Why Doesn't Princess Modern"icized" Their (Old) Ships?

[need2cruisesoon]

Another cruise line is giving their ships a Revolution in design and update, why not Princess?

[hpeabody]

Because it takes money

Edited February 13, 2019 by hpeabody

[Coral]

I was on the Sapphire Princess last summer. They had done quite a bit of renovations on the ship last spring - it had all the newer colors that Princess is using on their new ships. It was quite classy looking and looked like a brand new ship.

 

Princess has never had all the bells and whistles and that is ok with me.

[Thrak]

Not sure what you are referring to but...

 

I don't want shopping malls.

I don't want a ton of extra cost venues.

I don't want water slides.

I don't want rock climbing walls.

I don't want to have to make reservations in the theater.

I don't want... (fill in whatever it is that other lines have to which you are referring...)

 

I don't want pretty much any of the bells and whistles that other (similar priced) cruise lines offer. That's one of the big reasons I like Princess.

 

If you want to ask about upscale cruise lines...

Yes, I want free beverage package.

Yes, I want free excursions.

Yes, I want all of the upscale items that are included with the snazzier cruise lines.

No, I can't afford those cruise lines.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Thrak

[4cats4me]

19 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Not sure what you are referring to but...

 

I don't want shopping malls.

I don't want a ton of extra cost venues.

I don't want water slides.

I don't want rock climbing walls.

I don't want to have to make reservations in the theater.

I don't want... (fill in whatever it is that other lines have to which you are referring...)

 

I don't want pretty much any of the bells and whistles that other (similar priced) cruise lines offer. That's one of the big reasons I like Princess.

 

If you want to ask about upscale cruise lines...

Yes, I want free beverage package.

Yes, I want free excursions.

Yes, I want all of the upscale items that are included with the snazzier cruise lines.

No, I can't afford those cruise lines.

 

I believe the OP is referring to Celebrity and the  “Revolutionization”  of its entire fleet following the release of their newest ship, The Edge.   

They plan to modernize the entire fleet over a several year period. We are booked on one of their ships (which was/is fine as is) for later this year, which will be revolutionized (unbeknownst to us when we booked it last year) and the prices for our sailing have gone through the roof since we booked.

Celebrity doesn’t have any of the aforementioned items on your “I don’t want” list.  However, they do have the beverage packages and all-inclusive model available.  

 

I would like to add, the cost for a 10-day on Celebrity vs a 10-day on Princess 

is a lot pricier, IMHO, so if Princess should eventually go this route, we can expect prices to skyrocket as well.  

 

[Grburkart]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but Princess has been Modernizing. They advertise new beds and linens, medallion upgrades, specialty restaurants. They have new paint schemes as mentioned before, their ships look great. 

They have movies outside and ice cream! It could be a dumpy ship as long as it has ice cream. 

I’m new to the cruising world and in my research, Princess ships are as modern as other cruise lines. It also reminds me of the old adage, “you get what you pay for” meaning there are more luxury liners available if I so choose. 

As far as old ships go, I’d love to sail on the Pacific Princess!

 

Glenn

Edited February 13, 2019 by Grburkart

[RDC1]

41 minutes ago, 4cats4me said:

 

I believe the OP is referring to Celebrity and the  “Revolutionization”  of its entire fleet following the release of their newest ship, The Edge.   

They plan to modernize the entire fleet over a several year period. We are booked on one of their ships (which was/is fine as is) for later this year, which will be revolutionized (unbeknownst to us when we booked it last year) and the prices for our sailing have gone through the roof since we booked.

Celebrity doesn’t have any of the aforementioned items on your “I don’t want” list.  However, they do have the beverage packages and all-inclusive model available.  

 

I would like to add, the cost for a 10-day on Celebrity vs a 10-day on Princess 

is a lot pricier, IMHO, so if Princess should eventually go this route, we can expect prices to skyrocket as well.  

 

As far as I am concerned from the pictures of the changes Celebrity is making I prefer the way the celebrity ships are before the changes. was going to book a cruise on Celebrity, then realized it would be after the changes so I canceled.

[Geoffa30]

Would love them to modernise their older ships. This doesn’t mean adding a theme park but bringing the decor up to date, e.g. like they did with the Caribbean Princess’s buffet. Looking forward to sailing the Sky Princess to see what updates have been made. From the renderings (I know they’re just artist impressions), it does look a little more modern. Wouldn’t want them to lose the ship feel though and become like Las Vegas hotels like some other lines have done.

[Vic The Parrot]

I'd like Princess to add the hand-held shower attachments to their older ships.

All the Royal class ships have them in the cabin bathrooms, so I think it would be a good idea to update the rest of the fleet.

[mevs904]

Exactly what Thrak said.  We certainly appreciate it when Princess updates their ships with newer and fresher paint, furniture, carpets, and art work but do not want the shopping mall, mini-amusement park features that some other cruise lines are building. We love a classic cruise ship environment and experience.  That’s why we go to sea.

[paul929207]

6 hours ago, Thrak said:

Not sure what you are referring to but...

 

I don't want shopping malls.

I don't want a ton of extra cost venues.

I don't want water slides.

I don't want rock climbing walls.

I don't want to have to make reservations in the theater.

I don't want... (fill in whatever it is that other lines have to which you are referring...)

 

I don't want pretty much any of the bells and whistles that other (similar priced) cruise lines offer. That's one of the big reasons I like Princess.

 

If you want to ask about upscale cruise lines...

Yes, I want free beverage package.

Yes, I want free excursions.

Yes, I want all of the upscale items that are included with the snazzier cruise lines.

No, I can't afford those cruise lines.

Ditto what Thrak said

[OzKiwiJJ]

I like the warm tones of the Princess decor, the Art Nouveau touches, particularly in the older ships. The Royal class ships have lost some of that warmth, although they do have lovely Piazzas. I think Princess' strength is in its classic look. We cruise Celebrity occasionally and I never feel quite at home on Solstice as I do on all the Princess ships I've been on, the Solstice decor is a little bleak for me.

 

Yes, Princess should keep their look fresh while staying with the classic look. 

[Gracie115]

5 hours ago, RDC1 said:

As far as I am concerned from the pictures of the changes Celebrity is making I prefer the way the celebrity ships are before the changes. was going to book a cruise on Celebrity, then realized it would be after the changes so I canceled.

 

 

Wasn't sure what the Celebrity ships would look like but now that Millennium has been completed (the oldest Celebrity ship) and pictures are available to see the ship looks great.  It does NOT look like the Edge but it is now up to date and ready for another 20 years!!! 

[Grburkart]

2 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

Wasn't sure what the Celebrity ships would look like but now that Millennium has been completed (the oldest Celebrity ship) and pictures are available to see the ship looks great.  It does NOT look like the Edge but it is now up to date and ready for another 20 years!!! 

It surprises me that a simple paint job can modernize a ship when the “internal workings” remain the same. The OP’s concern that princess ships are falling behind just turns out to be cosmetic. 

 

Glenn

[Gracie115]

Just now, Grburkart said:

It surprises me that a simple paint job can modernize a ship when the “internal workings” remain the same. The OP’s concern that princess ships are falling behind just turns out to be cosmetic. 

 

Glenn

Celebrity did much more than a simple paint job on the Millie.  All staterooms were completely renovated including all new furnishings and that included new technology for lighting, HVAC, TV, etc... all public areas were also renovated.  From the pictures the ship looks great.  Having said that, while our next cruise is on Celebrity, the one after that is on Princess and I suspect the ones following it will be too....Celebrity pricing has gone crazy...

[Obsi]

I've only been on the Golden Princess, and looked a photos/video of other ships.  Personally I like the "older" style decor that Golden has, and in some ways I'm a little disappointed that the Majestic will take over the Golden's voyages, as I feel some of it looks too modern and too flashy.  Looking at P&O, Celebrity, carnival and other ships I don't like the modern decor they have, nothing inspires me to choose to cruise with them.  I certainly would never go on a ship that has waterslides and the like.

Although the Horizon court on the Golden looks straight out of the 1980s, so that could do with a facelift  :P  The look of the buffet on Majestic looks nice.

To me, part of the appeal of going on a cruise is to have a different experience than what I'd get at a modern hotel or shopping centre...I want to live that opulent luxury lifestyle for a little while - So that old fashioned charm is really appealing to me.

Hubby and I are planning a New Zealand cruise for our 20th anniversary and I'd dearly love to do the Cunard (Queen Elizabeth) one for that old fashioned ambiance - but for essentially the same cruise (Cunard is 1 day longer)  it's $970 pp more expensive than princess 😞  (which is strange, as other Australian cruises are similarly priced between the 2)  Which we can't justify just for the look of the ship. 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Obsi

[Grburkart]

21 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

Celebrity did much more than a simple paint job on the Millie.  All staterooms were completely renovated including all new furnishings and that included new technology for lighting, HVAC, TV, etc... all public areas were also renovated.  From the pictures the ship looks great.  Having said that, while our next cruise is on Celebrity, the one after that is on Princess and I suspect the ones following it will be too....Celebrity pricing has gone crazy...

I’m thinking that in due time, Princess will be equal to the task of upgrading their facilities. 

 

Glenn

[susancruzs]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder comes to mind.  I don't need Princess to change their ships, I like them just as they are.  Refurbishing upholstery, carpets, cabins, etc., is fine but no gimmicks, glitz and glamour for me.

 

Everyone is different, I was on the Emerald for 30 days last year, and my table mates thought the Emerald was run down, didn't look good, I thought it was fine.  Read some reviews of the cruise, some read like she was ready to be retired, seriously?  I cruise Princess because I like the way their ships are, if I didn't there are many, many choices out there.

[Daniel A]

10 hours ago, need2cruisesoon said:

Another cruise line is giving their ships a Revolution in design and update, why not Princess?

A business that is not meeting its expectations needs to do a revolution and a new makeover.  A business that is meeting or exceeding its expectations doesn't need to change radically.  In some cases, a radical change for a successful business can drive patrons away.  (see Thrak's post and subsequent likes and dittos of his post for example.)

[Gracie115]

47 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

A business that is not meeting its expectations needs to do a revolution and a new makeover.  A business that is meeting or exceeding its expectations doesn't need to change radically.  In some cases, a radical change for a successful business can drive patrons away.  (see Thrak's post and subsequent likes and dittos of his post for example.)

 

Ok but what the OP was speaking of was the Celebrity refurbishment which includes none of the items in Thrak's post, well it may include an additional specialty restaurant but not rock walls, water slides, reservations for theatre seats etc..  They are updating 20 year old ships by completing renovating tired staterooms, introducing new technology for lighting, HVAC, TV's etc....which hopefully keeps them competitive for the foreseeable future with the SLEW of newer ships out there.  

 

Not saying Princess should do it, just trying to clear up a misconception of the OP's post.....don't think they were looking for rock walls and water slides on Princess ships.....

[floridalover5623]

Why should they? They're filling up the ships in the condition they are today and as long as people keep returning they'll stay the same.

[flamomo]

Some of the décor changes in some public areas on the Crown have gotten a gaudy look, ala Carnival. So not in keeping with the classic, low key Princess décor that I far prefer.Having done well over 40 cruises with Princess, on most of the fleet (but none on the new "mega-ships"), I am well accustomed to the light woods and pastel color schemes that Princess has always had, and don't care for changes of that interfere that relaxing aura of being on a Princess ship. 

[floridalover5623]

4 minutes ago, flamomo said:

Some of the décor changes in some public areas on the Crown have gotten a gaudy look, ala Carnival. So not in keeping with the classic, low key Princess décor that I far prefer.Having done well over 40 cruises with Princess, on most of the fleet (but none on the new "mega-ships"), I am well accustomed to the light woods and pastel color schemes that Princess has always had, and don't care for changes of that interfere that relaxing aura of being on a Princess ship. 

We haven't sailed the Crown in many years & it should be refreshing to see some modern changes on a Princess ship. 

[riffatsea]

We are not interested in sailing on any mega ships!

We really enjoyed being on the Coral in December and thought that the decor was just fine.

I don't completely understand how "modern decor" changes the experience on board a ship??

I am much more interested in good service, good food, and fun activities.

[famski740]

Agree with Thrak on not introducing the kid friendly activities that would turn it into an amusement park.

 

I believe Princess is continually updating their ships and introducing updated furniture, décor and facilities associated with their targeted audience.  I wish they would consider changes to their menus that would make that same audience more appreciative.

 

As long as Princess continues to provide good service, attentive crews, and fun activities, I will continue to enjoy cruising with them.