Are Princess losing the plot

[kruisey]

I usually book a long trip naturally the cost is much higher.

Think Princess must cater differently for these cruises because although I have noticed that the food in MDR is not as it was,as others have mentioned they will get you another meal.After all do not be shy about this ,you paid big bucks for the cruise ,so in a nice manner ask for something different from the kitchen.

Otherwise on a long cruise I have found the employee service to be excellent.

The Theatre entertainment has been budgeted I rarely am interested in most of the shows but still like the nights with the singers and dancers on stage.

Have found a great improvement in the Horizon Court to days gone by.All tables have cutlery and napkins and you are guided to a chair.Also the employees are most helpful in taking your dish to the table and getting one a drink..kudos to them:)

We have International Cafe on many ships now which we did not have in the past which supplies us with some interesting and nice snacks,a meeting place for all.

On the short cruises at bargain prices what do you expect? You cannot have it both ways you know:cool:

Edited May 6, 2015 by kruisey

[Woobstr112G]

Hi

 

My view is Princess is a little bit lost,

 

it wants to be a mass market volume player, but does not have the ships for this,

 

as such if is constantly trying to drive down costs and increase revenue,

 

nothing wrong with that, they are a business there to make profit.

 

However I think the business plan is wrong, many here would be happy to pay

 

a little more for better quality, they do not need to be the cheapest to fill there

 

ships, value for money will attract customers, but low prices and low standards

 

drive customers away.

 

yours Shogun

 

I couldn't have said it any better.....:):):)

 

Bob

p.s. I'll be in London b/t 31Aug-4Sept. Any chance that you'll be in town?

[AZ Ocean Lover]

One things I heard from the CEO of Carnival is that the Asian market is very family focused. It's not unusual for the entire family to vacation together from grandmother down through granddaughter. Cruising is a great vacation for an extended family because of the varied activities.

 

I don't blame them at all for going after the Asian market. Sounds like a perfect fit.

[Shogun]

Hi Bob

 

E mail me and we can chat

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Cruised a few times with large Chinese groups, one large family may be 20 had an area to themselves tables all pushed together, what l recall is how polite they were and how very respectful of the older family members again wearing a kilt was an ice breaker

 

Yours Shogun

Edited May 6, 2015 by Shogun

[iceleven]

We frequently cruise out of San Francisco and L.A. and many of them have had a very large Asian population on board; perhaps even more than 50% being Asian. It doesn't take much to recognize their strong interest in traveling with their large extended families. There are many food items to accommodate their traditional fares, as well. Perhaps Princess needed only to observe these local cruisers in order to determine how to accommodate their newer Asian market.

 

I would love to cruise Asian ports but should I assume the ship's communications would also be either Mandarin or Cantonese? That might be a deal breaker for me unless there also were English-speaking on board reports and staff at the service desks.

[sfaaa]

Chinese descent cruisers who live in the west and Chinese tourists from China are not the same much like Yanks are different from Brits, Aussies and Canucks. They may look alike but they don't behave, talk and think alike. As a westerner, you will likely suffer a real cultural shock taking an all Asian passenger cruise out of China.

[AZ Ocean Lover]

We frequently cruise out of San Francisco and L.A. and many of them have had a very large Asian population on board; perhaps even more than 50% being Asian. It doesn't take much to recognize their strong interest in traveling with their large extended families. There are many food items to accommodate their traditional fares, as well. Perhaps Princess needed only to observe these local cruisers in order to determine how to accommodate their newer Asian market.

 

I would love to cruise Asian ports but should I assume the ship's communications would also be either Mandarin or Cantonese? That might be a deal breaker for me unless there also were English-speaking on board reports and staff at the service desks.

 

 

I had to chuckle over this. We just got off the Caribbean Princess two weeks ago and one early evening the captain made some sort of an announcement and we turned to each other and said "Is he speaking French?" Turns out he was Italian but couldn't understand a word he said.

[Iamcruzin]

delete

Edited May 6, 2015 by Iamcruzin

[AmberTeka]

It is the food.

The Caribbean menu is a game changer for us.

 

Next cruise on the Carnival Sunshine. Not Princess.

 

and I loved Princess.

when they change that menu.......I will be back

[calisilent]

Fourthly our bedding was not changed for entire cruise our Duvet cover was very worn & had a hole in it.

 

Why didn't you ask the steward to change your sheets:confused:

 

Like Button!

 

I think if we ASK for service we will get it. No one ever got attention from a cabin steward by posting complaints on this board after the cruise.:)

[Talisker92]

On out last cruise on Golden, which was a 32 day B2B in a minisuite, we asked and received from the steward the following at various times:

A top sheet for under the duvet

An extra wastebasket for the sitting area

A large ice bucket

An extra box of kleenex for the sitting area

We thanked him, and tipped him at the beginning, at the second leg and at the end of the cruise

[caribill]

 

I would love to cruise Asian ports but should I assume the ship's communications would also be either Mandarin or Cantonese? That might be a deal breaker for me unless there also were English-speaking on board reports and staff at the service desks.

 

There will no doubt be English speaking on board announcements and staff, but based on reports from the Princess Japan based itineraries, many shore excursions may have no English speaking guides.

 

I do not know how Princess will be handling the entertainment, but when RCCL entered the Chinese market they did not offer entertainment that required a good knowledge of English to understand. They kept the production shows (most songs with lyrics the Chinese could at least recognize) but eliminated comedians and other type shows which required an understanding of the language being spoken.

[Colo Cruiser]

The majority (language) will be non English.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[BruceMuzz]

I had to chuckle over this. We just got off the Caribbean Princess two weeks ago and one early evening the captain made some sort of an announcement and we turned to each other and said "Is he speaking French?" Turns out he was Italian but couldn't understand a word he said.

 

Like many Americans you are probably bi-lingual:

1. English

2. English louder

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Post deleted.

Edited May 7, 2015 by SoCal Cruiser78

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Like many Americans you are probably bi-lingual:

1. English

2. English louder

 

:rolleyes:

[Chrisbha]

i have just returned from the coral princess on the last 5 days of the repositioning to Vancouver and I have never been so disappointed . We are elite and have been princess all the way but I didn't even buy a FCC this time

I realize they were under Noro prevention the first 3 days but that did not excuse the poor quality of dining room and buffet food and our duvet cover also had a hole in it

Maybe you had the cabin we vacated in LA B301

[pablo222]

Like many Americans you are probably bi-lingual:

1. English

2. English louder

 

Always a classic!!!

[kruisey]

Have trouble understanding what one of the Captains with an Italian Accent is saying when he rattles on at noon time to everyone. He has been the Captain on two cruises I have been a passenger on...Hum I could be missing something here ?:confused:

Oh dear maybe its because I was born near the sound of bow bells in that wee island across the channel and and have a broad accent.........;)

Edited May 7, 2015 by kruisey

[oskidunker]

Steven Rivera?

[kruisey]

Steven Rivera?

Stefano Rivera I was not going to mention the name.He is a great Captain but I do have a accent problem there:o

Edited May 7, 2015 by kruisey

[MTJSR]

Even thou I prefer not being a "Mark" for upselling on a cruise, I am always very nice about declining the offers. Last thing I would ever do is convey an ugly attitude to the crew. I can tell some are uncomfortable doing it in the first place.

[7leagueboots]

This is true in things that everyone purchases today. If you knew what others paid for the seats right next to you on the plane you would have to stop flying too. This is not new! Its marketing.

 

I agree with posts about Princess going in several directions and that they appear to be lost. However as long as they continue to sell out cruises they will not change their approach. Its a shame. :(

 

You are correct about airplane seats....the variance is amazing.

[CruisinChris]

Cruising Chris,

I would love to hear a HAL vs princess report on this princess board after your cruise if you get a chance.

 

I will. The HAL cruise is late February 16, so there will be a bit of a wait.

 

Not according to this article: http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/new-princess-ship-to-be-based-in-shanghai-year-round.html

 

Actually - I was told very specifically that the Princess Live venue will become the seafood restaurant "the Lobster Grill" mentioned in the article. I suspect Princess Live is being moved elsewhere. Part of the explanation was they have some operational issues and limitations with the current configuration of the Wheelhouse, Steakhouse, and Live. More important news in that article was that the new ship will be customized for and deployed to Shanghai year-round. So, for most of us, the changes and improvements are moot unless we're sailing in Asia on voyages marketed to those countries. This lends strength to the thought that Carnival Corp is really looking to the Princess brand to unlock the potential of Asia.