items no longer given/offered

[dog]

On 12/25/2019 at 10:16 AM, Nebr.cruiser said:

We are just off a 10 day cruise on the Island.  This was our 13th cruise on Princess and the first time we felt some disappointment in the product.  Some cutbacks didn't bother me, like the chair and table in the cabin which just got in the way.  A few I dislike, like the shower dispensers.

 

The worst cutback, very noticeable, was in quality of food, especially beef products in the MDR.  I literally couldn't chew some of the tough cuts.  The buffet selections were also pretty bad.

 

This was an introduction to Princess cruise for my sisters (well, they cruised with them once in the  90's) and they were less than impressed, even though they were in a suite.  They liked the NCL Getaway more!  Me too!

Sorry to hear this. I am booked on the Island Partial Panama cruise in 2020. I've never cared for any of the beef on any of the Princess ships. Found HAL food quality much superior. I do continue to cruise Princess as they always have lots of good salads, vegetables and fruit. The Crown Grill on the Star and Sabatinis on the Sky this year were also disappointing this time.

[MissP22]

4 minutes ago, dog said:

The Crown Grill on the Star and Sabatinis on the Sky this year were also disappointing this time.

Especially after they butchered the menu in Sabatini's lately.

We won't be going back any time until they correct it. 

[BoughtMyPoints]

Just went from 7 day Regal to 15 day Emerald.

I used to favor Crown Class over Royal Class ...

From the Emerald :
   
No more cartons of chocolate milk.  Rly!   Room service tries to charge $1.75.

No more free tea in the International Cafe in the middle of the night.

Hours  long gap in any food offered at night in IC.  The first night I noticed, I was advised no food from 3 am until 5.30 am!

No Eggs Benedict on demand in MDR breakfast, only on "rotation".

No mixed berries at breakfast, i.e. no raspberries nor blueberries.  Just tasteless strawbs.

Crispy bacon has been outstanding!  Poached eggs on toast with toast trimmed back!

Food quality in Lido awful but still above run of the mill NCL.

Poor steak in Crown Grill, took it back for the puppy (DS).

Complaining to officers fixed most of the above.

Entertainment?   Princess is self destruct mode, I'm afraid.

[hm9912]

8 hours ago, Peckishpixie said:

Its interesting because I find most of these changes to be a huge plus! I couldn't attend the big events when they had balloon drops becuase i am critically allergic to latex. I'm thrilled they are gone. Getting rid of things that are single use is environmentally friendly and the more we can mitigate the impact we have on the environment the better. Bar soap us LOADED with bacteria and the very thought of it grosses me out. They also arent reusable so the u used parts just get dumped in a landfill. I sometimes miss the free paper but I know most of the papers went unread and I like knowing there is less waste. I subscribe to the online New York Times at home, I can read online on vacation too. 

What princess has done by making many of these changes is reduce plastic usage, reduce waste, reduce energy consumption, reduce water usage and stop serving ethically questionable food. Hooray for these changes. I hope they make more.

Thank you for your well written post. Many here do not remember the huge midnight buffet from years ago where much of that food ended up in the trash. I'm not sorry to see that one go also. Many of the complainers should just migrate to Regency or Viking and leave the Festivus on Princess to the rest of us.

 

Howard

Edited December 27, 2019 by hm9912

[Knickearth]

On 12/11/2019 at 1:02 PM, PrincessLuver said:

 

We would not miss those Princess cloth tote bags.....we always throw them away and I am sure they could save so money getting rid of those too....

Pls don’t wish that.  We have to pay for bags from grocery stores and dept. stores, so I bring all my princess tote bags.  They are a nice size for groceries.

[MissP22]

31 minutes ago, Knickearth said:

Pls don’t wish that.  We have to pay for bags from grocery stores and dept. stores, so I bring all my princess tote bags.  They are a nice size for groceries.

The Princess bags are actually made of plastic & if they get a small hole they'll easily tear the whole length of the bag. 

They look nice but not durable at all. 

[jwattle]

13 hours ago, MissP22 said:

The Princess bags are actually made of plastic & if they get a small hole they'll easily tear the whole length of the bag. 

They look nice but not durable at all. 

And again with the ka-splat

[capriccio]

14 hours ago, MissP22 said:

The Princess bags are actually made of plastic & if they get a small hole they'll easily tear the whole length of the bag. 

They look nice but not durable at all. 

 

Wow.  I've used mine for shopping bags and have even washed them with other bags without having a problem.  I've got enough of them that i never run out.

[MissP22]

6 hours ago, capriccio said:

 

Wow.  I've used mine for shopping bags and have even washed them with other bags without having a problem.  I've got enough of them that i never run out.

We must be getting some from a bad batch lately that haven't lasted the whole trip and just tear down the side. We do have some at home that have lasted but on our last 2 cruises they've been really poor quality & we just give them to one of the locals to keep along with some goodies. 

 

7 hours ago, jwattle said:

And again with the ka-splat

Are you sure that's not seagull poop you feel on your head. 

Have a good cruise. 😋 

[CRUISEWITHH]

I miss the "Craft Lady"  who used to come with wonderful crafts and even bring all the supplies...

 

I no longer go to the "craft class" offered by the staff.  I am tired of napkin folding, origami birds. etc.

 

 

[Wehwalt]

The IC used to make "cronuts" in the morning, donuts flaky like croissants. Haven't seen that in two or three years.

[pris993]

With the exception of the bar soap for the bath tub... can't say I miss very much... we go to the Crown Grill a lot usually have the sea bass, veal, lamb chops and shrimp dishes... all very good, other wise we hit the buffet... generally have a couple of fish and chicken dishes - more than adequate.                 

[LeeW]

Thought you folks might like to see the Upgraded Bathroom Amenities on Sky Princess (7 Dec sailing):

 

 

[jwattle]

16 hours ago, MissP22 said:

 

 

Are you sure that's not seagull poop you feel on your head. 

Have a good cruise. 😋 

It hit the internet, not my head, straight from your computer. 😊

[MissP22]

8 hours ago, jwattle said:

It hit the internet, not my head, straight from your computer. 😊

Close. I'll try again.

[Knickearth]

10 hours ago, LeeW said:

Thought you folks might like to see the Upgraded Bathroom Amenities on Sky Princess (7 Dec sailing):

 

 

Are you kidding me - the bag contained 3 items.  UGH. We were on the Emerald recently and I thought the bag was light there, yours is even lighter.  Oh well, guess Princess needs money badly.  Maybe the ships are not filling up, or people or just not throwing their monies away when they cruise.  Whatever the reasoning, Princess certainly sounds like it is struggling as a cruise line.

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Knickearth said:

Are you kidding me - the bag contained 3 items.  UGH. We were on the Emerald recently and I thought the bag was light there, yours is even lighter.  Oh well, guess Princess needs money badly.  Maybe the ships are not filling up, or people or just not throwing their monies away when they cruise.  Whatever the reasoning, Princess certainly sounds like it is struggling as a cruise line.

Don't complain to loudly. There are great Princess deals out there if you're able to grab one at a moments notice even if it means living without some of those cheap freebies. 

[kywildcatfanone]

I don't let the disappearing amenities such as the elite kit bother me, we didn't use much in it, and it was only worth $1 or so.  I will give up the gimmicky items to keep things like laundry service that has some value to it.

[Reader0108598]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Don't complain to loudly. There are great Princess deals out there if you're able to grab one at a moments notice even if it means living without some of those cheap freebies. 

Where are those great deals ? I can do without the Junk! however prices just keep going up !  Food Quality goes down! Not fancy  at all do not even do the MDR any more! My idea of a cruise is to live in shorts! They took out the great caribe deck balconies in the newer ships. Now the new Sky  pools do not have  stairs just the ladder! Opted for a land vaca later this year!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Reader0108598

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Reader0108598 said:

Where are those great deals ? I can do without the Junk! however prices just keep going up !  Food Quality goes down! Not fancy  at all do not even do the MDR any more! My idea of a cruise is to live in shorts! They took out the great caribe deck balconies in the newer ships. Now the new Sky  pools do not have  stairs just the ladder! Opted for a land vaca later this year!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As can we.

They can keep their over priced drink packages/gratuities & unlimited internet package. My TA prices it both ways- With & without the promo's.

 

At this point I don't see much of any "deals" but we just did a 7 day on the Regal for $548 for 2 people (balcony cabin) for the week after considering all our OBC. 

Food was great.

We only had maybe 2 meals that were so-so between the DR & buffet.

You've got to be ready to leave anytime they have an unfilled ship & now isn't the best time, especially not on the Sky.

[Dunk]

Back when The Captain's Circle was called "Circolo del Comandante", repeat passengers received two lovely crystal champagne flutes, engraved with the seawitch, presented in gift boxes. I can only imagine how much that would cost them today! I still use mine every New Year's Eve. 

[jwattle]

5 hours ago, MissP22 said:

As can we.

They can keep their over priced drink packages/gratuities & unlimited internet package. My TA prices it both ways- With & without the promo's.

 

At this point I don't see much of any "deals" but we just did a 7 day on the Regal for $548 for 2 people (balcony cabin) for the week after considering all our OBC. 

Food was great.

We only had maybe 2 meals that were so-so between the DR & buffet.

You've got to be ready to leave anytime they have an unfilled ship & now isn't the best time, especially not on the Sky.

We booked Enchanted when it was announced, got a premium deluxe balcony for less than half what it was going for before they sold out, and were able to add Best Sale Ever for a pittance.😊🍻

[hllwdcruiser]

8 hours ago, MissP22 said:

You've got to be ready to leave anytime they have an unfilled ship & now isn't the best time, especially not on the Sky.

 

I just got a very sweet deal on the Sky in March in a balcony - but you and I live in Florida - so being prepared to leave anytime is easier said than done if you live out of State or are still working. I could have got an even better deal on the Regal but I wanted to experience a new ship. I start checking fares the day after the final payment is due and keep checking until I hit that sweet spot. If you wait too long the ship sells out and the fares go way up. 

[suzyed]

On 12/11/2019 at 12:28 PM, capriccio said:

Did you ask if they are never being offered or if they were just out of them?  I know the gel masks have always been hit or miss for us.  Same with various wine offerings (or is the white zinfandel not on the new wine lists?).  We did have the dining room mints on the Sapphire Princess in June.

We didn't have the mints or toothpicks on Sapphire in October nor the Emerald in November.

Edited December 30, 2019 by suzyed

[suzyed]

On 12/11/2019 at 2:52 PM, mellon1 said:

Maybe you should put it on Ebay and see how high the bidding goes!!

Let me know how that goes, Tony.  I have several!