Princess Cruise Line...improving or on a downhill run?

[Guest ldtr]

Just now, MissP22 said:

That may very well be true if you eat at peak times, but if you eat very early or very late it doesn't make much difference in the service. 

All the waiters will slow down or speed up the service as you request.

Actually very early is usually very busy on Princess ships. Under the new system have seen very long lines when the dining rooms open.  5 to 6:30 is usually one of the busiest periods. 7 or latter usually not a problem.

[Sea Hag]

31 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

That may very well be true if you eat at peak times, but if you eat very early or very late it doesn't make much difference in the service. 

All the waiters will slow down or speed up the service as you request.

Different people have different experiences. We eat early, and that was a hassle and a problem for breakfast and dinner on the Ruby without CC and a pretty much impossibility for lunch. No hassle and no problem on the Discovery with CC. Not saying I plan to always do CC, but I probably always will on the Royal class ships.

[LSGDRG]

4 hours ago, ldtr said:

Princess and HAL are pretty much tied these days when it comes to average age demographics. HAL has been actively trying to attract a younger demographic and had shaved about 5 years off its average over the past few years. 

Smart move on HAL’s part.  Princess is going to have to continue to evolve to attract a younger clientele.  

[FlamePoint]

I love, love, love the medallion app. I use it extensively when cruising; from ordering drinks anywhere on the ship, to tracking down travel companions, checking the schedule for the day, and making dinner reservations. Once I figured it out the first time, it’s been smooth sailing ever since.

 

 

[MissP22]

13 hours ago, ldtr said:

Princess and HAL are pretty much tied these days when it comes to average age demographics. HAL has been actively trying to attract a younger demographic and had shaved about 5 years off its average over the past few years. 

I believe you may be correct. Even a few yeas ago Princess was tied for the oldest demographic and today I'll bet is far in the lead.

It's evident by some of their actions (i.e.- dress code, production shows, drink packages) that their trying to compete and change to attract a younger crowd but HAL from what I understand is still ahead of them. No one wants to be known as having the oldest cruisers at sea! 

That's not where a cruise line want's to be for future expansion. 

[nini]

22 hours ago, Megamixer said:

I'm in the Medallion app now and having trouble.  We're not particular so much about place and time but enjoy having the same wait staff every night.  If I book the same night and time for the cruise will it be at the same table?

Our new cruising friends were able to do just that. They had a lovely table for 4 in the corner by a big window. They asked us to join them.

[JeffElizabeth]

On 8/28/2022 at 5:14 AM, SargassoPirate said:

As well as the Viking requirement to pay in full anywhere from a year to a year and a half in advance.

 

You can't drive an economy car and expect a luxury car experience/

That pre-pay rule really makes me avoid Viking. 

[Flyinby]

On 8/28/2022 at 3:01 AM, MissP22 said:

Your main complaint seems to be with the Medallion system. Why not use the Medallion for the things you do like and ignore the rest? No one is forcing you to use it to gamble, make purchases or reserve a DR time.

Other than an ID for embarking and disembarkation it becomes transparent once aboard.

This is what I was curious about, and it's good to hear.  If it works well for a room key and embark/disembark, that's what matters, despite the hype.

[Flyinby]

On 8/28/2022 at 3:55 PM, c-boy said:

it appears that he is looking for reasons to leave, and asking us to usher him out the door. 

 

  

 

Thanks for the well-thought-out and informative reply.  That's what makes these boards so useful.  Even if you didn't bother reading my post.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, JeffElizabeth said:

That pre-pay rule really makes me avoid Viking. 

I only inquired with a Viking rep once about the river cruise they do in China.  Do they really have no cancellation policy if you are booking, say, over a year ahead of time?

[Steelers36]

9 hours ago, MissP22 said:

I believe you may be correct. Even a few yeas ago Princess was tied for the oldest demographic and today I'll bet is far in the lead.

It's evident by some of their actions (i.e.- dress code, production shows, drink packages) that their trying to compete and change to attract a younger crowd but HAL from what I understand is still ahead of them. No one wants to be known as having the oldest cruisers at sea! 

That's not where a cruise line want's to be for future expansion. 

Really???  Years ago when we were newer to Princess, HAL had the rep of the old folks home of the seas.  I am sure they have worked to change that since all cruise lines need to continue to attract a younger set since the older demographic sadly does die off and need to be replaced.  I have always seen a pretty wide range of ages on PCL, but admit to not ever traveling with HAL as yet.  I am more inclined to try them now and I am sure being less stuffy has helped them make the shift.  I can say I am not looking forward much to the Princess main stage shows coming up on Regal and just hope they have some good comedians for something of interest.  None of the newer shows are on Regal AFAIK.

 

[Flyinby]

On 8/27/2022 at 6:48 PM, ldtr said:

Have done 5 Princess cruises since the restart and am currently on HAL.

 

I have found some benefits to medallion. Faster boarding, ability to place food and drink orders just about anywhere, ability to find where other members of your group are on the ship have been pretty useful.

 

Not a fan of the new dining scheduling system.

 

On the other hand HAL seems to be getting back to pre covid operations faster compared to some of the minor glitches on Princess.

 

You did not say what class cabins you tend to book, but cost per day tends to be substantially higher on Viking for most cabin classes and as such they are more inclusive.

Thanks.  I expect it will work OK and have its benefits, though I think they've WAY over-hyped it.  Not a problem though as long as it works.

 

For this cruise we've booked some junior suites and some deluxe balcony, but yes, Viking is definitely more expensive.  14 people/6 cabins would have been pricey with Viking, and since Princess has been fine in the past that's what we chose...plus they offered the destination we wanted in this case.  I'm not particularly cruise-brand loyal though, so when I saw the apparent changes in Princess I wondered if they were making major changes, and the ones they listed didn't sound all that exciting.  But maybe it's just the "new guy" hyping his pet project.  So far we've never had a cruise (or land trip) we didn't thoroughly enjoy, so I expect this will be the same, despite some previous answers here. 8^)

[JimmyVWine]

12 minutes ago, Flyinby said:

I think they've WAY over-hyped it.

In relation to what they have delivered so far, there is not doubt about it.  That said, IF, (and that is the world's biggest IF) they can get the functionality up to the point where it really does what it is hyped to do, it will be transformative.  

[MissP22]

10 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Really???  Years ago when we were newer to Princess, HAL had the rep of the old folks home of the seas.  I am sure they have worked to change that since all cruise lines need to continue to attract a younger set since the older demographic sadly does die off and need to be replaced.  I have always seen a pretty wide range of ages on PCL, but admit to not ever traveling with HAL as yet.  I am more inclined to try them now and I am sure being less stuffy has helped them make the shift.  I can say I am not looking forward much to the Princess main stage shows coming up on Regal and just hope they have some good comedians for something of interest.  None of the newer shows are on Regal AFAIK.

 

Princess had the oldest cruisers back in 2015/2016 by a slight margin ... I don't know for sure about today but I suspect it still leads the pact among HAL, NCL, Norwegian, Carnival or MSC. 

We to sort of grew old sailing Princess not even considering HAL but maybe it's time to join the younger crown after all.

As time goes by, I'm losing more & more of the perks that used to keep us so loyal, so what's to lose?

[Steelers36]

11 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Princess had the oldest cruisers back in 2015/2016 by a slight margin ... I don't know for sure about today but I suspect it still leads the pact among HAL, NCL, Norwegian, Carnival or MSC. 

We to sort of grew old sailing Princess not even considering HAL but maybe it's time to join the younger crown after all.

As time goes by, I'm losing more & more of the perks that used to keep us so loyal, so what's to lose?

Do you find the statistics published somewhere or this more of a sense of things?  I ask because I got curious and tried to find some age stats by cruise line and mostly just came across things like the typical age ranges on some of the lines.  I am wondering if there are really stats maintained on this by CLIA, for example, that are published, or whether all of this is more of a sense of things from travel writers. 

 

I think we all know if we dropped onto the typical Caribbean voyage, the median/average age would be MUCH lower than on a WC, or WC segment, or longer S.A. voyage or trans-Pacific, to name a few.

[JeffElizabeth]

We are HAL people and we always heard they attracted the oldest,  and believed it. Had an assistant cruise director joke, "Night of the Living Dead" described a Holland America formal night. 

We are mid-fifties and don't mind hanging out with our elders. 

 

I would guess Princess is slightly younger, more likely to have kids. 

[cr8tiv1]

53 minutes ago, Flyinby said:

Thanks.  I expect it will work OK and have its benefits, though I think they've WAY over-hyped it.  Not a problem though as long as it works.

 

For this cruise we've booked some junior suites and some deluxe balcony, but yes, Viking is definitely more expensive.  14 people/6 cabins would have been pricey with Viking, and since Princess has been fine in the past that's what we chose...plus they offered the destination we wanted in this case.  I'm not particularly cruise-brand loyal though, so when I saw the apparent changes in Princess I wondered if they were making major changes, and the ones they listed didn't sound all that exciting.  But maybe it's just the "new guy" hyping his pet project.  So far we've never had a cruise (or land trip) we didn't thoroughly enjoy, so I expect this will be the same, despite some previous answers here. 8^)

 

There are small nuances with Princess.  You mentioned junior suites (there are NONE on a Princess ship).  There are mini-suites and Club Class mini-suites.  Both are incorrectly marketed.  THEY ARE NOT SUITES.  They are balcony cabins with a little bit more real estate.  

 

If some of your members are in a Club Class mini-suite, the others would not be able to join them for meals.  Those in CC dining may join the rest of the group in the MDR.

 

This may or may not be an important distinction, but worth bringing to your attention.

[Guest ldtr]

4 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Do you find the statistics published somewhere or this more of a sense of things?  I ask because I got curious and tried to find some age stats by cruise line and mostly just came across things like the typical age ranges on some of the lines.  I am wondering if there are really stats maintained on this by CLIA, for example, that are published, or whether all of this is more of a sense of things from travel writers. 

 

I think we all know if we dropped onto the typical Caribbean voyage, the median/average age would be MUCH lower than on a WC, or WC segment, or longer S.A. voyage or trans-Pacific, to name a few.

There are a few places where they are published with other cruise industry stats. You can try a search on cruise line average age cruise line name.  Princess and HAL numbers turn up. Celebrity it appears does not release their numbers though there are a couple of paid for reports on the cruise industry that has the numbers.

[caribill]

On 8/28/2022 at 3:13 PM, JimmyVWine said:

Medallion usage is not a systemic "change" in Princess cruising.  It is an option of perceived convenience.

 

You are correct, but Princess continues to promote the Medallion as a giant improvement in cruising.

 

In our area one TV station broadcast a 4 minute infomercial about the Ruby Princess coming to Galveston in December.

 

The commercial was 75% about how the Medallion makes your cruise so much better than any cruise you have ever had without it.  So certainly anyone new to Princess who has seen this hype will be expecting the Medallion to basically perform miracles as it makes your cruise so much better than you ever anticipated before.

 

As long as Princess stresses the Medallion as being the best part of a Princess cruise, there is a chance some people may be very disappointed once on board.

 

(By the way, the Princess ships shown in this commercial for the Ruby were definitely not the Ruby. Main shots were of a Royal class ship (with the painted name removed) and of a pre-Crown class ship with the shopping cart handle for Skywalkers.)

[Guest ldtr]

Just now, caribill said:

 

You are correct, but Princess continues to promote the Medallion as a giant improvement in cruising.

 

In our area one TV station broadcast a 4 minute infomercial about the Ruby Princess coming to Galveston in December.

 

The commercial was 75% about how the Medallion makes your cruise so much better than any cruise you have ever had without it.  So certainly anyone new to Princess who has seen this hype will be expecting the Medallion to basically perform miracles as it makes your cruise so much better than you ever anticipated before.

 

As long as Princess stresses the Medallion as being the best part of a Princess cruise, there is a chance some people may be very disappointed once on board.

 

(By the way, the Princess ships shown in this commercial for the Ruby were definitely not the Ruby. Main shots were of a Royal class ship (with the painted name removed) and of a pre-Crown class ship with the shopping cart handle for Skywalkers.)

Well beimg able to complete the data in medallion, including the security pictures has made boarding a better process than I experienced before 

 

Never was able to order things from just about anywhere and have them delivered so certainly better than previous cruises.

 

Much easier to find other members of my party instead of trying to email them or wa during all over trying to find them.

 

So there are ways it contributes to a better cruise experience than before.

[caribill]

10 minutes ago, ldtr said:

So there are ways it contributes to a better cruise experience than before.

 

Glad you have had a good experience on board with the App.

 

However, not everyone does. Here is a quote from a friend who was on a recent Princess cruise:

 

"Also hate the Medallion app & mostly not working on ship!!"

[Steelers36]

36 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

.......................................

 

The commercial was 75% about how the Medallion makes your cruise so much better than any cruise you have ever had without it.  So certainly anyone new to Princess who has seen this hype will be expecting the Medallion to basically perform miracles as it makes your cruise so much better than you ever anticipated before.

 

As long as Princess stresses the Medallion as being the best part of a Princess cruise, there is a chance some people may be very disappointed once on board.

 

(By the way, the Princess ships shown in this commercial for the Ruby were definitely not the Ruby. Main shots were of a Royal class ship (with the painted name removed) and of a pre-Crown class ship with the shopping cart handle for Skywalkers.)

So sad.  They must have the same advisors that swear the border is closed.  Really??  No video of the correct ship??

Edited August 31, 2022 by Steelers36

[caribill]

3 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

So sad.  They must have the same advisors that swear the border is closed.  Really??  No video of the correct ship??

 

Really.

 

But the pre-Crown ship in the distance is close enough in appearance to the Ruby.

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Do you find the statistics published somewhere or this more of a sense of things?  I ask because I got curious and tried to find some age stats by cruise line and mostly just came across things like the typical age ranges on some of the lines.  I am wondering if there are really stats maintained on this by CLIA, for example, that are published, or whether all of this is more of a sense of things from travel writers. 

 

I think we all know if we dropped onto the typical Caribbean voyage, the median/average age would be MUCH lower than on a WC, or WC segment, or longer S.A. voyage or trans-Pacific, to name a few.

Those statistics were quoted by BruceMuzz back in 2017. He was a representative for many cruise lines and sailed all over the world. I'm not sure if he's still working or not. He used to post frequently on this board. 

[Wedgeh]

As someone in the apparent 'younger' target demographic, I really like the Medallion technology when it works. In my experience Celebrity and Princess have made the same mistake in widely expanding the number of people onboard with WiFi access without significantly increasing the available bandwidth. It seems like the apps require external resources to work and so end up grinding to a halt.