kathy49

Also on many ships it seems that a very high % are first time Princess cruisers...so their marketing is working with that group. Some have described the Elite lounges as almost empty. I predict more loyalty perks going by the wayside as this approach continues.

Hum how is that...expecting the cruise and associated packages to be as purchased is "nickel and diming" Princess?

Be interesting to take a tally on how many come to Alfredos for a meal only to find out no longer included. Not everyone reads cruise forums or will have been informed. Probably have a desk right at Alfredos where passengers can upgrade their packages and get that "value added" feature of the new plans. Good luck.

I would say look at other cruise lines where they are known for having higher quality cuisine on a consistent basis in all venues? To me that would be Celebrity or HAL.

agree I think most are responding who have have many changes since booking. Have to take this in the context of the last couple of years and all the changes. I look for a thread on here as to experiences with the transition and first sailing on a ship under new plans. It will be interesting.

I think one thing is totally missing from any discussion of cruises these days....some people speak of some of the basic inclusions like they are "free".....cruises are not the cheap vacation they once were...at least not on many of the lines. There is NOTHING free on a cruise ....you are paying for everything and now little by little those "free" things are going away. From many reports unless you go premium or plus you will have many fewer options without paying what $40 to eat in a speciality restaurant with the hopes of getting a better meal?

TA;s have been aware of this for some days now and I would consider finding another one for your next booking....have you verified that your ship is due to roll out prior to your sailing date?

Yes you got it right. I am shocked that more don't put this together. Many agents push or even just add the packages in....the commission the agency gets depends on total $$$ sold and packages sure do count...probably some override bonus too for selling xxx number of premium packages etc. Ask your agent...they can't deny it. And from the TA point of view cruise lines have slashed commissions over the years and encourage with promos direct bookings and take them right on the ship....thus cutting out the TA for most. And what agent has the time to go thru and do a detailed cost analysis for their customers of the various options and what would be cost effective for them? Can't make any money doing that and TAs are not non profit organizations.

can you just see "guest relations" desk??? The confusion as they roll out ship by ship. Top brass at Princess has missed the mark in "adding value" to their product. With all the competition out there and some looking elsewhere if business drops they will just put sales on and end up in the same financial mess they are obviously in.

I think people should start shopping around. Have done so for some time now and Celebrity offers a much better experience and often price is not that different. They have some great sales. Food is excellent and service tops. Also some other lines such as Azamara that are perceived as luxury when you start comparing $ for $ as to what you get included price is again comparable and experience more personal. Time to branch out folks.

fabulous report...looking forward to more.Thanks so much. Helpful info.

Ok thanks for pointing out my stupid question but seriously I wonder...they have every motivation to get sail as at least they will capture some revenue out of this debacle but lots could change. I wonder how many elected to continue after Sunday.

Is there any guarantee that the Ruby will sail on Sunday?

It seems like your visit to Marseille was well timed....don't think cruise ships will be there today.

Know "tire kickers" all too well!!!

I was a travel agent (thats what we were not advisors) for many years but that was over 15 years ago. Things were changing fast. Yes for someone to sit down at your desk and plan a trip (not just book a cruise) but something involving air/hotel and sightseeing many agencies in our area charged fees which seem justified for a complex booking. The money in the business is commission from a cruise or expensive land tour....not that real detailed itinerary planning etc. I got out of the business as the benefits went away and it became order taking. Now it is mostly do it yourself. A good cruise only agency will negotiate discount or group rates but even then you have to monitor your booking as often sales are put on and undercut the agency rate. With all these drink and other package add ons even booking a simple cruise can be complicated/

not written in stone but many really full service agent do charge fees for their service. I still say that if a cruiser is booking the air thru the cruise line a good agent would have no problem booking that for them...if they want to do their own air and have agent check 15 permutations on flights etc. okay different story.

Okay well seems like this is the norm. I prefer doing it all myself ...I guess there are still fun service agents but you no doubt pay much more. Thanks for the replies.

yes the $$ to be made are in the actual cruise booking but if the air is thru the cruise line then the agent should be doing that booking. All I can figure is it is some very discount broker that sells with very low profit margin. A good full service agent is worth the extra $$ for a cruise booking in my opinion. In this case passenger goes in and books EZ air...does not inform agent and is late paying for the air and entire booking cancelled. So not the agents problem but not a good way to do business.

I have recently run across a "cruise agent" that will not book any air. They require the passengers to go into the booking and do EZ air if that is their choice. If other air passenger books with airline. I always thought a cruise agent would help with any travel that is associated with the cruise ie air/pre post hotels/transfers etc. Is this normal for passengers to be booking their own air if it is part of an air/sea package with the cruise line. Have things changed that much?

I would want a full refund...poor decision by Carnival and Captain. I would not want FCC only refund.

A cruise line and captain that made some poor decisions. I would want a refund.That looks horrific. All about the $$.

deliver 42 is exactly correct. They are actually trying to market the changes as something about protecting the "environment" just as they are doing with reducing the entertainment, no more night time service etc. It is all COST SAVING and at the same time they are raising their rates and fees for all the extras. Corfu is a very special island...not at all like the other greek islands...I think some may well reconsider and cancel. It seems that daily the value in cruising is going down and the product delivered is much different than expected. Using the "environment" as an excuse is pretty insulting to passengers.

should make no difference however it is interesting that for the press the regular crew is not up to par?

Wow I see that he was with Princess for 27 years! That is a big loss for Princess.