Smooth Sailing Despite the Storm: How Crew Magic Trumped Process Mayhem on My Princess Cruise

I’m an avid cruiser. I’ve been on over a dozen cruises. I just returned from my first-ever cruise with Princess Cruises on their newest ship the Sun Princess, and it was an experience. A real… experience. As Princess refers to guests as family, time for me to be blunt and direct like we are in my own family. Picture this: a luxurious new ship, breathtaking destinations, and… processes that seemed designed by a committee of caffeinated squirrels armed with sticky notes and a penchant for chaos. It was like a beautiful ballet performed on a stage built by drunken carpenters.

The processes, oh, the processes. They were a masterclass in how not to run a cruise ship. If you’ve ever been on a trip where the processes were so inefficient you began to wonder if they were designed as part of an elaborate social experiment, you’re not alone. And based on conversations I had with other guests and those I overheard; I was far from alone having that sentiment on my recent cruise. Yet, despite all the logistical nightmares and operational hiccups that would make a Swiss watchmaker weep, I still somehow had a fantastic time and left with a smile on my face. Why? Because the Caribbean does that for me. Oh yeah, and because the crew was incredible.

First a bit about my experiences and the processes onboard and then some tips for creating efficient processes and a great customer experience…

Ordering a drink or food for delivery was an exercise in patience that would make a saint question their faith. For some reason despite the Medallion technology that gives the crew the ability to stalk guests, somehow on several occasions, they couldn’t find me. But they managed to find my empty cabin and deliver my orders there. Leaving me a voicemail in my cabin to notify me when I was obviously not there, instead of sending me a message or notification on the app I ordered from.

Leaving a voicemail on the phone in my cabin when messing up an order, multiple times, as if I’m even in the room to see it. Flawed process.

I also had orders canceled multiple times with no notification given as to why…oh yeah…except for a voicemail in my cabin. It also took me a conversation with a bartender to find out that’s what happens when they’re out of something you ordered via the app. Like I’m supposed to be a psychic or something and just know that without any notification. You don’t need to be a Vulcan to see that logic is flawed.

And don’t even get me started on the dining reservation system. If you didn’t book reservations prior to boarding it was like trying to win the lottery while blindfolded and juggling flaming torches. Luckily, I’m a planner, so all of our dining options were included in our package purchased in advance and the majority of our reservations were made before boarding. When we realized one dining reservation overlapped with the Super Bowl (and as a Philly native, I wasn’t about to miss that game) we went to the restaurant as soon as we boarded. The crew, with a chuckle, moved our reservation to before the game and even put a note for the server to speed up the courses. Overall, the food was some of the best I’ve had on a cruise. Well, minus the meal at Sabatini’s. The venue is pitched as family-style Italian. Well, portion-wise, maybe if your Italian family is around two people. The food, frankly, sucked. We were expecting more of a Maggiano’s experience. What we got was more inconsistency. The chicken parm was more a Burger King patty than good Italian.

Sun Princess processes once again make no sense when it comes to what they call, casual dining. I was very much looking forward to the Americana Diner on board. I mean really, diner breakfast all day, takes me back to my college days in NY. But alas, false advertising and customer confusion. Despite the menu saying “breakfast all day” what they really mean is, that breakfast is only available from 5-9pm as a sit-down dinner option since they use the space for an extended buffet at all other times. Well, there went my excitement over late-night diner food. Oh, and they did the same with Alfredo’s Pizza. Yeah, sure. Because not allowing for reservations makes sense. I want to wait inside the ship and within distance of a beeper for a table instead of relaxing on the Cabana Deck. Um, hard pass.

The list of frustrating and logic-busting processes and operational issues is quite lengthy. A few more head-scratching highlights…

The technology is supposed to be brand new. It should work without issues. Nope. Sometimes my Medallion worked at bars and to give me access to areas I paid for, and other times it just didn’t. I even had to play a game of hide and seek to find guest services for a replacement battery and reset. Twice. The thing still didn’t work right. The app is random in what they choose to include. What you can order via OceanNow delivery is sparse. No reason, with efficient processes, staffing, and training, I shouldn’t be able to order anything offered at any venue directly to my location. Oh, and seems Princess has zero concerns for the security of passenger data as VPN can’t be used when using the app. Every time I wanted to access the app I had to manually disable the security of my VPN and trade privacy for supposed convenience. Real safe on a ship of over 4000 people in international waters.
Hours for the bars and restaurants were not consistent or convenient. Sometimes when open some locations had a food menu and other times did not. And if you were out and about and wanted to check the app for the time a certain location was open, nada. The app doesn’t tell you the opening and closing times for any venue. So unless you want to carry the daily newsletter in your pocket be prepared for a game of guessing and to get in some extra steps.
Beverage selections varied from location to location. No designated staff existed just to service tables or app orders. Servers were jumping in line in front of customers waiting at the bar to get orders for their guests. Something that could be easily fixed by assigning some crew to specifically fill table and app orders and other crew to service guests waiting in line. And by the conversations overheard between the crew and the looks on their faces, they weren’t happy with this process either.
I like my relaxation time. I always take advantage of a nice spa. Sure. When a ship is almost a year old it’s acceptable to tell guests that the lockers in the spa don’t lock and they should carry personal belongings with them into the spa. Right. Because taking my phone into the sauna is safe and I love leaving my dry clothes near water. After almost a year, new lockers should be installed, or the current lockers should be functioning. Or better yet the process for entry and accessing lockers should just require the use of the Medallion. The backlog for upgrades and repairs to the Sun Princess must contain one hell of a long list. Assuming Princess is actually listening to customer feedback and acting on that feedback.
The wine selection (we like our wine) was as disappointing as the cold rain when falling asleep at the beach. We are used to a good wine selection on other cruises. Not only does the Sun Princess not have a wine bar, but they only have about 5 wines by the glass available on most menus. We ate at the Crown Grill one night, not only did the steak come out fatty and overcooked twice, but when I asked for a wine the sommelier gave me such a dumfounded look you’d think he just got hit with a cartoon hammer. I wasn’t asking for much. I told him I’d like a Carmenere, Sangiovese, Barbera, or Petit Syrah. I didn’t even ask for a specific brand. Nope! None of those were on board even when I paid for the Premier Package. Another process issue, of course, most wine could not be ordered via the app. So more waiting in line. Head scratching disappointment.
The entertainment venues were designed to hold not even half the number of people on board. People were lining up an hour or so in advance for some entertainment and even seated on the floor. Non-sensical. I don’t go on vacation to wait in lines for that long. Process issue, you can’t even schedule your entertainment in advance via the app. Which, would make much more sense and allow Princess to track attendance and capacity.
In conversations with the crew we discovered the onboarding and training is a bit bumpy and rushed. The crew are not always receiving clear communication and expectations regarding processes and procedures, especially evolving processes and procedures. They are also often overworked. On several occasions, we witnessed the crew’s frustration first hand. As a people strategist and change and transformation specialist, this annoys me at my core. I always say, people before profit. Put your people first. Set them up for success. Leaders need to create trust and listen to feedback. People service customers, solve problems, and drive innovation Give employees the skills, resources, and support to do so willingly and successfully!

Nothing like seeing and hearing the crew confused and frustrated with processes while guests are confused and frustrated wondering what’s taking so long to get their drink.

The ship has been at sea for around 1 year already. It should not take this long to work out all the kinks, so to speak. Yet, it seems Princess is not listening to guest feedback, is slow to make changes and improvements to the new flagship of their fleet, or just really doesn’t care. Perhaps they just don’t have an OCD Virgo GSD stickler for process and experience kind of person, like me, as part of their team!

Though not process-related, another thing that impacted the customer experience that is worth mentioning is the design and layout were also a major head-scratcher…

Although the ship is modern and pretty, not one person I spoke with or overheard, was happy with the design of the ship. Myself included. Most people got frustrated with the layout being confusing and inconsistent from deck to deck. Elevators that didn’t all go to the same places so you had to know which set to take to get where or start over. Almost all public spaces were narrow and tight. Pool deck, besides being loud all day, was also small and tight to navigate. We had to help move a cart out of the way in a hallway so a woman could get her wheelchair down the hall. The women thanked us and said “This ship is an ADA nightmare. It’s like they don’t care.” Some doors opened automatically. Other doors did not and had step ledges. So many design elements of the ship make no sense I could write another article just about that. Zero consistency. The best response I heard was from an older gentleman onboard. He said, “What they hell. Were these shipbuilders high!” For a new ship, Sun Princess lacked wide open spaces. It felt cramped. Almost every public space was too small for a ship this size. I can sum up the design in the words of Delia Deetz “…I noticed that too. It’s like a giant ant farm.”

Narrow corridors were not ADA-friendly, especially with carts and bags.

Some doors had ledges and required being opened manually and some did not. There seemed to be no consistency. Oh, and at some entrances the Medallion worked fine for access, and at other entrances to the same location, nada.

This ship does not have an indoor pool solarium. The Dome is a neat space. A neat space you can rarely spend time enjoying. It only holds a few hundred people at a time. And it’s closed for random hours a day so the entertainment crew can rehearse for shows.

Here you can see the tiny part of the indoor pool in the Dome is netted off. And the ladders on the pool, if you can’t do a lunge you have a hard time getting out as the steps are so high from the water level. Here it took two people to help lift a guest out of the pool. Not relaxing.

Not only do some doors open automatically and some do not, but the sensor technology you need to wave your hand over to close and lock the doors was inconsistent and confusing to many guests. This door appears stuck open as many frustrated guests tried dragging the door closed manually and had a companion stand guard like a bathroom bouncer. Although I must admit watching this over and over again was more amusing than most Super Bowl commercials.

We booked a Cabana Deck Cabana Mini-Suite which gave us exclusive access to the Cabana Deck. It was a lovely not crowded and quiet space to spend time. However, we found it amusing that the Cabana Deck did not have one single cabana or umbrella for shade. Also, a plunge pool would be nice. During peak sun you had to move to the other side of the ship for shade. There was no happy medium.

Nothing like falling asleep on deck to the sound of the waves. That is, until the crew began hosing off the upper decks shooting water down all over you. This occurred daily. As did the crew hosing down of the Cabana Deck while I was still sitting there. Process fail.

Now, given the work I do I may be more prone to notice issues of this type than the average guest onboard. The cruise was by no means all frustrating. The Sun Princess was also a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. Some highlights…

The customer experience
The food (at most venues)
The quiet Cabana Deck (when not getting hosed by crew or burning in full sun)
Stability of the ship (we never really felt movement in rougher seas)
The spa (although the location in the middle of the ship with no views was odd)
The customer experience

Notice, that I mentioned customer experience twice.

Despite the design and process-induced pandemonium, we had a blast. Why? Because the crew. Oh, the crew. They were the shining stars in a constellation of procedural mishaps. They were the comedic relief in a tragicomedy of errors. They were so genuinely friendly, helpful, and accommodating that they single-handedly compensated for the organizational equivalent of a dumpster fire.

Our cabin steward, stayed out of the way unless needed and had a bucket of ice in our cabin at all times for my bad knee. The bartenders, despite being frustrated at times and swamped with drink orders from thirsty passengers (myself included), always greeted us with a smile and a witty remark. They were masters of multitasking, able to mix a perfect margarita while simultaneously calming down a frustrated patron whose Medallion had mysteriously stopped working.

The waitstaff in the dining room was attentive, engaging, and genuinely interested in our dining experience. They accommodated our dining preferences without complaint even when it required them to run to a different kitchen to get fresh garlic for my steak. They were so attentive and personable that I almost forgot about some of my frustrations. One Maître d’ saw how frustrated I was with having to send my steak back twice and not being able to get a wine I liked, so he offered a sincere apology and gave us a free bottle of wine. And not just any wine, I heard him talking to our waiter and asking what kind of wine they did have that I liked, and then he brought the closest bottle he could find.

So, what’s the lesson here? A fantastic customer experience can indeed make up for the negative impacts of poor and inefficient processes. Great customer service is like the duct tape of the hospitality industry—it holds everything together when the processes start to fall apart. When you’re met with empathy, transparency, understanding, and a sense of humor, even I can forgive a whole lot of inefficiency – at least the first time.

It’s not about pretending the problems don’t exist; it’s about going above and beyond to make the customer feel valued, appreciated, and understood.

But should great service have to compensate for broken processes? No. If anything, great service should complement a well-oiled system, not act as its desperate bandage.

Tips for Improving Processes (Because Clearly, Sun Princess Needs Them):

Streamline, streamline, streamline: Review every process from the customer’s perspective. Identify bottlenecks, redundancies, unnecessary steps, inefficiencies, and things that don’t make sense. Ask yourself: “Is there a simpler or more logical way to do this from the perspective of the customer?”
Map Out the Customer Journey (Without a Treasure Map): Have someone go through the entire guest experience as if they were new to the company. This includes every touchpoint: booking, bars, check-in, dining, excursions, and check-out etc. If anything feels confusing or unnecessarily slow, it needs a revamp. I offer this to clients as part of my Undercover Customer Experience (uCX) program. And if Princess offered to pay me to sail their ships, I wouldn’t say no.
Get feedback: Talk to your customers and your employees. They’re the ones experiencing the processes firsthand. What are their pain points? What suggestions do they have? How can you make things better for employees and customers? And then close the loop with customers, implement suggestions, and act on their feedback.
Embrace technology: Use technology to automate tasks, improve communication, and enhance efficiency. For employees and customers. If an app is supposed to streamline experiences, it should, you know, work. Too many companies invest in digital solutions that create more problems than they solve. Test, refine, and for the love of all that is efficient, make it user-friendly and consistent.
Test and iterate: Don’t be afraid to experiment with new processes. Especially those being changed due to employee and customer feedback. Track your results and make adjustments as needed. Continuous improvement is key. Creating an exceptional customer experience is not done in a vacuum and is not a one-and-done.
Train Staff in Efficiency (Not Just Friendliness): It’s wonderful to have a cheerful crew, but if no one knows where to send you or what you need to do when you ask a question, or you get conflicting information, that’s a problem. Training in consistency and efficiency training should be just as important as customer service training.

Tips for Maintaining a Great Customer Experience:

Empower your employees: Give them the autonomy to make decisions and solve problems on the spot. Trust them to do what’s right for the customer. If a guest is frustrated about something (because they will be), give your employees the power to fix it without needing five levels of approval or fear of repercussions. Free drink, discount, immediate rebooking—whatever makes sense.
Hire for attitude: Most skills can be taught, but a positive attitude and a genuine desire to help are invaluable. “Sorry, that’s our policy” is the worst phrase in customer service. Instead, train staff to say: “I completely understand why that’s frustrating. Let me see how I can help.” Even when there’s no easy fix, feeling heard goes a long way. I will say that the Sun Princess crew did have a good attitude and it made a difference.
Train, train, train: Invest in training your employees on customer service skills, product knowledge, and problem-solving. When a process changes explain why and promptly communicate to employees and teach employees the new process and how to give feedback.
Show appreciation: Recognize and reward employees who go above and beyond for customers. A little appreciation goes a long way. Let employee personalities shine. Nobody remembers the robot-like employee who says, “Have a nice day.” But they do remember the bartender who joked about their drink choice or the housekeeper who left a towel animal wearing their sunglasses. A little personality makes inefficiencies more tolerable and should be rewarded.

One last process cluster. When I called customer service post cruise because of charges on my folio that made no sense, don’t have me on hold and then have a customer service agent come back on the line and tell me they can’t access my folio so I have to take additional steps so another department can access that info and then tell me to dispute any charges online. Besides 90 mins on the phone (luckily I was working while on hold or would’ve lost it) the guest services rep then told me she is viewing a detailed folio of charges which is not the one that was sent to the customer. I’m not even seeing the same level of detail she is seeing. The line items are not even the same. I’m already an annoyed customer and now you’re telling me I need to do the job of the people I called for help because not all teams have access to the systems needed to resolve all customer issues. EPIC FAIL! This kind of BS process crap is not something a good crew can resolve to make me a happy customer. However, I will say the rep was just as polite and calm as those onboard crew members. Seems Princess Cruises’ issues with processes extend to the shore side as well.

In the end, my Princess Cruise was a testament to the power of human connection. While the processes may have been a comedy of errors, the crew’s dedication to providing a positive customer experience turned a potentially disastrous vacation into a memorable one. It just goes to show that even in the face of operational chaos, a little bit of human magic can make all the difference.

Princess has some work to do at achieving the sweet spot, where customer experience isn’t compensating for inefficiencies but enhancing a well-run system. Even the friendliest crew can only do so much. Until then, hopefully, they keep leaning on those amazing crew employees who somehow make us laugh even as we wait in yet another line. But seriously, let’s fix those processes. And if Princess leadership is reading this, I was serious about my offer to provide process improvement and customer experience support. Feel free to reach out.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go fill out the customer satisfaction survey Princess sent me and see what they bother to do with my feedback.

About Scott Span, MSOD, CSM, ACC: is CEO at Tolero Solutions. As a people strategist, leadership coach, and change and transformation specialist, his work is focused on people. Through his consulting and training work, he supports clients to survive and thrive through change and transition and create people-focused cultures and a great employee experience. Through his coaching work, he supports people willing to dig deeper to identify and overcome what’s holding them back, change behaviors, accelerate performance, and achieve their goals.

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