ran.

 

Props to the working staff, though, who were courteous, professional, and helped smooth things over with genuine warmth and hospitality.  We always appreciate the hard working staff of a cruise ship and our room steward, all food servers, and casino crew were outstanding.  We enjoyed our multiple trips to Sabatini's, Crown Grill was so-so and we never got to try Salty Dog Gastro Pub because like seemingly everything else on the ship that they had 25 months to prepare for, it was broken.  Or whatever the excuse was. Supply chain. Covid. Staffing issues.  

 

I just don't care about excuses anymore when we're asked to pay full fare- that's theft.

 

Scrap the Crown Princess for parts and maybe consider doing the same to a horribly unethical company that just alienated two of our friends as well as ourselves from ever cruising with them again.

 

On to Celebrity and back on to HAL.

Edited May 15, 2022 by Kninkovich

[flaminog]

19 hours ago, OKCruiseMan said:

We are on the 28th. On the website Juneau is listed on itinerary. On JourneyView on the app, Juneau no longer appears?

What do you show??

Mine too for July-it has no Juneau or Victoria on the app. How accurate is the app compared to the email with our itinerary change? 

[jk04]

7 hours ago, Mike & Zen said:

We are making approximately 18 to 20 knots, which is about 2.5 to 3 knots faster we were making at this time last week.  In addition, there is less vibration.   I had heard from a non-engineering department manager that one repair needed for one of the engines had been made and would be trialed.  Perhaps that’s what we are doing now.  The ship has a better “feel” at this moment in time, with this speed, but we shall see.  If there’s any changes in schedule, etc, we onboard will update.

Thank you for the update.  We have family onboard this sailing.  They were part of our group in June but our Daughter from another mother is now expecting.   So, they needed to move the cruise to an earlier date.  This is their first cruise and first time in Alaska.  I hope it goes well and look forward to your updates. 

[Namvvet68]

7 hours ago, Kninkovich said:

Pkt, I appreciate your niceness and your optimism.  It was great meeting you and others at the meet and greet with my wife, Rachelle.  

 

This cruise was an abysmal disappointment, though, and to couch it as less than that is lipstick on a pig. This felt like such an incredible bait and switch job that I'm just flat out not taking Princess again.  Period.  They can take their 20% FCC and shove it- that's a slap in the face as far as I'm concerned.  

 

As many posters have said, this is a trip of a lifetime/first trip in years/not sure if we can do it multiple times type trip, and they:

 

a) knew about issues beforehand

b) covered or disguised them until the last possible second

c) sleight of handed when they couldn't otherwise fool us outright

 

The excuse of 'the tides' as being part of the reason we were going to be late to Ketchikan was laughable! The tides? If *only* we could have known what the tides would be!

 

I think the reason we're infuriated the most is because we basically convinced our friends (first time cruisers) to do this trip with us.  The money part is irrelevant to us (well, not irrelevant, but certainly not the biggest reason for us, anyways) the part that gets us is that we put our necks out and Princess completely dropped the ball.  There wasn't even a ball, they just kicked us in ours and then said here's some credit to allow us the opportunity to charge you more in the future!

 

Our friends spent $2,200 for an inside room, full package.  So let's say they get roughly $300/pp in FCC- great! That same $2,200 again in the future would be $1620, so now they're essentially in it for $3820 at a minimum, while the first cruise was an incredible disappointment.  Unacceptable.

 

There's just no way we're coming back after this unless they reach out and try to make it right (they won't, we're sure of it).

 

Mike, it was fun being on your trivia team in Fusion- we almost won!  

 

Glacier Bay National Park is an absolute treasure and the gods blessed us with incredible weather.

 

We lost out on our whale watching tour in Juneau (supposedly one of the best areas in the world at this time of year) we went half way on our train in Skagway, we sat in lukewarm hot tubs (the 2 out of 6 that actually worked) and the gangway went down at what, 8:50 in Victoria?

 

This was absolutely a cruise- a cruise without ports.  They took the money and ran.

 

Props to the working staff, though, who were courteous, professional, and helped smooth things over with genuine warmth and hospitality.  We always appreciate the hard working staff of a cruise ship and our room steward, all food servers, and casino crew were outstanding.  We enjoyed our multiple trips to Sabatini's, Crown Grill was so-so and we never got to try Salty Dog Gastro Pub because like seemingly everything else on the ship that they had 25 months to prepare for, it was broken.  Or whatever the excuse was. Supply chain. Covid. Staffing issues.  

 

I just don't care about excuses anymore when we're asked to pay full fare- that's theft.

 

Scrap the Crown Princess for parts and maybe consider doing the same to a horribly unethical company that just alienated two of our friends as well as ourselves from ever cruising with them again.

 

On to Celebrity and back on to HAL.

You should send your post to the President of Princess. This forum can't do anything about the situation, but Princess corporate can.

[Namvvet68]

On 5/13/2022 at 9:08 PM, pkt1976 said:

So why not keep the mess coming for one more night. We were to be early , then late, then all excursions were canceled, then all back on but one. 🤦🏼‍♀️
 

I Was staying on anyway but I hope those going ashore enjoy their time ❤️
 

cheers to all with the drink package 🥂 🍻 

I would like to organize a meet and greet on the Crown for 25 June. I have emailed Princess but have not had a response.  Who did you make contact with to arrange your meetings?  Thanks

[Sunwanabe]

8 hours ago, Kninkovich said:

Pkt, I appreciate your niceness and your optimism.  It was great meeting you and others at the meet and greet with my wife, Rachelle.  

 

This cruise was an abysmal disappointment, though, and to couch it as less than that is lipstick on a pig. This felt like such an incredible bait and switch job that I'm just flat out not taking Princess again.  Period.  They can take their 20% FCC and shove it- that's a slap in the face as far as I'm concerned.  

 

As many posters have said, this is a trip of a lifetime/first trip in years/not sure if we can do it multiple times type trip, and they:

 

a) knew about issues beforehand

b) covered or disguised them until the last possible second

c) sleight of handed when they couldn't otherwise fool us outright

 

The excuse of 'the tides' as being part of the reason we were going to be late to Ketchikan was laughable! The tides? If *only* we could have known what the tides would be!

 

I think the reason we're infuriated the most is because we basically convinced our friends (first time cruisers) to do this trip with us.  The money part is irrelevant to us (well, not irrelevant, but certainly not the biggest reason for us, anyways) the part that gets us is that we put our necks out and Princess completely dropped the ball.  There wasn't even a ball, they just kicked us in ours and then said here's some credit to allow us the opportunity to charge you more in the future!

 

Our friends spent $2,200 for an inside room, full package.  So let's say they get roughly $300/pp in FCC- great! That same $2,200 again in the future would be $1620, so now they're essentially in it for $3820 at a minimum, while the first cruise was an incredible disappointment.  Unacceptable.

 

There's just no way we're coming back after this unless they reach out and try to make it right (they won't, we're sure of it).

 

Mike, it was fun being on your trivia team in Fusion- we almost won!  

 

Glacier Bay National Park is an absolute treasure and the gods blessed us with incredible weather.

 

We lost out on our whale watching tour in Juneau (supposedly one of the best areas in the world at this time of year) we went half way on our train in Skagway, we sat in lukewarm hot tubs (the 2 out of 6 that actually worked) and the gangway went down at what, 8:50 in Victoria?

 

This was absolutely a cruise- a cruise without ports.  They took the money and ran.

 

Props to the working staff, though, who were courteous, professional, and helped smooth things over with genuine warmth and hospitality.  We always appreciate the hard working staff of a cruise ship and our room steward, all food servers, and casino crew were outstanding.  We enjoyed our multiple trips to Sabatini's, Crown Grill was so-so and we never got to try Salty Dog Gastro Pub because like seemingly everything else on the ship that they had 25 months to prepare for, it was broken.  Or whatever the excuse was. Supply chain. Covid. Staffing issues.  

 

I just don't care about excuses anymore when we're asked to pay full fare- that's theft.

 

Scrap the Crown Princess for parts and maybe consider doing the same to a horribly unethical company that just alienated two of our friends as well as ourselves from ever cruising with them again.

 

On to Celebrity and back on to HAL.

Abysmal display from corporate HQ. Hopefully there are enough complaints directed towards PC that further compensation will be given. 

[JeffT237]

8 hours ago, Kninkovich said:

This cruise was an abysmal disappointment, though, and to couch it as less than that is lipstick on a pig. This felt like such an incredible bait and switch job that I'm just flat out not taking Princess again.  Period.  They can take their 20% FCC and shove it- that's a slap in the face as far as I'm concerned.  

 

As many posters have said, this is a trip of a lifetime/first trip in years/not sure if we can do it multiple times type trip, and they:

 

a) knew about issues beforehand

b) covered or disguised them until the last possible second

c) sleight of handed when they couldn't otherwise fool us outright

 

The excuse of 'the tides' as being part of the reason we were going to be late to Ketchikan was laughable! The tides? If *only* we could have known what the tides would be!

Great post, we share many of your thoughts and assessments.  I'm also convinced Princess knew about these issues and did what they could or needed to to make the return to service happen.  Their was a lack of transparency that was not acceptable.  Most of us on the May 7th sailing were given little opportunity or information to make the right decision for our sailing.  I heard some were given the opportunity to change to another sailing. Pre-cruise we were not, just trying to get information about our excursions being cancelled or adjusted was impossible. No one that I spoke with pre-cruise could answer or would not answer that which led me to believe Princess was taking a wait and see approach.

8 hours ago, Kninkovich said:

I think the reason we're infuriated the most is because we basically convinced our friends (first time cruisers) to do this trip with us

I spoke with a few first time cruisers who said they were never cruising again.  I tried to reassure them that this was not a fair assessment of what cruising is.  But the disappointment was palpable, some were honeymooners and some were celebrating anniversaries. I spoke with many fellow first time Princess cruisers who said the same. We have mixed feelings at this point.  We will be contacting Princess and hopefully we can speak to the right person to address our concerns, frustrations as well as our praise for the crew.  I have made it known in a previous post that I think the compensation we received was too light.  If anyone has a link or suggestion on who to speak with (not the chat person or typical phone rep)  I'd appreciate it.

8 hours ago, Kninkovich said:

Glacier Bay National Park is an absolute treasure and the gods blessed us with incredible weather.

This day was spectacular.  The weather was incredible, we viewed the day from many vantage points and every one had something to offer.  We enjoyed the scenary from our balcony, the top deck and from the front of the ship on deck 8.  It was truly special.

8 hours ago, Kninkovich said:

We lost out on our whale watching tour in Juneau (supposedly one of the best areas in the world at this time of year) we went half way on our train in Skagway, we sat in lukewarm hot tubs (the 2 out of 6 that actually worked) and the gangway went down at what, 8:50 in Victoria?

 

This was absolutely a cruise- a cruise without ports.  They took the money and ran.

 

This was our biggest disappointment, we had the Tracy Arm & Glacier explorer scheduled in Juneau,  the train in Skagway, then once our train was cancelled we rescheduled to the Glacier wilderness safari.  Due to the multiple changes we had to continue to monitor with little info from Princess which led to having to schedule and reschedule excursions, dinner reservations and pretty much the whole day.  In the end we ended up with every excursion being cancelled on us.  You shouldn't have to do this on a vacation, you're supposed to relax and enjoy the experience. I'm hopeful that all of our money will be refunded in a timely manner.  We felt like we visited Alaska but did not experience Alaska.  

8 hours ago, Kninkovich said:

Props to the working staff, though, who were courteous, professional, and helped smooth things over with genuine warmth and hospitality.  We always appreciate the hard working staff of a cruise ship and our room steward, all food servers, and casino crew were outstanding.  We enjoyed our multiple trips to Sabatini's, Crown Grill was so-so and we never got to try Salty Dog Gastro Pub because like seemingly everything else on the ship that they had 25 months to prepare for, it was broken.  Or whatever the excuse was. Supply chain. Covid. Staffing issues.  

We strongly agree with you on this, the crew and staff was the face of Princess for many frustrated passengers.  They were outstanding. The decision to sail the Crown was not on them.  This is a big reason why I want to speak with someone from corporate.  They need to hear directly from the customer  about how well the crew was and how Princess's decisions put them in a bad spot.  The decision to sail a faulty vessel and the staffing issues is not on the crew, it's on the decision makers.  The vibe from many passengers was bad, I witnessed more episodes of frustration and some borderline abuse from passengers directed at the crew than we have on all of our other cruises combined. That's not right and Princess should know and care about that.  I also agree, for a ship that sat idle for 25 months we were surprised to see so many things that were either not working or not maintained.  It is time to stop blaming Covid for everything.  It has been a hard 2 years on more than just Princess.

 

I apologize for being long winded, I realize everyone on this cruise will have their own feeling and opinions on this.  I'm not trying to unfairly criticize Princess, many people become very loyal to a brand.  This is our first cruise since the return and I'm pretty sure all brands are suffering, not just Princess. This is just our honest assessment of what we experienced.  We did enjoy our cruise and getting away.  There were many good parts and many great memories.  I don't think this is a fair assessment of a Princess cruise.  But overall we feel like we missed out on way more than 20%.  

Edited May 15, 2022 by JeffT237

[Namvvet68]

Princess Crown passengers May 7–14 …read your contract- see 6-B-ii. The phone number to call to start a formal complaint is located in this section.

If you have unresolved issues you only have 15 days to lodge a complaint for compensation.

[Namvvet68]

10 hours ago, Mike & Zen said:

We are making approximately 18 to 20 knots, which is about 2.5 to 3 knots faster we were making at this time last week.  In addition, there is less vibration.   I had heard from a non-engineering department manager that one repair needed for one of the engines had been made and would be trialed.  Perhaps that’s what we are doing now.  The ship has a better “feel” at this moment in time, with this speed, but we shall see.  If there’s any changes in schedule, etc, we onboard will update.

How about setting up a Live Report on your current cruise instead of using the May 7?  You may get a bigger audience. Just a thought.

[suzyed]

52 minutes ago, Namvvet68 said:

You should send your post to the President of Princess. This forum can't do anything about the situation, but Princess corporate can.

Agree...send it to Corporate.  
We're booked for July....and getting more and more scared.
We have been to Alaska twice (with NCL) but we are bringing family who are going to Alaska for the first time.  They are assuring us that they will be fine with whatever it is but....They paid for the trip as a gift to my DH who is turning 70 and I am feeling bad that they won't be getting the best experience!

Edited May 15, 2022 by suzyed

[Namvvet68]

1 minute ago, suzyed said:

Agree...send it to Corporate.  
We booked for July....and getting more and more scared.
We have been to Alaska twice (with NCL) but we are bringing family who are going to Alaska for the first time.  They are assuring us that they will be fine with whatever it is but....They paid for the trip as a gift to my DH who is turning 70 and I am feeling bad that they won't be getting the best experience!

We are on for 25 June.  I am betting that by the time we sail, they will have worked out the plumbing and staffing issues.  The mechanical issues seem to be getting better and the speed is picking up.  From the posted schedule, the mechanical issues will not be fixed until the August sailings( I base this on the change in itineraries on the schedule). Good luck to those of us that sail on the Crown!

[suzyed]

6 minutes ago, Namvvet68 said:

We are on for 25 June.  I am betting that by the time we sail, they will have worked out the plumbing and staffing issues.  The mechanical issues seem to be getting better and the speed is picking up.  From the posted schedule, the mechanical issues will not be fixed until the August sailings( I base this on the change in itineraries on the schedule). Good luck to those of us that sail on the Crown!

We have sailed on the crown 4-5 times before and really like her.
 I hope you are right about the many of the issues being corrected on the the Crown.  We are still missing Ketchikan on our itinerary.  Hope the remainder stays the same.

[Namvvet68]

2 minutes ago, suzyed said:

We have sailed on the crown 4-5 times before and really like her.
 I hope you are right about the many of the issues being corrected on the the Crown.  We are still missing Ketchikan on our itinerary.  Hope the remainder stays the same.

If they get the generator fixed before 1 August, I would not be surprised if they don't go back to the original itinerary that included Ketchikan that many of us thought we were buying. Have been to Ketchikan several times but never Icy Point,  so we would be happy either way.  I just want the bars to be well stocked and the toilets working.

[suzyed]

1 minute ago, Namvvet68 said:

If they get the generator fixed before 1 August, I would not be surprised if they don't go back to the original itinerary that included Ketchikan that many of us thought we were buying. Have been to Ketchikan several times but never Icy Point,  so we would be happy either way.  I just want the bars to be well stocked and the toilets working.

I'm with you on both!

[Kninkovich]

39 minutes ago, Namvvet68 said:

Princess Crown passengers May 7–14 …read your contract- see 6-B-ii. The phone number to call to start a formal complaint is located in this section.

If you have unresolved issues you only have 15 days to lodge a complaint for compensation.

Thank you for this, I will make sure to forward this to our friends.

[Crow9]

I figured out how to make a new thread on here and made one for the 14th cruise, since everything for both cruises was getting jumbled up on here.  Good luck to 7th cruisers getting more compensation.  I also feel like you didn't get to experience Alaska.

[Namvvet68]

1 minute ago, Crow9 said:

I figured out how to make a new thread on here and made one for the 14th cruise, since everything for both cruises was getting jumbled up on here.  Good luck to 7th cruisers getting more compensation.  I also feel like you didn't get to experience Alaska.

Where is the thread?  Live report or Roll call?

[Crow9]

45 minutes ago, Namvvet68 said:

Where is the thread?  Live report or Roll call?

Princess section, search 'crown'.  I am not sure how this site works.

[Namvvet68]

Just now, Crow9 said:

Princess section, search 'crown'.  I am not sure how this site works.

I will put it up under live reports and see if there is any intrerest.

[Kninkovich]

4 hours ago, Namvvet68 said:

Princess Crown passengers May 7–14 …read your contract- see 6-B-ii. The phone number to call to start a formal complaint is located in this section.

If you have unresolved issues you only have 15 days to lodge a complaint for compensation.

Thank you for this but I'm having a hard time finding the contract- I have what looks like their general passage contract on their website but 6-B-ii is covid related. 

 

Any ideas where I can find the applicable contract?  I can't seem to find it when logged in, either.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Namvvet68]

1 hour ago, Kninkovich said:

Thank you for this but I'm having a hard time finding the contract- I have what looks like their general passage contract on their website but 6-B-ii is covid related. 

 

Any ideas where I can find the applicable contract?  I can't seem to find it when logged in, either.

 

Thanks in advance!

I got that reference from another forum.  When I looked at our contract, I found this but I don't think it will help much.  Better just negotiating with Princess.

All Other Claims; Agreement to Arbitrate: All claims other than for Emotional Harm, bodily injury, illness to or death of a Guest, whether based on contract, tort, statutory, constitutional or other legal rights, including without limitation alleged violations of civil rights, discrimination, consumer or privacy laws, or for any losses, damages or expenses, relating to or in any way arising out of or connected with this Passage Contract or Guest's cruise, with the sole exception of claims brought and litigated in small claims court, shall be referred to and resolved exclusively by binding arbitration pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York 1958), 21 U.S.T. 2517, 330 U.N.T.S. 3, 1970 U.S.T. LEXIS 115, 9 U.S.C. §§ 202-208 ("the Convention") and the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq., ("FAA") located in the County of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. to the exclusion of any other forum. You agree the arbitrator shall resolve any dispute as the validity or applicability of this arbitration clause. You consent to jurisdiction and waive any objection that may be available to any such arbitration proceeding in Los Angeles County. The arbitration shall be administered by National Arbitration and Mediation ("NAM") under its Comprehensive Dispute Resolution Rules and Procedures and the fee schedule in effect at the time of initiating the proceeding with NAM, which are deemed to be incorporated herein by reference. NAM can be contacted at (800) 358-2550, attention Claims Department, 990 Stewart Street, First Floor, Garden City, NY 11530, to respond to any questions regarding the arbitration process or to obtain a current copy of the Comprehensive Dispute Resolution Rules and Procedures and/or fee schedule.  The arbitrator must follow this Contract and can award the same damages and relief as a court.

[CruzeQueen2]

On 5/7/2022 at 9:29 PM, pkt1976 said:

The journey here to the ship was challenging but happy to be here. I have a window cabin on deck 5 and LOVE it. I love watching the ocean and I don’t get seasick. The view from deck 5 is fabulous. My room steward is going to change the bed to two twins tomorrow which will leave space between the beds to sit by the window 🙌🏻
 

the pool and hot tubs are 16 forward, currently empty but i hope they fill the hot tubs at least this cruise 
 

there are new food items on the mdr menu tonight as well. Here are some photos from today 

@pkt1976Great pics!

[CruzeQueen2]

On 5/12/2022 at 10:01 PM, pkt1976 said:

I did a photography tour in Skagway, great tour with only 8 of us. It apparently is not I. The mood to let me post photos though… again. 🤷🏼‍♀️
 

I guess I’ll need to post pics when I get home, the ports have been great and I’ve enjoyed them all. 
 

It’s probably a good thing I’ve lost my voice as I’m a bit frustrated tonight. I have a shellfish allergy, it’s marked on my account, the dining room waiters can see it when I go there, even the international cafe can apparently see it. For elite members, you can get canapés on formal nights. Normally you get a card to note what you want. The first night there was no card and no canapés. I frankly don’t care and rarely get them. Tonight though, there was no card but when I returned after dinner there was a tray of a selection of canapés in my cabin… With shrimp. I put it outside and used the chat feature to address  it. I don’t have a life and death allergy to it but I could be quite uncomfortable. You probably can see from my posts I’m pretty easy going and try not to sweat the small stuff, but something like this is important to bring to someone’s attention so I did. 
 

as I’ve said, the crew is working really hard and under challenging circumstances created by corporate but this isn’t something I could let go of without bringing it to their attention. On other cruises, the officers have said that if you have an issue on board, address it with someone on board. I’m sure this will be addressed with the appropriate department. 

@pkt1976I agree! When something goes wrong, or even sideways, the ship must be informed. That way, the issues can be addressed and corrected. We did that on the Royal after a disappointing dinner in the Crown on night one, first night on the return-to-sail May 2nd. I found the Director of Restaurant Ops, early the next morning to "chat". Claudio handled the situation most graciously and satisfactorily. The rest of the cruise was wonderful - for a first return sailing. Not meaning to hijack your thread...but our sailing had 1600 passengers and I was thrilled with the reduced number of guests. Many kinks and challenges had to be worked out. Staff, as you noted, were working through the glitches as best as they could. All crew members smiling and helping guests in every way possible. Enjoyed my first cruise back...with Kevin!