a Princess Press Release:

4/8/2009

Princess Passengers Vote
Port of Los Angeles "2008 Port of the Year"
LA Port Achieves Highest Satisfaction Levels

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (April 8, 2009) -- Princess Cruises passengers have voted, and the winner is the World Cruise Center at the Port of Los Angeles as the line's highest rated turnaround port in 2008.


The annual distinction is awarded to one of Princess' 33 worldwide turnaround ports that receives the highest passenger satisfaction scores for an entire year, as indicated by passengers on each cruise. A turnaround port is where a cruise ends and the next one begins.

The honor recognizes that a port has provided the service, facilities and personnel that have enhanced the passenger experience boarding or disembarking the ship. In total, the voting measured passenger satisfaction scores from 61 calls in Los Angeles from December 2007 to December 2008.

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"The experience our passengers have in a turnaround port is part of their Princess vacation -- it's either the first or last impression of their cruise with us -- so we want to acknowledge those ports that deliver our high service standards," said Dean Brown, Princess executive vice president of corporate services. "Our service scores at the Port of Los Angeles have always been high, but we saw them increase last year and we offer them our congratulations and thanks for having such a positive impact on our passengers."

This is the fourth year for the award, and previous port of the year designations have gone to Whittier, Vancouver and Brooklyn.

Currently Los Angeles serves as home port to two Princess ships, Sapphire Princess sailing the Mexican Riviera, and Golden Princess, offering Hawaiian Islands sailings. Coral Princess also turns in Los Angeles for Panama Canal cruises.

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We've sailed out of San Pedro six times and find it pretty easy. But then we're an hour's drive away. If you're driving (say a rental car or if you're driving in from where you live), you get off the Harbor freeway at Harbor Blvd. and stay in the center lane on the off ramp. You'll drive across Harbor Blvd. and right into the World Cruise Center and toward those magnificient ships you'll be looking right at. You'll drive past the guard booth, note from the sign which berth you're going to and drive up to the loading zones.

There you can unload your family and/or friends and your luggage. They can seek out a porter or wait for you. It won't take too long. You'll drive down to the parking lot (which is pretty big), park and then either catch the shuttle or walk back up.

We've only had attitude from one port employee back in 2003. Maybe she's no longer there.

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