Sitmar Lady

My Daughter who is now 20 has seemingly grown up on Princess Cruises. I will say that Holiday Sailings, Spring Break and Summer cruises (7 days and under) were the most fun for her due to the number of kids on board. When she was about 7, we took her on a cruise during school in early November :eek:. It actually ended up being one of her favorites for different reasons. She and about 12 other kids in her age group had the facilities to themselves and the staff were wonderful. In all of her cruises with Princess regardless of the time of year, it hard to get her off. I may be in the minority but I think Princess does a great job given the fact that they aren't known for being a Family line. She's a 4th generation Princess Kid. I loved growing up on them too :D

All I can say is that the breakfast in Sabatini's was outstanding.

Since we usually book balcony rooms, I admit we will really miss it. The elegance, the food, the service, & the convenience! Loved every minute of it. Pure luxury!

Unfortunately we missed several days up there because we were up too late in Skywalkers but no regrets at all. Thank you Princess, it was a real treat!

It's food made to order in lovely surroundings with excellent service - a wonderful, calming start to the day. I don't understand how that would make me (or anyone else) feel important; instead I feel lucky to be able to afford it on some of our cruises.

Well said :)

We are going on my 75th this October to Hawaii! I had to hunt down this thread to find out what was in store for us. Thank you all for getting me so excited for this. I appreciate the comment in particular that says to go to the Circle Hostess right away to be sure you're on the list.

I've never had breakfast in Sabatini's before (only had a suite once and they didn't offer that way back in 2008) and they didn't do anything for my 50th (not even flowers) because that happened way back in 2004.

I need to get back to salads until then. I'm a big fan of eggs benedict. LOL

Being the Parents of an only Child, we've taken friends and cousins along with our Daughter on about 10 cruises starting at age 9. We jokingly called this 1-800-rent-a-sister. My suggestion is to sit down as a group with the Friend and her Parents and set some ground rules about your expectations on behavior and safety. Before every cruise I would talk to them about respecting the ship, crew and most importantly safety. We had long conversations about not answering the cabin door if someone knocked and they were alone. I told them to call the front desk if they had any concerns about who was at the door. We talked about not going into other passengers cabins even if they were other children. On about day 2 of every cruise, I would test them and knock on the cabin door, hide the peep hole and see if they answered. I think they did once so be sure to do this test early on.

All I can say is that as long as the Kids are well behaved and are rule followers, it should be a great experience and one they will never forget. Have fun!

We are paying $600 per person more for our Hawaiian Cruise this year then we paid in 2011 & 2013. Perhaps (and I'm thinking positively) Princess needs to increase pricing to maintain some level of quality in food & service. Prices in 2015 were so low for their 50th Anniversary but I really noticed the the quality we are accustomed to was rapidly declining.

I may be alone in this opinion, but I don't mind the price increases if the value goes back up. Time will tell...

If I were a betting person, I'd bet a lot of money on at least 8 warm days for you. We've done this trip twice in November and had some cooler weather but it's quite warm in LA in early October. I think this is why this particular sailing is a bit more expensive then the later sailings.

This is going to sound terrible but you know you are obsessed when you hear there is a fire in Santa Clarita, CA and your first thought is, "NO, not Princess Headquarters"!

Calculate the difference and maybe instead consider a mini and taking advantage of the Sanctuary a few days instead? If you are elite, that would be my choice. If you are not elite, go for the suite if it is comfortable in your budget. Either way, it's a win-win in my eyes.

I believe it is available for all passengers even if you are not in a suite or elite. The difference is there is a per person charge. Sorry, I can't recall the cost but I feel strongly I have seen it on the menu on the same page you can order extra's such as pizza, chocolate covered strawberries, etc...

I personally wish there was one still here in So. Cal doing CA Coastals during the summer.

As a loyal Princess cruiser I watch the cruise critic posts on this subject and I see we always get the "who cares" or the "I am so humble I never wear my black card around my neck" or the jokers who like to say those of us who seek a higher level want "red carpet" status. I get it. You are all very proud of your humility and you voice your opinions loudly. Some of us that have cruised 500 plus days on this fabulous line have seen changes, we have resisted but in the end enduldge in the fact that we still get to cruise. Please try to put yourselves in the place of those of us who have cruised Princes almost 2 years plus. Many of us like myself have been blessed with many beautiful memories on this line, me since 1973 (I was 8 on my first Cruise). I have witnessed the changes first hand and for the most part I didn't care. My last cruise, my elite benefits basically did not exist so I started this post. Everyone is elite these days. The benefits are diminishing. What I am suggesting is NOT to eliminate priviledges Princess has already granted but add a tier to celebrate us 2 year plus crowd. Okay there you have it. I am ready for your punches and insults about my crazy demands. I guess I can take it but I'd prefer kindness. Happy cruising to you all!

Always have another cruise booked prior to disembarkation. It's the only way to survive the Cruise Blues! :D

Ain't that the truth? :rolleyes: The loyalty program is a marketing tool, nothing more, nothing less. Whatever get people to book a cruise is what Princess will do. "Fair" has absolutely nothing to do with it. They offer the perks as a MARKETING PLOY. Period.

I understand that but it's possible that since Princess has so many Elites now, passengers may start cruising with other lines because the perks are diminishing. Adding the club mini-suite class adds to the already large numbers expecting things such as priority boarding. Just a thought.

Let me start with a :)

 

I am not young and not retired:( Will never beable to...hubby is even older than I am . We are just glad I can still work and we can still cruise :)

 

Cruise maybe 14 to 21 days a year and dam greatfull I can :)

 

We are also a rare breed.........people who actually work, even if we are old:D

 

Peace and happy cruising!

 

Reader

I said somewhat ;) I can't see retirement anytime soon either but that means I'm healthy so I'll take it.

I am glad I cruise multiple cruise lines! I choose cruises based on itenerary and price. I think those who choose this way keep the cruise lines innovative and cost conscious, which benefits all. Each line has different features and a different atmosphere. That is exciting! I'm happy to not be concerned about my "status".

This thread is about benefits, not status. I cruise other lines as well. :D but not as much as Princess.

Sitmar Lady

 

With all do respect,Princess could care less about us.

They are trying to attract fresh blood. They are a business not our buddies.

 

New cruisers spend more money onboard, Seasoned cruisers know better :)

 

Enjoy your cruises!

 

Reader

I get what you are saying but I am still somewhat young and not retired, so I only cruise about 21-25 days a year on average. Therefore we opt for balcony or mini-suites, we often use the Sanctuary, Specialty Dining options, I buy in the shops on board with my 10% discount and I love wine so we still spend a lot on cruises. I guess I am a rare breed but we still exist. I guess that is why I'm voting for the voucher instead of the "red carpet or gold star

on my forehead". LOL

Red Carpet Treatment

Cute, and I see that you and many think this is about getting a star on their card, or some sort of public display. To me there are so many elites now on every sailing, the perks are diminishing. For example on my last trip there were 800 elites so essentially preferred boarding didn't exist. So similar to Holland America or Royal Caribbean, it would be nice to get a voucher for a specialty restaurant, unlimited internet access or something like that to strive for.

The red carpet is nice but it doesn't help my bank account.

We already have priority tender embarkation as Elites. Yes, we have to get to the end of the line, but if we are in a hurry, we get there early and are at the front. If we are not in a hurry, we wait for the rush to clear.

 

500 or 1000 sounds like a reasonable cutoff. I would not have a cruise credit qualification.

I was suggesting embarkation not disembarkation. For example getting back on board at Princess Cays. I was just trying to think of something that wouldn't cost Princess anything. I'd prefer the specialty dining voucher but I realize that costs Princess money.

If Princess offered a higher tier above Elite in the Captain Circle membership rewards, what would you like to see added to the list of benefits and how many days do you think it should be?

I'm thinking preferred tender embarkation or a Crown Grill/specialty dining voucher per cruise & maybe 500 days.

I fully admit, I'm starting this thread to hopefully encourage it.

If I recall, there were 600 plus Elites on our last 10 day Sea of Cortez. It took s 2-1/2 hours to board (We are Elite). The Elite/Platinum preferred boarding line was the same if not longer then the normal line. Now with the ability to buy preferred status through the Club Mini offer, the perks will diminish even more.

The cut off for the luncheon was 449 days. The number gets closer and closer to my number every cruise. We somehow made the MTP twice in 2015 on 2 different (7) day Mexican routes and other cruises have barely made the luncheon. When we made the top, I actually called the Captains Circle Host to be sure it wasn't a mistake. I have both of those Princess Patters with our pictures on them saved and will cherish them. I have to admit, that was fun for us albeit rare occurrences that will likely never happen again.

I can't see how Princess can take away perks from the massive amount of Elites they granted but I agree, they need to limit the laundry abuse and I would really like to see a higher tier created to make being a loyal Princess Cruiser feel more special again.

Future longer lines for the Elite preferred embarkation and disembarkation. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

There are so many Elites anyway the perks have faded without this change.

Our Daughter is 20. We sometimes sail with her friends and sometimes with Cousins in the same age group. They always meet people during spring break on 7 day cruises. They will have a blast. There is a 18-20 meet and greet on the Princess Patter when you board so I suggest them attending that to meet more.

Also note: Skywalkers starts hopping for them after midnight especially on formal nights.

I just wish it was open for lunch!

It was a one and done experience for us on the Ruby last week. It was not bad, just a take it or leave it dining experience. I'm not even sure if I would go again if it were included :eek: