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[nini]

34 minutes ago, IndyKid said:

Celebrity was one that we considered before choosing Princess. Just curious, what was it about Celebrity that you didn't like?

 

There are those on these boards who vehemently protest our experience on the Celebrity Reflection (pre-covid), close to implying that we are dishonest about our experience. We were not new to cruising in 2018.

1. Demeanor was snooty/ nose upturned attitudes from the crew. We wanted to relax in the Sky Observation Lounge one afternoon and a person met us at the entrance asking us for our invitation. She was very snooty when telling us that we were not of the upper class (had not cruised enough with Celebrity) to be there.

2. The bartenders never smiled, were very rude. I was told in a very derogatory manner that my beverage package only included two white wines.

3. Our first dinner in the dining room took about 3 hours. The service was horrid, very slow, unfriendly and aloof. And the food was mediocre.

4. Therefore, we ate in the buffet most of the time. No one ever smiled. After 12 days, I think one staff member asked if we wanted to order beverages. The tables were rarely cleared of dishes. Flies buzzed around and landed on the food- right where the stir fry cook was standing and other places. They did nothing to cover the food. On Princess, there are staff constantly asking if they can get you coffee, water, juice, cocktails, etc. There are also many clearing off the tables and clearing dishes.

5. The ship felt dark and enclosed. We are used to the bright and open atriums on Princess.

6. EVERY show on the Reflection included an aerial acrobatic act....

 

We loved our itinerary and did private (not through the ship) tours. Our cabin steward was a sweetheart and we tipped him extra.

 

[IndyKid]

2 minutes ago, nini said:

 

There are those on these boards who vehemently protest our experience on the Celebrity Reflection (pre-covid), close to implying that we are dishonest about our experience. We were not new to cruising in 2018.

1. Demeanor was snooty/ nose upturned attitudes from the crew. We wanted to relax in the Sky Observation Lounge one afternoon and a person met us at the entrance asking us for our invitation. She was very snooty when telling us that we were not of the upper class (had not cruised enough with Celebrity) to be there.

2. The bartenders never smiled, were very rude. I was told in a very derogatory manner that my beverage package only included two white wines.

3. Our first dinner in the dining room took about 3 hours. The service was horrid, very slow, unfriendly and aloof. And the food was mediocre.

4. Therefore, we ate in the buffet most of the time. No one ever smiled. After 12 days, I think one staff member asked if we wanted to order beverages. The tables were rarely cleared of dishes. Flies buzzed around and landed on the food- right where the stir fry cook was standing and other places. They did nothing to cover the food. On Princess, there are staff constantly asking if they can get you coffee, water, juice, cocktails, etc. There are also many clearing off the tables and clearing dishes.

5. The ship felt dark and enclosed. We are used to the bright and open atriums on Princess.

6. EVERY show on the Reflection included an aerial acrobatic act....

 

We loved our itinerary and did private (not through the ship) tours. Our cabin steward was a sweetheart and we tipped him extra.

 

Wow, not what I would have expected from Celebrity, glad we went with Princess. 

[nini]

1 hour ago, IndyKid said:

Wow, not what I would have expected from Celebrity, glad we went with Princess. 

 

Princess is not perfect, but the contrast is obvious. I hope you will have a great time!

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

Princess & Holland America used to be my go-to cruise lines. I'd been cruising with Princess over 30 years since the days of the original Pacific/Island & Fair/Dawn Princess. Everything I say here is all IMHO based on MY preferences, perceptions, & expectations. 

 

Back in the day Princess was considered an upscale or upper premium line. Over the years as the ships have become increasingly larger & of different design the focus on food & service have deteriorated. Clearly the focus of Princess is onboard revenue production. Princess has a very impersonal corporate hotel feel to it. A lot like some midwestern airport chain hotel. 

 

A 2022 Discovery Princess cruise was confirmation that Princess no longer offers the type of cruise product I'm willing to pay money for.

Ship design being a huge factor. No high up observation lounge, fully encircling promenade deck, no quiet away from the crowds & music nooks & crannies. The main pool area with constant loud pop music & daily action/special effects laden MUTS blaring obnoxious decibels. The adults only & aft pool either too shallow or small for actual swimming. Service in lounges & dining venues hit & miss. Nothing intimate in the approach to service delivery. No remembering drink preferences & being addressed by name. Cabin attendant making it very clear under no uncertain circumstances that cabins would be only serviced in the morning. Don't appreciate coming back from dinner with trash not emptied & used towels not cleared & replaced. All of this is nothing bad per se, but it's also certainly not a fine tuned hospitality industry experience. 

 

I say this as not only a frequent cruiser, but also a person who works in the transportation industry. The transportation/hospitality industry isn't what it was. We're in a different world than say 10, 20+ years ago. Princess is at the price point it is & delivers an experience that matches. This will meet the needs & expectations of many, just not me.

 

I will give Princess another try with the new Sun Princess.....she looks amazing. Who knows, I might love it. In the meantime my new(since 2019) home at sea is Viking Ocean. 

Clearly a higher price point. Worth every penny as Viking is an elevated ship design, service, dining, & onboard atmosphere. 

[IndyKid]

2 minutes ago, nini said:

 

Princess is not perfect, but the contrast is obvious. I hope you will have a great time!

We did!

[nini]

2 minutes ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

Princess & Holland America used to be my go-to cruise lines. I'd been cruising with Princess over 30 years since the days of the original Pacific/Island & Fair/Dawn Princess. Everything I say here is all IMHO based on MY preferences, perceptions, & expectations. 

 

Back in the day Princess was considered an upscale or upper premium line. Over the years as the ships have become increasingly larger & of different design the focus on food & service have deteriorated. Clearly the focus of Princess is onboard revenue production. Princess has a very impersonal corporate hotel feel to it. A lot like some midwestern airport chain hotel. 

 

A 2022 Discovery Princess cruise was confirmation that Princess no longer offers the type of cruise product I'm willing to pay money for.

Ship design being a huge factor. No high up observation lounge, fully encircling promenade deck, no quiet away from the crowds & music nooks & crannies. The main pool area with constant loud pop music & daily action/special effects laden MUTS blaring obnoxious decibels. The adults only & aft pool either too shallow or small for actual swimming. Service in lounges & dining venues hit & miss. Nothing intimate in the approach to service delivery. No remembering drink preferences & being addressed by name. Cabin attendant making it very clear under no uncertain circumstances that cabins would be only serviced in the morning. Don't appreciate coming back from dinner with trash not emptied & used towels not cleared & replaced. All of this is nothing bad per se, but it's also certainly not a fine tuned hospitality industry experience. 

 

I say this as not only a frequent cruiser, but also a person who works in the transportation industry. The transportation/hospitality industry isn't what it was. We're in a different world than say 10, 20+ years ago. Princess is at the price point it is & delivers an experience that matches. This will meet the needs & expectations of many, just not me.

 

I will give Princess another try with the new Sun Princess.....she looks amazing. Who knows, I might love it. In the meantime my new(since 2019) home at sea is Viking Ocean. 

Clearly a higher price point. Worth every penny as Viking is an elevated ship design, service, dining, & onboard atmosphere. 

 

It is amazing how impressions and experiences can differ. I will say that some of the Princess ships DO have full promenade decks as we enjoyed it on the Grand in September 2022 for a long Alaska cruise (12-14 nights). Our cabin stewards have been amazing except one. On the Grand, ours checked our cabin 2-3 times a day and was always super friendly with us.Our room service and drink deliveries were friendly and quick. The bartenders always knew what I would like to drink.

 

I have heard many positives about Viking Ocean and even booked with them. The negative is that full payment is due one year before the cruise. This was not appealing and we cancelled. It will be informative to hear of your experience and your thoughts.

[tonit964]

To the OP, you’ll never know if you don’t branch out and give it a try.

I’m not loyal to any line but sail mostly with Princess & Carnival. 
Sailed on the Panorama in October and had so much fun and I like Carnival but I just kept missing Princess. It feels like “home” to me. I think the entertainment on Princess is the absolute best of the lines I’ve sailed on so far. There is always something fun going on.

Enjoy your next cruise!

[MacMadame]

On 12/30/2023 at 2:17 PM, nini said:

6. EVERY show on the Reflection included an aerial acrobatic act....

Okay, that made me laugh.

 

I guess aerial acts were "in" in 2018. 🤣

[nini]

20 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

Okay, that made me laugh.

 

I guess aerial acts were "in" in 2018. 🤣

 

It was very ridiculous and repetitive. Regardless of the theme, subject or music... someone was hanging down and twirling.

[Wishing on a star]

Princess is joining the aerial 'Cirque' type acts bandwagon.

Starting with the Sun Princess.

It might be a good thing to some that all the current ships probably could not be fitted with all of the trappings and special effects.     

Just personally...  NOT a fan of these hyped up over-done productions.

 

Okay...  I will echo one comment from just above.  Yes, Princess feels like 'home' to us, as a cruise line.

Everyone who is considering cruising ANY line should be aware that every experience will be different, especially based on the ship...  the current staff and management...  and other factors.

I notice the one cruise mentioned above, where they did not seem to be able to do turndown service, was just after the pandemic,  and almost every cruise ship was severely understaffed..   I think that this kind of experience was not unheard of.

 

I have been on Princess cruises with so-so food...  (Ruby, Caribbean years ago... uggghhh)  and some with very good food! (Even with the newer cut-back menus, the Regal on our last cruise had some good dining.)

I have been on Princess cruises with GREAT! entertainment, and some with some so-so entertainment.

But, what I remember most is the two Princess cruises where everything was good, and ALL of the staff we encountered were GREAT!!!!   Including our last cruise....  I even made sure to write corporate, because I never seemed to get a feed-back form or email.  And I was able to mention quite a few people by their specific position, and even their name!

 

 

[Wishing on a star]

Nini...  HAHAHAHA!!!!   

someone was always hanging down and twirling.

 

Better than Virgin,  where there seems to be a lot of 'twerking'.

[nini]

1 hour ago, Wishing on a star said:

Nini...  HAHAHAHA!!!!   

someone was always hanging down and twirling.

 

Better than Virgin,  where there seems to be a lot of 'twerking'.

 

DH and I have also used the term "feels like home". Even though we endured the grumpiness of the Emerald crew in 2022. The Grand and Sky really compensated for that.