I've cancelled my Crown Princess cruise

[dave_k58]

Why is it that one must post a manifesto when maybe leaving a cruise line based on of hearsay?

 

 

40 Million fine is approximately $ 18 per passenger for one year's sailings.

 

and they have insurance anyway

[caribill]

I've been lurking over on the NCL boards and saw this chatter about reservations for the show and I thought wow more nickel and diming thinking you had to pay. Apparently this is not the case. Reservations is a good idea. Probably cuts down on all the waiting for the show to start. It kind of takes away from the free-style aspect because you have to plan ahead.

 

I do not know how it is on NCL, but reservations for a show on Royal Caribbean do not eliminate the wait before the show.

 

Reason is the reservation is for admission to the showroom, not for a specific seat. So those with reservations line up long before the show so they can get in first to get their choice of seat. Those without reservations line up early on a different line waiting until 5 or 10 minutes before before showtime when unclaimed seats are released.

 

So waiting in the relative comfort of a seat in the theater is replaced by waiting in a line outside the showroom.

[upwarduk]

We sailed on Crown 13-27.05.17

I wrote a fairly positive review:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2503410

BUT, since disembarking 7 weeks ago I have waited for the refund of my OBC ( which I had pre paid to spread the cost)

It is supposed to be refunded within 4-6 weeks.

It is now 7 weeks since disembarking Crown and still no cheque.

I rang Southampton and was told the the refund is AUTOMATIC if you are a U.S passenger as the currency is the same, BUT it has to be applied for ( by the agent in Southampton) if you are from U.K.

Princess in US has to send a copy of the final account to Southampton before a cheque can be issued.

As our cruise was 95% UK passengers, I feel we are contributing towards the $40 m fine. How many UK passengers will have presued this claim as I have?

 

I suspect that this decline comes on the heels of the $40 million dollar judgement. Somebody has to pay for it and it's the loyal Princess passengers that will bear the brunt.

[ddled]

We were on Caribbean for the TA in April-after the changes to the buffet. For breakfast and lunch it was a real improvement-more and better offerings, more seating. Planks was very good for bbq if you like that-we do and eat a lot of it in KC and Texas and this was very good. But food is indeed subjective. We like the formal nights-Princess seems to attract more formal people dressers. We like dancing and here Princess is head and shoulders ahead of either Royal or Celebrity. 3 wood floors, great music. I thought the entertainment was great, but they did repeat performers once each. Some had the material some did not. Food in MDR was equal to X. Service all through was excellent. We are Elite/Diamond on Royal/X and only 21 days on Princess BUT we think that for our age Princess is what the other 2 used to be. We are on Grand in 2 weeks to Alaska, looking at a South America on Star. The problem with Royal now is everything is kid and family, which we like with our granddaughter on, but not otherwise. X is a real disappointment-between the joke of "formal" night chic" and the emphasis of giving too much to suite guests we have really turned off them. They were our favorite. The best advice is to try it yourself- NCL is not for everyone, a lot of people like it. Any cruise is better than no cruise.:)

[upwarduk]

Just to add to post #78, our OBC cheque arrived today-7weeks after disembarkation.

[kimlovesfl]

We went around the horn on the Crown in February. That was the first cruise we have ever taken where we decided to eat most of the dinners in the buffet because we enjoyed the food there more than the dining room

 

On our last 2 cruises, on the Royal and Regal, we ate a lot of dinners in the buffet because I liked the food better. We love the theme nights, especially Bavarian night, it is less crowded, and there are so many vegetable selections that make this veggie lover happy. And, all the cheeses and desserts! We love those 2 ships. Maybe we're easier to please than some people. We both work very hard, and a cruise is just the most relaxing way for us to fully get away from it all. We've been on 4 cruises, 4 different ships, 2 different cruise lines, have a Celebrity cruise in September, and 2 Princess cruises booked next year. I'm on vacation, to me, that's great!

[CruisingIsBest]

Manifesto? Seriously? What part of sailing with Princess for 18 years didn't you get? I have experienced the decline. The bad Crown reviews was just the straw that broke the camels back. Didn't say I was totally done with Princess. If I wasn't happy with them I would not have sailed with them loyally for 18 years. Just looking for something else for now.

 

I already posted why I'm sailing NCL. Not my first choice.

You're 100% right. Had it with Princess too. They add NOTHING new and interesting, just dumb crap like Club Class, Medallions, Norman Love chocolates, Curtis Stone (fail), and dancing fountains. Other lines all add unique and cool venues and dining options. Sure, some are bit ridiculous (really don't care about a bubble ride! lol), but at least it's NEW. New Princess "specialty" options that are nothing more than roped off areas of an existing dining area, and, charge for it. Crab Shack... was hard to justify when it was $19, but at $29, and limited to one entree, it's a total waste unless you have OBC to burn. Princess has become boring and stale. I kept coming back because Elite benefits were still nice, but I too just canceled two booked cruises and am also trying NCL for the first time with friends that also are tired of the same old, same old. I've seen more declines in the last few years than I have in the many before. $4600 for a mini I used to pay 2K les for... but now they add a new mattress and another roped off section that reviews have generally said were nothing special. Not a special venue like Blu on X or exclusive dining on NCL's haven... but a giant upcharge for pretty much NOTHING. You don't even get the Enclave with Club Class or even suites! Crown Grill was terrible last three times, and now they just started charging $10 more for an extra entree too! Jan Swartz is wrecking this brand, and with all the less than favorable things I've seen and heard lately, it's starting to cost them because even their long-time faithful are looking for something new. If the ship under construction is just another copy of Regal, I won't bother anymore. The best thing about Royal and Regal was the greatly improved Horizon Court... very nice. X's new "Edge" class looks very nice! At least they see NCL, RCCL, and even MSC coming out with all kinds of cool things, many specialty options (real ones), and are doing the same with Edge. Not seen that at all with Princess... it's a shame. I may just hate NCL, who knows? But I saved $2600, have a spa balcony cabin that INCLUDES the thermal suite (with heated chairs that actually WORK, and ocean facing windows vs. being buried down on deck 5!!), the unlim. drink package, and same 250m internet I get with Elite. For $84 ($21 per for 4 dinners) I can grab a dining package, or for $95 get 5 (only $19 per), and you get to choose from like 8 different specialty options! Some have small upcharges for dinners that include shows... but even with the upcharge it will be the same or less than the $29 on Princess with nothing more. I'll miss the nice MUTS, especially on NFL nights, but even with MUTS, how many years have they shown the same Billy Joel and Tina Turner concerts??? Since it came out on the Grand?? LOL Entertainment?? Cruise-Ship corny, and just poor. Nothing changes. Same old comedians, and magic shows. How about SOMETHING close to Cirque, Broadway, Blu Man, ANYTHING beyond the stagnant cruise ship sing & dance shows.The demographic is getting older and older, and even my 84 year old dad thought it was pretty blah, not to mention almost getting run over by the endless number of scooters!! :rolleyes:

[curtdesilets]

Sorry but Cunard and P&O are far more formal than Princess and is genuinely adhered too for MDR. Princess is nowhere near as formal i.e.dinner suit and bow tie or dark suit and tie and is only anywhere near when cruising from UK. Formal dress is NOT a shirt and tie and no jacket or shirt and no tie and bomber style jacket which seems to be worn by many.

 

I have yet to see a Bomber Jacket @ Formal Night on any cruise I've been on, which is many. Good one! :D

[laktex]

You're 100% right. Had it with Princess too. They add NOTHING new and interesting, just dumb crap like Club Class, Medallions, Norman Love chocolates, Curtis Stone (fail), and dancing fountains. Other lines all add unique and cool venues and dining options. Sure, some are bit ridiculous (really don't care about a bubble ride! lol), but at least it's NEW. New Princess "specialty" options that are nothing more than roped off areas of an existing dining area, and, charge for it. Crab Shack... was hard to justify when it was $19, but at $29, and limited to one entree, it's a total waste unless you have OBC to burn. Princess has become boring and stale. I kept coming back because Elite benefits were still nice, but I too just canceled two booked cruises and am also trying NCL for the first time with friends that also are tired of the same old, same old. I've seen more declines in the last few years than I have in the many before. $4600 for a mini I used to pay 2K les for... but now they add a new mattress and another roped off section that reviews have generally said were nothing special. Not a special venue like Blu on X or exclusive dining on NCL's haven... but a giant upcharge for pretty much NOTHING. You don't even get the Enclave with Club Class or even suites! Crown Grill was terrible last three times, and now they just started charging $10 more for an extra entree too! Jan Swartz is wrecking this brand, and with all the less than favorable things I've seen and heard lately, it's starting to cost them because even their long-time faithful are looking for something new. If the ship under construction is just another copy of Regal, I won't bother anymore. The best thing about Royal and Regal was the greatly improved Horizon Court... very nice. X's new "Edge" class looks very nice! At least they see NCL, RCCL, and even MSC coming out with all kinds of cool things, many specialty options (real ones), and are doing the same with Edge. Not seen that at all with Princess... it's a shame. I may just hate NCL, who knows? But I saved $2600, have a spa balcony cabin that INCLUDES the thermal suite (with heated chairs that actually WORK, and ocean facing windows vs. being buried down on deck 5!!), the unlim. drink package, and same 250m internet I get with Elite. For $84 ($21 per for 4 dinners) I can grab a dining package, or for $95 get 5 (only $19 per), and you get to choose from like 8 different specialty options! Some have small upcharges for dinners that include shows... but even with the upcharge it will be the same or less than the $29 on Princess with nothing more. I'll miss the nice MUTS, especially on NFL nights, but even with MUTS, how many years have they shown the same Billy Joel and Tina Turner concerts??? Since it came out on the Grand?? LOL Entertainment?? Cruise-Ship corny, and just poor. Nothing changes. Same old comedians, and magic shows. How about SOMETHING close to Cirque, Broadway, Blu Man, ANYTHING beyond the stagnant cruise ship sing & dance shows.The demographic is getting older and older, and even my 84 year old dad thought it was pretty blah, not to mention almost getting run over by the endless number of scooters!! :rolleyes:

 

Another rant.

[Purples]

You're 100% right. Had it with Princess too. They add NOTHING new and interesting, just dumb crap like Club Class, Medallions, Norman Love chocolates, Curtis Stone (fail), and dancing fountains. Other lines all add unique and cool venues and dining options. Sure, some are bit ridiculous (really don't care about a bubble ride! lol), but at least it's NEW. New Princess "specialty" options that are nothing more than roped off areas of an existing dining area, and, charge for it. Crab Shack... was hard to justify when it was $19, but at $29, and limited to one entree, it's a total waste unless you have OBC to burn. Princess has become boring and stale. I kept coming back because Elite benefits were still nice, but I too just canceled two booked cruises and am also trying NCL for the first time with friends that also are tired of the same old, same old. I've seen more declines in the last few years than I have in the many before. $4600 for a mini I used to pay 2K les for... but now they add a new mattress and another roped off section that reviews have generally said were nothing special. Not a special venue like Blu on X or exclusive dining on NCL's haven... but a giant upcharge for pretty much NOTHING. You don't even get the Enclave with Club Class or even suites! Crown Grill was terrible last three times, and now they just started charging $10 more for an extra entree too! Jan Swartz is wrecking this brand, and with all the less than favorable things I've seen and heard lately, it's starting to cost them because even their long-time faithful are looking for something new. If the ship under construction is just another copy of Regal, I won't bother anymore. The best thing about Royal and Regal was the greatly improved Horizon Court... very nice. X's new "Edge" class looks very nice! At least they see NCL, RCCL, and even MSC coming out with all kinds of cool things, many specialty options (real ones), and are doing the same with Edge. Not seen that at all with Princess... it's a shame. I may just hate NCL, who knows? But I saved $2600, have a spa balcony cabin that INCLUDES the thermal suite (with heated chairs that actually WORK, and ocean facing windows vs. being buried down on deck 5!!), the unlim. drink package, and same 250m internet I get with Elite. For $84 ($21 per for 4 dinners) I can grab a dining package, or for $95 get 5 (only $19 per), and you get to choose from like 8 different specialty options! Some have small upcharges for dinners that include shows... but even with the upcharge it will be the same or less than the $29 on Princess with nothing more. I'll miss the nice MUTS, especially on NFL nights, but even with MUTS, how many years have they shown the same Billy Joel and Tina Turner concerts??? Since it came out on the Grand?? LOL Entertainment?? Cruise-Ship corny, and just poor. Nothing changes. Same old comedians, and magic shows. How about SOMETHING close to Cirque, Broadway, Blu Man, ANYTHING beyond the stagnant cruise ship sing & dance shows.The demographic is getting older and older, and even my 84 year old dad thought it was pretty blah, not to mention almost getting run over by the endless number of scooters!! :rolleyes:

 

We agree with much of what you say. Princess just don't seem to care anymore. For the first time ever we sent customer services a complaint about several below par experiences and after a month got a reply saying thankyou for your FEEDBACK -LOL. It will be a while before we book again and will look elsewhere. They used to be so great.

[Chief02]

We agree with much of what you say. Princess just don't seem to care anymore. For the first time ever we sent customer services a complaint about several below par experiences and after a month got a reply saying thankyou for your FEEDBACK -LOL. It will be a while before we book again and will look elsewhere. They used to be so great.

 

So agree.

 

I was accused of a "rant" by giving my findings / experiences of late, as well as expressing our experiences within the past few years.

 

PCL used to be so great.

[Griller]

We agree with much of what you say. Princess just don't seem to care anymore. For the first time ever we sent customer services a complaint about several below par experiences and after a month got a reply saying thankyou for your FEEDBACK -LOL. It will be a while before we book again and will look elsewhere. They used to be so great.

 

Totally agree, we have over 600 days on Princess but are booking elsewhere now, NCL several times now, and we have booked Celebrity Summit in the fall for a Canada/New England cruise rather than Crown Princess on a similar itinerary.We tried Crown Princess once this year already and found that it was awful.

Now we are looking at a Fall Transatlantic from Southampton and what can we book on Princess? Crown Princess which we know from personal experience is not good, and Caribbean Princess which has a non functioning engine and as such cannot be fully seaworthy.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Griller

[jacketwatch]

Because someone is shot in my city, shooting people should be tolerated?

 

Cruise lines are well aware of the problem. Most have or are in the process of improving the quality of ship exhausts.[/quote

 

Shooting people is tolerated in most major cities. In some cities like Chicago is it an acceptable way that gangs and other thugs do business.

 

That is not even close to being true. Tolerated? Don't be ridiculous.

[creel5857]

we have sailed Princess and Holland American numerous times and find food and services to be good-to-great on each ship (all that is really subjective) but we have noted in recent trips more push for them to sell things and the last 3 trips we found princess prices much higher even when configuring in various perks and benefits. Glad Holland finally took smoking off balconies which was an issue at one time. But overall, we really like princess but itinerary and MONEY will be our final factor because we find they all have little quirks that we might not prefer.

[Grego]

I understand that folks measure the results of a voyage by the food they had. Some folks even spend a lot of time talking about and criticizing the food. I recall that lots of guys in the service would say that the chow was the best they ever had.

 

We like the opportunity to use Horizon Court on the Royal Class ships when we have late shore days, want to be able to get a seat in Princess Theatre or when the DR menu doesn't jump out with something really interesting. The food there is so highly varied, plentiful and quite good. We can always find something, kinda like going to Golden Corral. As mentioned, the lighting is dimmed, the service is great and there is always a place to sit.

 

We will be spending 29 days aboard the CB in September starting with a TA from Southampton to PE and then the circle tour of the Caribbean. It will be interesting to see if the refit of the buffet area on that ship is a good progression from the conga line formation of the order layout and maybe somewhat closer to the successful Royal layout.

[mellon1]

OK, this is just our experience and that of my mom's, who is no longer here. We are at the top level on Royal Caribbean. Last cruise with my mom, we decided not to go back. She was elderly and could not eat the food...if you wanted an actual filet at dinner it would cost you the same amount as going to the specialty restaurant without the other food included. Then she paid money for the suite. They would not let my 2 nieces in, who were traveling with her, who she paid for....this was HUGE money. Then the told my mom she had to leave with her two grand children, as people complained that they looked young and were not allowed back. They were 21. That was crap. Sorry. Went to the front desk and told them to look at how much we paid for this cruise and people are complaining (that would be other guests) that they can't come in...when my mom paid. Sorry last straw.

 

We have cruised HAL, Carnival (will never go back) and Princess. To us...this is just our opinion, Princess is the best.

 

Now, we don't do the buffet. I am allergic to shellfish and can't touch anything that has touched silverware etc. But really hate buffet food anyways.

 

We don't go on the cruise to eat, but to enjoy the ship and the staff...who are the best on Princess...everything is what people like and want, everyone has different preferences; however, for us the Grand class ships on Princess is HOME TO US.

[weedpindle]

Who cares

[stevenr597]

My wife and I have cruised on most of the major lines. We do find that compared to the, "Good old days" the cruising experience has declined in respect o entertainment, dining, levels of service etc. But one must keep in mind that the cruise industry has tried to keep their costs in check, which most likely has resulted in some decline in service. Our top two choices are Celebrity and Princess. It does seem that Princess usually has a better choice of ports. In respect to service, we were great fans of Celebrity as long as one would book Aqua Class with the Blu Dining Room. It does appear that Princess has met this with the Club Class Experince. In respect to the new ships of Princess, such as Royal and Regal we have found them fairly equivalent to the Solstice Class on Celebrity. Some negative things about them were smaller balconies and, at times it was hard to find a seat in the theatre. However the atrium and the food court were outstanding. Certainly, one would expect some disappointment if one moves from a suite to mini-suite. In respect to switching to NCL, I would expect that one would find this a big disappointment in level and quality of service. My wife and I are going on a Trans-Atlantic this Oct, on the Regal, we will certain compare it to our Trans-Atlantic we did several years ago on the Equinox.

[seamwoman]

My DH and I have cruised yearly since 1993 on most major lines. While I agree with some comments about the decline in food and service I wonder if us long time cruisers aren't a little jaded. It is like a new romance, wonderful at the beginning and hopefully comfortable but not so exciting after awhile. Our old cruise buddies now cruise Oceania, Seaborne and Regent. They boast on food and service on those lines! We are not willing to pay for the luxury lines - are you? Karen

[jacketwatch]

My DH and I have cruised yearly since 1993 on most major lines. While I agree with some comments about the decline in food and service I wonder if us long time cruisers aren't a little jaded. It is like a new romance, wonderful at the beginning and hopefully comfortable but not so exciting after awhile. Our old cruise buddies now cruise Oceania, Seaborne and Regent. They boast on food and service on those lines! We are not willing to pay for the luxury lines - are you? Karen

Not us. We have had no issues with service really and I don't expect food to be at the same level of a fine dining restaurant as they cook for thousands. The food is fine for us and the newer ships have the bells and whistles that the luxury lines don't have. We are good with what we have come to know. JM2C.

[stevenr597]

For all those who complain about Princess, just read that Celebrity Cruise Lines will now be adding a surcharge if you wish to have a....hamburger (maybe they call it a steak burger). As I mentioned before we have sailed most of the cruise lines from Azamara at the top to Carnival at the bottom. All have their strong points and all have their weaknesses. This will be our second sailing on the Royal Princess. I do feel that it compares favorably with Celebrity and I do hope that Club Class will be the equivalent of Aqua Class.

[JoRoy218]

I will heartily defend The Regal. We sailed on her last October (New England and Canada) and I thought she was a fabulous ship, with a few disappointments (balconly size, lack of a true Promenade deck).

We too have tired of the formal night activities and happily eat in the buffet. I must also mention that The Regal buffet is far and away the best I've ever seen on a ship. It IS a very large ship with approx. 3100 passengers. Everyone has their favorites on ships and we just love cruising and not let the few seemingly negatives get us down.

I should admit though, I've been reading more and more negative comments about the Crown, since we have reservations for a Med. cruise on her in April 2018. Hoping we haven't made a mistake.

We're back about a month now from our very favorite ship, the Coral and though we did notice some serious aging and wear, we still loved her all the more. You can't have these ships service thousands of people at a time and expect it all to be in perfect cosmetic condition all the time. Am trying to be realistic. And for those of you who know Capt. Tuvo, he was on the Coral in June to AK. Really enjoyed him! As he says "Nevertheless...bye bye!!

[flying fingers]

I didn't get far into this thread, but I love breakfast for dinner much more than breakfast for breakfast.

[caribill]

For all those who complain about Princess, just read that Celebrity Cruise Lines will now be adding a surcharge if you wish to have a....hamburger (maybe they call it a steak burger).

 

The Celebrity pool deck hamburger grill, equivalent to the Princess Trident Grill, changed from a menu similar to what the Trident Grill has to gourmet burgers and hotdogs made with the American version of Kobe style beef.

 

Hamburger price is $10 for 1/2 pound (pre-cooked weight) and $5 for 1/4 pound (pre-cooked weight), fries included.

 

The hockey puck hamburger patties can be found in the Celebrity buffet.

[broberts]

My DH and I have cruised yearly since 1993 on most major lines. While I agree with some comments about the decline in food and service I wonder if us long time cruisers aren't a little jaded. It is like a new romance, wonderful at the beginning and hopefully comfortable but not so exciting after awhile. Our old cruise buddies now cruise Oceania, Seaborne and Regent. They boast on food and service on those lines! We are not willing to pay for the luxury lines - are you? Karen

 

+1

 

Wish there was a like button on this board.