Itineraries Getting Stale

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

My DW and I have been sailing exclusively with Princess for years. They have become, by far, our favorite cruise line. We were anxiously awaiting today and the 2020 European cruises opening up so we could book a cruise for our 30th anniversary. I must say, we are disappointed. It’s the same old itineraries. There are so many ports in Europe that Princess could add, but doesn’t. I used to tell everyone about the Princess itineraries and that they couldn’t be beat. It’s now the same thing year after year. They need to hire someone with a little imagination. I was hoping they would do something interesting for the inaugural season of the Enchantment. It looks like we may be forced to go with a different cruise line as much as we hate to do so. HAL has some interesting looking itineraries. 

[Thrak]

Try the Northern Lights cruise to Alta, Norway. It's new to Princess this year and I believe they are offering this cruise in the future.

[chrysalis]

Why don't you suggest some new ports here?

[memoak]

We have booked a 2020 TransAtlantic that includes Portland (England), Bruges, Le Verdan  and Bilbao (been on my wife's bucket list for years) - these are all new to us even after 3 earlier Trans Transatlantic.  We are also on a 20 day Caribean cruise in just over a week with several islands we have never been to.

[beg3yrs]

I have mixed feelings about the "stale" itineraries. We've traveled quite a bit with Princess and keep looking for new places too. I find it's getting more difficult to discover them but as others have said, with a bit of digging, new ports are available. I do fear with the trend of dropping the smaller ships and building bigger ones, the selection of future ports is going to be limited. I increasingly take peeks at Seabourn's itineraries but their higher prices and our lack of status perks over there have kept us away ... so far.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

13 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

Why don't you suggest some new ports here?

 

Amsterdam, Rhodes, Malta, Malaga, Cartagena, Brest, Rotterdam, Korcula,  Souda. 

 

These are just some of the ports in Northern Europe, Spain, and the Agean that Princess doesn’t go to. Last year we did a 21-day Mediterranean cruise that was actually an 11 and 10 day back to back. Several ports were repeated. That’s okay. But, if I look at this cruise for 2020, it’s the same. And for years Princess has done the same 7 day Mediterranean cruises that can be combined for 7-28 days. Same ports - different year. There are other ports in Sicily besides Messina. Ther are other Greek Islands besides Mykonos and Santorini. It would be nice for Princess mix it up some other than on trans Atlantic cruises. 

[Ombud]

23 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

Why don't you suggest some new ports here?

Northern Africa!! Maybe a Circle the Mediterranean. ... Barcelona - Monte Carlo - Italy - Hifah - Cairo - Morocco - Barcelona 

 

That's 10-14 nights 😆

 

Or Cuba

[hokiefans]

A cruise on the Enchanted beginning November 5th, 2020 goes to both Malaga and Casablanca (Morocco).

 

Another on the Pacific beginning October 18th or November 11th, 2019 will stop in Valetta (Malta).

 

Cairo is down the Nile so you would have to dock in Alexandria.

 

Our Partial Panama Canal, which we did about three years ago, stopped in Cartagena (Columbia) and I see lots of itineraries with it included.

[chrysalis]

8 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Northern Africa!! Maybe a Circle the Mediterranean. ... Barcelona - Monte Carlo - Italy - Hifah - Cairo - Morocco - Barcelona 

 

That's 10-14 nights 😆

 

Or Cuba

Not sure that there is a suitable port in the Med for Morocco (but they already go to Casablanca on the Atlantic. I think they used to go to Cairo on some sailings but unrest caused them to drop it too many times. Slim pickings along the rest of the north Africa coast. It would be nice to do the circle, but....

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

4 minutes ago, hokiefans said:

A cruise on the Enchanted beginning November 5th, 2020 goes to both Malaga and Casablanca (Morocco).

 

Another on the Pacific beginning October 18th or November 11th, 2019 will stop in Valetta (Malta).

 

Cairo is down the Nile so you would have to dock in Alexandria.

 

Our Partial Panama Canal, which we did about three years ago, stopped in Cartagena (Columbia) and I see lots of itineraries with it included.

 

Yes, if you want trans Atlantic cruises - we don’t. And we don’t like the Pacific Princess. 

[Thrak]

17 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

Amsterdam, Rhodes, Malta, Malaga, Cartagena, Brest, Rotterdam, Korcula,  Souda

 

Our TA next November from Barcelona to FLL (or all the way to LA if one chooses to continue on through the canal) visits Cartagena.

[capriccio]

Cartagena - along with Valencia, Cadiz (for Seville), Gibraltar, Lanzarote and Tenerife - were on our westbound TA on the Royal Princess last fall.  We enjoyed them all.

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by capriccio

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

2 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Our TA next November from Barcelona to FLL (or all the way to LA if one chooses to continue on through the canal) visits Cartagena.

 

Since I was discussing European cruises I didn’t realize that people would mixup Cartagena Spain with Cartagena Columbia. 

 

And for everyone else, I realize that I could get some different ports on a trans Atlantic sailing. Those don’t work for us. I was discussing regular Mediterranean and Norther European  itineraries. But, I do appreciate everyone’s suggestions. 

[Ombud]

17 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

Not sure that there is a suitable port in the Med for Morocco (but they already go to Casablanca on the Atlantic. I think they used to go to Cairo on some sailings but unrest caused them to drop it too many times. Slim pickings along the rest of the north Africa coast. It would be nice to do the circle, but....

Thank you! Saved it .... haven't done a transatlantic yet

[capriccio]

We have a cruise scheduled in mid-June next year entitled "land of the midnight sun.'  It is round trip out of Southampton and stops in the following Norwegian ports:  Stavanger, Flaam, Geiranger, Trondheim, North Cape, Tromso, Gravdal, Alesund, and Bergen. 

[mreasier]

I have to say we were also very disappointed with the 2020 Europe cruises.  The itineraries are uninspired and the choice of ships is terrible. The Crown is not too bad but we much prefer the smaller Grand class ships without the extra 500 passengers. After spending 28 days on her, we will not sail on a Royal class ship again. The Island is a whole other level of bad. We are Elite on Princess and have 2 Future Cruise Deposits that may expire, but we found a unique itinerary up the Amazon from San Juan on Viking that we are booking instead.

[Colo Cruiser]

They are heading back to Turkey but sadly with the Island Princess.   🙁

[Geoffa30]

2 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

My DW and I have been sailing exclusively with Princess for years. They have become, by far, our favorite cruise line. We were anxiously awaiting today and the 2020 European cruises opening up so we could book a cruise for our 30th anniversary. I must say, we are disappointed. It’s the same old itineraries. There are so many ports in Europe that Princess could add, but doesn’t. I used to tell everyone about the Princess itineraries and that they couldn’t be beat. It’s now the same thing year after year. They need to hire someone with a little imagination. I was hoping they would do something interesting for the inaugural season of the Enchantment. It looks like we may be forced to go with a different cruise line as much as we hate to do so. HAL has some interesting looking itineraries. 

 

Have to agree with you. We did an inaugural sailing on the Majestic Princess in 2017 and are doing the exact same one on the Sky Princess in 2019. Then the Enchanted Princess itineraries are covering the same ground in 2020. For me, the annoying thing is that there are no true fourteen night cruises, i.e. that aren’t just two seven day cruises. Always worry that when doing two seven days, there’s the possibility for repeated menus, repeated entertainment and repeated ports. Thankfully we noticed that one of the eleven night itineraries later in the season goes to some different ports which we either haven’t been to (Santorini, Katakolon and Corsica) or love (Dubrovnik) so have combined that with the previous seven night cruise to give an eighteen night cruise Barcelona to Barcelona where no port is repeated.

 

Unconnected but strangely, on the 2020 cruise schedules Coral posted a while back, there was a Sky Princess TA Copenhagen to New York via Halifax and New Foundland which we really liked the look of. Now that the itineraries have been posted on the Princess website, this has totally changed and goes via the Azores and yet the map shown is for the original route.

 

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Geoffa30

[Ombud]

37 minutes ago, Geoffa30 said:

For me, the annoying thing is that there are no true fourteen night cruises, i.e. that aren’t just two seven day cruises.

I am on a 16 day from Santiago to LA. Ship originates in FL to Buenos Aires then BA to Santiago then I get on to LA. 

 

If you're talking about different shows and menus, then yes it will repeat on a weekly basis. But it does the same thing on land too

Edited November 8, 2018 by Ombud

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

 

Since I was discussing European cruises I didn’t realize that people would mixup Cartagena Spain with Cartagena Columbia. 

 

And for everyone else, I realize that I could get some different ports on a trans Atlantic sailing. Those don’t work for us. I was discussing regular Mediterranean and Norther European  itineraries. But, I do appreciate everyone’s suggestions. 

 

This is a TA.We visit Catagena SPAIN.

 

From our itinerary:

Nov 05 Cartagena (Es) 11:00AM 7:00PM

 

Note: The other Cartagena is in Colombia - not Columbia. A common error.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Thrak

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

14 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

This is a TA.We visit Catagena SPAIN.

 

From our itinerary:

Nov 05 Cartagena (Es) 11:00AM 7:00PM

 

Note: The other Cartagena is in Colombia - not Columbia. A common error.

 I knew you were referring to Spain. But, several were discussing Columbia. 

[neverbeenhere]

Lucky there is only one Poulsbo.

[BarbinMich]

3 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

 

Amsterdam, Rhodes, Malta, Malaga, Cartagena, Brest, Rotterdam, Korcula,  Souda. 

 

These are just some of the ports in Northern Europe, Spain, and the Agean that Princess doesn’t go to. Last year we did a 21-day Mediterranean cruise that was actually an 11 and 10 day back to back. Several ports were repeated. That’s okay. But, if I look at this cruise for 2020, it’s the same. And for years Princess has done the same 7 day Mediterranean cruises that can be combined for 7-28 days. Same ports - different year. There are other ports in Sicily besides Messina. Ther are other Greek Islands besides Mykonos and Santorini. It would be nice for Princess mix it up some other than on trans Atlantic cruises. 

Part of the problem may be the size of the ships Princess uses in Europe--too big for many ports perhaps.  Even if a ship could tender at some of the smaller ports, the latter may not have the infrastructure (cabs, buses, guides) to "service" 3,500 pax.  Also, some of the ports you mention are up a river (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, e.g.), although we have been to Rotterdam on the Royal (TA).  Only been to Amsterdam on a HAL ship (Zuiderdam) and the "original" Regal.  Celebrity calls (or did a few years ago) at Malaga with the Eclipse, a fairly large ship, and it's right on the coast. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by BarbinMich

[grnyel05]

3 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

 

Amsterdam, Rhodes, Malta, Malaga, Cartagena, Brest, Rotterdam, Korcula,  Souda. 

 

These are just some of the ports in Northern Europe, Spain, and the Agean that Princess doesn’t go to. Last year we did a 21-day Mediterranean cruise that was actually an 11 and 10 day back to back. Several ports were repeated. That’s okay. But, if I look at this cruise for 2020, it’s the same. And for years Princess has done the same 7 day Mediterranean cruises that can be combined for 7-28 days. Same ports - different year. There are other ports in Sicily besides Messina. Ther are other Greek Islands besides Mykonos and Santorini. It would be nice for Princess mix it up some other than on trans Atlantic cruises. 

Almost all of these ports are visited by Princess on calls during the 2020 European season.  The Island Princess calls on Amsterdam in September 2020 and Rhodes in October 2020.  Crown and Enchanted Princess both go to Malta in October 2020.  Crown Princess calls on Malaga in May 2020.  Crown Princess goes to Rotterdam in October 2020.  For some reason other cruise lines like Royal Caribbean list the port of Chania, Crete as Chania (Souda), but Princess visits the same port  repeatedly throughout 2020.  None of these are transatlantic sailings.  You can also find Cartagena and Brest on transatlantic sailings in 2020.  

[MCC retired]

The bread & butter of Princess 7 to 10 night Caribbean itineraries have gotten stale .

Especially the 7 night East or West .

There are other ports that Princess could shake them up a bit ?