Open letter to Princess President John Padgett

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, ORB said:

I think it is possible we were on the Crown at the same time as the OP.  Although we weren't bothered by some of what he mentions, there were definitely some serious problems, seemingly due to being understaffed.  This showed up most in the food service, of course.

 

It was rare for more than one Buffet line to be open.  Even on Embarkation Day, only one line was open for Lunch.  The rear stations in the Caribe Cafe were never opened for the entire cruise.

 

For at least the first three days, the dinner reservation times were fiction.  For example, on Day 2 we had a 7:20 reservation, got in the line at 7:05, and at 7:30 when the length of the line indicated we would probably be there another hour, we managed to grab a reservation at Sabatini's.

 

On Day 4 things started improving, noticably.  We happened to be waiting to board our excursion bus in one port when I was able to count 27 new crew members coming on board.

 

We were able to talk to several who had cruised other Princess ships within the past six weeks or so, and they indicated the problems were unusual.

 

So will we cruise Princess again?  I'm sure we will, but I am not sure that is the answer I would have given on Day 2 or 3.

I had a recent cruise on the Crown.  The shortage of staff for the buffet was very noticeable, as was the check in process for the MDR, by far the worst of any of the 6 Princess ships I have been on in the last year.  I was able to work around both issues and after the first night had a table assigned for hte rest of the cruise that I could just go to directly without having to check in (we dine MDR so we can catch all of the evening entertainment). It also depend upon which dining room.  The stern dining rooms seem to have the most problems. The mid-ship dining rooms seem to do better.

 

On the other hand the Buffet on Discovery Princess, which we got off of today, was the best I have ever seen on a Princess ship and the MDR check in process was pretty smooth.  Pretty much everything was pretty much back to pre-Covid (entertainment, operations, etc).  The only area I would comment on in my survey is that MDR service speed would get slow once a waiter's service area got totally filled, so out first courses would go very quickly but dessert would take as long as the earlier courses.  They need either smaller areas ro go back to the main and asst waiter model.

 

As the ships get back to full capacity staffing and services are returning.

Edited January 21, 2023 by ldtr

[Guest ldtr]

58 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I am guessing both will be taken with a grain of salt.

 

But to defend the OP it sounds like a lot of issues worth headquarters checking into.

A lot of seasoned passengers are finding post covid cruises not being up to their usual standard.

I am guessing perhaps a few things like technical stuff could be addressed.

 

I found the letter while long was more annoying as there were no spacing or paragraphs.

Keep in mind that half of the issues were not about operational issues, which the cruise line would be interested in (food quality, service times, Buffet staffing, MDR check in times).  These are areas where I expect the cruise line would be working to improve and would like to be notified of short comings.

 

Many if not most of the OPs complaints were sour grapes about policy decisions that are extremely unlikely to have any chance of being reversed: the chair removal, the nighttime chocolate, the change of internet from a few free minutes to 50% discount on unlimited,  implementation of medallion, the elimination of the loyalty OBC as well as some others.  The blue bags and the special toiletries might come back if they are supply issues, but not if they are policy decisions and they are likely gone for good.

 

If one is basing upon their future cruising on Princess on the operational issues then letting Princess how they feel on those subjects may yield benefits for them.  If they are focused on the policy changes then Princess may not be the line for them in the future.

[MISTER 67]

On 1/19/2023 at 10:16 PM, Kruzkrazy said:

Mr. Padgett:
As a longtime Carnival stockholder and elite Princess cruiser with nearly 500 days at sea with your line, I fully understand that your ships have recently been idle for two years, making no money and piling on enormous debt. You needed to make changes. I get this. If you believe nothing else I write, you can believe that.
That said, I must convey to you my enormous disappointment in Princess after a recent 10-day cruise I took with my wife. In fact, Princess now seems an entirely different cruise line, and not for the better.
It all began weeks before we even boarded the Crown Princess, when our Medallions arrived in the mail. The shortcomings of this ill-conceived piece of technological rubbish have been well-documented in this forum, and I'll not waste my time and yours by rehashing all that. I'll just say that you would have done well to do some meaningful beta testing before foisting it on your paying customers. Frankly, it's an insult to us. In fairness, however, it does make a nice refigerator magnet, as another contributor to Cruise Critic has noted. Enough said about that.
Now, to embarkation day at the San Pedro cruise terminal in California. There was, in theory, a separate check-in line for elite passengers, as always. But the Princess employee was interested only in maintaining lines of equal length, and was unaware that the elite line should have been much shorter, benefitting your most loyal customers. The sign saying so was unmistakable. Clearly, she was ill-trained for her job.
Some other problems regarding elite passengers:
-- We always received a $35-per-person onboard credit. That is now gone.
-- No special toiletries in the bathroom, as in the past.
-- No more free internet, just a discount on the regular package. Gee, thanks a lot.
It is painfully clear, Mr. Padgett, that you no longer want our business. What you do want is a younger crowd that will accept your rampant nickel-and-diming without complaint. New passengers have no way of knowing what they are now missing.Your most loyal, longtime customers have become just another burden to be disposed of.
But these problems are not the end. With no corner left uncut, you have degraded the cruising experience in other ways as well:
 -- MDR food quality onboard has taken a huge hit. Portions are smaller. I almost needed a chain saw to cut my veal scaloppine. In Crown Grill, same thing. Our traveling companions ordered "tiger prawns" that turned out to be ordinary shrimp, barely an inch long. Steaks came with no sauces offered.
-- Dine My Way is a chaotic mess. What was wrong with two MDR seatings at set times?
-- You have removed the club chairs from all non-suite cabins. Why? Is it too expensive to maintain and clean them? Or have you simply cut your staff to the point that you now have no one to do it?
-- There are no longer any trash receptacles at the elevator stops. They used to be placed at every one, on all floors. No staffers to empty them, eh?
-- No padded loungers on the exterior promenade deck. Just hard, uncomfortable, upright wooden chairs. It used to be a pleasure to sit out there and just watch the ocean go by on a beautiful day. What's the matter, Mr. Padgett? Oh, right. I get it. You don't want me just having a lazy day relaxing outside. You want me inside, drinking, gambling and spending money in your overpriced shops.
-- No more chocolates on the pillows at night. Is this a small thing? You bet. Is it too small to complain about? Not at all, because it gives a perfect insight into your cut-everything-to-the-bone mindset. If the repeat passengers miss it, too bad. You don't want us anyway. The newbies will never know that the chocolates used to be there. As I said, I understand that you're in a financial hole now. But is saving money on an item as small as this worth deliberately antagonizing your biggest fans?
-- The automatic, even-though-I-don't-want-them floor-level night lights that went on in the middle of the  night every time I stepped out of bed. Or even if my sheet dangled over the side. And  the big  one outside the bathroom that awakened my wife every time.  What, we're such children that you can't trust us to get to the toilet without your help?
-- Last, but certainly not least, here's an item I just can't comprehend: An electronic panel outside my cabin door where I'm supposed to indicate whether I want my cabin serviced or just don't want to be disturbed. Trouble is, I'm standing right there with my medallion, which keeps unlocking the door and forcing me to keep reprogramming my preference, which never seems to work. My cabin steward finally told me to forget about it; nobody else could get it to work either. I mean, really, sir, what was wrong with the old-fashioned cardboard signs we'd hang on the door handle as we left the cabin? Are you so maniacally committed to electronics that you must simply have them everywhere, even when they make no sense whatever? Yuh
In short, Mr. Padgett, you win. You are rid of my wife and me. We will now take our money, and our combined 1,000 days at sea, and go where we can get a little appreciation.
There. Happy now?
KK

Interesting because I could have written the same letter to the President of Holland America.

A lot of complaints on the Celebrity boards too, Princess HAL and Celebrity are our favorite lines and we are done with HAL after a lousy cruise last month, the food was horrible with very small portions, the entertainment was a joke. We sail with Celebrity in April and hope things are better with them. We are looking at a fall cruise with Princess. 

[MISTER 67]

23 hours ago, Sprocket said:

I have been on 5 different ships and cruised 96 days since December 2021 ranging from 5 days to 30 most recently.

Have there been changes during that time?  Definitely but I enjoyed each and every day I cruised.  Did a modified Chefs table through the Casino Department in August and learned a little about how they order provisions and how they deal with the same supply chain issues we experience.  They are restricted to certain vendors and we were advised orders are placed 6 months in advance.  So IMO they are doing the absolute best they can under the present circumstances.  I also appreciate I can easily make substitutions or alter the size of my entrees in the MDR honestly a half order of fettucine is more than enough for a main for me.  

After the first night on two ships I requested a mattress topper and it was done asap and I was happy to tip both stewards for their extra effort and slept better than at home.

 

We have a B2B in April booked and literally cannot wait to be back on board.  Oh yeah we did experience one disappointment on our 30 day cruise, I could not reach the casino department to extend our time on the Crown by another 10 days or book the Discovery leaving the day after we disembarked.  But my fault I left it too late.

 

We've been on 7 cruises since the restart, 2 on Princess, 3 on Celebrity and 2 on HAL. The Princess cruises were in the fall of 2021 and were as good as ever but the ship was only half full on both cruises. the Celebrity cruises were even better but the 2 HAL cruises were not that good.

It seems like Jan 1st, 2023 came and just about all the lines cutback on quite a few things, I've read a lot of threads from very unhappy cruisers. It will be interesting to see where things are in 6 months or so to see what kind of impact all the changes will have with passengers.

[Jmanly]

On 1/20/2023 at 2:41 PM, PRINCESS Sweet Pea said:

 

My apologies to those who think everything on Princess is perfect.  It isn't.  Nothing is.

 

 

 

 

 

I find that very little in life is perfect, but I still enjoy it. Everything changes and if you can't just roll with it, you will be miserable as demonstrated by your letter. 

[deliver42]

Boy, talk about entitlement. Elite, Elite, Elite. Who cares?

[ORB]

2 hours ago, ldtr said:

I had a recent cruise on the Crown.  The shortage of staff for the buffet was very noticeable, as was the check in process for the MDR, by far the worst of any of the 6 Princess ships I have been on in the last year.  I was able to work around both issues and after the first night had a table assigned for hte rest of the cruise that I could just go to directly without having to check in (we dine MDR so we can catch all of the evening entertainment). It also depend upon which dining room.  The stern dining rooms seem to have the most problems. The mid-ship dining rooms seem to do better.

 

On the other hand the Buffet on Discovery Princess, which we got off of today, was the best I have ever seen on a Princess ship and the MDR check in process was pretty smooth.  Pretty much everything was pretty much back to pre-Covid (entertainment, operations, etc).  The only area I would comment on in my survey is that MDR service speed would get slow once a waiter's service area got totally filled, so out first courses would go very quickly but dessert would take as long as the earlier courses.  They need either smaller areas ro go back to the main and asst waiter model.

 

As the ships get back to full capacity staffing and services are returning.

I'd be interested in knowing how you managed to get that permanent table assignment!

 

Otherwise, I find your post very encouraging.  We aren't particularly loyal to a single line, but Princess was hitherto on the short list of those we have preferred.  Our conversations with other passengers led us to suspect the issues we were experiencing were due more to problems on the Crown than problems fleet-wide.

[Guest ldtr]

14 minutes ago, ORB said:

I'd be interested in knowing how you managed to get that permanent table assignment!

 

Otherwise, I find your post very encouraging.  We aren't particularly loyal to a single line, but Princess was hitherto on the short list of those we have preferred.  Our conversations with other passengers led us to suspect the issues we were experiencing were due more to problems on the Crown than problems fleet-wide.

The process is pretty simple.  First of all we used the App to establish reservations at the same time for each night of the cruise for the two of us.  We tend to eat early in order to catch the activities during the evening.  If we have a late excursion we will use the app to cancel that night and do something else.

 

On the first night of the cruise, if we like the table we were given, on the way out of the dining room we stop by the check in desk and ask if we can have that table for the rest of the cruise.  Since we eat early there is no problem with earlier diners potentially not vacating the table in time.  So far that process has worked on 6 out of 6 cruises on 4 different ships we have done during the past year, as well as a few the year before.

 

On the Crown they just had us go directly to the table no need to check in (probably because their check in process was so slow compared to the other ships), on the other ships we still had to check in but got the same table each night.

Edited January 22, 2023 by ldtr

[JimmyVWine]

Serious question (to the extent that the subject matter itself can be considered serious).  One of the gripes listed that has people heading for the exits is the elimination of the pillow chocolates. So…which of the following is true of Princess’ mass market competitors?

1—They provided pillow chocolates and still do;

2—The used to provide pillow chocolates and have now stopped; or

3—They never provided pillow chocolates and still don’t?

 

If the answer is either 2 or 3, how is quitting Princess and moving to another cruise line where one has no loyalty level benefits a positive move?

[ORB]

19 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Serious question (to the extent that the subject matter itself can be considered serious).  One of the gripes listed that has people heading for the exits is the elimination of the pillow chocolates. So…which of the following is true of Princess’ mass market competitors?

1—They provided pillow chocolates and still do;

2—The used to provide pillow chocolates and have now stopped; or

3—They never provided pillow chocolates and still don’t?

 

If the answer is either 2 or 3, how is quitting Princess and moving to another cruise line where one has no loyalty level benefits a positive move?

Carnival never did, to my knowledge.  Royal Caribbean stopped some ten or eleven years ago.  HAL was still giving them out before COVID, but I haven't sailed recently.  Celebrity was still giving them when we sailed last year.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

Serious question (to the extent that the subject matter itself can be considered serious).  One of the gripes listed that has people heading for the exits is the elimination of the pillow chocolates. So…which of the following is true of Princess’ mass market competitors?

1—They provided pillow chocolates and still do;

2—The used to provide pillow chocolates and have now stopped; or

3—They never provided pillow chocolates and still don’t?

 

If the answer is either 2 or 3, how is quitting Princess and moving to another cruise line where one has no loyalty level benefits a positive move?

 

You omitted 4 - Don't know & don't care. 😁

 

I never thought any of the pillow chocolates were very good.  Truly don't understand how people get all giddy about them.   

[DCThunder]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

You omitted 4 - Don't know & don't care. 😁

 

I never thought any of the pillow chocolates were very good.  Truly don't understand how people get all giddy about them.   

This is the BEST answer of the entire thread. +100000

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, DCThunder said:

This is the BEST answer of the entire thread. +100000

Agree 100%. And yet things like this cause some people to write letters to the C-Suite and others to cancel bookings. It’s a vacation people. Maybe I’m easy to please but until you get to the level of sewage backing up in the toilet or brawling, drunken guests, I’m having a good time. 

[dog]

59 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Agree 100%. And yet things like this cause some people to write letters to the C-Suite and others to cancel bookings. It’s a vacation people. Maybe I’m easy to please but until you get to the level of sewage backing up in the toilet or brawling, drunken guests, I’m having a good time. 

I think everyone has a valid opinion on what they find unacceptable when they are paying for something.

Posting on here sets one up to be “put down”.

I consider myself very fortunate that my 2 post pandemic cruises delivered what I expected. And both were at 1/2 capacity.

There has been lots of grumbling about the technology Princess has moved to with Medallions, app etc., and rightly so.

However, this is the future. At a recent trip staying at a Disney Resort we found using their app to be so efficient. 
Just my opinion. Flame if you must.

[damiross]

2 hours ago, DCThunder said:

This is the BEST answer of the entire thread. +100000

We would collect them and eat them at home when we got a chocolate fixation.

 

They taste okay.  The main thing I liked about them was that it actually made me feel like I was in a very glitzy hotel.

[DHP1]

2 hours ago, dog said:

I think everyone has a valid opinion on what they find unacceptable when they are paying for something.

Posting on here sets one up to be “put down”.

I consider myself very fortunate that my 2 post pandemic cruises delivered what I expected. And both were at 1/2 capacity.

There has been lots of grumbling about the technology Princess has moved to with Medallions, app etc., and rightly so.

However, this is the future. At a recent trip staying at a Disney Resort we found using their app to be so efficient. 
Just my opinion. Flame if you must.

Well said. 

[Arwen]

Recently, we were on the Crown Princess for a 10 Day Mexican Riviera.  I did not notice all of the things that the OP pointed out.

 

What did stand out:  no chocolates on our pillow each night.  And yes, that was missed.  Tradition becomes a strong point with loyal cruisers.  That is really being 'skint'.  

 

They definitely have cut down on staff.  We had a lovely room 'stewardess'.  But the first few days we had to request TP, room not cleaned.  No big deal.  Later on, our steward, was able to do what was necessary, but it was definitely not the same as before COVID.  Not her fault.  

 

Horizon court.  Food was excellent (IMHO), but again, fewer staff to serve coffee/tea/juice. Port days were the best for overall service.  

 

The light to the bathroom door is awful!  Too bright!  Please Princess, put a lower watt light in!

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Arwen

[DHP1]

20 hours ago, dhdoug said:

Being an Elite cruiser with Princess is one reason that’s it’s hard to give up the benefits but very close to moving to another cruise line. Recently inquired with Princess agent who I have dealt with in the past about the cost to upgrade to premium from plus. After 3 days with no response resent email. Received response with a statement that he didn’t have time to immediately respond to my question and gave me the general customer service phone.  

Princess your customers deserve better. 

I have been waiting a month now for my PVP to reply. 

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, DHP1 said:

I have been waiting a month now for my PVP to reply. 

why have you not had it escalated beyond that person - a month??? by day 2 that is not acceptable and move on

[Mademypoint]

I don't understand why someone with 500+ days at sea should have their email treated different than someone who goes on their first cruise and has issues far more significant than not being able to use a fork to cut veal. 

It always seems that there's some sense of entitlement for elites on every cruise line where their issues are more important than everyone else's and "you need to" "or else". I can't imagine what it must be like at the get togethers, where every one expects to be the first one served. I've heard of fights breaking out, I guess this is a great example of the expectations one has when they are elite.

 

I'm guessing based upon how unhappy you were that you removed your gratuities as well since you'd decided before you got off that you aren't going to spend anymore money on them "unless" they give you your chocolates? 

 

And I'm sure there's someone out there somewhere who is legally blind who is thrilled those lights exist and can help them find the bathroom in the middle of the night. 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Mademypoint

[kirtihk]

On 1/20/2023 at 5:18 AM, SargassoPirate said:

As one of the Elite old-timers, I can see the OP's points and feel his/her frustration with the changes before and after Covid.  However, changes are happening across the cruise industry and one can either adapt, or quit cruising.  There are many ships and lines to choose from. And there are many ways to adapt to changes over which we have no control.

 

Don't like the nightlights with the sensors?  Cover the sensor with some painters tape.

 

No club chairs in the cabin?  I bought a  fold-up camp chair at Wally World before my most recent cruise out of Fort L.  When I wanted to sit somewhere besides the bed, I had a chair.  Carried it on at embarkation and donated it to the crew at the end.

 

Don't like the MDR food portions and the disorganization?  I ate my dinners in the Horizon Court or just enjoyed the spread at the Elite lounge.  Both venues had good food, were not as noisy, took up less time, and I could walk in anytime and my table was ready with attentive staff nearby if I needed anything.

 

Don't like the Medallion app?  Don't use it.  The servers will soon recognize you and take your drink orders, especially if you greet them with a smile and some conversation.

 

Dollar for dollar, cruising is a great way to travel and any day at sea beats any day at the office.

 

 

 

 

Each item on its own is justified; however, a dozen (or more) of them combined makes pleasure and total relaxation (needed and expected by buying an expensive vacation) going away for many (we actually, are not in that group of many but completely understand their feeling regarding these matters).  It’s not discussible, it’s just a matter of fact.

Edited January 22, 2023 by kirtihk

[memoak]

What I don’t get is if the changes make you miserable than why do you continue to cruise with the line and/or post to this board ?  I for one love the lights to show me the way to the bathroom

[Almagetty]

8 minutes ago, memoak said:

What I don’t get is if the changes make you miserable than why do you continue to cruise with the line and/or post to this board ?  I for one love the lights to show me the way to the bathroom

I liked the lights, too! After reading so much about them, I boarded armed with bandaids and tape, prepared to disarm them. And then I found them to be helpful . Go figure …

[JimmyVWine]

3 hours ago, dog said:

There has been lots of grumbling about the technology Princess has moved to with Medallions, app etc., and rightly so

I guess I have been lucky. I haven’t experienced any of the hiccups that others have. Granted, I don’t stream Netflix movies or post “Live From” threads filled with photos. But I have found the Wi-Fi and Medallion app to be functional and a nice enhancement. 

[nasa1974]

1 hour ago, Arwen said:

Recently, we were on the Crown Princess for a 10 Day Mexican Riviera.  I did not notice all of the things that the OP pointed out.

 

What did stand out:  no chocolates on our pillow each night.  And yes, that was missed.  Tradition becomes a strong point with loyal cruisers. 

 

The light to the bathroom door is awful!  Too bright!  Please Princess, put a lower watt light in!

 

 

The chocolates on the pillow at night was nice and it made my wife feel special. But we never ate them all so we would bring them home to eat later. After a few months sitting in a zip lock bag in the cupboard they would get tossed. Honestly, I won't miss the chocolates when I sail in October.

Now the light going to the bathroom sounds interesting. I always packed a small LED light that I would plug into the outlet in the bathroom to help us find our way in the middle of the night. I'll pack some painters tape and my LED light just in case.