The Job could be yours you are the new president of Princess what changes would you do

[Re-tired]

Barrel chairs! 

[icat2000]

I didn't mind the DMW but I did note that the concept has really destroyed the passenger vs server relationship if you get different ones each time. 

 

Three things I would change:

 

1. Revamp the loyalty programme. Far too many Elites. Needs to be two or three additional levels put in place.

 

2. Revamp the itineraries. They stale. 

 

3. Revisit having a smaller ship. Doesn't need to be 600 passengers like Pacific Princess. But somewhere around 1500 mark and small enough to get into different ports.

 

[billco]

44 minutes ago, Re-tired said:

Barrel chairs! 

Removal of barrel chairs was a good idea. It caused more people to book deluxe balconies and mini suites. It also made the cabins easier to clean and more accessible.

[Thrak]

5 hours ago, fpsphil said:

remove the graffiti from the side of the Enchanted

 

I have heard this "graffiti" mentioned several times on these boards. Can someone please explain to me exactly what is being talked about? I've tried to find side-view images of the ship and haven't been able to see anything out of the ordinary.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Thrak

[Potstech]

8 hours ago, Izzywiz said:

Build much smaller ships again.
Have kettles in every cabin on every sailing not just those from the UK or, at least, have the option to have a kettle brought to your cabin as happens on Celebrity ships.

Did not have a kettle last month on the Celebrity Eclipse. Also told not allowed.

[Potstech]

1 minute ago, Thrak said:

 

I have heard this "graffiti" mentioned several times on these boards. Can someone please explain to me exactly what is being talked about? I've tried to find side-view images of the ship and haven't been able to see anything out of the ordinary.

Their thoughts on the Sea Witch Logo on the bow. Guess they do not like the Princess Logo and want to change it too.

[fpsphil]

29 minutes ago, Potstech said:

Their thoughts on the Sea Witch Logo on the bow. Guess they do not like the Princess Logo and want to change it too.

On 4/10/2023 at 1:48 AM, snoozecrooze said:

Of all of the changes we were asking for or expecting, I sure wasn't expecting this. 

[Bobbiegentry]

Hello Princess/Carnival Corporation executive suites……..Are You Paying Attention and Taking Notes? 
 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by Bobbiegentry

[cr8tiv1]

There were barrel chairs on the Diamond Princess...Ocean View rooms on Fiesta Deck.  I peeked...I saw...I regretted not booking those OV cabins.

 

2 hours ago, Re-tired said:

Barrel chairs! 

 

I am sure Princess knows their base.  I know Princess knows that smaller ships without the bells and whistles are welcomed by many.  I know passengers are willing to pay "a little" more to be on their smaller ships than the other larger ones.  

 

I understand if I choose to sail on a smaller ship, it will cost me a little more for the luxury.  Royal Class ships are usually less than Grand Class ships. I don't know if that is by design (less wanted/can't fill) or that it just cost more to run a smaller ship.  Think Pacific Princess....their fares were always much higher (demand????).

 

2 hours ago, icat2000 said:

I didn't mind the DMW but I did note that the concept has really destroyed the passenger vs server relationship if you get different ones each time.

 

3. Revisit having a smaller ship. Doesn't need to be 600 passengers like Pacific Princess. But somewhere around 1500 mark and small enough to get into different ports.

 

 

I really don't want to switch to Holland America because they do have smaller ships with more interesting itineraries.  

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, fpsphil said:

 

 

GAH!!! I can see why it bothers people. It's idiotic and tasteless. Thanks for clarifying this for me. As my wife just said, "I wonder who's Marketing idea that was?"

Edited April 17, 2023 by Thrak

[Vic The Parrot]

8 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

GAH!!! I can see why it bothers people. It's idiotic and tasteless. Thanks for clarifying this for me. As my wife just said, "I wonder who's Marketing idea that was?"

JP?? 

 

Shhh ... Don't say his name three times!

[Vic The Parrot]

1 hour ago, fpsphil said:

 

Yeah, that's going too far already. 🙄

[CruiseCrabs]

• An investment in an aggressive, proactive survey of current, former, and potential clients to define the real client target for each of the brands before gently nudging each brand to that target. Princess got shoved in a direction it and it’s current clientele wasn’t quite ready for and they are overlooking a generation of empty nesters who are used to being overlooked but aren’t happy about it. The increasing ship size is also changing what ports can be accessed, which is creating additional challenges for marketing.
• Crisis communication personnel on each ship, ready to handle major issues like security incidents or health issues and minor issues like missed ports due to weather with similarly clear, effective language. It would save ship personnel from verbal abuse and passengers from frustration due to not knowing what they need to do in some situations. Seriously, that app should be able to blast a notification to passengers, when necessary. Nobody is hanging around their cabin waiting on a paper letter.
• Smaller groups/fewer motor coaches, experiences truly unique to the port regions, and greater connection cultures with shore excursions.
• A renewed focus of food quality, technique, and service in all dining rooms and restaurants.
• Streamlined app that covers all reservations (including spa and salon, meals, excursions, onboard offerings, etc) in the calendar function, feedback function for reviewing meals, shows, etc. (a la most other apps), and gets rid of the casino, games, and other fluff few use that bog the whole thing down.
• Tighter menus in all dining rooms to improve food quality, menu cohesion, and technical execution.
• No smoking onboard save for one enclosed venue (not the casino) with fantastic ventilation.

 

 

 

 

 

[voljeep]

after reading these comments, aren't there other cruise lines that offer most of the above already?

Prolly not at the current Princess price points though. 

[billco]

8 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

There were barrel chairs on the Diamond Princess...Ocean View rooms on Fiesta Deck.  I peeked...I saw...I regretted not booking those OV cabins.

 

 

I am sure Princess knows their base.  I know Princess knows that smaller ships without the bells and whistles are welcomed by many.  I know passengers are willing to pay "a little" more to be on their smaller ships than the other larger ones.  

 

I understand if I choose to sail on a smaller ship, it will cost me a little more for the luxury.  Royal Class ships are usually less than Grand Class ships. I don't know if that is by design (less wanted/can't fill) or that it just cost more to run a smaller ship.  Think Pacific Princess....their fares were always much higher (demand????).

 

 

I really don't want to switch to Holland America because they do have smaller ships with more interesting itineraries.  

NCL's newest Prima class is smaller than the previous Breakaway class. NCL also continues to sail older smaller ships.

[mtnesterz]

59 minutes ago, voljeep said:

after reading these comments, aren't there other cruise lines that offer most of the above already?

Prolly not at the current Princess price points though. 

Good point. For example, yesterday, I left off renewing the relationship with AOS-USA. RCI, MSC, HAL and Seabourn partner, which are at higher and lower price points.

You might ask, "Why don't I, and others here, just switch lines?" On balance, we're all still sailing Princess, we just want to make it better.

But before I quit the job though, I'd lower the volume at all venues. Changes like that cost nothing.

Edited April 17, 2023 by mtnesterz

[MissP22]

.

[Lady Arwen]

9 hours ago, voljeep said:

after reading these comments, aren't there other cruise lines that offer most of the above already?

Prolly not at the current Princess price points though. 

After reading all these comments I’m starting to regret booking our upcoming cruise.  We had a lot of FCCs to use, so I hate to lose them, but it seems that just about everyone has such negative comments lately.  

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

After reading all these comments I’m starting to regret booking our upcoming cruise.  We had a lot of FCCs to use, so I hate to lose them, but it seems that just about everyone has such negative comments lately.  

I'm still using up the FCC.  The problem with Princess, as I see it,  is the drastic change they made after covid, in dining, check-in, loyalty perks, etc.  The new guy in charge just wiped out traditions and made it clear he's after a new, younger clientele.  My post-covid cruises have ranged from horrible to tolerable.  I am not giving up the money I gave Princess to tide them over the covid crisis, even if it means tolerable is the best I get.  We were dedicated Princess fans with a bunch of cruises lined up when covid hit.  If I had known the suits planned to gut the experience, I would have taken the refunds and not the FCC.  I feel betrayed by Princess, and I don't think I'm alone.

[mtnesterz]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

After reading all these comments I’m starting to regret booking our upcoming cruise.  We had a lot of FCCs to use, so I hate to lose them, but it seems that just about everyone has such negative comments lately.  

This is us too. Two more (Princess) cruises booked for us, but which line would YOU choose in the future? If you were to start over, no loyalty credit, which line? OK, you've got one star Mariner on HAL or matching on MSC. Maybe you've already got loyalty on other lines too? 

[jeromep]

So far the discourse here is almost totally positive, at least in terms of people just wanting things to be better or right, so while this thread would be an interesting read and move on, I guess I'll jump in.  I probably won't add much to what has already been said.

 

Focus on consistency, especially with food, but with the overall experience.  Folks who cruise frequently, like a few times each year shouldn't be on 2 or 3 or 4 or more ships and come back with wildly different experiences.  If that is happening, that means your command and control over your service standards is either non-existant or not being enforced.  While a mystery shopper program for cruising could be very expensive, it would help you identify ships and staff which are following standards and those that are not.  Princess needs a secret group of staff which do nothing but pretend to be vacationers, going on cruises and reporting back to corporate how things are, or who are on board and can be contacted by corporate and asked to look in on something from a passenger's eyes on a moment's notice.

 

Menu's on board need to be a balance of "Princess Favorites" (like fettuccine Alfredo, et al.), which are there every night, and more avant garde dishes which you may not see or even be able to find back home but which elevate the cruise experience and make it special.  Certain deserts, like the Love Boat Dream, and the pistachio dome, need to be exactly the same from cruise-to-cruise, whereas there should be room for skilled bakers and pastry chefs to serve items they are best at preparing.  I've seen a lot of menus lately and they are not all that inspiring.  I used to know a couple in a Mac user group that would do road trips during the summer.  Where did they eat while on the road?  Applebee's.  I asked them about this once as I expressed to them that I thought they were missing out on being able to experience the local cuisine in whatever city they were overnighting in.  Their response has stuck with me all these years.  Consistency.  They ate at Applebees most nights because they knew what they were getting.  I've read a lot of threads here about food, and the one thing that keeps coming back to me is lack of consistency more than any other factor that affects food presentation and appeal.

 

Plus, people who choose not to pay for specialty dining shouldn't be punished with substandard cuts of meat or under-flavored dishes.  The on-board goal should be that every meal is exceptional, not that every dish is exceptional, that is sometimes up to personal taste, but that everyone who dines on board finds something they think they will like and the overall dining experience will be exceptional.  This also means tightening up MDR dining times, getting them down to an hour, maybe 90 minutes from start to finish.  The two hour dinners with lots of waiting time between courses just doesn't cut it.

 

Princess needs to be very careful to not nickle and dime people too much.  Having an up-charge for everything on board makes the experience feel cheep.  Many here have derided Plus and Premier, however if Princess pares down other package offerings, simplifies what can be purchased pre-cruise, this may be the bridge that allows them to continue to operate as a mid-market line.  I like the fact that I can "buy-up" into a cruise experience that is more like an all-inclusive resort, which puts me closer to the lux lines than it does to the mass-market lines and without the lux line premium.  Some of the earliest posts in this thread wanted to bag the packages and go back to a la carte pricing for everything, but that ship has sailed.  And on top of that, this many months into the packages, if they were not working for Princess, they would be being dispensed with or the offering would quietly go away.  More than anything else, now that the packages are a "thing", clean up the web site, remove the pre-pay options which seem to crash into Plus and Premier, and simplify the overall booking and pre-cruise management experience.

 

Speaking of quietly going away.  Notice how the co-branding that Princess was doing a few years ago has evaporated.  The Salty Dog no longer references a chef name, and might be relegated to Lido deck food in the coming months on some ships.  Same goes for Chocolate Journeys.  And Curtis Stone and the Share concept hit the skids so long before all of this.  I find it interesting that professional marketers never own and explain changes they make.  Did Share not hit the same numbers as Sabatini's does?  Is your time having use of the Salty Dog name coming to and end and you need to come up with replacement venues so you don't have a contract violation?  You don't have to tell us the gory details, but it would be nice to know why some things have come and gone.  With Share, maybe it is enough to say something pithy like, "while Share was enjoyed by thousands of our guests, they also expressed that they missed their favorite dishes and experience at Sabatini's.  Many said that when they cruised they always looked forward to dining at Sabatini's while on a Princess ship.  While we remain committed to bringing you, our valued guest new experiences, sometimes we have to stand back and listen and bring back those things that make Princess special to you."

 

When I first started cruising Princess had virtually no co-branding.  Everything was in-house.  When you stepped on board a Princess ship you were in Princess' little world.  No Starbucks, no McDonalds, no Applebee's.  It was refreshing, you really were on vacation.  Not that the recent co-brands they have done have occurred with people that are household names, it still felt out of place to have "celebrity" chefs names being attached to a desert section of an MDR menu or on a main dish in the MDR.  Ditching the endorsements, co-brands, and celebrity chefs is a cost cutting measure that shouldn't negatively impact passengers.  I suspect that Princess discovered that these associations weren't really getting them extra passengers or profit.

 

That is just some of what I would suggest.

[icat2000]

Oh I have one other request. Australia/NZ market gets the new ship for first season FIRST.

[PescadoAmarillo]

12 hours ago, billco said:

NCL's newest Prima class is smaller than the previous Breakaway class. NCL also continues to sail older smaller ships.

The NCL Spirit is a gem. Although it’s not premium cruise line-sized, it’s relatively much smaller than new builds and, as a result, does interesting and unique itineraries. We were, frankly, shocked at the quality of its cruise experience. 

[cr8tiv1]

3 hours ago, icat2000 said:

Oh I have one other request. Australia/NZ market gets the new ship for first season FIRST.

 

Sure...I'll trade you the Sun Princess for the Coral and the Grand (throw in the Golden for good measure....I know, I know).

[Down-Unders]

Reduces the prices.