Disappointed with Princess, considering a switch

[Ethel5]

Yes thats him! Blond guy? Looks a little like the comedian Christopher Titus.

 

Don't know Chris Titus and JJ had/has gray hair. go here for a video of the wakie show....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCAtYm0cHPs

[Colo Cruiser]

Don't know Chris Titus and JJ had/has gray hair. go here for a video of the wakie show....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCAtYm0cHPs

 

Thanks, not the same one. Must be thinking of another.

[Ethel5]

Thanks, not the same one. Must be thinking of another.

 

Back in 2007, someone posted a picture of all the cruise directors at the time. There were 19 of them. I can't pull it up-not computer savvy enough.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Ethel5

[Hlitner]

The OP's post just shows why there are lots of differences among cruisers. For us, having been on more cruises then we can remember we could care less about the CD. In fact, in forty years of cruising we can only remember the names of 2 CDs. Never seeing or hearing a CD makes my day. As to shows being recycled, those production shows are expensive to produce, and most cruise lines keep a show on their schedule for at least 3 years. It is one reason that we cruise many different lines. If you want variety, you need to vary your cruise lines, ships, and itineraries.

As to the morning TV shows, we cannot comment as we do not sit in our cabin watching TV. So like they say, different strokes for different folks.

 

Hank

 

 

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[zahav1]

I was on the Southern Caribbean cruise January 18 - 28th. Yes, agree, we were both disappointed with the entertainment- the food was fantastic. I did complete the online survey when I returned home and did grade them low on entertainment. About a month later I received another survey via email regarding only entertainment, a few questions pertained to any ideas of what entertainment you'd want to see on Princess. I gave them a whole list. I wonder how many people received this survey. I would guess I'm not the only one they heard from regarding their poor entertainment.

[Ethel5]

The OP's post just shows why there are lots of differences among cruisers. For us, having been on more cruises then we can remember we could care less about the CD. In fact, in forty years of cruising we can only remember the names of 2 CDs. Never seeing or hearing a CD makes my day. As to shows being recycled, those production shows are expensive to produce, and most cruise lines keep a show on their schedule for at least 3 years. It is one reason that we cruise many different lines. If you want variety, you need to vary your cruise lines, ships, and itineraries.

As to the morning TV shows, we cannot comment as we do not sit in our cabin watching TV. So like they say, different strokes for different folks.

 

Hank

 

I didn't really pay much attention to the CD's until the last cruise where the CD was so bad, I vowed to never cruise with him again.

[Pam in CA]

The OP's post just shows why there are lots of differences among cruisers. For us, having been on more cruises then we can remember we could care less about the CD.

Hank, normally I would agree with you but when you have a CD who has few activities planned so public areas are always crowded, doesn't get the Patter out at night so no one knows what's going on until the next day, makes frequent PA announcements with changes and corrections, etc., it WILL affect your cruise. Just the constant PA announcements would drive you nuts. :) And if you're on a T/A with lots of sea days and this happens almost every day, it'll drive you bonkers. Edited March 21, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Poohdaddy55]

We were on the Emerald last November. Great time even though we felt the same about JJ as CD. He was our least favorite of our seven cruises. The New Deal band was awesome. All were great musicians. The comedy, magician and others were very good. Production shows have always been our least favorite. Now with the switch to PW for the art my wife is not impressed. She experienced their art on a Carnival cruise recently. At least that will save me some money.

 

We like Princess for our cruise needs. We basically choose our cruises for the destinations. Food has always been great. From discussion with other cruising friends and their experiences with other lines we haven't felt the need to change at this time.

 

I do hope that JJ is not on any of our up coming cruises.

 

 

 

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[AKman2495]

Hank, normally I would agree with you but when you have a CD who has few activities planned so public areas are always crowded, doesn't get the Patter out at night so no one knows what's going on until the next day, makes frequent PA announcements with changes and corrections, etc., it WILL affect your cruise. Just the constant PA announcements would drive you nuts. :) And if you're on a T/A with lots of sea days and this happens almost every day, it'll drive you bonkers.

 

I totally agree. Back in November we were in the CB with Neil Roberts (who I hear, was at the end of his contract). Late Patters, but reasonable level of activities. I'll never forget one night a bunch of us were waiting to get into the theatre when he came out of a side office. He looked at us with a face of sheer panic. He glanced at his watch and ran off in the other direction.

 

Our next cruise was with Lisa Ball. What a difference. Patters on time, many more activities a a cruise director wit a bubbly personality who was genuinely happy to be with us. She even led the zumba classes as well as other dance classes (I thing she did then to get a workout for herself as well).

 

Around her, you couldn't help but fee good.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Kelvin Joy has brought back Jazzio in the Adagio and a fun Wake Show, at a minimum. However, the Crew Show disappeared several cruises ago and still hasn't returned.

 

We very much enjoyed our winter with Lee Childers. JJ Ullrich was the anti-Tim Donovan, and, having spent a winter with the former and two with the latter, we hope not to again, any time soon.

[smtcan]

We have cruised with several lines, some once or twice (NCL, HAL and Thomson) and Princess and Celebrity a number of times. We did not think the cruise director made much difference to a cruise until we came across Sue Denning on Celebrity. She was a dynamo and always visible around the ship and ready to stop and chat. She seemed to be extremely supportive of her staff and gave them opportunities to shine.

 

I don't think I notice a cruise director unless they are particularly good or bad. Most are middle of the road.

 

On our most recent Princess cruises, we have noticed a lack of daytime entertainment, with no enrichment speakers which we usually enjoy. This is not a deal breaker on a Caribbean cruise, but would make us hesitate to take a cruise with many sea days. We are also not enthralled by the short theatre shows. Having to go half an hour (or more) early to get a seat for a thirty minute show is not my idea of how to spend an evening,

 

Celebrity remains our favourite, but when we want a change of experience or a particular itinerary we choose Princess. Our next cruise is on Royal Princess to the Baltic.

[RhondaPerr]

I think anyone who has cruised for a long time, noticed the change in the activities on certain lines. When we first started in 1987 the cruise staff never seemed to look at their watches...Now it seems, you could be having so much fun, but at 9 it's over, and by 9:01 it was like it never existed! While I understand there is a schedule, that was something big we noticed! The CD makes all the difference, and we have had some great ones, and then some who were not approachable, clearly impressed with themselves, and barely seen.

 

We cruise a variety of lines, 33 coming up on the Royal. Honestly although we enjoy most of the shows, there have been very few in the last 10 years that are a Wow! We still laugh at the old classics "If I were not on the Sea". And "Fountains". The ice skating show on Royal was different, but after experiencing it once, I would not miss it... Love the acapello groups, and there have been some fantastic bands, and some of the worst comedy I have ever heard! The food, and the service can make a cruise less enjoyable for me. I can't say the entertainment has ever ruined a cruise for me, but it definitely is more fun when it's good :)

[caribill]

I don't think I notice a cruise director unless they are particularly good or bad. Most are middle of the road.

 

On our most recent Princess cruises, we have noticed a lack of daytime entertainment, with no enrichment speakers which we usually enjoy. This is not a deal breaker on a Caribbean cruise, but would make us hesitate to take a cruise with many sea days. We are also not enthralled by the short theatre shows. Having to go half an hour (or more) early to get a seat for a thirty minute show is not my idea of how to spend an evening,

 

 

Don't blame the CD for a lack of enrichment speakers. The head office has probably cut them out on Caribbean cruises in order to save $$$.

 

Going back a decade or two, Princess had port speakers in the Caribbean who actually spoke about the area's history and what was worth seeing there. Now it is just the shopping pitch.

 

As for the shorter shows (which are also accompanied by the elimination of a second entertainer in another venue), I agree with you. 30 minutes is too short. When we would exit the 7 PM show at about 7:35, we would pass a big lineup for the 8:15 show. So those people had been in that line waiting for an unknown amount of time and it was still 40 minutes until their 30 minute show.

 

And saying they switched to 30 minute shows so they could get a third performance in so more people could see the show is a false premise. On our recent 7-day cruise, they did not schedule a third performance on three of the seven evenings.

Edited March 22, 2014 by caribill

[ashhill]

I like a good cd and it does make a differance to our cruise, we sail in 20 days on the Emerald, im hoping we wont be disappointed in Kelvin Joy

 

Hi, we are just off the Emerald on the 19th March and can say that Kelvin Joy and Adam were fantastic. you will not be disappointed with them.

have a great cruise (wish we were back on Emerald)

[Go-Bucks!]

Where we felt Princess failed badly this cruise was on the entertainment side.

We put very little emphasis on the ship's entertainment, so it seems like a small thing compared to all the other positives. But everyone's different.

 

Hardly ever saw the cruise director

I've never seen the CD on a ship; wouldn't know who they are nor care. What difference will they make to my cruise (none). JMHO.

 

We'd seen all of the Broadway-style shows at least once or twice before

I've seen many of the production shows, but they all seem the same. Don't go anymore. Boring.

 

The only saving grace, entertainment wise was the movie selection and we watched about eight movies over the 10 days.

I prefer watching the movies the most. And Princess has many current ones. Love MUTS at night.

If we moved over to Royal Caribbean, for example, for better entertainment, what would we lose in return? How does the service and food quality compare?

 

I just went on the Celebrity Reflection for the first time and although it was a great cruise and ship (excellent food and service), the entertainment was worse than Princess and they had very few activities during the day - virtually no trivia. Again, this made no difference to me but you might not enjoy them if the entertainment is the most important part of the cruise for you.

[bunnycrawford]

I just went on the Celebrity Reflection for the first time and although it was a great cruise and ship (excellent food and service), the entertainment was worse than Princess and they had very few activities during the day - virtually no trivia. Again, this made no difference to me but you might not enjoy them if the entertainment is the most important part of the cruise for you.

 

I completely agree with this statement. The reflection was awesome, ship, food, service, but there was NOTHING to do. I so missed trivia and game shows. Just off the Caribbean Princess and the ship, food and service were just okay, but there were so many things I wanted to do!

 

I've been on Holland, Carnival and RCCL as well and can't say that I have a favorite...

[reney313]

Personally, I think it is a good thing to switch up lines from time to time to avoid the burn out of the same food/shows/activities. I have sailed RCI the most, primarily because I think their activities are plentiful and I love their ships. That said, sometimes I get really tired of the same menus and the activities which makes it exciting when I go on Princess or NCL. To me, all lines of their strengths and differences.

 

I just got off the Allure of the Seas in January and followed it up with a short 3 day cruise on NCL Sky the following month. I think I was getting tired of RCI and it had been a long time since I had sailed NCL because I almost enjoyed the shorter and older cruise ship better.

 

To me, RCI is comfortable and "home" but I also LOVE the products other lines including Princess have to offer for their differences. We're looking at another Alaska cruise on Princess again this summer. And I will look forward to the superior food, the Alfredo pasta with cheese bowl, and the great pizza! But I will also know the nightly activities aren't as varied and that will be a welcome change too. I'll enjoy the promenade after really missing one on Allure. I'll enjoy lesser guests onboard. It will be a great change of pace from the 3 cruises.

[punkinlr]

My wife and I were on our eighth cruise in February. All 8 have been with Princess.

 

This year's cruise was the 10-day Southern Caribbean on the Emerald. Food was excellent, service was excellent, especially Agnelo, our cabin steward. Ports were new to us, and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

Where we felt Princess failed badly this cruise was on the entertainment side. It started with the Wake Show, which was canned and did not include any passenger polls, trivia questions or anything pertaining to that particular cruise.

 

Hardly ever saw the cruise director, JJ Ulrich, unless he was introducing an act in the theater. The cruise director's staff were very good but used the same trivia questions from cruise to cruise so anyone doing a back-to-back (and there were literally hundreds on this cruise) could remember the questions from earlier.

 

Much of the entertainment in the theater was recycled. We'd seen all of the Broadway-style shows at least once or twice before and the headline comedian, Phil Tag, did pretty much the same routine we'd heard two years earlier.

 

We found the bands not up to snuff, with the exception of Playthoven, a string duet which appeared in the Piazza. The only saving grace, entertainment wise was the movie selection and we watched about eight movies over the 10 days.

 

My wife and I gave the cruise 1 and 2 stars respectively on the post-cruise survey because we found ourselves bored and looking for things to do in the evenings.

 

As a result we're looking at changing lines. If we moved over to Royal Caribbean, for example, for better entertainment, what would we lose in return? How does the service and food quality compare?

 

 

Sad to say - but some of that entertainment / and activities "move" from cruise line to cruise line as CD staff move around. They seem to share the same trivia sheets, silly passenger games like the newlywed/not so newlywed for example - and ask the same questions! From RCL to NCL to X - very little has ever changed. Now, X did do a really fun Amazing Race last year, but not sure if they are keeping that up.

 

Good luck finding a new spark for your cruising adventures!

[mrmac]

I commiserate with the OP and have several things to add. First, the bare minimum for decent entertainment should be for the ship to have at least one good band for dancing and listening, and preferably two to appeal to a wider audience, age wise. The second is for the CD to actually schedule the bands so everyone can see them; pre-dinner cocktails, after dinner and after the main show. It's not rocket science but I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have cocktails in a lounge/venue where the group is taking a break during the half hour before early or late dining. What is the CD thinking? Don't they want to sell drinks before dinner?

 

The production shows are another issue. Last year we went to see "O" at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. It's been there since the Bellagio opened, over 16 years ago. Guess what? It's fantastic! And it keeps drawing and people keep coming back. I've seen Phantom and Le Miz 3 times each and paid big bucks for all those. Because they're fantastic shows. So what can Princess (all the lines) learn? If you're going to leave shows running for multi year stretches they have to be better, much better. They need to have live, dynamic music and great singers & dancers. An earlier poster, excuse maker mentioned that it's not Broadway. Baloney! I have an entertainment background and I know that lots of the cruise singers and dancers have done Broadway and Broadway touring shows. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of great singers and dancers to pull from. When I see 2 poor singers trying to carry a vocally demanding show I just shake my head. Who's in charge here? And these huge ships should have 4 lead singers, not just 2.

 

I remember several years ago RCCL used to advertise cruises as the vacation of a lifetime. So maybe they used to get away with leaving mediocre to good shows on ships for 5 years or more because people didn't cruise as much. But now 50% of folks on an average cruise have cruised before and many of us, especially on Cruise Critic, cruise every year or two. We don't want to see the same show as last year unless it's fantastic!!! Talented performers and live music can make this possible.

 

Comedians should be updating their material all the time unless they're just lazy. There's no reason they should be doing the same show two years later. The cruise lines should require them to use fresh material.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Before you jump to Celebrity, spend some time reading the Celebrity forum here on CC. There is no other forum (in my experience) with so much kvetching about falling standards and the "good old days." Princess cruisers seem to be much happier about their favorite line than the Celebrity faithful. [unless an outsider dares say anything less than 100% positive about Celebrity, in which case the flamethrowers come out in force. ;)]