Makes me laugh a little

[Hlitner]

There is a big problem with the OP's position.  In the travel world (not just cruises) everyone has cut-back (with the exception of Explora Journeys).  DW and I have no "loyalty" to anything other than the cruise industry since we have nearly 50 years of cruise experience (17 cruise lines).   Today's issue is the same as always which is about choices.  Which cruise line or lines best fits your wants, needs, and budget?  And if you decide to abandon cruising a perhaps go the All-Inclusive resort route (we also enjoy AIs) you will find cut-backs (and price increases) in that industry.

 

So yes, we can all whine about cut-backs but the real question is where does one turn?  In our case we have done a lot more luxury line cruises (i.e. Seabourn, Explora Journeys, Silverseas, etc) but that is a very expensive option ($700 per passenger day is not unusual).  Among the mass market lines, one needs to consider some changes in their own habits.  For example, MSC is a relatively low cost mass market line, but their upscale Yacht Club is an excellent option (at a price).  Seabourn still has some pretty good deals (about $500 per passenger day) as does Silverseas, but one must shop around and look at different options.  Keep in mind that while the luxury lines have an initial cost that can seem shocking, you should consider that those prices includes suites, tips, drinks, Internet, etc.  We have cruised for weeks on Seabourn and debarked with an onboard account of zero!

 

Another way for cruisers to reduce their own cost is to learn how to be independent travelers.  Cruise line excursions and private tours can be outrageously expensive.  In most cases, folks can do things on their own and actually enjoy themselves a lot more than when stuck on a large group tour.  

 

Hank

 

[Cruise Raider]

39 minutes ago, mistyPA said:

So well stated. Thank you. I agree with all the above. We are Platinum, just 2 or 3 away from Elite. We have traveled RCL(5), NCL(4), CCL(2), Celebrity (1), Holland (1), MSC(1). Princess is by far our favorite and at this point, less likely to cruise on any other cruise line. Might as well maximize the perks of Princess.

 

We are looking forward to the Sun and Star.

 

 

I would be more than happy to get a Royal class ship back here in San Francisco.  
But, I’m with you, the Sun and Star look like they are going to be awesome ships.  if they ever come out to the west coast, I will be jumping on them as often as possible. 
 

[Over from NZ]

I guess the OP is still too busy laughing to drag themselves back to the thread? 🤣

 

[stoneharborlady]

On 11/17/2023 at 4:40 PM, DHP1 said:

Princess has cut back on lot of things after Covid. 

To be fair, ALL of the cruiselines have cut back on a lot of things.

[billco]

I like John Padgett's vision for Princess cruises. I think he is doing a good job under some very challenging circumstances.

[JGmf]

On 11/17/2023 at 7:16 PM, BamaVol said:

I’m new to Princess, therefor I’m pleased. Maybe others would be too if you just looked at each cruise as if it was your first time.

 

Same here.  I think Princess has a quality, value-laden product.  I still do NCL (mostly due to proximity of NYC home port), but actually like Princess more.

[IndyKid]

On December 10th we will sail on our very first Princess cruise and only our 3rd overall, the first two were on RCI. 

 

I go on CC to learn and do a little research, and I watch YT videos as well to see what to expect. I take it all in with a large grain of salt. Do I expect everything to be "perfect" during our voyage? Not hardly. I'm sure we will both have a great time, we won't be lamenting about how "things have changed" since the good 'Ole days because we won't have a historic baseline to compare to. We chose Princess because it ticks all the boxes for us - smaller ship (CB), fewer kids, older clientele, etc. We didn't know anything about the medallion, OceanNow and such but we're looking forward to using it. The idea of relaxing in a hot tub and having drinks brought to me is intriguing. 

 

We're going to relax and enjoy ourselves. If it's not what we expected it to be, well then there are other cruise lines to consider. One of nice things about not having "status" with any cruise line is that we're not beholden to them. We could try Virgin or Celebrity next time.

[Huenemecruiser]

I don't want to be a grumpy old man, so I accept that things will change. The trend from formality to the new more causal attitude, was not appreciated by the long term loyal cruisers, but loved by the new younger passengers. I have found myself moving up the food chain over the years. I still enjoy Princess, but I get a larger cabin and Reserve class now. I also like Azamara cruise line. If Princess and Azamara no longer suits my needs, there are luxury lines that I can try.

The industry has no problem filling cabins lately, so if all of the unhappy people stop cruising, it won't affect them. They must be doing something right.

[Cruisintimer]

On 11/19/2023 at 6:19 AM, kywildcatfanone said:

🤣

I definitely agree with the first line of your last post.  😂

[kywildcatfanone]

6 hours ago, Cruisintimer said:

I definitely agree with the first line of your last post.  😂

You are known for cherry picking someone's comments and ignoring the whole, so this is no surprise.

 

As you have been told before, cruise critic is for discussing everyone's opinions and experiences and they should be respected. 

[Melonn]

We loved having a TV with live TV channels plus free on-demand movies and tv shows.  We also watched a lot of the onboard lectures in our cabin.  So nice to have this option.  

[memoak]

On 11/25/2023 at 8:30 AM, Huenemecruiser said:

I don't want to be a grumpy old man, so I accept that things will change. The trend from formality to the new more causal attitude, was not appreciated by the long term loyal cruisers, but loved by the new younger passengers. I have found myself moving up the food chain over the years. I still enjoy Princess, but I get a larger cabin and Reserve class now. I also like Azamara cruise line. If Princess and Azamara no longer suits my needs, there are luxury lines that I can try.

The industry has no problem filling cabins lately, so if all of the unhappy people stop cruising, it won't affect them. They must be doing something right.

We are in our 70’s and have cruised Princess since 1992. I no longer wear a tie on formal nights and as longer as people wear decent clothes I have  o issue. By cruising Princess even in a discounted suite I can cruise 3-4 times on multi week cruises rather than the so called luxury lines just a few times a year 

[MissP22]

On 11/19/2023 at 1:30 AM, MacMadame said:

Except the US economy is not suffering and is getting better.

You must be listening to the nightly news. 😄

[MissP22]

On 11/17/2023 at 5:53 PM, ldubs said:

 

Costs are up everywhere.   Food quality is down in some cases and not in others.  Elite perks have not disappeared.   I don't understand how any of this would make someone jump to the conclusion Princess no longer cares about existing older customers.  I think Princess cares about retaining existing customers as well as growing new customers.  In my opinion, good or bad, the attempt to balance fares against the experience has tilted towards the low fare side of the scale.  

While they might not all be Elite perks, it sure feels like it.

i.e.

Loyalty credit

Coffee card trade in for setup.

Internet allowance.

 

 

[MacMadame]

16 hours ago, MissP22 said:

You must be listening to the nightly news. 😄

I never watch the news. I value my brain cells. 😉

I read the data when it comes out every month. Job creation has been better than expected every month recently and inflation is slowing. Other economic measures show us recovering better than other countries. Oh, and my 401k has grown dramatically in just the past 30 days. (Thank goodness as retirement is imminent.) TPTB just need to put a stop to all this price gouging that's masking all the good news.

[MissP22]

8 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I never watch the news. I value my brain cells. 😉

I read the data when it comes out every month. Job creation has been better than expected every month recently and inflation is slowing. Other economic measures show us recovering better than other countries. Oh, and my 401k has grown dramatically in just the past 30 days. (Thank goodness as retirement is imminent.) TPTB just need to put a stop to all this price gouging that's masking all the good news.

Hang in there, we're due for a major correction. 

[Cruise Raider]

On 11/25/2023 at 8:30 AM, Huenemecruiser said:

I don't want to be a grumpy old man, so I accept that things will change. The trend from formality to the new more causal attitude, was not appreciated by the long term loyal cruisers, but loved by the new younger passengers. I have found myself moving up the food chain over the years. I still enjoy Princess, but I get a larger cabin and Reserve class now. I also like Azamara cruise line. If Princess and Azamara no longer suits my needs, there are luxury lines that I can try.

The industry has no problem filling cabins lately, so if all of the unhappy people stop cruising, it won't affect them. They must be doing something right.

I think you just referred to us as being younger .. love that so much!  
Actually, we are long term and pretty loyal cruisers but not so young anymore.  We have cruised on many of the mainstream cruiselines and absolutely love the experience that Princess offers and so pretty much stick with them now.  
We ventured back out onto Celebrity, which used to be my favorite line of all and found it to be rather boring for us now.  I missed too many of the aspects that make me so happy on Princess. They are getting pricey, though… but what hasn’t?  I will still cruise when I can afford to do so.