Loss of some Elite perks

[Colo Cruiser]

...not hard to "make the leap" that kids clothes from other cabins are being added to Elite bags when you know that the cabin the elite is in only has two beds (no upper berths) or when you see the "visitors" to the elite cabin going in/out of their own cabins nearby

 

 

 

I know right!! I agree. Not hard to figure it out at all. :rolleyes:

[Colo Cruiser]

The perk is supposed to be for Elites, not everyone traveling with them in different cabins. The problem is that Elite grandparents may think it's OK to send out "just a few items" for their kids and grandkids in other cabins.

 

 

Correct!! Not rocket science. ;)

[FritzG]

We've seen passengers dropping off laundry in friends' Elite cabin, and we've overheard people reminding others to bring their laundry over. Sharing with others who don't qualifiy is probably why Elites no longer have unlimited internet, too. Plus, when we're in the Elite lounge we often see people who are trying to drag others into the lounge with all kinds of stories.

 

It's people like that who ruin it for the rest of us.

[elliair]

Why not go to guest services and ask for tokens for laundry since that perk is not available for several days?

[ggprincess2004]

I have to agree that it easy to spot when the Elite laundry perk is being abused. Only those passengers who are actually Elite are entitled to it. So, If someone is sending out consistently size clothing , whether large, small or in between, that doesn't mean abuse. Abuse come in when the whole size range of clothing is going out.

 

I have also suggested that Elites be given free laundry tokens, but this would have to be up to a certain limit per cruise, as this is another perk that could be abused easily. As in, we get free Elite laundry service and free laundry tokens, so you (kids or whomever) can use the free tokens even if you are not elite. Not appropriate at all. In fact, we have been Elite for a long time, and there are very few items I send out to the laundry. I prefer to do my delicates and most other items in the passenger laundromat.

 

As far as limiting the number of bags per day sent out, that works well most of the time, but if you have an elite member or members boarding after a cruise tour, with a suitcase (or two) full of dirty clothes, that limit doesn't seem fair to them in that situation. Likewise, if we have spent time in cruise port, or traveling to the cruise port, for several days or more, we might have more than one bag of laundry that is fair game for the Elite laundry perk.

 

It is a difficult issue, and one that I don't think Princess can resolve to the satisfaction of everyone, especially on cruises packed with Elite cruisers.

 

I think we need a level beyond Elite - starting at no sooner than 450 days or 45 cruises (3 times the Elite level), or maybe just done on days. One benefit I would like to see at that level is the courtesy of not having to prepay shore excursions to reserve them. And double the usual internet minutes. Those should be easy ones that won't cost Princess much at all.....

[Thrak]

The real problem is that so many people are dishonest. People must know they are breaking the rules but it seems they just don't care and feel "entitled". It boggles the mind.

[sunsetbeachgal]

The real problem is that so many people are dishonest. People must know they are breaking the rules but it seems they just don't care and feel "entitled". It boggles the mind.

 

 

Agree 100%! The rules are entitled to be broken or bent for them but should a benefit be lost or cut back due to systematic abuse they won't think for a minute it is their fault.

 

I don't get it!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[DrivesLikeMario]

I have always felt that there should be a level at 25 cruises which would be elite PLUS.

 

Or even 30 cruises - double the regular Elite level. Something HAS to be done IMO. There are just too many Elites now. You could easily obtain that level by doing 8 one-night cruises as a solo cruiser. Elite at 8 sea days. Just wrong IMO.

[neverbeenhere]

Solutions: ?

 

 

1) Start cruising on another line.

 

 

2) Create Elite Plus and Zenith categories similar to Celebrity... Change the program so that the type of stateroom (more you pay for your stateroom) the more points you receive towards higher status.

 

 

3) Stop cruising all together

 

 

4) Choose cruises that are less likely to have a large number of Elite Status passengers

 

 

5) Punt

 

 

6) Hope that all the Elite Status passengers are getting old and the end is near.

 

 

7)

[Colo Cruiser]

7) take the following cruise to get your laundry back.

[memoak]

We've seen passengers dropping off laundry in friends' Elite cabin, and we've overheard people reminding others to bring their laundry over. Sharing with others who don't qualifiy is probably why Elites no longer have unlimited internet, too. Plus, when we're in the Elite lounge we often see people who are trying to drag others into the lounge with all kinds of stories.

 

It's people like that who ruin it for the rest of us.

 

The loss of unlimited internet for Elites was not so much sharing of log in codes I believe - it was more due to gamers who would log on for 4-6 hours straight and never free up machines in the internet cafe. This was before wi-fi came around. Saw it often with my own eyes.

 

 

I still love the laundry service - if I have to wait a few days it is no big deal on a long cruise. On a 4-7 day cruise I sometimes don't send any laundry out

[ChiCruiser758]

On my recent 14-day cruise on the Caribbean Princess there were laundry issues both for Elite passengers, and for non-Elite passengers who wanted to use the self-service laundry rooms.

 

I heard from some that Elite passengers were having to wait as long as 5 days for their laundry. (Take this with a grain of salt since I heard it secondhand. But, considering how many Elites were on this particular cruise, it wouldn't surprise me.) People who paid for their clothes to be laundered got it back the next day.

 

Unfortunately, the laundromats on passenger stateroom decks weren't much of a help. First off, the laundry rooms were cut in half, with the other half being made into cabins for contractors (or so I was told). So, the number of washers/dryers was cut in half. Also, at least at the beginning of the cruise, there were problems with washers/dryers being out of order, and change and vending machines not working. Passengers who wanted to do laundry had to search over several decks to find working machines. It's pretty hard to pack for a 14-day transatlantic without having to do some laundry.

 

I was very disappointed that Princess decided to cut the number of available washers/dryers and will be interested to see if laundry rooms are made smaller on other ships besides the Caribbean Princess. The option to do your own laundry (even though they charge $3 per wash or dry) is one way that Princess differentiates itself from its competitors. No one is forced to do their own laundry, but I find it a nice option.

[Colo Cruiser]

On my recent 14-day cruise on the Caribbean Princess there were laundry issues both for Elite passengers, and for non-Elite passengers who wanted to use the self-service laundry rooms.

 

I heard from some that Elite passengers were having to wait as long as 5 days for their laundry. (Take this with a grain of salt since I heard it secondhand. But, considering how many Elites were on this particular cruise, it wouldn't surprise me.) People who paid for their clothes to be laundered got it back the next day.

 

Unfortunately, the laundromats on passenger stateroom decks weren't much of a help. First off, the laundry rooms were cut in half, with the other half being made into cabins for contractors (or so I was told). So, the number of washers/dryers was cut in half. Also, at least at the beginning of the cruise, there were problems with washers/dryers being out of order, and change and vending machines not working. Passengers who wanted to do laundry had to search over several decks to find working machines. It's pretty hard to pack for a 14-day transatlantic without having to do some laundry.

 

I was very disappointed that Princess decided to cut the number of available washers/dryers and will be interested to see if laundry rooms are made smaller on other ships besides the Caribbean Princess. The option to do your own laundry (even though they charge $3 per wash or dry) is one way that Princess differentiates itself from its competitors. No one is forced to do their own laundry, but I find it a nice option.

 

 

This is false. Where did you hear that? :o

 

We have never had an issue with the size of the Princess self serve laundries.

[ChiCruiser758]

This is false. Where did you hear that? :o

 

We have never had an issue with the size of the Princess self serve laundries.

 

The size of the laundromats on the Caribbean Princess is not something I heard, it's something I experienced on the April 6 14-day transatlantic cruise. If you look at older deck plans of the Caribbean Princess they show laundry rooms that are accessible from either the port or starboard side that run the length of two inside staterooms.

 

After the recent dry dock, on the Caribbean Princess the laundromats are accessible from only one side (usually the port side based on the two or three I saw) and are half the size of the laundromats shown in the old deck plans. The newest deck plans I've seen on the Princess Web site show the actual (smaller) size of the new laundromats.

 

Note: At the time of the April 6 cruise (the cruise right after dry dock) the signage had not been yet been changed to show that the self-service laundromat was accessible from only one side of the deck.

[myfuzzy]

This is false. Where did you hear that? :o

 

We have never had an issue with the size of the Princess self serve laundries.

I had to jump in here, First, there is NO WAY that laundry room could be "halved" to make a cabin, for anyone. As for the machines not be in working order, I would say, "could be" most people have never set foot in a coin laundry and don't know how coin machines work. For all we know, any type of coin currency could have been put into the slot, rendering the machine "out of order". As for reading some of these posts, I thought I was reading some that stated that on the FIRST night a bag of laundry was sent out. Are we so used to ending our day with taking all our worn clothes and tossing them into the washer. I take wash and wear, if at the end of the day I want to refresh the item, I use some laundry soap I bring in a baggie and rinse it in the sink and hang to dry. I have never had a problem with the self service laundry, except for the people who use the machines and don't come back to take their items out for the next person, which I wait, then I take the items out and put them on the folding table. Basically my question is....IF the laundry takes X amount of days to be processed, how to you dress that last three or four days before the end of your cruise.

[Colo Cruiser]

The size of the laundromats on the Caribbean Princess is not something I heard, it's something I experienced on the April 6 14-day transatlantic cruise. If you look at older deck plans of the Caribbean Princess they show laundry rooms that are accessible from either the port or starboard side that run the length of two inside staterooms.

 

After the recent dry dock, on the Caribbean Princess the laundromats are accessible from only one side (usually the port side based on the two or three I saw) and are half the size of the laundromats shown in the old deck plans. The newest deck plans I've seen on the Princess Web site show the actual (smaller) size of the new laundromats.

 

Note: At the time of the April 6 cruise (the cruise right after dry dock) the signage had not been yet been changed to show that the self-service laundromat was accessible from only one side of the deck.

 

 

So you are assuming that the laundry room was cut in half and used for cabins based on 2 different deck plans?

From whom did you get the contractor information?

[mysaddlebred000]

Just returned from a cruise and my cousin was on board. He is an officer and we had dinner many times with him along with other officers. One night "elite" was mentioned. Oh my goodness. I had to laugh. There were so many jokes about the elites who only do insides, never spending a cent on anything, taking tips off and about them doing the most complaining. also wanting their OBC's in cash. I heard a couple new ones too. Laundry came up along with adding an upper level and they did not think that would happen. What has been talked about at corporate is changing it completely and doing the loyalty level by the "total amount spent". They think that is the fairest way. Why shouldn't people who spend the most be rewarded the most? There are people who only do Princess excursions and they shell out a lot of money. We normally only book suites so I could easily have spent four times as much getting to elite as someone in an inside or someone doing half the cruises as short ones. I am all for it. I think it would be a great idea.

And I also have seen people bring dirty clothes down to other cabins. Abuse!!! Just like the suite lounge on the Royal and Regal. Many times I walked past a certain cabin where someone was knocking on the door and they said "can I get your key to get in the lounge". I could go on and on - people with the drink package going to different bars to get free drinks for their friends.

[ChiCruiser758]

Here are some links to illustrate what I am talking about.

 

Here is an "old" deck plan for the Caribbean Princess from Cruise Critic. I have used Deck 11 (Baja Deck) as an illustration. It shows a very large self-service laundromat accessible from both the port and starboard sides. The laundromat is roughly the size of two inside staterooms.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/caribbean-princess-deck-plans/dp/?shipID=303&deck=11

 

Here is the new deck plan of the Caribbean Princess taken from the Princess Web site. Notice that the self-service laundromat on Deck 11 is half the size of the one on the old deck plan. Deck 11 is not special. The self-service laundromats are also smaller on other decks. Note: With this link, you may have to choose the deck you wish to view.

http://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=CB

 

I understand that some self-service laundromats on some Princess ships or on certain decks of some ships were already of a size that they could not be "cut in half." However, many of the laundromats, at least on the Caribbean Princess were larger and now have been cut in half. I know the other half was made into a stateroom. (I was told it was for a contractor by a stateroom attendant.) What I saw with my own eyes was that it was a stateroom for SOMEBODY.

 

Note: I am not basing my conclusion on reading two deck plans. My proof is seeing the new laundromats on at least three decks of the Caribbean Princess, and I've included the links to help illustrate what the laundry rooms looked like "before" and "after."

[Colo Cruiser]

Just returned from a cruise and my cousin was on board. He is an officer and we had dinner many times with him along with other officers. One night "elite" was mentioned. Oh my goodness. I had to laugh. There were so many jokes about the elites who only do insides, never spending a cent on anything, taking tips off and about them doing the most complaining. also wanting their OBC's in cash. I heard a couple new ones too. Laundry came up along with adding an upper level and they did not think that would happen. What has been talked about at corporate is changing it completely and doing the loyalty level by the "total amount spent". They think that is the fairest way. Why shouldn't people who spend the most be rewarded the most? There are people who only do Princess excursions and they shell out a lot of money. We normally only book suites so I could easily have spent four times as much getting to elite as someone in an inside or someone doing half the cruises as short ones. I am all for it. I think it would be a great idea.

And I also have seen people bring dirty clothes down to other cabins. Abuse!!! Just like the suite lounge on the Royal and Regal. Many times I walked past a certain cabin where someone was knocking on the door and they said "can I get your key to get in the lounge". I could go on and on - people with the drink package going to different bars to get free drinks for their friends.

 

 

What great Caribbean Princess officers disparaging some of the very people who help keep the company profitable. :(

[Colo Cruiser]

 

Unfortunately, the laundromats on passenger stateroom decks weren't much of a help. First off, the laundry rooms were cut in half, with the other half being made into cabins for contractors (or so I was told).

 

???

[skynight]

This is false. Where did you hear that? :o

We have never had an issue with the size of the Princess self serve laundries.

When comparing Caribbean Princess current deck plans with deck plans from 2008 laundry rooms are indeed smaller, by close to 50%. On all decks 8 through 14 starboard side access has been removed, the laundry area has been cut roughly in half, and there is only access from the port side. In 2008 some decks had a single large laundry room with access from both sides, on other decks there were two adjacent laundry rooms unconnected. I don't know if this change was the result of the most recent dry dock or if it was a previous dry dock. There was no change to the laundry area on deck 5 and deck 15 never had a laundry area.

[Colo Cruiser]

When comparing Caribbean Princess current deck plans with deck plans from 2008 laundry rooms are indeed smaller, by close to 50%. On all decks 8 through 14 starboard side access has been removed, the laundry area has been cut roughly in half, and there is only access from the port side. In 2008 some decks had a single large laundry room with access from both sides, on other decks there were two adjacent laundry rooms unconnected. I don't know if this change was the result of the most recent dry dock or if it was a previous dry dock. There was no change to the laundry area on deck 5 and deck 15 never had a laundry area.

 

Thanks.

Lets just say I hope they are not reducing laundry facilities. That's not cool either.

[XBGuy]

 

What has been talked about at corporate is changing it completely and doing the loyalty level by the "total amount spent". They think that is the fairest way. Why shouldn't people who spend the most be rewarded the most?

 

 

I have only been cruising with Princess for the last five years. We enjoy cruising, but, generally, we only cruise once or twice a year. When I decoded the tiers of the program--so many cruises or so many days/nights--I rubbed my eyes. Why don't they do it like the hotel chains and give you so many points for every dollar you spend? That actually encourages the customer to spend more money with you. In the case of hotels, charge your meals to the room, send out your clothes to be cleaned and pressed. In the case of the cruise spend a few bucks more for a specialty dinner, utilize the cruise lines excursions, sign up for the travel insurance, use their airport transfer service. Let's be honest, Princess' best customers are the ones who spend the most, not, necessarily, the ones who sail the most. As the previous poster said, the customers who book the inside cabin, eat every meal in the dining room, take off the gratuities, never book an excursion are not your best customers. They're certainly not your most profitable customers.

Edited May 22, 2017 by XBGuy

[abbydancer2003]

We were on a 4 day coastal and got the note about 3 days for laundry, basically making it not usable at all. I find it hard to believe that there were that many elites on board (hard to know because there was no repeater party).

 

I will confess that I occasionally bring friends to the elite lounge when we are traveling with them. They use their blue cards to buy drinks and have never been questioned. It's never been very full when we've done it - I didn't think it was a problem.

[roamerfromtexas]

Not all hotels do rewards by $'s. Anyway, we do not drink alcoholic beverages as we don't like them, nor can I drink carbonated drinks or those high in sugar for medical reasons. We do take some excursions but prefer ones no longer than 4-5 hours long so we don't spend as much money as many do on a cruise. BUT we do cruise as many as 100 plus days per year. So using amount spent would certainly not be to our benefit. Yes, I do realize that the cruise fare would count.