These past few days we have engaged in post cruise discussions with Princess Cruises regarding our World Cruise experience, as detailed on the post cruise survey we completed immediately after the cruise.

I talked to a pleasant chap from Corporate Customer Service who thanked both of us for our detailed and balanced feedback of our experiences on the 2015 Sea Princess World Cruise. For us this was a cruise of a lifetime, that we really can’t afford to repeat, at least not for many years. Unfortunately, while we experienced a number of highlights, the condition of the ship was a disgrace.

At the conclusion of our discussions, the customer service agent offered a welcome back bonus of $100. Until this time, I had not discussed, nor considered or expected monetary compensation. Considering the amount paid for a World Cruise, I considered his offer an insult and advised him accordingly. My counter was a percentage of fare paid, which he agreed to discuss with his manager. I also advised that completing any future cruises was contingent on a satisfactory resolution of our World Cruise concerns. We currently had a 28 and a 33 day cruise booked.

Their final offer, which was more reasonable, still fell well short of our expectations. Consequently, we have cancelled both future cruises and will never consider Princess or any of the other Carnival brands for our future cruising needs.

Tomorrow starts the research for a new cruise line, with river cruises and smaller all-inclusive brands the first options that pop into mind.