How can we help Princess save or make money?

[Calif. Cruisers]

The truth is, they have priced me out of doing some spending I would otherwise do. I enjoy a game of bingo, but who wants to pay so much to play? If they kept the prices reasonable they would get some money from me instead of none.

I would spend a lot more time in the casino if it wasn't so smoke-filled. (Thank goodness they are making progress on this!)

We don't drink alcohol but we do usually get the coffee , and now the Ultimate Kids, packages.

We book shore excursions if they are not overly priced in comparison to doing it on my own. In many cases I would rather be on the cruise line's tour than out on my own.

We used to buy photos a lot more, and still occasionally do- but the prices are crazy.

Both photos and spas are concessions so I am not sure if they get a percentage or sell them for a set fee to the vendor.

We have started enjoying the specialty restaurants more often too.

As we take more and more cruises, I find other ways to leave my money on board.

I was actually shocked that the fuel surcharge wasn't being charged- so that is nice. I thought I would find out we were getting charged when we board in about a week.

I do (and will) miss some of the things that are being cut though. I am especially unhappy with the new FCC plan since it does affect the types of cruises I book with Princess.

I guess the thing I would recommend is that they try to remain competitive with what the other lines are offering because if it gets too out of whack I will look elsewhere. I guess I need to check the boards of some of the other lines to see if they are also cutting things...

I already feel like I pay more for Princess compared to other lines, but have mostly chosen Princess because they cruise out of San Francisco, have 10-day cruises, and are cruising itineraries I like.

[dfields1814]

I would think maybe it would be better to increase revenue rather to cut costs.

 

A couple of ideas:

 

I really believe a better use of Skywalkers on some cruises - especially cruises with older people who have no interest in rap or hip hop. That IMHO is just wasted space at night. I have been up there at times when no one else was there. So much for selling drinks. You have a nice facitilty earning no income and possibly taking a loss figuring in labor costs.

 

I don't understand why those pictures they take are so expensive. It seems to me if you would reduce the price you would sell more pictures and make money on the volume. I hardly ever buy a picture at $20 but I might by a couple at $10.

 

On the lighter side.. someone on our next cruise's facebook page posted a picture several employees of the Hooter's Resturant. You could make that that restaurant as a speciality resturant and I bet that might generate some income.... just kidding ... kind of.

[Griller]

Seriously? I had very, very few on my recent Star cruise. Maybe a couple of flyers over sixteen days and maybe a few inserted into the Patter. They've really, really cut back on the constant stream of paper. Granted, I had invitations to stuff I had no intention of going to, like the Captain's Circle parties or wine tastings but I don't count those.

 

On Golden for 2 weeks this month I put all the paperwork which came in the top drawer of the counter in the cabin, and had to empty it once as there was no more room.

 

Waaaay too much unwanted paper.

 

And we don't get the little newspapers any more, they were quite good.

[rugbypopsie]

I always donate in the casino and my husband does his best to keep the bar profitable...LOL...hope it helps Princess...... you are my favourite cruise line and dont drop any perks before I get to elite..please.:D

[Lookingforfacts]

Would people prefer paying a higher fare (fuel surcharge) rather then cutbacks? It's obvious the cruiselines think the answer is no.

 

OP wants less pressure to purchase spa products. The cruise line looks for the "extras" in order to boost profitability. The spa looks to sell extras to boost profitability. The suggestion is contradictory.

 

The pictures are digital. The costs are pretty much fixed. I wonder how much a passenger would be willing to pay, flat charge, for all their pictures in digital format. I'd probably be willing to pay more then I currently pay for a handful of photos for all the photos in digital. Princess wants an upcharge for formal photos. An fee gets you all the posed formal pictures. I spend less then $100, maybe $50-$75, for a few photos. I might spend $100 or so for a full package. I don't know what the average cruiser spends. This idea probably wouldn't work if a lot of passengers currently spend a few hundred dollars.

[Iamcruzin]

Shorter cruises, both in terms of time and distance traveled, would save fuel. This would also be a chance for young families to sail for less cost. More experienced cruises could skip these itineraries.

I don't kown about this. When I search Royal Caribbean and Carnival for 4 and 5 day cruises (inside room) They cost more per day than a Princess 7 day cruise in the same room same time of year.

[blackfoot]

Easy!

 

Change formal nights to formal OPTIONAL and prior Princess cruisers like me will start to book again!

[Reader0108598]

If they would stop charging outragous prices for things on board I may be inclined to buy more.Don't mind paying for what I want but do not care to be taken for a ride so to speak just becuase they have a captive audience!

 

 

As far as the spa goes I have only been when I get a Certificate from a TA.

If they start trying to sell, I simply state I want quiet during my massage and I don't mind tipping for it! I have never had a problem.;)

 

Reader

[Iamcruzin]

Easy!

 

Change formal nights to formal OPTIONAL and prior Princess cruisers like me will start to book again!

 

But think of how much money they would lose in the specialty restaurants on those nights from passengers who book them just so they don’t have to dress up.

[Iamcruzin]

I guess I need to check the boards of some of the other lines to see if they are also cutting things...

I already feel like I pay more for Princess compared to other lines, but have mostly chosen Princess because they cruise out of San Francisco, have 10-day cruises, and are cruising itineraries I like.

 

I have found that for every cut back complaint you read about Princess there are equal or greater value complaints for the other lines. Profit is the nature of the game and the current economical environment is changing the way it's played.

[fishin' musician]

DW and I bounce from brand to brand with no real loyalty. Everything mentioned above applies to all mass-market lines. Cruise prices are lower than they've ever been, in spite of continually increasing costs (fuel, food, and everything else). In order to maintain the low cruise price they must make up for the increased costs somewhere... it is simple economics.

 

We find mass-market cruise vacations to be a fantastic value, those seeking a more opulent experience can pony up the dough for a luxury line.

[pablo222]

Crack down on liquor smuggling to enhance on board revenue,

and be in line with many other cruise lines.

 

I'm sure the CCL shareholders here will be behind that.

[eroller]

How about a salary cut for the senior execs of Carnival Corp? I mean how many yachts does Micky need. He already has two.

 

Sorry but my job as a consumer is not to find ways to save Princess money. On the contrary it's their job to retain me as a customer by creating value based on their product offerings and the price point. It's a delicate balancing act of adding value and reducing costs. Done right it works to everyone's advantage.

 

I'm not a stock holder in any cruise line stock so increasing shareholder value by cost cutting is of no interest to me. I've found better ways to invest my money with a far better ROI. I love to cruise but in general any travel stocks are too volatile for most serious investors. Now if your just buying enough for the OBC, that is understandable especially if you cruise a lot on Carnival Corp. brands.

 

Ernie

[Times Prince]

Great ideas! I could do without the pillow chocolates.

... and we look forward to them, especially the dark chocolate.

 

I agree that the trick is to find the balance between price and volume, and photos were a great example. The less expensive 4x6 photo has gone away to be replaced by 8x10 with extra content wrapped around the same 4x6 and a much higher price tag. We haven't bought photos since they did that, so they may be losing in volume.

 

I also agree with the post that says to treat yourself when on vacation. For instance we see no need to bring bottles of wine onboard when we can be served at any meal from wine bought from Princess, and we consider that service as part of the cost.

 

Take a look at formal nights when onboard - you will see people getting portraits taken, people with cocktails in hand, and people enjoying the elegance they may not have in their ordinary life. You have to believe that there is higher profit in those fun, romantic nights, so why stop? They are a win-win.

[Potstech]

How about departure's from more ports? Right now there are only two main choices for the east coast. New York and Ft Lauderdale. Many of the other lines depart from numerous ports like Bayonne, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston and Jacksonville. With he cost of airplanes increasing daily for most people this would allow many more to drive to catch their cruise. My next cruise will be with a different line as I can drive to it and then increase what I take with me.

 

That will soon become a determining factor that is out of the cruise lines hands namely how much it will cost a person to get to the port. I have relatives that if they can not drive to a ship they will not go. So they drive to any port that is within a 6 hour driving distance and save a bunch of money. And yes it is still cheaper to drive then to fly to many of the ports from different parts of the country. By the way they go on two to three cruises a year and none of them are on Princess as much as I try to talk them into it.

[ldubs]

Seriously?

 

I've been almost exclusively on Princess cruises since 1996 - there was a big change in what Princess offered - i.e. the line went from premium to mass market - when the first Sun Class ships came online and it took a few years for the quality of the product to even out. Once it did, I haven't really noticed any cost cutting measures that affect my cruise. What might adversely affect one passenger might be a boon to another. On the contrary, what is offered on the ships has increased by leaps and bounds - especially with the larger ships since the original Sun Class started offering a lot of options.

 

We have almost the same experience with Princess as you. I am still happy with Princess overall. Other than cost, I simply don't see "leaps and bounds" improvements in what is offered over the past 15 years. Maybe I'm overlookings something or taking something for granted. What are some examples?

[1 HappyCruiser]

Crack down on liquor smuggling to enhance on board revenue,

and be in line with many other cruise lines.

 

I'm sure the CCL shareholders here will be behind that.

 

That would hardly make much difference since people would just begin to hide it even more than they do today in wine bottles. If they eliminated the wine being taken on board they might even lose business since so many people love that option.

[bdjam]

We have almost the same experience with Princess as you. I am still happy with Princess overall. Other than cost, I simply don't see "leaps and bounds" improvements in what is offered over the past 15 years. Maybe I'm overlookings something or taking something for granted. What are some examples?

 

You're right - I wasn't even thinking of cost - but it has remained relatively stable over the years.

 

Used to have one dining room and set meal times for breakfast, lunch and dinner - now you have many different places to eat at the time you prefer. Used to have one entertainment venue - now have many. Used to have one or two pools - now have, except for the new Royal, many. Used to have lousy bed linens - now have pretty nice stuff. Used to have to find a daily news sheet - now have sattelite TV and internet service. Never had international cafes, art galleries. Never had FCCs. Never had coffee, soda or wine "deals." Menus - although they haven't changed recently - used to be much heavier and much less healthy.

 

Etc.

 

Getting back to the original post, there seems to be some idea that there's a conspiracy by Princess lowering the quality of their offering to offset the price of fuel. So my solution is to add a fuel surcharge to the price of the fare...then none of us have to figure out how to increase Princess' onboard revenue.

[Dena]

You're right - I wasn't even thinking of cost - but it has remained relatively stable over the years.

 

Etc.

 

Getting back to the original post, there seems to be some idea that there's a conspiracy by Princess lowering the quality of their offering to offset the price of fuel. So my solution is to add a fuel surcharge to the price of the fare...then none of us have to figure out how to increase Princess' onboard revenue.

 

I would pay this too, rather than see Princess keep chipping away at the product. I have been researching Celebrity and am intrigued. I know I would miss the Princess promenad deck.

[bdjam]

I would pay this too, rather than see Princess keep chipping away at the product. I have been researching Celebrity and am intrigued. I know I would miss the Princess promenad deck.

I guess you have to weigh out how important a promenade deck is to making your overall cruise.

[Dena]

I guess you have to weigh out how important a promenade deck is to making your overall cruise.

 

I am convinced that only way to know for sure is to try Celebrity. Have you tried it, Brian? Did you like it? Are there other factors I should be considering?

[bdjam]

I am convinced that only way to know for sure is to try Celebrity. Have you tried it, Brian? Did you like it? Are there other factors I should be considering?

Never tried Celebrity - I'm still satisfied with Princess - so I can't give you any recommendations.

[Putterdude]

Seriously? I had very, very few on my recent Star cruise. Maybe a couple of flyers over sixteen days and maybe a few inserted into the Patter. They've really, really cut back on the constant stream of paper. Granted, I had invitations to stuff I had no intention of going to, like the Captain's Circle parties or wine tastings but I don't count those.

 

Pam, I am delighted to learn of this.:) On our last cruise of any length with Princess which was about 14 months ago I kept track of the unwanted paper that went directly in to the trash and while I don't have that number here with me in AZ, as I recall it was about 70 pieces over 14 days which averaged about 5 per day.

[Princess Mich]

It definitely isn't the crew's pay that should be cut. If you only knew how little they are paid for the amount of work they do, it would turn your stomach.

[hubofhockey]

How about a salary cut for the senior execs of Carnival Corp? I mean how many yachts does Micky need. He already has two.

 

Sorry but my job as a consumer is not to find ways to save Princess money. On the contrary it's their job to retain me as a customer by creating value based on their product offerings and the price point. It's a delicate balancing act of adding value and reducing costs. Done right it works to everyone's advantage.

 

I'm not a stock holder in any cruise line stock so increasing shareholder value by cost cutting is of no interest to me. I've found better ways to invest my money with a far better ROI. I love to cruise but in general any travel stocks are too volatile for most serious investors. Now if your just buying enough for the OBC, that is understandable especially if you cruise a lot on Carnival Corp. brands.

 

Ernie

 

LIKE

 

Yup, if they don't provide a product I like at a price that I'm willing to pay, I'll go somewhere else. Princess is profitable. It's not my job to make them more profitable. If I were to spend one dime on any Princess excursions, all I would be doing is driving up their earnings per share. The cruise price and amenities aren't a function of how much we spend on board. They are functions of an optimal formula that they carefully measure.