I am really impressed with the way the Captain and crew of the Golden Princess responded to constantly-changing circumstances while we were on our New Zealand cruise. Our captain kept us up-to-date as much as he could with regular, friendly, well-explained announcements whenever new news or regulations came in. Although plans seemed to change daily, the focus was always on the well-being, comfort and enjoyment of the passengers.
It must have been difficult for the crew because they had even less certainty about their destiny than the passengers, but they were amazing. They responded to ever-changing circumstances. For example, when we anchored at Akaroa, and eventually found out that we couldn’t disembark, they put on a splendid 3-course lunch at a moment’s notice. Their workload would have increased significantly without passengers disembarking but they continued to provide excellent service with smiles on their faces and did everything they could to ensure guests were taken care of.
Victor, our cruise director, responded by adding extra activities throughout the ship to keep the entertainment up. I was surprised at how quickly daily activities sheets and other important information was revised, printed and delivered to our rooms.