Why I cruise with Princess

I have cruised on most of the major cruise lines. Started on Celebrity, still cruise with them on every so often. But only about 1 for every 6 cruises I do on Princess.

One of the major reasons in because of business practices and the clear difference in customer service over the telephone. For example on my last cruise with Celebrity it took over half an hour on being on hold before I ever talked with an agent. Once I got the agent they did not seem to know much beyond their script.

Today I noticed that there was a substantial reduction on a cruise I am taking on Princess in the fall. I had already taken advantage of one drop in price where the deposit became non-refundable. I called in expecting that I would have to cancel, give up the deposit and re-book. As normal an agent answered and was on line within a few seconds. I explained the reason for the call and indicated that since the booking was non-refundable I would need to cancel and rebook. The agent said to let her check. Within a few seconds she was back on the phone, said that the new rate was also non-refundable so she could transfer my booking over to the new rate and still maintain my existing deposit.

Customer service like that, together with their business practices concerning on board credits and fare reductions is why I will be spending 80 days on Princess ships between now and the end of 2016. It is also why I feel comfortable booking a year in advance.

That's great to hear. :)

Nice to hear.

I cruise with Celebrity once and enjoyed it, but I didn't like some of their policies. I haven't cruise with them since. I never say never, though.

We have cruised with Princess exclusively for the past fifteen years. Before that we cruised a few other lines.

Why do I cruise Princess.....

Even though I have had a few problems here and there, and encountered some indifference..for the most part I feel Princess's customer service is very passenger friendly. Their policies seem fair and pretty spelled out. I feel like I am coming home when I get on board.

Due to Princess not being available out of NYC in the summer, our gang of 20 are trying NCL. Mobility issues for two of the gang prevents us from flying to FLL like the last time.

Some policies of NCL:

There is a $15 corkage on all wine and champagne , even those sent by your TA or family as a gift.:eek:

All tours are pre paid and charged to your credit card when booked. If cancelled two days before sailing a refund on credit card. After that it becomes OBC. Even if the tour company cancels for bad weather.

Any pre sailing reservations (which are highly recommended) to specialty restaurants are also paid in full when booked, plus an 18% gratuity charge.

There is a $7.95 room service charge. There is a small coffee pot in every room so I'll bring coffee for a morning quick cup instead of calling room service.

Military credit is on specific cruises not all. None of the 8 veterans traveling with us will get anything on this cruise.

Also looks like, as of June, anyone who purchased the Dining package, will no longer be able to use it at the dinner show or steak house..no grandfathering in those who bought the package months ago.

I'm sure some of these policies are also on other cruise lines...but when use to Princess, one can feel nickel and dimed..or should I say..$5 and $10 to death. I also know all cruise lines have the right to change policies even after booked (says so in the terms and agreement)

I know we will all have a blast. Just being together again for a vacation is important. But I sure do wish it was with Princess.

Today I noticed that there was a substantial reduction on a cruise I am taking on Princess in the fall. I had already taken advantage of one drop in price where the deposit became non-refundable. I called in expecting that I would have to cancel, give up the deposit and re-book. As normal an agent answered and was on line within a few seconds. I explained the reason for the call and indicated that since the booking was non-refundable I would need to cancel and rebook. The agent said to let her check. Within a few seconds she was back on the phone, said that the new rate was also non-refundable so she could transfer my booking over to the new rate and still maintain my existing deposit.

 

Great customer service

Your mentioning that the price on your fall cruise went down sent me over to Princess to check on our cruise/tour.

Not only hasn't the price gone down, but it's gone UP $1350 pp!!!! What a significant increase. So glad we booked when we did.

...Not only hasn't the price gone down, but it's gone UP $1350 pp!!!! What a significant increase. So glad we booked when we did.

We have cruised with Princess exclusively for the past fifteen years. Before that we cruised a few other lines.

 

Why do I cruise Princess.....

 

Even though I have had a few problems here and there, and encountered some indifference..for the most part I feel Princess's customer service is very passenger friendly. Their policies seem fair and pretty spelled out. I feel like I am coming home when I get on board.

 

Due to Princess not being available out of NYC in the summer, our gang of 20 are trying NCL. Mobility issues for two of the gang prevents us from flying to FLL like the last time.

 

Some policies of NCL:

There is a $15 corkage on all wine and champagne , even those sent by your TA or family as a gift.:eek:

 

There is no corkage fee if the gift bottle is ordered directly from NCL, only if it is delivered to the ship by a third party (which some TAs have started doing)

 

All tours are pre paid and charged to your credit card when booked. If cancelled two days before sailing a refund on credit card. After that it becomes OBC. Even if the tour company cancels for bad weather.

 

Yes huge advantage to Princess. But believe it or not there are longtime Princess cruisers asking Princess to require this because of the perception of overbooking as there is no prepayment required.

 

Any pre sailing reservations (which are highly recommended) to specialty restaurants are also paid in full when booked, plus an 18% gratuity charge.

 

Highly recommended? In your case with a group of 20 it may actually be helpful. But the pressure to pre-book you every move every evening from NCL (and RCI) borders on brainwashing. Again, advantage Princess.

 

There is a $7.95 room service charge. There is a small coffee pot in every room so I'll bring coffee for a morning quick cup instead of calling room service.

 

Other than in Haven Suites, NCLs coffee pots were removed years ago. And continental breakfast from room service is still free. To be honest, adding a few paid items in order to facilitate expanding Princess' relatively limited room service menu would be OK by me.

 

Military credit is on specific cruises not all. None of the 8 veterans traveling with us will get anything on this cruise.

 

Also looks like, as of June, anyone who purchased the Dining package, will no longer be able to use it at the dinner show or steak house..no grandfathering in those who bought the package months ago.

 

Dinner show already excluded, steakhouse will be at whatever point it changes on each ship to its new a la carte menu. Princess has wisely kept a flat cover charge at all its specialty restaurants, even though you read the odd complaint that those who do not avail themselves of every single course should be entitled to pay less

 

I'm sure some of these policies are also on other cruise lines...but when use to Princess, one can feel nickel and dimed..or should I say..$5 and $10 to death. I also know all cruise lines have the right to change policies even after booked (says so in the terms and agreement)

 

I know we will all have a blast. Just being together again for a vacation is important. But I sure do wish it was with Princess.

"Nickel and Diming" is such an overused term. The real definition of it applies to unavoidable charges required in the course of normal use--such as bank service charges. None of the extra-charge activities, food and beverages onboard a cruise are mandatory.

But whether or not we agree on the meaning of "nickel and diming" we all know Princess does it far less than the others ;)

(Other comments in red inside your quote. Admittedly some clarification of the ever-changing issues on NCL is still necessary. But as you say, you will have a blast nevertheless)

There is a $7.95 room service charge. There is a small coffee pot in every room so I'll bring coffee for a morning quick cup instead of calling room service.

 

Other than in Haven Suites, NCLs coffee pots were removed years ago. And continental breakfast from room service is still free. To be honest, adding a few paid items in order to facilitate expanding Princess' relatively limited room service menu would be OK by me.

oops scratch the info about coffeemakers--they are in balcony cabins and up on the Breakaway which I assume is the ship in question

We have cruised with Princess exclusively for the past fifteen years. Before that we cruised a few other lines.

 

Why do I cruise Princess.....

 

Even though I have had a few problems here and there, and encountered some indifference..for the most part I feel Princess's customer service is very passenger friendly. Their policies seem fair and pretty spelled out. I feel like I am coming home when I get on board.

 

Due to Princess not being available out of NYC in the summer, our gang of 20 are trying NCL. Mobility issues for two of the gang prevents us from flying to FLL like the last time.

 

Some policies of NCL:

There is a $15 corkage on all wine and champagne , even those sent by your TA or family as a gift.:eek:

 

All tours are pre paid and charged to your credit card when booked. If cancelled two days before sailing a refund on credit card. After that it becomes OBC. Even if the tour company cancels for bad weather.

 

Any pre sailing reservations (which are highly recommended) to specialty restaurants are also paid in full when booked, plus an 18% gratuity charge.

 

There is a $7.95 room service charge. There is a small coffee pot in every room so I'll bring coffee for a morning quick cup instead of calling room service.

 

Military credit is on specific cruises not all. None of the 8 veterans traveling with us will get anything on this cruise.

 

Also looks like, as of June, anyone who purchased the Dining package, will no longer be able to use it at the dinner show or steak house..no grandfathering in those who bought the package months ago.

 

I'm sure some of these policies are also on other cruise lines...but when use to Princess, one can feel nickel and dimed..or should I say..$5 and $10 to death. I also know all cruise lines have the right to change policies even after booked (says so in the terms and agreement)

 

I know we will all have a blast. Just being together again for a vacation is important. But I sure do wish it was with Princess.

More reasons to cruise Princess.

While we do cruise on other cruise lines from time to time, we never have the "it's where we belong" feeling we have on Princess. :)

LuLu

also drink prices are very reasonable on Princess.

Just got off the Grand yesterday and a very nice wine was $9.20 including gratuities.

or a Woodbridge chardonnay was $8.05 including gratuity

Gin & Tonic...... $6.71 including gratuity.

Not much over the price of $10 other than some fancy martini`s.

Service was awesome as was the food.

I just feel like home on Princess:D

I agree that Princess has great customer service. On our last cruise we had two different problems. The first one was solved on board, the second problem I had to send a letter to Princess. With in two days I had a phone call and the issue was solved by a very, very nice lady.

Over the past 40 years I have been on many cruise line, yes things have changed, but for us Princess is the best fit for us. They are our cruise line of choice.

PS

I love their ships, food and service on board.

For the most part, I do it for the loyalty perks. I believe Princess has the best perks and I don't want to give them up. That's not to say that I wouldn't cruise with another line.

I am a "research" kind of travel planner. The first thing that attracted to me Princess were their Itineraries and pricing. Since then I always look at these things first then research the other cruise lines for comparison.

Customer service is excellent as indicated previously. I booked our long awaited Mediterranean cruise well in advance directly with Princess. I then switched it to a local TA as per recommendations This was done easily and resulted in a couple of perks. Between the original booking ( a balcony guarantee) and our cruise, the price was dropped over $1000 PP and we were upgraded to a Mini suite!

The ships. We have been on one of the small ships as well as a couple of the larger ones. They were beautiful, very well maintained had excellent crew and service and food. The cabins were great.

Finally "If it ain't Broke, don't Fix it!" every time I think about trying out another line, I follow the process of determining where and wen I want to go, Check with Princess and then compare alternatives. Truth it would take some really special deal to make me want to try another line at this point.

JMHO :cool:

I had a little different experience just today. It wasn't that the service I received was poor, just not helpful.

I called Princess to see if I could take advantage of the reduced fare just posted for our upcoming cruise. I knew it was past final payment date, but we have platinum vacation protection and flexible airfares. The agent said that the new fares were for new bookings only (I knew that). I pointed out our status and he said that yes, I could cancel and rebook and then get a refund. He said there was nothing he could do other than let us go through that entire process. He said I could email customer relations regarding this issue.

I emailed customer relations and received an automated response that if my inquiry was on a pre cruise concern to call the 1-800 number.

Now before everyone jumps on me about the final payment date and all it entails, that is not the point of this post. My problem is being told who I should contact at Princess only to be told to go back to the phone number that gave me the information to begin with.

I had a little different experience just today. It wasn't that the service I received was poor, just not helpful.

 

I called Princess to see if I could take advantage of the reduced fare just posted for our upcoming cruise. I knew it was past final payment date, but we have platinum vacation protection and flexible airfares. The agent said that the new fares were for new bookings only (I knew that). I pointed out our status and he said that yes, I could cancel and rebook and then get a refund. He said there was nothing he could do other than let us go through that entire process. He said I could email customer relations regarding this issue.

 

I emailed customer relations and received an automated response that if my inquiry was on a pre cruise concern to call the 1-800 number.

 

Now before everyone jumps on me about the final payment date and all it entails, that is not the point of this post. My problem is being told who I should contact at Princess only to be told to go back to the phone number that gave me the information to begin with.

That is because it takes a while for them to process e-mail and they consider pre-cruise issues to be time sensitive, thus the comment to call. The e-mail will still be processed. Now you can ask to be escalated to resolutions department when you call. But you will pretty much get the same answer because they are following the policy, which as you say you were already aware of.

The reality is that once you are past final payment date your only choice is to pretty much cancel and rebook. It sounds like the customer service rep correctly communicated the policy and said that he would process it if that is what you requested. He also did give you the e-mail. You got an automated response which included the pre-cruise comment, but that does not mean that they will not process the e-mail and will take note of your view about the policy.

Since it is a well known policy I would highly doubt if you will get any response other then you can cancel and rebook, even if you get a call back.

I had a little different experience just today. It wasn't that the service I received was poor, just not helpful.

 

I called Princess to see if I could take advantage of the reduced fare just posted for our upcoming cruise. I knew it was past final payment date, but we have platinum vacation protection and flexible airfares. The agent said that the new fares were for new bookings only (I knew that). I pointed out our status and he said that yes, I could cancel and rebook and then get a refund. He said there was nothing he could do other than let us go through that entire process.

 

You could also try calling back. Chances are 99% you will get a different agent and possibly a different answer.

You could also try calling back. Chances are 99% you will get a different agent and possibly a different answer.

I thought of that. Different people on this very board have had different results at different times.

I had a little different experience just today. It wasn't that the service I received was poor, just not helpful.

 

I called Princess to see if I could take advantage of the reduced fare just posted for our upcoming cruise. I knew it was past final payment date, but we have platinum vacation protection and flexible airfares. The agent said that the new fares were for new bookings only (I knew that). I pointed out our status and he said that yes, I could cancel and rebook and then get a refund. He said there was nothing he could do other than let us go through that entire process. He said I could email customer relations regarding this issue.

 

I emailed customer relations and received an automated response that if my inquiry was on a pre cruise concern to call the 1-800 number.

 

Now before everyone jumps on me about the final payment date and all it entails, that is not the point of this post. My problem is being told who I should contact at Princess only to be told to go back to the phone number that gave me the information to begin with.

We just recently went through this exact scenario. We were offered an upgrade to a mini suite as consolation. Did they offer you an upgrade of any sort? We ended up canceling and rebooking. We didn't lose any credits, but saved quite a bit of money, we stayed in our same room etc. now we are just waiting for the insurance credit to show up. This might be your best bet.

We just recently went through this exact scenario. We were offered an upgrade to a mini suite as consolation. Did they offer you an upgrade of any sort? We ended up canceling and rebooking. We didn't lose any credits, but saved quite a bit of money, we stayed in our same room etc. now we are just waiting for the insurance credit to show up. This might be your best bet.

No, I even asked for an upgrade. The agent said they didn't have any complimentary upgrades even though the website's show a bunch of cabins. I think all of this is dependent on who you talk to at Princess.

I hope you call them back and get a better result.

No, I even asked for an upgrade. The agent said they didn't have any complimentary upgrades even though the website's show a bunch of cabins. I think all of this is dependent on who you talk to at Princess.

Keep calling back to see if you can get a more helpful agent. We have had to do this a few times. Sometimes there is no other choice but to accept what they tell you, however, other times things can be worked out. :cool:

For the most part, I do it for the loyalty perks. I believe Princess has the best perks and I don't want to give them up. That's not to say that I wouldn't cruise with another line.

I agree and I also like the combinable OBC and the military OBC.

I like how we can look online at Princess' website and see what cabins are available, and pick the cabin we want. The websites of other cruise lines leave me wondering what rooms really are available, and whether there are better choices than the ones the website wants to assign to me during the process.

I agree and I also like the combinable OBC and the military OBC.

+1

I'm a stockholder with both Princess and Royal Caribbean. Eight times with Princess I've received the OBC - no issues.

Only once in five cruises have I "qualified" for OBC on Royal (not combinable issues)

More Princess - less Royal for me.