Disappointed with princess

[cruisejunkie]

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

If you have been reading these pages over the last six months you will have read hundreds, if not thousands of posts, on these subjects !

[suekel]

5 minutes ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

They haven't done much of this since the end of the pause.  The lotion in the big bottle in your bathroom was the same lotion that used to come in the elite bag.  The wifi is mostly because of the location, it was fine on my caribbean, mexico and California Coastal( 2 of which were on the Discovery) prior to Alaska.  Most of us are just happy to be cruising again.  That all being said, I thought the food on the Ruby last week was much better than on the Discovery last spring.  

[kywildcatfanone]

Other than the food, that's like $3 worth of stuff, but I do get what you are saying.  Then cutting out the bags and the toiletries isn't really saving them much money in the long run, but is harming  them with loyal customers.

[Coral]

Honestly - the cruise lines are struggling to survive right now. They can't hire enough people to fully staff a ship, to entertain an entire staff, to fully staff a corporate office, etc... They are having similar issues as other hospitality venues. Plus, they are trying to recover financially after having no income for 2 years. Remember - they did not receive any government funding to supplement their income.

 

Yes there are cut backs with all the lines. They are trying to survive. Honestly - I am surprised they are doing as well as they are.

 

Have you looked at CCL's stock recently?

Edited August 31, 2022 by Coral

[Sea Hag]

18 minutes ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

We just returned from the 8/21 sailing on the Discovery, and we had a fantastic cruise. Admittedly, the wifi wasn't as good as what we have at home, but I didn't expect it to be. It worked fine for what I wanted it for. Medallion also worked fine for what we used it for. We're elite, and the lotion in the bathroom was nice. Don't know if it was special or not. Nearly all the food we had was very good, and some things were extra very good. There were a few items that were just okay, but most were much better than that. I have a pretty good stack of tote bags, so I don't care if I get one or not. I never ate the pillow chocolates anyhow, but I suppose my DH, the pillow-chocolate-eater, might have missed them. My opinion of our cruise last week is that it was as good as any cruise we've ever done on Princess. 

[Sunwanabe]

We were on July Discovery cruise. Our group really enjoyed the ship, service, entertainment and food. We used the app quite a bit to order food and drinks to our locations and it worked well. Everything was open and the crew were fantastic. Only real complaint was the wifi. It wasn't a deal breaker. Looking forward to our next Discovery cruise.  

[Coral]

21 minutes ago, Coral said:

Honestly - the cruise lines are struggling to survive right now. They can't hire enough people to fully staff a ship, to entertain an entire ship of passengers to fully staff a corporate office, etc... They are having similar issues as other hospitality venues. Plus, they are trying to recover financially after having no income for 2 years. Remember - they did not receive any government funding to supplement their income.

 

Yes there are cut backs with all the lines. They are trying to survive. Honestly - I am surprised they are doing as well as they are.

 

Have you looked at CCL's stock recently?

 

Edited August 31, 2022 by Coral

[billco]

1 hour ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

I don't feel that way. None of the things you mention ever made Princess feel special to me. In the past year, we have sailed on the Majestic, twice on the Regal and twice on the Enchanted for a total of 67 days. We had no problem with wifi and enjoyed ordering items from our cabin using the medallion App. While we did have a few issues, particularly the slow internet, we enjoyed our cruises just about as much as we did before the pandemic. We have five cruises booked that we are looking forward to, particularly the Solar Eclipse cruise in 2024.

[partybarbie]

Believe it or not, the food is actually much better now than at the restart. My sister and her husband were on the Discovery last week. She said that even with missing Skagway, they had a fantastic time. 

 

I admit that I am somewhat of a foodie, and a lot of the Princess fare doesn't appeal to me.  Even so, I always find plenty to eat. I also find that the more I drink, the better it tastes. 😉

[NownZen]

1 hour ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

We certainly did not feel this way on our cruises this year. We do not eat the mints, there was a tote bag on the top shelf in the closet. When we wanted snacks at the bar, we sent someone to the buffet to get something we would like. The wifi was very good, the internet not so much. The distinction is that the shipboard functions work whether you have internet or not. The only function I used was to see where Mrs Zen and our friends were. We did have to buy a bar of soap at one port since I detest the bottles of lotion but that was not a particular tragedy. We enjoyed the food as well, particularly in the buffet where the range of choices was very good.

It was not perfect, we had a few issues we had to get resolved. At one point they offered us a free Sabbatini's dinner for our trouble. Then they closed Sabbatini's for the rest of the trip. Had a wonderful time and did not want to get off the ship at the ends of the cruises.

[Sea Hag]

37 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

Believe it or not, the food is actually much better now than at the restart. My sister and her husband were on the Discovery last week. She said that even with missing Skagway, they had a fantastic time. 

We'd never been to Icy Straight Point before, so we enjoyed the stop there last week very much. Highlights were the mountain gondola and the loop walk with about a dozen other folks and a bear guard with a rifle. No bears showed up.

[Princessfan20]

2 hours ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

 

Agree.  The Princess brand is changing and not for the better in our opinion.  Too many cuts in many areas, especially for Elites, and the price keeps going up with not much new.  

 

We had done several Alaska cruises on Princess before and found them to be outstanding.  The one we did this year the whole family felt it bordered on mediocrity at so many different levels.  

 

We are still hoping that what we have experienced so far in the last year and a half is a result of them dealing with Covid issues and not being able to really focus on a true quality product and experience.

[Steelers36]

My sense of recent cruise reports is a real disappointment in the internet, but a love for the crew and service efforts despite short staffing, and the hope things will improve more the next time the guest sails.

[cr8tiv1]

I was at a Hotel and Hospitality convention many years before the pandemic in 2020.  I voiced my concerns to the vendor that I disliked the refillable soap and shower bottles that were on display.  It was my person phobia that they are NOT as sanitary as individual tubes that I loved to collect from hotel visits.  The Vendor was very polite but did mention that this was the direction in the future.

 

Fast forward to 2022.  Princess has those dreaded bottles and fast encroaching replacement of those little tubes that were still found in suites just a couple of months ago.  Major hotel brands (Marriott/Hilton, etc) are also replacing their sample size with refillable bottles.  Do I like it?  No. Can I live with it?  Yes.  Just pack my own.  I have quite the larder stashed away for such "emergencies".  

 

I do understand that it is better for the environment and willing to do what I need to save the planet.  

 

Looking forward to my next cruise.  I try not to sweat the small stuff.  So happy that I have been fortunate enough to get on more than one cruise since the restart.  

[cr8tiv1]

2 minutes ago, sloopsailor said:

 

Yeah, that's certainly the end of the world!!!

 

For me, what makes Princess special are the crew, the ships, and the itineraries. If not having a mint on my pillow was a deal breaker, I would have to do a real deep soul search as to why I felt so entitled. 

 

One poster mentioned bringing your own chocolates.  So today....I bought a bag of Dove chocolates.  On sale for $6.99 (for maybe 60 pieces).  It was a tough decision.  I love Milk Chocolate and picked up that bag first.  Then I thought, it's not just for me, so put it back on the shelf and choose an assorted bag instead.  I will share with crew and anyone else who wants to stop by my cabin.  

 

Thanks to whoever came up with that idea.  

[Steelers36]

2 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

One poster mentioned bringing your own chocolates.  So today....I bought a bag of Dove chocolates.  On sale for $6.99 (for maybe 60 pieces).  It was a tough decision.  I love Milk Chocolate and picked up that bag first.  Then I thought, it's not just for me, so put it back on the shelf and choose an assorted bag instead.  I will share with crew and anyone else who wants to stop by my cabin.  

 

Thanks to whoever came up with that idea.  

A vote for Dark being the best!  😉

 

[sonomaphil]

I have three cruises booked, but hearing this, I mean no chocolate on my pillow?  That's where I have to draw the line. My cruise would be ruined without that. Ruined I tell you. 

[Coral]

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

A vote for Dark being the best!  😉

 

Milk all the way.

[cr8tiv1]

18 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

A vote for Dark being the best!  😉

 

This is cruise critic...you have the right to post whatever you want.  Your "opinion" matters.  Thanks for chiming in.

 

Milk Chocolate / Dark Chocolate / Milk Chocolate with Caramel 

[GOARMY]

Sea Hag:  

 

On this cruise, and "Nature Walk" at Icy Straight Point.  We ventured out on our own.  No Guide; but, again, no bear encounters, either.  

 

Overall:  Outstanding Staff from Suite Attendants to Club Class Dining venue.  Positive attitude. 

 

Food, however, mediocre. But, our mission on this particular segment was to provide grandparent "guidance" and coverage for our 2-year old young man.  Enabled his parents to enjoy their first Alaska cruise. 

 

Having done this basic itinerary five previous times on ships ranging from the mega-Discovery to a pre-COVID Silversea 450 passenger "yacht":  Fully anticipated a difference in service levels, specifically food. 

 

Great weather; calm seas; and on-time arrival back at Seattle.  So--no regrets. 

 

GOARMY!

 

  

[ceilidh1]

4 hours ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

I had kind of the opposite experience. I had all but given up with Princess following Covid - from fights to get refunds, cancellation after cancellation, slow eroding of elite amenities, and that darned app, I had all but decided that I was done. I tried out Virgin Voyages in Feb/March and fell head over heels in love. Followed that with NCL Bliss in April (one of my faves) and figured there was no longer "room" for Princess in our lives. BUT I had FCCs and I figured I had nothing to lose, so tried out Discovery back in April. It was one of the best Princess cruises we have ever taken - the ship was outstanding, crew above and beyond, loved all the food, entertainment new and improved. I really could not find one complaint (well, maybe the fact they made us get off at the end of the cruise...) So, I went from "Never Again" to buying 3 more future cruise deposits and then booking a last minute Alaska in 2 weeks and a Galveston sailing in December....

 

My feelings have not changed toward the app, though...

[PacnGoNow]

4 hours ago, cruisejunkie said:

We just returned from the Discovery Alaska cruise and felt disappointed with the over all quality. The ship itself was wonderful, no complaints there.  The extra things that make princess special were lacking. No mints at turn down, no tote bags on first land day, no snacks at bar to name just a few.  Madallion was great for unlocking door but otherwise useless because of poor wifi. No special lotions in bathroom for elite.  Food quality was not up to snuff.   This was our first princess cruise since Covid and we don’t like the changes. Has anyone else felt this way?

I feel what makes Princess “still” special is the crew!  They have made our cruises during the restart fantastic!  

Changes? Yes, we expected that. 

My only gripe is pre cruise, with all the bugs in the App.  Let’s fix it and get on with cruising.

 

[c-boy]

covid claimed the pillow chocolate supplier

 

 

                                            for good .

 

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, billco said:

We have five cruises booked that we are looking forward to, particularly the Solar Eclipse cruise in 2024.

 

Haven't seen you in the roll call for this cruise.