Princess Cruise Line...improving or on a downhill run?

[jrblach]

12 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Or exchange it for an old fashion cruise card which will let you use it for a room key and boarding card but nothing else. 

wow. that is a great idea. thank you so much. you are awesome!!!

[Asquare]

I want to chime in here for a quick take on the Princess cruise experience…

We have been on Princess cruises pre & post Medallion…

We have also cruise on a luxury line…

 

I think that the Medallion is by and away the most innovative thing that CCL has done to make cruising as easy as  possible.  I will argue that if used wisely you can replicate a near luxury cruise experience on Princess.  Even if the only benefit is opening my door and pinging me off and on the ship…it is infinitely easier than remembering my cruise card!

I locked my self out of my room numerous times on my last non-Princess cruise, then I had loads of confusion with my newly issued cruise cards not letting me back on the ship…It was an ongoing hassle to remember the blasted card every time we left the room…we didn’t need it for anything else.  
 

The Medallion allows crew to greet you and call you by name…which is standard practice on a luxury cruise.  The Medallion will allow you to order food and beverages any where, any time and be delivered to your location…this is pretty standard on a luxury cruise…we had a standing order for a fruit & cheese plate in our cabin at 4 pm…The Medallion could do this!  
 

I no longer have to renter my personal information prior to each cruise because the Medallion Class app already has it on file.  I am usually in the Green Lane with a few quick keystrokes.  The point is that technology has made certain aspects of Princess above and beyond…

 

We have the attitude that any cruise is a good cruise…it’s what you make of it.  Yes, there are lines, less than stellar service, poor internet, canceled events, a favorite dinner that has changed but that’s life…things happen…we cruised without the internet, we have experienced lines before,  there is always room for improvement with service but at least we are able to travel again.  
 

My tips for making your Princess Cruise a near luxury experience…

…treat the staff with respect, take time to interact with them

…find a favorite venue, then go all in, become a regular; trivia, fitness center, a bar

…Use the Medallion/Room Service to enjoy your room…make it your happy place; relax

…Savor the experience, try something new, eat a new cuisine, check out the menu ahead

…Talk to other travelers; make a new friend.  
…Stop focusing on the hiccups and start focusing on the positives…we are free to travel

…get off the ship; walk around the port, take an excursion, learn something new

 

I feel like I am lucky enough to be able to travel.  There is always room for improvement but if you take a positive attitude going in then the hiccups won’t be so bad.

[Doug R.]

@Flyinby after reading your post it sounds to me that you have already made up your mind and will spend time son your cruise looking for things that validate your preconceptions.

[caribill]

11 hours ago, mnocket said:

I must admit I've never really understood the attraction of Club Class Dining.  People seem to like it though.

 

The main attraction is it is walk up whenever you want to without any sort of reservation and 99% of the time you will be seated immediately.

 

It is "anytime dining" that works.

[MissP22]

12 hours ago, mnocket said:

I must admit I've never really understood the attraction of Club Class Dining.  People seem to like it though.

It gives some folks a feeling of being special when they can be greeted at the DR door and be seated immediately. (at a cost).

It's not worth it to me since we don't eat at the most popular times and the extra dish that's prepared tableside, simply isn't that important to me. 

[SargassoPirate]

15 hours ago, mnocket said:

I must admit I've never really understood the attraction of Club Class Dining.  People seem to like it though.

 

 

"Ruth: Will the lifeboats be seated according to class? I hope they aren't too crowded."

 

Titanic 1997

[chamima]

On 8/27/2022 at 9:37 PM, Flyinby said:

We've been on several Princess cruises and enjoyed them...prior to that we did several Carnival cruises which we also enjoyed, but the less "party-like" atmosphere on Princess was more to our liking.  Last Princess cruise was Nov. 2019 Panama Canal.

 

I booked a December 10-day Mexico cruise this year for our family, 14 total, and in getting things set up I've noticed some changes...the so-called "Medallion" being the elephant in the room.  While not needing a card to get into the room is nice, I see nothing else useful there.

 

.

 

You say you are sailing with 14 people.

You have missed the very best part of the Medallion for your cruise.

If all of you agree to list the others as part of your group (Sorry, we did this for our cruise last January but I can't remember exactly what it was called) then you can easily see where any of the others are on the ship in case you want to meet up.

In the past we relied on post it notes on the cabin door (which also required going back to the cabin).

Being able to see where everyone was , was INVALUABLE!!!

[RNRcruisers]

I don't think Princess has changed as much as you seem to believe. The only major change has been to do away with Traditional Dining. The Medallion was handy and I liked it but wouldn't call it a major change, the basic cruise experience was the same as it used to be. I'd say go with an open mind and you should enjoy it as much as you previously did.

[mtnesterz]

16 hours ago, c-boy said:

it appears that he is looking for reasons to leave, and asking us to usher him out the door. 

Maybe. Flyinby just wanted to put down thoughts. Some folks need to talk out their decisions, write them on paper, or in this case here write at length in a post. Appears the answer was in the question, as there was no subsequent post.

This thread is interesting. What is intrinsic to cruising is different for each cruiser. What change would you tolerate and still remain loyal?

[chamima]

25 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

Maybe. Flyinby just wanted to put down thoughts. Some folks need to talk out their decisions, write them on paper, or in this case here write at length in a post. Appears the answer was in the question, as there was no subsequent post.

This thread is interesting. What is intrinsic to cruising is different for each cruiser. What change would you tolerate and still remain loyal?

 

 

Interesting question.

We've been cruising a long time.

I remember years ago when Princess started charging for cappuccino. I usually have one every evening with my dessert. I was livid and said that unless they reinstituted the  gratis cappuccino we would never sail Princess again.

Well............. here we are about 30 years more or less later and still sailing............. ☺️

[caribill]

31 minutes ago, chamima said:

I remember years ago when Princess started charging for cappuccino. I usually have one every evening with my dessert. I was livid and said that unless they reinstituted the  gratis cappuccino we would never sail Princess again.

Well............. here we are about 30 years more or less later and still sailing............. ☺️

 

And if you book with (and pay for) the Plus package, you can have all the cappuccinos you want without any additional charge.

[cruisequeen4ever]

We will be on our first post-Covid cruise in December. We loved the Medallion before the pandemic, despite its occasional issue. The added features since then sound great, and we’ll see how they play out when onboard. Yeah, the internet is not what it’s marketed as being, and I do realllllly hope they fix that, but other cruise lines’ internet doesn’t seem to be any faster based on the speed test results people post on here. Go on your cruise, and hopefully you’ll have a fabulous time! 

[chamima]

3 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

And if you book with (and pay for) the Plus package, you can have all the cappuccinos you want without any additional charge.

 

I know that. I was just commenting on "What change would you tolerate?"

There were many years between then and the institution of the coffee card where we paid for the cappuccinos and still cruised.

[richsea]

20 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Medallion usage is not a systemic "change" in Princess cruising.  It is an option of perceived convenience.  If it is not convenient for you, you can  continue to cruise as you always have. Ignore the medallion and pretend it is 2017.

 

Shoreside medallion use is not a systemic "change" in Princess cruising.  It is an option of perceived convenience.  If it is not convenient for you, you can continue to shop as you always have.

 

The medallion is fully operational by simply supplying your credit card to Princess, same as you always have.  You do not need to do anything special with your cc in order for your medallion to open your cabin door.

 

I booked the same dining room for the same time for every night of my cruise months before I left home.  Took me about 18 seconds, max.

 

Sports betting is not a systemic "change" in Princess cruising.  It is an entertainment option offered to those who are interested, same as bingo, art auctions and trivia.  If it is not something you are interested in, you can refrain from partaking.  I have never stepped foot into a bingo session or art auction. But it's nice that these things exist for people who enjoy them.  They can be crowd eaters, freeing up other spaces around the ship that interest me more. 

 

In-room gambling is not a systemic "change" in Princess cruising.  It is an entertainment option of convenience offered to those who are interested, same as bingo, art auctions and trivia.  If it is not something you are interested in, you can refrain from partaking.  

 

This is a TV show that will air on CBS in October.  Not sure what you are referencing here.

 

Price out a Princess cruise in a Balcony or MiniSuite cabin complete with the Plus Package, and then compare that price to what a comparable square foot cabin will cost on Viking, and then report back. You can get the "all-inclusive" experience on Princess for a fairly modest cost increase.  If I could afford to take all of my cruises on Viking, Oceania, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  But trying to compare those cruise lines to Princess is like trying to compare a Ritz Carlton to a Homewood Suites.

Excellent point/counterpoint comparison. Nice to see both sides. Thanks

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

What change would you tolerate and still remain loyal?

What i would not tolerate is removing musicians or limiting them to only shows & piano bar. That would send me off to another line. We all have that tipping point

[Megamixer]

We've yet to sail on our Princess cruise but I'm starting to think it's a Carnival Corp thing.  We enjoyed Holland America in the past but have noticed a difference in our last 2 cruises.  I am less than happy about Princess not having traditional dining but we picked our upcoming cruise because it ends in Quebec City.

[nini]

18 minutes ago, Megamixer said:

We've yet to sail on our Princess cruise but I'm starting to think it's a Carnival Corp thing.  We enjoyed Holland America in the past but have noticed a difference in our last 2 cruises.  I am less than happy about Princess not having traditional dining but we picked our upcoming cruise because it ends in Quebec City.

Truly, do not worry about no Traditional Dining. Many still choose their time and get it. Many "strangers" also end up dining together at the same table and time. You can create your own "TD".

[Megamixer]

6 minutes ago, nini said:

Truly, do not worry about no Traditional Dining. Many still choose their time and get it. Many "strangers" also end up dining together at the same table and time. You can create your own "TD".

I'm in the Medallion app now and having trouble.  We're not particular so much about place and time but enjoy having the same wait staff every night.  If I book the same night and time for the cruise will it be at the same table?

[maggie777]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

What i would not tolerate is removing musicians or limiting them to only shows & piano bar. That would send me off to another line. We all have that tipping point

Excellent musicians and many venues are one of the best features of PCL

[Sea Hag]

23 hours ago, mnocket said:

I must admit I've never really understood the attraction of Club Class Dining.  People seem to like it though.

We sailed on the Ruby last spring in a non-CC cabin. Lines were incredibly long for any food venue, and my hubby can't tolerate much of that. We just got back from a week on the Discovery in a CC cabin, and I can tell you that it was like night and day. There was a higher than average number of "sea days" on that trip, so we ate in the MDR all three meals more often. Being able to just walk in any time we felt like it and get better service at a table for two next to a window was worth it to us, even if you leave out the great M6 cabin we had. And several of the extra items in the MDR were very good.

[NownZen]

1 hour ago, Megamixer said:

I'm in the Medallion app now and having trouble.  We're not particular so much about place and time but enjoy having the same wait staff every night.  If I book the same night and time for the cruise will it be at the same table?

It can be. Talk to your waiter the first night and have him/her arrange it for you.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Megamixer said:

I'm in the Medallion app now and having trouble.  We're not particular so much about place and time but enjoy having the same wait staff every night.  If I book the same night and time for the cruise will it be at the same table?

Not necessarily, but it is supposed to be.  You should follow up by speaking with DR Mgmt on board.  We need everyone to hold Princess feet to the fire over TD as long as they still promise it.  They should realize by now there is enough demand to keep it going, but DMW cannot support it - has to be manually done like it always was based on guest requests at time of booking.

[Megamixer]

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Not necessarily, but it is supposed to be.  You should follow up by speaking with DR Mgmt on board.  We need everyone to hold Princess feet to the fire over TD as long as they still promise it.  They should realize by now there is enough demand to keep it going, but DMW cannot support it - has to be manually done like it always was based on guest requests at time of booking.

I will make sure our wait person knows the first night.  (Unless they're horrible, then I'll ask for another 😂)  I realize having to eat at a certain time each night with 'strangers' was a big complaint, but it's so easy to have both.  The same amount of people will be eating regardless; if 40% of the passengers want traditional dining, fine, seat them 1st or 2nd and the remaining tables can go for walk ins.

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Sea Hag said:

Being able to just walk in any time we felt like it and get better service at a table for two next to a window was worth it to us,

That may very well be true if you eat at peak times, but if you eat very early or very late it doesn't make much difference in the service. 

All the waiters will slow down or speed up the service as you request.

[Guest ldtr]

21 hours ago, LSGDRG said:

My feeling is that Princess is moving in a direction to appeal to a younger, more tech savvy demographic.  They are trying to attract a clientele that does not necessarily want a "party vibe" but for various reasons, also doesn't want or need a more luxurious cruise.  

Princess and HAL are pretty much tied these days when it comes to average age demographics. HAL has been actively trying to attract a younger demographic and had shaved about 5 years off its average over the past few years.