Diamond Princess Disappointing

We have just returned from our cruise on the Diamond Princess and would like to share a few concerns on the dropping standards of Princess Cruises. The ship was absolutely beautiful and the staff were great. Unfortunately, while on board is full on hard sell trying to drain every possible dollar out of you. Also the standard of the entertainment was very poor and only repeated shows that had been on previous cruise we have taken. The individual entertainers such as comedians, ventriloquist etc were shocking and we left 5 minutes into the show and so did a lot of other people. It’s a shame as we have always enjoyed the shows on board and raved about them afterwards. Princess is obviously trying to save money and only hiring second or third rate performers.

The worst part of the cruise is the ports were we docked. We were always miles out of the city and were then forced to take the Princess Shuttles at between $10 and $20 US each to go anywhere. I know that doesn’t sound much but a lot of people just wanted to jump in a taxi and do there own thing but could not because of it was a cargo port and security would not let you get off the ship and get you own transport. One place where we docked was nothing but a mud flap or for a better word a swamp. I know because of the size of the ship it does have problems finding suitable places to dock but we have been to the same places before on the Star Princess (almost the same size) and they either provided free shuttle service into town or at least docked some where convenient so you could do your own thing. Princess is just looking for more ways to screw everyone and that is not only my view but a lot of other people view who were on the cruise.

The other sore point was we enjoy a sit down breakfast in Traditional dining but that closed at 9am far to early considering you are on holidays. We went there only a few times and they were virtually asking you to leave by 8.30 am. Considering any hotel you stay at, breakfast closes between 10and 10.30am that was extremely poor service.

I realize that this is my opinion but I know it was also shared by many other on the cruise and I think that Princess need to rethink how to best serve their passengers and not how to best screw them.

I still enjoyed our cruise and have a future cruise already booked with Princess but because of all the cut backs we thinking have we done the right thing.

Bob

Thanks for your comments. Where did you sail to? I am glad you had a good cruise, regardless of these things.

We were on the Diamond in Alaska in June. I didn't find the hard sell then. I saw some of the entertainment and thought it was good. Must be a new crew onboard now??? :confused: What we enjoyed was breakfast on our balcony. We were lucky to have nice weather, even in Alaska! Anyway, I know we could be on the same cruise and not experience the same things! It partly depends on what you're doing, and what I may be doing.

I have to say though, that I think the price of a cruise is less, so something has to give! JMHO!

Bob we were on the Sapphire Princess last March (Sydney - Bangkok) and although we consider the cruise our best ever I agree with you totally about the shuttle situation. I accept that these huge ships cannot always dock close to the port BUT if the itinerary states "Singapore" I feel it is Princess's duty to get me to this port (by whatever means) without charging me for the priviledge, eg, lay on a FREE shuttle.

We are doing "your cruise" next October so have been following your roll call with great interest. Glad you had a great time overall and believe me, after our experience on the hydrofoil back from HCM last March, you had a lucky escape when Princess denied your group access!!

Welcome home

Sue

harfield Totlally agree with your comments .We returned home Saturday from 3 days in Bangkok after the the Diamond schedule. The entertainment was appalling, we had several of the "acts" on the Sapphire in April. We were told by the cruise director on the Sapphire they rotate the production shows every 3 years and they are on all the Princess ships.This facilitates easy blending in of the dancers etc when they change ships.

The "comedian" in the Explorers Lounge on the Diamond was a geriatric who could not remember his jokes, had to ridicule a passenger for laughs!!!!! and grovelled, using the name of the cruise director Chris Nicholl, in a way that was insulting.The ventiloquist did exactly the same "act" on the Sapphire,the "orchestra" was so noisey I had to switch my hearing aid off. The only true artist on show was Annette Worrell the mezzo soprano, she was absolutely brilliant.

With regard to the matters of the restaurant/horizon buffet, we were told minor "rationalisation" was the order of the day, which means cost cutting to you and I.

Tour prices are exorbitiant, considering the countries visited are 3rd world, $67 for a ride into Ho Chi Minh City,

there were at least 10 coaches, times 50 passengers equals in excess of $33000 for 1 days work. The fleet of coaches did not cost that much.

All in all my opinion of Princess as a "first class" cruise line has plummetted , if this is the best they can do with brand new ships roll on Celebrity- RCL for my next cruise.

I think you have some valid points as to breakfast hours and shuttles to ports. I would like to see later breakfast hours and agree that shuttles should be considered part of the cruise fare.

I must make a comment about the entertainment, however. I personally enjoy the production shows more than the individual entertainers. We have also been on cruises when I had already seen one of the shows and it is a little disappointing. These production shows are quite costly to put together, and they are intended to travel from one ship to another. If you cruise often, you are bound to find a repeat show on a different ship occassionally. Luckily, there are always a lot of other options for entertainment on the larger ships, so no one is left with nothing to do.

It is always good to hear the opinions of others and I am glad that you had a good cruise overall. As Nita points out, with lower cruise fares, some cuts are necessary.

So why would you think that tour prices for a 3rd world country would be cheaper? I'd think just the opposite, they have less available for use and therefore, would be a higher charge.

As for entertainment, on any ship of all lines, the shores, while entertaining are average, one of the worst shows I've ever seen was on Celebrity.

All in all my opinion of Princess as a "first class" cruise line has plummetted , if this is the best they can do with brand new ships roll on Celebrity- RCL for my next cruise.

I have to agree with CruiseAholic - the worst entertainment I have seen on board a ship was on Celebrity. I also felt more "nickel and dimed" on Celebrity because they charge so much more for everything on the ship compared to Princess.....

I agree with you that the ships should provide free transportation into port from where the ship docks. We ran into this recently in Boston and I was disappointed that we had to pay to get into town.

A couple good points here. First, the rushed service indicates that staff is being pushed too hard and perhaps indicates a shortage in personnel, something that needs to be addressed. Second, I agree with the transportation comments - docking miles from anywhere and requiring additional charges to see the places on itinerary is not a good practice. Both complaints are easily addressable and I hope the comments are taken seriously by management.

We were on the Diamond to Alaska this past summer and my big complaint was the lack of an egg station in the Horizon Buffet. We actually prefer breakfast there and we go early enough to get our table for 2 by a window or outside with the fresh ocean air. My wife enjoys egg beaters omelettes with her favorite ingredients and I enjoy a couple of eggs over easy. The over easy eggs were available but they were pre-prepared and cold even tho a heat lamp was over them and the omelettes were

take what they made. On Carnival Spirit several years ago, they would make custom eggs for you at 2 or 3 of their stations. I even remember when the ships would have a coffee cart coming around to top off your cup. Any more you're on your own...

John L.

Also the standard of the entertainment was very poor and only repeated shows that had been on previous cruise we have taken.

The hard sells, extra fees and the lack of certain expected items such as lemonade and hot chocolate turned us off of Princess. I would rather pay more and receive the expected services as on Celebrity. Celebrity also "surprises" their guest with "little extras" such as providing trays and carrying your tray to find a table in their casual dining venues. Ice cold wash clothes when returning from an excursion and up around the pool deck. Iced sorbet passed around on sea days, etc. A nice touch!

This year Celebrity Summit did more hard-sell and pushing stuff, than on our Tahitian Princess trips. I slept through most of the Princess shows, but what little I saw seemed good. On the Summit, I fell asleep during the comedian's performance, who stopped the orchestra, and put the spotlight on me. I still did not wake up.

I, too, wish they would change the production shows a little more often. I have been on the Diamond twice and both times they had Piano Man and I think, Undercover. I believe the same shows will be on the Sapphire when I sail on 11/26. I did enjoy Piano Man both times, but certainly will not sit through it again. I thought Undercover was mediocre at best, and only stayed for about 1/4 of it. We were lucky enough to sail with Bert Stratton on our first Diamond cruise, and he made up for any other lack in entertainment.

A couple good points here. First, the rushed service indicates that staff is being pushed too hard and perhaps indicates a shortage in personnel, something that needs to be addressed. Second, I agree with the transportation comments - docking miles from anywhere and requiring additional charges to see the places on itinerary is not a good practice. Both complaints are easily addressable and I hope the comments are taken seriously by management.

I agree and wonder how much money Princess saves by docking in out of the way ports.

This thread includes the comments of many seasoned cruisers and repeaters at that. From a straight economic stand point it is much less expensive for Princess to keep its existing passengers than have to spend money to gain new passengers. With this said - I would encourage those with good cruise experience to be sure to voice your concerns to Princess directly outside of the end-of-cruise survey.

When time permits - take a moment and send Princess a letter that shares your thoughts and opinons about the key elements of their product service delivery.

From my standpoint I would much rather buck up another $25 a day in cruise fare, up front, if it means some of these issues are mitigagted. Plus - I want my cruise experience of tomorrow to stand up to and exceed my experiences of the past.

Just a thought from a cruiser who want to see quality maintained...

BZ

This thread includes the comments of many seasoned cruisers and repeaters at that. From a straight economic stand point it is much less expensive for Princess to keep its existing passengers than have to spend money to gain new passengers. With this said - I would encourage those with good cruise experience to be sure to voice your concerns to Princess directly outside of the end-of-cruise survey.

When time permits - take a moment and send Princess a letter that shares your thoughts and opinons about the key elements of their product service delivery.

From my standpoint I would much rather buck up another $25 a day in cruise fare, up front, if it means some of these issues are mitigagted. Plus - I want my cruise experience of tomorrow to stand up to and exceed my experiences of the past.

Just a thought from a cruiser who want to see quality maintained...

BZ

We were on Diamond Dec 04, Summit Apr/May 05 and Island Sept 05. Will be on Star for X'mas.

We skipped the shows on Island as they are the same Piano Man and Undercover for the 2 production shows. But we are not big fans of shows anyway.

However, I have to say, the shows on Summit were much worse - the dancers did not even have the same height and "right" body proportions. There were at least a foot apart in terms of the height between the tallest dancer and the shortest one. Some of the dancers (both male and female) can use Weight Watcher Program. Enough said.

As for the docks - in the 3rd world, there may not be any passenger piers that can accommodate the cruiseship in the size of Diamond. Among the ports Diamond called upon, I think only Negasaki in Japan, and Singapore, could possibly have the facility, if they choose to build. But then, those places do not depend on cruise tourism dollars as much as the Caribbeans, the Panama Canal itinerary, and even the Alaska ports. There is no incentives for those local governments to spend millions to build piers to accommodate these gigantic ships call upon them less than a dozen times a year.

That said, Princess probably should provide free shuttle between pier and town, and just build the costs in the cruise fare so passengers would feel better, rather than feel being ripped off.

I personally do not feel Celebrity is anything better. If I dont like the mass market cruiselines, I would sail less and go up to lines such as Crystal and Radison Seven Seas. But as of now, we choose to sail 3-4 times a year than just 1-2 times a year if we switch to the high end lines. So we accept what we can get with the rock-bottom prices.

This year Celebrity Summit did more hard-sell and pushing stuff

We were on the same cruise as Bob- Diamond from Beijing to Bangkok. We didn't feel a "hard sell" at all - in fact just the opposite. Most cruises we've been on have had port talks given by contractors who are nothing but front men for stores who pay a kickback. There was none of that on this ship.

Princess offered low cost shuttles in almost every port except Beijing and Ho Chi Minh City. In Hong Kong it was $10 each way, Nha Trang $4 each way, Singapore $5 each way, and Shanghai $10 each way. In Nagasaki and Okinawa taxi's or public transport was readily available. They definitely could have done a better job in HMC than the $67 roundtrip per person. We took their shore excursions and found them to be excellent. Saving dollars on shore excursions on a trip we will probably never repeat was not a priority.

We never went to any of the shows-- done that on too many other cruises. But numerous people we spoke to raved about the shows, the Piano Man in particular.

We felt this cruise offered outstanding value for the price, at least for us. No other cruise line could even come remotely close, on a per day basis and an Orient itinerary, with the price we paid for this cruise, and we even had a mini-suite. We have been on 16 cruises with various lines ranging from Crystal to NCL and found Princess to offer quality and service one notch below Celebrity. We really have no complaints.

of the region your cruise go to ?

Beijing is not by the sea, it is not a port city. There is quite a distance between Beijing and the port area (probably near Tian Jin). I believe it is at least 100 miles away.

Ho Chi Ming City is just a bit closer to port than Beijing - but then it is in Vietnam, there is a premium for decent transportation.

Hong Kong, if you go in town, you would understand there is NO WAY to build a cruiseship pier there - the land is at such high premium that big part of central district is built on reclaimed land.

I would imagine people who took this cruise would be for the exotic ports instead of for the shows ? You can get the same shows on a 7-day Caribbean cruise for 1/4 of the cost when you factor in the Airfare, hotels, and the logistics that involved.

I agree the cruise was a bargain, especially when Princess offered it as last minute sale a few weeks ago - it was $65 a day for an inside - unbelievable bargain.

I don't believe this cruise was on a last minute sale. It was fully booked starting about 9 months before departure and was full at sailing. When I was checking a few weeks before departure, a few inside or view obstructed cabins were for sale but at almost full price, and much more than we paid for a mini-suite.

Concerning the comment by nho9504 that Princess ought to build the cost of free shuttles into their fares, that would simply not be fair to the vast majority of passengers who pay for shore excursions. Why should they subsidize the cost of free shuttles for others? I thought the price of the shuttles that Princess did offer to be very fair, with the exception of the transfers at HMC and Beijing. They clearly took advantage of the distance from the pier to the city and the lack of alternative transportation.

and even considered it for a minute. Here I do a cut and paste of the e-mail I got. I believe this if not the exact dates, would be identical to the itinerary you guys sailed. There was another sale following this. And then the sales for the Australia/NZ portion.

BTW, I have been on a couple of last minute sale from Princess - the ship eventually sailed full ship, by having last minute sales. Even the Sea Princess that was supposedly booked solidly months in advance, had last minute sales. You just need to sign up for Princess e-mail alert.

The e-mail was dated Oct 7, for a 16 day cruise - 3 sailings the same price 999 for 16 days. I dont believe you paid 999 for a mini-suite.

16

DAYS DIAMOND PRINCESS

Interior

Departure Date

Fares from

$999* Oct 23, 2005

Nov 8, 2005

Promo code: PEH

Itinerary: Beijing, Nagasaki, Shanghai, Okinawa, Taipei (Keelung), Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City (Vung Tau), Singapore and Bangkok

SOUTHEAST ASIA/CHINA

Sailing from Beijing to Singapore

16

DAYS DIAMOND PRINCESS

Interior

Departure Date

Fares from

$999* Nov 24, 2005

Promo code: PEH

Itinerary: Beijing, Pusan, Nagasaki, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City (Vung Tau), Bangkok, Kuantan and Singapore

Enhance Your Vacation with a Shore Excursion: Visit Okinawa's Shikinaen Gardens, which date back to the golden era of the old Ryukyu Kingdom. Travel to Victoria Peak by junk boat, and take an aerial tram to the top for stunning views of Hong Kong. Travel to the famed "Thai Riviera" and the popular resort of Nong Nuch — a tropical paradise of some 250 acres that elephants, ostriches, iguanas, and monkeys call home.

Yes, I agee with you to build in the shuttle costs into fare would not be fair to those passengers who choose not to go into town. But then again, I cannot imagine passengers who choose this itinerary would prefer stay on the ship instead of visiting the towns they visit ? It would not add a lot to the fare, judging from the figures you said, except for the Ho Chi Ming City.

Also, I should not define the itinerary being "3rd world" ports - really, only Vietnam still qualifies for this definition. Other places, are all first class cities by any standard, while Okinawa is more like a combination of American military base and a resort town.

I dont know how much Princess charge for transfer into Beijing Proper, however, the city is 100 miles away. How much would you pay, say, a van transfer between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami ? The on-going rate is about $50 a person one-way. And the distance is about 35 miles max. So you can determine what is fair for Beijing transfer.

Forgot to add too, between Taipei and Keelung, the distance is longer than 100 miles. Bangkok is at least an hour and a 1/2 from sea.

I know, because I have been in all these cities before, except Vietnam and Okinawa. (not by cruise but landtrips). I am also originally from Hong Kong.

I don't believe this cruise was on a last minute sale. It was fully booked starting about 9 months before departure and was full at sailing. When I was checking a few weeks before departure, a few inside or view obstructed cabins were for sale but at almost full price, and much more than we paid for a mini-suite.

 

Concerning the comment by nho9504 that Princess ought to build the cost of free shuttles into their fares, that would simply not be fair to the vast majority of passengers who pay for shore excursions. Why should they subsidize the cost of free shuttles for others? I thought the price of the shuttles that Princess did offer to be very fair, with the exception of the transfers at HMC and Beijing. They clearly took advantage of the distance from the pier to the city and the lack of alternative transportation.

Interesting !! I guess they really wanted to fill that ship down to every last inside cabin. Of course it says "interior, from $999". I'm on their mailing list but never got that one. Travelocity and Expedia where showing about $2400 for an inside cabin 2 weeks before sailing.

I believe Princess wanted $85 per person for the transfer at Beijing - not 100% sure. That's what Grayline charges also. It is a LONG trip, almost 3 hours, and one I wouldn't want to repeat. It's nothing like Miami to Fort Lauderdale.

We had the operational overnight in Bangkok. It was $194 for 2 people and included a transfer from Laem Chabang to Bangkok, overnight at the hotel, and transfer the next morning from the hotel to the airport. It was about 2 hrs from Laem Chabang to Bangkok and 30 minutes from the hotel to the airport.

We've only cruised once with Princess. Absolutely have to agree on the hands out comment and on the entertainment. We did enjoy the cruise, nothing special though that we keep us as customers. Voted with our feet, just booked at Feb. cruise with another line.

I'm curious -- what did you think they were trying to sell you so aggressively? Hard to believe I was on the same ship. The only thing I saw them trying to sell were dinners at Sabatini's and the special breakfast on your balcony. Of course, they had the usual gift shops and a couple of jewelery sales which seem to attract every woman on the ship. I think they also left a flyer in our cabin for spa services and portraits, but nothing unusual about that. Only group I could see who could be upset were people who were paying for the internet at 35 cents a minute when the system seldom worked properly- and they were charged anyway. Luckily I'm Platinum so it was free, but still frustrating.

Yup, usually the last minute sales are all insides and obstructed views. And even it said "from" it is just flat 999. I just booked a 10-day South Caribbean on Star, X'mas sailing to boot, (Dec 18 to 28). Inside is 799. The 799 shows up when you click to the page where it shows all cat - there are 3 handicapped insides that are almost twice that price, so the price you see would be like 1699, but then from II down, everything is 799. In fact, I got an II Forward cabin that I dont want, and have my TA switch it to a JJ Baja Aft. Also the prices change several times a day, between the brochure price and the sale price. I guess that was what happened when you check Travelocity it so happened that the brochure prices were the prices Princess showed. I discovered that solely because I was watching cabin avaibility so I could switch cabin the moment they threw something out that is more desirable. Then I saw that craziness of price changes during the day. It seems to me whenever they are ready to do some cabin assignment, the prices changed. I was keeping track of the cabin changes and noticed the cocidences.

BTW, I did the monitoring on Princess site now they have online booking feature.

A friend said she did not get this mailing either, she had a Fall Foliage sailing coming at the time. And she has a May sailing booked, so she does not receive the 10day Star sale e-mail either. We guess that if you have a cruise booked with them, they quit sending you e-mail. They figure that you would not be able to take last minute sale. That is kind of stupid on Princess part. However, you can always check sites such as Cruises-N-Shores to see what current bargains are. I found this sale a week BEFORE Princess e-mail alert. Though the e-mail alert has a $80 price drop.

I believe Princess wanted $85 per person for the transfer at Beijing - not 100% sure. That's what Grayline charges also. It is a LONG trip, almost 3 hours, and one I wouldn't want to repeat. It's nothing like Miami to Fort Lauderdale.

We had the operational overnight in Bangkok. It was $194 for 2 people and included a transfer from Laem Chabang to Bangkok, overnight at the hotel, and transfer the next morning from the hotel to the airport. It was about 2 hrs from Laem Chabang to Bangkok and 30 minutes from the hotel to the airport.

My example for the FLL to MIA is that, we have to pay $50 one way per person for this short 35 miles transfer, so the $85 per person for well over 100 miles transfer is really not very expensive. That is at least 2 hours just by the distance, and you add traffic, and not necessary all freeway ... therefore it is an almost 3 hours affair.

Bangkok has a very lively night life and huge shopping malls in several districts - it is a very sprawling city, and the traffic is absolute nightmare.

Forgot to ask, do you need Visa for China ? One of the reasons I did not jump on the sale was I thought it would be near impossible to get Multi-entry Visa to China so close to sailing, giving now Chinese Consulates no longer accept applications from mail.