dandonna

My wife and I enjoyed the balcony so much on our Panama Canal cruise. We were up early , ordered coffee, mimosas , and breakfast and sat on our balcony for hours. The breeze, the sun rising as we were going under the bridges was spectacular. We turned the tv volume up and listened to the narrations throughout the morning. Definitely worth the price and not in a crowd of people. Later in the day had an plenty of center facing views of the various Canal locks on our Panama Canal excursion. Whatever you decide enjoy it was one of our favorite cruises!

I never understand why people want to hurry up and sail on a new ship???

 Of course there is going to be issues!  
Then come all of the bad reviews but dont let that deter you.
You were smart to wait to til the ship as already been in service 3-6 months to work out the kinks. I am sure by the time you sail in July everything will be in proper order so dont stress you will have a wonderful cruise!

So just went yo the new app today and it doesnt show we booked the plus package?

On my booking confirmation it shows we purchased the plus but the app is not showing it. Any advice?

Agree

Everyone has their own likes & dislikes but location is a must for us. We have them put the do not upgrade stamp on our booking summary as soon as we book. We love being midship and steps away from everything. Our friends dont mind walking from one end of the ship to the other to have a balcony upgrade but that is just not for us. Hope you get a good one!

New app old app a total joke.

Spent 2 hours on the phone with Alibaba and the forty thieves also known  asPrincess customer service reps. All of my shore excursions and dining reservations disappeared so tried getting help. LOL Just a noisy overseas call center. 4 different reps all worse than the one before. This happened on a previous cruise as well. So ridiculous!

What a nice compliment; thank you.

Wife loves  taking pics but those photographers are too serious and are like straight ahead, head back, arm here…. yada yada yada.

We just start doing fun poses and tell them to snap and hope we find a good one.

88 days til our next sailing so wishing you and everyone else wonderful journeys!

I really dont consider bringing and wearing my or my wife’s formal attire as drama but as I stated at the beginning of my post “be you”just do me the favor and let me be me. 🙏

Do you;  and if you is casual go casual if you us a tux do a tux. 

I do me and me is:

If my wife can go through all of the trouble of doing her hair, make up, nails , and wearing uncomfortable but sexy heels then me putting on a suit or tux is a breeze. 😄

14 hours ago, BamaVol said:

We were on the sailing right after yours.  We had never sailed with Princess so my expectations were different.  I had no problem with the age of the ship.  Yes, our bathroom needed regrouting.  Other than that, I didn’t see a problem.  It’s not a new ship and hasn’t been to dry dock in years.  So?  I stay in Hampton Inns on land.  This was nicer.

 

We are happy to dine in the MDR.  The longest line I saw was maybe 30-40 people and it cleared in 10 minutes or less.  I did see a short line for no reservations but I don’t know where those folks were seated.  We got a two top by a window every night.  Service each night was exceptional. Servers hustled.  I expected no less. Meals were incredible.  I have a dietary restriction.  Princess handled it with class.  I had a head waiter preparing my food personally.  He even made me salmon with his grandmothers recipe one night. I couldn’t have asked for more from the MDR.

 

Entertainment each night was at Crooners or Wheelhouse.  Good enough for me.  I thought Tommie McPhee was incredibly entertaining.  We may not cruise again for a while, but Princess left a good impression. Enjoy Celebrity.  I hope you find it to your liking.

 

 

Glad you had a good experience on the Caribbean Princess wish I could say the same. And thanks looking forward to trying 2 different cruise lines this May in Celebrity and MSC. Probably also trying the Enchanted Princess next year since it is a newer ship and fellow experienced cruisers have strongly recommended the newer ships over the older ones like Caribbean.

22 minutes ago, Z0nker said:

Have you considered taking a break from cruising? 

Nope why would I want to do that?

I enjoy cruising just not my latest on Princess.

That is why in May & November we have booked 2 cruises with different cruise lines than Princess.

3 minutes ago, snoozecrooze said:

Re: the cabins

I will give Celebrity credit for putting in the effort to gut Millennium's and Summit's cabins to the bones and make them like new again. I don't recall Princess ever having any plans to do that, but they should....once they have the proper funding. Otherwise, the 2004-era cabins on CB will stay that way until she's transferred out elsewhere, because the pandemic threw a wrench in what was likely to be ambitious projects of the like.

 

I will add that there is always a "grass is greener on the other side" vibe if you're consistently a routine cruiser on one specific line. The same vibes of "I'm not coming back" persist on every forum here. I encourage anyone to try out as many lines and ships as you can; variety is genuinely the spice of life.

Just to be clear my review was fair and honest as I never stated I’m not coming back. I simply stated due to my disappointment I am now willing to try 2 other cruiselines before returning to Princess. Had I not had a bad cruise I would have continued with my Princess loyalty. I agree with you wholeheartedly as to trying other lines so heres hoping for some good cruises Be well

2 minutes ago, antsp said:

Yes I know, I've sailed with them once, have you sailed with them

Have not but one friend loved MSC and another said it was  like Carnival and hated it. Have to see for myself I guess. Have a great week 

1 minute ago, capriccio said:

We did one MSC cruise right before Covid hit.  They matched our Princess Elite to their Black (now called Diamond) tier and immediately qualified for at least a 5% discount (and double that on certain cruises).  They also have a military/civil service (active and retired) discount of 10% (can't combine discounts though) so check those out.  We were in the Yacht Club (their ship within a ship area) and loved it.  On the other hand I found the rest of the ship (Meraviglia) chaotic with just too many people.  Our TA was right when she said she would only recommend the Yacht Club.  We are cruising again in the YC next December on the new Seascape because retaining your MSC status requires at least one cruise every 3 years (extended a year because of Covid).  Hope you enjoy your cruise.

Thank you for the yacht club recommendation as we will be trying MSC after our Celebrity cruise. Happy cruising!

2 minutes ago, antsp said:

Thoughts and Prayers if for one second you are thinking of sailing on MSC

Chose MSC because they transfer your loyalty tier to theirs so Elite on Princess gets the tops benefits on MSC.

Again wouldn’t even be trying this but Princess failed us so trying some different lines: Celebrity & MSC. 

5 minutes ago, deultgen said:

 

First, I think the Original Post is fine and fair.  I will give my own thoughts (in red below) as someone who has a done many both Princess and Celebrity cruises.  

 

We are Elite status so obviously love Princess but this was by far our worst cruise experience. We sailed 2/20 for a 10 day Panama Canal cruise on the Caribbean Princess.  We are Platinum on Princess and the same (loyalty level) on Celebrity.  

 

Onboard we met a first time Princess couple who are Celebrity cruise regulars and after our experience on this cruise we committed to May cruise on Celebrity. I will post that review once we return.

So why was this bad cruise bad?

 

1) This ship looks and feels old. Our balcony & cabin furniture were all beaten up in L256. The room smelled very musty and just needed to be refreshed.  In many ways, I agree.  We were on Ruby last year and it felt VERY OLD.  We have enjoyed our Celebrity cruises but would certainly recommend a refurbished S class ship or one of the new Edge Class ships.  

 

2) Dinner waiting times were a joke. If you had a 6pm in the main dining room you stood in a line of 30 people for a minimum of 20 minutes. Here is the kicker if you didnt have reservations you could go to the line on the right and be seated immediately? Why make reservations???  We has a similar experience last month on Discovery, yet the line moved fast and it was not really a problem for us.  We had half of our dinners in the specialty restaurants.  We find the food better on Celebrity but that usually comes with a higher cruise cost.   We typically sail Aqua Class on Celebrity and Princess does not really have anything similiar.

3) The medallion app is a joke. It says you can order a drink and have it delivered anywhere in the ship. No not true! We tried it at the spa outdoor pool, we tried it on deck 7 walking area, we tried it on the putting green we tried it in club fusion. It doesnt work and not only that but it self cancels???

We find the technology (in its many forms) to be better on Princess. 

 

4) Do not get a massage on a Princess cruise. Not only are they overpriced but the masseuse spent the entire 75 minutes trying to upsell my wife on every salon service? She paid for a relaxing massage not a sales pitch. Sorry Princess but I am sharing this scheme with everyone all the time!

We have found the exact same hard upsell on Celebity in the Spa (Canyon Ranch).

 

5) Absolutely terrible steak quality in the Crown Grill not only did I hate my steak but the couple next to me said it was bad then the table across from me also hated their steaks? What is with the quality? I loved going to the Crown Grill in the past no more. We like the specialty restaurants on both lines, but Specialty Restaurants on Celebrity are about double the price per person.  If you like Bistro Sur La Mer or if you used to like "Share" on Princess, you would likely like the extra restaurants on Celebrity. 

 

So you may be reading this and saying no problem for me and that is fine but for a 17 time Princess cruiser this was a disappointment. Yes we will go on another Princess cruise in the future but definitely a different ship. For now Celebrity and MSC will get our business for our next 2 cruises. If Princess wants us back they need to step it up if not we just move on. I filled out the survey and would welcome a conversation but that doesnt seem to happen.

I wish all of you fantastic cruises  this year and beyond.  Hope you have a nice Celebtity cruise.  We would likely cruise Celebrity more but often fine the price makes it outside our budget.

Appreciate your thoughts and insights as experienced cruisers offer the best advice. Thank you 🙏 

4 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Not that I agree with all of your problems but your biggest mistake was selecting the Caribbean Princess. 

Next time sail on a newer ship a n d most of them will be solved. 

I was told that by a friend as well. Sounds like good advice. 👍

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

I do think the quality of the meat has degraded from pre-Covid days.  If it was as bad as you say, I would have sent it back and asked for a new one.

Our waiter was working so hard as he has at least 8 tables and besides there was enough other food. But when 2 other tables also complained that shocked me as I always loved the Crown Grill. Maybe just an off night but not good

Just now, Steelers36 said:

Did you ask why they would be seating walk-ups ahead of those in line with reservations and clock time is past their res time?

 

We asked the dining room manager and his response  was sometimes it works out that way? He was a very nice man but seemed overwhelmed. Not his fault but couldnt figure out why it worked this way?

1 minute ago, CapnCrews said:

They’re up 36% in the first quarter.  
 

 

So happy for them and keep up the good work and Princess might promote you too😘

1 minute ago, CapnCrews said:

I love it when someone posts something in the Princess forum and as soon as you read the title immediately realize they should not be posting in the Princess forum.  
 

This ball of grievences might be better spent in a different cruise line where everyone there will agree.     And care.   

Sorry my honest opinion bothers you 😀

14 minutes ago, voljeep said:

Having a choice of different cruise lines is a beautiful thing...at least we can all agree on that.

 

Hope you have great cruises.

 

Was this your first terrible experience on Princess? or has it been a gradual thing (I'm guessing) and this was just over the top bad?

No cruise is ever perfect but this was just one thing after another. I didnt even mention the bad wi-fi. I feel like the last 4 Princess cruises things have worsened but always said that oh well Covid did this and just give them the benefit of the doubt. Princess needs to take these reviews serious as this is the first time in years we are trying different cruise lines. If they dont take us or fellow cruisers serious they will continue to lose revenue. Have a great week!

We are Elite status so obviously love Princess but this was by far our worst cruise experience. We sailed 2/20 for a 10 day Panama Canal cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

Onboard we met a first time Princess couple who are Celebrity cruise regulars and after our experience on this cruise we committed to May cruise on Celebrity. I will post that review once we return.

So why was this bad cruise bad?

1) This ship looks and feels old. Our balcony & cabin furniture were all beaten up in L256. The room smelled very musty and just needed to be refreshed.

2) Dinner waiting times were a joke. If you had a 6pm in the main dining room you stood in a line of 30 people for a minimum of 20 minutes. Here is the kicker if you didnt have reservations you could go to the 

line on the right and be seated immediately? Why make reservations??? 
3) The medallion app is a joke. It says you can order a drink and have it delivered anywhere in the ship. No not true! We tried it at the spa outdoor pool, we tried it on deck 7 walking area, we tried it on the putting green we tried it in club fusion. It doesnt work and not only that but it self cancels???

4) Do not get a massage on a Princess cruise. Not only are they overpriced but the masseuse spent the entire 75 minutes trying to upsell my wife on every salon service? She paid for a relaxing massage not a sales pitch. Sorry Princess but I am sharing this scheme with everyone all the time!

5) Absolutely terrible steak quality in the Crown Grill not only did I hate my steak but the couple next to me said it was bad then the table across from me also hated their steaks? What is with the quality? I loved going to the Crown Grill in the past no more.

6) Our toliet water twice kept running? Nothing stuck in the toliet but some kind of water pressure problem. No apology no acknowledgment nothing just fixed cleaned and left. Not the Princess I am used too.

7) No deck party anymore? It would have been perfect considering the weather and the fact a crowd outdoors is safer when it comes to Covid or Noro than indoors. Instead they called it a Love Boat gold white  piazza party which consisted of live music but nothing else that ran for 40 minutes but nothing happened other than some ballroom cruise group who just danced. Didnt see anyone in gold or white?? Yawn.

So you may be reading this and saying no

problem for me and that is fine but for a 17 time Princess cruiser this was a disappointment. Yes we will go on another Princess cruise in the future but definitely a different ship. For now Celebrity and MSC will get our business for our next 2 cruises. If Princess wants us back they need to step it up if not we just move on. I filled out the survey and would welcome a conversation but that doesnt seem to happen.

I wish all of you fantastic cruises  this year and beyond.

12 minutes ago, grannyp said:

Just heard on Let's Go Travel Tips that we NEED show reservations now.  Does anyone have experience with this?  Thanks

 

That was for Norwegian not Princess

1 minute ago, MissP22 said:

Take photo's of everything in case they lose it which sometimes happens. Also know that expensive items can sometimes be shrink/damaged by their laundry service. Choose "cleaning" 0ver laundry for a safer service.

Thank you so much for your quick and extremely helpful answer!

So we are finally elite on our next cruise what exactly is the free laundry?

Do they wash and iron or fold your clothes?
Do you get it back within 24 hours?

Can I get a suit dry cleaned or my wife’s dress cleaned and pressed?
Do we just  fill a laundry bag and hand it to our cabin steward or do we fill out a form?

Thanks and best wishes to everyone in 2023