Princess' latest PR, to position themselves as a more mainstream (non Carnival/RCI) family cruise.

[Wishing on a star]

And, not focusing on being more upscale, and catering more to adults.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGAs8Se0bHs

 

[azbirdmom]

They've been trying to do that for a while, they need to aim younger to fill the ships going forward.  As long as they don't completely alienate the rest of us I'm OK with this.

Edited November 16, 2022 by azbirdmom

[iamaqt2]

Princess can advertise to families, but families aren't going to flock to Princess.  The ships just don't have the amenities to keep kids busy and entertained for a week at a time. 

[dreaminofcruisin]

The video also states "Room for 4 in all stateroom types"....

ummmm.....yeah they have a FEW.....and maybe the new Sun Princess will have that, but the existing fleet has a pathetic selection of rooms for 4. I just booked a family trip and had to book mini-suites because there were so few rooms that accomodated 4. Not a last minute thing either....it's in 2024!!!

 

🤷‍♀️

[Arizona Wildcat]

My grandkids who are late teens and 20s would rather be on Royal.  They want climbing walls and similar stuff.  They are not, however, into the Carnival party till you drop scene.

[Asquare]

I wish we would have taken our kids to Alaska when they were pre-teens.  I thought the promo video hit the spot.  It would depend on the family dynamics as to whether they were bored or underwhelmed.  We never did amusement parks so I feel like as long as the family had an off ship experience everyday and access to a pool we would have been fine.  Dining looks to be Princess biggest weakness when it comes to families; MDR is too fussy but buffets are not ideal either.

[MichiganFisherman]

I'd like to comment on this. I have two teenage daughters who are 13 and 15. They have cruised around 7 times with us on various lines. They've done MSC, Royal, NCL, Carnival and we sail HAL next month. My wife and I are in our 40s and I just booked the Emerald princess to Hawaii for 16 days next year with the wife and kids. My wife and I have sailed Princess in the past but the reason for booking this Hawaii cruise with them was the price. It was actually hundreds cheaper than a Carnival 15 day to Hawaii that offered zero perks unlike Princess plus. It was also cheaper than NCL, Royal and Celebrity. Experienced cruising families in these economic times will seek out the best deal they can no matter which line and if its Princess over Carnival that even better yet. Today, the lines want the revenue that families like mine bring. Four cruisers instead of two. We get drink packages, specialty dining, we will shop on board , and we will book cruise excursions for four. This is what they want. Princess isn't satisfied with older couples who may be frugal and not spend much on board. Families are key to the futures of Princess, Holland, and Celebrity. My kids have cruised enough to know that destination excursions and fine dining are more important than go carts as they have been there and done that. Princes knows where the money is looking forward.

Edited November 16, 2022 by MichiganFisherman

[MissP22]

It would take literally years to change the Princess image from the image they've built over the years. It just doesn't have what it takes to entice younger families to sail Princess. There are some families that are still attracted to Princess the way they are today, but is that enough to carry them into the future?

The older folks are dyeing off slowly but what I don't quite grasp is why they didn't make some major changes (like RCI & NCL) in their newer ships to attract a younger crowd with kids. 

[MichiganFisherman]

22 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

The older folks are dyeing off slowly but what I don't quite grasp is why they didn't make some major changes (like RCI & NCL) in their newer ships to attract a younger crowd with kids. 

I agree with this statement as well. We may be different but if you really do want to attract families, especially first time families, the offerings on the Princess ships to keep kids occupied aren't there compared to others. Families won't choose princess for a 7 day caribbean. A 16 day Hawaii like we did ? ..... maybe. I agree with touchy statement that older cruisers used to tradional old school cruising are dying off. Look at Vegas, it has become a family destination..... 

Edited November 16, 2022 by MichiganFisherman

[Wishing on a star]

I agree that a change in PR does not make any changes to the reality of Princess' ships!

There are some families today that might actually choose Princess, for what it is.

But, most families today want a far more 'theme park' vacation. 

It is a different world, for sure.

 

P22,  we haven't seen everything there is to see about the new SUN.  But, some things suggest at least some kind of water-slide, coaster, type of thing. I don't believe we will see a waterpark area with flowriders and climbing walls, but I think they might offer more than the current ships.

 

I also believe that they are changing up some of the dining options, to be more like Carnival and other lines.  With intersting options other than the MDRs and the 'adult' speciality restaurants.

 

If Princess comes thru with the 'Miami - South beach' vibe in the new Dome at night, then that would really be something!!!

 

And, how many families have cruised together because Mom and Dad  (Grandma and Grandpa) are planning this and helping to pay the expenses so they can be together with the grandkids.  Sometimes the older generation chooses.  So this would def. appeal to them.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Wishing on a star

[Princessfan20]

33 minutes ago, MichiganFisherman said:

 maybe. I agree with touchy statement that older cruisers used to tradional old school cruising are dying off. Look at Vegas, it has become a family destination..... 

 

Las Vegas in the 1990's did try to attract families and they did succeed in attracting families.  However, they soon learned that kids do not drink, gamble and caused their parents to spend more time with the kids and not visit the casinos.  When they did gamble kids were often left alone which created another whole set of problems.  Las Vegas has gone back to its' roots of Sin City and has been averaging 1.3 billion dollars a month in gambling revenue on the Strip the last 18 months.  

 

I have a feeling Princess will find out that families will not spend the money that the demographics they have now do.  I know very few families who could afford a Princess World cruise let alone have the time to take one.

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Princessfan20

[ScottsSweetie]

3 hours ago, MichiganFisherman said:

. . .  Look at Vegas, it has become a family destination..... 

 

3 hours ago, Princessfan20 said:

 

Las Vegas in the 1990's did try to attract families and they did succeed in attracting families.  However, they soon learned that kids do not drink, gamble and caused their parents to spend more time with the kids and not visit the casinos.  When they did gamble kids were often left alone which created another whole set of problems.  Las Vegas has gone back to its' roots of Sin City and has been averaging 1.3 billion dollars a month in gambling revenue on the Strip the last 18 months.  

 

 

 

Have you seen their newest advertisement campaign on tv ads? The new ads are literally saying don't bring the kids to Vegas. I guess they've decided it's not family friendly after all. 

 

I have cruised often but never on Princess (first time next week). I can assure you that the advertisement depicted above with all of the young people with kids has not been my perception of the typical Princess passenger. I think the current TV show is also trying to convince us that there are lots of young people on the ships. It will be interesting to see what changes Princess makes going forward to capture a new (or expanded) clientele.

[Wishing on a star]

Princessfan, Interesting point about the revenues!   But. the same thing could be said for other cruise lines that actively appeal to, and book, a LOT of families. 

 

Princess wants people onboard.   And, if they think they can put out some PR and appeal to the RCI demographic, they will try.   I don't see this as being a huge success.   And, personally, I don't like to book travel during the timeframes that most families with kids are traveling.   It makes an incredible difference in crowds, vibe, experience.

 

I also do not see Vegas as a family destination, at all.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Wishing on a star

[iamaqt2]

My 2 cents, which aren't worth much, but as a family who has cruised only Princess, HAL, and MSC, my kids aren't lining up to make Princess cruise vacations their priority.  We cruised for the itinerary, but the product left a LOT to be desired in appealing to kids.  Now that they're grown, they won't even cruise at all.

[fpsphil]

As someone who grew up on Princess cruises I have carried my love for them into my adulthood and will pass it down as well. I think RCL and NCL with all their gimmicks is cheesy.

[caribill]

As pointed out earlier in this thread, to really increase bookings by families, Princess will need more cabins that can comfortably sleep 3 or 4 passengers.

[MissP22]

8 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

P22,  we haven't seen everything there is to see about the new SUN.  But, some things suggest at least some kind of water-slide, coaster, type of thing. I don't believe we will see a waterpark area with flowriders and climbing walls, but I think they might offer more than the current ships.

Which is basically nothing. Over all they years with newer designs Princess has never once included anything that would appeal to the younger generations.

We shall soon see.

[MichiganFisherman]

5 hours ago, ScottsSweetie said:

 

Have you seen their newest advertisement campaign on tv ads? The new ads are literally saying don't bring the kids to Vegas. I guess they've decided it's not family friendly after all. 

 

 

Took my teenage girls to Vegas Las year for 8 days. 4 days at the Mirage and 4 at Mandalay Bay. It was an amazing family vacation.  Saw lots of shows, great dining, great shopping, pools and water parks, roller coasters, arcades, went to Valley of Fire tours, Grand Canyon tours from Vegas, Hoover Dam .... Great time with the teens. 

[sparks1093]

DW and I are looking seriously at booking with Princess (just waiting for the 2025 itineraries) and in all of the research that I've done so far if it is just DW and I and a few other adults Princess might be the choice, but if there are any kiddos in the party then it's more likely to be Carnival. Even the smallest Carnival ship has at least a splash zone and water slides. Attracting families is more than just running ads, there needs something onboard to keep their attention.

[Roberto256]

8 hours ago, ScottsSweetie said:

 

Have you seen their newest advertisement campaign on tv ads? The new ads are literally saying don't bring the kids to Vegas. I guess they've decided it's not family friendly after all. 

I think they are still upset that Nick Papagiorgio won four cars.

 

[Princessfan20]

4 hours ago, MichiganFisherman said:

Took my teenage girls to Vegas Las year for 8 days. 4 days at the Mirage and 4 at Mandalay Bay. It was an amazing family vacation.  Saw lots of shows, great dining, great shopping, pools and water parks, roller coasters, arcades, went to Valley of Fire tours, Grand Canyon tours from Vegas, Hoover Dam .... Great time with the teens. 

 

Vegas can be fun because there are a lot of sights to see.  However, kids are not allowed to play in the casinos and there are many pools and clubs that families have no access to because they are designed to be strictly for adult partying during the day and night.  Most people do not see Princess as being a cruise line catering to families.

[junglejane]

15 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Princess can advertise to families, but families aren't going to flock to Princess.  The ships just don't have the amenities to keep kids busy and entertained for a week at a time. 

Families are not one size fits all. Not everyone wants their cruise vacation filled with waterslides, etc. Also, there are different types of cruises. Especially for a port intensive cruise, you're less likely to care about that stuff when there aren't many sea days and you're off the ship all day. We took our kids on about 16 cruises when they were between 4-18. Only one was on RCL, 10 on Princess,  4 on Celebrity and 1 Cunard. We did 2 Mediterranean cruises, 1 British Isles, 1 Baltic, 1 Alaska,  1 crossing on the QM2, with the rest Mexican Riviera or Caribbean.

Has anyone else noticed a resistance to cruising among young adults due to environmental concerns, missing out on local night life, and a general feeling it's "uncool." My D is planning her honeymoon and they initially put down a deposit on a Med cruise during the Love Boat sale, but her fiance wants to cancel and do a land trip for those reasons I just mentioned.

[MissP22]

No mater what they do today, it's going to take years to change the connotation of Princess being a ship for older folks. 

i.e.. Carnival= Party ship for young singles.

        HAL= Only for the old folks that like lectures. 

        NCL= Mix of young & middle age.

        Celebrity= Middle age tradition style cruising.

        Princess= Lots of old folks that prefer traditional cruising. 10 PM bedtime.

😁😁

[fpsphil]

27 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

No mater what they do today, it's going to take years to change the connotation of Princess being a ship for older folks. 

i.e.. Carnival= Party ship for young singles.

        HAL= Only for the old folks that like lectures. 

        NCL= Mix of young & middle age.

        Celebrity= Middle age tradition style cruising.

        Princess= Lots of old folks that prefer traditional cruising. 10 PM bedtime.

😁😁

While most of the ship goes to bed at 10, there are places that keep going pretty late. Love the ships late in the evening when everyone's already sleeping

[Wishing on a star]

Jane, yes, I can see what you are saying about the so called 'bad connotations' of cruising.

 

But, you know what,  I do not, ever, make my decisions based on 'ideology'. 

If I wanted to fly to Europe and see one specific area, then that is what I would do.

If I wanted to see more places and sights in Europe and enjoy being at sea and everything that cruising has to offer, then that is what I would do.

 

If people are going to fly to Europe on an airplane, stay at hotels or home/villa rentals, use transportation to get to sights and places that are not walkable, eat at restaurants, etc...   Then.....  well....

 

Each generation is going to have their own incentives and desires.

Right now, TONS and TONS and TONS of people are choosing to cruise.

Could that change, for the reasons you mentioned.

Maybe.

But, right now, the demand for cruising does not reflect that.

More ships, ports, sailings, every year.