How could Princess improve?

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I recently asked why some of you favored Princess as one of your favorite cruise lines, and the answers were very interesting. While still keeping it's unique experience, in what ways could Princess improve?

 

We haven't sailed on Princess yet, and don't know any criticisms other than devotees of other lines who are looking for a different experience altogether. Though I've just received a flyer for Alaska, and it looks like Princess has their tours down pat where we'll consider them for our 3rd cruise.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Stateroom_Sailor

[dorisis]

Princess cabins are smaller than those on other ships and some of the ships have VERY tiny bathrooms.

[Rick-cruiser]

Everything was nearly perfect on our Emerald cruise this past year, except for one thing..... the French toast at the breakfast buffet was horrible.... dry, little evidence of egg batter / cinnamon flavor, tasted like the inside of a shoebox... Whoever was preparing them really just had no idea what French toast should taste like.

 

- Rick

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Edited November 26, 2013 by Rick-cruiser

[JimmyVWine]

The cruise industry developed a well-earned reputation for the volume of food served, but that was quickly followed by a reputation of culinary mediocrity. Whereas in the Golden Age of steamship travel and Transatlantic voyages, dining on a ship was the height of luxury, this morphed into a period where more is more, but much of the food is of Applebee's quality. We all love our favorite dishes, but on average, the food gets a bit tiring, especially if you cruise a lot. Enter the smaller, specialized dining venues. Sure, a cruise line can open a high-end steakhouse (Crown Grill) or an upscale Italian place (Sabatini's) and charge passengers for it. But the true revolution comes in the form of the International Cafe and Alfredo's that offer alternative, casual dining for no extra fee. Princess could improve by leading the industry into a system whereby smaller, no-fee ethnic restaurants take some of the pressure off of the crush of the MDRs. Given the ethnic diversity of the crew and galley staff, how hard would it be to augment Alfredo's with similarly sized Southeast Asian, Chinese, BBQ, Mexican, etc. restaurants. THAT would be awesome.

[AlaskaGolden]

Our one area for improvement is in the beef served in the MDR. We don't eat beef that often at home, so when we are out / on vacation, we like a GOOD steak. Unfortunately for us, the quality grade of the beef seems to be below what we find in diners and relatively inexpensive steak houses in our area.

 

Yes, I know we can eat in the specialty restaurants and we do if we really want a nice steak. But, having an edible (for us) steak in the MDR would really be a nice improvement!

Edited November 26, 2013 by AlaskaGolden

[Tarpeian Rock]

Our cruise last month on the Grand - our first on Princess - was wonderful in almost every way. We thought our MDR experience particularly, both in terms of food quality, presentation, and service was far superior to what we've experienced on HAL. That said, one area for improvement as we experienced it was Horizon Court. The food there seemed of mediocre quality, poorly laid out, and tasteless. Reminded us of a strip-mall "buffeteria" in the U.S. We found ourselves limiting ourselves to dining room breakfast and skipping lunch, opting instead for the wonderful International Cafe and Alfredo's later in the afternoon. That was really the only thing we would have changed about our cruise.

[geoherb]

The one improvement I'd like to see would be for the main dining room to be open for lunch every day--like it used to be.

[Pam in CA]

Good question and most of the comments will be subjective. There's no such thing as a perfect ship because we all have different viewpoints as to what we prefer and how that could be improved. I don't feel strongly enough about what others feel need improvement because I know that I can always request something be prepared off-menu in the dining room, I'm perfectly happy with a salad for lunch or even dinner, I don't lay out in the sun, I don't use the pool and I don't use the gym or power walk the Promenade. Guess I'm pretty boring.

 

That said, I'd like to see more shade for loungers and bring back the covered pool because not all cruises are warm weather. The one real (IMHO) improvement could be more comfortable chairs on balcony and loungers by the pool. The "new" ones are rock hard and feel like you're sitting on concrete.

[fabby50]

We really love the ships and the experience. What I don't like is their website and their electronic customer interface for lack of a better term. They could use/adapt a lot of the features of the Carnival website or just about any other cruise line.

 

As far as food, which seems to always be people's biggest complaint of any line, I wish they had a couple more specialty restaurants. I also don't care for the buffet setup on the Princess ships we've been on, but I've heard that has improved on the newer ships.

[Jasperdo]

I would like to see Princess be more consistent with their shipboard policies, especially with Anytime Dining. It seems like every ship has different rules regarding making reservations, checking cruise cards, etc.

[catugirl]

The huge one for me is the miniscule shower with that pesky shower curtain that sticks to you, along with no place to shave your legs. I would prefer a couple of feet be taken away from the cabin and added to the shower, along with a shower door and a ledge for shaving.

[OCruisers]

Basically, we are very happy with Princess and there are no major changes we would like to see made. :)

 

For a larger shower area w/tub we book a mini-suite.

For good steaks we go to Crown Grill. (We like most other MDR food.)

 

Do wish Princess would offer TRUE 14 night cruises in the Caribbean ... not the ones that are basically 7 & 7 B2B.

 

LuLu

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[Kinkacruiser]

Overall, I'm very happy with the Princess product and won't be jumping ship too soon :).

[YumYumSweetiePie]

Princess could really improve their entertainment. The nighttime performers just lacked energy and there were too few of them. I'm not a critical person when it comes to these things but I was definitely disappointed. They also don't have very many activities during the day like other cruise lines. I like learning dances, going to trivia, etc. and there wasn't every much to do on Princess. In fact, several of the smaller events that were listed on the patter were no shows by the staff. I couldn't believe it!

 

Their food is also mediocre. I usually look forward to the food on cruises but was let down on Princess. The morning buffet is rather small compared to other cruise lines and there wasn't much variety day after day. The dinners were also somewhat lackluster when it came to actual taste and we experienced a lot of pissy waitstaff (we were "anytime" so we got different people every time). They've also eliminated formal night on 4 day cruises. At first I didn't understand why they would do that, it's just about people dressing up. Then I realized it means they don't have a lobster night, it's about saving money. Wasn't happy about that and apparently the rest of the people onboard brought formal wear too and I'm sure they missed the lobster.

 

That said, the ships are beautiful, I like movies under the stars, the crew (other than waitstaff) is extremely pleasant. I liked Princess, I just needed more energy from entertainment and restaurant staff.

[Ethel5]

...........SNIP.............I'm perfectly happy with a salad for lunch or even dinner, I don't lay out in the sun, I don't use the pool and I don't use the gym or power walk the Promenade. Guess I'm pretty boring.

 

I'm right there with you! I knew I liked you!!!:)

[OCruisers]

The one improvement I'd like to see would be for the main dining room to be open for lunch every day--like it used to be.

 

Agree! We also miss that.

 

LuLu

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[whiterose]

They could make sure that the movies and old TV programs they show on the cabin TV are closed captioned so passengers with hearing loss could enjoy some entertainment. Because of my hearing loss I can't enjoy the shows and movies in the theater.

[icat2000]

Same booking conditions and discounting policies to all cruisers irrespective of citizenship, residency or regional draconian pricing policies.

[Cruisedreamer1]

If the cruise line is going to offer nice pricey wines for sale then offer the Riddel wine glasses to enhance the taste experience. We had to request the proper wine glasses in the main dining room as well as the specialty ones. Once in the MDR the waiter advised he did not have any which we know is not true.

 

I was going to ask for another glass since mine was water spotted and then noticed that the whole table would have to be replaced and decided it was pointless.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We like Princess, obviously, since we'll be on our 10th cruise with them in one week. But, some changes I'd like to see:

 

Bigger showers, or at least a footrest in the shower, or a shower door.

 

Bring back the longer shows; I hate the 30 minute format--and the down-sized productions (sets, dancers, etc.)

 

Interactive TV like they have on Celebrity and the new Royal Princess, with movies on demand.

 

Larger and better organized buffet area--it's just too cramped.

 

Get rid of the horrible new balcony furniture--and I've heard it's coming on the sun decks too!

 

Don't let people who aren't signed up for it into Anytime dining, as it ruins it for those who actually belong there.

 

Truly monitor chair hogging.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Nebr.cruiser

[Cruisin' Chick]

For me, I would just like things to not change too much. I still want the option of booking traditional (we didn't care for anytime a few years ago), I don't want the silly pool games (like on Carnival) as I like to be able to relax in the shade by the pool with a chick lit book or puzzle magazine, I like the ability to get a decent meal in the MDR (and not have to go to a specialty restaurant) or be able to get a casual meal at the outdoor grill or IC or Horizon. I like the variety of live entertainment that's scattered about the ship at night. I don't like having a ton of PA announcements about that final, last chance bingo game or art auction (two activities I have zero interest in) -- just give me the port arrival announcement and the noon-time announcement, which I try to catch every day unless in port at that time.

 

And don't take away the self-service laundries as some other lines have. Some of us are allergic to regular laundry detergent or don't want to risk having the ship's laundry ruin clothing.

[Ethel5]

How about a break for solo cruisers? When my best friend died, I went from a balcony to an inside and had to pay 100% more! This has caused me to cruise less often. then Princess offers discounts to double occupancy but nothing for singles. Not fair! Their reasoning is that they are losing money on single occupancy. If they check our records, my SO never bought art, didn't run up a bar bill, didn't use the casino, didn't buy goods in the shops and booked private tours. So what money are they losing?

[AZ Ocean Lover]

Excellent suggestions. Mine seems a little petty but I hate eating on those thick plastic plates they have in the HC. I understand why they have them but to me it detracts from the dining experience. (Boy that makes me sound like such a snob.)

[nukesubsailor]

I would like to see something done to reduce the congestion at the elevators/stairs. Perhaps replacing the stairs with escalators would help. Even in the event of a loss of electrical power, escalators would serve as stairways.

 

Another thing that would reduce congestion and make it easier to get around the ship would be to have the art gallery and the photo display area swap locations.

[Salty Dawg]

Have several designated outdoor smoking sections with adequate seating along with a comfortable, well-ventilated INDOOR smoking lounge.

Somewhere smokers could sit & gather along with their non-smoking friends who are not opposed to the relaxation technique practiced by some.

 

Not all non-smokers are anti-smoking & they still enjoy socializing with their friends who partake of tobacco products.