How do you feel about Princess TODAY?

[Oh2B@C]

On these boards the last few days I have read a lot of negative comments about various Princess-related things, from the food, the service, the beds, the venue changes, etc...

 

Now I love sailing on Princess. In 2012 alone I was on the Ruby for 19 days, the Crown for 24 and the Emerald for 20. My last Princess cruise was in Feb 2013 on the Sapphire and I am planning my long awaited return this March on the Regal.

 

In all honesty, I am a little worried. Worried that Princess has made too many changes in the name of increasing revenue. Worried that many of my favorite venues are changed beyond recognition or just plain gone. Now to be realistic, I understand that Princess probably needs to make changes here and there to compete, to make money (it IS a business after all) and that the more important customers are the new customers, not the new Elite customers like me who have close to $0 on-board expenses. But thinking only for myself, if the product changes so much that I cannot recognize it anymore, I am not going to stay loyal just because I've achieved top loyalty.

 

I like to think that those who offer criticism of a Princess product or service are doing it because they CARE. I've also seen a lot of you give credit where credit is due. I will do that too: Princess creates an atmosphere on board that I love. I cruise solo but I never feel alone. The CD staff are friendly and approachable. I have made tons of friends I've met on Princess cruises. But if the company is going to change the product I have grown to love so much to the point it feels foreign to me, I am going to start comparing prices, since another of my beefs is with the incredible rise in the fares.

 

So how do you folks feel about the Princess product TODAY compared to before (a year ago, 5 years ago...). If you've just taken your first Princess cruise, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts as well.

[cruzsnooze]

I was on the Regal last month and didn't care for the ship. The buffet was so spread out it was impossible to walk through and see what I wanted before actually taking what I wanted. I did breakfast and lunch at the buffet most days, never dinner. There were no seats at the shows unless you went a half hour early. The lines everything were long but what do you expect on a 3600 passenger ship. The dining room food has gone down in quality and variety. The last night had turkey , meat loaf and fish, really cheap items. There is an always available menu but after a week that gets boring.

service was above average. The crew are friendly and helpful. The ship is very pretty but too big for me. There was not enough seating in the Piazza for the size of the ship.

I am booked on another Princess cruise in Feb. so I still like Princess.

 

There is no comparison of todays cruises from years past, they progressively get less quality BUT the fares are fair so it's a weigh this against that before deciding.

 

Where did you get the information that elite tier members spend Zero, I question that and would like to verify it. Elite tier are frequent travelers who apparently have enough money to cruise a lot so why wouldn't they spend it?

Edited December 15, 2015 by cruzsnooze

[sanmarcosman]

We recently sailed for the first time with Princess on the Crown. Here is our review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=520112

[Amtrack Springfield]

Everything has changed in this world. Every cruise line cannot make everyone happy. We have been on mostly Princess, but also on RCCL, Costa, and Norweigan. Go to their cruise critic boards and read the reviews. They have all made changes!! We will continue to cruise because of the ports we visit. Princess is still our #1 line.

[skynight]

The Royal Class ships were a major design and marketing blunder. One can only hope that there will be a new design in the future that incorporates some of the 'old' traditional venues and features. Three Royal Class ships are enough for sure.

 

When cost control measures become visible to your customers, you have gone too far. Princess is way beyond too far, they are moving far, far, away, cutting into the passenger's cruise vacation experience.

[drgrinch]

We have two experiences with PCL: a good experience with some reservations on the Sapphire and a fantastic experience on the Emerald. In view of how PCL cruises are priced compared to other "upscale" mass-market lines, I have to say we are very satisfied. Indeed, we'll be departing this weekend on the Grand and I for one can't wait for another PCL experience!

[thecruiselover7]

I just got off my first princess cruise on December fifth, and I was quite pleased with my vacation.

 

The crew, food, and entertainment were good. I was especially pleased with the staff. I had the best bartender and waitress on this cruise that I ever had. All staff members that I talked to were friendly and very helpful.

 

The food was very good. Although, the first couple of nights the food was just alright, but the ship had just come from Europe and they had changed the chef, and several hands. So, I understand the need for adjustment. After the first couple of nights the food was spot on.

 

The day time activities were good. I only went to one production show in the evening, and I found it to be lacking. I spent my evenings in the piano bar listening to a very, very talented piano entertainer.

 

The guests were super friendly. About eight of us at the end of my cruise became a family. We sat at the piano bar each night listening to the pianist, and we became friends. It was a neat experience.

 

Overall, I was very happy with my princess cruise. I definitely ''came back new''.

[reedprincess]

My second Princess experience was on the "old Regal" in 2005, and my most recent experience was the new Regal in Oct/Nov this Year. (with lots or cruises in between). Absolutely loved her. We didn't experience and "design blunders" or long lines for anything, found seats in the theater about 10-15 minutes before showtime as we do on other ships of the line, enjoyed our MDR experience so much that we cancelled our specialty dining reservations except for the two free options (although wish we had skipped Sabatini's, for whatever reason, that is just not a great experience for us on any ship yet). Crown Grill was fantastic, and we enjoyed the new set up adjacent to Wheelhouse so we could listen to the music with dinner. Excellent service there also. Did wish there was a dance floor in Wheelhouse though...that was a miss. Otherwise, we loved her.

Sailing the newly redone Island on Sunday and very much looking forward to it. Will be our third time on her. Should be wonderful again

We are not the type to look for negatives. Are there some? Sure, life has hiccups. It's how they are handled -by both those who can help the situation and by ourselves with our attitudes that make the difference.

We thoroughly enjoy Princess, haven't noticed a big change in quality or such overall in the 13 years I've been sailing them - they are still overall, our first choice. We do also sail RCI and Celebrity a lot too, although we gave up in Celebrity 4 years ago (or should I say, taking a break till they Institute some changes).

All in all, we have a great time. We must, with 6 this year and 5 booked for next year (so far! Lol).

Edited December 15, 2015 by reedprincess

[AKman2495]

We have been on Princess for 7 cruises-mostly longer ones-10 days to 15 days or so. We enjoy Princess. We a re simple people who like the food and are impressed with the service.

 

We eat breakfast in the MDR except on early port days. We usually eat lunch in the buffet and all dinners we eat in the MDR. So far, we have really likes the food-so much so that my DW has often asked for seconds.

 

One night she had ordered he appetizer and I had an appetizer portion of the pasta-a linguini in pesto sauce-she took a bite of my to try it and then ordered on for herself!

 

We enjoy the shows but you have to get there early to get a good seat. That's life.

 

The rooms have been all good-not splendidly luxurious, but comfortable and pleasant.

 

Our last cruise was on the Royal. We did not like the walking track as much as the promenade, by we walked on the sea days.

 

Overall the ships have been great. The itineraries have been great. and I cannot complain about much if anything.

 

On one cruise we were having a snack in the buffet. There were four or five other ships on port. We could see a Celebrity ship tied right across from us. There was a woman on the deck looking wistfully across at our ship. I said to my wife "She thinking 'I wish I were over there'"!

 

No Princess is not the height of luxury. But, for the money, it can't be beat IMHO.

[hm9912]

On these boards the last few days I have read a lot of negative comments about various Princess-related things, from the food, the service, the beds, the venue changes, etc...

 

Now I love sailing on Princess. In 2012 alone I was on the Ruby for 19 days, the Crown for 24 and the Emerald for 20. My last Princess cruise was in Feb 2013 on the Sapphire and I am planning my long awaited return this March on the Regal.

 

In all honesty, I am a little worried. Worried that Princess has made too many changes in the name of increasing revenue. Worried that many of my favorite venues are changed beyond recognition or just plain gone. Now to be realistic, I understand that Princess probably needs to make changes here and there to compete, to make money (it IS a business after all) and that the more important customers are the new customers, not the new Elite customers like me who have close to $0 on-board expenses. But thinking only for myself, if the product changes so much that I cannot recognize it anymore, I am not going to stay loyal just because I've achieved top loyalty.

 

I like to think that those who offer criticism of a Princess product or service are doing it because they CARE. I've also seen a lot of you give credit where credit is due. I will do that too: Princess creates an atmosphere on board that I love. I cruise solo but I never feel alone. The CD staff are friendly and approachable. I have made tons of friends I've met on Princess cruises. But if the company is going to change the product I have grown to love so much to the point it feels foreign to me, I am going to start comparing prices, since another of my beefs is with the incredible rise in the fares.

 

So how do you folks feel about the Princess product TODAY compared to before (a year ago, 5 years ago...). If you've just taken your first Princess cruise, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts as well.

 

Although cruising today does not compare to our first cruise on our honeymoon over forty years ago on the Oceanic we have no complaints about Princess. We do miss the dome over the pool that closed over the pool on the Oceanic and it would have gotten good use on our last cruise to Norway and Iceland.

 

http://www.classicliners.net/SS_OCEANIC.html

 

As for the food, we enjoyed it. The shrimp are not as large as they were on the Oceanic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can order all you can eat

 

 

Overall no complaints with the food

 

 

Howard

[rideev]

Presently on first princess cruise, and I like it better than carnival or ncl. Maybe I am the weird one

[Kinkacruiser]

The standard of service has not changed in our 10 years with Princess. Any small changes have not been a problem and we will continue to enjoy our future cruises with the line.

 

People will always find something to be critical of if they are that way inclined.

[jennybenny]

I am very happy with what Princess does on their cruises. I will continue to cruise with Princess. In the long ago past (in my 20's and 30's) we did cruise Carnival and Royal Caribbean a lot. With children we've taken one Disney Cruise. Not one of those cruises was "bad", but we prefer Princess for many reasons.

 

Our good experiences with those other lines still makes us loyal to Princess. We've been on 9 cruises with Princess, two planned next year and already one planned for 2017. It's a great way for my family to vacation together and they really love it as well.

 

I think a lot of people choose to complain instead of seeing the positives in things. Sure, things go bad sometimes, but we try not to be negative and enjoy ourselves. Some people also try to turn everything little vacation blip into what am I going to get out of it scenario.

 

I think all cruise lines have made changes to improve their bottom dollar based on what I hear here on Cruise critic. I believe it's what is necessary to remain in business for these cruise lines. If things continue to downgrade I might consider not cruising for a while, but I am not at the point yet where I am unhappy with Princess' product. I think they do a fabulous job

 

I will however be careful of which Ship I book. There are some things I don't like about the new Royal class ships, so I just won't book them, or before I do I would do a BVE and see if I like it first.

[mmckm]

Princess cannot stay the same how boring would that be to cruise them and everything is the same for 10 years. New venues will work for some and not others. If there is a flop they will change it pretty quick and try something different. Also they are competing with other cruise lines that they are comparing themselves to. Trying to come up with something new that people want to try. If nothing ever changed I would try another cruise line to see what they have to offer.

[baronessk]

This thread reminds me how much these "complaints" are a first world problem. I am just HAPPY and GRATEFUL to be able to cruise once or twice a year, and I prefer Princess. Unless something really goes upside down, I'm happy. It's similar to the first time I vacationed in Oahu in 1980 and all I heard was how it wasn't the same as 20 years ago. I liked it so much I went back 3 times in the next 5 years. I suppose if I went back now, it's changed. But that would be my decision as to if I wanted to return. I have been aboard the Royal for a BVE type event, and my only concern about boarding Regal in 5 days is it MAY be too big for my DM who is 84. If so, we will go back to the Grand Class. If ONLY Princess would bring Ruby back to Port Everglades!!! If Only!

[moki'smommy]

I did my first Princess cruise 2 weeks ago. Overall, I was very pleased. There are areas where there is room for improvement--the top two would be the quality of the mattress, particularly the one my mobility challenged daughter had (very saggy), and the fact that I'd rather pay for internet by mb which fairly reflects what I've used than by minutes, which unfairly penalizes me for the speed/lack of speed of the system.

 

On the other hand, the food was good, the personnel did a good job, etc. I posted a lengthy review and analysis of Princess vs. DCL on the DCL section of these boards.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2288391

[Thrak]

I only have 6 cruises to date (another booked for June) with a total of 60 days so far (10, 15, 4 , 10, 4, and 17). All on Princess. I'm very happy with Princess and will continue to cruise the line.

[Cindy]

We started cruising on Princess in 2000, and returned last week after an absence of 8 years and 16 cruises on four other cruise lines. Like anything else, there are some things we liked about our cruise last week on the Caribbean Princess and some we disliked. We thought the food was excellent and the service we received throughout the ship was top notch. Unfortunately, we had some issues with our Vista Suite that really marred the trip, and I don't feel like we got very good value for our money as far as the cabin is concerned. In addition to extreme vibration noise (partly from lack of maintenance) my husband and I thought the suite was dated and in desperate need of some fresh décor. I realize that's a first world problem, but we spend a lot of time in our cabin and like to enjoy our surroundings.

 

Cabin problems aside, we were pleased enough with Princess that we purchased a future cruise credit, and then when we got home we compared similar dates/cabins/itineraries on Princess and Celebrity for Europe in 2017. I thought Princess' prices were quite a bit higher, especially when I figured in Celebrity's included Classic Drink Package and the huge benefit (to us) of getting an AQ cabin and eating in BLU.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Cindy

[JF - retired RRT]

 

 

Howard,

What is that? A volcano or something else? I want one!!

[rob2102]

I wouldn't be discourage about the new princess. To me seems to be a lot like the old princess. Change is something most people have issues dealing with. Unfortunately nothing can stay the same. Like previous poster have said, they have to compete not only with other lines but with themselves. If they mess up they will make corrections going forward.

To be honest I haven't been on the new royal class ships, but I am not to worried. Really how bad can they be? Get a grip, have a drink, play some bingo.

 

I have over 150 night on princess, more than some less than others, either way cant wait for my next night coming soon to a princess ship next you.

[rob2102]

Although cruising today does not compare to our first cruise on our honeymoon over forty years ago on the Oceanic we have no complaints about Princess. We do miss the dome over the pool that closed over the pool on the Oceanic and it would have gotten good use on our last cruise to Norway and Iceland.

 

http://www.classicliners.net/SS_OCEANIC.html

 

As for the food, we enjoyed it. The shrimp are not as large as they were on the Oceanic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can order all you can eat

 

 

Overall no complaints with the food

 

 

Howard

Love your pictures, proves your point, make me hungry. I forgot you can always order "seconds", an option I always take on lobster nights.

 

thanks again.

[Oxo]

I was on the Regal last month and didn't care for the ship. The buffet was so spread out it was impossible to walk through and see what I wanted before actually taking what I wanted. I did breakfast and lunch at the buffet most days, never dinner. There were no seats at the shows unless you went a half hour early. The lines everything were long but what do you expect on a 3600 passenger ship. The dining room food has gone down in quality and variety. The last night had turkey , meat loaf and fish, really cheap items. There is an always available menu but after a week that gets boring.

service was above average. The crew are friendly and helpful. The ship is very pretty but too big for me. There was not enough seating in the Piazza for the size of the ship.

I am booked on another Princess cruise in Feb. so I still like Princess.

 

There is no comparison of todays cruises from years past, they progressively get less quality BUT the fares are fair so it's a weigh this against that before deciding.

 

Where did you get the information that elite tier members spend Zero, I question that and would like to verify it. Elite tier are frequent travelers who apparently have enough money to cruise a lot so why wouldn't they spend it?

 

I value your opinion as it was what you thought of the Regal and your cruise. Now to provide my thoughts and opinions on the Regal.

Yes, the buffet is spread out. Don't know of any other cruise line or ship that provides so many options and space for a buffet. Maybe, they made it so large so people would get their exercise before, during and after eating. LOL Have you ever been on the Allure or the Oasis and seen their buffet? It is very small and they have ~6,200 passengers.

Yes, if you attended the early show they were crowded/full. You see people arrive 5 minutes before a show and can't figure out why there are no seats left. If you attended the late show, there were plenty of seats.

Food is very subjective. I heard a lady at the Passengers Service desk complain about the food. She and her other party could not find anything to eat in the MDR, Buffet, etc. The food was the worst she had ever seen/tried. LOL

I just got off of Celebrity. They had pork and beans, meat loaf and other things I had never seen in the MDR. Overall my opinion was that Princess' food was much better than Celebrity in choice, quality, preparation and quantity. No, I am not a 'cheerleader' for Princess. Yes, I cruise both lines and have many cruises on both.

As for Princess' Piazza, it is huge when you compare it to Celebrity's S-Class Piazza. Princess has many more seats and more space. If you think that the Regal and Royal are too big, what about the Piazza on the other Princess ships? The Piazza are much smaller, do not accommodate any more seating than the new ships based on number of passengers.

I could add more, however, must watch the debate.

[judyjudy56]

We leave on our 19th cruise on the 30th. We have been cruising Princess since 2005. We have not really noticed any major changes. On some cruises the food seems better than others especially in the buffet. The service levels have remained pretty much the same. The one thing that seems to be a constant is the service in MDR for anytime dining. The service has ranged from not so good to really good but most are in between. The few cruises we have done with traditional dining have had really good service. I think it may be due to the fact that those servers are hoping for an additional tip at the end of the cruise. We have never ever had a bad cruise and always enjoy ourselves. We are pretty easy to please and are just very grateful that we have the opportunity to cruise 1 to 2 times a year. We got our first every upsell to a full suite on our upcoming cruise. We are really excited to experience the "suite life". We have only had one bad cabin steward. Those folks work so hard for all of us. We always give an additional tip at the end of the cruise.

[floridalover5623]

Are there any Princess ships that don't require you to get seats 30 minutes ahead of time?

Not on all the ones we've been on. :cool:

[Putterdude]

While we did not care for the Royal and I think we will have similar feelings about the Regal, overall we rather enjoy the consistency of the Princess product and are quite comfortable with it.