Are Princess losing the plot

[Loonbeam]

Someone pointed out to me that of all the CCL brands, Princess is the only one that has a name equivalent in most if not all Asian languages...

 

I will. The HAL cruise is late February 16' date=' so there will be a bit of a wait.

 

 

 

This lends strength to the thought that Carnival Corp is really looking to the Princess brand to unlock the potential of Asia.[/quote']

[sfaaa]

I often wonder why most cruise ship captains are either Italian or Greek.

[Colo Cruiser]

:rolleyes:

 

 

 

No words necessary. ;)

[capriccio]

I often wonder why most cruise ship captains are either Italian or Greek.

 

A long merchant marine tradition in each country is one of the reasons. Great Britain - home to a number of Princess captains - also shares that tradition.

[LabGuy64]

I think that is because carnival owns them....They can't help but be affected by the policies that have made carnival so much money catering to the lower price point market

 

 

Hi

 

My view is Princess is a little bit lost,

 

it wants to be a mass market volume player, but does not have the ships for this,

 

as such if is constantly trying to drive down costs and increase revenue,

 

nothing wrong with that, they are a business there to make profit.

 

However I think the business plan is wrong, many here would be happy to pay

 

a little more for better quality, they do not need to be the cheapest to fill there

 

ships, value for money will attract customers, but low prices and low standards

 

drive customers away.

 

yours Shogun

[RDC1]

I think that is because carnival owns them....They can't help but be affected by the policies that have made carnival so much money catering to the lower price point market

 

Carnival also own Cunard which does have those practices. It also owns Seabourn which is certainly not low price point.

 

Carnival has let each of its line run fairly independently with their own pretty much their own character. Creates a fair amount of variation within their owned lines.

[runnerodb83]

Carnival also own Cunard which does have those practices. It also owns Seabourn which is certainly not low price point.

 

Carnival has let each of its line run fairly independently with their own pretty much their own character. Creates a fair amount of variation within their owned lines.

 

I don't think it will stay that way forever...it doesnt make business sense from an operations point of view - lots of redundancy.

[kruisey]

I don't think it will stay that way forever...it doesnt make business sense from an operations point of view - lots of redundancy.

 

I personally think Carnival will allow their brands to stay with their differences.

Each one attracts its own clientele whether it varies with youth or the older generation.For instance do you think for an instance regulars with Princess or Holland America would still stay with the Carnival brand if all ships were set to just like the Carnival ships by decor and programs ?

[Loonbeam]

There are two different aspects to this, environment and operational..

 

I think Carnival will keep the lines separate from an environment standpoint - ship decor, entertainment, etc. The simple reason is there is no real economy of scale in those areas.

 

Where you are going to see more overlap is operational, especially consumables. For example, it makes a lot more sense to order food at the CCL level and distribute to ships to take advantage of quantity. This means you will see a lot more common ingredients across the lines (though of course they can be prepared differently). Things like sheets, paper goods, etc are more likely to standardize. Even at some point staffing.

 

I personally think Carnival will allow their brands to stay with their differences.

Each one attracts its own clientele whether it varies with youth or the older generation.For instance do you think for an instance regulars with Princess or Holland America would still stay with the Carnival brand if all ships were set to just like the Carnival ships by decor and programs ?

[kruisey]

There are two different aspects to this, environment and operational..

 

I think Carnival will keep the lines separate from an environment standpoint - ship decor, entertainment, etc. The simple reason is there is no real economy of scale in those areas.

 

Where you are going to see more overlap is operational, especially consumables. For example, it makes a lot more sense to order food at the CCL level and distribute to ships to take advantage of quantity. This means you will see a lot more common ingredients across the lines (though of course they can be prepared differently). Things like sheets, paper goods, etc are more likely to standardize. Even at some point staffing.

Very important reason for my staying always with the Princess line is due to the attitude of the employees.They are so caring and wonderful towards me.Yes I understand the food,linens ,paper goods should be standardized it makes common sense,and yes it depends on any food item how it is prepared and presented.

Edited May 8, 2015 by kruisey

[runnerodb83]

I personally think Carnival will allow their brands to stay with their differences.

Each one attracts its own clientele whether it varies with youth or the older generation.For instance do you think for an instance regulars with Princess or Holland America would still stay with the Carnival brand if all ships were set to just like the Carnival ships by decor and programs ?

 

Donald Arnold has already said they will be doing the coordination of consumables across all brands.

 

I'm sure they will keep the images separate, perhaps the crew training programs too. I found crew on Carnival to be just as accommodating as Princess and HAL - besides, crew comes from a few large recruiters worldwide.

[RDC1]

There are two different aspects to this, environment and operational..

 

I think Carnival will keep the lines separate from an environment standpoint - ship decor, entertainment, etc. The simple reason is there is no real economy of scale in those areas.

 

Where you are going to see more overlap is operational, especially consumables. For example, it makes a lot more sense to order food at the CCL level and distribute to ships to take advantage of quantity. This means you will see a lot more common ingredients across the lines (though of course they can be prepared differently). Things like sheets, paper goods, etc are more likely to standardize. Even at some point staffing.

 

They certainly are cooperating at the back end to use economies of scale. This is clear in consumables, fuel hedging, port negotiations, private port area construction, etc. There is some cooperation even at the ship design level between Princess and P&O. They are remaining individual when it comes to many of the business practices, ship design details, and the policies on board. For example the Cunard passengers would go ballistic if they reduced the dress code. Princess passengers would go ballistic if they tried to make the dress code for Princess the same as Cunard. Having different features between the lines helps each of them attract their own customer base and allows different pricing strategies.

Edited May 8, 2015 by RDC1

[caribill]

Corporate-wide they have also negotiated airfare contracts (guest entertainers, crew, etc.) and printing of promotional materials (they have reduced the number of printing vendors from dozens to only a few.).

 

I suspect they have also standardized on the shampoo/conditioner now found in the dispensers on Princess ships as well as the great "quality" furniture now on new Princess ship balconies.

[hubofhockey]

Princess Live is a total waste of space! There is no ambience to the room at all. Went on the Regal once. Will probably never do it again for all the reasons that have been discussed on this board.

 

We had a great vacation on the Royal, but most related to the company and great Russia and Baltic itinerary. I'm staying away from that class and agree that Princess Live is a joke and was close to empty the one evening we were there. They actually got rid of Explorers!!!!!! Why?

 

I have been off the Princess boards for a while as our next cruise is on Azamara, but I don't think Princess is doing poorly. They might be just going for a different market. We were never exclusive to any line, but Princess needs to provide a reason for people to go back.

[Loonbeam]

As noted, not really true. If practical, Princess would fill every ship with first time cruisers. They spend more. Lots more. (please, no examples of how much YOU spend, I am speaking on average).

 

Frequent cruisers are only valuable in the realm of low acquisition cost.

 

We were never exclusive to any line, but Princess needs to provide a reason for people to go back.

[hubofhockey]

As noted, not really true. If practical, Princess would fill every ship with first time cruisers. They spend more. Lots more. (please, no examples of how much YOU spend, I am speaking on average).

 

Frequent cruisers are only valuable in the realm of low acquisition cost.

 

I'll rephrase for you. Princess doesn't need to give me a reason to cruise with them again. I am the one who needs a reason to go back on Princess. :D While building ships with tiny balconies, crowded elevators, and fewer pools might appeal to newer passengers who might spend more, it doesn't get me back on their ships. We'll be on Princess again, but probably not any time soon. Maybe they don't care.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...I suspect they have also standardized...the great "quality" furniture now on new Princess ship balconies.

 

I also suspect the island of floating garbage in the Pacific is largely made up of Princess balcony furniture that went overboard ;).

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...Frequent cruisers are only valuable in the realm of low acquisition cost.

 

I suspect they think of us as cabin fillers (via drop-and-go rates, for example) when they can't sell out to newbies.

[Loonbeam]

Bingo.

 

I suspect they think of us as cabin fillers (via drop-and-go rates, for example) when they can't sell out to newbies.

 

We'll be on Princess again, but probably not any time soon. Maybe they don't care.

 

Nope. Not really.

[bdjam]

I'm not sure I buy into the theory that Princess doesn't care about it's long time customers. The fact that passengers start earning perks on their second cruise seems to point to some desire to get people back. And for those of us who are long time cruisers, if we want to get close to the premium experience Princess used to offer we have to spend more on board.

 

That being said, again I will say that I don't see where Princess has lost the plot as the title of this thread suggests. As an Elite passenger I find that quality is still there. And since Princess seems to be such a smart business entity, why would they spend the money they do on their loyalty program? Why not point those funds to the first time cruisers instead?

[senior lady]

I agree Brian. The perks and service keep me coming back:D

[hubofhockey]

At five cruise, I don't really have any great perks and that wouldn't draw me to Princess in any case. $300 extra in perks isn't going to change my vacation plans. At this point in my life, my time is more valuable than perks worth that amount. I don't believe that Princess doesn't care about repeat business. Any business that doesn't is probably doomed to fail. I do agree with Loonbeam that they prefer new cruisers who are more likely to buy their excursions, their welcome drinks, their photos, and more.

[icat2000]

At five cruise, I don't really have any great perks and that wouldn't draw me to Princess in any case. $300 extra in perks isn't going to change my vacation plans. At this point in my life, my time is more valuable than perks worth that amount. I don't believe that Princess doesn't care about repeat business. Any business that doesn't is probably doomed to fail. I do agree with Loonbeam that they prefer new cruisers who are more likely to buy their excursions, their welcome drinks, their photos, and more.

All cruiselines prefer new cruisers. They are in the business of making money, any cruiseline that fails to attract new cruisers and relies solely on its existing base is doom to fail over time.

[hubofhockey]

All cruiselines prefer new cruisers. They are in the business of making money, any cruiseline that fails to attract new cruisers and relies solely on its existing base is doom to fail over time.

 

The really good ones keep the old and bring in the new.

[icat2000]

The really good ones keep the old and bring in the new.

Princess doing pretty good job keeping me and bringing in the new. Never seen so many blue cards in my last couple of cruises with Princess. Cruising a huge growing market down here.

Edited May 9, 2015 by icat2000