princess nickle and diming has gone too far

[GrammySpo]

Had a wonderful TA cruise on the Emerald Princess recently. On my review where they asked how Princess could improve the experience I expressed my wish that they could not allow grumpy people on board. It seems some people are never satisfied and they like to try to ruin other peoples fun vacation. Found the staff wonderful and welcoming, food was good (I didn't have to cook so found it wonderful). There were a couple of issues but certainly wouldn't let them ruin my day. Can't wait to go again.

[Iamcruzin]

Probably the cuts that Princess has made over the past 5 or 6 years that have angered me the most would be:

 

Having to print my own luggage tags and cruise docs

 

The installation of the shampoo and soap dispensers:)

 

As far as the cruise doc are concerned I don't like printing them either. I can't wait for the day that they can just scan them from your smartphone like airlines have started to do. I haven't sailed princess in 5 years so I have no experience with the soap dispenser. Those shower are so small I can't imagine how soap dispensers can fit. It's bad enough that the shower curtain hugs you and now I have to worry about being assaulted by a dispenser.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Iamcruzin

[caribill]

I recognize that all cruise lines have cut corners in recent years, if they loose a few passengers because of it - oops, more in line to come - but, they have also had to make a profit, and costs are going up.

 

You mean like the cost of fuel?

[caribill]

Per another thread, Princess is now experimenting with requiring pre-payment for shore excursions booked in advance of sailing.

 

They are doing this for some Alaska cruises in 2016.

 

Reason given: "The other cruise lines do it."

[pablo222]

But you don't "have" to print your own luggage tags as they have luggage tags available at the luggage turn-in area at the pier. Even if you turn your bags over to a porter you can go with him to the clerk's table and have the tags made there.

 

The difference is that it's not special anymore.

 

The cruiselines used to send you a little leather-like travel folder

with your tickets and boarding passes. You felt like it was a little

something special, out of the ordinary.

 

Now, I feel like I've logged into the post office web site, and I'm

mailing a package...

[Hlitner]

If luggage tags are an essential part of your well being you would be advised to book with Celebrity :). They will still mail pre-printed luggage tags (only if you request them online). Personally, in the scheme of things, we find items like luggage tags, pins, medallions, nice folders, a big nothing. Just let me print out my one-page express boarding pass and I am a very happy cruiser :).

 

Hank

[bitsey66]

Had a wonderful TA cruise on the Emerald Princess recently. On my review where they asked how Princess could improve the experience I expressed my wish that they could not allow grumpy people on board. It seems some people are never satisfied and they like to try to ruin other peoples fun vacation. Found the staff wonderful and welcoming, food was good (I didn't have to cook so found it wonderful). There were a couple of issues but certainly wouldn't let them ruin my day. Can't wait to go again.

 

 

AMEN, GrammySpo

[cattman]

The difference is that it's not special anymore.

 

The cruiselines used to send you a little leather-like travel folder

with your tickets and boarding passes. You felt like it was a little

something special, out of the ordinary.

 

Oh yeah... reminded me of when as a kid, I'd order from the back of a comic book and was sooo excited to get that package in the mail... and cruise docs(the blue Princess "coupon book" in the plastic folder) are so much better than xray specs...

[Putterdude]

As far as the cruise doc are concerned I don't like printing them either. I can't wait for the day that they can just scan them from your smartphone like airlines have started to do. I haven't sailed princess in 5 years so I have no experience with the soap dispenser. Those shower are so small I can't imagine how soap dispensers can fit. It's bad enough that the shower curtain hugs you and now I have to worry about being assaulted by a dispenser.

 

My problem is that in my retired state I can't justify having a smart phone and only have a dumb phone which does every thing I need....but it does have features I still haven't learned to use.....so maybe it's me that is dumb:D

[XBGuy]

I, the tech-averse guy, like printing my own luggage tags. It allows me to print as many, or as few, as I like.

 

On my brother's first Princess cruise, he delayed printing his boarding pass until the evening before departure. I guess there is some sort of cut-off time for doing so that he missed. So, he drove to the port without any self-printed boarding pass. Yes, they were able to check him in. Of course after he told me this, I mocked him for not printing it out weeks ahead of time. His response was that he did not want to lose them if he printed them out weeks or months before departure. "Kevin, I responded, they're pdf files. Save them off, and print more copies you must any time you want."

 

When he booked his next cruise I immediately started teasing him about printing his boarding passes ahead of time. He knows how to shut up his older brother. He printed them as soon as they were available.

 

You know what's coming. He did not print his luggage tags, and, sure enough, the evening before departure, they were not available to him As others have noted here, luggage tags were available from somebody at the baggage drop-off area.

[mr green]

Oh yeah... reminded me of when as a kid, I'd order from the back of a comic book and was sooo excited to get that package in the mail... and cruise docs(the blue Princess "coupon book" in the plastic folder) are so much better than xray specs...

 

Agreed. It was IMO, much more fun, and sooo friendly.:)

 

john

[Cruisin' Chick]

I, the tech-averse guy, like printing my own luggage tags. It allows me to print as many, or as few, as I like.

 

On my brother's first Princess cruise, he delayed printing his boarding pass until the evening before departure. I guess there is some sort of cut-off time for doing so that he missed. So, he drove to the port without any self-printed boarding pass. Yes, they were able to check him in. Of course after he told me this, I mocked him for not printing it out weeks ahead of time. His response was that he did not want to lose them if he printed them out weeks or months before departure. "Kevin, I responded, they're pdf files. Save them off, and print more copies you must any time you want."

 

When he booked his next cruise I immediately started teasing him about printing his boarding passes ahead of time. He knows how to shut up his older brother. He printed them as soon as they were available.

 

You know what's coming. He did not print his luggage tags, and, sure enough, the evening before departure, they were not available to him As others have noted here, luggage tags were available from somebody at the baggage drop-off area.

 

I'm the one who handles all this for my family. In fact, after we decide on a cruise and location for cabin, hubby gives me his credit card and I make the booking. I go on the cruise personalizer and input the info. I book shore excursions (if we're doing any, which most of the time we don't, but I'm also the researching for things to do in port). I also take care of printing out confirmations and luggage tags. I did all the booking for our summer road trip and just this afternoon, reserved our rental car for our next adventure. As long as hubby pays for most of our travel, this is my part.:)

[windsor26]

I'm the one who handles all this for my family. In fact' date=' after we decide on a cruise and location for cabin, hubby gives me his credit card and I make the booking. I go on the cruise personalizer and input the info. I book shore excursions (if we're doing any, which most of the time we don't, but I'm also the researching for things to do in port). I also take care of printing out confirmations and luggage tags. I did all the booking for our summer road trip and just this afternoon, reserved our rental car for our next adventure. As long as hubby pays for most of our travel, this is my part.:)[/quote']

 

I don't understand is this is how ALL couples work My DH asked the day before 'where are we going?'

 

Also our money is our money not his or mine so no problem using any of the credit cards:D:D

[shredie]

I don't understand is this is how ALL couples work My DH asked the day before 'where are we going?'

 

Also our money is our money not his or mine so no problem using any of the credit cards:D:D

 

No. It's our money is ours, his is ours, mine is mine. :)

[Mackenzie1]

As far as the random charges, until Princess moves to a real POS system, that's going to happen. Right now, a lot of things are manually keyed in to room numbers, etc, which leaves a lot of room for error (this is not only a Princess or even Carnival Brands issue)

 

Thank you for your response, Loonbeam. I didn't realize that the problem with random charges is not unique just to Princess.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Mackenzie1

[Loonbeam]

Yeah. has happened to us on Princess, DCL and RCCL so far. Never a big issue to fix, just annoying. It's way too easy for a server to write 16020 instead of 16002 for example not even accounting for wet receipts from the pool area... I suspect the lines have even lost money due to illegible numbers, etc

 

Thank you for your response, Loonbeam. I didn't realize that the problem with random charges is not unique just to Princess.

[pablo222]

I mocked him for not printing it out weeks ahead of time. His response was that he did not want to lose them if he printed them out weeks or months before departure.

 

Whenever I print them early, they change my cabin.

[Renmar]

Whenever I print them early, they change my cabin.

 

Changing cabins is most of the time a good thing isn't? So printing early might somehow activate the upgrade fairy :D.

 

Theo

[Pierlesscruisers]

Whenever I print them early, they change my cabin.

 

So I guess the question is whether you're happy with your cabin or not! :p

 

Tom

[XBGuy]

Whenever I print them early, they change my cabin.

 

I hadn't considered that.

 

We have been "upgraded" only once. Well, we decided the change was not an "upgrade." We are the weirdos who actually enjoy feeling like we are "at sea." So, we always book a very forward balcony cabin on (usually) the A Deck. The "upgraded" cabin was on B Deck amidship. OK, let's look at the floor plan to see if it is bigger than the one we were in. Nope. Exact same floor plan with the exact same size balcony.

 

To us, this was not an upgrade. With a quick call to Princess I was able to get us restored to our preferred cabin. (I presume that the person to whom they assigned our original cabin, then received the good news that they had been upgraded.)

 

The point of this epistle, Pablo, was that my investment in paper and printer ink printing out my luggage tags was not wasted.

 

:)

 

I have just recently learned about and signed on to CC, and it has been enlightening. I have learned, here, that I can request "no upgrade" when I book. Good to know.

[shredie]

Changing cabins is most of the time a good thing isn't? So printing early might somehow activate the upgrade fairy :D.

 

LOL! :D Maybe I should try that.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I don't understand is this is how ALL couples work My DH asked the day before 'where are we going?'

 

Also our money is our money not his or mine so no problem using any of the credit cards:D:D

 

We do have a joint banking account, but we also have our own separate checking accounts and credit cards.

 

We've had a mixed experience with upgrades. The last few cruises we've booked a specific cabin and then mark the booking as "no upgrade." It doesn't matter to us that it's possible to go from our inside or OV and get a higher category, and we don't drive ourselves crazy checking the rates for remaining cabins after we book. We rather concentrate on counting down the days while planning and packing.

[jagsfan]

The really sad thing is that we can't do "doc" dances any more.

[Mom33]

The really sad thing is that we can't do "doc" dances any more.

 

I still do them when I finish printing! :D :D

[notentirelynormal]

I still do them when I finish printing! :D :D

 

I will say that getting that package in the mail was awesome. It was real and woohoo time!