what's happened to Princess?

[TLC535]

It's not just Princess. All of the mass market lines seem to be in decline. You can find CC posts like this under all of the mass market lines.

 

So very true...check the other boards that fall in the same category (mass-market)...however disappointing it is, I think it is more a sign of the times than any one cruise line.

Princess fits for us, we feel @ home onboard, but have tried and will sail other lines occasionally and found good & bad.

[Jim Avery]

So very true...check the other boards that fall in the same category (mass-market)...however disappointing it is, I think it is more a sign of the times than any one cruise line.

Princess fits for us, we feel @ home onboard, but have tried and will sail other lines occasionally and found good & bad.

 

Correct that you find these threads on just about all the lines. Especially the lines that are steadily selling off their smaller ships and replacing them with 3,000+ passenger apartment buildings. Quality and personal service seem to be the first casualties of the "economies of scale" movement.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I still greatly enjoy cruises, but I agree that the standards have declined on the mass market cruise lines. However, I have taken numerous Princess cruises in recent years (2012: Emerald Princess; 2013: Royal Princess and Golden Princess; 2014: Sapphire Princess, Regal Princess and Caribbean Princess) and enjoyed them all. I still think Princess is a great value and offers a fine product.

 

Chuck

[Oxo]

I am not a cheerleader for any cruise line. We do them all. Have you done more than Princess? If not, you should, to see that all the cruise lines (Celebrity, RCL, HAL, Princess, etc.) are almost all alike and cutting back anyway that they can. You can go on any cruise ship and return the next moth and are basically going to see the same food, entertainment, games, ports, etc. Cruising has changed in the past 5 - 10 years. Crews have been cut way back, menus are not the same quality, variety, and selection as they were 5 years ago. What is the same?

 

That is why you should research/read and understand what a B2B is and what the same ship can offer within a B2B. They don't change menus, entertainment, staff and that includes dancers, singers, etc., each cruise unless someone is getting replaced.

 

Remember, you pick your own vacation. Where else can you get all that you get on a cruise for the same price?

Typical complaints are:

Ship too big.

Too many passengers.

No different selection in the buffet daily.

They visit all the same ports.

Waiter can't remember what I ordered.

Takes too long to board.

Food to cold/hot/spicy.

Can you imagine if you had 30 people that you served daily for 7 or 10 or 14 days? How would they evaluate your service? LOL

[caribill]

So very true...check the other boards that fall in the same category (mass-market)...however disappointing it is, I think it is more a sign of the times than any one cruise line.

 

Correct that you find these threads on just about all the lines. Especially the lines that are steadily selling off their smaller ships and replacing them with 3,000+ passenger apartment buildings. Quality and personal service seem to be the first casualties of the "economies of scale" movement.

 

Just look to the Carnival Corp. (which owns Princess Carnival, HAL and others) annual report for the direction of cruising.

 

"We have a number of ships that we expect to replace with newer, larger and more fuel efficient vessels over time. These new ships will be more than double the size of of those they are replacing, offer higher yielding balcony cabins, more than 20 percent lower unit costs and greater than 35 percent fuel efficiency."

 

Their sales and marketing efforts "collectively help to drive demand for our brands that outpaces capacity, ultimately leading to higher yields."

[PescadoAmarillo]

We were on three different Princess ships in less than a month. Excepting the entertainment and entertainment staff, and food (except baked goods), we felt the Caribbean Princess was the least favorable of the three.

 

We felt the entertainment staff was busting their buns on the short cruises, every night a different major party, and remained amazingly cheerful and welcoming. Most of the food was of better quality than we'd had on the other ships. They were able to serve perfectly prepared salmon; the Pacific Princess and Grand Princess both overcooked it tremendously. Unfortunately, baked goods weren't the best, always hard.

 

But ship condition, supplies and service are where we really felt the ship paled in comparison to the other two we had just been on.

[VibeGuy]

I agree about the caveat emptor piece; the itineraries are clearly b2b rather than designed-in 14-day sailings; it doesn't take a lot of brainpower to decode, but really, it is a trifle disingenuous to sell it as a 14-day cruise. The 14-night Hawaii sailings aren't two passes of a seven-day menu and entertainment cycle - they're a curated 14-day experience. Making the distinction a trifle more clear in the marketing fluff might lead to a better match between expectations and reality.

[TLC535]

Correct that you find these threads on just about all the lines. Especially the lines that are steadily selling off their smaller ships and replacing them with 3,000+ passenger apartment buildings. Quality and personal service seem to be the first casualties of the "economies of scale" movement.

 

I agree that this has allot to do with it....but, with all of these lines being in the $$$ making business and as long as they are able to fill those larger ships...it will continue...and as consumers we have to make the decision on whether we decide to accept or move to a more upscale "service / luxury" oriented line and pay the price $$$$$ :)

 

I know for us, we are still very happy with Princess, though we do see "differences", so far it is not anything that will make stop cruising them ;)

Edited March 24, 2015 by TLC535

[KruzeKrazy!]

Could it be some "better" service experiences come toward the beginning of a crew's contract and other "not so good" service experiences come toward the end?

 

Would be interesting to know if nnrd79s's cruise #1 was near the end of the crew's contract and cruise #2 near the beginning of the next crew's.

Edited March 24, 2015 by KruzeKrazy!

[TLC535]

Just look to the Carnival Corp. (which owns Princess Carnival, HAL and others) annual report for the direction of cruising.

 

"We have a number of ships that we expect to replace with newer, larger and more fuel efficient vessels over time. These new ships will be more than double the size of of those they are replacing, offer higher yielding balcony cabins, more than 20 percent lower unit costs and greater than 35 percent fuel efficiency."

 

Their sales and marketing efforts "collectively help to drive demand for our brands that outpaces capacity, ultimately leading to higher yields."

 

Exactly ;)

[capriccio]

 

Would be interesting to know if nnrd79s's cruise #1 was near the end of the crew's contract and cruise #2 near the beginning of the next crew's.

 

Crew come and go all the time -- they don't all turn over at the same time.

[Colo Cruiser]

Crew come and go all the time -- they don't all turn over at the same time.

 

 

Good point.

[kendon]

I disagree. I think most passengers go for a week in the Sun. ( Canadians who are delightful people). they go to read, relax, lose money in the casino, drink,.in other words, they are on vacation. Not trying to get into the Social Register.

 

they expect a clean cabin and decent service. they do not expect to have Tea with the Queen of the England or be treated like her. At least some choices on a menu that they like. Food that is well cooked. An activities staff that treats them with respect and not like passengers are the fools of the world for even being on the ship. Who try to make the cruise fun for everyone.

 

Princess has the nicest passengers in all of the lines we have cruised on. I take exception to people putting them down for demanding too much. Most demand nothing. And they are as nice to the crew and staff as the crew and staff is to them....nice all around.

 

on the Regal. the food in the MDR was bad. poor selection. Highly spiced. Too much pork. few old choices. A jump into exotic, unfamiliar foods which were not cooked well and did not taste good. Period.

Other than that......princess.....did the same good job they always do.

they need to tweak that menu and hire a new chef I think. but others think differently I am sure.

 

And they realize production shows are not Broadway. I was at all three production shoes. I thought they were best I have ever seen On Princess. the Four Seasons show....great. Fiera...wonderful. Mo Town loved it.

Now see...I like the new menu, but then again we're not meat and potatoes people.

 

Princess is a perfect mass market cruiseline for us. We immerse ourselves in meeting new people which allows us not to sweat the small stuff. Maybe the coffee wasn't great or the comedian not hysterically funny, but by the time I disembark I already forgot about those things.

 

Looking forward to Princess cruise #24 this weekend on the Royal!

[Coveguy4]

When I started cruising 30+ years ago it was more special, not directed at the mass market like today, but in comparison, it was much costlier than now. I still think I get a great product AND my expectations are met and usually exceeded by Princess.

[TomCruises]

Welcome GrannySmith to the Cruise Critic! Probably the single most important benefit to a B2B is that what you may have missed during the first half of your cruise, you have a additional opportunity during the second half of your cruise! I would hope that cruising on a newer ship at a higher fare that there would be fewer negative issues/feedback!:cool:

[skynight]

Just a few comments on the entertainment on Princess' b2b's.

On some b2b's we have seen different guest entertainers, different theme nights, different trivia questions, as much as possible that can be done to provide different entertainment selections on each leg. In contrast we have also seen the same things on both legs. It really has to do with the CD. It is up to him or her to understand and plan. Only a few of the CD's do any planning at all, it's just pull out the old Princess Patter and fill in the blanks. If Princess is going to eliminate most longer voyages and sell b2b's they really need to re-train their CD's and staff better.

[KruzeKrazy!]

We find getting away, being on a cruise ship, and relaxing as the two of us is still a good enough experience to continue. We also choose to cruise less often in order to cruise in a suite when we do and we find the suite experience to be nice indeed.

 

We also are always amazed at the total crew and all the phenomenal things they do under the conditions they endure, with some of the pax attitudes they put up with, hearing and replying nicely to the same questions endlessly, and doing it all over the long hours they work and the long times they are away from home and family.

 

We appreciate them and all they do and marveling at them is one of the fascinations we have with the cruise experience.

[msmoger]

I agree about the caveat emptor piece; the itineraries are clearly b2b rather than designed-in 14-day sailings; it doesn't take a lot of brainpower to decode, but really, it is a trifle disingenuous to sell it as a 14-day cruise. The 14-night Hawaii sailings aren't two passes of a seven-day menu and entertainment cycle - they're a curated 14-day experience. Making the distinction a trifle more clear in the marketing fluff might lead to a better match between expectations and reality.

 

I usually don't participate in these threads (that's not to say I don't read them ;)), but I have to take issue with some of what you are saying.

 

The 14 day Caribbean cruises, because they return to Ft. Lauderdale mid cruise are obviously also being sold as two separate cruises. The only reason to purchase it as a single cruise is to save money over the cost of booking as two cruises.

 

Having said that, the itineraries will usually be different. Other than that I don't understand the expectation that the other things being discussed would be different.

 

In spite of the fact that many Cruise Critic members often take B2B cruises, a significant majority on most sailings are only taking one cruise.

 

Also, I don't think it's accurate to compare this situation to a 14 day Hawaii cruise since there is no option to only take 7 day segments. This is a 14 day cruise for everyone.

 

It's also a different situation than longer more exotic cruises. Even though many passengers may only be doing shorter segments, the cruise lines know that it is much more common to have passengers sailing for longer periods and therefore it's necessary to mix things up a bit more.

 

The moral to the story is a 7 day cruise is a 7 day cruise even if you combine 2 or more of them together.

 

I love cruising and repeating a menu is not a problem. I've never seen one yet that only had one choice. :)

[thinfool]

About three years ago I was leaving the MDR on whatever Princess ship we were on (in the Caribbean). As I passed the Maitre'd station he was on the phone talking to someone....trying to keep the conversation muted from passersby. Apparently something was said that lit his fire as the words that I heard went something like this..."How to you expect me to do that when you keep cutting my staff??"

 

My opinion includes:

 

1. Cruise fares are lower now than they were when we took our first cruise in 2003. (factoring inflation) Obviously something has to give in this environment.

 

2. Cruises where you pay $100/day and less are very susceptible to customer dissatisfaction.

 

3. Longer cruises (14+days) with much higher per day fares seem to have more of the amenities from days gone by.

 

4. The optimist in me hopes that lower fuel prices will allow the cruise lines to relax some of the cutbacks of recent years. (and pigs will fly) :D:rolleyes:

[Thrak]

Then….. An old College buddy and his wife wanted to go on a first cruise…….. and they wanted us to go with them to show them the ropes.

 

The only sailing that worked for all four of us was the CB out of Houston…. I looked at my wife and gave her a sarcastic “yea”!

 

Trip #2:

Fantastic in every way!

The Horizon Court staff were great! Attentive, personable, and on top of everything.

The entire ship seemed electric. Even the security personal seemed happy and joyful.

The Dining room staff were excellent as always.

 

So what does that say? I have no idea….

Perhaps there was a management turnover. Maybe there were a lot of tired personal who were near the end of their contracts on trip #1…

Who knows….. I’ll chalk it up to ships can be moody.

 

How totally cool that your friend and his wife had such a great experience on their first cruise! :D

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

It does not matter if Princess used to do this or that,

 

only real question is

 

are you still getting value for your money,

 

with 10 day cruises with flights costing under £700

 

I do not expect 5 star entertainment, food etc

 

Now if I stayed at home and ate out ever day, add in a movie or two

 

etc my bill would far exceed my cruise costs.

 

So just now I am happy with the price to the product on offer

 

Would I like better yes, do I expect it from Princess no,

 

Princess is a mass market product

 

yours Shogun

[lcpagejr]

I think some passengers have unrealistic expectations... 5 star hotel on a mass market cruise line....

 

They also expect Crystal, Regent quality but don't want to pay the associated fares.... Again, entertainment isn't as varied on the luxury lines.

 

It's too bad, because each line will have pros and cons... nothing will ever be perfect, nor do I expect perfection on my cruises. I do love Princess... The crew is usually fantastic, food is great and if you don't like something, just ask for something else...

 

Shows are usually entertaining. I don't expect Las Vegas quality shows... For the value, Princess does offer wonderful cruises...

 

Couldn't agree more.... For the most part I think you hit the nail on the head!!!

[happy cruzer]

As we cruise more, we tend to notice every perfection. That may be the price of experience, the first timers are usually very pleased. Jmho

[lcpagejr]

 

on the Regal. the food in the MDR was bad. poor selection. Highly spiced. Too much pork. few old choices. A jump into exotic, unfamiliar foods which were not cooked well and did not taste good. Period.

Other than that......princess.....did the same good job they always do.

they need to tweak that menu and hire a new chef I think. but others think differently I am sure.

 

 

You continue to bash the food on the Regal...Did you eat every dish each night?? Perhaps you should state the choices you made did not work for you. As other posters have stated there are other traditional and old fare choices on the menu each night. Your comments come across that Princess has completed changed their menu to all new/exotic type entree's. I will validate all of this next week. Just saying....

[searoses]

I cruised the regal in jan....my first princess ship...I thought the buffet was outstanding and can't imagine anyone finding nothing they could enjoy....we only ate in the mdr twice....one was pretty awful and the other good enough but we really preferred the choice in the buffet....nothing is like it was 20 yrs ago but we are hardly paying more than we did then!